Oh Crap!

Franken lead at 50 with absentees left to count

It'll be good news for Al Franken and his possible future as U.S. Senator representing Minnesota, but what about Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchenson of Texas and her plans to run for Governor in the future?

Happy Birthday T-Bone Wolk!!

Happy 57th Birthday to the former bassist of the SNL Band, Tom "T-Bone" Wolk! And next to him is G.E. Smith, who'll celebrate HIS birthday late next month.

AP Names Their 'Entertainer of the Year'

Surprise, surprise! It's Tina Fey! Congratulations!

Kanye West = Ashliee Simpson

Once again, the lip-synching controversy strikes SNL, this time it's Kanye West who's the "apparent" victim.

Tina Fey on the cover of Vanity Fair

Includes article too.

More hijinks from WGN

Case in point: Tracy Morgan emulates a woman who recently gave birth on camera during the WGN Morning News.

It goes to show that I haven't forgotten the Ebersol years (81-85) of SNL

And here's proof: Tim Kazurinsky (81-84) on WGN and his take on the WGA Strike.



It makes me happy that lame-ass strike had ended earlier this year.

EDIT: As an added bonus, here's another Kazurinsky appearance on WGN. This time around, weatherman Tom Skilling gets bugged, as you'll see in this next video.

Coming to a DVD retailer next month

Mr. Mike's Mondo Video.

Gov. David Patterson (D-NY) to SNL: It's No Laughing Matter

Did SNL Go Too Far? Blind Governor Not Happy

Saturday Night Live this weekend turned its comedic gaze to New York's Governor David Patterson. Actor Fred Amisen played Paterson, the blind Governor who must fill the senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton. The National Federation of the Blind says the skit was an attack on all blind Americans. In the skit Amisen says that one of the qualifications for the Senate spot is having a disability and being unprepared for the job (like him). So, what's the deal? SNL - which has impersonated and generally roasted every major politician since its inception -- has just come off a successful campaign season. Tina Fey as Sarah Palin was a juggernaut that propelled the show to some of its best ratings in years. Now this. Did they go too far?

Now she ISN'T kidding

Amy Poehler says goodbye to 'Saturday Night Live'

Golden Globe Madness

My 50th installment came at the right time. Congrats to 30 Rock on their Golden Globe nominations. Tune in January 11th, 2009 to see if 30 Rock will sweep the globes.

Amy Pohler...

You've lied to me!

Are You There, Lorne? It's Me, Callie.

Dear Lorne Michaels,

In future installments of SNL beginning with either this week's show or in January when everyone returns from their Winter Break, I'd like to see less exterior shots of 30 Rockefeller Center and more of them:

The Saturday Night Live Band

BTW, I know and Dave knows that the pic's outdated whereas Dr. Luke left after the 06-07 season and Jared Scharff is now in his place.

You know who they are? Dave Mackey and I both know who they are. Then why are you giving us, the home audience who cannot afford to go to New York to see SNL in person, a lot of grief. It's not fair that the House Band performs for the studio audience whereas the home audience gets stuck watching live shots of 30 Rock week after week. It's got to stop, NOW!!

I swear, when G.E. Smith was the band leader (85 to 95), that was when things were different. We got to know each and EVERY member (Chris Parker, T-Bone Wolk, Cheryl Hardwick, Shawn Pelton, Paul Ossola, etc.), including the guest members such as Buddy Guy, Bela Fleck, and an occasional apperance by the Beehive Queen herself (and current SNL Band Vocalist) Christine Ohlman.

C'mon, Lorne. Stop acting like a child and do something right for a change.

Signed,
Callie Ray

Once again, SNL makes the headlines

The following, except where noted, will be in Al Bhed, the fictional language used in Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2. To translate the following, go to this website: English - Al Bhed Translater with Phonetics

E lyhhud pameaja dryd Munha Selryamc fuimt ymmuf oad, yhudran cuhk du pa yenat uh Cydintyo Hekrd Meja, dryd rybbahc du pa hud uhmo dymgat ypuid, pid luhdnyjanceym. E's dymgehk ypuid "Zeww eh so Byhdc", yhudran CHM Tekedym Crund dryd'c ymm dra piww palyica uv ed.

Vencd, drana fyc "Ymm E Fyhhy Tu Ec Cilg Ouin Pek Dua" vnus 1993. Drec cuhk bnusudac vuud vadecrecs yht E't mega du caa ed nasujat vnus vidina yenehkc uv dra Lrnecdehy Ybbmakyda abecuta.

Caluht, "Telg Eh Y Puq" vnus dfu oaync yku frah Zicdeh Despanmyga rucdat dra Lrnecdsyc Cruf. Pek avveh' taym. Huputo lynac ypuid y syma puto bynd rettah eh y puq. BTW, Katreese Barnes EARNED her current role as the SNL Band's Music Director alongside Leon Pendarvis and Lenny Pickett, so I'm defending her.

Munha Selryamc, oui uid du pa ycrysat uv ouincamv. Yenehk yh uvvahceja beala uv lnyb mega dryd uh dra hekrd uv so 31cd pendrtyo.

The Doctor is In Once Again

SNL Makes Another House Call With Hugh Laurie

Happy Birthday Sarah Silverman!!

And tonight, I will watch 'Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic' that I've TiVo'd weeks ago. BTW, you were such a bloke to perform in the U.K..

