SNL in the Media

[vb68]

First host announcement. 

Adam Driver/Kanye.

I didn't have  Adam Driver on my list at all, so I'm a little surprised. But he was a good host his first time.

Is he promoting a film right now?

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, vb68 said:

Is he promoting a film right now?

He's in BlacKKKlansman. 

[vb68]

Yeah, but that's been out for about a month. So....kinda odd choice.

Edited September 18, 2018 by vb68

[Maverick]

 Odd maybe, but better than Ryan Gossling again.  At least there won't be an alien abduction sketch with him smirking throughout.  

[DollEyes]

Ryan Gosling's smirk is way better than anything Kanye-related, as far as I'm concerned.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Definitely. It's easier to FF through Kanye's performances though, than Ryan Gosling's smirk for the rest of the show.

[Phishbulb]

Yeah, Driver's actually not a bad choice...he was pretty good in his first episode and it led to at least one classic sketch, the Kylo Ren Undercover Boss sketch.

Unfortunately, the main forces behind that sketch (Taran and Bobby) are now both no longer on the show. I believe Mikey Day co-wrote that sketch with them, so he'll probably still come up with something Star Wars-related for Adam to do. 

I don't know that I would have gone with him for the premiere, necessarily. They probably wanted Lady Gaga but couldn't get her because of her not being available, having to do press for her movie. Maybe she'll host the second episode of the season.

I didn't think even Kanye's fans were enjoying his recent output, so the MG choice is a little baffling, yeah.

[vb68]

Kanye seems to be one of their go-to guys for whatever reason.  I don't really get it because he bad mouths the show so much. I remember him saying before that he flat out refuses to do sketches with the implication being that it's beneath him.

I do think Adam Driver is a good host. I didn't want that to get lost. I was just surprised he's doing the premiere.  And fwiw, I like Ryan Gosling too. I'm impressed he's done it twice because I think it's outside his comfort zone. The first alien abduction sketch is a classic.

ETA:

On another very unfortunate note, Chevy lets loose on what he really thinks about all things SNL.

It's easy to see why he has the ugly and nasty reputation that he does. Just completely unnecessary.

And the line that the show has been going downhill since 1977 when he left tells you everything.

Edited September 19, 2018 by vb68

[Spartan Girl]

4 hours ago, vb68 said:

 

On another very unfortunate note, Chevy lets loose on what he really thinks about all things SNL.

It's easy to see why he has the ugly and nasty reputation that he does. Just completely unnecessary.

And the line that the show has been going downhill since 1977 when he left tells you everything.

Sheesh. And you wonder why nobody wants to work with you, Chevy...

And BTW the original cast did just fine without you. Belushi was the real MVP.

[possibilities]

5 hours ago, vb68 said:

Kanye seems to be one of their go-to guys for whatever reason.  I don't really get it because he bad mouths the show

He probably gets good ratings. He can say whatever he wants as long as his fans tune in and boost the Neilsens.

Has a woman ever hosted the premiere?

[Maverick]

42 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Has a woman ever hosted the premiere?

 Gal Gadot last year at least.  I'm sure there are others.

[vb68]

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

Has a woman ever hosted the premiere?

Of course. Margot Robbie hosted the premiere two years ago. I remember Tina hosting Beck and Kyle's first show and dancing with all those newbies. Reese Witherspoon rather famously hosted the first show after 9/11. and so forth. Wikipedia will tell us more. 

Edited September 20, 2018 by vb68

[ajsnaves]

Episodes 2 and 3 will be Awkwafina and some lad named Seth Meyers.  Musical guests? Travis Scott and Paul Simon.  Good lineup so far.

https://tvline.com/2018/09/27/saturday-night-live-awkwafina-seth-meyers-host-october/

[wknt3]

On 9/19/2018 at 4:35 PM, vb68 said:

Kanye seems to be one of their go-to guys for whatever reason.  I don't really get it because he bad mouths the show so much. I remember him saying before that he flat out refuses to do sketches with the implication being that it's beneath him.

 

On 9/19/2018 at 9:41 PM, possibilities said:

He probably gets good ratings. He can say whatever he wants as long as his fans tune in and boost the Neilsens.

Apparently he wasn't the first choice. I'm a little surprised that he would accept an offer on relatively short notice, knowing that he wasn't the first choice. And that Lorne would publicly talk about this sort of thing.

