Jedi Council Forums - TV Variety Shows: Now Disc. The 2009 CMT Music Awards

Post Reply | Active Topic Notification | Previous Active Topic | Next Active Topic

« 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 » - Previous | Next | Reload

Author	Topic: TV Variety Shows: Now Disc. The 2009 CMT Music Awards
RX_Sith Title: C&G Game Host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 10/9/06 8:30am Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Saturday Night Live (1980-1985)"
	Next up is SNL (1980 - 1985) The Early Eighties Doumanian's season For much of the decade SNL was in turmoil and many critics wrote the show off as a pale imitation of its former glory. Jean Doumanian took over the show for the 1980 season, hiring a completely new cast and new writers, but it was plagued by problems from the start, and was deemed disastrously unfunny by both critics and much of the viewing audience. Lorne Michaels had originally wanted to make Al Franken his successor as executive producer after he left, and all was in place to do such until the May 10, 1980 broadcast. During a "Weekend Update" segment, Franken delivered a harsh criticism of then-NBC President Fred Silverman. The commentary angered Silverman so much that any chance of Franken becoming an executive under Silverman's watch were all but gone. Jean Doumanian was a talent scout for the show in the early days and was one of the few members of the staff who stayed behind after the 1979 season. In the summer of 1980, Doumanian accepted the job as the new executive producer, against the advice of most of her close friends. Many were convinced that the show could no longer succeed without the original cast and writers. They warned Doumanian to be prepared for harsh treatment from the network. It wasn't long before their cynical predictions became a reality. As a form of almost "retroactive retaliation" against Lorne's constant pressuring for better financing, NBC started by cutting Doumanian's budget from $1,000,000 per episode (Lorne's budget by his last season) to about $350,000 per episode. On top of this, Doumanian had only two months to discover and prepare a new cast and crew; she claims she received virtually no support that was promised to her by either the network or her staff. Writers from that season recall that petitions were already being passed around by other writers and crew members to get Doumanian off the show. Doumanian herself would later discover that many members of the NBC staff, people she assumed devoted to her, were not on her side at all. Doumanian would not let writers work together if they had not been hired as a team, which resulted in the shoddy and unfinished sketches that permeated that year. From the start, the inner politics of the network were heated, and indeed the season was off to a rocky start before it had ever really begun. Doumanian focused on keeping the NBC brass out of the creative process instead of worrying about the writers and performers who were in it. On an autumn morning in 1980, the phone of talent coordinator Neil Levy began ringing off the hook. A young man at the other end of the line begged the producer to give him a shot on the show, but was constantly rejected by the show having already booked a full cast. The man pleaded with Levy that he had several siblings banking on him getting a spot on the show. Levy finally conceded and allowed the man an audition. The caller was a 19-year-old named Eddie Murphy, and his audition performance had Neil Levy begging with Doumanian to let him on the show. Doumanian refused, citing that another actor named Robert Townsend had already been selected as the cast's "token black guy," and that the show's shrunken budget could not allow for any more actors. Doumanian changed her mind after watching Murphy's audition and also began pleading with the network to allow him on the show. NBC only agreed after it was determined that Townsend had not yet signed a contract, and Murphy was cast as a featured player. Amongst the other talent that Doumanian overlooked while forming the new cast were future hosts Jim Carrey, John Goodman, and Paul Reubens, as well as comedian Dom Irrera. A new cast for 1980 The first episode, renamed "Saturday Night Live 80" in the opening credits, appeared on November 15, 1980, featuring an all-new cast: Charles Rocket (who was groomed to be the new break-out star), Denny Dillon, Gilbert Gottfried, Gail Matthius, Joe Piscopo, and Ann Risley rounded out the new "Not Ready For Prime Time Players." Woody Allen (who reportedly hated SNL) suggested to Jean Doumanian that she hire one of his friends, Ann Risley. Some observers believed that while Ann Risley was a fine serious actress, she was not inherently funny (perhaps as a demonstration of Woody Allen's hatred for the show). Elliott Gould had agreed to host the first episode, assuming he would be working with the old cast. He was astonished when he reported to the studio and discovered that it was a different group of performers. The season seemed doomed from the beginning, as in the very first sketch of that first show, the cast was seen sharing a bed with Gould and introduced themselves in a "less-than-modest" approach. Charles Rocket was self-proclaimed as a cross between Chevy Chase and Bill Murray, while Gilbert Gottfried (pre-signature high pitched "squeaky" voice) referred to himself as a cross between John Belushi, "...and that guy from last year who did Rod Serling, and no one can remember his name..." (referring to Harry Shearer). Indeed this self-serving comparison to the original cast alienated much of the audience from the very start, foreshadowing much of what was to come later that night and throughout much of the season. The rest of the show remained very inconsistent in terms of acting and writing. At the end of the show, Gould stood onstage and quickly introduced himself to the cast one more time by first name and declared "We're gonna be around forever, so we might as well..." However, Elliott Gould would never host the show again. The next episode, hosted by Malcolm McDowell, is considered by some to be the worst in the show's history. Skits during Doumanian's tenure seemed as if the writers had started a half-finished concept and allowed the actors to improvise on-air before the sketch had been fine-tuned and edited enough to make it funny. Examples from the McDowell episode included "Leather Weather," a sketch featuring Rocket in S&M gear sprawled across a weather map, and "Jack the Stripper," an overlong and disorganized sketch about Prince Charles supposedly being a flasher. Meanwhile, Jean Doumanian nearly lost her job before this episode aired. NBC executives were battling Doumanian's insistence to include a sketch portraying a nun who was not a virgin. Before Doumanian backed down, Network head Fred Silverman told the standards department to repeat one of Lorne Michaels' shows, if necessary. The McDowell episode was also notable in that Eddie Murphy made his network television debut a skit called "In Search Of The Negro Republican". An outside actor was hired to play the black lead, and Murphy was supposedly so embarrassed by this that he vowed to take a more active role on the show. Murphy had his first speaking role two weeks later as Raheem Abdul Muhummad on "Weekend Update". He made such a positive impression that he would be called on for more in later episodes, and was made a full castmember by the season's seventh episode. The high point of the 1980–1981 season probably came with the Karen Black episode of January 17. It displayed the most consistent writing and performing of the season. Murphy was soon raised to the status of full cast member, and Piscopo had established himself as a reliable commodity with such bits as the eccentric New Jersey-an "Paulie Herman," and his impeccable Frank Sinatra impression. On February 21, 1981, the show featured a parody of the "Who Shot J.R. Ewing" craze from the hit TV show Dallas. In a cliffhanger titled "Who Shot C.R?" cast member Charles Rocket was "shot" in the last sketch of the episode, after a running gag in which other members of the cast shared their grievances over Rocket with one another. Onstage for the goodnights, Dallas star and that week's host, Charlene Tilton, asked Rocket (who was still in character and sitting in a wheelchair) his thoughts on being shot. "Oh man, it's the first time I've been shot in my life," he replied. "I'd like to know who the ** did it." The cast, along with some of the audience, reacted with laughter and applause. This was not the first nor the last time the expletive would be uttered live on SNL for everyone to hear. However, given the circumstances of the season as a whole, and the direction it was headed, it was the straw that finally broke the camel's back. Rocket's minor "slip-of-the-tongue," unbeknownst to him, would cost him his job, and almost the entire cast and crew their jobs, on the show. At the time, Rocket reportedly justified his action, pointing out that musical guest Prince had performed "Partyup" earlier on that very same broadcast; the song featured the line "Fightin’ war is such a ** bore." Despite his release, Rocket appeared in the next week's episode anyway, his performance clearly affected by his termination. In result of the disastrous season thus far, and in a direct result of Rocket's behavior the week before, NBC—who had had enough—also fired Jean Doumanian after this episode (which Bill Murray hosted; it's thought Doumanian and Rocket were retained for the week to ensure Murray wouldn't bolt), closing the book on what is now widely regarded as the worst period in the show's history. Ebersol steps in It looked as if NBC might cancel the show—indeed, many nights NBC aired the sketch comedy show SCTV in its place—but SNL was given one more chance when Dick Ebersol was hired to replace Doumanian. Ebersol was the young apprentice the network had culled from ABC to develop SNL in late 1974; he was responsible for hiring Lorne Michaels that year, and now was given the task of saving the once-acclaimed show from cancellation. His first show aired April 11, with host Chevy Chase and an appearance by Al Franken asking viewers to "put SNL to sleep." Ebersol desperately wanted to establish a connection to the original cast, and thus allowed Franken's rather disheartening remarks on the air. In his first week, Ebersol fired Gottfried, Risley, and Rocket, replacing them with Robin Duke, Tim Kazurinsky, and Tony Rosato. He would eventually eliminate the rest of the 1980 cast (except for Murphy and Piscopo) at the end of the season (he had wanted to fire Dillon all along, but could not afford a replacement for her). Ebersol originally wanted to bring in John Candy and Catherine O'Hara from SCTV; Candy turned down the offer and Rosato joined instead. O'Hara initially accepted, but she changed her mind after Michael O'Donoghue—SNL's original Head Writer, who had been brought in to rejuvenate the show—screamed at the cast about the season's poor writing and performances. Robin Duke was added to the cast when O'Hara suggested her instead. Emily Prager and Laurie Metcalf joined as featured players, but they would not be retained after this single episode. In addition to appearing on the April 11 show, Ebersol had promised Franken and Tom Davis that they could host the next week, with musical guest The Grateful Dead. All through the following week, with a writer's strike looming, Franken and Davis wrote material and mailed it to themselves so that their postmark could be used to prove they did not violate the strike. After seeing copies of the material, Ebersol (never a fan of Franken & Davis') caved to the writer's strike and called off the rest of the season, promising the duo they could host the season premiere that fall. As the summer wound to a close, Ebersol grew more confident in his new cast and decided he didn't need to establish a link to the original cast after all. Franken claims Dick never returned his calls, and Franken and Davis never hosted SNL. By the fall of 1981, Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy were the only remainders from Doumanian's cast to appear on SNL for the 1981 Season. Murphy had rarely been featured during Doumanian's tenure, but became a break-out star under Ebersol, and his soaring popularity helped restore the show's ratings. He created some of the period's best characters, including the empty-headed former child movie star Buckwheat and an irascible, life-size version of the Gumby toy character, complete with life-size star ego. Murphy could also pull off an uncanny impression of Stevie Wonder (who, sportingly, hosted in 1983 and appeared in a fake ad for the "Kannon AE-1" camera, which is "so simple, even Stevie Wonder can use it" [1]). Piscopo was also a popular face and became renowned for his Frank Sinatra impersonation. Other new cast members for the 1981 season included Christine Ebersole (no relation to Dick Ebersol), Mary Gross, and returning as a featured player, Brian Doyle-Murray (also featured in 1979) who ran the Weekend Update desk for one season. Also returning were Second City veterans Robin Duke, Tim Kazurinsky and Tony Rosato, who had all first appeared in the April 11 broadcast earlier that year. In Spring, 1982, Ebersol travelled to Second City Chicago to scout for more talent. Tired of recently losing key players to NBC (such as Cheers' George Wendt and Hill Street Blues' Betty Thomas), the top brass pointed Ebersol around the corner to the Practical Theatre Company, where he hired Gary Kroeger, Brad Hall and Hall's future wife, Julia Louis-Dreyfus to join in the fall. Jim Belushi arrived 3 shows into the fall, 1983 season, the delay owing to stage commitments in Chicago. Dick's Show Ebersol ran a very different show than Michaels had in the 1970s. Many of the sketches were built less on "smart" and "revolutionary" comedy that was abundant in the early days and followed a much more "straightforward" approach. This shift alienated some fans and even some writers and cast members. Ebersol was eager to attract the younger viewers