S40.E00: The 40th Anniversary Special

[Kromm]

And that's where basically current sketches like Celebrity Family Feud falter. They're just trotting out impressions of various quality and nothing more. Unless it's Kate McKinnon as Bieber, that one's always solid (and an obvious choice for Celebrity Jeopardy).

And it also illustrates how much smarter Norm is about comedy than people probably think (or are willing to admit).  His own barometer of how his own delivery goes over with audiences is sometimes broken, but his overall awareness of the theory behind all this stuff is solid.

[nowandlater]

That's really pretty much what Tina Fey said about her.  I wouldn't say that makes him a cheerleader on the basis of that. 

 

What struck me was the tweet about Palin before that tweet:

 

 

After seeing that, I went to Norm's IMDB page (which spells his name "MacDonald"):

 

 

[Kromm]

 

That last though is one of those cases I alluded to where it's not clear how much is serious.  Norm had an infamous appearance on "The View", for example, where in addition to saying he liked Bush, he also called Bill Clinton "a murderer".  When asked about it later, Norm claimed that it was a joke that went completely over Barbara Walters' head, and she treated it like he meant all of it.  He later said, in fact, that he thinks Bush bungled the Iraq war.

 

He's been consistent enough though that it's clear he probably actually IS a conservative underneath the jokes.  You don't keep revisiting the same references the way he does if there's nothing behind them.  

Edited February 19, 2015 by Kromm

[Irlandesa]

Found it interesting that Norm says Bill Murray's participation was up in the air till the last minute. He slipped so easily into the Jaws love theme that you would have thought he always was going to participate. Just goes to show that some people are just very funny on the fly. Bill Murray appears to be one of them. 

He also said that a writer remembered Bill doing a Jaws-type thing back in the day which inspired what we saw Sunday.  So while I'm sure some of the writing was probably new, a lot of it was familiar enough that it was easy to learn.

 

I loved his description of wanting to know about who was in charge of WU.  He must have forgotten it along the way.

[car54]

The whole story is transcribed here:

 

http://gawker.com/how-eddie-murphy-almost-played-bill-cosby-on-snl40-by-1686690335

 

