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nymusix

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JZL

JZL

(edited)

Robert De Niro writes open letter to Mueller via the NY Times.

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Dear Mr. Mueller,  It probably hasn’t escaped your attention (in my mind, nothing escapes your attention) that I play a version of you on “Saturday Night Live . . .”

Edited by JZL
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anna0852
anna0852

Michael Che posted on his Instagram that he paid the rent for all 160 units in his grandmother's building for next month. Apparently there is no rent forgiveness for public housing. 

helenamonster
helenamonster

So my mom and I did go to that SNL exhibit, and it was well worth our time and money (this is coming from someone who has been ripped off by these kinds of things before). The way the exhibit was set

Irlandesa
Irlandesa

I should congratulate them but all I can think is "Oh children...no." 

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possibilities

possibilities

(edited)

They can just get someone else to play him, and maybe that will be even more funny/damning. I don't think that Comedy itself depends on any one comedian.

Baldwin being upset about some criticism says more about Baldwin than about comedy in general. There are plenty others who are doing impressions and aren't bothered by that kind of thing.

Baldwin has always been a person who can dish it out but not take it. It makes me laugh to think Baldwin cowers in the face of harsh words.

Edited by possibilities
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vb68

vb68

13 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Baldwin has always been a person who can dish it out but not take it. It makes me laugh to think Baldwin cowers in the face of harsh words.

I agree with you completely there.  Plus the whole thing with his precious time. I remember him saying in the press that he was the oldest person on 30 Rock so he had less time left that all of them, and he didn't want to use it up on the show.  Alec is wound rather tightly.

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vb68

vb68

(edited)

And right on cue.  With a tiny bit of criticism, he now sounds like he wants to stay. Or will think it over. To reiterate, Dude is such a flake. 

Edited by vb68
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Pete Martell

Pete Martell

I wish they would call him on his bluff. At this point I think as many people don't watch the show as do watch the show because of Baldwin, if not more. 

They won't, because Lorne will ride this train long after the wheels have fallen off. 

Maybe they will at least be chastened into improving their political writing. 

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helenamonster

helenamonster

7 hours ago, vb68 said:

I agree with you completely there.  Plus the whole thing with his precious time. I remember him saying in the press that he was the oldest person on 30 Rock so he had less time left that all of them, and he didn't want to use it up on the show.  Alec is wound rather tightly.

I want to live a life where giving one of the best performances of my career on one of the most critically-acclaimed sitcoms of the twenty-first century is considered a waste of time.

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JZL

JZL

(edited)

I don't care whether it's Baldwin.  It's just been run into the ground at this point and it's time for a change.

If they can do Bannon as the Grim Reaper, how about Trump as an orange-haired Frankenstein monster?  As Putin's dog?  Regardless, it shouldn't be one thing over and over almost every week for years.

Edited by JZL
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vb68

vb68

(edited)

Lorne, while accepting a big award in France, says you couldn't start the show today.  I'm not sure I agree with that. I feel like the door is open to more sketch shows now more so than in the past. There are definitely more avenues with streaming, youtube, etc. One other thing. It gave confirmation to something I always suspected.  We always hear rumors the show will end with Lorne. That is NOT how he feels or what he wants.

Edited by vb68
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Pete Martell

Pete Martell

On 6/21/2019 at 10:17 AM, vb68 said:

Lorne, while accepting a big award in France, says you couldn't start the show today.  I'm not sure I agree with that. I feel like the door is open to more sketch shows now more so than in the past. There are definitely more avenues with streaming, youtube, etc. One other thing. It gave confirmation to something I always suspected.  We always hear rumors the show will end with Lorne. That is NOT how he feels or what he wants.

I take those comments to mean something with the scope of SNL - musical guests and so on. He's probably right there. The show also has a broader tone (albeit not as much as in the show's first few decades) compared to some of the newer sketch comedy shows I've seen. 

I think part of it is also down to Lorne's idea that he is representing all points of view, which I don't really believe is possible in today's polarized climate (and SNL never really represented all points of view anyway), but he still seems to cling to as some kind of ideal.

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heatherchandler

heatherchandler

On 5/3/2019 at 4:34 PM, Pete Martell said:

Chris Kattan claims he broke his neck while doing a stunt on the show.

https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/chris-kattan-saturday-night-live-broke-neck-1203204375/

I am reading Chris Kattan's book.  I hate to say it but it makes me think Will Ferrell is an asshole.  I know he is universally loved, I have always thought he was funny and seemed like a great guy, but I don't like how he treated Kattan.  He basically dropped their friendship.  True, Kattan admitted that he made some messed up choices.  I always feel bad for the underdog I guess, and it just seems like Kattan is always getting crapped on.  At least by accounts in his book.