that advertisers craved. He dictated that no sketch should run longer than 5min., so as not to lose the attention of teenagers. Many writers felt that Ebersol was simplifying the humor of the show by demanding more appearances of recurring characters for cheap laughs, among other things, leading to somewhat inconsistent writing. Unlike Michaels Ebersol never had been a writer, and unlike Doumanian he never claimed to be. He did determine what sketches made it to air, and often made his decisions based not on creative content but budget or ease of production. Cast and writers often wondered if "Dick" (as nearly all of them called him) actually knew which sketches were funny and which weren't. However, despite these oppositions there was little argument that Ebersol possessed a keen sense of business politics, which eventually helped revive a show that would have otherwise died at the hands of an inexperienced producer. Having come from the ranks of the suits himself, Ebersol was far more adept at dealing with and obtaining what he wanted from the network. By the later terms of his tenure, Ebersol was generally handling much of the business aspects and day-to-day production affairs, leaving producer Bob Tischler in charge of most of the creative facets of the show. Unlike Lorne Michaels, Dick Ebersol had no problem firing people. Among the first casualties after the 1981 Season were Rosato (who later said that the firing was the best thing to ever happen to him, because the SNL set helped encourage his drug addiction) and Ebersole, who got the axe because of her frequent complaints that the women on the show had little airtime and what they did receive cast them in sexist and humiliating light. Michael O'Donoghue was fired in the middle of the season 1981-1982 season after near constant arguments with Ebersol over the creative direction of the show, and because of his abusive treatment of the cast. Live From New York, It's The Eddie Murphy Show On air, SNL was mostly a two-man show from 1981–1984, with Murphy and Piscopo playing a bulk of the lead characters. This was not unprecedented- Chevy Chase had become the breakout star of the first season, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi became the dominant forces upon Chase's departure, and Bill Murray would play nearly every male lead during the 1979-1980 season. But Ebersol made it clear from the beginning that his strategy was to showcase Murphy and Piscopo as much as possible. All other cast members played mainly supporting roles and were treated with very little patience by the producers. Writers often noticed that Ebersol would criticize their scripts for not featuring enough of Murphy and Piscopo, even though they were already the leads in most of the sketches. With the release of the film 48 Hours Murphy's star began to eclipse Piscopo. Murphy's costar in the film, Nick Nolte, was scheduled to host the show, but cancelled at the very last second after a night of partying at Studio 54. Ebersol offered Murphy the chance to host, a move that Piscopo would perceive as a major slight (by now the rest of the cast were so used to playing Murphy's supporting company they hardly complained). Piscopo would later claim Ebersol used Murphy's success to divide the two erstwhile friends and play them against one another. Others countered that Piscopo was simply being a prima donna; said one writer, "Eddie Murphy's fame went to Joe Piscopo's head." Another new cast In February 1984, Eddie Murphy left the show. His appearances for the remainder of the season consisted of sketches he had pre-taped in September, 1983. Duke, Piscopo, Hall and Kazurinsky were not invited to return after the 1983–84 season. Piscopo was offered a chance to guest host during 1984-1985, but declined. Upon the departures of Murphy and Piscopo, Ebersol, having lost his key players, began rebuilding the cast for the 1984 season, enlisting what is in retrospect known as the "All-Star" cast. Along with veteran players Belushi, Gross, Kroeger, and Louis-Dreyfus, Ebersol added somewhat well-known names to the repertory. This new cast included Soap star Billy Crystal; Martin Short, who had made a name for himself as Ed Grimley (a character he would bring to SNL that year) on Canada's SCTV; Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer (who was also a cast member in 1979) from The Credibility Gap and This Is Spinal Tap; Superman III's Pamela Stephenson; and Rich Hall from HBO's Not Necessarily The News. The newcomers helped put together a very memorable year of hit sketches and widely accepted recurring characters for SNL. As Louis-Dreyfus noted in a November 2005 retrospective, the newcomers, particularly Crystal, Short, and Guest, all but took over the show, relegating her and most of the rest of the cast to supporting roles. Short has noted that his one year at SNL brought him more fame than his entire stint on SCTV, but it was Crystal who became the show's break-out star. Crystal had been scheduled to appear in the first SNL in 1975, but walked when his airtime was whittled away during rehearsal. Already known to some for his stand-up comedy and his role as Jodie Dallas in Soap, Crystal became the show's latest sensation, bringing the catch-phrases "It is better to look good than to feel good" and "You look mahvelous!" (both uttered by his "Fernando" character) into popular culture. Harry Shearer would depart after the January 12, 1985 broadcast, citing "creative differences." Shearer would later remark, "I was creative...and they were different..." Shearer would go on the greater fame as a cast member of The Simpsons in which he voiced several characters including Mr. Burns and Principal Skinner. The 10th season is often remembered for relying heavily on pre-taped content. At the end of the season Ebersol requested to completely revamp the show to include mostly prerecorded segments. Short, Guest and Hall had tired of the show's demanding production schedule and showed little interest in returning for another season, leaving Crystal the only "A-cast" member available for 1985-86. Like Michaels at the end of the 1980 season, Ebersol made taking the show off the air for several months to re-cast and rebuild a condition of his return. Another idea was to institute a permanent rotation of hosts (Billy Crystal, Joe Piscopo and David Letterman) for "a hip Ed Sullivan Show." After briefly canceling the show, NBC decided to continue production only if they could get Lorne Michaels to produce again. Ebersol and Tischler, along with their writing staff and most of the cast, left the show after this season (those who wished to stay—such as Billy Crystal—were eventually not re-hired for 1985), which closed the book on an inconsistent, yet memorable era in SNL history. Season Breakdown 1980-81 Season Opening Montage Two opening montages were used for this season. During Jean Doumanian's tenure, it opened with a shot of the Statue of Liberty whose torch suddenly lights after a few seconds. Using "paint-over" type transitions, it then cuts to various images of New York with neon lights embellishing each picture. Some of the subjects included were a taxi cab, a pair of drag queens and Times Square. Dick Ebersol, however, apparently wanted a more simple opening. For the one episode he produced this season (4/11/81), the original SNL theme music returns to accompany a different shot of the Statue of Liberty, followed by various still images taken from around New York displayed one after another. The cast is introduced using all new pictures, and plain-white block lettering reveals their name at the bottom of the picture. This opener was only used on this one episode. The original montage is from the March 7, 1981 Bill Murray/Delbert McClinton episode. The one-episode montage, from April 11, 1981, Chevy Chase hosted; the musical guest was Jr. Walker & the All Stars. Cast * Denny Dillon * Robin Duke (joined: 4/11/81) * Gilbert Gottfried (final: 3/7/81) * Tim Kazurinsky (joined: 4/11/81) * Gail Matthius * Eddie Murphy (debut: 11/22/80) * Joe Piscopo * Ann Risley (final: 3/7/81) * Charles Rocket (last: 3/7/81) * Tony Rosato (joined: 4/11/81) Featuring * Yvonne Hudson (final: 3/7/81) * Matthew Laurance (final: 3/7/81) * Laurie Metcalf (4/11/81 only) * Emily Prager (4/11/81 only) * Patrick Weathers (final: 3/7/81) Notes * Murphy goes from recurring to contract in February 1981. * Weathers and Laurance officially debut on 12/20/80 (although they had previously appeared in an uncredited capacity). Rocket, Risley, Laurance, Hudson, Weathers and Gottfried last appear in the 3/7/81 episode. Rosato, Metcalf, Kazurinsky, Prager, and Duke first appear on the 4/11/81. Prager and Metcalf last for a sole episode, the shortest stint for any featured player (Nearly a decade later, Metcalf returned for a cameo in a short film piece). Dillon and Matthius are fired at the end of the season. * Weekend Update received a name and set change for a single episode (1981's show hosted by Bill Murray) in which it became SNL NewsLine. For this final episode, it was hosted by Rocket alone, without Matthius. * Jean Doumanian and her writing staff are dismissed after the 3/7/81 show. Dick Ebersol replaces her, and following one more episode, a writers' strike shuts down the season early for refurbishing purposes. * Denny Dillon, Gail Matthius, and Joe Piscopo are the only actors to appear in all thirteen episodes in this season. 1981-82 Season Opening Montage Another "simple" opening from the Ebersol era, and the only montage with Mel Brandt doing the voice-over. This opener was used more-or-less for three seasons; it began with shot of a lady lighting a cigarette, then consisted of various grainy, black-and-white video footage of New York City nightlife (dance clubs, police dogs, etc.). Despite being bland, it did, however, have what is considered one of the better opening music themes of the show, which would be used (albeit in various incarnations) for virtually every episode under Dick Ebersol's tenure. Because 'Live from New York' is not yelled, announcer Brand says, "And now, from New York, the most dangerous city in America, it's Saturday Night Live." Cast * Robin Duke * Christine Ebersole * Mary Gross * Tim Kazurinsky * Eddie Murphy * Joe Piscopo * Tony Rosato With * Brian Doyle-Murray Notes * Brian Doyle-Murray leaves at the end of the season and Christine Ebersole and Tony Rosato are fired. * This is the only season which does not feature the traditional "Live from New York..." opening. Instead, the cast appears with the host in a group shot, then runs off to prepare for their various sketches while the host delivers the monologue (much like a Second City stage show). This is also the only season not to feature Don Pardo as announcer; the job is taken by Mel Brandt. In addition, Weekend Update is renamed "SNL NewsBreak." The first two changes were made at the behest of Michael O'Donoghue, as part of his attempt to radically re-vamp the show (among other suggestions rejected by Ebersol was taping the show entirely with hand-held cameras). The effort didn't impress viewers and both the traditional opening and Pardo returned a year later. The "Weekend Update" name, however, would return only with Lorne Michaels in 1985. 1982-83 Season Opening Montage Virtually the same montage from 1981, with a few minor changes: Don Pardo returned to do the voiceover; The opening shot changes from a woman lighting a cigarette, to a construction worker lighting a cigarette with an acetelene torch; also the cast photos are different from last year, with a chalkboard NYC skyline background. Cast * Robin Duke * Mary Gross * Brad Hall * Tim Kazurinsky * Gary Kroeger * Julia Louis-Dreyfus * Eddie Murphy * Joe Piscopo Recurring characters and sketches Brad Hall hosted Saturday Night News throughout the season. Recurring characters featured during this season include The Whiners, Mister Robinson (host of a parody of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood), and Buckwheat. 1983-84 Season Opening Montage Same credits as the 1982 season. The addition of Jim Belushi is the only notable change, and the background of his photo is noticeably different. Cast * Jim Belushi (debut: 10/22/83) * Robin Duke * Mary Gross * Brad Hall * Tim Kazurinsky * Gary Kroeger * Julia Louis-Dreyfus * Eddie Murphy (final: 02/25/84) * Joe Piscopo Notes * Jim Belushi, a promising young improvisational actor, joins the cast with the third broadcast of the season, presumably to ease the departure of Eddie Murphy. * Murphy leaves after the 2/25/84 show; Piscopo, Duke, and Kazurinsky leave and Hall is fired at the end of the season. 1984-85 Season Opening Montage A highly unusual, but fan-favorite opening montage. In addition to flying hot dogs, we scroll right to reveal each "giant" cast member towering over the New York skyline, and interacting with various objects along the way in a complete one-camera shot. Note that from 1984-86, The Statue of Liberty was being renovated in preparation for its 100th anniversary. SNL acknowledged these renovations by showing the statue surrounded in scaffolding during the opening credits for this season and the next. Cast * Jim Belushi * Billy Crystal * Mary Gross * Christopher Guest * Rich Hall * Gary Kroeger * Julia Louis-Dreyfus * Harry Shearer (final: 01.12.85) * Martin Short * Pamela Stephenson Notes * Belushi is fired in December 1984 and rehired in January 1985, forcing him to miss two shows. * This season has more pretaped segments than any other SNL era, past or future. * Shearer departed in January 1985, though he remains credited for the entire season. * The rest of the cast and writing staff, along with Ebersol and Bob Tischler leave at the end of the season. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 10/9/06 1:04pm Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Saturday Night Live" 1980-85)
	The Doumanian season is really notorious; she didn't have a clue. When Eddie Murphy became a break-out star, the show became a happy hunting ground for movie suits. A pity, because the graduates are often much, much better on the tube.