It was some week. I got in early, Monday, so I could write. It was a massive undertaking, a 3 hour show. People were exhausted. I worked with Lori Jo Hoekstra and Steve Higgins,who was always in a suit, because he had to go be Jimmy's sidekick, every day, round 5. I saw Lorne, thanked him, congratulated him, and shook his hand as Canadians do. He accepted. Got that out of the way early. Mood was too relaxed. I was confused as to who exactly was to be in charge of this thing. It was to be Lorne Michaels. Of course. It was to be Lorne. They wanted Celebrity Jeopardy. Higgins had two funny categories already figgered. I came up with the idea of Celebrity Jeopardy years ago by stealing it, note for note, from an SCTV classic, Half-Wits. Higgins and I co-wrote the first one years ago and I waited for Martin Short to host so I could ask permission to steal. He said that Eugene Levy had written the original. We received permission and beside Darrel and I,the talented Mr. Short played Jerry Lewis. It was always difficult to fit in that final celebrity. We never wanted a celebrity to be dumb, although many, even within the show, thought that was the idea. The idea was for Connery to be abusive and Burt to be dismissive. Sometimes people ask me who the funnier character is, Connery or Burt. The funniest character in Celebrity Jeopardy, by far, is alex Trebek as played by Will. Without Will's perfect take on Trebek,maddened by the outright hostility of Connery, the faraway uninterest of Burt, the sketch is nothing. Nothing but Rich Little nonsense. It was always the third podium that was hard to find a man to stand behind. It would inevitably only be an impression, nothing but an empty showcase. The best to do it was Hanks, playing dumb Hanks. Hanks always got it.And Alec too. So we hunkered down to write it. 40th anniversary and all. Had to be the best one. Tough job. Very tough. Then I was told it was to have a lot of impressions, 10 or 12, so a lot of big stars could be seen impersonating other big stars. This was bad news. Celebrity Jeopardy was never about impressions. In real life, Connery is the opposite of Darryl's take. Connery was the perfect gentleman, Burt was the funniest guy in the room. Celebrity Jeopardy was about hope. It was about the hope of one man, Alex Trebek, the hope that never died. The audacious hope that never let the facts of the past interfere. It was a rhythm piece, as each disaster was signaled by the sound of a buzzer, and each new category signified more, new, hope. And the 3rd contestant was the tough one. The third attitude always just out of reach of Higgins and me. And now we were being told we would have to do a dozen impressions. The rhythm would be gone. It was what it was, though, and what it was to be. How could it be saved from becoming an episode of copycats? And then Higgins had an idea. An idea that would blow the show wide open. Among many other things, this show was to be the return of Eddie Murphy. Eddie, the man who, in Lorne's absence, kept the show alive. Singlehandedly. To every comedian who ever performed on SNL, what Eddie accomplished was unthinkable. Every Saturday Night at 11:30 Eddie Murphy, a kid, would fill 90 minutes with comedy. Impossible. The last anniversary was the 25th. Eddie did not attend due to a remark by David Spade. David is a very kind man, but his remark was not. So Eddie never came back. Until last week. Higgins had the idea. A video daily double. The category would be potent potables, a common one on Jeopardy, but one we somehow had never done. And the idea was that it would be a bar set. And the ide a was that Cosby would be mixing a drink in a video that was taped 6 months ago. It was perfect. It was all Steve Higgins idea. At the end of the sketch, Darrel would choose potent potables. Homebase would be dressed as a bar. The iconic doors would open and on to home base would step Eddie Murphy. The audience would know what to do. Why is Eddie wearing a multi-colored sweater?He steps behind the bar, begins mixing a drink. The audience covers the fact he has not spoken. When he speaks, he is Cosby. Eddie Murphy doing a perfect Cosby impression. The audience does not let him finish. The sketch ends. The show, for all intents, ends. All the impressions are forgiven. The first thing to do is cut down the number of contestant/impressions and the second is to contact Eddie and to convince him to do it. The middle man to talk to Eddie was @BrettRatner, a cool guy who knows a great deal about comedy. He was with Eddie somewhere. So, the talks were underway. "Brett says Eddie doesn't feel comfortable", "Eddie says 'maybe it's ok since he's doing pre-allegation Cosby". And on and on it went. I had not spoken to Eddie or @BrettRatner. I was dead sure Eddie would do it. Most others were not. Still, there was so much work to do. Mike and Dana showed up. They were going to do Wayne's World. I joined the writer's room, which Mike