I will start with Eddie Murphy skits for you kids.
George Washington Carver and Peanut Butter
Velvet Jones "Be a Ho"
Buckwheat Sings
Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood.
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We had an uncle we called Uncle Caveman. We called him Uncle Caveman because he lived in a cave. He was hairy and he ate some of us. Later we found out he was a bear.
How did SNL screw us?
I had same question
Probably referring to Murphy's quick exit from the special. Haven't seen it yet myself, but was hoping to hear Tyrone on "Prose and Cons" again.
20 minutes of that awful Californians skit. Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon were criminally underused. No Dennis Miller. Think about that, Colin Quinn got more time than Dennis Miller. And finally, no Eddie Murphy skits. But hey, we got 30 minutes devoted to Kanye, Miley, and Jerry Seinfeld talking with Larry David (which was funny, but way out of scope for the show.)
The interesting part of the show was also sad. It was like pro wrestling. The old-timers came back and even though they can't really do it anymore, they still put the current product to shame. Jane Curtain out-funnied the two "funniest" players (Fey and Poehler) that SNL has produced in the last decade. Curtain, Bill Murray, Kevin Nealon's subliminal beatdown on Seth Myers, and the Three Amigos drop in were the highlights of a mostly awful show.
I stopped watching soon after the Not Ready for Prime Time Players.
Agree on all points. FWIW Dennis said on his new podcast with Carolla that he was asked to attend but declined. Not sure what that means....maybe he was invited but not asked to participate in any skits. Dennis doesn't exactly fit in politically with most of those sanctimonious blowhards
I am not going to get into a political discussion (against site rules) but I would argue that Miller was the best Weekend Update anchor (with Nealon and McDonald as a neck and neck second.) All three were fantastic.
Agreed
This we can somewhat agree on. I thought Norm was the best and it wouldn't even be a question if he hadn't been fired before he could really get into a groove at the desk. They only thing I didn't like about Weekend Update when Miller hosted was when Miller would get everyone laughing only to bring on A. Whitney Brown who would bring all enjoyment to a full stop and kill the mood. Not Miller's fault, though.
A few minor points.
1. My wife told me (#sources) that it was a big deal just to get Eddie Murphy to show up and that he pretty much refused to do any type of skit. I don't blame Murphy at all. You shouldn't hold that against the show itself.
2. Along those lines, not everyone who was there necessarily wanted to be as involved as those that did skits. So, if your favorite performer didn't do much, maybe don't hold it against the show itself as criticism.
3. Agree that Kanye and Miley looked a bit out of place and took up a lot of time that could have been better utilized, but:
Counterpoint #1 - I have seen some critics comment that Miley's performace of that particular song was unexpectedly good. I don't know, I was watching slightly behind on the DVR, so I fast forwarded through it.
Counterpoint #2 - Having Kayne there was kind of necessary. If they were going to include music, they had to include a hip-hop artist and using Kayne worked for the Wayne's World skit so they could remind us of that awkward Post-Katrina telethon moment with Kayne and Mike Myers. Two birds with one stone. Also, I don't really listen to his music, but I though that his performance was pretty cool visually, which you don't usually expect from a SNL musical guest.
4. Kevin Nealon's subliminal beatdown was directed towards Norm MacDonald, not at Seth Myers. This makes it less of a generational jab and more like a good friend ribbing his buddy.
5. Also keep in mind that some of the skits were not really for the home audience, but for the actors themselves. I never really dug the Californians, but some people love it and some people hate it. I think that this may be a case of the performers wanting to do that particular skit.
Kanye's "pretty cool" musical bit seemed to me to be a rather blatant ripoff of Kendrick Lamar's SNL performance from November (which won him a Grammy for Best Rap Performance).
All of that, French, and the fact that they just did quick snap shot cameos of great skits and then moved on, like no one has an attention span anymore, skipping more hilarity than they presented. Watching from the first show, SNL was for many years "our" show...a generation looking for something "we" could relate to on TV. I know the show has been on too long to cover it all, but I felt like the quick shots just didn't do it for me. Then the stuff they chose to give full time to, well, it paled to what could have been with just a few reruns.
Were you hoping for a clip show? They already have those on DVD if that's what you're looking for.