Vintage SNL ad from late 1976

How Tina Fey got that scar, and all that jazz?

The Long...

And short of it.

Happy Birthday Paul Shaffer!!

Happy Birthday to one of the original members of the SNL Band: Paul Shaffer!!



EDIT: Although it's a day early, I just want to get it posted before I completely forget.

Host and Musical Guest confirmed for 12/06/2008 episode

Host: John Malkovich
Musical Guest: T.I.

HEE-HAW!!!! Lorne finally did something right for a change, unlike 5 years ago. OTOH, Pink did a great job nevertheless.

BTW, it'll be my 31st birthday then.

IFC's 50 Greatest Commercial Parodies of All Time

IFC's 50 Greatest Commercial Parodies of All Time

However, SNL made the list several times, and I do mean several.

The return of Horatio Sanz, on a sitcom that is

“Saturday Night Live“ alum takes role on new single-camera, midseason show

Horatio Sanz has signed on to ABC’s midseason comedy "In the Motherhood," The Hollywood Reporter says.

"In the Motherhood" is based on the MindShare online series starring Chelsea Handler, Leah Remini and Jenny McCarthy. The three play mothers and girlfriends whose experiences are based on the real-life stories of American moms.

The ABC show will star Megan Mullally and Cheryl Hines. Handler had been approached about reprising her role, but scheduling conflicts with her talk show on E! prevented her from joining the cast.

Sanz will play Horatio, the stay-at-home father of Mullally’s character Megan’s granddaughter. He is struggling to raise the young girl after the mother left them.

Since his departure from "Saturday Night Live" in 2006, Sanz has taken small roles in the Will Ferrell comedy "Step Brothers" and the upcoming "Hollywood & Wine." He has also performed with the Upright Citizens Brigade, a comedy group founded by fellow "SNL" alumna Amy Poehler and others.

SNL's gone a little bit country

Singer/actor Tim MacGraw will host tomorrow night's episode of Saturday Night Live. MacGraw's latest project, Four Chirstmases, starring Vince Vaughan and Reese Whitherspoon, will be out in theaters next week.

Tim McGraw says he expects to be nervous as the host of the Saturday Night Live episode airing Saturday (Nov. 22) on NBC. "So far now, it's fun," McGraw told CMT Insider this week during rehearsals in New York City. "I'm sure my nerves will get bundled up a little bit when the day comes, but the guys are great. All the cast and the people working on the show make it really as easy for you as they can, but there's a certain 'scared-ness' that comes with doing live stuff." This is his first time hosting the comedy series. "The history that's involved with Saturday Night Live is pretty special to be a part of," he said. "As an artist, it's pretty special to be on here just to sing, but to be on as host and be involved in the skits -- and a lot of skits -- is a pretty cool thing. You just gotta trust everybody and kinda do your thing." McGraw's SNL appearance coincides with the release of his new movie, Four Christmases, starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon.

Dan Aykroyd: Actor, comedian, vinter?

Dan Aykroyd: Actor, comedian, vinter?

Betcha you don't know about Seth Meyers?

He's an uber-geek extraordinaire.

Happy Birthday Lorne Michaels

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday Lorne Michaels,
Happy Birthday to you.

Conan O'Brien, your cousin's starting to get on my NERVES

My sister may love your cousin, Denis Leary, but nowadays he's getting on my nerves. And he has a big mouth too when it comes to dissing autistic people such as myself.

Denis Leary confessed that he "got sucked into the vortex of Oprah" even though he sought to mock her in Why We Suck.

By Donna Freydkin, USA TODAY
NEW YORK — Denis Leary's Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid isn't even out yet, and already the book has caused something of an uproar.

His biting tome of tirades and rants about relationships, race and religion hits stores Tuesday (Viking, $24.95). But there's one chapter in particular that has been making waves: "Autism Shamautism," in which he rants about parents who push for a diagnosis primarily so their kids can get special treatment.

"For me, the reason for writing the chapter was because I know people who have children with autism, and I'm offended by people actually trying to seek out a low-level diagnosis for their kids because they're too lazy to deal with their kids' behavior," Leary says.

Leary, 51, is a married father of two teenagers. And over pasta at a downtown Italian restaurant, the actor/comedian (he also plays a troubled firefighter on FX's Rescue Me) explains that he's still miffed over the reports that led to autism advocates' outrage. He says the offending excerpt, first published in the New York Post, was taken out of context, leaving the impression that Leary was attacking parents of autistic children.

"If I was a person in the same shoes as a lot of the people who read it, I would be just as upset, because it looked like I was talking about the opposite. It really made me angry that that was the way it was painted," he says. "I was a comedy doctor discussing autism, not a real doctor defining autism."

In fact, Leary describes his comedy book as his acerbic, bracing stand-up act, but in print. He attacks religion, family life and pop culture, skewering cats, the Kardashian sisters and Britney Spears.

"I wrote the book because I think it's funny. My track record's pretty good. And as a comedian I've been accused of a lot of things — shocking, controversial, loud. Never stupid. I've never been called stupid. I stand by what I wrote."

Does he worry about offending people? "Oh, yeah. There's plenty of people to be offended. In my introduction, I try to warn everybody."

Initially, Leary set out to trash Oprah Winfrey in print, but the more he immersed himself in her show, the more he became a convert.

