S42.E06: Dave Chappelle / A Tribe Called Quest

[mtlchick]

Well that was some interesting stuff last night.  It wouldn't surprise me that the show and even NBC made some concessions to get Dave on the show and may have given him carte blanche to do whatever he wanted and they'll gladly pay whatever fines. That monologue was everything. 

The election night sketch was me that night...and I'm Canadian so I couldn't even vote!  I even said "24-3?  Pfft.  It's small states, no biggie."

 

Kate?  Marry me.  Or be my BFF,  I'm flexible. 

[oakville]

4 hours ago, wknt3 said:

I'm not sure that he's edgier, but he understands other people better than Chappelle and is better at explaining different experiences to an audience that doesn't necessarily share the same POV. He's also not afraid to admit that he cares about larger issues.

I don't think it has anything to do with partisan affiliations. Remember Darrell Hammond as Bill Clinton? There are other factors involved in why they didn't do as much on Obama. First it's hard to write him as a comic character. Unsurprisingly Jim Downey explains it better than I can in the quote that was posted above. But it's true - Obama has such tremendous self control that he doesn't provide a hook so you have to be doing real satire of current events rather than just getting laughs with "Clinton is slick" or "Bush is inarticulate" Also there is the issue of personnel - before Jay was hired they did not have anyone who could really do Obama well and the writing staff didn't seem to do topical material very well, especially as Seth was more and more focused on Weekend Update.

Darrell Hammond dis a great job with  Clinton. With regards to this episode, given that Baldwin was unavailable, it would have made sense to use Darrell Hammond to impersonate Trump.

22 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

Well that was some interesting stuff last night.  It wouldn't surprise me that the show and even NBC made some concessions to get Dave on the show and may have given him carte blanche to do whatever he wanted and they'll gladly pay whatever fines. That monologue was everything. 

The election night sketch was me that night...and I'm Canadian so I couldn't even vote!  I even said "24-3?  Pfft.  It's small states, no biggie."

 

Kate?  Marry me.  Or be my BFF,  I'm flexible. 

I thought the swearing & use of the N word & P word was inappropriate. It`s interesting that they didn`t mention that on NBC today.

[Ms Blue Jay]

The P word is not inappropriate on a television show that airs on 11:30 PM on a Saturday night when the President has been reported saying the P word on the 6 PM news ad nauseum.

Do you really think children are up at that time watching SNL?  And if they heard it - so what?  All rhetorical questions.  These are just my opinions on it.

[oakville]

5 hours ago, MerBearStare said:

This reminds me of what Patton Oswalt said about George W Bush and comedy:

At a certain point, someone is so awful that no amount of comedic material is worth it. 

Kate McKinnon's cold open was so emotional and genuine and had me crying. And just a half hour before the episode started I had gotten cocky because I hadn't cried all day. So thanks a lot, Kate McKinnon; I had to set the "X days since I last cried because of President-Elect Trump" clock back to 0. 

I normally can't stand Weekend Update or Colin Jost and Michael Che, but I was cracking up at the "This is My Fight Song" list of the record-breaking 4 minority women who are now in Congress. 

SNL is a comedy show. It is easier to make a caricature of Trump than Obama. Kate did a good job making fun of Hillary.

Che & Jost are pretty funny. Che screwed up the joke about not knowing if his friend is Mexican or Puerto Rican.

[MakeMeLaugh]

35 minutes ago, fastiller said:

And they're probably perfectly worn by now.

I do love my jeans, wear a pair every day  (I'm not really fat), and plan to be buried in them but I passed my vintage 1970 Levis jacket down to my daughter a long time ago

27 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

Well that was some interesting stuff last night.  It wouldn't surprise me that the show and even NBC made some concessions to get Dave on the show and may have given him carte blanche to do whatever he wanted and they'll gladly pay whatever fines. That monologue was everything. ...

Yes, totally agree--the "foul" language was in context and appropriate to Chappelle imo. Let the fines roll. We can take up a collection. 