Personally, I thought it was a pretty good show, with the Jeopardy skit leaving me in tears. We don't have the information to know whether some of the old timers wanted to be involved or not, or to what amount they even wanted to perform. It's like most good shows, the writing is what makes it go, and SNL has had stronger periods than others. My beloved Simpsons being Exhibit A.
Not panning the whole show, but it was, to me, like a stale piece of once good cake when my mouth was set for pie.
No, I wanted to have some of the memorable skits rehashed by the contributors. They did it with "Bass-O-Matic" and "Waynes World", but left out most of the best stuff. And not using Eddie Murphy made him being there absolutely meaningless.
What you said, French. I guess time has passed me by.
Now, back to my boiled peanuts, cold beer and Shameless....
Chris Parnel did an AMA on reddit today - when asked what his least favorite part of the 40 year anniversary special was, he said:
Sounds like it was an Eddie problem, not an SNL problem.
I don't know much about SNL, but I did read the string of Norm MacDonald tweets. Sounds like Eddie wasn't too hyped on being there, but he was there after all. Norm notes that Eddie didn't want to do the Cosby bit, but I was just happy to see him there. Eddie Murphy and Bill Murray on the same show. Seinfeld saying hello to Larry David. It was just a ridiculous line up. I thought it was laudable that they got everyone there, even if it wasn't perfectly polished all around.
Motivational Speaker done right.
This is my all time favorite SNL sketch. Second place is Celebrity Jeopardy.
"I have to ask you about the penis mighter, does it work, man?"
The extended Celebrity Jeopardy skit was one of the best of the night. How could you not love the return of Terd Furgeson, "Le Tits Now", and "Whore Ads". It doesn't hurt that I am a sucker for Kate McKinnon's Justin Bieber impression.
Ok, I'm an idiot but how do you embed from Hulu? I could make a long post of clips they have on there (been watching and enjoying SNL for a loooong time.)
Under the Video Stream, there is a title of what you are watching. Underneath that a button for "Share". Click that. Then under the email box that pops up, there is an "Embed this Video" button. Click that. Then Click the "Copy Embed Code" button
I'm Gumby dammit!
You forgot the James Brown celebrity hot tub party
Too hot in the hot tub! Gonna make me sweat!
SNL Point/ Counterpoint
Jane and Dan
That skit right there in a "modern" show,would have that show cancelled before the broadcast was over on network TV.
one of the great ones
Schweddy Balls
WE LIKED IT. WE LOVED IT.
Sprockets....Sprockets....Velcome to Sprockets
My highlight of Eddie Murphy is always his sublime Kill the White People.
Linky because I can't find an embeddable version that doesn't have a bunch of racist diatribes attached.
Close runner up is Ebony and Ivory. Man, Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy were awesome together. (once again, finding the full embeddable thing is a struggle)
Kill de White People was a spoof of Bob Marley and the Wailers, correct?
I don't think it was aimed at Bob Marley specifically as opposed to rastafarianism in general. But I think the mockery is aimed just as much at the white audience and knee-jerk rage machine, but that might be my deconstructionist ideals speaking.
My all-time favorite skit was when Buckwheat got shot. An absolute total parody of when Reagan was shot (my apologies to those that weren't born yet). Joe Piscopo was great as Ted Koppel on NightLine. Of course all of the other skits they showed last night were great--pretty much was like watching the show in real time--you had to sit through a half hour of crap before you got to see the funny stuff. Can't believe I've seen most of that stuff when it aired live. Where did 40 years go?
Bill Murray is still one of the funniest and best entertainers in the universe.
JAAAAAAAWWWWWWSSS
Oh, hey Captain Obvious
Fred Garvin: Male Prostitute
https://screen.yahoo.com/fred-garvin-male-prostitute-000000541.html
Two words: Bill Brasky.
Any skit with Chris Farley and/or Phil Hartman
I really wish Chris Farley could have been around for this one. I miss Phil Hartman but mainly because I loved Troy McClure.
I just saw this, which sheds some light on why Eddie Murphy did not perform in a skit during the broadcast.
http://www.avclub.com/article/eddie-murphy-was-supposed-play-bill-cosby-...
Criminally underrated skits: