Some thoughts on last night's "Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special" coming up just as soon as I assume Jon Lovitz is dead... Last week, I wrote about the history of "SNL," which has been filled with incredible highs, uncomfortable lows, and a mixture of things that either didn't work or simply outlived their usefulness. Perhaps intentionally — Lorne Michaels used to joke that the word "uneven" would be on his tombstone — or perhaps because it's inherent to any three and a half hour special with this many moving pieces, the special was "SNL" in a microcosm. Much of it worked spectacularly well. Some of it was disappointing and/or puzzling. And the whole thing went on much longer than it probably should have. Unlike the show's previous anniversary specials, which were largely driven by clips and testimonials, the 40th was conceived of as a super-sized, all-star installment of the show itself,...
- 2/16/2015
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Hitfix
On the eve of its 40th anniversary special (though the anniversary itself isn't until October), what is left to say about "Saturday Night Live"? There have been multiple books written about the show, several documentaries, countless essays — riding the never-ending roller-coaster between "Saturday Night Dead" and "Saturday Night Lives Again!" — best-ofs, worst-ofs, and every other kind of list you can think of. I don't know that anything I write over the next few pages will provide new insight into one of the most influential comedy shows ever made, but I wondered if you could tell the story of the show — through good times and bad, through revolutions and evolutions and retrenchments — by looking at its sketches. I wound up picking 21 in all: some among the show's most famous, some obscure but important. These aren't meant as a definitive breakdown of the best "SNL" ever had to offer, but as a...
- 2/12/2015
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Hitfix
On November 8, New York-based comedian Kerry Coddett (pictured, left) fired shots at Saturday Night Live with an editorial published on the Atlantic’s website. In it, she blasted the notion that the show’s cast hadn’t featured a black woman in years because — as longtime repertory player Kenan Thompson said in a widely-circulated interview last fall — “in auditions, they just never find ones that are ready.” Coddett contended instead that SNL’s diversity problems were endemic and ingrained. “Perhaps it’s not that black women aren’t ‘ready’ for SNL; it’s that SNL isn’t ready for a black woman,...
- 1/10/2014
- by Hillary Busis
- EW - Inside TV
No more wigs and heels for Kenan Thompson!
Early next year, Saturday Night Live will add someone new to its ranks — specifically, its first black female cast member since Maya Rudolph vacated in 2007. (SNL has only featured four African-American women in its entire 39-year history: Yvonne Hudson (1980-81), Danitra Vance (1985-86), Ellen Cleghorne (1991-95) and Rudolph (2000-2007).)
The news comes from straight from executive producer/SNL Czar for Life Lorne Michaels, who told the New York Times that his team has been holding special casting sessions for weeks. The search culminated in an under-the-radar audition for black female comedians...
Early next year, Saturday Night Live will add someone new to its ranks — specifically, its first black female cast member since Maya Rudolph vacated in 2007. (SNL has only featured four African-American women in its entire 39-year history: Yvonne Hudson (1980-81), Danitra Vance (1985-86), Ellen Cleghorne (1991-95) and Rudolph (2000-2007).)
The news comes from straight from executive producer/SNL Czar for Life Lorne Michaels, who told the New York Times that his team has been holding special casting sessions for weeks. The search culminated in an under-the-radar audition for black female comedians...
- 12/13/2013
- by Hillary Busis
- EW - Inside TV
What’s up with this, Kenan?
In a recent TV Guide interview, Saturday Night Live star Kenan Thompson was asked why SNL currently has no black female cast members — and hasn’t since Maya Rudolph left the show way back in 2007.
“It’s just a tough part of the business,” Thompson replied. “Like in auditions, they just never find ones that are ready.”
TV Guide also asked Thompson what the show would do if they needed to spoof an African-American woman. “I don’t know,” the comedian replied. “We just haven’t done them. That’s what I’m saying.
In a recent TV Guide interview, Saturday Night Live star Kenan Thompson was asked why SNL currently has no black female cast members — and hasn’t since Maya Rudolph left the show way back in 2007.