[Former Nun]

1 hour ago, oakville said:

I thought the swearing & use of the N word & P word was inappropriate. It`s interesting that they didn`t mention that on NBC today.

I completely disagree.  This is 2016.  SNL has been on for DECADES and has always been irreverent.  We're all grown-ups and have all heard those words (and worse); surely nothing was shocking.  SNL, guys!

Edited November 14, 2016 by Former Nun

[Peace 47]

I thought the cold open was very touching.  I have to admit that I was in no mood to see a Trump impersonation this week, and so I personally was relieved that they played it entirely straight.

I thought the Inside SNL sketch was fab.  I see on my SNL app that it's the least popular clip that they have up from Saturday's show, but it was short and snappy, used a lot of cast, and skewered both sports press conferences and what can go wrong with their own sketches.  I thought that was a nice bit of non-political humor in a show that otherwise demanded to be dominated by the political.

[WhosThatGirl]

I did love Daves response to his wig: "I just wanted to be the next David S Pumpkins". 

[helenamonster]

I agree with everyone that Kate's monologue was touching and set just the right tone for the episode. I wasn't ready to laugh at a Trump impersonation either, and I don't think I'll ever be ready to laugh at a Clinton impersonation again.

I was too young to watch Chappelle's Show, though we talked about Dave and the show in a lot of my classes when I was in college, so I do have somewhat of an understanding of what he's all about. His monologue perfectly continued the tone set by the cold open. Times are tough and they're probably going to get tougher, but we're going to get through it.

I loved WU tonight. I can't even be mad at Michael for screwing up that one joke; it was the only time I've ever found him remotely endearing. And long live RBG!

I'm surprised it's taken them this long to do a sketch like "Inside SNL" but I thoroughly enjoyed it (speaking as someone who greatly enjoys the part of my week where I get to dissect this show here with y'all). When I first saw Leslie do the cue card flub I cringed at all the heat she was gonna catch on the internet later...so glad it was part of the bit.

The sketch about Leslie and Kyle was so amazingly sweet. I am growing increasingly weary of Lorne but even I had to smile at, "It is very important to me that Kyle lose his virginity."

I'm glad we have the first post-election sketch out of the way. The next four years are gonna be, uh, interesting, I guess.

I echo what some people said about hoping that they never replace Alec as Trump. Damn, would that piss Trump off or what? They should do sketches about everyone else, though. Melania. The three older spawn running his company into the ground without him (please oh please!). His cabinet (which is beginning to sound more horrific by the day). But never have someone actually play him. It would devastate him.

However, I will never forgive this show for not only allowing Trump to host way past the point where his rhetoric could be normalized, but for never apologizing for being complicity in his ascendance to the literal President of the United States. I don't blame the cast and writers, of course, they don't get a say in these things. But Lorne or another producer should say something. It's an elephant in the room every time they bring him up, at least for me.

[oakville]

6 hours ago, Former Nun said:

I completely disagree.  This is 2016.  SNL has been on for DECADES and has always been irreverent.  We're all grown-ups and have all heard those words (and worse); surely nothing was shocking.  SNL, guys!

Aren`t there rules against the use of profanity on network tv ?

[fastiller]

8 hours ago, Former Nun said:

I completely disagree.  This is 2016.  SNL has been on for DECADES and has always been irreverent.  We're all grown-ups and have all heard those words (and worse); surely nothing was shocking.  SNL, guys!

Also - this is the show that bill(ed? - not sure if it still goes by it) itself as starring the "NOT ready for prime time players" - which meant that the cast (& the show by extension) was bawdy and irreverent.

59 minutes ago, oakville said:

Aren`t there rules against the use of profanity on network tv ?

Which words were profane?  The n-word? Pussy?  Neither is forbidden on network TV.

[Ottis]

Quote

I disagree.  I like the way they did it and again, I have a strong feeling  Kate insisted on it. She wasn't trying to hide how emotional she felt.

That's why I think the cold open didn't work, because it felt self-indulgent (unless you happen to agree with whatever that was, in which case I can understand that you wouldn't see it).  The election night skit was much more applicable and representative to a wider audience. I wonder sometimes if everyone even got some of Chappelle's and Rock's comments in it.