"The Oprah thing completely turned around on me. As soon as I started doing the research, I got sucked into the vortex of Oprah. I started watching episodes and reading the magazine. There's no male Oprah."

According to Leary, it's time for the Y-chromosome version of the show. "Guys would listen. It could be me and Jon Stewart. You do the joke news, you do the scores because Stewart's a complete sports junkie," Leary says. "If they can update you on things that might affect your sexual performance, I would watch that show. Or how to pick up chicks or how to make your wife happy."

Leary doesn't have pretensions of literary grandeur. His wife is writer Ann Leary, whose novel Outtakes from a Marriage was well-received this year, and her husband gives her full credit for being the real writer in the family.

"My book was inspired by money. I just wanted to see if I could do it," he says. "I told her: 'You wrote a real book. It's not the same thing as this.' She kept telling me how easy it was going to be because I didn't have to worry about plotlines."

Will he write another book? "I don't know," he says. "When I started writing, I really loved it. Sometimes I wrote (garbage), but I really loved it. … Obviously I wasn't writing a real book, and it was kind of easy.

"If this book sells, I'll have to do Why We Still Suck."

SNL hires two newcomers to the show, one of them is the offsrping of a former cast member

'SNL' hires two to replace Amy Poehler

NEW YORK (AP) -- "Saturday Night Live" was left with some big shoes to fill when Amy Poehler departed for her new role of motherhood.

'SNL' cast member Amy Poehler, right, left the show when she gave birth in October. She and former cast member Tina Fey performed political skits before the election.

As a step in that direction, two fresh recruits, Abby Elliott and Michaela Watkins, will be joining the show this week as featured players, NBC announced Thursday.

Elliott comes to "SNL" via the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre -- the improv/sketch company co-founded by Poehler -- where she trained and performed in both New York and Los Angeles. She is a second-generation "SNL" cast member whose father, Chris Elliott, was a regular on the show during the 1994-95 season. (Her grandfather, Bob Elliott, was teamed for four decades with Ray Goulding in the comedy duo Bob & Ray.)

A native of Wilton, Conn., Elliott also trained with the Los Angeles-based Groundlings theater.

Watkins is a fellow Groundlings alum, where past "SNL" players including Will Ferrell, Phil Hartman, Laraine Newman and current cast member Kristen Wiig got their start. Watkins was born in Syracuse, N.Y., and raised in Boston.

Poehler, a longtime "SNL" regular who is married to comedian Will Arnett, last performed on the Oct. 23 prime-time special. She gave birth to a son, Archie Arnett, just hours before she was to appear on the Oct. 25 broadcast.

No. 2 on Entertainment Weekly's Entertainer of the Year

Tina Fey

Congrats to Tina Fey!!

No. 1 goes to Tina's fellow SNL alum: Robert Downey, Jr.

BTW, if you missed out on last week's 30 Rock, here's an excerpt.

Al Franken loses Senatoral bid to incumbent Norm Coleman

Al Franken loses Senatoral bid to incumbent Norm Coleman

He's Chevy Chase and he's a Democrat

Chevy Chase talks about tomorrow's election, his alignment as a Democrat, and the history of SNL's political parodies from Ford to Palin.

BTW, tune in tonight after Deal or No Deal to watch SNL's 2008 Presidental Bash.

Chris Parker blogs on Modern Drummer dot com

Chris Parker blogs on Modern Drummer.com

I swear to God, I'm not kidding myself

On the right is the REAL Gov. Sarah Palin, while Seth Meyers and Amy Pohler continue to make fools of themselves.

Palin smiles as 'SNL' mocks her anew
By GLEN JOHNSON

After watching "Saturday Night Live" make fun of her from afar, Sarah Palin witnessed it first hand this week as Tina Fey engaged in fiction by depicting her at the news conference the Republican vice presidential nominee has yet to hold.

Later, Palin came on stage during the Weekend Update mock news segment and bobbed to the beat as cast member Amy Poehler performed a rap song the Alaska governor decided was too hardcore for her to perform personally.

"I'm Jeremiah Wright 'cuz I'm the preacher; I got a bookish look and you're all hot for teacher," Poehler rapped as actors dressed as Eskimos, Palin's husband, Todd, and a moose pranced across the stage.

The appearance was anticipated since September, when Fey began portraying Palin just after GOP presidential nominee John McCain selected the little-known governor as his running mate. The two look alike, and Palin remarked that people often told her -- before Fey started portraying her -- that she resembled the actor.

In the show's opening, Fey's impersonation of Palin told a group of reporters, "First off, I just want to say how excited I am to be in front of both the liberal elite media as well as the liberal regular media. I am looking forward to a portion of your questions."

Moments later, the camera cut away to the real Palin watching a television monitor alongside the show's executive producer, Lorne Michaels

"You know, Lorne, I just don't think it's a realistic depiction of the way my press conferences would have gone," Palin said. She said she wished he would have let her do a sketch about "30 Rock," the NBC program in which Fey now stars. That prompted Michaels to deadpan: "Honestly not enough people know that show."

Palin then stood mute as Fey's "30 Rock" co-star, Alec Baldwin came onto the stage, mistook Palin for Fey and pleaded with Michaels not to let the actor go onstage with the governor.

"This is the most important election in our nation's history and you want her, our Tina, to go out there and stand with that horrible woman?" Baldwin said.