Anyone else read it?

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helenamonster

helenamonster

23 hours ago, JZL said:

Tina Fey is on a recent episode of Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast.

I found it very interesting what she had to say about the state of things on the show at the moment, especially regarding the writing. For those who aren't planning on listening, she talked about being shocked that people just leave after the pitch on Monday--even though Tuesday has always been "writing night", people would still try to get some work done on Monday after getting a feel for the host--and how she's asked Lorne if he needs her to come in there to crack the whip. It also doesn't surprise me to learn that she brought legitimate ideas to the pitch meetings, despite them traditionally being something of a joke.

I really, really hope she takes over when it's time for Lorne to step down. I've always loved her approach to her work and I think that kind of energy is exactly the kick in the pants this show needs, specifically the writing. Just because each episode is thrown together in a week doesn't mean it has to feel that way. Other departments do much better work in the same (or sometimes even less) amount of time, especially hair/makeup/wardrobe and props/production/set design. The cast is worthy of better material. This show has the potential to be better than it is right now, and I think she's the woman for the job.

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WendyCR72

WendyCR72

Honestly, I think - and hey, I could be wrong! - that when Lorne Michaels is ready to hang it up, I can see the show folding, too. If just because NBC tried a Lorne-less SNL once before, and it is still talked about as being notoriously awful under Jean Doumanian [aside from the discovery of Eddie Murphy] and the aimless sort of leadership, along with tanking ratings - and then there was the whole "F" bomb mini scandal by the late Charles Rocket which led to his firing. I'm not sure NBC would want to take that risk again.

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Bruinsfan

Bruinsfan

18 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

 I'm not sure NBC would want to take that risk again.

I could see them going for it if Fey is Lorne's appointed heir, because she's already a proven success at NBC running a show. But I think you're right if they try to go on with the show under anyone else's umbrella.

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helenamonster

helenamonster

It will definitely be interesting when the time comes. SNL has made what was once a completely dead timeslot into a cash cow and American institution (even the 10pm reruns do well in the ratings). I think there will at least be a discussion of finding a way to continue it without Lorne--whatever year he decides to throw in the towel will be a very different point in the show's history than 1980 was. I mean what would they replace it with? The last thing that aired on NBC at 11:30pm on Saturdays were Johnny Carson reruns.

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Irlandesa

Irlandesa

1 hour ago, WendyCR72 said:

If just because NBC tried a Lorne-less SNL once before, and it is still talked about as being notoriously awful under Jean Doumanian [aside from the discovery of Eddie Murphy]

I think the Jean Doumanian year is such an extreme situation. It was one year and she wasn't Michaels' choice.  Most of the writers and all of the cast left with Michaels so she basically had to start from scratch. The show rebounded a bit with Ebersol.  That's as much on NBC as it was on Doumanian.

I suspect NBC will be more open to people Michaels suggests.  There will likely be more consistency since I doubt NBC will allow a complete overhaul of writers and cast.  As much as people say they'd like a major overhaul, it'd probably take at least a season or two for the newbies to find a groove since that's usually what happens with new cast members.

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JZL

JZL

On 11/14/2019 at 6:54 PM, helenamonster said:

I found it very interesting what she had to say about the state of things on the show at the moment, especially regarding the writing. For those who aren't planning on listening, she talked about being shocked that people just leave after the pitch on Monday--even though Tuesday has always been "writing night" . . .

I really, really hope she takes over when it's time for Lorne to step down.

It was interesting to me that she commented about how the weekly schedule was based on the cocaine use of the 70's but still persisted.  Harry Shearer has also been critical of the production schedule, especially when compared to America's other iconic live sketch-comedy show, Your Show of Shows.  (They committed to ideas much earlier in the week which were written with plenty of time to rehearse, revise, and polish.)

Tina would be the most natural heir apparent to Lorne but I got the impression she thought the show was too taxing and she was glad to have moved on.  Of course, if she was in charge maybe she could change that.  

