Lorne Michaels's retirement is still a long way away, but one can't help but wonder who's going to get his high-profile job as SNL's head honcho when he does leave. Tina Fey seems like she'd be a frontrunner for the gig, having spent seven seasons as the show's head writer, but when asked about taking the job by a Huffington Post reporter, Fey didn't have any interest in it. "I feel like SNL is so defined by Lorne's taste and his sensibility," Fey responded. "That's why any time people have tried to imitate the format and make their own version of it, you'll notice it never really quite happens. And I think [...]
Living comedy legend Martin Short is in talks to star alongside stand-up/SNL writer John Mulaney in his new untitled NBC pilot, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Short is "wrapping up negotiations" to play the role of game show host Lou Cannon in the ensemble multi-cam comedy. Lou Cannon is the boss of Mulaney's character, who writes jokes for his game show. Mulaney created the show, and he's producing it alongside Lorne Michaels, Dave Becky (Louie), and 30 Rock producers David Miner and Andrew Singer. Besides Short's SNL appearances, this could be the first project he and Lorne Michaels have worked on together since The Three Amigos in 1986, [...]
NBC just ordered up a pilot for a multi-camera sitcom written by and starring stand-up John Mulaney, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The untitled show is a loosely based on Mulaney's life as a stand-up comedian and has been described as "a young ensemble vehicle." Mulaney serves as a writer on Saturday Night Live and has appeared twice on the show to do commentary at the Weekend Update desk. His SNL boss Lorne Michaels is producing the sitcom via his company Broadway Video, which also produces 30 Rock, Portlandia, Up All Night, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, SNL, and the YouTube channel Above Average. Michaels has one other [...]
Studio 8H is a time warp.
I hadn't been there in 16 years, when I interviewed Lorne Michaels for Mr. Mike. Before that, I'd been in 8H many times, starting in 1983. It's the most famous studio on American TV, the recurring cast member of SNL.
When I first walked through those narrow hallways, the original shows came alive in me. I recognized the main doors, dressing rooms, and photo-lined walls. I stood where the first cast performed their backstage bits.
I strolled the studio as sets were built, lighting adjusted, sketches camera blocked. Once I went up on home base, took in the view, then got on all [...]
"In the history of the show we've only had to shoot the cue-card guy twice."
-Lorne Michaels in a Wall Street Journal profile of Saturday Night Live's cue card guy Wally Feresten, who's been with the show since 1990. The profile gives a behind-the-scenes look at SNL from an unusual perspective, and it delivers logical answers to questions like "Why does SNL still use cue cards?", "Why not just use a teleprompter?", and "Seriously, it's 2012. What gives?"