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
RX_Sith Title: C&G Game Host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 10/13/06 11:49am Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Saturday Night Live" 1985-1990)
	Next up is SNL (1985-1990) The Late Eighties Dick Ebersol left the show after the 1984-85 season, when the network refused his request to shut the program down entirely for 6 months and shift much of the material onto tape, not live broadcast. Once again, NBC briefly considered cancelling the show, but programming head Brandon Tartikoff (who was something of an SNL fan) decided to continue the show and re-hire erstwhile producer Lorne Michaels. The Prodigal Son returns In some ways the job Michaels returned to was more challenging than the one he took on in 1975. For starters, Michaels' "golden boy" reputation was somewhat tarnished. His latest effort, the previous season's The New Show confused critics and was ignored by audiences. Also, the '84-'85 season had been a critical and ratings hit, generating memorable characters and stand-out performers. However, Michaels would not be the only member of the old guard to return: original writers Al Franken and Tom Davis would return as producers, and veteran Jim Downey would be head writer. Fans and critics welcomed Michaels and many of the original producers and writers back, calling it a return to the show's roots, as the past five seasons before this were very out-of-element compared to the 1975-1980 era. Michaels opted to follow Ebersol's lead from the previous season, hiring established young actors for his ensemble. He hired comedy veteran Randy Quaid, best known for his work in The Last Picture Show and National Lampoon's Vacation, as well as Joan Cusack and Robert Downey Jr. Milestones included the first black female regular, Danitra Vance (a young woman named Yvonne Hudson had been a featured player in 1980 and appeared as an extra and in bit parts in '78, '79 and '80), Terry Sweeney, the first openly gay cast member, and Anthony Michael Hall, yet another fresh face from Hollywood who at 17 was the youngest castmember ever. Rounding out the cast was future In Living Color star Damon Wayans, and previously unknown improv comedy veterans like Nora Dunn, Dennis Miller and Jon Lovitz. Miller, who performed in relatively few sketches (and even fewer as the years went by), became known for bringing his stand-up wit to "Weekend Update," becoming the first memorable anchor since Chevy Chase back in 1975. With the exceptions of Miller, Lovitz and Dunn the new cast failed to connect with audiences. Michaels' gamble on a young, brat pack approach may have made the show seem more hip, but many of the regulars were better actors than comedians. The writing staff, composed of newcomers and veterans from the first five seasons failed to collaborate with the new talent as they had during Michaels' first tenure. At the end of the 1985-86 season NBC briefly cancelled SNL, but eventually opted to give Michaels 6 episodes in the fall to turn things around. Return to Form Of the entire cast, only Dunn, Lovitz, and Miller returned when the 1986-87 season rolled around. For his next crop of regulars Michaels returned to his original tactic of assembling a strong ensemble of relative unknowns, led by Dana Carvey, Nora Dunn, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, Victoria Jackson, Jon Lovitz, Dennis Miller and Kevin Nealon. Although the new lineup contained some of the best actresses since the show's early seasons, there were reportedly some dramatic behind-the-scenes ego battles, and tensions eventually forced out Nora Dunn. In particular, Victoria Jackson has been highly critical of Hooks and especially Dunn, who was romantically involved with Michaels at the time.[citation needed] The first show of the 1986-87 season opened with Madonna, host of the previous season opener, telling the audience that the entire 1985-86 season had been a dream, just as Dallas had done a few weeks earlier (marking the second time JR Ewing and company were parodied during a tumultuous time on SNL). Michaels pulled out all the stops that season, producing some of the best SNLs ever (in particular, shows 4-6 with Sam Kinison / Lou Reed; Robin Williams / Paul Simon; Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Martin Short/ Randy Newman). With the new cast, SNL began to revive and gain renewed popularity, mainly thanks to Michaels' inspired casting decisions, vastly improved writing and increasingly on-target political satire and TV parodies. Sadly, one of the best seasons, 1987-1988, was cut short by a writers' strike. Gilda Radner had been penciled in to host the season finale that spring, but by 1989 her cancer had returned and she died within the year. The urbane, smooth-voiced Hartman became one of the show's longest-serving cast members. Hartman had originally worked as a graphic designer; among his credits is the band logo for Crosby, Stills & Nash and the cover of the hit 1975 album America's Greatest Hits. Turning to theatre, he became a member of The Groundlings, where he met Paul Reubens, which led to a featured role in Reubens' cult 80s kids TV show Pee-Wee's Playhouse. When he left SNL in 1994, he and Kevin Nealon were the longest-serving cast members in the show's history (eight seasons). A turning point came with the 1988-89 season, and the recruitment of a young Canadian comic Mike Myers. A versatile and inventive comedian with a gift for accents and a lifelong love of Monty Python and British comedy, he introduced several classic characters including Streisand-loving cable talk show hostess "Linda Richman", and ultra-pretentious German arts show host "Dieter". He also formed a strong partnership with Carvey, which revisited the magic of the classic Aykroyd-Belushi pairing. Carvey and Myers created and performed one of SNL's most popular and successful recurring sketches, Wayne's World, which inspired two successful spin-off movies. The shows in this period featured some of SNL's best loved recurring sketches and characters, including "Wayne's World", the Schwarzenegger-like Austrian body-builders Hans and Franz (Carvey and Nealon). Carvey also gained renown for his scowling, ultra-conservative "Church Lady" character and his impersonations of then US President George H. W. Bush and presidential candidate Ross Perot. Bolstered by strong scripts penned by the writing team, Carvey's Bush and Perot impressions were a notable advance on earlier ventures in this vein, and they set a new benchmark for this aspect of the show's political satire. The best-remembered political impersonation from the '70s period was Chevy Chase's slapstick parody of President Gerald Ford, but Chase had made no attempt to create an accurate impression of Ford's character or essay any in-depth political satire â€” his sketches simply lampooned Ford's renowned clumsiness and consisted of Chase falling down a lot. Carvey's Bush and Perot parodies were far more sophisticated and his Bush send-up was so well received that the former President himself made a cameo appearance in 1994 when Carvey hosted, lightheartedly taking Dana to task. Spring 1990 proved a rocky finale for one of the show's most underrated cast members. Nora Dunn boycotted a show hosted by the perceived to be sexist, homophobic, and then extremely controversial comedian Andrew Dice Clay. NBC fired her and a series of ugly charges and countercharges were lobbied between Lorne Michaels and Dunn. Many felt that Dunn cared more about garnering publicity than standing up for women's rights, but others took her side and viewed Clay's appearance as an all-time low. This episode marked the first turnover in nearly half a decade, and seemed to be a sad harbinger for the endless turmoil which would mark the 90's SNL. Season Breakdown 1985-86 Season Opening Montage This season also had two opening montages. The first lasted only four episodes, and--like the 1984 season--opened with a picture of the Statue of Liberty covered in scaffolding (the statue was under renovation that year in preparation for its centennial celebration). It then showed various still images of New York bordered with several triangular lines and post-card like decorations. Starting with the Tom Hanks/Sade episode on 12/14/85, a new opening montage seemed to tell a story of sorts of a limo driving through New York, and eventually passing each cast member. At the end, the limo would approach 30 Rockefeller Plaza, and that particular weeks' host would then emerge from the backseat. Another version of the second montage exists that shows a plane landing just before the limo leaves the airport. The music during this opener would be used for almost a decade, with a slight change in 1994, and finally being replaced entirely for the 1995 season. Cast * Joan Cusack * Nora Dunn * Robert Downey Jr. * Anthony Michael Hall * Jon Lovitz * Dennis Miller * Randy Quaid * Terry Sweeney * Danitra Vance Featuring * A. Whitney Brown (debuts 2/22/86) * Al Franken (debuts 3/22/86) * Don Novello * Dan Vitale (final 2/08/86) * Damon Wayans (final 3/15/86) Notes * Wayans is fired on 3/15/86 (he was sick of the way the show treated him and camped up a "straight" character so that Lorne Michaels would fire him). Vitale, a little-used featured player who also served as a staff writer, is also pink-slipped at mid-season. * At season's end Cusack, Downey, Hall, Quaid, and Sweeney are all axed. Danitra Vance quits because of her limited roles. Although each had his/her funny moments (Sweeney's Nancy Reagan impression was especially popular), the cast never seemed to come together as a cohesive unit. * This season included the only SNL episode (unless one counts the "Who Shot C.R.?" episode from years earlier) to actually feature a continuing narrative thread linking the sketches together. In the opening sketch of an episode hosted by George Wendt, the cast is informed that NBC is turning the show over to respected director Francis Ford Coppola, in a bid for greater artistic merit. A brilliant director of feature films, Coppola turns out to be an incompetent TV director, resulting in a running gag in which each sketch is ruined in various ways by Coppola's bumbling. The cast finally quits in the final sketch when Anthony Michael Hall is injured in a war-sketch after Coppola decides to use real bullets to increase the sketch's sense of realism. During the closing credits, Wendt realizes just how much damage Coppola has done to SNL's reputation: the former producers of the show (actually played by Franken & Davis) have chosen to tend bar rather than continue watching Coppola's travesty. 1986-87 Season Opening Montage This montage was used for two seasons, and is basically just video footage of each cast member racing the clock to get to what appears to be a casual night club. Cast * Dana Carvey * Nora Dunn * Phil Hartman * Jan Hooks * Victoria Jackson * Jon Lovitz * Dennis Miller Featuring * A. Whitney Brown * Kevin Nealon Notes * This season provides a major cast overhaul which restores the show to critical acclaim and watercooler value. All players introduced in this season become long-running cast members and/or major stars. Even the middle ranked Kevin Nealon remains in the cast for 9 seasons, one of the longest-running stints for any cast member (he's bumped up to contract in the 87-88 season). 1987-88 Season Opening Montage Same montage as the 1986 season with only two noticeable changes: 1) Kevin Nealon is added to full-fledged cast member status in the credits and 2) The host/musical guest photos shown during the montage and bumpers are now in black in white. Cast * Dana Carvey * Nora Dunn * Phil Hartman * Jan Hooks * Victoria Jackson * Jon Lovitz * Dennis Miller * Kevin Nealon Featuring * A. Whitney Brown * Al Franken Notes * This season is trimmed to only 13 episodes due to a writers' strike. 1988-89 Season Opening Montage This montage was also used for two seasons, and is just video footage with a light greenish-blue tint, of the cast members "caught" engaging in different tasks around areas of New York, intermingled with various footage of the city. During this season, the now-familiar Saturday Night Live circular logo appears for the first time. Cast * Dana Carvey * Nora Dunn * Phil Hartman * Jan Hooks * Victoria Jackson * Jon Lovitz * Dennis Miller * Kevin Nealon Featuring * A. Whitney Brown * Al Franken * Mike Myers (debuts 1/21/89) * Ben Stiller (debuts 3/25/89) Notes * Ben Stiller and Mike Myers go on to become major film stars, but by very different routes. Myers remains on SNL for 6 years, as an increasingly popular attraction, while Stiller is fired in spring '89, flounders for several years, and becomes a big draw by the late 90's. 1989-90 Season Opening Montage Same montage as the 1988 season with little notable changes, except that every episode in 1990 has a '15' in the center of the circle logo, commemorating the 15th anniversary of the show. Cast * Dana Carvey * Nora Dunn * Phil Hartman * Jan Hooks * Victoria Jackson * Jon Lovitz * Dennis Miller * Mike Myers * Kevin Nealon Featuring * A. Whitney Brown * Al Franken Notes * Myers is bumped up to contract player at midseason. * This season has the first real cast turmoil in nearly five years, as Lovitz departs after being denied a leave absence to make a movie (Loaded Weapon 1), and Dunn is fired after boycotting the show hosted by Andrew Dice Clay. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
dudalb Registered: Jun '01	Date Posted: 10/13/06 3:02pm Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Saturday Night Live" 1985-90)
	The first season of SNL..1975...is going to be out in a six DVD set for around $70.00.Should be fun to watch.