helmed, and tried to help. Mike Myers has an incredible work ethic and no joke is ever good enough and must be beaten, must be beaten. This is what makes him so good. This is why he has created a half-dozen perfect comedies. Work ethic, remarkable taste, and never taking no for an answer. I Higgins would stick his head in the room from time to time, tell me another celeb had been cut and make me happy.I kept trying to help Mike. I didn't get a single joke into Wayne's World. It was a great sketch, and he did a top ten list, best things about SNL. When, on air, he announced, "number 1, the crew", the studio audience, unprompted gave a standing ovation. I'd never seen this in 8H. Jim Downey, the best writer who ever touched pen to paper, showed up Wednesday, with a copy of Rolling Stone in his fist. The magazine had listed all 141 sat members and raked them, best to worst. "Guess where you ranked", he laughed and I knew from the laugh it was low. "As long as I beat…."and I mentioned a girl who lasted 4 episodes. The joke was that I really hoped I would beat a girl who nobody had ever heard of. The bigger joke is that I hadn't. My mind searched for an even more obscure cast member. I remembered the first year SNL hired an older man because they didn't think all kids could play characters of age. "As long as I beat George Coe", I said, making a fine joke. Again the truth was a finer joke. Coe had easily outranked me." And on it went. I should say that it was not the magazine that ranked us, but a single writer. I looked him up and found a book he had written. He doesn't deserve to be named and his book was sentimental nonsense meant to look like something Dave Eggers would write. But, in all fairness, it was not the magazine who did the ranking. At least I think. Anyway, it made for a very funny running joke. The idea of jokes approved by a writer the caliber of Jim Downey being called lame by some sappy "writer" was a great joke. Downey was in charge of the political pieces, the best of which he had written, and nobody knew what was going on with Update. At least that's what I was told the dozen or so times I was asked. Who was in charge of Update, i asked and eyes would get shifty. Was it the guy that wrote the Rolling Stone thing? Still, had to write Jeopardy. Higgins, Lori Jo, and I would stay late into the night, then go to PJ Clarks and end the nights at 3. It was like the old days. The old days. We worked straight through, me with my Winnipeg Jets jersey, Lori Jo in a beautiful dress, Higgins in his Tonight Show suit. Downey had remembered a thing Bill Murray used to do around the office, the theme from Jaws, and thought that would be perfect. But there was a problem. Bill Murray was in Carmel for the Pro-Am, which he had won a couple of years back with DA Points. With Bill Murray, golf always comes first. And so it was Saturday and Bill Murray may not make it and Eddie Murphy may not do Jeopardy and who was in charge of Update? And chaos seemed ready to sink it all. So I went to Lorne. And Lorne was in his office,which overlooks 8H,which overlooks 40 years of memories.And he was looking out the window, down on to the floor. And I was very nervous and he was perfectly calm. "Perhaps it would help if you called Eddie", and that was that. My son got in on Saturday and wandered as the stars became bigger and bigger around him. I'm talking to Lori Jo and Higgins and Fred and my son and suddenly Paul McCartney is there. And he is in the circle of us and Lori Jo talks of being a vegan and he says his daughter works for Gucci and is a designer, but no leather. My son and I look at each other. Very cool. And the 4 of us follow McCartney in to 8H and he sits behind the piano and does 6 songs. I take a video on my phone of Fred Wolf, striking a Dylan pose, with McCartney in the background at the piano, singing. I get all filmmaker and go over Fred's shoulder and get real close to Paul and when he finishes he is looking directly in to my camera. Then, as he finishes one and goes in to another I feel a hand on my back. The hand of security. Solid hand. There is Sarah Palin, gorgeous, and you can understand the charisma. She is irresistible. Too many superstars to take in all at one time. So happy my son could see them all. And then comes Eddie. I'm standing with my son, Lori Jo, and Chris Rock. We see Eddie from 100 yards away. Rock says, "There he is. Like Ali in Zaire." Eddie, Bomaye. It's my job to talk him in to doing Jeopardy. We talk in his dressing room a good hour. When it's over, I'm convinced he'll do it. He doesn't. He knew the laughs would bring the house down. Eddie Murphy knows what will work on SNL better than any one. Eddie decides the laughs are not worth it. He will not kick a man when he is down. Eddie Murphy, I realize, is not like the rest of us. Eddie does not need the laughs. Eddie Murphy is the coolest, a rockstar even in a room with actual rockstars. Quite a week.