I really enjoy when Colin cracks up on WU. There is such a "I can't believe you just did that" feeling, vs., say, Seth whatever his name was who felt like he was just laughing for himself. 

[oakville]

37 minutes ago, fastiller said:

Also - this is the show that bill(ed? - not sure if it still goes by it) itself as starring the "NOT ready for prime time players" - which meant that the cast (& the show by extension) was bawdy and irreverent.

Which words were profane?  The n-word? Pussy?  Neither is forbidden on network TV.

 

37 minutes ago, fastiller said:

Also - this is the show that bill(ed? - not sure if it still goes by it) itself as starring the "NOT ready for prime time players" - which meant that the cast (& the show by extension) was bawdy and irreverent.

Which words were profane?  The n-word? Pussy?  Neither is forbidden on network TV.

 

37 minutes ago, fastiller said:

Also - this is the show that bill(ed? - not sure if it still goes by it) itself as starring the "NOT ready for prime time players" - which meant that the cast (& the show by extension) was bawdy and irreverent.

Which words were profane?  The n-word? Pussy?  Neither is forbidden on network TV.

 

37 minutes ago, fastiller said:

Also - this is the show that bill(ed? - not sure if it still goes by it) itself as starring the "NOT ready for prime time players" - which meant that the cast (& the show by extension) was bawdy and irreverent.

Which words were profane?  The n-word? Pussy?  Neither is forbidden on network TV.

 

37 minutes ago, fastiller said:

Also - this is the show that bill(ed? - not sure if it still goes by it) itself as starring the "NOT ready for prime time players" - which meant that the cast (& the show by extension) was bawdy and irreverent.

Which words were profane?  The n-word? Pussy?  Neither is forbidden on network TV.

I don't think you can use the n word on network tv. I have seen the p word bleeped out

[mtlchick]

Quote

I don't think you can use the n word on network tv. I have seen the p word bleeped out

I had the closed captioning on and aside from the long pauses in the transcribing when he said one of those words, pussy was written out and they used "n-----."

Quote

The sketch about Leslie and Kyle was so amazingly sweet.

It was and I'm not a fan of Kyle at all.  He's one of those players where he's just...there.

Quote

I did love Daves response to his wig: "I just wanted to be the next David S Pumpkins". 

Don't we all?

 

What was the comment Colin said about Michael about the bridge? 

[MakeMeLaugh]

1 hour ago, Ottis said:

That's why I think the cold open didn't work, because it felt self-indulgent (unless you happen to agree with whatever that was, in which case I can understand that you wouldn't see it).  The election night skit was much more applicable and representative to a wider audience. I wonder sometimes if everyone even got some of Chappelle's and Rock's comments in it.

I really enjoy when Colin cracks up on WU. There is such a "I can't believe you just did that" feeling, vs., say, Seth whatever his name was who felt like he was just laughing for himself. 

Interesting. My peeps who voted against "Kate" were still touched by the opening (watched in a different city, on Youtube, not at my request, no need for them to pretend to me) so they could "see it." I was touched by their ability to be gracious winners, still important for some people, anyway. Kate was no more self-indulgent than Colin and the rest of the cast when they are visibly laughing at each other. My peeps and I all got Dave Chapelle's point in the election night skit but apparently some people didn't. 

And Seth's last name is Meyers.

Edited November 14, 2016 by MakeMeLaugh

[ZaldamoWilder]

34 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

I had the closed captioning on and aside from the long pauses in the transcribing when he said one of those words, pussy was written out and they used "n-----."

It was and I'm not a fan of Kyle at all.  He's one of those players where he's just...there.

Don't we all?

 

What was the comment Colin said about Michael about the bridge? 

Michael commented about the transition team shake up and Colin said something unscripted about Christie, to which Michael responded, careful, you still have to go to Jersey.  Colin retorted:  Fine.  I just won't take the (George Washington) Bridge.    I think I love how quick they are even more than the content they come up with because that bit of banter struck me as completely unscripted.