When Michaels broke down and introduced him to Palin, Baldwin feigned embarrassment and replied, "I see. Forgive me. I feel I must say this: You are way hotter in person."

Palin got even by saying, "Thank you, and I must say, your brother Stephen is my favorite Baldwin brother."

The camera soon cut back to Fey who answered a question about the polls.

"I don't worry about the polls. Polls are just a fancy way of systematically predicting what's going to happen. The only poll I care about is the North Pole, and that ... is ... melting. It's not great."

The real Palin then walked onto the news conference set, sending Fey fleeing.

"Thank you, thank you," the governor said to applause from the studio audience. "No, I'm not going to take any of your questions, but I do wanted to take this opportunity to say, `Live from New York, it's Saturday Night.'"

It was not immediately clear if McCain, overnighting in Ohio, watched the show, but earlier in the day he told a crowd in Woodbridge, Va., that he thought Fey and Palin were "separated at birth."

Speaking of his running mate, he added, "I know she'll do a great job."

EDIT: Here's Dave Mackey's take about Gov. Palin's guest appearance. He's right about Amy Pohler looking ten months pregnant.

Adam Sandler SHE COMES HOME TO ME on the Chris Rock Show

WARNING: This video contains language and adult situations. Viewer discretion is advised.

Link only: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIdtouvPLsA

I've only got some glimpses of the current members of the SNL Band, including Shawn Pelton, Alex Foster, and (I think) Steve Turre.

BTW, Frank Sinatra would never sing a song like that during his career.

Saturday Night Live to Get its Own Video Website

Slowly but surely, the entertainment industry is grasping the fact that the Internet is the most important promotional tool they’ll ever have. Shows like South Park and Jackass already have websites on which fans can see full episodes for free; now, something similar is planned for Saturday Night Live.

According to Broadcasting & Cable, SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels and NBC are planning to develop an on-demand Web site that will feature clips from the popular show. Nothing is certain at this early stage, but it seems that they’re planning to offer clips taken from the show instead of full episodes, as well as previously unaired bloopers and rehearsal clips.

What prompted NBC to try this approach was the immense (surprise, surprise) success of SNL episodes on Hulu. However, B&C reports that monetizing this project is one of the biggest obstacles for NBC. I’d say that controlling the content yourself instead of having people share it somewhere else on their own is a good enough reward.

Marky Mark is Angry

MARK WAHLBERG - WAHLBERG NOT LAUGHING AT FUNKY BUNCH PARODY


Hollywood actor MARK WAHLBERG has been left unimpressed by a parody of him on U.S. comedy show SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, dismissing the sketch as "not funny".
The rapper-turned-actor, who once performed as Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, was portrayed by funnyman Andy Samberg in a segment called Barky Bark and the Donkey Bunch earlier this month (04Oct08).
During the skit, Samberg mocked Wahlberg by talking to a dog, a goat, a chicken and a donkey.
But Wahlberg failed to find the sketch humorous and insists the show's standards have fallen since its earliest episodes, when the series' line-up included comedians such as Eddie Murphy and Bill Murray.
He tells the New York Post, "Someone showed it (the parody) to me on YouTube. It wasn't like Tina Fey doing Sarah Palin, that's for sure. And Saturday Night Live hasn't been funny for a long time. They've asked me to do the show a ton of times. I used to watch it when Eddie Murphy was there and Joe Piscopo and Bill Murray. I don't even know who's on the show now."

10/13/2008 12:17:11 PM

Whoever wrote that skit should be FIRED!!

Happy Birthday SNL!!

10/11/08 marks the 33rd anniversary of Saturday Night Live's debut.

Here's a video:

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!!!!!!

Now available on Blu-Ray, as well as DVD: Beetlejuice.

Will the REAL Sarah Palin show up on SNL?

Only time will tell before the Nov. 4th election.

Palin on SNL? With Luck, You Betcha

Gina Serpe Thu Oct 9, 5:15 AM ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) - When it comes to Sarah Palin and Saturday Night Live, "Will she or won't she?" is a fair question. "When will she?" is a better one.

Following the lead of the V.P. wannabe herself, SNL puppetmaster Lorne Michaels and Weekend Update anchor/head writer Seth Meyers made the media rounds this week, playing up the possibility that the political cameo to end all political cameos may just come to fruition.

But maybe not just yet.

"Of those specific rumors, there's no truth," Meyers told Newsday of the wishful thinking-fueled reports that Palin will face off against her portrayer Tina Fey on either the Saturday night staple or one of its upcoming prime-time specials.

"We do have an open-door policy, but there's nothing specific yet, but our window of opportunity is before the election...Our doors are always open."

Michaels said much the same thing, adding that all the hype about such a potential showdown is only helping the cause.

"It started as a rumor, but it's getting enough momentum that I think it will be real," he told the Los Angeles Times. "And it's my experience that if people think it will do them some good, they will show up."

SNL itself has been a recent beneficiary, with both its ratings and pop culture relevance skyrocketing in the wake of its Fey-Palin connection, a lucky chance likeness not lost on Michaels.

"I think the gods smiled on us with the Palin thing," he told the New York Times. "If he'd chosen Romney, I think it would be completely different."

As for Palin, schedule permitting, she appears game for the comedic turn.

"I love her, she's a hoot and she's so talented," the folksy candidate told reporters of Fey this week. "It would be fun to meet her and keep on giving her new material."

