Saturday Night Live Archives

RPadTV 3000 Episode 16: John Foster | SNL Isn’t Funny Anymore

Award winning author John Foster (Leech, Rooster) dropped by to chat about Saturday Night Live with me. Before we got into the meat of the conversation, John spoke a bit about his latest book and what’s coming next. Also among the appetizers is a little rant on how much I hate when people say, “SNL isn’t funny anymore.” It’s such a lazy and thoughtless thing to say. It’s something I’ve been hearing from stupid people since high school and I hate it. So. Much.

With four cast members leaving (Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, and Kyle Mooney), I fully expect some morons to say, “Saturday Night Live isn’t funny anymore,” throughout next season. The thing is, SNL is always funny. Sure, it has peaks and valleys like anything else, but writing, producing, and performing a live sketch comedy show is extraordinarily difficult. And for the most part, everyone involved with the show pulls it off.

Beyond that, SNL is always the funniest when you’ve invested the most time into it. For most people that’s usually in their teens or 20s. There are elements of emotional investment and nostalgia when people remember when SNL was best to them. Saying, “SNL isn’t funny anymore,” is inaccurate at best and flat-out dumb at worst. It may not be as funny to you as it was in the past, but humor evolves and mainstream tastes change.

At the end of the day, SNL is always funny.

Anyway, getting back to my wonderful conversation with John Foster, we spoke about:

Coffee Talk #643: Your Favorite Recurring SNL Sketches

After doing website “research” on the “Barry Gibb Talk Show” sketch from Saturday Night Live, I started thinking about my favorite SNL sketches of all time. After performing more “research,” I was bummed to discover that classic bits like “Church Lady” and “Wayne’s World” haven’t held up. I figured that Will Ferrell would have some of my favorite recurring characters, but most of the bits I love from him are one-offs like the outstanding “Behind the Music: More Cowbell” sketch. The exception, of course, is his stellar work in “Celebrity Jeopardy.” In addition to those excellent bits and the “Barry Gibb Talk Show,” there are two other recurring SNL sketches that still slay me. Naturally, I want to hear all about your favorites, but before we get to that, let’s take a look at three recurring SNL sketches.

[Note: I didn’t count “Weekend Update” since that sketch has had a number of hosts…and Norm MacDonald was inarguably the best one.]

“Celebrity Jeopardy” — As much as I loved Will Ferrell playing a straight Alex Trebek, the best part of these SNL sketches were his nemeses. Darrell Hammond rocked it as Sean Connery, constantly insulting Trebek and his mother. His misreadings of categories ruled too — “An Album Cover” became “Anal Bum Cover” and “Therapists” became “The Rapists.” Norm MacDonald did some great work in these bits too, as a rude and idiotic Burt Reynolds. That’s not to undermine Ferrell’s role in these bits; he was the glue that held everything together.

“Brian Fellow’s Safari Planet” — For 10 years, Tracy Morgan was phenomenal in these recurring SNL sketches. He did a wonderful job of infusing Brian Fellow with innocence and belligerence, with just a bit of intelligence. His vacant facials expressions while he blurted out, “I’m Brian Fellow!” and, “That’s crazy!” always crack me up. He’s had great guests to play off of and with. Reverend Al Sharpton did a great job as Brian’s brother, Ryan Fellow.

“The Ambiguously Gay Duo” — These SNL sketches were loaded with talent, featuring the voices of Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell. They’re so silly that it’s hard not to laugh. How can you keep a straight face while watching the Duo fly in a…suggestive position?

Your Turn — I’ve probably left off several SNL sketches that I love. It’s hard going through 40 years of TV shows and not all of them are available online. Naturally, we all have different senses of humor. With both of those factors in mind, I’m looking forward to hearing about your favorite recurring SNL sketches. Fire away in the comments section (please)!

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the NY Yankees giving fans false playoff hopes, Jimmy Kimmel staging a Friends reunion, or rooting for Roger Federer at the US Open, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I Missed a Barry Gibb Talk Show!

Gah! I can’t believe I missed this “Barry Gibb Talk Show” sketch from 2013. As a huge fan of The Bee Gees and the Justin Timberlake/Jimmy Fallon duo, “The Barry Gibb Talk Show” is one of my all-time favorite recurring bits from Saturday Night Live. I absolute adore the five sketches that I knew about and am hitting myself for missing the sixth. Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon came back for a very special edition of “The Barry Gibb Talk Show.” Madonna makes a cameo as herself, which is a huge deal (though the bit with her hypnotic teeth was…strange). The big surprise was the actual Barry Gibb showing up at the end of the sketch to lend his legendary falsetto to the show’s theme. That. Was. Awesome!!!

Lady Gaga Owns SNL

Promoting her new album Artpop, Lady Gaga absolutely owned the latest episode of Saturday Night Live. Serving as host and musical guest, Gaga drew upon her musical ability and theater background for one of the best shows of 2013. Critics and fans alike have lavished the Lady Gaga SNL episode with praise, calling her the best host SNL has had all year. Embedded below are several clips from the show, so that you can see for yourself.

Some of my personal favorites from the Lady Gaga SNL performance include “Waking Up with Kimye” where Gaga plays an Apple Store Genius Bar employee, “Spotlightz Acting Camp” where Gaga plays a melodramatic child actor reenacting scenes from Forrest Gump, and her opening monologue where she draws upon The Mick Foley School of Acting by generating cheap pops.

When you have a chance, check out the clips from the Lady Gaga SNL episode and let me know what you think (please). Paws up Monsters!!!

Lady Gaga – Monologue – SNL 11-16-13 by IdolxMuzic

Saturday Night Live Mocks iPhone 5, Tech Journalists

I absolutely loved the “Tech Talk” sketch on last week’s Saturday Night Live. Check out the clip below to see Christina Applegate and the SNL crew poke fun at the iPhone 5’s “problems”, tech journalists, and Chinese factory workers. While I’m sure the show is going to get some heat for its portrayal of Chinese people, it deserves an Emmy for its incredibly accurate depiction of tech journalists when they’re on camera. Everything was spot on — the dorky looks, the nerdy mannerisms, and warbled voices. It totally killed me! Continue reading “Saturday Night Live Mocks iPhone 5, Tech Journalists”