7 minutes ago, MakeMeLaugh said:

Interesting. My peeps who voted against "Kate" were still touched by the opening (watched in a different city, on Youtube, not at my request, no need for them to pretend to me) so they could "see it." I was touched by their ability to be gracious winners, still important for some people, anyway. Kate was no more self-indulgent than Colin and the rest of the cast when they are visibly laughing at each other. And Seth's last name is Meyers.

You're aptly named.  This made me giggle like crazy because:  winners being ungracious?  lol ok.   I said to my bf last week I've never seen a more sore bunch of winners in my life.   In football don't you get a flag for this? 

We tried to get standby tickets to the show on Friday night.  There was no line but at the time we went we would've also had to stand outside for 14 hours.   We love Dave Chappelle enough to have considered it but it was 48 degrees.   

I loved everything about the show too.  Favorite was the election sketch, until Chris Rock showed up.  I like him well enough but this marks the second time I've seen him *crash* a Chappelle set.   It worked but he's superfluous.

As for the profanity, I'm not sure if the n word is profane, more than it is a slur so maybe that's the distinction.   The rest may be escapable on a technicality.  I mean pussy has no profane meaning until we (and DLow) give it context so...

oh, p.s. can somebody shed light on how SNL helped get him into office.  Sorry if it's been covered, I'm just really curious.

[mtlchick]

Quote

oh, p.s. can somebody shed light on how SNL helped get him into office.  Sorry if it's been covered, I'm just really curious.

There are a few links discussing that in the media thread. 

[Ottis]

Quote

Interesting. My peeps who voted against "Kate" were still touched by the opening (watched in a different city, on Youtube, not at my request, no need for them to pretend to me) so they could "see it." I was touched by their ability to be gracious winners, still important for some people, anyway. Kate was no more self-indulgent than Colin and the rest of the cast when they are visibly laughing at each other. My peeps and I all got Dave Chapelle's point in the election night skit but apparently some people didn't. 

YMMV, of course. At first I thought Kate's performance would lead to some comedy, given, SNL is a comedy sketch show. Maybe Alec would come out as Trump and join in, and we could have all the cast doing various impersonations and it becomes a statement on how, why there are many perspectives, we are all one nation. But as it became increasingly clear this was something else, I FF'd it. It delivered a message, but it wasn't funny, insightful or interesting. Unlike the election night skit, which felt very real and inclusive.

Quote

Michael commented about the transition team shake up and Colin said something unscripted about Christie, to which Michael responded, careful, you still have to go to Jersey.  Colin retorted:  Fine.  I just won't take the (George Washington) Bridge.    I think I love how quick they are even more than the content they come up with because that bit of banter struck me as completely unscripted.

That was fantastic. I was surprised the studio audience could hear it, because they definitely reacted. I played it back because it was so funny.

[helenamonster]

2 hours ago, mtlchick said:

It was and I'm not a fan of Kyle at all.  He's one of those players where he's just...there.

Yeah I've always found Kyle to be the blandest of the bland (he uses the same voice for every character, for crying out loud) but he shines when he plays himself. Most of them do, tbh. And he and Leslie had a really nice chemistry. I almost believed they were really dating!

I mentioned this last week, but I'm a sucker for sketches where cast members play themselves.

[AriAu]

Well, I saw something I don't remember ever seeing before-Keenan broke during the bar scene when they grabbed the soda guns and went "all Bellagio" on each other. That was some very sick and twisted stuff and Keenan actually broke.....and then he (along with Pete) did it again during the breastfeeding sketch, which was actually kinda classic SNL over the top stuff (like the famous Julia Child, blood squirting everywhere scene).

As to the use of the "n" word, it is not exactly the first time someone said it on SNL-us older folks will tell you that it was part of the funniest sketch E V E R-"Word Association" with Richard Pryor and Chevy Chase in season #1!