“It’s just a tough part of the business,” Thompson replied. “Like in auditions, they just never find ones that are ready.”
TV Guide also asked Thompson what the show would do if they needed to spoof an African-American woman. “I don’t know,” the comedian replied. “We just haven’t done them. That’s what I’m saying.
- 10/15/2013
- by Erin Strecker
- EW - Inside TV
This is so laughable. I should first note that I haven't watched an episode of Saturday Night Live in a long time (the series lost me years ago), but, given what I do for a living, I do try to stay abreast of any related developments that might be of interest to readers of this blog, given its focus. So, I'll start with this, before giving you the news. How many black women cast members has SNL had in its history? Four (4) in its 38-year history: Yvonne Hudson, Danitra Vance, Ellen Cleghorne, and finally Maya Rudolph. None since 2007, when Maya Rudolph left the show. That's about 1 black woman cast member every 9 to 10 years. The first 2 were on for no more than 2 seasons,...
- 9/16/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
With the reported departure of Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis and Andy Samberg, "Saturday Night Live" would look a lot different when it comes back for its 38th season this fall. But, this season, five shows remain in what will forever be known as "The Kristen Wiig Era." We've already seen "SNL" add a new featured player, Kate McKinnon, during the show's current three week hiatus. ("SNL" returns live this Saturday with host Sofia Vergara.) With many changes coming, Hitfix's Ryan McGee and myself debate where "SNL" is now and where "SNL" should go in the future.
Mike Ryan: Though our opinions differ (frequently) on the quality of individual sketches -- also: I'm sure I'm wrong and you're right -- I do consider you one of the most thoughtful Internet caretakers of this show that we both love so dearly. So, my question, before we get to the cast changes,...
Mike Ryan: Though our opinions differ (frequently) on the quality of individual sketches -- also: I'm sure I'm wrong and you're right -- I do consider you one of the most thoughtful Internet caretakers of this show that we both love so dearly. So, my question, before we get to the cast changes,...
- 4/5/2012
- by Mike Ryan
- Aol TV.
Charles Rocket: 1980 - 1981. Weekend update anchor. The most prolific male cast member during the 1980-81 season besides Joe Piscopo, He was fired, in part, for cursing on air. (The scene below is the one that got him fired).
Danitra Vance: 1985 - 1986. Recurring characters: "That black girl," and Cabrini Green Jackson, a professional teenage mother who gives advice on pregnancy. (She also died in 1994 from breast cancer). Check out this sketch -- not something they could pull off today.
Tim Kazurinsky: 1981 - 1984. Recurring characters: The landlord from Eddie Murphy's "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood," Father Timothy Owens, and network censor Worthington Clotman.
Mary Gross: 1981 - 1985. Co-anchor of Weekend Update (briefly). Recurring characters: Alfalfa in the "Little Rascals" sketches, Chi Chi, Celeste, and Siobhan Cahill.
Robin Duke: 1981 - 1984. Recurring character: Wendy Whiner. Also played Mr. T.
Jim Breur: 1995 - 1998. Recurring character: Goat boy. He was in those Goth Talk sketches.
Danitra Vance: 1985 - 1986. Recurring characters: "That black girl," and Cabrini Green Jackson, a professional teenage mother who gives advice on pregnancy. (She also died in 1994 from breast cancer). Check out this sketch -- not something they could pull off today.
Tim Kazurinsky: 1981 - 1984. Recurring characters: The landlord from Eddie Murphy's "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood," Father Timothy Owens, and network censor Worthington Clotman.
Mary Gross: 1981 - 1985. Co-anchor of Weekend Update (briefly). Recurring characters: Alfalfa in the "Little Rascals" sketches, Chi Chi, Celeste, and Siobhan Cahill.
Robin Duke: 1981 - 1984. Recurring character: Wendy Whiner. Also played Mr. T.
Jim Breur: 1995 - 1998. Recurring character: Goat boy. He was in those Goth Talk sketches.
- 4/12/2011
- by Dustin Rowles
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