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SNL 1-13-07: Jake Gyllenhaal / The Shins

Doesn't Jake's expression just scream comedy?  Expect plenty of dated Brokeback Mountain jokes.

The Touching True Story of 'Dick in a Box'

The New York Times has a lengthy article devoted to the creation and subsequent internet distribution of the uncensored version of the SNL Digital Short "Dick in a Box", which was first featured in censored form on the Justin Timberlake episode.

A choice excerpt from the article:

"Mr. Samberg and his colleagues — including Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone — presented a rough draft of the song to Mr. Timberlake on Thursday afternoon, and after they reworked it to his specifications, they recorded the voice track on special equipment in Mr. Samberg’s office around midnight. They spent Friday and much of Saturday filming the video in and around New York, and not until 4 p.m. Saturday — less than eight hours before the show was to go live — was the video in sufficient shape to be shown to the NBC executive responsible for late-night programming, Rick Ludwin."

Continue reading "Censored ‘SNL’ Sketch Jumps Bleepless Onto the Internet"...

Updated 'Best of Steve Martin' DVD Coming Soon

Lionsgate Home Entertainment will be releasing an updated version of the SNL: Best of Steve Martin DVD that was first released in 2000. 

This new volume will feature seven new sketches, a dress rehearsal bonus, and a photo gallery.  The disc is due to be released in March of 2007 and should retail for under $10.

Classic, Exclusive SNL Material Coming from Cingular

From the Newswire:

Cingular customers no longer have to wait until Saturday night to enjoy what is undoubtedly the most influential sketch comedy show of all time. NBC Universal, Broadway Video Entertainment, and Cingular Wireless today announced the launch of Saturday Night Live (SNL) Mobile on Cingular handsets, marking the first time SNL content has been made available on the mobile phone.

Cingular Video subscribers can enjoy exclusive mobile access to Saturday Night Live content, including video clips from classic and current episodes, as well as original material produced especially for the mobile screen. Cingular customers can also purchase and download a diverse collection of SNL- themed ringtones and graphics -- both from current and classic seasons.

"For more than 30 years, SNL has entertained television audiences throughout the world with some of the most memorable comedic sketches.  Now, with the introduction of Saturday Night Live Mobile, Cingular becomes the first wireless carrier to deliver classic and current SNL shorts, as well as newly produced original content, to the mobile stage-exclusively for the enjoyment of our customers," said John Burbank, vice president of marketing, Cingular Wireless.

"Saturday Night Live is a legendary comedy brand that consistently makes an impact on pop culture," Salil Dalvi, Vice President, Wireless, NBC Universal. "We are proud to have Cingular as our first wireless partner to showcase this program to their customers."

"This is a landmark deal for NBC Universal and Cingular, said Ron Lamprecht, Vice President, New Media, NBC Universal Television Networks Distribution. "This agreement will allow consumers to watch NBC's Emmy Award- winning late-night comedy showcase, SNL, in a way that's convenient for them. NBC Universal is committed to providing our customers with content on a variety of platforms to meet their needs."

Cingular Video subscribers will have exclusive access to an evolving library of more than 100 video shorts, ranging in duration of 2-3 minutes each, from current and classic SNL episodes, as well as some original shorts produced solely for Cingular Video. Shorts from the current season will appear on Cingular Video the day after the Saturday night premiere.

Cingular Video uses the power of 3G phones as well as Cingular's new high-speed 3G wireless broadband network which is currently available in 145 major metropolitan areas including 65 of the top 100 largest cities in 33 states, Puerto Rico and Washington D.C.

To access Cingular Video, consumers need to purchase a 3G phone and sign up for the $19.99 MEdia Net Unlimited package, which includes Cingular Video.

Cingular customers will also be able to purchase and download Music Tone ringtones and wallpaper graphics from current and classic SNL episodes, such as the SNL theme song and memorable sketch lines.

To download your favorite SNL Music Tone or wallpaper graphic from a GSM phone, Cingular customers should:
* Go to MEdia Mall on their phone's main menu
* Select "Shop Ringtones & Graphics"
* Select "Movies/TV Hits"
* Follow the onscreen prompt to download the ringtone and/or graphic

Cingular customers will be charged a one-time download fee of $2.49 for each Music Tone ringtone and $1.99 for each SNL wallpaper graphic.

For more information on Cingular Video and Cingular's exclusive SNL Mobile content, visit http://www.cingular.com/cingularvideo.

SNL 12-16-06: Justin Timberlake

The Barry Gibb Talk Show is rumored to be making an appearance this evening...

Why the New Bush?

Wondering why the switch was recently made from Will Forte to Jason Sudeikis for Saturday Night Live's weekly President Bush imitation?  The New York Times has the scoop:

"Washington is watching closely to see whether President Bush will change much when he faces a new, Democratic Congress. But his character on Saturday Night Live already has. Previously played by Will Forte, Mr. Bush is now being played by Jason Sudeikis. Lorne Michaels, the NBC television show’s executive producer, said that where Mr. Forte played Mr. Bush as whiny and beleaguered, Mr. Sudeikis, below, is playing him as having “absolute confidence and buoyancy.” But in a sign that the world is starting to look past Mr. Bush’s tenure, Mr. Michaels said he was freeing up Mr. Forte to play a new political role eventually: that of one of the 2008 contenders."

Personally, I hope that Tim Calhoun runs for President in 2008.

SNL 12-9-06: Annette Bening / Gwen Stefani

SNL First Season DVDs for $30 Shipped! [Update #1]

If you buy Saturday Night Live: The Complete First Season right now from Buy.com and use the Google Checkout option, you'll save $20 and qualify for free shipping, which will get you the DVD set for a mere 30 bucks. 

Considering that most retailers are selling this for $40-$50 this week, it's a deal too good to pass up.  If you don't mind the shipping wait, it's a steal!

[Update: It looks as though the set is now out of stock, and the Google Checkout link has been removed.  Congrats to everyone who got in on this deal though!]

Take me to Buy.com's SNL: The Complete First Season listing...

The birth of SNL delivered on DVD

USA Today has a feature article today about the release of Saturday Night Live: The Complete First Season on DVD.  It includes snippets of conversation with Dan Aykroyd, Laraine Newman, Lorne Michaels and Al Franken, who all try and make things sound as pleasant as possible, conveniently skipping over all the drugs, chaos and other noise that would eventually dissolve the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players.

For example, in this excerpt, note how Franken leaves out the detail that the reason there was so much laughter going on because of this particular sketch was because of the amount of drugs he and his writing partner Tom Davis were on at the time:

"Al Franken, the progressive radio talk show host who started his career as a writer for Saturday Night Live, says, "My favorite memories are of just rolling on the floor, laughing at something we'd written," he says. "We did this Final Days sketch with Dan playing Richard Nixon, roaming the White House a little bit drunk at night, with Madeline Kahn as Pat writing in her diary. I heard later that when Bob Woodward saw it, that was when he really felt the book was big."

Continue reading "The birth of SNL delivered on DVD"...

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"...