[Princess Sparkle]

2 minutes ago, AriAu said:

Well, I saw something I don't remember ever seeing before-Keenan broke during the bar scene when they grabbed the soda guns and went "all Bellagio" on each other. That was some very sick and twisted stuff and Keenan actually broke.....and then he (along with Pete) did it again during the breastfeeding sketch, which was actually kinda classic SNL over the top stuff (like the famous Julia Child, blood squirting everywhere scene).

As to the use of the "n" word, it is not exactly the first time someone said it on SNL-us older folks will tell you that it was part of the funniest sketch E V E R-"Word Association" with Richard Pryor and Chevy Chase in season #1!

Kenan so rarely breaks, but it cracked me up that he did twice in the same night. And in the breast milk sketch, I was extra impressed the new guy Alex was able to keep a straight face while Kenan and Pete were laughing right next to him.  

And in regards to the n-word - not only did I think of the Richard Pryor sketch, but hell, Che said it on the show not even a month ago and I barely remember a peep then. 

[VCRTracking]

4 hours ago, Ottis said:

That's why I think the cold open didn't work, because it felt self-indulgent (unless you happen to agree with whatever that was, in which case I can understand that you wouldn't see it).  The election night skit was much more applicable and representative to a wider audience. I wonder sometimes if everyone even got some of Chappelle's and Rock's comments in it.

While the election night skit did make fun of Hillary supporters, the implication was most if not all of Trump's are racist.

[Ottis]

3 minutes ago, VCRTracking said:

While the election night skit did make fun of Hillary supporters, the implication was most if not all of Trump's are racist.

I didn't think it made fun of Clinton's supporters. They showed a very real reaction given the upset election win, and the cast played it to perfection. I mean, they could have been in my living room on election night and seen the same things! Meanwhile, I thought Rock and Chappelle played the role of two wiser, smarter people who recognize that while the US has a long history of "things will be better!" believed by one or the other side, for certain groups it doesn't make any difference. They were making a broad, thoughtful statement about the US, not just one political group. Overall, I thought it was a pretty even handed and mature way to look at what was an emotional issue for some. A big contrast to the opener.

Now that I think about it, all the skits seemed to be slow starters. I spent the first minute trying to figure out the angle, and then, like with the breastfeeding skit, or the press conference skit, it picked up a bit (often when someone broke). Maybe the whole cast was down, and that further influenced the night.

[Former Nun]

6 hours ago, Ottis said:

That's why I think the cold open didn't work, because it felt self-indulgent

Some true Leonard Cohen fans would disagree.  I "got" the Hillary part, but Cohen's song and the (more important) fact that he's gone brought me to tears.

[slowpoked]

On 11/12/2016 at 10:57 PM, Bees said:

Cold Open: The cynical side of me was nagging at the back of my head at the beginning of this thinking "Dude, this is a song about sex" (I have a weird aversion to "Hallelujah" used in morose events. I've seen it only done right three times and this turned out to be one of them) 

But isn't that Jeff Buckley's interpretation of it though? Cohen himself said that there are many different Hallelujahs that exists.

Well done by Kate though. I kept waiting for the punchline during the cold open and I was actually glad I didn't get one. She's such a talented lady, didn't know she could play the piano. I agree this is one of the best episodes in awhile. 

Edited November 14, 2016 by slowpoked

[AdorkableSars]

On 11/12/2016 at 11:28 PM, vb68 said:

Loved the Election Night and Walking Dead sketch, and boy Jost and Che (and Kate again) were on fire tonight.  Probably the best Update those two have done yet.  "America is like Leslie Jones--addicted to white guys."  That line is even more notable for the Leslie and Kyle sketch coming up.

"The wig was funny.  I  thought I was going to be the next David S Pumpkins."

I was wondering if I missed some wild press conference that they were parodying.

And I kinda do ship Leslie and Kyle.  I mean, odd but yet really sweet pairing.  They would get each other in a lot of ways, I bet.

And again it makes the last sketch funnier that Kyle is the one friend who is into the milk.

Great show.  It was kinda cathartic for me after this week.    " 

Yes!! I loved how all of those kind of interconnected tonight. Too funny! 

