SNL's Night of 150 Stars - Part II

Live from New York...it Saturday Night!

Elvis Costello should have performed in place of Kenny

r1 = Rose Nylund, high on the pre-op drugs

I ffed through the Kayne/Sia performance and then I thought...maybe it was a parody and not really them. Which was it? Really them or a parody...I'm NOT rewinding.

Interesting question, R4. It really was them, but I consider them both parodies of real people.

Why was Tim Kazurinsky not in the In Memoriam segment?

Where were the mucking Fuppets?

It's telling that they mostly showed the casts from over 5 to 10 years ago and longer.

I haven't seen the show for the past 5 years or so and I wouldn't know a current cast member if they came up and hit me on the nose.

Is it still funny?

R8, if you watch SNL on the DVR or in another way that allows you to FF when things go south in a sketch, yes, it's still funny.

I'm watching on DVR right now. I didn't see the other threAd. What did people think about Eddie Murphy? He came out there and didn't even tell a joke! What a disappointment.

Also- I loved Miley. Looked and sounded great. What did the DL think? I don't want to dive through a 30 page thread on my iPhone.

Michael Douglas watching himself in the camera the entire time Joe Piscapo sang. And David Spade drinking wine and holding what looks like a small airplane size bottle of booze.

they should have found some way of including Gary Weis' "Homeward Bound" short.

R6, Tim's not dead. He's doing 'Wicked' in Los Angeles.

Eddie Murphy's appearance was just that--an appearance. He hasn't been funny in a generation, though, personally, I think he was the funniest comic ever, with the possible exception of Robin Williams.

Seeing Joe Piscopo was interesting--did he ever do anything after SNL? If not, he may have taken the ideal route for a performer--get the ideal gig and retire. Live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse.

I always conflate Murphy and Piscopo, because, of the doomed second cast, they were the two featured players (as opposed to the regular cast. I think that, these days, there are about 190 featured players.)

R14 if those two had been part of the '86-93 cast, they wouldn't have been such "breakout stars." The timing was ideal for them. They had no competition.

Piscopo was in the Weissler's GREASE revival, Bway or tour, can't remember.

[quote]Is it still funny?

Not since 1993

And I have no interest in just seeing Eddie Murphy on my screen if he isn't gonna tell 1 single joke.

Oh and Nicholson looked perfectly good. So what have all these rumors been (not just on here) about his dementia/failing health etc.

I'm not the Curtin troll but of all the original cast members she knocked it out of the park just like it was 1977. DLers should have been pleased.

I was surprised to discover that Lorne Michaels was once really hot.

Of the "original" cast members who came back, the only ones who distinguished themselves were Bill Murray (technically not in the original cast but still everyone thinks of him as such--I laughed very hard during the "Jaws" song) and Jane Curtin, who looks fabulous (just hearing her voice do the news again, and seeing how much Tina Fey and Amy Poehler respect her, just made me very happy). I did like Garrett Newman doing the news for the hard of hearing, too. Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase are depressingly fat; Laraine Newman is unrecognizable with all her plastic surgery.

The worst part of the entire night was Chris Rock's embarrassingly fawning appreciation of Eddie Murphy which went on forever. It was not acceptable that Eddie Murphy got that ridiculous build-up and then was too cool to do anything except appear when he has not been a giant star for decades now.

MVP was Martin Short who looks fantastic and showed everyone how it's done.

Agree with all that r20. Also it's funny because I absolutely adore Martin Short and yet all of his movie vehicles (not counting Franc - that wasn't his movie) were so terrible, and I don't mean so bad that it's good, but truly abysmal (Pure Luck, Clifford, etc).

And I for one really enjoyed the Steve Martin monologue - its exactly what a fan would expect from him.

I too was surprised that Nicholson could walk and talk - but why was he there? He's never hosted or guested and he's not a part of that New YOrk crowd so why was he even there? Glad he looked healthy, of course, but ....

But Martin Short did do a movie about that guy Glick that was pretty funny - the character, what's his first name? is hilarious.

It's weird how Steve Martin's comic persona has changed so much over 40 years from wacky and goofy to bitter and sarcastic. I did enjoy his monologue though, but it was all about the contempt he "pretends" to have for other people on the show.

I was really surprised Bradley Cooper was asked to have such a big guest role (why him?), and that he agreed to appear in such tight short clothing when he looks so blobby and doughy.

I thought Chevy Chase was going to teeter over and fall for real when he walked down those steps. He looks so terrible for his age while Steve Martin and Jane Curtin and Martin Short all look so great for theirs.

Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed it. I agree that Miley was great. Martin S was dead on funny. I'm putting Chevy Chase on my 2015 death watch list. He looks and even breathes: I'm going to drop dead.

Candace B is really big. Seinfeld/L.D. bit was good.

B-.

Thought Bradley Cooper was really good in the "California" sketch!

"CaliforniaNs"; excuse.

[quote]The worst part of the entire night was Chris Rock's embarrassingly fawning appreciation of Eddie Murphy which went on forever. It was not acceptable that Eddie Murphy got that ridiculous build-up and then was too cool to do anything except appear when he has not been a giant star for decades now.

Eddie Murphy has NEVER appeared on anything to do with the show up till now. That whole sequence seemed to be the result of agent negotations and script approval before Mr. Murphy would deign to appear.

Chris Rock, who seems to be a far more grounded person, seemed to go along with it. He wasn't exactly emotional when talking about Eddie Murphy's greatness. Of course, Chris Rock can still sell out any comedy arena he chooses to play, and I have no idea what Murphy is doing these days (except for trannie hookers).

The whole California bit was hilarious. BC...I know many hate him, but I'm still in love.

The best part of the show was Bradley Cooper's huge bulge in those little denim shorts during The Californians.

Taylor Swift was laughably bad. Her accent went all over the place.

Chris Rock had this big set up for Eddie Murphy and all Eddie Murphy could muster was a limp two sentence bit. It was ironic.

Jerry Seinfeld has lost his hair. And by the way, where was Julia Louis-Dreyfuss?

Who was the guy who introduced Paul Simonv at the end?

No Madonna?

Best of the Night:

Bill Murray (Jaws, In Memoriam)

Jane Curtain (Weekend Update)

Betty White, Taran Killam and Bradley Cooper (salvaged The Californians sketch)

Jerry Seinfeld and Ellen Cleghorne (black woman exchange)

Andy Samburg and Adam Sandler (And That's When You Break)

Good but Not Great:

Emma Stone (Roseanne Roseannadana)

Garrett Morris

Melissa McCarthy (Matt Foley)

Miley Cyrus (50 Ways to Leave Your Lover)

Norm MacDonald (Burt Reynolds)

Worst of the Worst:

Paul McCartney's horrible singing

Taylor Swift's horrible acting (sounded retarded)

Eddie Murphy (smug asshole who seems to have forgotten he hasn't starred in a hit film in 5 years)

John "Drunk" Goodman slurring his lines

Darrell Hammond as Sean Connery

[quote]Best of the Night:

[quote]Andy Samburg and Adam Sandler (And That's When You Break)

Wow.

Just wow.

I'd rim Andy Samburg til my tongue went numb.

Seth Meyers looked extremely hot and fuckable when he came on to Update to quibble with the Stefons.

Martin Short was Jiminy Glick in the movie "Jiminy Glick in Lalawood," or something like that. Jan Hooks co-starred as Jiminy's wife, Dixie.

