Splitsider

Posts tagged as snl

Late Night

Seth Meyers Wants Amy Poehler to Be His First 'Late Night' Guest

by | May 14th, 2013

It was officially announced this week that Seth Meyers is taking over for Jimmy Fallon as host of NBC's 12:35am show Late Night on February 24th, 2014. When asked today who his dream first guest is, Meyers responded, "Amy Poehler." He added, "If that can't happen then we'll have real trouble getting guests!" So, it looks like Meyers's first show might be a reunion for the Weekend Update duo – as long as Poehler isn't too much of a big shot to do his show.

Reviews

'SNL' Review: Kristen Wiig Disappoints with More of the Same

by | May 13th, 2013

An episode of SNL feels most satisfying when the sketches come from a place of inspiration, as opposed to obligation. For example, when Justin Timberlake hosts the show, I don't need to see the "Dick in a Box" characters, but I would like to see them if the writers come up with a fresh and exciting way to bring them back. Whether or not a sketch addresses a recent news event or upcoming holiday is secondary to whether or not the sketch is funny. I'm sure the SNL staff shares this mindset — they really are just trying to produce the funniest show possible. But occasionally, in pursuit of [...]

Reviews

'SNL' Review: Risk Pays Off for Zach Galifianakis

by | May 6th, 2013

SNL works best when it hits a balance between structure and chaos. As a show that's broadcasted live after only a week of production time, chaos is pre-installed into the system. The show attempts to offset that chaos with as many safety nets as possible: a cast of multitalented actors, a writing staff that can turn out an abundance of material in a pressure-cooker environment, and one of the best crews in television. Over time, some of those safety nets turn into crutches that annoy the hard-core fans: recurring characters, sketches that rely too heavily on celebrity impersonation, talk show formats, etc. So periodically, the show will reintroduce a [...]

Begrudging Respect

Rob Schneider: Makin' Movies

by | May 1st, 2013

This week, I decided to write about Rob Schneider after listening to him on Marc Maron’s WTF. The man who starred in dreck like The Animal, The Hot Chick, and Big Stan was on the show and he was laid back, interesting, and funny! He also had some fascinating insight into stand-up comedy. For example when talking about a venerated San Francisco comic, Schneider points out that while funny, the comic lacked the discipline to put together an act, which Schneider feels kept him from breaking nationally. Which is a pretty damned astute and reasonable advice for any comedian.

Lost Roles

The Lost 'SNL' Cast Members: Part 2 (1995-Now)

by | April 25th, 2013

"Lost Roles" is a weekly column exploring "what might have been" in movie and TV comedy as we examine close casting calls, abandoned projects, and other things that never came to be. This week, we're closing out the column after 2+ years by taking a look at a long list of comedians who almost became SNL cast members over the past 18 years. Check out last week's piece about near-miss SNL cast members from 1975 to 1995.

Most comedians dream of being on SNL – whether they're stand-ups, improvisers, or sketch actors. The show is one of the few places in comedy that has found a home for all three  main [...]

Videolists

Videolist: Bill Hader's Best 'SNL' Sketches

by | May 14th, 2013

With today's news that Bill Hader is leaving Saturday Night Live after eight seasons as a wildly-popular cast member on the show, we've collected videos of Hader's best sketches for a nice look back at the excellent work he's done on SNL. From characters like everybody's favorite clubhopper Stefon to ancient reporter Herb Welch and dead-on impressions of Al Pacino, Alan Alda, and Vincent Price, they're all here. SNL has some awfully big shoes to fill next year.

Check out a ton of classic Bill Hader sketches below:

Promos

Kristen Wiig Returns to 'SNL' This Week and Made Some Fun Promos with Fred Armisen

by | May 8th, 2013

Kristen Wiig is returning to host SNL this weekend after a year away, and she made this series of funny promos for the episode with help from Fred Armisen and no help from Olivia Newton-John, who is maybe guest starring on the show this week.