 

[dcalley]

"I grew up on Cosby," Chris says. "I love Cosby, and I just hope it's not true. It's a weird year for comedy. We lost Robin, we lost Joan, and we kind of lost Cosby."

 

Ouch. No holding back there. But then again Chris Rock is just a straight shooter.

I don't know, those comments seem pretty safe to me.

 

It's very interesting to learn that Murphy was originally supposed to do Jeopardy's Cosby.

 

Here is his impression (NSFW language, duh):

[Kromm]

I don't know, those comments seem pretty safe to me.

 

It's very interesting to learn that Murphy was originally supposed to do Jeopardy's Cosby.

 

Here is his impression (NSFW language, duh):

But take the story he tells while DOING the impression seriously on at least one level.  Assuming it's not totally made up (just amped up for comedic effect) it means that Eddie Murphy probably got to know Cosby around 1986.  So here it is almost 30 years later.  Wanna bet Eddie's had more than a few dealings with Cosby in that 30 year span?  Once more we see the cost of someone becoming a Hollywood insider.

[morgankobi]

It was some week. I got in early, Monday, so I could write. It was a massive undertaking, a 3 hour show. People were exhausted. I worked with Lori Jo Hoekstra and Steve Higgins,who was always in a suit, because he had to go be Jimmy's sidekick, every day, round 5. I saw Lorne, thanked him, congratulated him, and shook his hand as Canadians do. He accepted. Got that out of the way early. Mood was too relaxed. I was confused as to who exactly was to be in charge of this thing. It was to be Lorne Michaels. Of course. It was to be Lorne. They wanted Celebrity Jeopardy. Higgins had two funny categories already figgered. I came up with the idea of Celebrity Jeopardy years ago by stealing it, note for note, from an SCTV classic, Half-Wits...

There's something really interesting about reading a straight story from Norm. It really highlights that much of his public persona is likely an "act." I like reading about his process a bit, it shows more of why people consider him a "comedian's comedian."

[helenamonster]

Bill Cosby is happy Eddie didn't do it.

 

Well, yeah, if I'd been accused of multiple sexual assaults, I wouldn't want someone "kicking me when I'm down." I don't see why it was necessary to release any kind of statement, even such a brief one.

[Kel Varnsen]

Bill Cosby is happy Eddie didn't do it.

 

Well, yeah, if I'd been accused of multiple sexual assaults, I wouldn't want someone "kicking me when I'm down." I don't see why it was necessary to release any kind of statement, even such a brief one.

It is funny to me how things work. I mean if Eddie had done it, it would have been a huge story. Norm releasing the story made it a sort of medium level story. If it had just been Keenan doing the Cosby impression, with nothing after, there might not have been any story at all.

 

Also if this story does develop more it would be interesting to get Keenan's take on what he thought about playing Cosby.

Edited February 19, 2015 by Kel Varnsen

[Spartan Girl]

Well, I guess I can understand why Eddie didn't want to play Bill Cosby, but couldn't he have played some other celebrity?  Or at least dust out Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood?

[Kromm]

Bill Cosby is happy Eddie didn't do it.

 

Well, yeah, if I'd been accused of multiple sexual assaults, I wouldn't want someone "kicking me when I'm down." I don't see why it was necessary to release any kind of statement, even such a brief one.

Honestly, Bill should have just kept his mouth shut. Norm talking about Eddie's actions could be seen as him trying to counter the criticisms that were already rolling in about him doing nothing on the special (by saying that he WAS supposed to do something and backed out for what Norm eventually agreed were good reasons). But Cosby responding BACK? What an idiot. The story would have been dead and gone by day's end if Cosby hadn't felt the need to issue a statement. Of course Cosby may have done that totally on purpose. Now the vibe is "oh, here's another superstar who supports Bill"--that may be the takeaway Team Cos was looking for.

[BatmanBeatles]

 

Well, I guess I can understand why Eddie didn't want to play Bill Cosby, but couldn't he have played some other celebrity?

Like James Brown. That would have been awesome.

[vb68]

 

Norm talking about Eddie's actions could be seen as him trying to counter the criticisms that were already rolling in about him doing nothing on the special

 

 

I do wonder if putting it out was ultimately Lorne's idea.  

[Traveller519]

Those Norm Tweets are something else. I've heard a few stories about what a master in the writers room Norm was. Like, Kromm says he's definitely someone who gets the comedic process, even if he doesn't fully adopt it to himself.

 

I do think his takes on Palin were about how easy it is to get caught up in her charisma, which makes perfect sense. That's been a common theme on her.

 

The McCartney story was pretty damn cool.

[dcalley]

 

I feel a hand on my back. The hand of security. Solid hand. There is Sarah Palin

Was Norm speaking figuratively or literally here?

[peeayebee]

I came up with the idea of Celebrity Jeopardy years ago by stealing it, note for note, from an SCTV classic, Half-Wits.

 

I just watched the Half Wits sketch online. It's hilarious. I watched SCTV in the 70's (or was it early 80's?), so I may have seen this before, but I've forgotten it.