Scheduled ‘SNL’ Performer Dropped Out for ‘Emotional Reasons’

[JZL]

GQ writer thinks McKinnon is taking over the show and likes it.

This is based merely on the promo with Driver.  The guy probably thought Kristen Wiig was the best thing since sliced bread, too.  If McKinnon ever morphed into half the prima donna that Wiig was, it would be horrible for both her and the show.  Luckily, the rest of the cast is almost surely too strong for that.

[Ursula Parrott]

Vulture speaks for me on this ep.

[helenamonster]

12 hours ago, willco said:

I know this info is online somewhere, but maybe someone knows... what do the main players make per episode on SNL these days ? I remember, long ago, I heard a figure of something like $25 K per episode. I can't remember how long ago it was, though. Doesn't really seem like a lot-- and yeah, it is to the average worker, but I mean for someone in showbiz. Especially when you know that other tv players are making 10-20 ( or more, Big Bang Theory, talking to you !) times that per week on other shows ( that aren't live !). I'm just curious.

This is what I could find: https://www.quora.com/How-much-are-actors-on-Saturday-Night-Live-paid-per-episode

Per Jay Mohr's biography, he was paid $5,500 per episode plus an additional $1,500 for a writing credit his first season, $6,500 plus the writing credit for his second season, and that people who had been there five seasons were paid $12,500 an episode. As of 2001, Will Ferrell was the highest paid cast member in the show's history, pulling in $17,500 per episode.

Even adjusting for inflation, this is peanuts compared to their peers. I work in the industry, primarily with child actors, and they make about $30,000 an episode for a series regular role on a network show in the first season, signing a seven-season contract with their salary steadily increasing each year. I imagine adults and name actors make a lot more, and then of course as you mentioned there are your Big Bang and Friends people who take home a million dollars a week. It's especially glaring because even though SNL actors only work on the show 20 - 22 weeks out of the year, those weeks are grueling: no sleep, constant last-minute changes (you can work tirelessly on a sketch all week only for it to be cut after dress), and yes, they have to do it live! Compare that to a three-cam sitcom where you go in on Monday for the table read, Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday are rehearsals, and you tape on Friday. It's the closest you can get to a 9 to 5 job as an actor and actors on these shows are some of the highest paid in television history.

I've never been able to figure out if SAG-AFTRA rules apply to how SNL pays their actors. I remember listening to an interview with Tina Fey years ago where she did a cameo in a movie as a favor to a friend (only the second film she'd ever been in, after Mean Girls) and got an angry call from her agent that she now had to join SAG because she'd been in two SAG projects (you become a must-join after two). This was before the SAG-AFTRA merger, so I don't know what rules apply now. All/most of the current cast must be SAG since they've done other TV and movies, but their salaries seem incredibly under-scale. Unless there's a different scale for sketch shows, even if they're on a network and 90 minutes long? That's part of the reason I'm surprised Kenan's stuck around so long, he could make a lot more money literally anywhere else.

[Bruinsfan]

I suppose some of them are taking the steady paycheck rather than the uncertainty of the standup circuit or film/TV projects that might tank and take their careers with them?

[willco]

Thanks, helenamonster. I looked a little after I posted the question and that's about what I found also. It just seems to be so little, compared to the rest of show business ! When you add in the fact that residuals are probably little to nothing ( again, compared to any other hit show that gets that far) I wonder is it just to be able to say "I was on SNL" ? I know most of the cast does movies during summer break, at least I've seen a lot of them in previews and such, so that money must be a whole lot better. But I still think the pay must sound minute compared to other gigs.

[JakeyJokes]

I think another reason people stay is that because it's a gig that lets you stay in NYC as opposed to having to move to L.A.

[helenamonster]

On 10/8/2018 at 4:18 PM, willco said:

Thanks, helenamonster. I looked a little after I posted the question and that's about what I found also. It just seems to be so little, compared to the rest of show business ! When you add in the fact that residuals are probably little to nothing ( again, compared to any other hit show that gets that far) I wonder is it just to be able to say "I was on SNL" ? I know most of the cast does movies during summer break, at least I've seen a lot of them in previews and such, so that money must be a whole lot better. But I still think the pay must sound minute compared to other gigs.