Just don't expect too much of a heads-up prior to her appearance. When it leaked days early that Barack Obama would be appearing on SNL last month only to cancel the day of, it left the venerable comedy show with a bit of a red face.

"I think we looked stupid," Michaels said.

Meanwhile, Palin isn't the only candidate to comment on her late-night portrayal.

When asked by the Today show this week if he had any advice for either the SNL writers or Jason Sudeikis, who played Biden last week, the senator suggested just one tweak.

"I don't have that much hair."

There's a limited amount of time remaining for Palin's or any other candidate's star turn: Just three more new SNLs are set to air before the election, along with three live half-hour Thursday night prime-time specials, the first of which airs tonight.

In addition, the 90-minute Saturday Night Live Presidental Bash 2008, featuring both new and best-of material, will air Nov. 3, the night before the election.

Sarah Silverman encourges Floridian elderly people to vote for Barack Obama

Silverman Urges Jews To Unite For Obama

7 October 2008 9:10 AM, PDT

Comedienne Sarah Silverman has stepped into the U.S. political arena, urging young Jewish citizens to encourage their grandparents to vote for presidential hopeful Barack Obama.

Silverman stars in the provocative comedy sketch entitled The Great Schlep, reflecting on her own Jewish sensibility to relate to young voters, hoping their influence will transcend to older generations in the swing state of Florida.

Silverman praises the Democratic presidential candidate in the clip, calling him "the goodest (sic) person we've ever had as a presidential choice".

In the satire, she adds: "If Barack Obama doesn't become the next president of the United States, I'm going to blame the Jews."

And the 37-year-old is defending her attempt to bridge the gap between the generations, telling the New York Times, "The people that vote there are the elderly Jews, and they're not voting Obama because his name is scary. But who has more power with them than their grandchildren?"

If my grandparents were alive today, they would agree with me and say BULLSHIT!!

Mrs. "White and Nerdy" Does It Again

The continuing saga of Tina Fey as John McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Tina Fey Scores Again in 'SNL' Debate Parody

Tina Fey returned once again to "Saturday Night Live" as Sarah Palin as the late-night comedy show continued its political momemtum by offering a parody of last week's vice presidential debate.

Fey kicked off the debate as Palin by saying how nice it was to finally get to meet her running mate Joe Biden, played by "SNL" cast member Jason Sudeikis.

"May I say, up close, your hair plugs don't look nearly as bad as everyone says," Fey's Palin told Biden.

During the sketch, Fey focused on a theme that she and Republican presidential hopeful John McCain were both "a couple of mavericks."

When asked by debate moderator Gwen Ifill, played by Queen Latifah, how being a maverick would help solve the financial crisis, Fey responded with her characteristically cheerful Palin impression.

"You know we're gonna take every aspect of the crisis and look at it, and then we're gonna ask ourselves, what would a maverick do with the situation."

Fey also quipped that, "While Senator Biden has been in Washington all these years, I've been with regular people -- hockey moms and Joe six packs. And I'd also like to give a shout out to the third graders of Gladys Woods Elementary, who were so helpful to me in my debate prep."

In the skit, Jason Sudeikis, as Joe Biden, also denied being a political insider. "Don't be telling me that I'm part of the Washington elite because I come from the absolute worst place on earth - Scranton, Pennsylvania."

The debate parody drew huge laughs at the end when the moderator asked Fey's Palin to give a closing statement. "Are we not doing the talent portion?" Fey asks, and then begins playing a flute.a Palin was runnerup in the 1984 Miss Alaska beauty pageant.

White and Nerdy

'SNL' sends up VP debate with Fey, Queen Latifah

This blog post is dedicated to the Time Warner Cable subscribers of Austin, TX who no longer have KXAN on their lineup.

'SNL' sends up VP debate with Fey, Queen Latifah

Posted: Oct 5, 2008 09:39 AM

NEW YORK (AP) - Tina Fey was back on Saturday Night Live again, offering another parody of Sarah Palin.

This time the storyline focused on the recent vice presidential debate. Queen Latifah was brought in to portray Thursday's moderator, PBS' Gwen Ifill. SNL cast member Jason Sudeikis stepped into the role of Joe Biden.

Winking and giving answers not always directly related to Queen Latifah's questions, Fey's Palin said that if she was elected, she'd make her decisions by asking "what would a maverick do?"

At the end of the segment, with a flute in hand she asked if there were a "talent portion."

Palin was runnerup in the 1984 Miss Alaska contest.

Sudeikis portrayed Biden as conflicted in his feelings for McCain, calling him "a raging maniac and a dear, dear friend."

Iron Man now available on DVD and Blu-Ray

Starring SNL alum Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, industralist by day and superhero by night.

The Cringe needs your help

Go to http://www.reverbnation.com and help The Cringe out. They'll thank you for it.

"30 Rock" wins 3 Emmys, including Best Comedy

Easy as AMC for 30 Rock-Solid Emmys

Sun., Sep. 21, 2008 8:23 PM PDT by Natalie Finn

Are you watching now?

Despite what some would characterize as criminally low ratings, 30 Rock scored its second consecutive win for Outstanding Comedy Series and Mad Men notched its first win for Outstanding Drama Series on what turned out to be an evening of firsts (and fourths and elevenths...) at the 60th Annual Emmy Awards, which took place Sunday night at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

In addition to 30 Rock's repeat, the seventh Emmy nomination was finally the charm for scene stealer Alec Baldwin, a winner for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series for playing irrepressible TV-programming exec Jack Donaghy on the NBC sitcom. (For a list of top winners, check out our Emmy scorecard.)

