Saturday Night Live...

[noel711]

has been pretty lame since the departure of the biggies: Molly Shannon, Ana Gastyer, and Will Farrell, Chris Kattan, Tracy Morgan, Tim Meadows, etc. Darrell Hammond seems to be the only one with gravitas..
But recently I've been seeing the subtle comic genius of Fred Armison. His characters have some depth to them, but he seems to take the background. SEen his Prince character? Hilarious.
Maya Rudolph has some comedy chops, (loved her mother, Minnie Ripperton), but SNL needs more adult humor; too much blatant fraternity house stuff that formerly belonged to Mad TV.

[hippiechick]

1. I'm from the old school

... and SNL has sucked since the originals left ... Ackroyd, Belushi, Curtin, Radner, Newman ... and a little-known writer/ comedian named Al Franken.

THAT was adult humor.
THAT was Saturday Night Live.


:hippie:

[0007]

10. ....am with ya on that one sweets!

The new school just isn't getting it on for me>

[lonestarnot]

11. Lost its charm when the real biggies exited...Gilda Radner, Dan Akroid

Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, John can't spell his last name.

[Bronco69]

2. Horatio Sans is just plain NOT funny.

Rachel Dretch is ok, and who is that beefy new guy? I forgot his name, but DAMN! He is cute!

[THUNDER HANDS]

3. the black guy in the new Fat Albert movie?

Keenan Thompson, I think. He used to be on Nickelodeon.

I like Rachel Dretch too, and the other blonde chick who does Weekend Update. And Fred Armisen and the John Kerry guy.

I think the problem with SNL though, is Tina Fey. She's a horrible writer and does most of the skits.

[Bronco69]

5. No, he's a white guy kind of looks like Kevin Neelan a little bit.

eom

[THUNDER HANDS]

7. his name is Rob Riggle

the reason he's so big is because he's ex-Army. Served in Kosovo and Afghanistan.

Also did some Upright Citizen's Brigade work too.

This is his first season on SNL.

[Kahuna]

8. You may be right about Fey. There seems to be some talent..

to work with. So, it must be the writing.

[Kahuna]

9. Sans has no timing. You can't be a comedian if you don't have timing.

He says something that he thinks should be funny and pauses for a laugh. When the laugh doesn's come, he provides it for himself. Not cool.

[asthmaticeog]

4. Armisen's flat out brilliant.

I have a video he made guerrilla-style at a South by Southwest music conference in Austin several years ago, interviewing members of prominent bands in various guises (when interviewing Steve Albini, he poses as mentally retarded; when interviewing John Hyatt, he plays a blind man under the misapprehension that Hyatt is Japanese; he pretends to be the talent buyer for a prominent club and gives hopeful young bands AWFUL advice on how to get booked, and on and on), and it's one of the goddamn funniest things that's ever come down the pike. I was floored when he turned up on SNL - I'm glad they've finally stopped underutilizing him.

[Kahuna]

6. I agree with your post 100%...

:thumbsup:

[robbedvoter]

12. Reading the so called "biggies" made me so sad...Sic transit gloria mundi

The reason Belushi, Ackroyd, Murray, Ratner were grand, was not just for being comediens. Not even just for writing their own material. What was grand then, SNL was actually satire ( the means by which the powerless speak truth to power). Turn this upside down and you get bad taste - like kicking an infirm, or Rush Limpball (Molly Ivins said it better, but I don't have the quote).
SNL lost their moral compass/courage- therefore stopped being funny. Many years ago.

[charlyvi]

13. Exactly.....

The original SNLer's were magic--that perfect chemistry and leeway to do what they wanted with it. But that was another time. How do you have true satire in an age where Jerry Falwell can co-host a major news network's political showcase program and no one sees anything wrong with it. Irony, satire, true political humor is almost dead in America. Thanks for letting me vent.

[Buddyblazon]

14. Come on guys.....

SNL waxes and wanes. It's good for awhile...then it sucks for awhile...but it's never gotten worse than the Anthony Michael Hall years.

The loss of Jimmy Fallon hurt. The Fat Albert guy has some talent...he's made me laugh a couple of times.

And the guy that does the shrub now...very funny. Gets the vacant look down better than anybody.


SNL will be back. Just in a lull this season...and it really isn't THAT bad.