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Studio 60 Stays Put

NBC has announced it's midseason schedule, and despite the desperate need for a new time slot for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, it will remain exactly where it is now... Mondays at 10pm.

To stay primarily in originals, Studio 60 will share its 10 p.m. slot with midseason drama Black Donnellys, in a move that I'm sure won't be confusing to viewers. </sarcasm>

Continue reading "NBC tweaks three nights"...

Saturday Night Live rehearsals may be webcast

The Hollywood Reporter, um, reports that NBC is considering a webcast on Friday nights of Saturday Night Live rehearsal sessions.

The article then goes on to say that "it's just one of the many scenarios the digital future could deliver" which essentially means that someone is just talking out of their ass, and my brief excitement is now gone.

The someone who was talking out of their ass is NBC Universal chief digital officer George Kliavkoff, talking at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

"Sometimes it's a lot more interesting than the show," Kliavkoff joked, referring to the closed-circuit footage of SNL's Friday dry runs viewed at NBC headquarters. "It's something we watch on the cameras at 30 Rock."

Kliavkoff, who has been overseeing NBC Universal's digital efforts since coming over three months ago from a similar post at Major League Baseball, was participating in a panel discussion on digital media when he presented the SNL idea as one of a growing list of original content ideas bubbling up at the company's digital studios.

Continue reading "Saturday Night Live rehearsals may be webcast"...

Will Ferrell's New Hair is Awesome

With Jennifer Connelly, from the recent GQ Man of the Year Awards...

Cracked: The 10 Best Will Ferrell Skits

Cracked.com has an article counting down the best Will Ferrell SNL skits of all time.  Each one is linked to a YouTube video, however about half of those have already been pulled by the copyright nazis.

I didn't even know Cracked magazine still existed...

Continue reading "The 10 Best Will Ferrell Skits of All-Time"...

Signs You Watch Too Much SNL #001

I was recently looking to purchase a new car, and seriously considered getting a Dodge Stratus simply so I could say the phrase "I drive a Dodge Stratus!" whenever I got mad.

December Hosts / Musical Guests

NBC's Saturday Night Live warms up December with top-tier talent from screens big and small and music superstars.

On December 2, star of the Emmy-winning hit show Lost Matthew Fox hosts the show with musical guest the greatest band on Earth Tenacious D (Jack Black & Kyle Gass).

In addition to his work on Lost, (for which he won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble) Fox is known to millions for his work on the successful drama Party of Five. He will next star opposite Matthew McConaughey in the anticipated film We Are Marshall.

Joining Fox as musical guest is the platinum-selling duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass Tenacious D, the self-proclaimed "Greatest Band on Earth." The comedy-folk-metal pair will perform selections from their latest album "The Pick of Destiny" which serves as the soundtrack to their recent feature film of the same name. Currently on tour, The D will play New York's legendary Madison Square Garden this week just prior to their appearance at SNL where they have rocked before both as a featured act and supporting Jack Black's hosting stints.

On December 9, it's a pair of leading ladies headlining SNL Oscar and Emmy nominee Annette Bening with musical guest Gwen Stefani.

One of the most celebrated actresses working today, Bening makes her SNL debut. She is currently earning raves for her work in Running With Scissors. She received Academy Award nominations for her work in Being Julia, American Beauty and The Grifters. She has starred in a wide variety of films from Bugsy and Love Affair opposite husband Warren Beatty to The American President, Regarding Henry, Mars Attacks, Open Range, Richard III and Valmont, to name a few. She was recently nominated for an Emmy for her work opposite Sir Ben Kingsley in the HBO film Mrs. Harris.

Making a return appearance to SNL with Bening is Gwen Stefani. Stefani will perform from her forthcoming sophomore solo release "The Sweet Escape," the follow up to her quadruple-platinum debut "Love. Angel. Music. Baby.," which included the hits "Hollaback Girl" and "What You Waiting For?" The first single "Wind It Up" is currently rising up the charts.

Finally, on December 16, Justin Timberlake returns to SNL to once again do double duty as host and musical guest after his memorable turn in 2003 (which featured Timberlake as a singing omelet, as well as impressions of Jessica Simpson, Robin Gibb and Ashton Kutcher). Timberlake is among several prestigious artists including Paul Simon, The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Sting, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Queen Latifah, Janet Jackson and most recently Ludacris to serve as both host and musical guest.

Grammy winner Timberlake's current multi-platinum release "FutureSex/LoveSounds" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album charts where it continues to sit in the Top Ten. His first two singles, "SexyBack" and "My Love" have both been No. 1. Timberlake will kick off a world tour in 2007 and will be seen in the feature film Alpha Dog (from Universal) on January 12.

What Exactly Is Dana Carvey Up To?

While browsing through clips on YouTube recently, I came across a user named pillywright.  Pillywright has only five clips uploaded, all of them featuring Dana Carvey. The clips are very recent, and I've never seen them before.