Where was Aidy Bryant?

There were a lot of the cast that was missing and/or not mentioned. The Jeopardy sketch was way too long.

It's all about Lorne Michaels personal taste.

Eddie must have written that ass-licking speech himself. Is he so phobic about being seen that he has to orchestrate his own accolades and then appear in order to say almost nothing? It's pathetic. I think he has some byzantine, Michael Jackson-level perversions going on in secret.

Chevy Chase was frightening, as was McCartney, who sounded like a warbling old woman in the town choir. And why was Fred Armisen morosely playing the tamborine in the background during Miley's performance? Just weird.

Lorne Michaels must be very powerful to get so many people, especially arrogant old twats like Bill Murray and Chevy Chase, to appear. He is a kingmaker.

I love Nicholson. He looked frail and edematous but sounded great.

EXcelllent recap R36. Agree 100%

The Sean Connery bit should be a lot funnier as the misreading of the categories shtick "whore ads" "le tits now" is hilarious, but Hammond does a bad job of selling it

[quote]Did VOTN have to leave halfway through to start his rounds?

Had to go to bed early. It's a holiday weekend so we don't have an exam, but I'm still heading to school to help a friend with something. Or maybe this is just a cleverly-constructed lie. Who can say?

[quote]Where was Aidy Bryant?

The stagehands couldn't brace the stage so it would be strong enough for her, Melissa McCarthy, and Chevy Chase at the same time.

"I'll take Le Tits Now for $600, Alex."

I think SNL 40 anniversary itself encapsulates decades old criticisms: underutilized talent waiting in the wings, skits that run too long, characters that aren't funny after the six or seventh time, lack of diversity, and SNL's use of it's own nostalgia in an attempt to make up for the staleness.

Maybe at it's 50 anniversary it will finally get it right!

Well, I think it's noteworthy that the show filled up 1 thread and started a second; we were watching (and bitching).

[quote]Well, I think it's noteworthy that the show filled up 1 thread and started a second; we were watching (and bitching).

And enjoying it, at least in parts.

Did I miss Linda Richman, or was Barbra's appearance all there was for that staple?

Martin Short WAS the best!

No Jim Breuer? No Goat Boy?

[quote]Did I miss Linda Richman, or was Barbra's appearance all there was for that staple?

They were never going to top Barbra's cameo, so any attempt to resurrect it would have just looked bad.

Did they show the Candice Bergen/Gilda Radner "Extremely Stupid People" PSA where Bergen goes up on a line and Gilda comes back around and saves the sketch?

"And I should know--and so should Fern..."

The overly-long skits were strategic....how else could they allow so many former cast members to participate?

Chevy Chase looked tired and out of breath, sort of expected him to drop dead of a heart attack on the spot.

[quote] Why was Tim Kazurinsky not in the In Memoriam segment?

He's not dead. Only his career is moribund.

Jessica Seinfeld was watching herself in the monitor. She took off her fur when she saw how it looked. She needs to get back in the kitchen and leave celebrity to performers.

[quote] No Jim Breuer?

I saw him in the audience.

Was Cheri Oteri there? And why is she so hated by her peers?

Did they forget Sarah Silverman?

John Goodman ruins everything he is in. He was decent in Roseanne - but otherwise, that fucking guy sucks.

The skit that opened the In Memorium segment with Belushi in old man makeup talking about being the last one left was surprisingly moving.

I thought the camera would have to pull back to Cleveland when Chase lumbered down the stairs.

[quote]I'd rim Andy Samburg til my tongue went numb.

I'd shoot Andy Samburg til my gun hand went numb.

There. I fixed that for you.

No Chris Parnell or Tim Meadows?

The John Goodman hate makes no sense.

Martin Short and Maya Rudolph, together in song, were great.

The three "Weekend Update" ladies—Jane Curtin, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler—were wonderful.

Adam Sandler—[italic]Still Without Talent After All These Years[/italic]!

Paul McCartney should not have attempted to sing.

Paul Simon was terrible.

The best old sketches were edited down.

And the two most talented regulars—male and female—in [italic]Saturday Night Live[/italic]'s history are long dead: John Belushi (1982) and Gilda Radner (1989).

at least Victoria Jackson invite got lost in the mail (or maybe there were too many gay/democrat/black people for her to show)

Taylor Swift should never be allowed to speak

Kanye West is devoid of any visable talent

The Californians-now and forever, painfully unfunny--and endless

Kanyes performance was so out of place - too dark.

What did Jerry Seinfeld have to do with SNL?

Taylor Swift was really, really bad. Had to fast foward.

I thought Miley's performance was cute. I hope she heads more in that direction and shakes off the skank image.

Californians always makes me laugh.

I think Jan Hooks and Phil Hartman were two of the most talented members.

It was fun, but I wish it focused more on cast members and less on guests.

I was surprised that there wasn't more Cheri O'Teri and that Nora Dunn wasn't there. They both really held the show together during their years.

Also felt bad that no one would let Ellen Cleghorne on stage at the end.

Christine Ebersole was a noshow

Martin Short fighting the Beyonce "wind" made me laugh. Maya is hilarious as Beyonce.

What is wrong with Chevy Chase?

Blonde and buff Bradley Cooper in tight clothing in the Californians sketch was a highlight. He must still be working out. His shirt could hardly contain all his muscles, pecs, and biceps. Nice shorts, too.

HUGE ratings.

R71

There were pictures of Christine on last night's red carpet so she was there somewhere.

Again Christine Ebersole (a TWO-TIME Tony Award winner) was a no-show, despite her living in NYC.

Guess she had better things to do, despite being an SNL alumni

R76 link

Jean Doumanian did attend.

Shame they didn't have Terry Sweeney who is the first openly gay cast member of the show.

Never posted a link before but here's a try:

Christine Ebersole from last night's Red Carpet

There seem to be A LOT of people who went last night who werent on the show. I've seen photos of Glenn Close, Lance Bass, Debbie Harry, Victoria Jackson, Whoopi, Jane Krakowski.

Tim Meadows was there r63, and part of the Seinfeld Q&A.

R52: They did show the Linda Richman clip with Madonna and Barbra albeit briefly.

"Did they forget Sarah Silverman?"

Sarah Silverman was associated with SNL for about 15 minutes. She was a disaster on that show and they fired her immediately...by fax!

That Californians sketch was horrible but I couldn't stop laughing when Kristen Wiig asked if everyone R.S.V.Pay

Steve Martin mentioned Sarah Silverman in his monologue...

OK so why was Laurie Metcalf a no-show as well

She is a three-time Emmy winner.

Who made the comment along the lines of "Lorne has been at the helm of Saturday Night Live for forty years. Well, forty minus five"? It was a nice shot at the Jean Doumanian and Dick Ebersol years.

Sam"burg"?

Oh dear.

Did the posters wondering where Christine Ebersole was ever WATCH her on Weekend Update? (with Mr. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Brad Hall)? maybe I just remember because I'm old but Ebersole was hideous beyond words and descriptions; any high school play you've ever been forced to sit through was 100 times better.

And I don't dislike her out of hand; she is a great singer. SNL - not so much.

Sarah Silverman was announced as a participant at the start of the show in the voiceover; but just like when she was a cast member, her sketch was cut for time. She also memorably came back to host years later, when she'd become famous, and talked about her brief time as a cast member. There are photos of her on the red carpet (see below).