[scowl]

I've always found him interesting too. Just for the combination of tremendous talent with being such a huge a-hole. In the same way that I find Keith Olbermann interesting although KO seems to have found some level of self awareness at some point. As far as SNL and Lorne are concerned I don't really find his criticisms that interesting as they all boil down to "I am the only one in the world with integrity and artistic vision and everyone else is a bunch of hacks." 

 

I have no doubt that Shearer is hard to work with (even Christopher Guest confirmed that) and his complaints have always been self-serving. What I found unique and interesting was how Lorne Michaels dealt with him. You don't just talk to Michaels about uncomfortable things. You make an office appointment. Then after waiting an hour or two past the time of your meeting, you get into his office but Michaels is still busy doing important work and only half-listens to you. Other have confirmed that Michaels used same wait-for-an-hour ploy to convey their complaints are not worth his time. 

 

Janeane Garafolo showed how that tactic can backfire. She didn't bother sitting outside Michaels' office for an hour. Instead she regularly went to the press with all her complaints. She didn't care if it destroyed her career.

[Galileo908]

I have no doubt that Shearer is hard to work with (even Christopher Guest confirmed that) and his complaints have always been self-serving. What I found unique and interesting was how Lorne Michaels dealt with him. You don't just talk to Michaels about uncomfortable things. You make an office appointment. Then after waiting an hour or two past the time of your meeting, you get into his office but Michaels is still busy doing important work and only half-listens to you. Other have confirmed that Michaels used same wait-for-an-hour ploy to convey their complaints are not worth his time.

 

On the topic of Harry Shearer, he's on the latest WTF podcast where he talks about his days at SNL and his difficulty with others. It's a really good listen.

 

EDIT: One complaint of his was that he thought the "producing at the seat of their pants" mentality was a terrible way to run a show. The "I am the only one in the world with integrity and artistic vision and everyone else is a bunch of hacks" complaint towards Lorne is in play here and we all know Lorne's power has only gotten stronger over the years.

Edited February 19, 2015 by Galileo908

[car54]

Norm thinks Eddie didn't do the bit because of some noble reason.   It has nothing to do with the laughs, Norm.    Eddie has his own glass houses and he knows better than to start throwing stones.    He did the best thing he could do--he showed up, and he did nothing.   Because he couldn't.

[VCRTracking]

 

I do think his takes on Palin were about how easy it is to get caught up in her charisma, which makes perfect sense. That's been a common theme on her.

 

Jason Sudeikis talked about meeting her in the SNL in the 2000s documentary on VH1 where he was playing her husband Todd in the "Palin Rap". He said she went over to him, put his hair back from his forehead and said "There. Now you're Todd" I don't remember the exact quote from Jason but he was like "Whew! Say what you will about her...!" like he was still thunderstruck by that charisma. This is a man who dated January Jones and is in a relationship with Olivia Wilde, so he's used to being the charming one to pretty women.

 

 

Norm thinks Eddie didn't do the bit because of some noble reason.   It has nothing to do with the laughs, Norm.    Eddie has his own glass houses and he knows better than to start throwing stones.    He did the best thing he could do--he showed up, and he did nothing.   Because he couldn't.

 

I do believe Eddie because he was hurt by what David Spade said about him being a "falling star" back in 1995. Jim Bruer tells Jimmy Fallon the story of Eddie calling up the office and just letting Spade have it:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km_pDZpttRw

Edited February 20, 2015 by VCRTracking

[ParadoxLost]

Considering Norm's story and the episode itself, I think it went something like this.   They (Lorne?) decided who from the show's history needed to be highlighted, but they didn't want anyone to dominate the show so everyone got limited to, at a maximum, a sketch and a bit or a speech and a bit.  What was made of that time, I think was highly dependent on the former cast members' participation.

 

Mike Meyers was running the writers room for Wayne's World.  Norm MacDonald was heavily involved in Celebrity Jeopardy.  And after they covered their necessary cast members they padded with celebrities / former hosts and those were people that by history with the show, I'm convinced solidly agreed to be involved.