On 11/12/2016 at 11:57 PM, Bees said:

Kids Talk Politics: This was cute. Reminds me of those ads that Beck Bennett starred in with the Sprint phones (was it them? I don't member) where he talked to kids about what's better. Also the fact that the cat's name was Pussy was funny. And how Vanessa was reassuring them.

That's the first thing I thought of too! I think it was AT&T though?

23 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Leslie and Kyle was great. Very funny when they're talking intimately then walk away, revealing that they were standing in front of a secretary. 

Finally, the breastfeeding sketch was terrific. Pete trying to block his laughing mouth with the cookie cracked me up. Dave emerging from behind the blanket covered in milk was great. 

That secretary's face after they walked away was hilarious...totally cracked me up!!

Too funny, Pete trying to block his laughing, by covering his mouth with the cookie, and also shoving said cookie into his mouth. I think this was actually my favorite sketch of the night. It was just so wacky and ridiculous.

17 hours ago, mtlchick said:

The election night sketch was me that night...and I'm Canadian so I couldn't even vote!  I even said "24-3?  Pfft.  It's small states, no biggie."

Canadian here too! And the election sketch kind of felt like me that night too. I said "Oh, well of course all the hick states are voting for Trump! This is nothing to worry about!" (Sorry, y'all...my favorite city in the world [Nashville] is in a state that voted Trump, so it was said with love.)

3 hours ago, helenamonster said:

Yeah I've always found Kyle to be the blandest of the bland (he uses the same voice for every character, for crying out loud) but he shines when he plays himself. Most of them do, tbh. And he and Leslie had a really nice chemistry. I almost believed they were really dating!

When the sketch was over, I was legit "Awwwwww-ing" at my TV like I was watching a cheesy chick flick. I think I'm shipping Kyle and Leslie??

Also Kyle Mooney calling Jost "a little bitch" was one of my favorite things. And RBG/Kate chugging that Emergen-C. Kate McKinnon is a treasure <3

[fastiller]

26 minutes ago, Former Nun said:

Some true Leonard Cohen fans would disagree.  I "got" the Hillary part, but Cohen's song and the (more important) fact that he's gone brought me to tears.

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that many many people know the song but have zero idea who Leonard Cohen is.

[Former Nun]

7 minutes ago, fastiller said:

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that many many people know the song but have zero idea who Leonard Cohen is.

...and Leon Russell too?  Am old...very, very old!

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

Check Out The Best Of Dave Chappelle's Much-Anticipated Hosting Of Saturday Night Live

Emotions are raw, but laughs are plentiful when Chappelle and A Tribe Called Quest take the stage.

[fastiller]

13 minutes ago, Former Nun said:

...and Leon Russell too?  Am old...very, very old!

Yep.  (To the lack of people knowing who Cohen & Russell are, not to the second part of your comment!).

[Milburn Stone]

2 hours ago, slowpoked said:

She's such a talented lady, didn't know she could play the piano.

Pretty sure she didn't. In the wide shot that encompassed her whole body and showed her hands, they were resting on the keys and not doing much of anything, best as I could tell. Meaning the opening closeup of hands playing was of another woman's hands.

[Phishbulb]

14 hours ago, helenamonster said:

I echo what some people said about hoping that they never replace Alec as Trump. Damn, would that piss Trump off or what? They should do sketches about everyone else, though. Melania. The three older spawn running his company into the ground without him (please oh please!).

I think as a way of replacing "The Miley Cyrus Show", they should have Vanessa do "The Tiffany Trump Show" (since Vanessa and Miley and Tiffany all kinda resemble each other). Maybe have the premise of it be that Tiffany interviews other members of famous families who are ignored and overlooked, like Frank Stallone or Dave Franco or Casey Affleck. 

I thought her appearance as Tiffany in "Melaniade" was kinda endearing and would like to see her continue to play her.

[Traveller519]

I'm a big fan of Meta-humour, and the cast play themselves bits I find pretty good typically (last week was proof of that), but having two such skits this week felt somewhat heavy handed to me, but I get why they did it for this show.