Speaking of people who were cast members only briefly and later became really famous, was Jay Mohr there? WHET Jay Mohr?

Lots of alumni cast and hosts were in the audience but were not part of the performance - Sigourney Weaver, Rob Schneider, Steve Guttenberg, Chris Parnell, incl. DL faves Lance Bass, Sean Hayes, Gabby Sidibe, Elliott Gould, Vanessa Williams, etc. etc. The official red carpet arrivals slide show is below.

Pretty sure the red carpet slide show has Elliot Gould identified as Robert Klein.

In the Chevy Chase intro with Kevin Nealon, Norm McDonald, Seth Meyers and Colin Quinn, did Norm McDonald ad lib or otherwise throw off the timing? It seemed like he said something and then the piece starting falling apart.

SNL has had so many cast members over the years, it seemed crazy to also include hosts as part of the show. For that matter, one could argue the musical guests weren't necessary. Do montages of each, show them on the red carpet or in audience shots, but focusing more on the actual cast members might've been cool and given the show more focus. It's not as if lots of talented people haven't been in the cast!

As it was, it was a bit weird how many cast members weren't part of the show, but were there. On Twitter it seemed like every time someone would wonder why someone wasn't there, sometimes else would mention they were on the red carpet show or had been spotted in the audience.

Why was Timberlake's fugly mug all front and center at the end when they brought up Lorne?

Bitch, you were a never a cast member, go get your ass in the back. I can't stand his phony ass.

I know, R95, JT and Fallon represent all the 'bro-shit' that's become SNL, which is why is sucks.

Chevy Chase and John Goodman both seemed frail.

I liked Dana Carvey and Mike Meyer's shout-out to Beck while scolding Kanye. Then I remembered that Mike Meyers witnessed the crazy when Kanye accused Bush of hating black people during that Katrina fundraiser thing.

Why wasn't Tracy Morgan in the In Memoriam segment?

Have to say that Rolling Stone article was incredibly snarky but lacking in wit.

The bitch who wrote it wants to be Dorothy Parker but ends up writing on the level of a bitter arts blogger.

Accusing the ACTORS of over exposing a character to the point of annoyance is beyond stupid.

Does this jackass think the actors go into rehearsal on Monday and announce what characters they are going to do that week?

The Californians skit had me laughing with Kristen Wiig and Bradley Cooper (I'm a pewl cleaner), but then Taylor Swift absolutely ran it into the ground with her horrible attempt at comedy. To say she sucked was an understatement. Paul McCartney was the other big embarrassment. He truly needs to retire - even with his divorce, he can't need the money that badly, can he?

Bill Murray gave me my other big laugh of the night singing "Jaws" but Gilda Radner and Jan Hooks are sorely missed.

Yes, great summary, R36, but you left out Kanye West and Sia in the Worst category. Too bad we can't go to previous posts and edit them.

I thought Seinfeld's bit seemed self congratulatory and boring.

Kenan is fatter than ever.

Was there anyone, ANYWHERE, hoping to see Taylor or Kanye on SNL 40th?

Ellen Cleghorne was funnier in her brief bit than anything on the actual show this year.

I thought Tracy Morgan was still alive.

He is still alive, the tribute last night was really sweet.I

Morgan is apparently still recovering from the terrible accident (a year and a half ago)...still needs help to walk, and there is some talk of brain injury.

It may be he won't be able to perform again.

Read online that Prince performed at the after party.

Was Terry Sweeney there? The only openly gay cast member in 40 years wasn't seen in any of the clips (at the very least, his Nancy Reagan should have shown up in the political humor montage).

Was Terry even invited? Was he on the red carpet (No photos of him I've seen) or in the studio audience?

Lorne Michaels is a homophobe! He's even removed all the Terry Sweeney clips from Youtube, so there's nothing to link...

And what about Julia Sweeney? Also MIA.

Yes, Victoria Jackson is a right-wing whacko now, but she should have been there. She was very much a part of SNL for several years.

Oh no they didn't is calling the Kanye bit racist.

So Terry and Victoria were not even invited?

That aside, I've long believed since foreigners like Lorne Michaels elbowed their way to the front, America has never been the same.

I loved Terry Sweeney. Was Robert Downey Jr. there?

r106, Morgan's accident was last June. It's still tragic, however.

And SNL clips are routinely purged from YouTube. It's not homophobia. It's greed.

Victoria and Julia were both there. They posted pictures of them posing together.

There were a lot of cast members in the audience with nothing to do and none of their work even acknowledged. Clearly Lorne puts the famous names above the actual workhorses who made the show.

Chevy Chase had the who racist scandal a few years ago. John Goodman was hilarious when he used to do Linda Tripp. Andy Sandberg is one ugly motherfucker.

Julia Sweeney was photographed on the Red Carpet last night.

I didn't think Terry Sweeney would be there or any of the one offs from that 85 - 86 season. If you remember back - Madonna hosted the season premiere that year. They brought her back the following season premiere for the cold open to announce that the previous season was nothing more than a 'bad dream'. So given that the SNL powers that be were none too thrilled about the season as a whole - I didn't think we'd see or hear much about it last night.

And as far as Lorne being a homophobe I seriously don't see it. While SNL enjoys a certain amount of 'bro humor' I don't think that out lesbian Kate McKinnon would be given as much time and attention if he truly was as homophobic as some of the Marys here like to scream.

I stand corrected. Victoria Jackson and Julia Sweeney were there just not on stage.

Was Larraine Newman there? I thought she was hysterical way back when.

[quote]Was Larraine Newman there? I thought she was hysterical way back when.

Yes, she was in the Californians sketch. She's also unrecognizable now.

Seinfeld was there-although JL Dreyfuss was not (and she was, albeit briefly, actually on the show)

[quote]Was Larraine Newman there?

She was in the horrid "The Californians" sketch.

You probably didn't recognize her, she had a nose job many years ago, as well as plastic surgery and/or fillers.

Larraine Newman looks more like Stevie Nicks than even Stevie Nicks does these days.

So LN was the Mom in the sketch?

(AS a Californian, I loved the way they announced the routes of all their drives.)

The Californians was very, very funny. Wiig is among the very best.

Laraine Newman looked good.

As iconic as "Pat" was, I'm surprised Julia Sweeney wasn't featured more prominently.

In small doses, The Californians is very funny. Bill Hader's face always cracks me up.

Did anybody notice David Spade eye-fucking Bradley Cooper at the end of the Californians skit?

Was The Californians original material for the show or a sketch from the past? I have honestly never seen it before.

Can someone post a link to part one?

James Franco looked and sounded like he was high... As always

[quote]Taylor Swift was laughably bad. Her accent went all over the place.

Please 'splain WHY this waste of space was even on an SNL special, it's not as if she was even in a memorable sketch as a guest on a past episode. That's Lorne's problem, he doesn't even think in terms of who the viewers want to see. Having so many people on the special who were not relevant to SNL was a waste of time.

As for viewers who claim that no African-American women were part of SNL's cast, there were two in the 1980s Ellen Cleghorne, who appeared last night and Danitra Vance, who died of cancer many years ago.

"His shirt could hardly contain all his muscles, pecs, and biceps."

You're kidding? He looked lumpy and doughy.

Here you go, r129.