 

Murray wasn't even certain he was going to show.  Murphy wasn't committed enough to write his own stuff.  Both seemed like they'd show up and either do what was given to them or not.  I suspect Aykroyd was somewhat similar because how else does 'lets just re-do Bass-O-Matic word for word' happen.  Murray lucked out that someone wrote something decent for him.  Murphy did not.  I can't believe that anyone entertained the thought that Murphy would ever do that Cosby bit.  And frankly, it was the least funny part of the sketch and Murphy couldn't have saved it.

 

Its actually interesting that it seems like there is a dividing line in how cast members view the show.  It seems like from the Lovitz/Carvey/Hartman cast forward there is a nostalgia and weight given the show that makes them want to come back and revisit it from time to time.  For the original cast (at least the guys) and Murphy it felt a bit more like it was something they felt they should do (and Murray wouldn't have if golf got in the way).  I think the difference is that there is a time where the cast members can start saying 'SNL made me want to be a comedian'.

[Maverick]

I think I would have told Murphy where to stick it. He's a celebrity...they get picked on. Deal with it.

[vb68]

 

I think I would have told Murphy where to stick it. He's a celebrity...they get picked on. Deal with it.

 

That's how I feel too. The Cosby stuff was pretty mild.  Cosby should be glad that Tina didn't write that segment.  Her one-liner at the Golden Globes had a lot more bite to it.

 

And not that I will ever be a fan, but the whole thing about not offending Cosby's delicate sensibilities (or even Eddie Murphy's) makes Sarah Palin seem even more gracious by default.  Nobody took it on the chin from the show more than her in the past few years.  I just think not wanting take some very mild shots at Cosby is very lame.

[WendyCR72]

True, but what it ultimately comes down to where Bill Murray is concerned is, at least to me, is...okay, he wouldn't have attended the Anniversary shindig if he advanced in the golf tournament. But he did. If he wasn't really figured to be coming, well...he could have just skipped it no matter what happened with golf, but he must still have some residual feeling enough to indeed show up.

 

And, written for him or not, on the fly or not, he seemed to put his all into it, as ridiculous as the song was, because, hey, Nick was ridiculous. But he still went for it with gusto.

 

Compared to Aykroyd and the Bass-O-Matic skit, Aykroyd seemed to mentally say "fuck it!" once that blender jammed (welcome to live TV!) and he couldn't do the speed talk as flawlessly as he used to, rather than just let himself have a good time, anyway. Aykroyd, to me, seemed to act like the skit was a requirement; Murray seemed to allow himself to embrace the absurdity again, and I guess that's why I think the revisit worked in his case, whether the material was written or on the fly.

[ruby24]

Its actually interesting that it seems like there is a dividing line in how cast members view the show.  It seems like from the Lovitz/Carvey/Hartman cast forward there is a nostalgia and weight given the show that makes them want to come back and revisit it from time to time.  For the original cast (at least the guys) and Murphy it felt a bit more like it was something they felt they should do (and Murray wouldn't have if golf got in the way).  I think the difference is that there is a time where the cast members can start saying 'SNL made me want to be a comedian'.

I see that too. I think the difference comes from the point in time where the show was seen as an institution, which probably started more with the Hartman era. The original cast members I'm sure feel cool now for having originated this whole thing, but never thought of it that way at the time it was happening. The absolute reverance that the current and recent previous cast members feel towards it is much more obvious.

[Kel Varnsen]

Those Norm Tweets are something else. I've heard a few stories about what a master in the writers room Norm was. Like, Kromm says he's definitely someone who gets the comedic process, even if he doesn't fully adopt it to himself.

Whenever I read background stuff about comedy writing and how it works it always seems so fascinating to me. Norm talking about how they spent days on that sketch and went over it so many times and just hammered out every last line is almost hard to imagine. Considering it was maybe 10 minutes long, by the time they were done I can't imagine it would have been funny to them anymore.