I think for comedy, SNL is still considered one of the best places to get your big break. Not only does it put you on a national platform but it connects you to so many other people in that part of the industry, that even if you don't make a big splash on camera you might get a second chance somewhere else (think Julia Louis-Dreyfuss; her time on the show wasn't much to write home about, but it connected her with Larry David which helped her get Seinfeld). If you're a writer, it's a great place to hone your skillset before you pitch a pilot or a film.

I feel like the current cast do more outside projects than previous casts have. Don't have a metric to measure this but it felt like in the past you buckled down and did your seven years (maybe performing at UCB or doing stand up on your weeks off and over the summer), but I feel like it's more common now for the cast to do movies and tv guest spots than it used to be. I mean it was only ten-ish years ago that Bill Hader was telling Michaela Watkins she should thank Lorne for letting her do a movie over the summer. You know, when the show is on hiatus and she doesn't have to be there. Maybe Lorne's loosened up on that?

[SoMuchTV]

LOL black jeopardy is a category on jeopardy today. 

[mtlchick]

On 09/09/2018 at 1:29 AM, Trini said:

Ack! I didn't even know that the the Creative Arts awards were tonight! Congrats to Tiffany!

Forgot to comment on this until now.  She be ready, INDEED.  As much I bow down to the goddess that is Tina Fey, Tiffany had the standout episode last season.  She's not for everyone, but I cannot be more thrilled for her.  

[mtlchick]

Liev Schreiber is hosting on November 10th!

https://deadline.com/2018/10/live-schreiber-to-host-saturday-night-live-november-10-lil-wayne-musical-guest-1202493407/

[DollEyes]

Three words: "Donovan Meets Donald."

[cpcathy]

Wow, really not looking forward to Live Schreiber hosting. I think he's a great HBO narrator, but is he funny?

[helenamonster]

8 hours ago, cpcathy said:

Wow, really not looking forward to Live Schreiber hosting. I think he's a great HBO narrator, but is he funny?

I'm not overly familiar with Liev's work, but I think he can do dry and sardonic really well. He'll probably do a lot of straight-man roles. The Golden Globes sketch from Adam Driver's first hosting stint that he made a cameo in is underrated, imo.

Objectively, though, Pablo is the funny Schreiber.

[vb68]

On 11/1/2018 at 1:05 PM, cpcathy said:

Wow, really not looking forward to Live Schreiber hosting. I think he's a great HBO narrator, but is he funny?

I think he'll be fine. He did indeed appear game in that Golden Globe short he did for the show a few years ago.  He's a really interesting hosting choice. I never would have guessed him, but to be honest, I'm looking forward to Liev more than Jonah "I'm Six!" Hill.  

[cpcathy]

Not looking forward to Jonah either, and on my birthday, no less!

[vb68]

Well this is exciting. Steve Carell is hosting next week! I'm more excited for that than any episode so far this season. As is typical with musical guests these days, I'm not familiar with Ella Mai.

Edited November 8, 2018 by vb68

[cpcathy]

His last episode was really funny, hope the writing doesn't let him down.

[Phishbulb]

21 minutes ago, vb68 said:

Well this is exciting. Steve Carell is hosting next week! I'm more excited for that than any episode so far this season. As is typical with musical guests these days, I'm not familiar with Ella Mai.

She has a song called "Boo'd Up" which is actually quite good ("good" in that it's not a dude mumbling a lot through an AutoTune like 3/4ths of the musical guests so far this season). 

And yes, Carell hasn't hosted since 2008 (!) so this is long overdue. 

[helenamonster]

Way pumped about Steve Carrell but

On 11/7/2018 at 7:10 PM, vb68 said:

Ella Mai.

Who is this? I saw Maggie Rogers perform on this very show last week and I'm still not positive I know who she is either. Am I old?

[LBS]

22 hours ago, helenamonster said:

Who is this? I saw Maggie Rogers perform on this very show last week and I'm still not positive I know who she is either. Am I old?

Ha! The only musical guests that I knew of this season have been Lil Wayne and Kayne.  I thought Travis Scott was a country singer.   I’m officially old at 40.  

I’m excited for Steve Carrell but keeping my expectations in check.  I’d love an Office reunion though.  Hey, a girl can dream!

[JZL]

Is there a video anywhere of Sissy Spacek's SNL baton-twirling performance to David Bowie's "Fame"?

My Youtube/Vimeo searching skills must be off.