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 10/14/06 1:26pm Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Saturday Night Live" 1985-90)
	I haven't seen much of this era, I guess I should try to rent the DVD.
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
RX_Sith Title: C&G Game Host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 10/19/06 9:32am Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Saturday Night Live" 1990-95)
	Next up is SNL (1990-95). (from Wiki) The period of 1990 to 1995 was a time of great transition and contrasts for Saturday Night Live. It would see the series reach peaks and ebbs in terms of public popularity and critical acclaim. During this era SNL would field its largest cast ever, see the departure of several of the show's most popular players, the arrival of many future stars and draw more public controversy than perhaps any other period in the show's history. Although many fans still hold the original cast to be the best, others feel that the early 1990s era provided some of the strongest and most consistently funny programs to date. It was a fruitful period that led to many film spin-offs, although late in the decade fans and cast alike were dismayed by the tragic deaths of former cast members Chris Farley and Phil Hartman. Some were distressed by the sudden firing of popular "Weekend Update" host Norm MacDonald. Fans of the '86-'91 seasons consider those years to include well-written sketches and sublime performances; they criticize the '90s as being over-reliant on catch phrases and generic recurring characters, and for stooping in terms of intelligence and taste. The Early Nineties The 1990-91 season introduced a number of players who quickly became stars of the show — Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, David Spade and Julia Sweeney. Noted standup comedian Chris Rock appeared on the show for 3 seasons. Memorable characters and sketches from this period included Sweeney's “Pat”, Sandler's “Opera Man” and “Canteen Boy”, Schneider's annoying office geek “The Richmeister”, Hartman's brilliant take-offs of Bill Clinton, Frank Sinatra and Charlton Heston and Spade's caustic commentary pieces “Spade In America” and “Hollywood Minute”. Sandler and Farley soon became the most popular cast members of the period. Farley's high-energy performances and surprising grace belied his heavy footballer build, but he was also not afraid to trade on his size for laughs — in one sketch he played, shirtless, opposite the trim and muscular Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze, as they auditioned for a position with the Chippendales male dance troupe. Another favourite Farley character was manic, thrice-divorced motivational speaker Matt Foley, whose schtick consisted mainly of yelling at his clients, whining about having to live “in a van… down by the river” and hurling himself around the room, demolishing everything in sight. Farley idolised John Belushi, and they shared similar comedic strengths, but sadly it soon became tragically obvious that Farley was also plagued by similar personal demons. He was fired from the show in 1995 and starred in successful movies like Tommy Boy and Black Sheep (both with David Spade) and Beverly Hills Ninja. But after leaving SNL he began abusing drugs heavily. By the time of his last SNL appearance, as a guest host in 1997, he was grossly overweight, looked bloated, sweated profusely, and was clearly very ill. He died from an overdose of cocaine and heroin just a few months later, on December 18, 1997, aged only 33. Sandler was a talented self-taught musician and a former stage comic whose stand-up career had started after he accepted a dare from his brother to do an open mike spot at a local comedy club. He won many fans with the humorous self-penned ditties he performed on "Weekend Update" (e.g. “Red-Hooded Sweatshirt” and “Sex-Phone Lady”), as well as his famous and popular “Opera Man” and Canteen Boy characters. In stark contrast to the sad fate of his friend Chris Farley, Sandler became a successful and popular movie star after leaving SNL. After the 1993-94 season, there was a very noticeable change in tone. Julia Sweeney left due to frustration and burnout. Phil Hartman departed on friendly terms but later described his departure as "jumping off of a sinking ship." Rob Schneider was eventually backburnered (in retaliation for taking time off to appear in a Sylvester Stallone movie [citation needed]), then fired, along with Silverman and Hutsell. In the eyes of many viewers, the quality of the series began to deteriorate noticeably. The “generational change” continued in 1994-95 with the arrival of Chris Elliott, Janeane Garofalo, Kids In The Hall alumnus Mark McKinney, and Molly Shannon. This season was also the last for Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers and Kevin Nealon. Norm MacDonald replaced Nealon as anchor of Weekend Update, earning a mild controversy in the role. While MacDonald alienated many "Weekend Update" fans by frequently flubbing his lines and abandoning all attempts to seem like an actual news anchor (a tradition which had been consistent since the sketch's birth in 1975), his weekly appearances did often provide the only laughs in an otherwise dismal time period for the show. The sketches at the time were considered sophomoric, shrill, and bitterly unfunny. Many sketches seemed to have no point at all, nor a single laugh. The vicious attacks of the critics stunned Lorne Michaels, who had gone from challenging the network establishment to being as establishment as possible. To recover from all the major losses the show was facing Michaels hired a number of stars who were never known for their impressions or sketch comedy skill -- Chris Elliott and Michael McKean stuck out like sore thumbs and left at the end of the season. The day that Garofalo arrived on SNL's set, Adam Sandler started yelling at her because of remarks she'd made against him in her standup routine. The other female cast members (Ellen Cleghorne and Laura Kightlinger) banded against her almost immediately. Shut out by all sides and uncomfortable with the writing, Garofalo left in mid-season, replaced by Molly Shannon. Farley and Sandler were hell to deal with backstage, and their onscreen performances had grown so hammy and inconsistent that NBC finally had enough and fired them at the end of the season. Longtime featured player Jay Mohr left after NBC refused to upgrade him to contract player. Al Franken, who had worked on the show as a writer and featured player on and off since 1977 quit after Norm MacDonald was given the Weekend Update job instead of him. Falling ratings and outraged critics sent a wakeup call to Lorne Michaels, and the show had some of its highest turnover yet. The 94-95 season had a total of 14 cast members; only five stayed for the 95-96 season: Molly Shannon, Mark McKinney, Norm Macdonald, David Spade (who agreed to stay only for a year so that he could be a bridge between the old and new casts) and Tim Meadows (who would have been fired, but the network was afraid that firing both black cast members would be seen as racist). Season Overview Opening montage The 1990 season started with a montage that would go virtually unchanged (with the exception of cast changes) for four seasons. Its theme was much like that from 1988-89, in which cast members were shown around New York, and were "caught" by the camera, with various NYC footage in between. Cast * Dana Carvey * Phil Hartman * Jan Hooks * Victoria Jackson * Dennis Miller * Mike Myers * Kevin Nealon With * Chris Farley * Tim Meadows (debut: 2/9/91) * Chris Rock * Julia Sweeney (debut: 11/10/90) Featuring * A. Whitney Brown (final: 3/16/91) * Al Franken * Adam Sandler (debut: 2/9/91) * Rob Schneider (debut: 10/6/90) * David Spade Notes * Sandler appears in 3 episodes (12/8/90, 12/15/90 & 1/12/91) as an uncredited extra prior to his official debut on the 2/9/91 episode alongside with Meadows. * Hooks and Miller leave the show at the end of the season, and Brown is let go because of personal problems. * This season is the debut of the "Bad Boys" who will begin to achieve prominence around 1992-1993. * Spade appears in nearly every live broadcast throughout Season 16 but does not appear in the opening credits until midseason. 1991-92 season Opening montage Same as the 1990 season with different cast members being the only change. Cast * Dana Carvey * Chris Farley * Phil Hartman * Victoria Jackson * Mike Myers * Kevin Nealon * Chris Rock * Julia Sweeney With * Ellen Cleghorne * Siobhan Fallon * Tim Meadows * Adam Sandler * Rob Schneider * David Spade Featuring * Beth Cahill (debut 11/16/91) * Al Franken * Melanie Hutsell (debut 11/16/91) * Robert Smigel Notes * The 91-92 season boasted the largest cast in the history of the series, and unlike later years with bloated numbers, used most of the performers effectively. The season also sets the record for most female performers, past or present. * Farley, Rock and Sweeney are upgraded to contract status. * Jackson leaves at the end of the season, and Cahill and Fallon are fired. Hutsell is nearly fired but redeems herself with a very popular impression of The Brady Bunch's Jan Brady. * This season was the first to feature a guest host booked solely for his popularity with teenagers (Jason Priestley). Due in part to the success of his appearance, SNL began recruiting a slew of teen actors and pop stars to host and sing on as many episodes as possible. 1992-93 season Opening montage Same theme as the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons, with the removal of cast members who had left in the previous years. Cast * Dana Carvey (final 2/6/93) * Chris Farley * Phil Hartman * Mike Myers * Kevin Nealon * Chris Rock * Rob Schneider * Julia Sweeney With * Ellen Cleghorne * Melanie Hutsell * Tim Meadows * Adam Sandler * David Spade Featuring * Al Franken * Robert Smigel Notes * Schneider is bumped up to contract status. Carvey wraps up his extraordinarily popular 6 1/2 year run. Although he has a few films, a brief series and returns to guest host several times, he never regains the fame he garnered on SNL. * Smigel and Rock leave the show (as both writers and cast members) at the end of the season. Smigel would go on to Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Dana Carvey Show, while Rock would guest star on In Living Color's final season before launching a successful acting career. 1993-94 season Opening montage The popular opening montage, which debuted in the 1990-91 season, returns for what turns out to be its final season. Cast * Ellen Cleghorne * Chris Farley * Phil Hartman * Melanie Hutsell * Michael McKean (debuts 03/12/94) * Tim Meadows * Mike Myers * Kevin Nealon * Adam Sandler * Rob Schneider * David Spade * Julia Sweeney Featuring * Al Franken * Norm MacDonald (debuts 10/2/93) * Jay Mohr (debuts 10/9/93) * Sarah Silverman (debuts 10/9/93) One host during this season, Martin Lawrence, had an opening monologue which included an extended series of comments about feminine hygiene. The syndicated version of the episode replaces the offending section of the monologue with a graphic (read by an off-screen announcer) describing in vague terms what Lawrence had said and noting it almost cost SNL employees their jobs. Lawrence was subsequently banned from appearing on SNL. Notes * Nealon ends the season by handing Weekend Update over to Norm Macdonald and kissing him on the mouth. 