I missed it last night but was able to see the all-female Weekend Update this morning and it was ... awful. What was with the introducing the stars AS their characters instead of just introducing the characters? "Here's Emma Stone doing her favorite character, Roseanne Rosannadanna!" or "Here's Melissa McCarty doing ..." I mean it was just bizarre.

And then they only came on and said one or two sentences and then they were done. What was the point of making up Ed Norton as Stefon and instead giving him only one line to say before Bill Hader slides in and cuts him off?

So glad I didn't waste my time last night.

The Weekend Update was a mixed offering, that's for sure.

I think Palin is insane but I'll say this, she's a good sport.

Several posters in the other SNL thread were commenting that Aykroyd looks much better suited to do the Bass-o-matic commercial now than when he was thin. Posters were also asking why Aykroyd hasn't done anything except raise his daughters in recent years. But he's had a commercial project going on - Crystal Head Vodka.

I'm not sure, but I recall seeing a couple of articles or references to his ongoing interest/activities in UFO research. There's a youtube video interview with him about UFOs but I don't remember if it was done in recent years.

He hosted a Canadian show in the late 90s called Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal, which I seem to remember being like a cross between the Twilight Zone and the X-Files (with him in the Rod Serling role). It was syndicated in the US and may have aired briefly on SyFy.

I may also be confusing it with another X-Files knock-off called Poltergeist: The Legacy, however.

OMG, Stevie Nicks is there! Oh. Oh wait, that's not Stevie Nicks. It's that female cast member from the 70s.

Kanye was fucking awesome, let's come out and say it. Jesus Walks with his head back like he an Egyptian Christian in Libya or some shit. The closeup on his upside down face took some balls.

Miley Cyrus was good considering what I been thought of her. Taylor swift the opposite, maybe she's not in on the joke after all.

Hung with it to the end to see Jussy Timberlake hotass front and center. Where was Mike Myers, backstage?

I just searched it - yes, Psi Factor was hosted by Dan Aykroyd. His brother Peter was a co-creator of the show (with someone other than Dan.) There are many episodes posted on YouTube.

Peter became a parapsychologist after his years doing comedy.

I had forgotten that Peter was also on SNL ( 79-80) after a time at Second City Toronto. Was he on the SNL show last night?

Dan is apparently a longtime "Hollywood Advisor" to MUFON (Mutual UFO Network.)

Both Julia Louis-Dreyfus and her husband Brad Hall were MIA - they were part of the Eddie Murphy years. RDJr was also MIA.

And was SENATOR Al Franken there? If you had Rethug Sarah Palin on camera, the least Lorne could have done was give his old friend, cast member and former head writer equal time. All we got was one quick Stuart Smalley clip.

Taran Killam just tweeted 16 fun pics from last night-one of them was with Tim Kazirinsky.

It's interesting who was there and who wasn't. I caught a glimpse of Matthew Broderick seated in the audience but Sea Biscuit wasn't next to him.

I spotted Senator Franken in the audience. I was surprised he wasn't on stage, however he has become a bit camera shy since joining the Senate. Once elected to the senate he wouldn't do any national press/TV for the longest time. I don't know if that's the case still.

Was Pamela Stephenson there?

She was also in Superman III as the seductive Lorelie Ambrosia

was Gary Kroeger there?

Who was it that remarked: If the ceiling collapsed in Studio 8H while this event was going on, it would be the least of NBC's problems.

I can't remember who said it, but so true.

Did they show John Belushi as Liz Taylor, choking on the baked chicken? Hysterical.

They did... it was really brief but as funny as it ever was.

How insulting it was that Victoria Jackson had to sneak into the audience? They placed her in the overflow room and she had to sneak her way in.

6 year cast member has to SNEAK into the audience?

Shameful treatment.

Ellen Cleghorne gets an on air cameo but VJ has to sneak in like a criminal. How long was Cleghorne! on anyway? BTW, Cleghorne!'s appearance was funny but VJ deserved better.

I don't give a crap about her politics, it should have no bearing on a cast reunion unless they have committed a crime.

Also I believe they did invite Rob Schneider, but at the last minute they decided to quarantine him backstage

R151. Agree if that's true. Victoria Jackson deserved more. If it indeed happened, did it happen to anyone else?

[quote]Eddie Murphy has NEVER appeared on anything to do with the show up till now. That whole sequence seemed to be the result of agent negotations and script approval before Mr. Murphy would deign to appear.

Yes!

What. A. Douche.

That blathering intro made it sound like he single-handedly saved comedy. It was more like a coronation. What an insufferable ass. The whole point of the show was for everyone to get together and have some laughs. And there he was - pompous and serious as a state of the union address. Boo. Hiss.

[quote] I think Palin is insane but I'll say this, she's a good sport.

That's because she thinks she's in on the joke, when in reality she is the joke.

"Sarah Silverman was announced as a participant at the start of the show in the voiceover; but just like when she was a cast member, her sketch was cut for time. She also memorably came back to host years later, when she'd become famous, and talked about her brief time as a cast member."

Her time as a cast member was "brief" because she wasn't funny. She eventually developed a schtick that worked for her: dressing like a little girl, speaking in a retarded little girl's voice and spewing racial slurs and obscenities. Oooh, how EDGY! She sucked a lot of cock to get to the middle. Her time puffing Jimmy Kimmel's peter got her a tv series on Comedy Central. Her hosting of the show later on wasn't particularly "memorable." I heard she just did her usual routine and that it wasn't that great at all.

[quote]Who was it that remarked: If the ceiling collapsed in Studio 8H while this event was going on, it would be the least of NBC's problems.

I think it was one of the Weekend Update hosts, probably Norm MacDonald. He was the one who seemed to go off book part of the way through his part.

Found it!! For those who've never seen it, Mr. John Belushi as the zaftig Liz Taylor, when she was really into the food...

I don't know about anybody being snubbed except for Victoria.

I saw it on Inside Edition today.

Lorne is a dick who plays favorites.

Lorne should end the show after this year. It's run its course. So many other sources for irreverent topical comedy these days.

[quote]Her time as a cast member was "brief" because she wasn't funny

She wasn't a cast member, she was a writer who found herself stuck into a few sketches, usually the monologues (which they goofed on when she hosted in the fall). She was cut because none of her sketches ever made it to air.

She wrote about the experience in her book, saying that most of the writers' room were a bunch of overgrown Ivy League frat boys who used to make of one of the lower totem pole writers who had "only" gone to Brown.

Where are you getting this Victoria Jackson snubbed thing? How did they fit so many people in that Studio, I guess a lot of people didn't sit through the whole thing but there were A LOT of people there.

R158 - Thanks for the John as Liz clip!

I guess it's hard to imagine but if I was on a TV show that's run for 40 years and was only on for 10-15 episodes, episodes which most people judge as the worse, I probably would not show up. It would feel incredibly awkward. There did seem to be a large crew of people who contributed heavily during their tenure who were pretty much ignored. Julia Sweeney, Victoria Jackson (who I know is batso), Chris Kattan, Cheri O'Teri were barely in the clips and barely shown. I think that was a mistake.

I was glad Jean Douminian was there, in that SNL book it sounded like she never had a chance post-Lorne.

R162, Inside Edition.

I missed the show last night and I thought my dvr was going to record it, but it didn't. Anyone know where I can watch it? It's not on comcast on demand right now.

R163, it still makes me giggle...glad you like...

