Splitsider

 
SNL
3

Saturday Night's Children: Randy Quaid (1985-1986)

by | February 20th, 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.

Most of Randy Quaid's onscreen roles have built upon his knack for playing beefy, bumbling hillbillies and cowboy types, but his over 70 film and TV credits came to a pause in 2010, when one unattended court appearance transformed him from a respected Oscar-nominated actor to a paranoid and homeless border-crossing fugitive. Quaid's latest legal pickle — being denied permanent residence in Canada where he fled since he's a wanted man in the states — is one of many news updates over the past several years that paint he and wife Evi as a crazy on-the-run couple who own no cell phones and live primarily out of their car for fear they'll be tracked by the "Hollywood star whackers," who they claim are also responsible for the deaths of Heath Ledger and David Carradine. Whether you believe Quaid's allegations or dismiss him as a whack job actor overly consumed by Hollywood politics, he's spent the majority of his life working steadily in films, TV movies, and stage productions, including an oft-forgotten year on SNL from 1985-1986.

Quaid came by his talent for playing southerner types naturally, growing up in Houston, Texas in the 1950s. It was at the University of Houston's drama program where he was first discovered by filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich, who gave 18-year-old Quaid an uncredited role in his 1968 film Targets; Quaid subsequently appeared in more Bogdanovich films, most memorbily as a dopey rich flask-nipper in The Last Picture Show (1971), but also What's Up, Doc? (1972), and Paper Moon (1973). After gaining momentum with a string of small parts, Quaid scored his first leading role opposite Otis Young and Jack Nicholson in Hal Ashby's The Last Detail in 1973, which earned Quaid an Oscar nom for Best Supporting Actor. READ MORE

SNL
8

Saturday Night's Children: Charles Rocket (1980-1981)

by | February 12th, 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.

One of the few truly "dangerous" moments of the infamous Jean Doumanian SNL run from 1980-1981 came from a louche, too-handsome 30-year-old comedian named Charlie Rocket, and it caused the whole cast to be fired, and Jean too. She packaged Rocket as the new Murray/Chase hybrid handsome guy — confident, a little clueless, and able to pratfall one second and deliver straight-faced news the next — but instead Rocket found his style overshadowed by the surprise success of the much more streetwise Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy.

A Bangor, Maine native, Rocket (born Charles Adams Claverie) attended the Rhode Island School of Design in the late sixties. Throughout the following decade he immersed himself in the RISD underground arts scene alongside artists like David Byrne and Gus Van Sant, making several short films and fronting a band on accordion called The Fabulous Motels. He also made several on-the-street mock news reports dubbed "The Rocket Report" and sent the tapes to the local news station, where he was hired as a straight news man ("I guess the satire was too subtle," he told People in 1981). First taking on his birth name then evolving to the pseudonym Charles Kennedy, Rocket continued his local news anchoring career at KOAA-TV in Colorado Springs then WTVF in Nashville. READ MORE

SNL
4

Saturday Night's Children: Brian Doyle-Murray (1979-1980; 1981-1982)

by | February 6th, 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 we may never know why Warden Gentiles called him a coward on Arrested Development, Brian Doyle-Murray is often dismissed by SNL fans for his underwhelming stint as SNL Newsbreak anchor from 1981-1982, not to mention the overshadowing of his younger brother Bill. Despite his lack of success as a cast member, Doyle-Murray is one of the few writers who worked under all three SNL producers (Lorne Michaels, Jean Doumanian, Dick Ebersol) and saw the show through the rocky ratings and reviews that came in the wake of the original cast. As an actor, he's also shown up in countless shows and films over the span of his 40-year comedy career and counting, bringing his trademark terse voice and cranky, bumbly presence with him along the way. READ MORE

Growing Up
17

Quarter-Life Comedy: What 50 Stars Were Doing When They Were 25

by | January 29th, 2013

Being old enough to legally drive, smoke, buy booze, and rent a car can certainly indicate adulthood, but if you're anything like me, your 25th year on this planet was/is/is totally going to be as exciting as it is terrifying. In case you're in the midst of your quarter-life crisis (or you just need some motivation to keep up with your 2013 resolutions), here's a look at what 50 various comedy stars were up to at age 25. Though it turns out they were all at different points in their careers, they share one thing in common: whether it's making a television debut, manning the door at a comedy club, or mindlessly toiling away at an office job, this group wasn't afraid to work hard — often at unglamorous expenses — to reach their goals in the comedy world.

In no particular order: READ MORE

SNL
2

Saturday Night's Children: Darrell Hammond (1995-2009)

by | January 29th, 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.