1994-95 season Opening montage After four seasons with the same theme, the montage changes once again. The music has also changed slightly, but is still a rendition of the music used since 1985. This montage has a 20th Anniversary theme, and it consists of the cast members' photos being projected onto various objects around New York. Cast * Morwenna Banks (debuts 4/08/95) * Ellen Cleghorne * Chris Elliott * Chris Farley * Janeane Garofalo (final: 2/25/95) * Norm MacDonald * Michael McKean * Mark McKinney (debuts 1/14/95) * Tim Meadows * Mike Myers (final: 1/21/95) * Kevin Nealon * Adam Sandler * David Spade Featuring * Al Franken (final: 5/6/95) * Laura Kightlinger * Jay Mohr * Molly Shannon (debuts 2/25/95) Notes * The worst-received season since 1980-1981 (or to a lesser extent, 1985-1986) had cast turnover and dissension which bordered on self-parody. Garofalo left the show in disgust after only a half-season, and Myers departed to pursue a movie career. Franken quit, angry that his movie Stuart Saves His Family flopped at the box office and that Norm Macdonald was given the "Weekend Update" job instead of him. Cleghorne happily quit (she would have left a year earlier if not for her contractual obligations) as did Elliott and McKean. Kightlinger left to join Roseanne's ill-fated FOX comedy series, Saturday Night Special. Banks, Farley, and Sandler were fired. Banks, a contract player, had almost no role of any significance, and was let go after only a few shows, returning to her native Britain. * In his book, Gasping for Airtime, Mohr mentions that at the end of the season, he demanded a promotion to cast member, among other things, and the network procrastinated on accepting or denying his requests throughout the summer of 1995 until he finally quit outright. * Molly Shannon joined the cast as a midseason replacement for Janeane Garofalo in Feb. 1995, 8 months before she was bumped up into a contract player on SNL's 21st season (1995-96). She would go on to become one of SNL's most popular female cast members. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 10/19/06 12:10pm Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Saturday Night Live" 1985-90)
	I now remember why I stopped watching this show...
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
RX_Sith Title: C&G Game Host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 10/27/06 4:52am Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Saturday Night Live" 1995-2000)
	Next up is SNL (1995-2000). The Late Nineties 1995-96 was a milestone year, marking the last season for David Spade, but also the debuts of a strong batch of new recruits — Jim Breuer, Will Ferrell, Darrell Hammond, David Koechner, Cheri Oteri, Nancy Walls, Chris Kattan and Colin Quinn. Ferrell, Hammond, Oteri, Shannon and Kattan became mainstays of the show for the rest of the decade and beyond. The last half of the Nineties arguably also produced some of SNL's best material in years, performed by one of the strongest and most versatile ensemble casts yet assembled. Many in this group were prone to mugging and overusing recurring characters, which gained them some success while on the show, but has not translated to fame outside of SNL (Will Ferrell excluded). This group managed to stop SNL's freefalling ratings and reputation, and at their best were highly entertaining. The most unfortunate circumstance was that the lack of subtlety and the refusal to give airtime to more than a handful of "stars" caused sketch comedy veterans like Mark McKinney to be forced out. Ex-Groundling Ana Gasteyer joined in 1996-97, bringing an excellent singing voice and considerable musical skills, as well as creating some memorable characters — Margeret Jo McCullen, co-host of tedious public radio cooking show “The Delicious Dish”, ultra-square middle school music teacher “Bobbi Moughan-Culp” her hatchet-faced impersonation of home-economics guru Martha Stewart; and, in one of the most popular segments of the late 1990s, her often-scathing impression of Céline Dion hosting a talk show (the real Dion has never appeared on SNL due to her exclusive TV special contract with CBS). Also new this year was another regular black cast member, Tracy Morgan, a move that some cynics have suggested was motivated by persistent criticisms that the show did not feature enough black performers. Darrell Hammond proved a great find, perhaps the most gifted impressionist in the show's history. He has built up a repertoire of uncanny and hilarious impersonations, including Bill Clinton and Ted Koppel, taking the show's political satire to new heights. This aspect of the writing task was assisted by some of the juiciest and most satire-worthy stories in years, including the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, the O. J. Simpson trial and the various Michael Jackson scandals. Will Ferrell was undoubtedly the keystone of this new cast and during his stint he performed superbly in all his partnerships, with Oteri, Shannon, Gasteyer and Kattan, as well as creating some devastatingly funny solo characters. One of his most popular impressions was his bellowing, belligerent parody of former US Attorney General Janet Reno. And like Carvey's Bush and MacDonald's robot-like Bob Dole, Ferrell's fake Reno continued the tradition of having the real-life target of the satire appear on the show to confront their tormentor. Ferrell stepped out as the star of the cast during the last show of the 1995-1996 season, where he appeared alongside guest Jim Carrey in nearly every sketch. This period featured many classic recurring sketches and characters, with radio and TV parodies featuring prominently. They included the NPR parody “The Delicious Dish” (Shannon and Gasteyer), “The Ladies Man” (Tim Meadows), the geeky Spartan Cheerleaders (Ferrell and Oteri), Ferrell and Gasteyer's starchy, husband-and-wife music teacher duo Marty Culp and Bobbi Mohan-Culp, Kattan's campy “Mango”, the brain-dead, disco-loving “Roxbury Guys” (Ferrell and Kattan), Shannon and Kattan's delightful “Goth Talk” and Molly Shannon's star-struck, accident-prone Catholic schoolgirl, Mary-Catherine Gallagher. This fine ensemble remained substantially unchanged for the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons, although the later series introduced important new cast members — Jimmy Fallon, Chris Parnell and Horatio Sanz. The only surprise departure was Norm MacDonald who left the series under a cloud in March 1998 and was replaced by Colin Quinn as Update anchor. It was reported that MacDonald was fired on the order of Don Ohlmeyer, who claimed the actor was “unpopular and unfunny” but it was widely thought that MacDonald had been fired because the executive — a close friend of O. J. Simpson, a regular Weekend Update target — had taken offense at MacDonald's persistent attacks on Simpson and his blatant suggestions that Simpson was guilty of slaying his wife. 1999-2000 was the last season for Colin Quinn, Cheri Oteri and Tim Meadows, but it also marked the arrival of two strong new female cast members, Rachel Dratch and Maya Rudolph (daughter of the late singer Minnie Riperton and a lifelong friend of actress Gwyneth Paltrow). Season Breakdown 1995-96 Season Opening Montage: Along with a virtually all new cast, this season also came with an all new opener. G.E. Smith leaves as band leader, and Lenny Pickett takes over. This montage has a theme similar to that of the NBC studios where SNL is broadcast, and consists of black and white images of the cast at a party, with purple and green titling. The SNL logo introduced here is used until the 2006-2007 season. Cast * Jim Breuer * Will Ferrell * Darrell Hammond * David Koechner * Norm MacDonald * Mark McKinney * Tim Meadows * Cheri Oteri * Molly Shannon * David Spade * Nancy Walls Featuring * Chris Kattan (debuts 03/16/96) * Colin Quinn * Fred Wolf (debuts 10/28/95) Notes * The only holdouts from the previous season were Meadows, Spade, Shannon, MacDonald and McKinney, and of the five only Meadows and Spade were true veterans. The latter three were still brand new (MacDonald had a few bit parts in 93, but nothing notable; McKinney and Shannon arrived in early 1995). Spade only stayed one final year to help bridge the gap between old and new casts. Meadows was allegedly kept mainly because NBC did not want be seen as eliminating all of their African-American performers in one fell swoop. * Koechner and Walls are fired at the end of the season. Most of the other new regulars go on to become quite popular. * Chris Kattan was added to the cast at midseason and made an immediate impact on the show, thus making Koechner and Walls expendable. 1996-97 Season Opening Montage: This montage also uses a "30 Rock" theme, and is virtually identical to the 1995 montage, but with brand new cast photos. Cast * Jim Breuer * Will Ferrell * Ana Gasteyer * Darrell Hammond * Chris Kattan * Norm MacDonald * Mark McKinney * Tim Meadows * Tracy Morgan * Cheri Oteri * Molly Shannon Featuring * Colin Quinn * Fred Wolf (final 10/19/96) Notes * Fred Wolf was a writer for the show since 1991, and he served a brief run as a featured player in 1995-96 and the first few weeks of 1996-1997. * McKinney left at the end of the season. * Ana Gasteyer and Tracy Morgan both join the cast, replacing David Koechner and Nancy Walls. 1997-98 Season Opening Montage This opener is the only montage in SNL's history that did not feature any images of New York City. Instead, it featured colored bars that spun and revealed each cast member photo, along with mention of a TV Funhouse cartoon appearing on some episodes and/or a special guest. Cast This season is the first since 1984-85 to have no featured players. * Jim Breuer * Will Ferrell * Ana Gasteyer * Darrell Hammond * Chris Kattan * Norm MacDonald (until March 14, 1998; he was fired after a dispute with NBC executive Don Ohlmeyer, who lost his own job a year later) * Tim Meadows * Tracy Morgan * Cheri Oteri * Colin Quinn * Molly Shannon Notes: * Tina Fey joins the writing staff. * Norm MacDonald's exit was widely publicized, with MacDonald appearing on such shows as Late Show with David Letterman and Howard Stern's radio show to discuss the ordeal. Both hosts comment that MacDonald was the show's sole funny aspect. Additionally, television ads for MacDonald's June 1998 film Dirty Work were initially not shown on any NBC broadcast. Adding to the publicity was Colin Quinn's takeover of Weekend Update in January 1998. * Jim Breuer is fired at the end of the season after a three year run. Rumors say he was fired for doing a show for MTV during the summer of 1998, which was a breach of his contract with NBC. 1998-99 Season Opening Montage: This montage was used for two seasons, including during SNL's 25th Anniversary season. It is similar to the 1997 montage in that various colored bars move and cross to reveal pictures, but the bars also contain various images from around New York, possibly due to criticism for the lack of New York culture in the previous season's montage. Cast * Will Ferrell * Ana Gasteyer * Darrell Hammond * Chris Kattan * Tim Meadows * Tracy Morgan * Cheri Oteri * Colin Quinn * Molly Shannon Featuring * Jimmy Fallon * Chris Parnell * Horatio Sanz Notes * The changing of the guard begins yet again as Parnell, Sanz and Fallon are groomed for stardom, replacing several reliable players who will leave over the next couple of years. 1999-2000 Season Opening Montage: This montage is the same as the 1998 season with little-to-no changes. One difference is that the SNL logo now has a small "25" superscript after it to commemorate its 25th Anniversary and season 24 featured players, Jimmy Fallon, Horatio Sanz, and Chris Parnell are now added to the main cast while Rachel Dratch (and later Maya Rudolph for the last 3 episodes of the season) would be added in the featured player credits. Cast * Jimmy Fallon * Will Ferrell * Ana Gasteyer * Darrell Hammond * Chris Kattan * Tim Meadows * Tracy Morgan * Cheri Oteri * Chris Parnell * Colin Quinn * Horatio Sanz * Molly Shannon Featuring * Rachel Dratch (first 10/23/99) * Maya Rudolph (first 5/6/00) Notes * Quinn and Oteri leave at the end of the season, as does Meadows after nearly a decade on SNL. * The season was preceded by a live primetime broadcast commemorating the show's 25-year history. Over three hours in length, the Emmy-winning special included appearances by not only current and former cast members, but also from a wide variety of past guest hosts and musical acts. Pre-recorded segments were interspliced into the live broadcast; some of these did not make it to air and were shown on later 1999-2000 season episodes. Chris Rock performed the monologue. The featured musical acts were Elvis Costello featuring the Beastie Boys, Al Green and the Eurythmics. Former SNL band leader G.E. Smith played with the current house band during the special. According to the IMDB, each and every living host and musical guest were invited to the show, except for O.J. Simpson. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