[quote]I missed the show last night and I thought my dvr was going to record it, but it didn't. Anyone know where I can watch it? It's not on comcast on demand right now.

Hulu.

here is a link of Victoria's interview.

Canadian Dan Ackroyd hosts a weekend BLUES program for CBC radio here in Canada.

R169 - Why is Sally Struthers playing Victoria?

LOL, they could be twins!

Was Nora Dunn banned too?

They said repeatedly that everyone was invited, I really don't think people were "banned." I think some people didn't think it was a constructive use of their time.

Victoria may not have been "banned" per se, but by sticking her in the overflow room, they were definitely putting her in her place.

Nora Dunn was ignored in the clips, it was kind of shocking.

I don't think Casey Wilson was there either, and she's even got a series on NBC right now.

Casey is far into her pregnancy.

Casey was fired because they told her to lose 30 pounds and she didn't. So the snub could have been mutual.

And yet they haven't imposed those conditions on Aidy Bryant or Leslie Jones.

I don't know, as far as I'm concerned, she came out the winner in that situation, and if she was actually invited, she should have shown up as a "Fuck You" to Michaels. But if she didn't feel like she didn't have anything to prove, then I'm sure she was happier not being there.

There is some debate as to why Casey was fired.

Victoria Jackson is a batshit crazy homophobe. Quit feeling sorry for her crazy ass. She's lucky she got to show up, never mind sit in overflow.

Has it occurred to anyone that the former cast members who didn't show up maybe just didn't want to attend?

[quote]Has it occurred to anyone that the former cast members who didn't show up maybe just didn't want to attend?

Yeah, but there seemed to be some deliberate snubbing in the clips packages as well, most notably Nora Dunn.

[quote]No Chris Parnell or Tim Meadows?

Chris Parnell was in the Sandler/Samberg "That's When You Break" video as the blonde, sax-playing--Jesus? Tim Meadows was in the Seinfeld Q&A segment threatening to read the Rolling Stone cast rankings.

[quote]And yet they haven't imposed those conditions on Aidy Bryant or Leslie Jones.

Casey Wilson was on well before Melissa McCarthy scored with Bridesmaids. Lorne Michaels then decided that fat women could be funny and hired Aidy.

Well, I'm glad being bigger than a size 2 is no longer a fireable offense.

I'm ambivalent about Aidy, but I love Leslie Jones.

Lorne has his favorites, he makes the rules. Thus, we are stuck with Taylor Swift instead of Nora Dunn or Cheri Oteri or DL favorite, Victoria Jackson in the Californians skit.

Or Miley Cyrus and Kanye West in 2 awful performances instead of seeing The Sweeney Sisters get a full song clip.

Wasn't Dunn fucking him back in the day?

I had to FF through that Californians sketch. I thought it was unfunny, except for everyone giving the locations and routes they took

Nora Dunn and Victoria Jackson were not slim either. So, I have doubts Casey was fired for her weight.

So really what's the deal with Dennis Miller? Obviously right-wingers were allowed to attend so it isnt that. Is he just totally on the outs with Lorne or what?

I know he's still at least friendly-ish with Carvey and Lovitz.

R188 YES.

But she did participate in the 30th anniversary clip docs, so I figured any bitterness was gone.

A friend of mine was interviewing people last night and when she met Sarah Palin - some of Palin's self-tanner rubbed off on her (when they shook hands).

I'm sure all the comics there found it interesting to hear that they would all be school teachers now if it weren't for Eddie Murphy doing "Buckwheat" sketches 30 years ago. Perhaps comedy as an art form would have collapsed entirely.

I liked Miley's performance.

HUGE ratings for the show – a 7.8 adults 18-49 rating from 8-11PM,NBC’s top-rated primetime entertainment telecast, excluding post-Super Bowl programs. since the Will & Grace finale on May 18, 2006.

Oh and Betty White looked better and younger last night then she has been on HiC. So I think we can hold off on the deathwatch for a while (knock wood).

Maybe Chase is just hooked on prescription drugs again? That cold explain why he was acting so fucking bizarre.

Chris Rock thinks his opinions are so important. Smug douche.

If liberal atheist Julia Sweeney can politely pose for a picture with batshit insane Victoria Jackson, she's clearly a much better person than I am.

R193 I've said this before on these threads, but Carvey actually "saved" the show more than Murphy.

R199 - Explain

[quote]HUGE ratings for the show – a 7.8 adults 18-49 rating from 8-11PM,NBC’s top-rated primetime entertainment telecast, excluding post-Super Bowl programs. since the Will & Grace finale on May 18, 2006.

I guarantee it's going to win an Outstanding Variety Program Emmy and I honestly think it's pretty deserved.

[quote][R193] I've said this before on these threads, but Carvey actually "saved" the show more than Murphy.

Now in development: "Pluto Nash Meets the Master of Disguise"

Despite the fawning intro for Chevy Chase, I enjoyed seeing Norm MacDonald, Kevin Nealon, Seth Meyers and Colin Quinn on stage together. Norm's ad libs helped break up the proceedings and I've always liked Colin, despite being one of the least favorite Weekend update anchors.

Norm's quite fat.

Where was Julia Sweeney?

[quote]Where was Julia Sweeney?

She was in the audience. I think she was probably like Sarah Silverman, slotted into a sketch that got cut for time.

Victoria Jackson is crazy. But she did pen a very nice obit of Jan Hooks last year. And she was a cast member for many years.

Putting her in overflow is bullshit.

Somewhere, I have a Late Night with David Letterman (the NBC show) 10th anniversary special on videotape and the SNL 15 year anniversary video, both of which I taped because they were such auspicious events back then. Now, I couldn't care less about Letterman or a SNL.

[quote]Have to say that Rolling Stone article was incredibly snarky but lacking in wit.

[quote]The bitch who wrote it wants to be Dorothy Parker but ends up writing on the level of a bitter arts blogger.

[quote]Accusing the ACTORS of over exposing a character to the point of annoyance is beyond stupid.

[quote]Does this jackass think the actors go into rehearsal on Monday and announce what characters they are going to do that week?

Hey jackass, try to have at least a bit of an idea what you are talking about before you start spewing.

The actors most certainly contribute to the writing process and it's the actors who created many of the show's most memorable characters.

I'm tired of Betty White.

Did Betty get a tingle in her muffin when kissing Bradley for so long?

I was thinking, unless Betty calls in escorts, that was probably the last long, slow kiss of her lifetime.

They should have somehow acknowledged the people who were cast members who weren't given a sketch or a presentation to make. Why couldn't Julia Sweeney, Victoria Jackson, Nora Dunn and Cheri O'Teri introduced something?

It felt like the pecking order was:

1) White Men 2) Black People 3) White Women

It was Lorne Michaels' monument to himself...

After Julia Louis Dreyfuss, Christine Ebersole has had one of the longest careers of any pre-2000 Saturday Night Live female. She's won awards on stage, is constantly in films and does TV.

R200 I don't know how to repost, but I posted this yesterday. After the disastrous 85-86 season, you had '86 season premiere where Carvey trotted out many of his breakout characters - within like one episode he practically turned around the fate of SNL.

People single out Murphy more because the rest of his cast was so meh. Carvey was surrounded by a bunch of great talents - but he was the first of them to crucially "break out."

[quote]Jean Doumanian did attend.

That took balls, considering that she almost destroyed the show.