Nothing fuels comedy quite like tragedy, and there's no way to do full justice to every setback longtime SNL cast member Darrell Hammond has faced in his life. Considering he holds the SNL distinctions of being the oldest hired cast member, most celebrity impersonations, final 90s-era player to leave the show, longest overall tenure, and most times saying "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" all at once, Hammond managed to stay impressively under-the-radar during his 14-season stint. While he provided a never-ending flow of polished impersonations over the course of his run and proved to be a dependable utility player, Hammond is ironically both the show's steadiest impersonator as well as its biggest unseen outsider. READ MORE

SNL
0

Saturday Night's Children: Christine Ebersole (1981-1982)

by | January 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.

A multiple Tony-winning Broadway veteran of almost 40 years, Christine Ebersole has more musical theater fans than SNL admirers; not surprising since she produced no recurring characters, sketches, or catchphrases during her season on the show, and her actual SNL appearances — particularly when she was in her musical number element — have since been largely forgotten and overshadowed by her cast mates Eddie Murphy, Joe Piscopo, Robin Duke, and Mary Gross. While Ebersole sought out film and TV roles both before and after her SNL stint, her passion for performing in Broadway and Off-Broadway productions has brought the most acclaim, and instead of leaving the 8H stage for a budding Hollywood career, she's performed on just about every other stage in New York. READ MORE

SNL
1

Saturday Night's Children: Danitra Vance (1985-1986)

by | January 15th, 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.

SNL's first gay black female repertory player Danitra Vance joined during the show's eleventh season, and though she had a background as a classically trained Shakespearian actor, Second City performer, and recent Off-Broadway favorite, she spent her single season stint mostly relegated to black bit parts. That fact, along with the transitional and tumultuous nature of Michaels's first season back at SNL, often overshadows Vance's innovative contributions during her stint, from making jokes about Planned Parenthood accessibility to singing an ode to her typical roles with "I Play The Maids."

After briefly studying at the National College of Education in Evanston, Vance — a South Side native — transferred to Roosevelt University in Chicago in 1975 to study acting and playwriting, then earned her MFA in acting from the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. After graduating she moved to New York but found no luck landing the Shakespearian roles she had trained for in London (her New York reception summed up by her sister to The Chicago Tribune in 1994: "Sorry, blacks don't do Shakespeare") and, with no other options, she taught high school in Gary, Indiana while using her off-time to develop her own characters and material that she showcased in Chicago nightclubs, which led to a brief stint at Second City before Vance moved to New York City in 1981. READ MORE

Reviews
5

Checking In with 'The Office' Halfway Through Season 9

by | January 11th, 2013

Like 30 Rock, The Office doesn't have to worry about cancellation or season renewal this year, and while that could make an easy excuse for TV senioritis to kick in, the writers and cast have managed to steer the show out of its shaky eighth season and into a final hurrah that evokes the more old-school Michael Scott-era sensibilities that made the show so great during the early days. We won’t be officially halfway through this season until the end of January, but The Office has already crammed so much into its first ten episodes that it’s anyone’s guess where the Dunder Mifflin crew's stories will end up in May (though realistically, unless Dunder Mifflin goes under, most of them will probably stay there for a long time). Here are my three main midseason takeaways: READ MORE

SNL
1

Saturday Night's Children: Mike Myers (1989-1995)

by | January 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.

Whether you know him best for Party on, Garth, Yeahhh baby!, or It's like buttah, Mike Myers remains one of SNL's most talented creators of original characters as well as one of its biggest smash-hit successes. While his film career has slowed in recent years (or in the case of The Love Guru and The Cat in the Hat, stopped cold), on SNL he rocked it with a cocky British theater buff, avant-garde German talk show host, emotional New York yenta, incoherent Ron Wood, Japanese game show host, English lad who likes to do drawrings, and a spastic kid tethered to the monkey bars.

Myers was a child actor in Toronto since age 8 and once appeared in a British Columbia Hydro commercial in which future SNL star Gilda Radner played his mother. After his high school graduation in 1982 and short stint with Second City's Toronto touring company he moved to London, where he cofounded an improv troupe at The Comedy Store and often performed with English comic Neil Mullarkey. Their partnership led to live tours across the UK as well as roles on the British kids' show Wide Awake Club and at the 1985 Edinburgh Festival. READ MORE

Interviews
0

Talking with Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein About 'Portlandia' Season 3

by | January 4th, 2013

Since its debut two years ago, Portlandia has steadily evolved from a quirky takedown of hipster stereotypes to an award-winning hit series that made "Put A Bird On It" part of our national lexicon. Such a combination of street and suit cred ensures a bevy of star cameos in season 3, and tonight's double-episode premiere "Take Back MTV" and "Missionaries" includes guest appearances by Kurt Loder, Tabitha Soren, Matt Pinfield, Chloë Sevigny, and everyone's favorite mayor Kyle MacLachlan. I recently spoke with Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein about writing the newest season, collaborating with their long list of guest stars, and the most "Portlandy" US cities that aren't Portland. READ MORE