I did enjoy the Swerve on the Inside SNL skit. Leslie Jones was channeling the famous Allen Iverson press conference about Practice, with her cue cards bit. Kyle's attempt at the accent again was equally as good. Well done folks.

[Former Nun]

2 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

Pretty sure she didn't. In the wide shot that encompassed her whole body and showed her hands, they were resting on the keys and not doing much of anything, best as I could tell. Meaning the opening closeup of hands playing was of another woman's hands.

Pretty sure she did.  I watched it again and am convinced.  Her IMDB says this: can play the guitar, cello, and piano. 

[rain4sasha]

3 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

Pretty sure she didn't. In the wide shot that encompassed her whole body and showed her hands, they were resting on the keys and not doing much of anything, best as I could tell. Meaning the opening closeup of hands playing was of another woman's hands.

General internet consensus is that she does. They mentioned it on Access Hollywood tonight too that she plays piano and cello. I was so impressed with her and her performance! https://www.bustle.com/articles/194916-does-kate-mckinnon-play-the-piano-theres-not-much-the-saturday-night-live-star-cant-do

Also, does anyone know if this is they're first "somber" cold open since 9/11? I keep waiting for some article to pull out that stat but haven't seen it anywhere, so maybe I'm not remembering accurately.

[Domestic Assassin]

Quote

Pretty sure she didn't. In the wide shot that encompassed her whole body and showed her hands, they were resting on the keys and not doing much of anything, best as I could tell. Meaning the opening closeup of hands playing was of another woman's hands.

It looked like she was playing to me in that wide shot.  But it's a slow song and seemed like a pretty simple arrangement without a lot of complicated notes/chords, so it didn't appear like she was doing much. 

[JZL]

On 11/13/2016 at 5:39 PM, MakeMeLaugh said:

My jeans are older than you :)

My saying:  "I have belly-button lent older than you."   [checking]

[PatternRec]

20 hours ago, Peace 47 said:

I thought the cold open was very touching.  I have to admit that I was in no mood to see a Trump impersonation this week, and so I personally was relieved that they played it entirely straight.

Same. I'm glad that the show took the tone that it did this week. 

12 hours ago, fastiller said:

Which words were profane?  The n-word? Pussy?  Neither is forbidden on network TV.

I remember the first time the band Pussy Riot made headlines and even NPR put together a supercut of newcasters saying "Pussy Riot." Hit the play button on the link below and skip to 1 minute 15 seconds if you wanna skip to the supercut part:

http://www.npr.org/2012/08/11/158598913/panel-round-two

8 hours ago, AriAu said:

As to the use of the "n" word, it is not exactly the first time someone said it on SNL-us older folks will tell you that it was part of the funniest sketch E V E R-"Word Association" with Richard Pryor and Chevy Chase in season #1!

Pryor was brilliant and that sketch is pure him. 

[JZL]

The usage of some words hinges on the context.  He also said "goddamnit" a couple times.  Personally, at that hour I don't give a f--k.

[fastiller]

@JZL - I see what you did there.

[ebk57]

1 hour ago, rain4sasha said:

Also, does anyone know if this is they're first "somber" cold open since 9/11? I keep waiting for some article to pull out that stat but haven't seen it anywhere, so maybe I'm not remembering accurately.

They opened the show after Newtown with a choir singing Silent Night.  I remember that one.  Haven't looked to see if there were any others.

[cpcathy]

Cecily opened the show after the Paris shootings, speaking in English and then French.

[fastiller]

15 minutes ago, cpcathy said:

Cecily opened the show after the Paris shootings, speaking in English and then French.

Interestingly enough, almost exactly one year ago.

[Irlandesa]

15 hours ago, oakville said:

Aren`t there rules against the use of profanity on network tv ?

Yes but there's a "safe harbor" between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. because there's the assumption kids are in bed.  SNL airs well within those hours so even when Jenny Slate "fucked" up live on air, SNL was safe.  She was not, however, because just because it didn't break FCC rules, it did break SNL's/NBC's.