 

And not that I will ever be a fan, but the whole thing about not offending Cosby's delicate sensibilities (or even Eddie Murphy's) makes Sarah Palin seem even more gracious by default.  Nobody took it on the chin from the show more than her in the past few years.  I just think not wanting take some very mild shots at Cosby is very lame.

Palin seems like the kind of person who loves the spotlight. I am sure she loved the thought of being on TV and being part of a joke, especially on a show that was going to be watched by millions of people.

I see that too. I think the difference comes from the point in time where the show was seen as an institution, which probably started more with the Hartman era. The original cast members I'm sure feel cool now for having originated this whole thing, but never thought of it that way at the time it was happening. The absolute reverance that the current and recent previous cast members feel towards it is much more obvious.

The Phil Hartman era starts shortly after Lorne Michaels returned to running the show so I would bet that is also part of it. I can see him wanting to make a big deal, and hold higher the people who worked for him rather than the people who were around when he wasn't.

[morgankobi]

I had never seen this, but TMZ (sorry) unearthed a dig Eddie took at Garrett Morris on WU. So maybe he was just mad David Spade stole his idea for a joke about a former cast member all those years later.

Edited February 20, 2015 by morgankobi

[editorgrrl]

I had never seen this, but TMZ (sorry) unearthed a dig Eddie took at Garrett Morris on WU. So maybe he was just mad David Spade stole his idea for a joke about a former cast member all those years later.

 

Here's the David Spade Joke That Kept Eddie Murphy Off "SNL" for 20 Years

 

It also has the aforementioned 1981 joke Eddie Murphy made about Garrett Morris—for those who don't want to give TMZ any traffic.

Edited February 20, 2015 by editorgrrl

[morgankobi]

Good on ya for finding another source :)

[Princess Sparkle]

The SNL YouTube account just posted a bit Kyle did before the special - it's him doing the "man on the street" character he used to do on his YouTube channel (and I want to say he did it on Kimmel a few times as well). I know his brand of comedy can be a little love-it-or-hate-it, but I thought this was pretty funny.

And I still have absolutely no idea who or what that blonde woman was trying to describe. Maybe Bobby's second hand news guy?

Edited February 21, 2015 by Princess Sparkle

[helenamonster]

I think Eddie's just like any other Hollywood star with a big ego: he can dish it out, but he can't take it.

[annzeepark914]

I just watched the re-broadcast of the special (missed most of it on Sunday).  Why in the world did they waste so much time on 2 "episodes" of The Californians? The two Pauls have lost their singing voices (McCartney more so than Simon).  Doesn't anyone have the nerve to tell them so?  I wish they'd shown more of Phil Hartman's audition tape--it's hilarious.  IMO he was the funniest of all SNL cast members.  During the Chris Rock/Eddie Murphy slap-hands-together marathon I hit the mute button & read emails. 

 

@editorgrrl:  thanks for the link to the David Spade spot.  Very funny!

[WendyCR72]

Didn't watch the repeat airing as I watched everything - including the preshow - on Sunday, but I see via TV Guide it was 3 hours versus the 3.5 hours of the original airing.

 

Based on the above post, I guess the loooooooooong "Californians" sketch wasn't cut, so, out of curiosity if anyone had seen both airings, what was cut for time?

[editorgrrl]

They cut the very end of Eddie Murphy's speech. (The part where he said something to the effect of "wasn't that supposed to be the end of the bit?".)

[Irlandesa]

Didn't watch the repeat airing as I watched everything - including the preshow - on Sunday, but I see via TV Guide it was 3 hours versus the 3.5 hours of the original airing.

 

Based on the above post, I guess the loooooooooong "Californians" sketch wasn't cut, so, out of curiosity if anyone had seen both airings, what was cut for time?

I was watching Martin Short's interview on Jimmy Fallon the other day and they mentioned they were repeating the show with "limited commercial interruptions.  I didn't watch but if that's true, they may not have had to cut much.

[punkypower]

I missed the Sunday night original run; however, from following the Live Chat thread, they cut Kanye's performance.

[WendyCR72]

I missed the Sunday night original run; however, from following the Live Chat thread, they cut Kanye's performance.