RX_Sith Title: C&G Game Host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 11/2/06 1:52pm Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Saturday Night Live" 2000-2005)
	Next up is SNL (2000-2005). (from wiki) The early 21st century The 2000-2001 season of Saturday Night Live began yet another transitional phase. Old faces like Colin Quinn, Tim Meadows and Cheri Oteri were gone. Molly Shannon would leave midseason (she stayed as long as she did—six and a half years—to ensure that she would leave as the longest-running female cast member on SNL, although her record still comes very close to Victoria Jackson's and would be topped by Rachel Dratch). Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell still dominated the show, but more and more time was given to newer cast members such as Horatio Sanz (who was groomed to be a new Chris Farley or John Belushi) and Jimmy Fallon. Fallon was the latest example in the marked difference in modern SNL compared to the early years, in that he was marketed as a personality, and his gift at impressions was slowly but surely sidelined so that he could play variations of Jimmy Fallon in most of his sketches. Although Fallon was quite popular, many believed that he and Sanz were far too derivative of Farley and Sandler, right down to Fallon playing the guitar and singing during Weekend Update. Both men were also criticized for their "breaking up" during many sketches—laughing through their lines and needling other cast members into doing the same. This became more and more common, in spite of the fact that Lorne Michaels swore his show would never become so insular or amateurish (one of the things he despised about The Carol Burnett Show). In 1999, Tina Fey became the show's first female head writer. SNL had always had female writers but they often had little to no voice over the pacing of the show, sometimes not even their own sketches. With Colin Quinn's highly uneven "Weekend Update" tenure over, Lorne Michaels scrambled to find a different sort of format for the aging concept. He gambled on having Fey co-anchor with Jimmy Fallon, the first co-anchorship since Christine Ebersole and Brian Doyle-Murray in the early '80s. Fallon's frat boy antics and Tina's droll, knowing smirks were warmly welcomed by fans. Tina quickly moved from writer to featured player and within a year was a contract player. The 2000 season was also noted for its well-received spoofing of that year's presidential campaign, with adroit critiques of all the primary nominees, but especially Al Gore and George W. Bush. The two candidates even appeared (separately) on a primetime special with the cast in fall 2000. Darrell Hammond's portrayal of Gore parodied the candidate's varying personas at the three presidential debates so well that Gore and his advisors watched the sketches to get a grip on his public perception. Ferrell's Bush impression—full of smirks, tics, and aw-shucks contempt—rocketed him to superstardom and in the process coined the term "strategery" in a sketch mocking Bush's propensity for mispronunciations. But the first season premiere after the September 11, 2001 attacks opened with former New York City mayor Rudy Guiliani and police officers, signifying that the New York-based series was both deeply affected by the terrorist attack and also reluctant to harshly criticize the president. As a result, the political commentary was scaled back from 2001-2003 or so. The 2004 season began with parodies of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential debates, but they were far from hard-hitting and did little more than remind viewers that the show had over the decades gone from counterculture to safe and mainstream. The exception remained Robert Smigel's cartoons (one had the X-Presidents rescuing black Florida voters from prison camps), so hard-hitting and unrepentant that they seemed to be dropped in from another universe. In 2001, the supporting player Chris Parnell was fired. Less than six months later, he was rehired, marking the first time since Jim Belushi's dismissal in 1983 that SNL had ever fired and then rehired any cast member. The 2001-2002 season also marked the arrival of improvisational mastermind Amy Poehler, who was well-liked by fans due to her wide range and impressions and high spirits, in spite of a lack of strong material. One of the bright spots of these shows was Tracy Morgan, whose Brian Fellows' "Safari Planet" talk show host ("I'm Brian Fellows!") garnered plenty of laughs. Morgan left in 2003 to become one of many SNL alumni to have a flop sitcom (The Tracy Morgan Show). More changes occurred when Ferrell left in 2002 and Kattan left in 2003, followed by Jimmy Fallon in 2004. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler co-anchored Weekend Update, the first time that two women were given the job. The show soldiered on, for the first time in many years[citation needed] having no "stars" to fall back on or popular recurring characters to hide behind. During 2000-2005, the show began a constant cycle of cast members coming and going. The previous incarnations had been known for large amount of cast members being added at the same time, but now the show tends to take a couple of cast members in and lose a couple of cast members each year. Some criticize that this method results in a lack of chemistry, as you have cast members at various points in their SNL careers acting together, as compared to a group of new cast members growing up together. On the other hand, constantly adding new cast members insures that there will always be something new to see. A significant if embarrassing event in the career of pop singer Ashlee Simpson occurred, live, on October 24, 2004. Simpson's second performance of the evening opened with the sound of her pre-recorded voice heard singing the song she had already performed earlier. Despite a quick fadeout, it was obvious that what was heard was not the live voice of the singer. A flustered Simpson did an improvised dance and then left the stage. The New York Times summarized the incident in the words, "Ailing Singer Needed Lip-Sync, Father Says," and said that it "exposed the pop singer Ashlee Simpson's use of prerecorded vocals on live television." Simpson's father said that her use of a prerecorded track was necessitated that evening by hoarseness caused by acid reflux disease. The incident subsequently inspired several comic SNL skits. When questioned by reporters, Lorne Michaels initially denied, then acknowledged that this was not the first time so-called "backing tracks" had ever been used on SNL. In October 2005, Simpson returned as a musical guest, performing without incident. Season breakdown 2000-01 season Opening montage: This newest SNL montage again contains various shots from around New York and has the cast members shown in a night club. The music that would accompany the opening credits for the next three years would garner some criticism from some SNL "purists" because of its heavy use of turntables and DJ equipment. Cast * Jimmy Fallon * Will Ferrell * Ana Gasteyer * Darrell Hammond * Chris Kattan * Tracy Morgan * Chris Parnell * Horatio Sanz * Molly Shannon (final: 02.17.01) Featuring * Rachel Dratch * Tina Fey * Jerry Minor * Maya Rudolph Notes * After seven years, Molly Shannon leaves the cast mid-season, completing what was the longest tenure of any female cast member until Rachel Dratch left the show in 2006. * Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon take over the "Weekend Update" desk, making them the first WU duo since Brian Doyle-Murray and Christine Ebersole in 1982. * Chris Parnell is fired at the end of this season, only to return the following year. * This is Jerry Minor's only season on SNL--resulting in a joke that he had "lived up to his last name" as a cast member. He was fired from the show, something that fellow cast member Chris Parnell called a "high crime." 2001-02 season Opening montage: The opening montage is the same as the 2000-01 season, save for cast changes. Cast * Rachel Dratch * Jimmy Fallon * Will Ferrell * Tina Fey * Ana Gasteyer * Darrell Hammond * Chris Kattan * Tracy Morgan * Chris Parnell (returned: 03.02.02) * Amy Poehler * Maya Rudolph * Horatio Sanz Featuring * Dean Edwards * Seth Meyers * Jeff Richards, the first (and so far only) castmember from MADtv to cross over to Saturday Night Live. Notes * Chris Parnell returns after being fired by Lorne Michaels over budget issues less than a year earlier. * After seven seasons, Will Ferrell leaves the show after having become the highest paid cast member in SNL's history. * The last segment of the season finale featured an homage to Will Ferrell by his fellow castmates reflecting on his personality, talent, and what he brought to the show. It remains one of the only full-fledged farewells to a longtime cast member in the long history of SNL. In one particular clip, Chris Parnell reveals that he was previously fired but that Ferrell lobbied executives for his eventual return. * Ana Gasteyer goes on maternity leave at the end of this season. After her daughter, Frances McKittrick, is born, she decides not to return to the show. * Amy Poehler is upgraded to a contract player during the latter part of this season, mostly likely due to Ana Gasteyer's pregnancy. 2002-03 Season Opening montage: Basically a "film negative" version of the 2000 montage, using new effects when displaying the cast's title cards. Cast * Rachel Dratch * Jimmy Fallon * Tina Fey * Darrell Hammond * Chris Kattan * Tracy Morgan * Chris Parnell * Amy Poehler * Maya Rudolph * Horatio Sanz Featuring * Fred Armisen * Dean Edwards * Will Forte * Seth Meyers * Jeff Richards Notes * After the season is over, Dean Edwards and producers mutually agree he is not right for the show, and Dean is let go. * Chris Kattan and Tracy Morgan leave the show but make so many guest appearances during the 2003-04 season that their departure is barely noticed. 