[formerlyfreedom]

Jason Momoa and Matt Damon are rounding out 2018 - December 8 & December 15.

Mumford & Sons will be the musical guests with Momoa, and Mark Ronson & Miley Cyrus will do the honors with Damon.

[Dee]

SNL Vet Vanessa Bayer Joins ABC's Single Parents as Taran Killam's Ex

Quote

TVLine has learned exclusively that fellow Saturday Night Live alum Vanessa Bayer will fill the recurring guest star role of Mia, Will’s ex. First appearing in a January episode of the freshman comedy, Mia is described as a “scarf-wearing, bracelets-jangling human rights lawyer who has spent the last five years saving lives abroad.” As such she regards Will’s life to be a breeze and undermines his parenting at every turn.

[JZL]

Jason Momoa, wow. 

Ronson + Cyrus, wow Pt 2.   Maybe we'll see Kevin Parker backing up less-talented people again.

So the 15th is the Christmas episode?  Is it known when the hiatus ends?

Edited November 27, 2018 by JZL

[vb68]

Jason Momoa was a fairly easy call. I mean Gal Gadot hosted last season. And he fits nicely in the The Rock/john Cena mode.

Matt Damon is interesting. It fits a pattern.  People who burst out with a notable political impression from Tina Fey to Alec Baldwin to Larry David to Melissa McCarthy  usually host that season it became a "water cooler" moment. Part of me thinks it's gesture on the show's part and strategy from all involved to grab an Emmy. It's hard to justify an Emmy nom on a single sketch, but if the show he hosts is reasonably good, I bet he gets a nomination.

The show just can't quit Miley.

[cpcathy]

Matt Damon's last hosting appearance was quite funny, if my memory is correct. He killed it as Kavanaugh, I laughed my head off. Matt is SO good at comedy, he's so versatile.

[Phishbulb]

On 11/27/2018 at 6:15 PM, JZL said:

Jason Momoa, wow. 

Ronson + Cyrus, wow Pt 2.   Maybe we'll see Kevin Parker backing up less-talented people again.

So the 15th is the Christmas episode?  Is it known when the hiatus ends?

There won't be a show on January 5th because the Golden Globes are that weekend. I would imagine the show will come back on Jan. 12th.

[Mystery]

Wow, people on the internet are telling Pete Davidson to kill himself?? https://www.thedailybeast.com/pete-davidson-to-bullies-i-wont-take-my-own-life

[vb68]

Wow. No words. I just hope he has supportive people around him. 

On a much lighter note, this is fun.

The Top Ten Most Savage Impressions. Not sure I agree with number one.

Edited December 4, 2018 by vb68

[Bruinsfan]

Damn. I'm no fan of Pete's, but that is just over the line.

[Robert Lynch]

And now Pete posted an instagram he deleted. Help this kid.

Edited December 15, 2018 by Robert Lynch

[stonehaven]

I guess police were called to SNL studios...that's gotta make tonight's show a bit edgy as far as atmosphere goes...Prayers going out to Pete.

[Robert Lynch]

50 minutes ago, stonehaven said:

I guess police were called to SNL studios...that's gotta make tonight's show a bit edgy as far as atmosphere goes...Prayers going out to Pete.

I feel bad for the cast. And it's the Christmas season, too.

[vb68]

So they haven't penned down the host when they come back in January.

[Mystery]

Dan Crenshaw, Congressman elect, called Pete to talk to him the next day. That seems nice. https://www.today.com/news/dan-crenshaw-says-he-spoke-pete-davidson-after-distressing-post-t145473

[wknt3]

On 12/15/2018 at 6:20 PM, Robert Lynch said:

And now Pete posted an instagram he deleted. Help this kid.

Apparently Lorne is doing just that.

Lorne Michaels sending Pete Davidson to get help

Quote

“Saturday Night Live” chief Lorne Michaels axed sketches with Pete Davidson at the 11th hour — following his desperate Instagram post on Saturday.

A source told Page Six: “The decision was taken to give Pete a break on Saturday night – his sketches were dropped before the early evening rehearsals.

“Lorne has pledged to help all he can, including sending Pete to get help. Everyone on the cast is hugely protective of him and were obviously upset — particularly Colin Jost and Michael Che on ‘Weekend Update.’”

It’s believed that Davidson will return to the show in the New Year when it’s back on air – and there have been no conversations about him taking time off, sources tell us.