I don't think Emma Stone should have done Rosanna Dana but it did show how great Gilda was...

Roseanne Roseannadanna should have been a full montage.

R215 - Carey was surrounded by talent. That's why he was less needed than Murphy. Without Carey, the Phil Hartman years would have been good. Without Murphy, that time would have sucked.

[quote]I don't know how to repost

If you can't understand how to copy and paste text in the year 20-fucking-15, you really don't have any opinions worth hearing.

Cheri is going to be on Andy Cohen's show tonight.

Needed more Timberlake

Maybe Betty has a secret lovah!

[quote] That took balls, considering that she almost destroyed the show.

That's bullshit, Lorne almost destroyed the show by walking out. He wanted a break or some shit as if NBC was really going to just take a break in 1980 of one of their only hits.

What the fuck were the closing lines in Taylor Swift's scene (before she puts her hair in fron of her face)?

I know a lot of people hate Timberlake - and I couldn't tell you a song he's ever done - but every time I see him anywhere, like last night, he always comes across as really likeable and reasonably talented.

Loved Jane Curtin's jab at Fox News -

R227 - Good one Jane!

Palin battles hecklers -

Have you watched the shows she produced, R224?

R227 what's funny about Curtin is that she aged RAPIDLY between, like, late Kate &Allie and Third Rock, but since then she has looked the same. And that has been about 20 years.

Does she still smoke?

Jane has aged well, but I am not sure I ever realized how attractive she was while she was on the show until last night.

What little gossip I know:

Nora Dunn was Lorne Michael's mistress for YEARS and, being a crazy cunt, let everyone know it. Then after he broke up with her, she went batty, leading him to basically shut down her career. In no way, was she allowed to take part in the proceedings.

Sarah Silverman was fired for basically fucking every writer on staff. This caused a lot of drama and distraction. Lorne was already on the fence about her but this led to her dismissal.

You Jane Curtain hags are a sad lot.

She read some cue cards last night and barked out a few lines from her wrinkled mug.

R166, NBC will be rebroadcasting the show - at least in a 3-hour version - Friday night.

[quote]She read some cue cards last night and barked out a few lines from her wrinkled mug.

And yet she was infinitely better than anyone who has appeared on this show post 1993.

People, it's Cheri Oteri, not O'Teri.

Was surprised Dennis Miller didn't show. He's still pals with lots of those guys and speaks glowingly about Lorne and his years there. He was a huge part of the show; arguably the best anchor, His snarky attitude and arcane references influenced tons of comics, most immediately David Spade (who, btw, looked like a dismissive dick while poor Joe Piscopo was trying to have his big "comeback.")

The Eddie Murphy thing was bizarre and embarrassing. It was like they brought a once great athlete to old timers day who's now too crippled/incapacitated to throw a ball (or tell one fucking joke). Least he coulda done was suck some drag queen's toes, that woulda been funny.

Jean Doumanian almost caused SNL to be cancelled. The ratings were so bad during the time she was in charge that it came close to being canned. She made the show THAT bad.

R236, that's simply not true.

My biggest complaint is that they managed to get virtually all the cast members together and didn't use as many as they could.

Why let Kristen Wiig, Steve Martin, Will Ferrell get in several bits and not use some of the cast members that haven't been seen in decades?

I would have loved to have seen Cheri Oteri, Victoria Jackson, Gary Kroeger or Julia Sweeney.

Jay Mohr is of all things a radio personality now. He hosts a Sports Show on the Fox Sports Radio Network.

Is it just or did Poehler look pregnant? Both in the red carpet pics and sitting behind the Weekend Anchor desk. Either that or she has a very strange weight gain around her midsection.

Thought she looked very early-stage pregnant when hosting the Globes last month too.

I wished they had assembled the entire casts from the certain seasons on stage together during the show. They could have even thrown in the Hosts of those episodes during the seasons they were on to be with them too.

This show is STILL on?

How quaint.

Yes, R244, they could've taken a page from the Academy Awards and its milestone anniversary Oscar family albums by bringing out - perhaps at different times throughout the broadcast - casts of the various eras.

What other gossip do you know R233 ?

For being so out of place on SNL, Colin Quinn has had a few successful stage shows. He just never did characters on show and I don't think the writers knew how to write for him on Update.

Interesting interview with Melanie Hutsell. It's really sad how little she and Cleghorne and Sweeny are regarded for their contributions to the show.

I kind of can't wait for crazy Victoria to blog about this. Plus, you know seeing Julia Sweeney has re-galvanized VJ's quest to save Julia's godless liberal soul.

Shit, I hope Julia blogs about the proceedings as well.

Interesting article with Ellen Cleghorne. She's been having quite the academic career. Good for her.

R233 then why was she allowed to participate in the 30th anniversary stuff?

Cheri Oteri told Dandy Cohen that the reason she was underutilized is because she didn't know if she would be able to come to the show until the last few days.

Why no Madonna?

I imagine it was difficult to know for sure who'd be able to be there given the life lots of the cast members lead now.

Fiona Apple was listed as a performer during the days leading up to it, but she wasn't there. Honestly had me wondering if they lined her up and then were able to get Kanye or Taylor Swift or someone that Lorne and/or NBC would draw more viewers or some dumb thing like that.

I really do feel that the presence of Swift and Kanye and some of the former hosts (who weren't cast members) was all about showing off how many big names they could get on the show either to show that the show is still cool and relevant or to draw viewers (or both).

I mean-- why have Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro introduce clip packages when so many people who worked hard on SNL are there? I suppose one could argue it's a tribute to the show that they were able to get such big stars, but . . . bleah. I think viewers at home would've rather seen more of the cast members.

I may not have liked Timberlake and Fallon's bit, but I can't argue with Timberlake's appearance given how popular he's been when on the show and how good he's been at performing on it (unlike Swift).

Obviously it was a ridiculous undertaking to put this show together, but I still think they could've done better.

I wish Dennis Miller had been there, I wish they'd treated Victoria Jackson better-- honestly, if they can have Sarah freaking Palin part of a bit and seated at the heart of the audience, why not Jackson?

It does sound like current and former castmembers were having a blast at the various events surrounding the actual show so that's cool.

Oh! I follow Albert Brooks on Twitter and he joked at the beginning of the show that he thought it was in L.A. and "oops!" and then someone asked him when the tribute to his shorts and such was going to be on and he said something about probably never or something like that. During the show, Steve Martin retweeted Brooks with a remark "It's a silent tribute." (To be fair, they did later show Brooks in the clip package about digital shorts.)

You're terrible, Muriel.

Here's an interview with SNL's only openly gay cast member, Terry Sweeney:

I love Jane Curtin but R234 made me laugh.

R255 I think Brooks was fired after the open heart surgery short. It's funny though I was watching one the other day where one of his films totally precursored Three's Company (it was even called The Three of Us). It still would have been funny had he shown up.

I guess I'm the official Dennis Miller troll now but I still would Iike to know what happened there. Update wasn't exactly complete without him.

Where the hell was Nora Dunn, one of the best SNL cast members ever?!

Nora as talk show host, Pat Stevens, is genius and hysterical.

Was Nora there?

Nora Dunn was the highlight of the entire 40 years of SNL. Was she there? I watched and didn't see her even when they briefly showed Jan Hooks.

I loved Jan and Nora doing the talk show spoof, "Attitudes." So damn funny.