"We have the greatest cast and the greatest crew and the greatest writers," the gracious big-screen veteran said.

And he wasn't just whistling "Dixie": Tina Fey needed both hands to scoop up wins for Lead Actress in a Comedy and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.

"Sometimes when I don't know how to play a scene, my husband will say, 'Just try to act like Julia Louis-Dreyfus.' So, thanks, Julia, that's really working out for me," Fey said, prompting a "yeah, thanks" thumbs-up from Louis-Dreyfus, a winner in 2006.

Overall, 30 Rock took home seven Emmys in 2008, including Tim Conway's guest actor statue and five technical wins.

Meanwhile, basic-cable network AMC really started to think outside the box last year and has no reason to ever look back.

The critically beloved Mad Men, meticulously set when the battle of the sexes was really booming in the 1960s-era NYC advertising world, was a winner for Outstanding Drama Series, giving producers a shiny mate to sit next to their Golden Globes.

The win, the first-ever best-drama win for a basic cable series, gives Mad Men six Emmys for the year, including technical honors handed out during last week's Creative Arts Emmys.

And although it wasn't Don Draper's year, AMC's leading men didn't go home empty-handed: Bryan Cranston, always a bridesmaid but never a bride for playing the addled dad on Malcolm in the Middle, was rewarded for his crazy antics on Breaking Bad with the Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series.

"Oh man, she's bald too," the actor said, referring to the statue's resemblance to his own smooth pate—which, perhaps, is bald for the upcoming second season of his role as a financially strapped, meth-cooking, cancer-patient family man.

The basic-cable success continued with wins for Damages' Glenn Close—a likely choice for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, considering litigator Patty Hewes is so damn scary yet weirdly likable at the same time—and supporting actor Zeljko Ivanek, a character actor you've seen in everything but didn't know by name until his southern-fried Damages character left a lasting impression on Patty's office wall.

"I think we're proving that complicated, powerful, mature women are sexy in high entertainment and can carry a show," Close said.

Speaking of carrying a show…or not…

The cohosting quintet of Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst and Ryan Seacrest started things off with an improvised bit about how they—as reality-TV show pros—had nothing in particular prepared to start the night off right, considering Oprah Winfrey had already said the collective "hello."

So, for lack of a better idea, Bergeron got William Shatner to come onstage and help rip Klum's clothes off, revealing a sparkly black shorts-and-top ensemble.

She went on to change clothes 74 times.

But the dazzling wardrobe changes did nothing to help her cause: Probst, who has lorded over Survivor for 16 seasons (and has inked a contract to make it 20 before he hangs up his hiking boots), took home the inaugural Emmy for Outstanding Host for a Reality-Competition Program.

The audience as a whole twittered at the smirk-inducing opening act, but there was at least one script-following star who would have preferred a little more panache.

"What if I just talked for 12 minutes—that was the opening," Jeremy Piven, taking home his third straight Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for chewing the scenery on Entourage, snarked upon accepting his award.

(Far better, later on in the evening, was Jimmy Kimmel putting the five reality-show hosts through their paces and making them wait until "after the break" to hear the results.)

"These are strange times for all of us," Piven said, on a more serious note. "To be a working actor is an unbelievable gift. None of this is lost on me, thank you so much."

Jean Smart, a winner for Oustanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Christina Applegate's meddlesome yet well-meaning mom on Samantha Who?, also picked up a third Emmy, albeit her first since 2001 and her first as a series regular.

"I want you to know, I’m wearing a tuxedo under this dress—but I'm not taking it off," she said.

Last year's winner for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, Ricky Gervais, made for one of the best bits of the night, needling his Office counterpart Steve Carell—who, thanks to Stephen Colbert and John Stewart's moment of whimsy, became the unexpected "winner" of the 2007 trophy—to hand over the supposedly missing hardware.

"I made you what you are, and I get nothing back," the Brit deadpanned, while a stone-faced Carell refused to give it up.

In accepting the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama for the absentee Dianne Wiest, who plays shrink to Gabriel Byrne's psychiatrist on HBO's In Treatment, presenter Conan O'Brien informed the audience that he would soon be passing Wiest's trophy on to a still Emmyless Carell.

Not for the first time and certainly not for the last, HBO made a big splash in the miniseries and TV movies categories on its way to a top-o'-the-night 26 wins.

Half of those wins came from the seven-part John Adams, which led all Emmy honorees. The ripped-from-the-history-books drama's 13 trophies included Outstanding Miniseries and nods for star Paul Giamatti, his "fake wife," Laura Linney, and supporting actor Tom Wilkinson.

"The election between Jefferson and Adams was filled with innuendo, lies, a bitter partisan press and disinformation. How far we've come since then," executive producer Tom Hanks quipped in accepting the top miniseries trophy.

Recount, a retelling of the circumstances surrounding the contested 2000 presidential election, was the top made-for-TV movie and also won Jay Roach a trophy for directing a miniseries, movie or dramatic special.

Revered comedian Don Rickles also notched a pair of wins for the Home Box Office, proving Colbert right by beating the fake newsmonger out for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for the documentary special Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project, which was also named top Variety, Music, or Comedy Special.