2003-04 season Opening montage: A brand new opening for 2003 has a Grand Central Station theme, with a "first-person" camera following the cast members who are found around various sections of the subway, and local eateries. Possibly the most "hi-tech" (for its time) of the show's montages since the 1984 season. Cast * Rachel Dratch * Jimmy Fallon * Tina Fey * Will Forte * Darrell Hammond * Seth Meyers * Chris Parnell * Amy Poehler * Jeff Richards (final: 01.17.04) * Maya Rudolph * Horatio Sanz Featuring * Fred Armisen * Finesse Mitchell * Kenan Thompson Notes * This opener does not credit the Saturday Night Live band. * Will Forte, Seth Meyers and Jeff Richards are upgraded to contract players for this season. * Mitchell and Thompson replace Morgan and Edwards as the show's male minority cast members. * Kenan Thompson becomes the first former cast member of Nickelodeon's sketch comedy show All That to join SNL's cast. He is also the first cast member to be younger than SNL itself (he was born in 1978). * Jeff Richards mysteriously disappears from the cast after 01/17 broadcast. He is believed to have been fired from the show as a result of unreliable performances. In an interview, Richards said he left on his own terms. * Jimmy Fallon announces on the last "Weekend Update" of the season that it would be his final show. 2004-05 season Opening montage: Another brand new montage for 2004 opens on a shot of the Brooklyn Bridge, and basically shows the cast engaging in conversations around a local night club. The previous season's montage did not allow much flexibility for cast changes. The stage still has the Grand Central Station theme. Cast * Fred Armisen * Rachel Dratch * Tina Fey * Will Forte * Darrell Hammond * Seth Meyers * Chris Parnell * Amy Poehler * Maya Rudolph * Horatio Sanz Featuring * Finesse Mitchell * Rob Riggle * Jason Sudeikis (first: 05.07.05) * Kenan Thompson Notes * Fred Armisen is upgraded to a contract player. * Rob Riggle; a former US Marine; joins the cast as a featured player, in what would be his only season. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
RX_Sith Title: C&G Game Host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 11/10/06 6:50am Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Saturday Night Live" Weekend Update)
	Next up is discussion about SNL's Weekend Update. Weekend Update is a Saturday Night Live sketch which comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typically presented in the middle of the show immediately after the first musical performance. Each season one or two of the players is cast in the role of news anchor, telling jokes based on current events and acting as host(s) for occasional editorials, commentaries, or other performances by other cast members or guests. Many fans consider this the best sketch on Saturday Night Live. History The Chevy Chase Era (1975-1976) Weekend Update was created by original anchor Chevy Chase and SNL writer Herb Sargent, and appeared on the first SNL broadcast on October 11, 1975. Chase popularized several catch phrases during the segment, such as his "I'm Chevy Chase and you're not" greeting, and his repeated announcement that "Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead." In addition, the practice of a picture insert of a person simultaneously giving the news read in sign language for the hearing impaired was parodied by Garrett Morris. Chase would sometimes repeat the top story at the end of the segment, while Morris simply cupped his mouth and shouted the headline more loudly. The Jane Curtin Era (1976-1980) Jane Curtin replaced Chase a few shows into Season 2 when he left in 1976 and remained as anchor until 1980. Curtin finished Season 2 solo, but was paired with a co-anchors Dan Aykroyd (1977-78) and Bill Murray (1978-1980). A frequent feature of Update during this time was Point-Counterpoint, in which Curtin and Aykroyd made vicious and humorously inappropriate ad hominem attacks on each other's positions on a variety of topics, in a parody of the 60 Minutes segment of the same name which pitted conservative James J. Kilpatrick and liberal Shana Alexander during the 1970s. Aykroyd regularly began his reply with "Jane, you ignorant slut," which became another of the many SNL catch phrases. Other popular running features were John Belushi giving editorials which become increasingly hysterical until he is raving at the end; Gilda Radner's characters Roseanne Roseannadanna giving obnoxiously irrelevant editorials and Emily Litella launching a tirade on a subject she misheard yet again. (See Saturday Night Live characters appearing on Weekend Update.) During Curtin's tenure as host, she closed each Weekend Update segment with "That's the news, goodnight and have a pleasant tomorrow." The Charles Rocket Era (1980-1981) Much like the rest of SNL, the segment floundered somewhat after the departure of the original cast and producer Lorne Michaels in 1980, though it was arguably the "high point" of the show in an otherwise dismal season. Charles Rocket (later teamed with Gail Matthius) anchored during the ill-fated one-season tenure of new executive producer Jean Doumanian. After Rocket was fired from the show in 1981, he appeared one final time for the 03/07/81 broadcast. Chevy Chase hosted the show, and anchored WU on 04/11/81, the final show of the sixth season (he had done the same during his two previous times hosting, in 1978 and 1980). SNL Newsbreak (1981-1982) Dick Ebersol, executive producer of SNL from 1981 to 1985, didn't make the renamed SNL Newsbreak segment a high priority. The anchor position changed hands frequently, especially during the 1981 season which saw anchor Brian Doyle-Murray teamed first with Mary Gross, then going solo for three months, then back with Mary Gross for one more month before finally being teamed with Christine Ebersole for the remainder of the season. However, both Murray and Ebersole were gone by the next year. Saturday Night News The Brad Hall Era (1982-1983) Brad Hall took over the desk of Saturday Night News (as it came to be known) for the 1982 and most of the 1983 season. Though he could master the straightforward delivery style of actual news anchors, he was at best mildly received by the audience. Ebersol quietly toyed with the idea of replacing Hall, at one point even offering the job to Hall's fellow cast member and friend Tim Kazurinsky, who turned down the position, seeing the offer as somewhat underhanded. Regardless, Ebersol sacked Hall of his position at the desk at the end of 1983. Guest Anchors (1983-1984) For the rest of the season, and into the next, there was no regular anchor at all, and both cast members and SNL guest hosts took turns at the chair (Hall himself left the show at the end of the 1983-84 season). The Christopher Guest Era (1984-1985) In December 1984, Christopher Guest resumed duty as permanent anchor, although his tenure was short-lived, as Guest (as well as the rest of the cast) was off the show by next season. The Dennis Miller Era (1985-1991) In 1985, Michaels returned to the show, bringing back the Weekend Update name with him. The new anchor was the acerbic Dennis Miller, who made the segment his own and remained in the chair for six years. The opening was a parody of the NBC News openings of the mid-1980s, using different songs to open the sequence. Miller's six year tenure as anchor was the longest in SNL's history until Tina Fey tied and later surpassed his record during the 2005-2006 season. Miller usually closed his Weekend Update segments with "That's the news and I am outa' here!" Miller left in 1991; his long success with the segment (whose formula has continued to be a staple of his own series' since leaving SNL) made naming a replacement a challenge, especially considering that Dennis brought respectability back to the segment, after the creative quagmire it had been in. The Kevin Nealon Era (1991-1994) Kevin Nealon took over with his low-key style and delivery reminiscent of former anchor Brad Hall. However, the audience welcomed Nealon, with his "Mr. Subliminal" character and as the straightman in many highlights such as "Operaman" and "Cajun Man" (with both characters being played by Adam Sandler). Nealon had a three-year stint at the Update desk before requesting his departure, as he felt his time behind the desk was drawing away from other acting opportunities on the show. Nealon returned for his final season in 1994, making him the only solo anchor to return the following season after having been relieved of his Update duties (albeit voluntarily). The Norm MacDonald Era (1994-1997) Nealon's successor was Norm MacDonald, who began the segment with "I'm Norm MacDonald, and here's the fake news." Chevy Chase once deemed MacDonald the only anchor since Chase himself to have "done it right". MacDonald's sometimes controversial comedic style differed greatly from other anchors before and since. He relied heavily on running gags (such as repeated references to Frank Stallone, David Hasselhoff, and Demi Moore's breasts), stereotypes, and general outrageousness, including audacious attacks on public figures such as O.J. Simpson and Michael Jackson. His deadpan delivery inspired devoted fans as well as ardent opponents. Much like the 1980 season many years earlier, Weekend Update during MacDonald's first year at the desk was considered a "high-point" in a season when ratings, substance and laughter were lacking. By 1997, however, it appeared to some that his style had grown stale. On certain nights he would preside over entire Update sketches receiving nothing more than a few minor chuckles from the studio audience. His stint as Weekend Update anchor ended in controversy in December 1997, when he was sacked upon the insistence of NBC West Coast Executive Don Ohlmeyer, who, ironically, had earlier pushed Lorne to put MacDonald behind the Update desk in 1994. Ohlmeyer, a friend of Simpson's, was reportedly upset by MacDonald's frequent jokes at the expense of the former football player. The Colin Quinn Era (1998-2000) MacDonald was replaced by Colin Quinn, who started on the first episode of 1998 and served through the 1999-2000 season. At the beginning of his first show, Quinn gave a short monologue implying that Norm had shown him "the ropes" to being a Weekend Update anchor. Quinn asked the audience if they had ever gone to their favorite bar looking for their favorite bartender and found out the bartender had been replaced (by a less qualified man named "Steve"). After a brief pause, Quinn looked flatly at the audience and proclaimed, "Well I'm Steve." Among other major media circuses of the late 1990s, Quinn presided over much of the highly publicized Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal and the Microsoft Anti-Trust Trial. However, he was typecast as a boorish New Yorker, and well as his consistent stuttering and fumbling of words made him only moderately popular with the audience. Quinn left the show in 2000. The Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon Era (2000-2004) Over the summer of 2000, cast members auditioned to be replacements. Among the candidates were two duos: Ana Gasteyer and Chris Parnell; and Jimmy Fallon and writer Tina Fey. The latter group got the nod, and they made their first on-air appearance that October. The Fallon-Fey team caught on with viewers quickly. However, many critics panned the writing citing that much of the segment was beginning to take after The Daily Show, relying heavily on political humor and video footage, particularly during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Fallon was criticized for his inability to keep a straight face while delivering jokes. