Splitsider

 
SNL
0

Saturday Night's Children: Matthew Laurance (1980-1981)

by | May 21st, 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.

While it's difficult enough to track down the stories of oft-forgotten SNL cast members, early eighties bit player Matthew Laurance poses an added level of complication: He's an identical twin to slightly-older brother Mitchell Laurance, who not only worked alongside him as an SNL staffer in the late seventies but also appeared on HBO's Not Necessarily the News from 1983-1990. The sibling rivalry spilled from personal to professional for the Laurance brothers and has since blurred their shared but separately obscure histories as actors, but while Matthew would only land about half the roles as his brother, he can lay claim to SNL as his first onscreen gig in the biz. READ MORE

Reviews
3

'The Office' Series Finale Review: Goodbye, Dunder Mifflin

by | May 17th, 2013

After 201 episodes of Dunder Mifflin adventures, The Office — which set the trend for dry, music-free, single-camera American mockumentary sitcoms for years to come and spawned a countless trail of recaps, spoilers, reviews, thinkpieces, and GIFs — waved its final goodbye last night. While the past two episodes "Livin' the Dream" and "A.A.R.M." felt more like caps to this season's storylines, "Finale" served as a celebration of the show that went from the struggling underdog it was back in 2005 to the powerhouse NBC Thursday night leader of nearly a decade. The episode — which included some weirdly awesome cameos by Seth Meyers, Bill Hader, Eric Wareheim, Greg Daniels, Allison Silverman, and more — picks up a year after last week's events: Stanley has become Florida Stanley permanently, Ryan and Kelly run off together (leaving a baby and fiancé behind), Mose and his scarecrow share glances, Erin reunites with her Joan Cusack/Ed Begley Jr. parents, Dwight and Angela get married, Jim and Pam sell their house to live the happy Austin dream together, and after much speculation and denial, Michael Scott returns for his final glorious That's What She Said. READ MORE

Videolists
10

Videolist: Fred Armisen's Best 'SNL' Sketches

by | May 16th, 2013

Fred Armisen's departure from Saturday Night Live was announced today, and though the news came somewhat expectedly after Bill Hader's announcement on Tuesday, it's still sad to see one of SNL's strangest and most absurdity-driven players move on from the show. In the spirit of Fred's departure after eleven seasons, we've collected some of his most memorable characters and sketches, from the rambling Update frequenter Nicholas Fehn to his impressions of Liberace, Penny Marshall, Prince, and more. READ MORE

SNL
2

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 the smallest of roles guaranteed an added level of eccentricity to any sketch.

Raised in Naperville, Illinois, Brittain attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he graduated with a double major in Spanish and finance. His focus, however, was always comedy: "You have to major in something," he told Time Out in 2011, "so I just picked a degree in business. I figured, once I graduated, I would move to Chicago and become involved in comedy. But I always worked day jobs. I actually worked full time as an accountant as well for, like, six years." READ MORE

Goodbyes
1

The 'Office' Wrap Party Was This Weekend, and It Was Awesome

by | May 6th, 2013

The Office's series wrap party went down in Scranton, PA on Saturday, and in case you missed the news, it included ten thousand fans and a glorious surprise attendance by Steve Carell. As Splitsider’s resident Pennsylvanian, I had some dippy eggs and scrapple then immediately made the trek to the Electric City to check out the home of Dunder Mifflin and pay homage to one of my favorite shows of all time. Here’s a recap of the day complete with cast member photos and video clips: READ MORE

SNL
4

Saturday Night's Children: Ann Risley (1980-1981)

by | April 23rd, 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 each week for your viewing, learning, and laughing pleasure.

Described by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad as "an icy version of Mary Tyler Moore," Ann Risley spent the duration of SNL producer Jean Doumanian's 12-episode run stuck in the straight-man grind. Competing with the feisty energy of Denny Dillon and cooler demeanor of Gail Matthius for female roles proved to be too much of a challenge for Risley's subdued delivery and lack of comedy chops, and her time on the show is usually regarded as nothing more than an inconsequential stint on the SNL history timeline. Risley's comic versatility and appeal may have fallen short during the show's dismal sixth season, but her dramatic acting background made her the go-to pretty-faced foil to her more boisterous cast mates.

A native of Madison, Wisconsin, Risley earned a drama degree from the University of Wisconsin before beginning her local theatrical career. It was during a workshop production in Madison when she first met Woody Allen, who convinced her to move to New York to pursue bigger roles, and as a result Risley appeared in small uncredited parts in Annie Hall, Manhattan, and Stardust Memories in 1980, in which she had one line as a nurse-turned UFO follower. The same year, she was hired as a repertory SNL player by Jean Doumanian alongside an all-new cast and writing staff. READ MORE

SNL
1

Saturday Night's Children: Jim Belushi (1983-1985)

by | April 9th, 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 each week for your viewing, learning, and laughing pleasure.

While he's recognizable for his raspy voice and portly Chicagoan frame, Jim Belushi will forever be stuck in the shadow of his legendary older brother. Jim's arrival at SNL was less than two years after John's death and at one of the worst times to join the cast, yet whether in spite of or because of his name, he came to SNL already armed with multiple film and television credits under his belt. And though it may seem unfair that he's remained the butt of many jokes since then, the younger Belushi's shamelessness has allowed him to do everything from take John's place in The Blues Brothers to write two books that also embrace one of his older brother's less positive qualities — blazing and unabashed misogyny. READ MORE

SNL
3

Saturday Night's Children: Rich Hall (1984-1985)

by | April 3rd, 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 each week for your viewing, learning, and laughing pleasure.