Nora doing anything cracked me up:

Nora as model turned talk show host, Pat Sevens, Nora with Jan Hooks and their talk show spoof, "Attitudes," Nora and Jan as the Sweeney Sisters and Nora as Liza Minnelli, the funniest.

r261/r262 There was about a 5 second clip of the Sweeney Sisters shown, that was all the Nora I saw.

Their salute to musical sketches on SNL or whatever it was bummed me out a bit and made me realize that the only recurring one I've really liked since The Sweeney Sisters is the goofy and ridiculous "What's Up With That?"

Most of the others were/are pretty painful.

Keep in mind that Victoria is the only person saying she was off in the "overflow" room, and we don't even know what the overflow room WAS. Maybe a lot of people were in there, or maybe Victoria, who is legitimately mentally ill, did something that made them want to sequester her off (as they did with Rob Schneider, reportedly).

r245, you ignorant slut.

It doesn't make a lot of sense to say Nora Dunn was purposely excluded because of her affair with Lorne. Chevy was banned for years and he was there. Lots of people on SNL have been, er, "trouble" in some way or another and they were there.

She was also on the "Women of SNL" special a few years ago, so she's not blacklisted or anything.

The ONLY reason Murphy is so acknowledged is because Richard Pryor is dead. Had Pryor never come down with MS, Murphy would've been Chris Rock. Neither Rock nor Murphy were even mildly funny and I think it has to do with no longer wanting to coon for the dominate force of the white man, sorry.

As caustic as he is, Paul Mooney could wipe the floor with both Murphy and Rock at the same time.

Some people just don't like going to reunions maybe that's why Nora wasn't there....

It's a real shame that with 29 million viewers the writers could only come up with the same shitty skits they pump out every week. Jeopardy was too long. The Californians just sucked all around. The audience looked like they'd rather be somewhere else. They should have done more old clips and called it a day. Many of the skits produced very weak applause. Wonder why they didn't enhance the applause like they normally do.

Eddie Murphy is a prick. Threes a whole new generation that doesn't know who the fuck he is.

[quote]Then I remembered that Mike Meyers witnessed the crazy when Kanye accused Bush of hating black people during that Katrina fundraiser thing.

Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that!

Damn, Kanye's been a crazy asshole for over a decade now!

i am an atheist and a dedicated liberal, so I have no love for Victoria Jackson. But I agree with those who have said that she deserved better than being kept in an overflow room while people like Bill O'Reilly and Kanye West had primo seats close to the action. She really was an integral part of the show in the late 80's, and being that I am friendly with half of that cast, I have never heard any of them say that they disliked her. I suspect that she kept her over the top conservative self somewhat under wraps until she left the show. I'm sure she was pro-life and all that, but I think that the preachy "family values" crap has really happened in the last 20 years. Was anyone surprised that O'Reilly participated?

@PaulGoebelShow 7 hours ago

Why no mention of Terry Sweeney on #SNL40? The first openly gay cast member Guess Lorne Michaels liberal guilt only applies to black people

whats an overflow room?

Eddie thinks his shit doesn't stink, but it wouldn't surprise me if Michaels has issues with him over the fact that he is the one star whose career he had nothing to do with.

Getting angry over the Spade joke was ridiculous, since Murphy used to rip Garrett Morris apart when he was on SNL. Garrett got his revenge in the recent SNL book by taking a cheap shot at Murphy's recent (or lack thereof) career.

My sister said that Eddie probably caught Negro disease but I wonder if something happened in the negotiations for the appearance that made Eddie want to fuck Lorne in this way.

R243, I noticed and thought the same thing

1 1/2 threads filled about this and no mention of Joan Cusack? Okay, she kind of sucked on SNL but became an gay icon after she left.

r274 Sweeney was mentioned in the previous thread. Shame he wasn't there, his Nancy Reagan stuff was cutting AND hilarious. I wonder if "Miss Adolfo" ever saw one of the skits?

I saw Nora Dunn on the red carpet, I think.

Would have been interesting to see Terry Sweeney and Chevy Chase meet up.

Lost opportunity to began the sketch with Laraine Newman as "Sheri, the Valley Girl" from season one becoming the matriarch for the Californians.

Even by just using the wig...

You may have been the only one, R281.

Didn't see Anthony Michael Hall either.

Candice Bergen almost screws up a sketch, and Gilda comes back around and sticks the landing.

Isn't time for the "SNL hasn't been funny since 1993" troll to chime in again?

[quote]Isn't time for the "SNL hasn't been funny since 1993" troll to chime in again?

Well it hasn't.

It was interesting watching Cheri Oteri on WWHL last night. She did some of her characters and it wasn't funny at all.

I am so totally sick of all the, you know, Californism bigotry dude. Like, what is up with all the hate? It.is. so. Gross!

I missed SNL and have been a social pariah ever since.

[quote]After Julia Louis Dreyfuss, Christine Ebersole has had one of the longest careers of any pre-2000 Saturday Night Live female.

Is that so?

And the award for the most frequently misspelled SNL name on DL goes to:

Jane Curtin

It's Curtin people! CURTIN!!! She does not hang behind windows or downstage!

Only on DL could there be such a rabid Nora Dunn fanbase.

Shouldn't Susan Saint James have been there?

r259, you do know Three's Company was adapted almost verbatim from the UK Man of The House?

Nora Dunn WAS there. She tweeted from back stage.

Timberlake and Fallon bit was great, they are v funny together still. Their only problem, if any, is overexposure.

[quote]Nora Dunn WAS there. She tweeted from back stage.

So was Melanie Hutsell. Julia Sweeney tweeted a picture of them together with Victoria Jackson. Despite having gained weight, Julia has aged the best of the three of them.

I insist on seeing a picture of Nora Dunn from Sunday.

Chevy Chase on the red carpet:

R294 you know what makes me feel old? That none of the magazines ever mention that Britney Spears is dating Susan Saint James's son.

Wow, Tina Fey *really* dressed up for the red carpet!

Holy shit, John Goodman looks like a bagful of smashed asses!

Terrible dye job, frizzy-looking hair, ruddy face, childish grin, and teeth that resemble baked corn.

Wtf, dude!

Ok, what's with Glenn snuggling this jeweled skull?

Phil Hartman's Daughter Attends 'Saturday Night Live' 40th Anniversary in Her Father's Honor

R305 - She's pretty and seems well adjusted.

[quote][R305] - She's pretty and seems well adjusted.

Considering how she lost her parents, that's nothing short of a miracle.

Wonder if she remembers any of it. The kids were at the house when the murder/suicide happened. I remember seeing police carrying the kids away from the house.

R305 ha - that article was written by Elizabeth Durand Streisand, who is married to Eric Streisand , who is related to guess who!!!

Reminded of how handsome Phil Hartman was...

"Inside the ‘SNL’ 40th anniversary after-party"

"The “SNL” 40th anniversary after-party — where guests from George Lucas to Paul McCartney mingled at the Plaza — brought together some mad musical combinations.

Miley Cyrus jumped onstage with Ariana Grande, Jimmy Fallon and Debbie Harry.

Microsoft mogul Paul Allen played backup guitar for McCartney, Taylor Swift and Dan Aykroyd. And Bill Murray sat in on tambourine for Prince, spies said.

The only guest who seemingly didn’t play was Justin Timberlake, although Fallon was yelling into a mike, “JT! Where are you? Are you in the house?”

