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Hi there!  Just wanted to pop over to introduce myself:

I am the webmistress of LeslieDotCom and an SNL fan.  My first memory of watching was sometime in the early 80s, and how difficult it was to stay awake for the entire show.  My favorite performers are Aykroyd/Belushi, Eddie Murphy, Christopher Guest, and Darryl Hammond (as Clinton).

I can't profess myself to be the ultimate encyclopedia of SNL facts and trivia, but I will certainly call 'em as I see 'em.

Let the Crusade begin!

Jeff Daniels talks 'SNL', 'Studio 60'

The Philadelphia Daily News recently spoke with actor Jeff Daniels, who hosted Saturday Night Live in both 1991 and 1995.  The subject of the article mostly involves Daniels' newfound career as a folk singer, but also during the interview he was asked to compare his experiences on SNL to the kinds of things that go on during any given episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.  His answers will shock you.

Okay, not really.  But still, it's a good read.

Continue reading "Actor Jeff Daniels is a singer-songwriter too"...

Retro SNL 2-18-95: Deion Sanders / Bon Jovi

Today we take a look at the Deion Sanders / Bon Jovi episode from the much maligned 1994-1995 season.  I've always defended this season for not being as bad as people make it out to be, although don't get me wrong, there are huge moments of suckitude throughout the year.  Having Deion Sanders host your show is also a low point.  Deion freaking Sanders for Pete's sake...

Cold Open: The Simpson jury takes a field trip to OJ's house.  We were smack dab in the middle of the OJ trial at this point.  In the sketch, OJ (Tim Meadows) tries to sway the jury by showing off all his cool things.  David Spade shows up as Kato Kaelin and Janeane Garofalo plays some blonde bimbo.  Everything degrades into a big party.  The crowd during all this is deathly quiet, as they should be. 

Monologue: It's all about Deion, and he also manages to refer to the current season as a "rebuilding effort".  The crowd is not amused. 

Baseball Players Meeting: Players talk about the strike.  Deion tries to rally the troops but keeps getting interrupted with lucrative offers. 

Espy Awards: I've always loved this sketch, which spoofs stupid and needless award shows like the Espys.  Chris Elliott plays Chris Berman and pokes fun at his nicknaming habits ("Steve 'The opposite of old is' Young).  Farley plays Espys host John Goodman in what must be the only instance that Goodman wasn't available to make a cameo on SNL in the last 15 years.  Sandler plays Bobcat Goldthwait, Jay Mohr does Dick Vitale. Had the crowd not already been beaten into submission I think this would have gotten a better reaction. 

Bon Jovi performs "Always": It's Bon Jovi.  Either you like them or you don't.

Weekend Update with Norm Macdonald: Norm hits at least five jokes right out of the park, although the slavery one nearly turned the crowd against him.  Sandler shows up to do Opera Man.   

The Juggernaut Force: This is another sketch that isn't as bad as it's made out to be.  Aliens land and the Juggernaut Force enters the craft one by one, only to be humiliated in ridiculous sexual ways and then sent back outside.  Farley's pants fall off at one point which causes the entire cast to break character, however the reactions have been snipped out of repeats and Farley's ass has been digitally blurred.  Chris Elliott's role in this is amusing, but he'll later put the whole segment down in the Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live book as an example of the awfulness of the entire season he was on the show. 

Peace, We Outta Here!: Sandler, Sanders and Tim Meadows play a rap trio.  They rap very short, nonsensical things.  And that's that.  Goes on FAR too long. 

Bon Jovi performs "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night": See their first appearance.

Perspectives: This series of sketches ALWAYS makes me laugh.  Unfortunately, Deion almost wrecks it using a stupid voice though.

Deion visits a sick kid: The host plays himself and promises a dying kid (Farley) that he'll showboat during a game. 

Deion Raps: The third musical segment of the show has Deion and his crew come out and kill a lot of time by rapping.  At least the dancers were scantily clad.

Final score for this episode: Not good, not good at all.  Weekend Update (as will often be the case during Norm's time on the show) was the only true bright spot.

NBC Wednesday sitcoms get a beating

30 Rock might not be with us much longer.

According to an article in Media Life Magazine, last night's ratings for the second episode of the Tina Fey / Alec Baldwin sitcom dropped 21% from the show's already low debut ratings.  At the same time, NBC announced that they're refocusing their 8pm strategies, moving away from scripted entertainment and shifting to lower cost (and lower IQ) reality and game shows.

30 Rock finished fifth in its timeslot.

Continue reading "NBC Wednesday sitcoms get a beating"...