Year in Review
1

Saturday Night's Children: 2012 In Review

by | December 25th, 2012

It's been the year of looking back to, of all places, the 1980s — of this year's 46 Saturday Night's Children entries, half joined the show between 1980 and 1989. I'm an admirer of all things underdog, so while revisiting heavyweights like Joe Piscopo, Billy Crystal, and Dana Carvey as well as post-SNL superstars like Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Robert Downey Jr., and Ben Stiller was fun, it was the more obscure players like Denny Dillon, Pamela Stephenson, and Robin Duke whose more untold stories (and in Tony Rosato's case, inspiring tale of comedy commitment) I found the most rewarding. I also made sure to include more recent stars like Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell, 90s bro club members Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, and Rob Schneider, and original cast members Jane Curtin and Bill Murray. We've already covered 73 total players (out of 132 and growing) over the past year and a half, but there are still so many left waiting to be rediscovered. Since 2012 was an apocalyptic year, it seems fitting that we took a trip through the similarly chaotic early 80s SNL when its survival was at times very much in question — it endured and so have we, which only leaves me wondering what focus 2013 will bring. In the meantime, here's a look at this year's list of Not Ready for Prime Time Players, spanning from 1975-2009. READ MORE

Behind the Scenes
1

Two Days in Portlandia: A Photo Recap

by | December 20th, 2012

If it weren't for Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, the rest of America might never have known about freestyle canoers, artisanal lightbulb shop owners, angry bicycle rights activists, and all the other things that make Portlandia so post-hip hilarious. No matter where you live, there's most likely a Portlandia sketch that nails a side of you and your neighbors like no other show, whether it's arrogance, a need to fit in, or a perceived hate for any kind of urban subculture, from feminists to locavores to dumpster divers. I'm a big fan, but I'm from Harrisburg — I'd never traveled further west than the Pennsylvania/Ohio border, so I often wondered just how similar Fred and Carrie's Portland is to its real-world counterpart. This past August, armed only with my phone and a longing to see the Pacific Northwest, I finally got the chance to find out. Here's my recap of the trip complete with some behind-the-scenes peeks into Portlandia's upcoming third season. READ MORE

SNL
4

Saturday Night's Children: Julia Louis-Dreyfus (1982-1985)

by | December 18th, 2012

Saturday Night Live has been home to over a hundred cast members throughout the past 36 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.

She'll always be identified with Elaine Benes on Seinfeld, but not many people recognize Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the young television newcomer she was on early-80s SNL. Before going on to star in a string of critically acclaimed shows, Louis-Dreyfus spent three years as a repertory player during the Dick Ebersol days developing characters and paving her quick path to stardom. Since then, she's dominated with leading TV roles, first on Watching Ellie (created by husband and SNL alum Brad Hall), The New Adventures of Old Christine, and most recently HBO's Veep, which earned her a 14th Emmy nomination and fourth win.

Born in New York City to a writer/tutor mother and French billionaire businessman father, Louis-Dreyfus moved around for much of her childhood — her parents divorced a year after her birth and both remarried — she spent weekends with her father in New York then lived with her mother and stepfather, the dean of George Washington Medical School and doctor for Project HOPE, in Washington DC, often traveling with them for her stepfather's work to Colombia, Tunisia, and Sri Lanka. She majored in theater at Northwestern University, where she met future SNL cast mates Brad Hall (they began dating and married later in 1987) and Gary Kroeger and with them joined the Practical Theatre Company. The troupe performed right next-door to the Second City Theatre, and Dick Ebersol hired all three of them for SNL in 1982 sans auditions. Louis-Dreyfus was only 21 years old when SNL offered her the gig — the youngest new female cast member in the show's history at the time — and she dropped out of Northwestern to move to New York. READ MORE

SNL
2

Saturday Night's Children: Martin Short (1984-1985)

by | December 12th, 2012

Saturday Night Live has been home to over a hundred cast members throughout the past 36 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.

Known best for his whimsy-infused, hyperactive, and over-the-top characters, Martin Short had already established himself as a TV comedy regular when he joined SNL's cast for a single-season stint in 1984-1985. SNL wasn't the dream gig to Short that it is for most new cast members — he joined almost reluctantly after the SCTV finale — but he still helped usher the show through one of its most tumultuous periods and used it as a springboard to much bigger Broadway and Hollywood success.

While growing up in Hamilton, Ontario in Canada, Short experienced one too many personal tragedies — when he was 12 his older brother David was killed in a car accident, his mother died of cancer when he was 17, and at 19, his father died of complications from a stroke. Despite the insurmountable challenges for the young Short, he still had three older siblings to call his family, and he went on to earn a degree in social work at McMaster University. READ MORE

Older posts »
« Newer posts
-->