“The room was set up like a 1950s lounge,” said a wide-eyed witness. “People were tripping all over each other to get onstage.”

The B-52s played, and Cyrus danced with her boyfriend Patrick Schwarzenegger."

r299 needs to get laid.

Seriously.

Where was Dennis Miller????

Chevy Chase is as big as a house, and John Goodman does not look well.

R314 Chase was just behaving so bizarrely, I best guess is he's hooked on prescription meds again. That would also explain why he was randomly sweating (in sub zero weather).

Seriously, I hope that red carpet had a lot of heat lamps. I would have come dressed as The Michelin Man.

r315, I noticed Chase sweating on the red carpet - which was outside on a night when the temperature in NYC was absolutely fucking freezing - and I wondered the same thing. You wouldn't naturally be sweating in such frigid weather.

1) 36 got things exactly right;

2) Palin will go anywhere, anytime, if it means she gets to be on TV;

3) Vic-whore-ia Jackson is the most talentless hypocrite God ever created, never once acknowledging how her precious Bible says divorce is just as big an abomination in God's eyes as is homosexuality, and;

4) With the possible exception of Norm "Ohhh, Anal Rape, Anal Rape, Anal Rape" MacDonald, Eddie Murphy is now, and ever shall be, world without end, amen, THE most overrated cast member in SNL history.

R316 you have no idea what you're talking about when it comes to Eddie Murphy.

He was brilliant in the 1982-83 season and it was electric whenever he was on stage.

Lorne hates Norm McDonald. Did you see Norm behind Lorne in the closing and Lorne totally ignoring him?

Hey, R318?

Kindly leave poor, innocent R316 out of this.

And where that no-talent is concerned, be grateful I didn't type, "Eddie Murphy is the cuntiest cunt who ever cunted in all of Cuntdom."

Just watch it.

Here's Nora Dunn's twitter, which includes several tweets and photos from the SNL40th backstage

Was Jussy Timberlake even at the afterparty? Haven't seen any mention that he was there, but wouldn't he have told Fallon he wasn't going .......... maybe he went but spent the whole time on his knees in the men's room.

Or else he skipped it and danced off to chase Jay Z.

I swear I had read Jean Doumanian died a few years back? Did she have an illness or something that got some press? I'm actually shocked to read she's alive and attended.

Eddie Murphy gets credit for "saving" SNL because the show was on the verge of cancellation when he broke out. He brought buzz back to the show after it had been written off by most people for years. You really do have to give him credit because without his breakout performances and quick rise to celebrity it's really doubtful we'd be celebrating 40 years of the show today.

Dana Carvey was an amazing talent and played a huge part in bringing about the show's second golden era but at that point SNL wasn't at risk the way it was when Murphy was on. Lorne Michaels had just returned to helm the show and even though his first season back wasn't great, the network was giving him time to rebuild. You could argue Jon Lovitz and his breakout characters the season before Carvey joined the cast were just as instrumental in "saving" the show.

God, Lorne Michaels was indeed a hot 30-year-old! Scroll down just a little.

[quote]Chase was just behaving so bizarrely, I best guess is he's hooked on prescription meds again.

I can't believe ABC ordered a pilot starring Chase and Beverly D'Angelo. That's a disaster waiting to happen. He doesn't seem well, plus he's a miserable asshole who nobody wants to work with.

Watching an NBC program I recorded before Sunday, I saw an ad for the upcoming special that listed among those appearing Jon Hamm & Paul Rudd. I saw Rudd in the background of the red carpet show, but were either on the show?

I DVRed the show and it only recorded three hours (until 11PM.) How long past 11 did it go on?

I tried to find it on demand, but my cable company only had Part I (67 minutes) and not the rest.

I thought Kerry Washington was hilarious in "The Californians." She needs to do comedy more often. And was that her mother sitting next to her in the audience (and next to Michael Douglas on the other side?)

Isn't Jean Doumanian a producer -- or connected some other way -- with Woody Allen's movies?

Sad that I barely tweet and I have more followers than Nora Dunn has.

Where's the love for Pat Stevens, Twitter?

R331 Seriously. You'd think there'd be lots of former models out there ...

Wonder if there's a connection between heavy drug use and early dementia. They should do a study of the original SNL cast.

I was surprised to find out that Larry David had been a writer on SNL. I remember him from ABC's attempt to copy SNL, "Fridays," as both writer and a performer. Also on that show: Michael Richards, and eventual SNL performer Rich Hall (and was he ever mentioned on the tribute show?)

[quote]Where's the love for Pat Stevens, Twitter?

I disagreed with much of that Rolling Stone article, but their summation of Pat as a character that skived people out was on the money.

We had SNL fanatics in our office at that time, and even when their Monday morning recaps stretched into hours, none ever mentioned Pat.

Pat STEVENS, not "It's Pat," R335. I don't think anyone would have been skeeved out by Pat Stevens.

If you want to see how far Martin Short has fallen, just check out (while it lasts) the execrable "Mulaney" (executive producer: Lorne Michaels!) bonus points-- it also features Elliott Gould doing an offensively effeminate elder*gay.

r334, Julia Louis Dreyfuss was also on Fridays, no?

Do we know why Dreyfuss wasn't at the SNL40 and Jerry Fucking Seinfeld was?!

The special was 3.5 hours, r328 - with an additional hour for the red carpet coverage prior to the special.

NBC is repeating the special tomorrow/Friday night. But there will be some editing because they are condensing it down to a 3-hour show. If you record that one, you still might get to see at least some of the bits from the last 30 minutes that your DVR cut off - depending on what they decide to take out.

[quote] Julia Louis Dreyfuss was also on Fridays, no?

No.

JL Dreyfuss's absence is all the stranger given that she met husband Brad Hall on the show didn't she?

I think JLD wanted to be known for Sienfeld, not for SNL And also letting other cast members have their opportunity to participate in skits and be on camera.

In one of these threads someone mentioned that David Spade made a remark somewhere about how some people don't show up for these anniversary shows because they know there likely won't be anything for them to do since Lorne likes to put big stars front and center.

I can't believe I'm agreeing with David Spade of all people, but that really seems to be the case here. There were so many former cast members there who didn't get screen time while Taylor Swift and Kerry Washington did! And Kanye and Sia. I mean, I can understand having a frequent host like Alec Baldwin in a sketch if it called for it, but it's gotta be awkward as fuck for people who worked on the show to sit in the audience and not do anything while people who never worked on the show are in the sketches.

That said, I can understand showing up even if you don't get to participate in the show because it's a reunion of sorts with parties and so on around it. Of course I can also understand some people might not be into that and would prefer staying home.

I thought Norm Macdonald's series of tweets about the show and the Jeopardy sketch were really interesting:

Annoying that Kristen Wiig got two major parts in the dreadful Californians and the equally painful Garth and Kat when so many greats like Nora Dunn, Julia Sweeney and Cheri Oteri got shelved.

Palin wore Bristol's old dress:

Has it occurred to any of you that perhaps some people were just not available (like Cheri Oteri, for instance, who said she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to attend until the last minute), or in the case of sketch participation, not available for rehearsals?

or even pretending not to be to gain some status?

Funny how the usual frequent players were (Goodman, Hanks, Baldwin, Martin, Simon).

R65 I know someone sho wrote for the show and went to this event. He told me that she was there, but everyone seemed to be avoiding her.