Two of the clips are fake "breaking news segments".  The other three are brief political bits featuring Dana doing voices for paper cutouts.  Two of the clips are preceeded by a slate that reads "Dana Carvey Presents A Live Riff Production".

So, what exactly are these?  Advance clips for an upcoming television show?  A new web project?  Anyone know?

NBC orders more scripts for "30 Rock"

From Reuters:

NBC has ordered three additional scripts of freshman comedy 30 Rock, which got off to a lackluster start despite critical praise.

The order follows a three-script pickup the show received last month, bringing the total to six additional scripts.

Created by and starring Tina Fey, 30 Rock is set behind the scenes of a late-night sketch comedy show. Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski co-star. It was moved from Wednesday to Thursday last week and averaged just 5.2 million viewers for a 40-minute episode.

30 Rock is one of three Nielsen-challenged new NBC series that received an order for three more scripts last month. The other two, the dramas Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Friday Night Lights, have since been picked up for a full season.

Meanwhile, 30 Rock and ABC's drama The Nine are the only two freshman series whose fate is still up in the air.

Nine, which was a given an order for four additional scripts last month, is struggling in the Wednesday 10 p.m. time slot and looks unlikely to continue beyond its original order.

Wrap It Up

SNL 11-18-06: Ludacris

What has Ludacris ever done to prove he should get a shot at hosting what once was the premiere sketch comedy show on television?

Cold Open: Jason Sudekis is doing Bush now?  Interesting.  Is Will Forte sick or will this actually be the  fifth cast member to attempt it?  Anyway, he's better at it that Forte was, not as entertaining as Ferrell, but the material is still weak.  Bush is an idiot, we get it. 

Monologue: Is Don Pardo saying his name "Lou-DAY-Kris"?  Ugh.  He said it like that twice.  Anyway, Lou-DAY-Kris says it's about damn time (I guess in reference to him getting to host SNL) and that's about where I zoned out.  Kenan shows up to save the segment. 

Young Douglas: Funny bit, but it's a bit that would have worked with anyone.  Having a rapper play a rapper isn't exactly cutting edge comedy.  Ooo, Lou-DAY-Kris was the only one who could have played that rapper...

Samantha Hawkins Informercial: Domestic abuse isn't funny, except for that movie Enough with Jennifer Lopez.  That was hilarious.  Sounds like the forgot to roll the audio clip that was supposed to play over the sketch's final graphic.  Wouldn't have helped.  God help me I liked the fart joke sketch from the Hugh Laurie episode better than this. 

In two weeks: Matthew Fox and Tenacious D.  I approve.

O'Reilly Factor: Here's Darrell Hammond's weekly appearance.  This is all about Lou-DAY-Kris, first they talk about Lou-DAY-Kris and then Lou-DAY-Kris comes on as a character, and then the character Lou-DAY-Kris plays talks about Lou-DAY-Kris.  The crowd doesn't seem to care.  O'Reilly is an idiot, we get it. 

Booty Bidness: Lou-DAY-Kris plays himself in a commercial parody for businesswear that has things like "Tasty" and "Bi-curious" on them.  You know, like casual clothes do. 

Blizzard Man: Lou-DAY-Kris plays himself, in the studio, and there's a visit from The Blizzard Man (Samberg) who's white and nerdy and a rapper.  Lou-DAY-Kris thinks he's a genius and everyone else thinks he's white and nerdy.   

Lou-DAY-Kris performs: Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler and Kristen Wiig introduce Lou-DAY-Kris dressed as turkeys.  At least there are hootchie girls dancing around in the background so this isn't a total waste of airtime.

Weekend Update: Bill Hader as John Mark Karr talking about the OJ Simpson book/TV special was amusing.  A totally out of nowhere appearane by Sudekis as Bobby Knight was interesting enough.  Then Maya Rudolph shows up as a teenage promoting not eating.  "Hello, SNL?  Melanie Hutsell is on the phone."  And Seth's Google and Muslim jokes were good. 

Pool Watch: A new show on the CW Network.  A new sketch.

Plastic Surgery Trailer: Will Forte finally shows up.  I wonder if he was trapped in a small Nevada town up until now.  I'm not even sure what this sketch was about.  I'm surprised this didn't end with the cast addressing the audience telling us how stupid we are for not getting it. 

Lesbian Cruise: Lou-DAY-Kris is the captain of a lesbian cruise, and he likes lesbians.  Maya at one point says "Is there a point to this?"  I like it when the dialogue in the sketches makes my job easier. 

Lou-DAY-Kris performs again: Kenan introduces him dressed as a turkey this time.  No hootchies.

Old Men: Darrell Hammond is in two sketches, the second at 12:55am?  Weird.  And he's only doing a character, not an impression.  He and Lou-DAY-Kris are old men talking about how things used to be.  Hammond had about an hour to get his moustache glued on for this sketch and it still falls off, which produces a gigglefest. 

Will Forte was in one sketch.  Fred Armisen wasn't even on camera until the goodnights.  Such a disappointment after last week's awesome episode.