While Rich Hall's biggest claim to fame to younger Americans is being the inspiring force behind the grumpy bartender Moe Szyslak on The Simpsons, for those old enough to remember watching Fridays, Not Necessarily the News, and Dick Ebersol's era of Saturday Night Live, Hall was a prolific young street performer-turned-writer/performer who skyrocketed the term "sniglet" to fame throughout the eighties and starred in one of the very first shows on The Comedy Channel, now Comedy Central. But what neither old nor young Americans know is that for the past twenty years, Hall's remained a big star in the UK and Australia, where he's a regular on the panel show/stand-up scene, often as his Confederate flag-wearing alter-ego jailbird singer Otis Lee Crenshaw, a merciless yet loving take on American culture and Hall's own experiences as a pavement-pounding, road trip-bound, hat-passing US street comedian. READ MORE

SNL
3

Saturday Night's Children: Dean Edwards (2001-2003)

by | March 26th, 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 each week for your viewing, learning, and laughing pleasure.

While his biggest mainstream success up to now is probably subbing for Eddie Murphy in a Shrek TV sequel, Dean Edwards racked up over 20 celebrity impersonations over two seasons as a featured SNL player. Despite his spot-on mimicry of stars like Denzel Washington, Chris Tucker, and Michael Jackson and years of stand-up experience, he spent his two-season stint as more of a glorified extra than a rising star. Since then, Edwards has become a favorite college circuit comic thanks to his uncanny and ever-evolving list of celebrity impersonations, from Eddie Murphy to Jay-Z to Lil Wayne. READ MORE

SNL
3

Saturday Night's Children: Gary Kroeger (1982-1985)

by | March 19th, 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 each week for your viewing, learning, and laughing pleasure.

While his time on SNL is often overshadowed by cast mates like Eddie Murphy, Joe Piscopo, and Billy Crystal, a closer look at Gary Kroeger's sketches reveals an engaged supporting player of charm and versatility who buzzed steadily — though very quietly — until the end of his three-season stint. While he's since faded from steady onscreen work to focus on a career in advertising, Kroeger occupied a rare spot on early-80s SNL as the guy who lasted through Dick Ebersol's entire run by laying low from the firing line. READ MORE

SNL
3

Saturday Night's Children: Dan Aykroyd (1975-1979)

by | March 13th, 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 each week for your viewing, learning, and laughing pleasure.

Easily the most introverted and peculiarity-driven cast member of SNL’s starting lineup, Dan Aykroyd brought America to the floor laughing with his dead-on impressions of dying TV personalities — the fast-talking, terse white spokesman, the greasy-haired CEO of a dangerous toy company, the snippy telepsychic fraud, not to mention one half of the "Wild and Crazy Guys" with Steve Martin, a role the now 60-year-old Aykroyd reprised this past Saturday. Perhaps the biggest competition for his eclectic SNL characters is the real-life character of Aykroyd himself – a syndactylic, heterochromic musician/writer/performer/Spiritualist/UFOlogist/winery owner/House of Blues and Crystal Head Vodka owner who will make sure we get a Ghostbusters III with or without Bill Murray.

An Ottawa native, young Aykroyd first wanted to become a Catholic priest until he was kicked out of seminary school at 17 for a prank involving a pig dressed up as the Pope. After transferring to two different high schools where he took an interest in drama, Aykroyd studied criminology and sociology at Carleton University before dropping out to pursue a comedy career. READ MORE

Reviews
1

'Portlandia' Season 3 Review: Fred et Carrie Pour Toujours

by | March 6th, 2013

If Portlandia represents the classic hipster, it's now sold out for the mainstream. Real bohemians stick with their deliciously obscure Peabody Awards — they don't go and beat out mainstays like Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show for the Best Comedy/Variety Series at the WGA Awards. But by continually changing and challenging itself this season and straying from quotable bird and pickle-related catchiness in favor of bigger-picture connectivity, Portlandia has managed to transform from an IFC curio into a crossover hit that manages to ride the cutting-edge waves of savvy DIY culture that will be "So Over" by tomorrow. Here are my five biggest takeaways from what I think was Portlandia's strongest season yet: READ MORE

SNL
6

Saturday Night's Children: Chris Rock (1990-1993)

by | February 26th, 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 each week for your viewing, learning, and laughing pleasure.

On top of being a multiple Emmy-winning actor, writer, stand-up, producer, and most recently Broadway performer, Chris Rock still draws from his experience as the bullied minority he was throughout his childhood and teenage years in Brooklyn. With an overcrowded family, years of taunting by his classmates, and struggles as the only black kid in an all-white school, Rock's success as a comedian soon after was all but predestined, and his three seasons of ushering SNL into the nineties fast forwarded his already steady ascension into fame.

Rock's parents moved to Brooklyn, New York from South Carolina when he was a baby. He spent his childhood growing up in Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy with seven siblings and several foster children taken in by his mother Rose, who worked as a social worker and special needs teacher. Between attending predominately white schools, having several special needs foster siblings, and being a scrawny, short teen, Rock was subjected to years of bullying by his class mates, which culminated when he dropped out of James Madison High at 17 years old. READ MORE

SPONSORED POST
0

20 Great Coming of Age Characters: Part II

by | February 22nd, 2013

This post is brought to you by Out There, premiering tonight at 10:30/9:30c on IFC.

Yesterday we brought you Part I of our 20 favorite coming-of-age characters from movies and TV, spanning from 1985's Claire "The Princess" Standish to 2007's Seth from Superbad. Here are our ten remaining picks to further rouse your high school nostalgia and embarrassment, featuring everyone from the uptight best friend to the popular girl-turned-murderer. READ MORE

Older posts »
-->