Also not surprising (despite being somewhat boring) was The Amazing Race's sixth consecutive win for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program, meaning American Idol has once again gone without and Project Runway will remain just a Peabody Award winner for now.

As mentioned before, the spoils also went to the veteran reality-show ringleader. Luckily, by then the show was almost over, so there was no on-camera time for hard feelings, and Probst merely wished the audience a good night.

EDIT: Even the Thoughtless Pig won an Emmy. How do you like that?

Good news and bad news

The good news: Tina Fey's Sarah Palin impression is a hit!



The bad news: Tina's former Weekend Update co-anchor, Amy Pohler, is leaving the show after Election Day, which means no more Amber, The One-legged Slut. That character, IMO, offends real-life amputees.

The Force is strong in Tina Fey

http://starwarsblog.starwars.com/index.php/2008/09/14/tina-fey-voting-for-leia-in-08/

http://theforce.net/latestnews/story/Tina_Fey_Endorses_Leia_08_117749.asp

Happy Birthday Steve Turre!!

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday Steve Turre,
Happy Birthday to you!!

9-13-08 Season opener host/musical guest revealed

8-time Gold medalist Michael Phelps will host the 9-13-08 season opener (yes, you've read right) of Saturday Night Live with Lil' Wayne as musical guest. This will be the start of the show's 22 episode season in lieu of the usual 20 due to the fact that last year's WGA strike paralyzed the show's live telecasts from Nov. 2007 until Feb. 2008, and the extra two live shows is NBC's way of catching up.

SNL adds a new cast member for the forthcoming season

Starting next month, SNL will not only begin it's 34th season two weeks early, but with the addition of a new cast member who's an alumnus of the Upright Citizens Brigade troupe.

SNL Gets Upright With New Cast Member

SNL Gets Upright With New Cast Member
Posted by Frank Meyer - Thursday, August 21, 2008 1:48 PM

Saturday Night Live just announced the addition of a new cast member for the upcoming fall season, the show’s 34th. New York City stand up comic and Upright Citizens Brigade member Bobby Moynihan will join the cast of the long-running sketch comedy show.

SNL insiders are said to have expected a female cast member to be named, since Amy Poehler is bailing (she is preggers and joining the cast of the Office spinoff). It’s possible another new addition will be announced soon.

Some of you might be familiar with Moynihan from the improv show Asssscat, or from The Line, an online video project funded by Lorne Michaels' production company, directed by SNL head-writer Seth Meyers, and starring SNL cast-members Bill Hader and Jason Sudeikis. He is also the member of much buzzed-about sketch comedy group called Buffoons.

"We are, of course, incredibly thrilled that Bobby is going to be on Saturday Night Live,” said UCBT Artistic Director Anthony King. “He's been a fixture and favorite at the UCB Theatre in NYC for many, many years now and it's exciting to see him get recognized and rewarded for his ridiculous talent. He also has a great beard and we hope America gets the chance to experience that as well."

And he looks a lot like Howard Stern Show sidekick Artie Lang (right)!

IMO, more like a cross between John Belushi and Chris Farley. Well, Bobby, welcome to the jungle and enjoy your stay. :D

What to do when SNL isn't on the air during the Olympics?

With the Beijing Olympics in full swing, NBC will focusing on it for the next two weeks, which means no SNL whatsoever. :(

But, I have a solution to this dilemma to help you for the duration.

No. 1: Rent videos/dvds

Going to your neighborhood Blockbuster Video, they will have a good selection of SNL videos, from The Best of Will Ferrell to The Best of Steve Martin. You might want to rent movies based on SNL skits such as Wayne's World, Coneheads, or even non-SNL skits-turned-films that Lorne Michaels has produced such as Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, or even Hot Rod.

No. 2: Watch classic SNL episodes on tape/dvd

If you have been recording SNL ever since the 1985-1986 season, here's an idea. If you no longer have a VCR, but know a friend who can transfer the videos onto DVD, then you might want to ask him/her to do that.

With those suggestions in mind, this will be the perfect option to get through the Olympics without going through the SNL blues.

Hindus Ask Myers For A Love Guru Apology

A follow-up to my first post:

America's Hindu leaders are asking Mike Myers to personally apologise for his portrayal of a comical spiritual leader in movie flop The Love Guru.

They want the funnyman to publicly apologise for "lampooning Hinduism" in the film.

In a statement released to WENN on Monday, Hindu leader Rajan Zed said that although the apology may not completely undo the damage done to the community, it might help "heal the wounds somewhat of a disturbed Hindu populace".

Zed, the president of Universal Society of Hinduism, says, "Ksama, or forgiveness, is one of the main virtues of Hindu ethics. If Mike Myers offers a genuine public apology, Hindus would not only absolve him but might also pray for his success in future movies."

Zed launched a protest movement against The Love Guru in March, urging all Hindus and other religious groups to boycott the film.

He claims that the failure of the film is largely down to his protest campaign.

SNL Band members, past and present, featured on YouTube

Chris Parker, drums, Jan. 1987 to May 1991



G.E. Smith, guitar/band leader/music director, Nov. 1985 to May 1995



Shawn Pelton, drums/percussion, Sep. 1992 to present

When it comes to stalkers, not even Lorne Michaels is immune

N.Y. judge upholds charge of stalking 'SNL' producer

NEW YORK (AP) — A criminal court judge has upheld charges against a Long Island, N.Y., man accused of stalking Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels.