13 hours ago, oakville said:

I don't think you can use the n word on network tv. I have seen the p word bleeped out

George Carlin did a "7 Words You Can't Say on TV" skit but there isn't an official list.  It's based on what advisors feel might be considered profane.  For instance, tits is on Carlin's list yet I think it gets said during prime time now. 

I think people get a little mixed up with the FCC sometimes and why shows/networks/cable networks censor.  Cable networks decide what they're willing to say and show.  And network TV makes the decision based on what their advisors say and, after 10, their own internal rules about what kind of network they want to be. 

So Lorne could be mad at Dave or he could not care because he knew what he would get.

9 hours ago, Ottis said:

Meanwhile, I thought Rock and Chappelle played the role of two wiser, smarter people who recognize that while the US has a long history of "things will be better!" believed by one or the other side, for certain groups it doesn't make any difference. They were making a broad, thoughtful statement about the US, not just one political group. Overall, I thought it was a pretty even handed and mature way to look at what was an emotional issue for some. A big contrast to the opener.

Yep. It was "you thought outright racism would be disqualifying?"  Fools. 

[Syd]

So pissed that they didn't give me a liberal media freakout + Hillary freakout watching the results skit. The cold opening was a cop out. So was the skit about watching the results. If Clinton had won, I think the mix would have been better, meaner, and HOPEFULLY funnier.

[morgankobi]

12 hours ago, AriAu said:

As to the use of the "n" word, it is not exactly the first time someone said it on SNL-us older folks will tell you that it was part of the funniest sketch E V E R-"Word Association" with Richard Pryor and Chevy Chase in season #1!

One of the best sketches there has ever been. And they'll even show it during the retrospectives and other repeats that come on earlier in the evening some Saturdays.

[AriAu]

Quote

Pryor was brilliant and that sketch is pure him.

Quote

One of the best sketches there has ever been. And they'll even show it during the retrospectives and other repeats that come on earlier in the evening some Saturdays.

Deeeeaaaad honky. I always wondered who wrote that sketch-no way it was just him.

[helenamonster]

18 hours ago, Phishbulb said:

I think as a way of replacing "The Miley Cyrus Show", they should have Vanessa do "The Tiffany Trump Show" (since Vanessa and Miley and Tiffany all kinda resemble each other). Maybe have the premise of it be that Tiffany interviews other members of famous families who are ignored and overlooked, like Frank Stallone or Dave Franco or Casey Affleck. 

I thought her appearance as Tiffany in "Melaniade" was kinda endearing and would like to see her continue to play her.

Hah, yes! And then the capper can be her interviewing Eric, who is only a half step up in relevancy compared to her because he's one of Ivana's kids.

[VCRTracking]

3 hours ago, AriAu said:

Quote

One of the best sketches there has ever been. And they'll even show it during the retrospectives and other repeats that come on earlier in the evening some Saturdays.

Deeeeaaaad honky. I always wondered who wrote that sketch-no way it was just him.

And it was written by standup comedian Paul Mooney, who wrote for Richard Pryor and had been brought on the show for the episode . He later famously did segments on Chappelle's Show like "Ask a Black Dude" and "Negrodamus".

From the AV Club:
 

Quote

 

AVC: What was it like writing for Richard Pryor during his first appearance on Saturday Night Live?

PM: I was Richard's black writer. Richard took me everywhere. We went there and we wrote that. All of that stuff, all that stuff that's classic. That's what they call it, "classic." Yeah, but it's interesting, isn't it, that they call it a classic? I find it so interesting, because there was no such thing as a black comedy writer. They flew me into Miami and cross-examined me like I was trying to get over the border.

AVC: Who cross-examined you?

PM: Lorne Michaels and all the little big shots.

AVC: Is it true that Richard Pryor didn't get along very well with Chevy Chase?

PM: Oh no. Chevy Chase, he wanted to knock his teeth out. He was the golden boy.

 

[cpcathy]

I know Bill Murray also couldn't stand Chevy Chase, and they almost (or did, perhaps) come to blows.