 

In that case, those who may have missed Sunday's airing and who were watching tonight were so damned lucky!

[absnow54]

Are you sure? I flipped to the show very briefly last night, and when I did, Kanye's performance was playing.

[Stella MD]

Kanye and his crazy over-emoting on the floor were definitely not cut, sadly. Thank god for the mute button.

I think Miley's song may have disappeared, though?

[spaceytraci1208]

I wonder if we'll ever see Eddie Murphy do anything funny again, honestly. He's not that old, you'd think he'd want to still be in the game and not be treated like a past his prime veteran actor

I'd love for him to do another stand-up special, actually. I can only imagine the stories he's got bottled up in that brain. I don't doubt that he's capable.

[annzeepark914]

Kanye and his crazy over-emoting on the floor were definitely not cut, sadly. Thank god for the mute button.

I think Miley's song may have disappeared, though?

Miley sang 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover which I thought was weird since Paul Simon was also in the show.  But she did a good job.  Good Lord...what was Kanye's performance supposed to be all about under that tent-like thing and the crawling, etc?  Why in the world was he part of this show any way?

[punkypower]

So sorry for the mistake, guys!

Either I FFed commercials too fast or I was too busy reading the thread--either way, I was very happy! ;p

[helenamonster]

I just watched the re-broadcast of the special (missed most of it on Sunday).  Why in the world did they waste so much time on 2 "episodes" of The Californians? The two Pauls have lost their singing voices (McCartney more so than Simon).  Doesn't anyone have the nerve to tell them so?  I wish they'd shown more of Phil Hartman's audition tape--it's hilarious.  IMO he was the funniest of all SNL cast members.  During the Chris Rock/Eddie Murphy slap-hands-together marathon I hit the mute button & read emails. 

 

@editorgrrl:  thanks for the link to the David Spade spot.  Very funny!

 

They always did multiple "episodes" in one sketch...I feel like it was usually three, but it always felt like much more. Each time you thought it was over, it wasn't. But I think the point was so that they could skip to all of the dramatic moments without awkward pacing issues.

[meep.meep]

I see from IMDb that he was the musical guest 6 times, but I honestly don't remember any of them.  I don't think he was ever in a sketch, the way Paul Simon and Paul McCartney were.  Taylor's last SNL appearance was in 1993.

 

I remember James Taylor being in both The Raging Queen and The Antler Dance sketches.  Two of the best that SNL ever did.  

[ParadoxLost]

They always did multiple "episodes" in one sketch...I feel like it was usually three, but it always felt like much more. Each time you thought it was over, it wasn't. But I think the point was so that they could skip to all of the dramatic moments without awkward pacing issues.

 

I think the point of picking Californians was that it served two purposes.  The first getting as many celebrities in the sketch as possible which Norm said was one of the purposes of Celebrity Jeopardy and second it set up the 'buh bye' sketch.  Because that was actually quite funny since everyone was basically begging for the sketch to be over already.

[Samsnee]

You could also say that was the unsaid part of Chris Rock's jab last night that writers forgot about him. He actually left SNL for In Living Color. It's kinda ironic now because people will always associate him with SNL. I'm not so sure about ILC. And there seems to be no hard feelings on either Lorne's or Chris's part now.

That he was such a big part of ILC, only adds to the irony in my mind that Jim openly relishes his friend of SNL status now.

Rock was never on ILC?

[formerlyfreedom]

Rock was never on ILC?

 

Actually he was - he was on six episodes at the end of it's run. It was cancelled, and he went on to do movies.

[morgankobi]

Honestly, I don't think many people remember him from that. The end of In Living Color was a sad shell of it's former self.

Edited February 23, 2015 by morgankobi

[editorgrrl]

Not only is Eddie Murphy an Oscar presenter (original screenplay), NPH introduced him thusly:

Our next presenter is not only one of the greatest standup comedians of all time, he's also one of the top-five highest grossing actors in history. In other words, he doesn't need this.

Twice in eight days.