joev
Merion Village
Login to Send PM
colinpperkins wrote >> It seems like every other thing they do is a talk show sketch with some lame characters (Biker Girls, Cougar's Den, etc.) or a parody of The View or Oprah or Lawrence Welk or some other show on TV.
That Lawrence Welk parody was the single funniest TV moment of last year. And I don't think the world was suffering from too many Lawrence Welk parodies at the time.
colinpperkins
Login to Send PM
That Lawrence Welk parody was the single funniest TV moment of last year. And I don't think the world was suffering from too many Lawrence Welk parodies at the time.
Let's not get crazy. I don't know about the single funniest TV moment. Maybe funniest moment on SNL.
But, my point is larger than that. Go back and count up how many TV-based sketches they do and it will be more than 50% of most shows.
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
Login to Send PM
I enjoyed that Lawrence Welk bit, and have to give them props for parodying a show that most of their audience has probably never seen. But I agree with what Colin is saying... most of the faux-talk-show stuff is pretty weak.
catnfiddle
Peeghaven
Login to Send PM
As for the F-Bomb dropped, Jenny Slate is not being fired for her slip: http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2009/09/snl-won%E2%80%99t-fire-new-cast-member-jenny-slate-dropping-f-bomb
It helps that she did it at 12:40am. Charles Rocket let his fly during Weekend Update, if memory serves, which everyone watches before giving up and passing out. I watched the sketch in question and was too sleepy to notice. Too busy wanting to slap the person who wrote it thinking it was funny.
Tigertree
771 N. High St.
Login to Send PM
Church Lady and The Ladies Man are two of the best reoccurring segments SNL has come up with. I hate all of the faux talk shows they are doing currently, but it's a format they have had some real success with in the past so I wouldn't suggest abandoning it. That said, I cannot believe how bad that biker chick chat was and how unfunny Jenny Slate is. They should have been thrilled to have an excuse to give her the boot.
Columbuzz
Grandview
Login to Send PM
I think it's interesting to note the differences between old SNL and current SNL.
Original SNL was ALL about parodying politics and current issues. Its hosts were mega-star actors, political figures and sports heroes. They pushed the envelope and pushed buttons. Weekend Update was political satire at its best and they truly treated it as a "news" segment. Their musical guests were bands who were right on the cusp of breaking out. And if they had already broken out, they were huge.
Current SNL seems to do only a little bit of politics (save for last year's elections), but most of the parodies are about pop culture, including Weekend Update (which seems to last for-ev-er). They still have a few big stars who host, but hosting has lost its luster - especially when you see them trouncing out Megan Fox and Shia LeBeouf (twice!?). Seems they're just nabbing a host who has a movie or TV show coming out. Their musical guests are only there to draw a crowd and do their latest single, rather than expose a new band or singer that's on the verge of breaking out.
I suppose in the end, though, that SNL is doing what it's always done - appeal to the next generation of younger 20-year-old males who didn't grow up on the "old" stuff and the "old" casts.
For the older folk, it might be that when they were young, watching SNL was one of those things they weren't allowed to do because they were supposed to be in bed. Watching SNL against mommy and daddy's rules made it even funnier - to see and watch "taboo", adult humor. Now that they're grown up and it isn't "cool" anymore to sneak downstairs and watch television, it's just not as fun and/or funny.
ChrisSunami
King-Lincoln District
Login to Send PM
I'm not saying Jenny S couldn't improve, but it's an inauspicious beginning. As far as Colin's point, I think it's that we've all seen SNL pull some carbon copy variation of "Hi I'm ____ and with me as always is _____" far too many times.
Wayne's World
Coffee Talk
the Fallon/Sans stoner show
Biker Chick Chat
The Cougar Show
Goth Chat
Deep House Dish
The (Poehler/Rudolph) Brooklyn talk show
The middle school talk show (Molly Shannon, Jimmy Fallon?)
That's just the ones I can think of off the top of my head.
That said, I loved the Barry Gibb talk show.
vestanpance
Harrison West/at work OSU
Login to Send PM
colinpperkins
Login to Send PM
The Zimmermans
Leonard Pinth-Garnell
Leon Phelps, the Ladies Man
Delicious Dish
Morning Latte
The How Do You Say? Ah Yes, Show
Uncle Jemima
Jarret's Room
Wake Up Wakefield!
America Undercover
The Ferey Muhtar Talk Show
Top O' the Morning
Two A-Holes
Pranksters
Spy Glass
¡Show Biz Grande Explosion!
Deep House Dish
The Dakota Fanning Show
Vincent Price Holiday Specials
La Revista Di La Television Con Vinny Vedecci
ChrisSunami
King-Lincoln District
Login to Send PM
Yeah, Goth Chat was good, and so were the Mike Meyers versions. I don't think Colin's point --or mine-- is that every variation on that has been bad, but that it's become a really lazy default sketch format for them.
Columbuzz wrote >>
Now that they're grown up and it isn't "cool" anymore to sneak downstairs and watch television, it's just not as fun and/or funny.
Right, and everyone's favorite cast is whoever was on when you were 13 and first started watching. Cast members before that are revered-but-dated comedy icons, cast members after that are weak imitations.
But anyone who's watched SNL for any length of time should know that better and worse times come and go as regularly as the cast members, that talented people are often completely wasted, that blacks and other minorities rarely get well-written characters or sketches, that there's almost never a good sketch after the second musical number, and that bad sketches always outnumber the good ones even on a good night. It's still the funniest show on broadcast television at 11:30 on Saturday nights --and a pop culture juggernaut.
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
Login to Send PM
Oh, I should add that Smigel's TV Funhouse segments have been consistently awesome over the years. Similar to the Digital Shorts, they have nothing to do with live television or sketch comedy, but an awesome part of SNL nonetheless.
blammo
in the shadow of the wonder of bread
Login to Send PM
Walker wrote >>
Oh, I should add that Smigel's TV Funhouse segments have been consistently awesome over the years. Similar to the Digital Shorts, they have nothing to do with live television or sketch comedy, but an awesome part of SNL nonetheless.
The best part of SNL in my book. It's amazing what you can get away with in cartoon format.
colinpperkins
Login to Send PM
Oh, I should add that Smigel's TV Funhouse segments have been consistently awesome over the years. Similar to the Digital Shorts, they have nothing to do with live television or sketch comedy, but an awesome part of SNL nonetheless.
Unfortunately he doesn't really do them anymore. At least he still makes appearances on the new Tonight Show as Triumph.
colinpperkins
Login to Send PM
Case in point:
Aside from the minute long exchange between Andy Samburg & Lady Gaga wearing bubbles, every single sketch last night was a TV show. And most were awful.
And Lady Gaga is trying really hard to distract people from the fact that her music is vapid.
Mister Shifter
Lewis Center
Login to Send PM
I don't remember laughing once last night.
catnfiddle
Peeghaven
Login to Send PM
Wow, I thought it was one of their better shows in a while. I guess the bar was set pretty low. Lady Gaga surprised the hell out of me when she hit the piano.
You must log in to post.
Launched in August 2010, TheMetropreneur.com is a local online resource devoted to small business development and entrepreneurship. Its aim is to tell the stories of Central Ohio's business community, foster regional economic development and assist entrepreneurs with its resource-heavy focus. Click here to visit TheMetropreneur.com.
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