A misdemeanor complaint says 31-year-old Oyster Bay resident Evans Pidhajecky claimed Michaels overheard his conversations and singing and used his thoughts on the SNL show without his permission.

The complaint says an "upset" Pidhajecky tried to contact the 63-year-old Michaels several times at NBC's Manhattan studios and at his home to "chat."

Police arrested Pidhajecky in December and charged him with stalking and resisting arrest. He is free on $1,500 bail.

Manhattan Judge Marc Whiten said last week Pidhajecky's intentions were "irrelevant" since his actions had "no legitimate purpose" and alarmed Michaels.

Pidhajecky's lawyer, Peter Brill, says he disagrees with the judge.

Christine Ohlman on the Saturday Night Live Band

Christine Ohlman on the Saturday Night Live Band

There are dream gigs…. and I’ve got one. Sixteen years ago I signed on to do a private gig with G.E. Smith and the Saturday Night Live Band, and that many years later I’m still the guest vocalist in studio 8H of Rockefeller Center. It’s a privilege, and a hoot…and did I mention it’s a privilege?

If you could look inside your TV and uncover layers of sound, you’d find, buried underneath the commercial breaks, a treasure: some of the world’s coolest music, played by some of the baddest cats around.

TV’s bands are there for the studio audience—warming them up, pre-show (REALLY a necessity in the Letterman studio, which is kept at a chilly 50 degrees; I’ve told Paul Shaffer I don’t know how he does it, night after night, without a sweater!), keeping them grooving through the commercials, providing incidental music behind skits and spoofs and, for Leno, Letterman, O’Brien and Kimmel, blips and blats during the evening’s opening monologue. We labor largely in obscurity, but there’s a real art to the gig, and the kick is in the camaraderie.

With just 20 shows a year, time together on SNL is precious. So, when a few years ago they flew us out to Vegas for the unveiling of a line of SNL-themed slot machines, the hang time itself was a treat, as was the chance to play an entire set of complete songs unencumbered by the 60-90-120-second commercial time slots. While I can, let me brag on the names of the amazing (Google any of ‘em—they’re all stars in their fields) artists I share the stage with: Lenny Pickett, Leon Pendarvis, Katreese Barnes, Shawn Pelton, Valerie Naranjo, Steve Turre, Earl Gardner, James Genus, Ron Blake, Alex Foster, and Lukasz Gottwald throw down without even a 7-second delay—it’s live, folks, live.

The SNL bandstand (a.k.a. “Home Base”) is never struck. Gardner is known for keeping the sports page on the stand with him at all times; Pelton keeps a collection of juju totems next to his drum kit; there’s a tip jar on Pen’s Hammond B-3 filled with fake twenties; and as the season wears on, it’ll feel more and more like a little island. Co-musical directors Pickett and Pendarvis keep up an easy banter over our earpieces even as the music churns on. The soloing is brilliant, and, as with all the TV bands, the repertoire is eclectic. We’ve got a batch of Southern soul gems in my portion of the SNL “book,” some of them fabulously obscure. Lenny Pickett is a music historian, as was G.E. Smith before him (we’re all well aware of the deep history on that stage), but nobody beats the unstumpable Shaffer, who seemingly knows every tune ever recorded, to the nightly delight of the Letterman audience.

My favorite musical moments: Pavarotti, with a full string section (Christmas ’98); Neil Young with Spooner Oldham on keys (Christmas ’05); and Paul McCartney’s rehearsal, on a long-ago afternoon in 1993, when the late Chris Farley and I waltzed around the studio to “Maybe I’m Amazed.”

Oh…did I mention it’s a privilege?

SNL begins early this year and goes into overdrive

"Saturday Night Live" in overdrive for election

Mon Jul 21, 1:09 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The presidential election will mean extended duty for NBC's "Saturday Night Live."
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The show's 34th season will kick off on September 13, allowing it to have seven live outings before Election Day on November 4. That, in turn, will result in a season order of 22 episodes, two more than usual.

In addition, NBC will schedule three half-hour episodes of "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" at 9:30 p.m. on October 9, 16 and 23. Also, the night before the election, there will be a 90-minute "Saturday Night Live Presidential Bash 2008" to give the campaign a last-minute satirical spin.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Every Rose Has It's Thorns

Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel end their 5-year romance

YES!!!!!!!!!!!! You go girl!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for dumping that douchebag!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

R.I.P., George Carlin, 1937-2008

Saturday Night Live's first-ever host, George Carlin, has died earlier this week of heart failure. He will be missed.

Mike Myers' Biggest Mistake to Date

What the hell was Mike Myers thinking when he starred in this petty excuse for a movie, The Love Guru? If you ask me, this happens to be a poor attempt to mask the fact that he's divorcing his wife of 15 years, Robin Ruzan. What's worse is that this “film” is making Hindi-Americans look bad, and my friend happens to be one of them, by having Myers' character become a guru so that he can save a douchebag hockey player's marriage, played by Justin Timberlake. Wardrobe malfunction, my ass!!

Normally, I'd expect a clunker of a movie to have Eddie Murphy as a star (I.e., Pluto Nash, Norbit), but this really takes the cake.

Shame on you, Mike Myers! Shame on you!