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Pete Martell

Pete Martell

On 11/14/2019 at 7:54 PM, helenamonster said:

I found it very interesting what she had to say about the state of things on the show at the moment, especially regarding the writing. For those who aren't planning on listening, she talked about being shocked that people just leave after the pitch on Monday--even though Tuesday has always been "writing night", people would still try to get some work done on Monday after getting a feel for the host--and how she's asked Lorne if he needs her to come in there to crack the whip. It also doesn't surprise me to learn that she brought legitimate ideas to the pitch meetings, despite them traditionally being something of a joke.

I really, really hope she takes over when it's time for Lorne to step down. I've always loved her approach to her work and I think that kind of energy is exactly the kick in the pants this show needs, specifically the writing. Just because each episode is thrown together in a week doesn't mean it has to feel that way. Other departments do much better work in the same (or sometimes even less) amount of time, especially hair/makeup/wardrobe and props/production/set design. The cast is worthy of better material. This show has the potential to be better than it is right now, and I think she's the woman for the job.

It's hard for me to say because I thought the show was close to unwatchable for much of her tenure as headwriter - I actually quit watching the show for many years because of that era. I thought the material was lazy, too reliant on pop culture, on one-note cast members (and the talented members of the cast were frequently wasted), and on lazy jokes about ethnicity or homosexuality. Whether that's down to her, or the cast, or my own issues, I don't know, but I just couldn't deal with anymore. If she can bring in change without some of the baggage of that era, I'd be less reticent. 

On 11/14/2019 at 9:34 PM, WendyCR72 said:

Honestly, I think - and hey, I could be wrong! - that when Lorne Michaels is ready to hang it up, I can see the show folding, too. If just because NBC tried a Lorne-less SNL once before, and it is still talked about as being notoriously awful under Jean Doumanian [aside from the discovery of Eddie Murphy] and the aimless sort of leadership, along with tanking ratings - and then there was the whole "F" bomb mini scandal by the late Charles Rocket which led to his firing. I'm not sure NBC would want to take that risk again.

Those were crazy circumstances, as Lorne had a terrible relationship with Fred Silverman, the head of NBC at that time, culminating in a situation where Lorne's choice for a replacement, Al Franken, went on Weekend Update and did this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Limo_For_A_Lame-O

I think if the show ends it may be more down to shrinking revenues - or they may just start producing some sketches to air online and move away from the television format. 

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vb68

vb68

(edited)
On 11/14/2019 at 10:11 PM, helenamonster said:

I think there will at least be a discussion of finding a way to continue it without Lorne--whatever year he decides to throw in the towel will be a very different point in the show's history than 1980 was.

Yeah, I think that's the key point. This isn't 1980 anymore, and the show is such an Institution now. And it is very much still relevant, no matter what it's critics say.

Hell, in the world of shrinking ratings, the show  gets better ratings outside of anything in Primetime save football and maybe occasionally The Voice. It's much too important. It would be like canceling The Tonight Show.

It would be one thing if Lorne wanted the show to wind down or was even ambivalent about it. He doesn't and very much isn't. Again it's not 1980 anymore. He sees the show's legacy as important. I've seen him say more than once in interviews how important it is for the show to continue, from having a legit variety show on broadcast television to having a "show of record" of what happened that week. He basically sees it as his lasting legacy.

Maybe it all falls apart when he leaves. Who knows. But I can't imagine it would be in imminent danger when Lorne leaves. If anything the network will tinker with it until it finds another combination that works.   

Edited by vb68
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Bruinsfan

Bruinsfan

True enough, but that's after years of Jimmy Fallon whittling away at its relevance night after night. The whole Conan O'Brien mess shows how unthinkable it would have been for NBC to just let it end before his stint, even long after Carson's retirement.

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Pete Martell

Pete Martell

7 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

True enough, but that's after years of Jimmy Fallon whittling away at its relevance night after night. The whole Conan O'Brien mess shows how unthinkable it would have been for NBC to just let it end before his stint, even long after Carson's retirement.

I don't care for Jimmy Fallon as a host, but I wouldn't say he was worse than Jay Leno, who was completely unwatchable to me. I think it's just that we're in an era where talk shows matter much less to the public, similar to news shows, awards shows, and many other former staples of American television life. 

Interview with longtime SNL director.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/snl-director-don-roy-king-breaks-down-memorable-sketches-1254925

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possibilities

possibilities

The only thing the show needs is to hire new/better writers.

Everything else seems to be running fine.

I imagine there's a lot of institutional momentum, systems in place, and STAFF that could carry the show forward without Lorne. A new producer would not need to start from scratch.

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