Late Night

Watch Zach Galifianakis on 'Jimmy Fallon'

by | May 3rd, 2013

Tomorrow's SNL host Zach Galifianakis went on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night and told a bunch of fun stories about working on Tequila Willie's, living in a closet, hitchhiking, and, worst of all, the unsuccessful two weeks he spent writing on SNL.

Check out the rest of Zach Galifianakis's appearance below:

Music

There's a Website and Free EP for Fred Armisen's "History of Punk" Character Ian Rubbish

by | April 30th, 2013

IanRubbish.com, a website for Fred Armisen's punk rock character Ian Rubbish (of Ian Rubbish & the Bizarros) sprang up today. The character, a '70s punk rock frontman with a soft spot for "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher, debuted in a sketch called "History of Punk" (embedded below) from SNL's Vince Vaughn episode earlier this month. The website features photos of Ian Rubbish, an album cover, and a Best of Ian Rubbish EP composed of four complete downloadable songs – "Maggie Thatcher," "Hey Policeman!," "Living in the Gutter," and "Sweet Iron Lady." The songs are actually pretty amazing and a nice tribute to first wave English punk while standing on their [...]

Business Deals

The 'SNL' Library Is Coming to Yahoo in September

by | April 25th, 2013

Yahoo! announced today that they've obtained  rights to the Saturday Night Live archive from 1975 to 2013 and they'll begin streaming sketches from the show's 38-year history in September. All the content currently on Hulu and Netflix, including Netflix's streaming of every episode, will still be available come September under the Yahoo! deal. This is part of a big comedy push Yahoo! is making that also includes offering the excellent original web series Burning Love and First Dates with Toby Harris. Here's the SNL content Yahoo! says they'll be offering:

●        A library of show clips from the 1975/76 – 2012/13 seasons ●        Select SNL musical performances ●        Making-of and behind-the-scenes clips [...]

TV

Why NBC Will Regret Not Picking Up 'Mulaney'

by | May 13th, 2013

Late Friday afternoon, NBC announced that it has declined to pick up John Mulaney's sitcom, Mulaney. It was a surprising move, given that the highly anticipated and already buzzy show had Lorne Michaels as a producer and an incredible cast. Having seen a version of the script, and based on Brad's on-the-scene reporting, I can say that it was a good pilot and that the series had enormous potential. It's a shame that it won't be on NBC's schedule this fall. But in the long run, what NBC will really regret is not just picking up the show Mulaney, but adding John Mulaney to its primetime ranks.

[...]
SNL

Saturday Night's Children: Paul Brittain (2010-2012)

by | May 8th, 2013

Saturday Night Live has been home to over a hundred cast members throughout the past 37 years. In our column Saturday Night’s Children, we present the history, talent, and best sketches of one SNL cast member every other week for your viewing, learning, and laughing pleasure.

When the news broke in January 2012 that Paul Brittain was leaving SNL "effective immediately," I had a somber moment of silence for Funky Boy and the Little Lord. Though he appeared infrequently during his year and a half stint as a featured player, Brittain's small frame, shy-flirty delivery, and ability to sway from joyful to creeptastic and back again in even [...]

Trailers

Watch Zach Galifianakis and Jason Sudeikis Do 'SNL' Promos

by | May 1st, 2013

Here are Zach Galifianakis and Jason Sudeikis promoting this weekend's SNL, which Galifianakis is hosting with musical guest Of Monsters and Men – that is, unless Galifianakis and Sudeikis get into another fake fight and aren't able to fake patch things up.

hosts

'SNL's Last Three Hosts This Season: Galifianakis, Wiig, Affleck

by | April 26th, 2013

NBC announced an impressive roster of guests for this season's final episodes of SNL today. Kristen Wiig and Ben Affleck will be joining previously-announced Zach Galifianakis as hosts of the last string of episodes. Here's the lineups for those shows:

May 4th – Zach Galifianakis with musical guest Of Monsters and Men May 11th – Kristen Wiig with Vampire Weekend May 18th – Ben Affleck with Kanye West

This will be former cast member Kristen Wiig's first time hosting the show. She departed SNL last May after seven seasons to focus on her movie career. She is the first former cast member to host for the first time since [...]

Older posts »
« Newer posts
-->