And now, Will Ferrell, the (half-) serious actor

INQ7.net (yeah I know, I've never heard of it either) has a new interview with Will Ferrell, to help promote his upcoming film Stranger Than Fiction.  It features such in-depth questions as:

If you can hear a voice in your head, whose voice do you want it to be?
I think Kim Jong-il’s. It would be fun to have his voice in my head (laughter) just to hear what goes on in his brain.

How has marriage changed your appreciation of women?
Since I got married, I try not to chase other women (laughter). I was the kind of funny guy whom women thought was sweet and funny but they weren’t necessarily attracted to me. I was always a day late and a dollar short on that part. I was kind of shy. I used humor as my way to meet someone.

Now that I’m married, I’m kind of thinking about going gay (laughter) just to see what that’s like. Who knows?

Continue reading "And now, Will Ferrell, the (half-) serious actor"...

Studio 60 Gets Sacked... Temporarily

TVGuide.com is reporting that on Monday October 30th, Friday Night Lights will replace Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip for a one night "experiment".

This could be good for Studio 60.  If FNL does well being paired up with Heroes (and it should because they're better matched shows), then Studio 60 can find a better time slot.  But I also don't understand NBC's thinking here... they're going to run a football drama up against Monday Night Football?  And expect better ratings?

In other Studio 60 news, E! Online reports that Amanda Peet's pregnancy will be written into the storyline.  As if her character didn't already have enough problems...

SNL Recap Ratings System

To go along with the show recaps, I've devised a "complicated" ratings system to help note the quality of each sketch.

* One of the greatest sketches ever. "Evil Boss" from the Pierce Brosnan show, for example. 

* Solid laughs. 

* Good but not great. 

* Indifference. 

* Was there comedy in that?

* Screw you SNL!  This would go to bits such as Bear City, or Big Wigs.  

Musical performances will not be given a grade, but will still freely be thrashed if necessary.

Look for the system to debut this weekend when John C. Reilly hosts, with musical guest My Chemical Romance (and a potential cameo appearance by Will Ferrell).

Studio 60 Was Better When It First Came Out

How can you not love The Onion?  Today's issue features an article on how the current version of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip just isn't as good as it was back in the day.  Meaning four weeks ago.

Continue reading "Studio 60 Was Better When It First Came Out"...

Sorkin crack written in to 'Studio 60' script

They say "write what you know", and Aaron Sorkin knows crack.  The Philadelphia Daily News reports that Sorkin's accidental reference to his previous drug use during comments at a recent press event for Studio 60 were then written into the show itself.

Continue reading "Sorkin crack written in to 'Studio 60' script"...

'Studio 60' Drags Down NBC Ratings

by Scott Collins
LATimes.com

Matt and Danny may be pulling good ratings with their fictional TV show, but in real life, NBC's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" is another story.

"Studio 60" stars Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford as a bickering writing duo that presumes to rescue a once-funny late-night comedy show a la "Saturday Night Live." But it's become clear that writer Aaron Sorkin's backstage drama needs a lifeline of its own. On Monday the show slipped to its lowest rating so far in the critical adults aged 18-49 bracket, with a 3.1 rating/8 share (7.8 million total viewers), according to early data from Nielsen Media Research.

"Studio 60" dragged down NBC's performance for the night, although the network still narrowly beat CBS in the 18-49 demographic (4.7 average rating vs. 4.5). The fantasy thriller "Heroes" has turned into a solid hit for NBC, this week handily winning the 9 p.m. time slot with a healthy 5.7 rating/13 share (13.1 million total viewers). But "Studio 60" retained just 54% of that audience -- an anemic figure by any yardstick, and especially for an expensive, heavily promoted show once considered NBC's ace in the hole this season. Most embarrassing footnote? "Studio 60" was beaten in both the demo and among total viewers by ABC's drama "What About Brian?" (3.5 rating/9 share; 8.3 million total viewers), a sluggish holdover from last season. CBS' forensics fest "CSI: Miami," as usual, dominated the 10 p.m. slot, with a 5.6 rating/14 share and 17.6 million viewers.

NBC is rightly touting its improved ratings performance this year. In fact, it's the only network posting a year-to-year increase (up 15%) in the 18-49 demo through the first four weeks of the season. However, all of that gain is attributable to NBC's high-rated Sunday night NFL games. When Sunday nights this season and last are taken out of consideration, the network is actually flat in 18-49, with a 3.5 rating. That means that NBC's entertainment programming is, taken as a whole, failing to find traction so far.

And yes, that includes "Studio 60."