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Era (2004-2006) After a popular four-year run, Fallon left to pursue a film career in 2004, and was replaced by Fey's longtime friend and fellow cast member Amy Poehler as co-anchor, giving the sketch its first two-woman anchor team. The 2005 season began with Poehler returning behind the desk, however Fey temporarily left the show after giving birth to her first child, and was replaced briefly by Horatio Sanz as co-anchor. Fey returned to the show in October for the season's third live episode. The 2005-06 season finale's Weekend Update ended with an apparent sendoff for Fey, who is now writing and starring in a prime time sitcom, 30 Rock, that premiered on NBC in October 2006. Fey officially announced her departure from SNL in July 2006. The Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers Era (2006-Present) Amy Poehler has continued with new co-anchor Seth Meyers for the 2006-2007 season.[1] Weekend Update anchors A total of 30 people have anchored the Weekend Update desk...some more memorable than others. Below is a complete list of any and all who have served as an anchor at one time, or another, and the season(s) which they served. Note that throughout most of 1984 different cast members, special guests, or the weekly host handled the task. Those individuals - denoted in italics - are also listed below: Season 1 (1975-76): * Weekend Update with Chevy Chase Season 2 (1976-77): * Weekend Update with Chevy Chase (Last: 30 OCT 1976) * Weekend Update with Jane Curtin (First: 25 SEP 1976) Chase began the season as anchor on September 18, but missed the next two episodes due to an injury sustained while performing a sketch in the season's first episode. He was replaced by Curtin during his absence. Chase returned to the show (and to the Weekend Update desk) October 16-30. Jane Curtin permanently took over Weekend Update beginning November 13. Season 3 (1977-78):' * Weekend Update with Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd Seasons 4 & 5 (1978-80): * Weekend Update with Jane Curtin and Bill Murray Season 6 (1980-81): * Weekend Update with Charles Rocket * Weekend Update with Charles Rocket and Gail Matthius (10 JAN 1981 - 21 FEB 1981) * SNL NewsLine with Charles Rocket (07 MAR 1981) * Weekend Update with Chevy Chase (11 APR 1981) Season 7 (1981-82): * SNL NewsBreak with Brian Doyle-Murray and Mary Gross (03 OCT 1981 - 17 OCT 1981) * SNL NewsBreak with Brian Doyle-Murray (31 OCT 1981 - 06 FEB 1982) * SNL NewsBreak with Brian Doyle-Murray and Mary Gross (20 FEB 1982 - 20 MAR 1982) * SNL NewsBreak with Brian Doyle-Murray and Christine Ebersole (27 MAR 1982 - 22 MAY 1982) Season 8 (1982-83): * Saturday Night News with Brad Hall Season 9 (1983-84): (Cast member unless otherwise noted) * Saturday Night News with Brad Hall (Last: 21 JAN 1984) * Saturday Night News with host Don Rickles (28 JAN 1984) * Saturday Night News with host Robin Williams (11 FEB 1984) * Saturday Night News with Joe Piscopo (18 FEB 1984) * Saturday Night News with special guest Edwin Newman (25 FEB 1984) * Saturday Night News with host Billy Crystal (as Fernando Lamas) (17 MAR 1984) * Saturday Night News with host Michael Douglas (07 APR 1984) * Saturday Night News with host George McGovern (14 APR 1984) * Saturday Night News with host Billy Crystal (as Fernando Lamas) (05 MAY 1984) * Saturday Night News with special guest Edwin Newman (12 MAY 1984) Season 10 (1984-85): (Cast member unless otherwise noted) * Saturday Night News with Billy Crystal (as Fernando Lamas) (06 OCT 1984) * Saturday Night News with host Bob Uecker (13 OCT 1984) * Saturday Night News with host Jesse Jackson (20 OCT 1984) * Saturday Night News with special guest Edwin Newman (03 NOV 1984) * Saturday Night News with host George Carlin (10 NOV 1984) * Saturday Night News with host Ed Asner (17 NOV 1984) * Saturday Night News with Christopher Guest (01 DEC 1984 - 13 APR 1985) Seasons 11 - 16 (1985-91): * Weekend Update with Dennis Miller Seasons 17 - 19 (1991-94): * Weekend Update with Kevin Nealon Seasons 20 - 22 (1994-97): * Weekend Update with Norm Macdonald Season 23 (1997-98): * Weekend Update with Norm Macdonald (Last: 13 DEC 1997) * Weekend Update with Colin Quinn (First: 10 JAN 1998) Seasons 24 & 25 (1998-2000): * Weekend Update with Colin Quinn Seasons 26 - 29 (2000-04): * Weekend Update with Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey Season 30 (2004-05): * Weekend Update with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Season 31 (2005-06) * Weekend Update with Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz (Last: 08 OCT 2005) (billed as Weekend Update with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler) * Weekend Update with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (First: 22 OCT 2005) Season 32 (2006-07) * Weekend Update with Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers Weekend Update anchors: the tote board As of October 7, 2006 Name Appearances as WU anchor Total number of appearances Tina Fey - 117 117 Dennis Miller 110 1 111 Jane Curtin 20 60 80 Jimmy Fallon - 80 80 Norm Macdonald 69 - 69 Kevin Nealon 61 - 61 Colin Quinn 49 - 49 Bill Murray - 40 40 Amy Poehler - 40 40 Chevy Chase 29 2 31 Brad Hall 30 - 30 Brian Doyle-Murray 8 12 20 Dan Aykroyd - 20 20 Charles Rocket 6 6 12 Christopher Guest 11 - 11 Christine Ebersole - 6 6 Mary Gross - 6 6 Gail Matthius - 6 6 Edwin Newman 3 - 3 Billy Crystal (Fernando)3 - 3 Seth Meyers - 3 3 Horatio Sanz - 2 2 Ed Asner 1 - 1 George Carlin 1 - 1 Michael Douglas 1 - 1 Jesse Jackson 1 - 1 George McGovern 1 - 1 Joe Piscopo 1 - 1 Don Rickles 1 - 1 Bob Uecker 1 - 1 Robin Williams 1 - 1 Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 11/11/06 4:39pm Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "SNL's Weekend Update")
	I have to admit that I haven't seen most of these...
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
RX_Sith Title: C&G Game Host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 11/15/06 5:23pm Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "American Bandstand")
	Next up is American Bandstand. Originally on: ABC (60 min.) Status: Ended Premiered: August 5, 1957 Last Aired: October 7, 1989 Show Categories: Variety Shows, Talk Shows American Bandstand American Bandstand, the most popular rock-n-roll dance show of all time introduced us to many of the hottest dance moves over the years and became a part of American television history by bringing rock-and-roll music into millions of households. This long-running dance show was hosted by "America's oldest teenager," Dick Clark. Regular features on AB were "Rate-A-Record," "The Spotlight Dance," AB's "Dance Contest" and the AB "TOP TEN." American Bandstand began as a local Philadelphia dance show called Bandstand on October 13-17, 1952 on WFIL-TV Channel 6 and Dick Clark brought this show to national attention on August 5-9, 1957 when the show first debuted on ABC-TV. It was a daily fixture from its premiere up to August 30, 1963 when the show found its permanent home on Saturday afternoons beginning on September 7, 1963. Not only did the schedule change, but the show itself moved from its home in Philadelphia, PA to its new permanent home in Los Angeles, CA on February 8, 1964. But despite the changes, American Bandstand's fans remained loyal to the series, which continued to present the latest music and dances. It even inspired another long-running dance show, Soul Train, which is still running today. American Bandstand's long association with ABC ended on September 5, 1987. The series returned 2 weeks later on September 19, 1987 in first-run syndication and on April 8, 1989, American Bandstand made another move, this time to the USA cable network. It also featured a new host, David Hirsch. This version lasted only 6 months with the final show airing on October 7, 1989. In 1995, VH-1 began showing classic episodes of American Bandstand. These edited into 30-minute reruns featured many of the stars that the show had made famous. Bandstand (local Philadelphia show) Air Dates "Bob Horn's Bandstand" (local series hosted by Bob Horn) October 13, 1952 - July 6, 1956 "Bandstand" (local series hosted by Dick Clark) July 9, 1956 - August 2, 1957 American Bandstand Air Dates Weekday Afternoon shows (ABC-TV network, Monday-Friday) August 5, 1957 - August 30, 1963 Broadcast times: August 5, 1957-November 15, 1957 - AB airs from 3:00pm to 4:30pm. November 18, 1957-September 26, 1958 - AB was split into 2 shows airing from 3:00pm to 3:30pm and from 4:00 to 5:00pm and in the middle of AB is Who Do You Trust?! September 29, 1958-September 29, 1961 - one show airing from 4:00pm to 5:30pm . October 2, 1961-September 28, 1962 - from 4:00pm to 4:50pm* October 1, 1962-August 30, 1963 - from 4:00pm to 4:55pm.* *From October 2, 1961 to August 30, 1963...AB has been followed by abc NEWS presents "AMERICAN NEWSSTAND." Nighttime shows (ABC network, Monday Nights 7:30-8:00pm) October 7, 1957 - December 30, 1957 In addition to the weekday shows, American Bandstand had a 13-week nighttime run. (Note: This shouldn't be confused with Dick Clark's Saturday Night Beechnut Show, which ran from February 15, 1958 to September 10, 1960.) Saturday Afternoon shows (abc-TV network) September 7, 1963 - September 5, 1987 The air times are shuffled for 23 years for 1 hour from 12:30pm to 2:30pm on Saturdays from September 7, 1963 to September 6, 1986. For AB's Last Season on ABC-TV airs from 12:30pm to 1:00pm from September 13, 1986 to September 5, 1987. Syndicated episodes September 19, 1987 - August 27, 1988 (According to some sources the syndicated series ran through April 1, 1989. But we haven't been able to find any listings past August 27, 1988.) USA Cable Network (Saturday afternoons) April 8, 1989 - October 7, 1989 airs at from 12Noon to 1:00pm (hosted by David Hirsch). There are currently plans to re-launch American Bandstand in January 2006. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 11/15/06 9:34pm Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "American Bandstand")
	I don't think they relaunched it...
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
RX_Sith Title: C&G Game Host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 11/24/06 5:00pm Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "American Idol")
	Next up is American Idol. (from TV.com) Airs Next: FOX at Tuesday 8:00 PM (60 min.) Status: Returning Series Premiered: June 11, 2002 Show Categories: Reality, Action/Adventure This hit FOX musical reality series follows three judges, Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul, along with host Ryan Seacrest around the United States in search of the next American Idol, a pop star that truly shines above all the rest. With help from the viewers, they will decide from thousands of participants who will walk away with a record deal and the fame and fortune that is sure to come along with it. This is the American version of Pop Idol airing in the UK, where Simon Cowell is also a judge. This show also lead to a short-lived spinoff with younger singers called American Juniors. Starting Sept 30 2006, Re-runs from the previous 5 seasons will air, under the title of "American Idol: Rewind". Previous winners: Season 1: Kelly Clarkson Season 2: Ruben Studdard Season 3: Fantasia Barrino Season 4: Carrie Underwood Season 5: Taylor Hicks Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 11/24/06 7:00pm Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "American Idol")
	Clarkson is frankly pretty good. The others? Not so much.
	Post Reply \| Quote Reply \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History

« 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 » - Previous | Next | Reload