Hello SNL fans--some good news today: Amy Poehler's SNL "Best of" compilation will be released October 20th. This 81-minute DVD will feature some of Amy's best sketches, and will include 2 dress rehearsal sketches, outtakes, and commentary with Amy and Seth Meyers.
This news comes just after the announcement that season 5 of SNL will be released on DVD December 1st. Just thought I'd share some cool news!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Last season cast stats
Total appearances by each castmember last season. We all knew Kristen would have the most, as she is the true star of the cast. But looking down this list is very interesting: Jason Sudeikis has been taking some heat by critics, yet he still has the 2nd most appearances of any castmember. I've always been a big fan of Jason's, so I'm happy to see just how much he's been used. Another interesting note is the featured players. No surprises with Abby and Michaela's numbers being so low--they started about halfway through the season. But look at Bobby Moynihan! In his very first season on the show he's already got a steady load of appearances. His 72 is a lot bigger considering he's the 6th or 7th best male on the list. Plus, he beat Casey's 69. And she was in her second season as one of the only females on the cast. I expect Bobby's numbers to increase this season as well. No other real surprises on the list. We all knew Darrell's numbers would be low, as well as Seth's. (He only appears in Weekend Update)
The cast as a whole had a great season 34, and hoping for more great things in season 35.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Response to Comment
I'm a frequent reader of the SNL message boards on nbc.com. From time to time, I'll post my thoughts on what some people have been commenting on.
Here's a comment from amyfairycakes, talking about which castmembers will/won't return this season:
"I'd honestly be quite surprised if Casey came back. She's been there for the best part of two seasons and it's clear something is just not working. She's been totally under-utilised especially compared to Abby/Michaela, and I wonder whether she's up for another season of playing second string to Kristen and not being able to showcase her comedy skills."
My response to this is: Yes, no doubt that Casey is at best struggling to find her place on the show. True, I find it odd that the two new girls, Abby and Michaela, are getting more camera time than her already. However, honestly I'd be surprised if Casey did NOT come back. Here's the thing: Casey wasn't hired to compete with Kristen Wiig for face time. Clearly Kristen is the main female star on the show, and that isn't going to change anytime soon. Casey was hired to be just what you said: Second string. True, she's still struggling at times out there, I'm not questioning that, but the newer castmates are starting to gel on stage, and by cutting Casey you must now go find another young female castmember to take her spot, and basically start all over. Truth be told--Casey will never be the star, but she's not supposed to be. She'll get a couple of sketches a night and maybe she'll develop a good character or two. Her job, for however long she ends up being on SNL will be to fill in the gaps. Abby and Michaela both seem like they'll end up better overall castmembers than Casey. But I'm giving Casey a little slack. They don't ask her to be a star.
So, overall, yes Casey needs to improve. But she's got lower expectations being the "backup" to Kristen and the two new castmembers.
Here's a comment from amyfairycakes, talking about which castmembers will/won't return this season:
"I'd honestly be quite surprised if Casey came back. She's been there for the best part of two seasons and it's clear something is just not working. She's been totally under-utilised especially compared to Abby/Michaela, and I wonder whether she's up for another season of playing second string to Kristen and not being able to showcase her comedy skills."
My response to this is: Yes, no doubt that Casey is at best struggling to find her place on the show. True, I find it odd that the two new girls, Abby and Michaela, are getting more camera time than her already. However, honestly I'd be surprised if Casey did NOT come back. Here's the thing: Casey wasn't hired to compete with Kristen Wiig for face time. Clearly Kristen is the main female star on the show, and that isn't going to change anytime soon. Casey was hired to be just what you said: Second string. True, she's still struggling at times out there, I'm not questioning that, but the newer castmates are starting to gel on stage, and by cutting Casey you must now go find another young female castmember to take her spot, and basically start all over. Truth be told--Casey will never be the star, but she's not supposed to be. She'll get a couple of sketches a night and maybe she'll develop a good character or two. Her job, for however long she ends up being on SNL will be to fill in the gaps. Abby and Michaela both seem like they'll end up better overall castmembers than Casey. But I'm giving Casey a little slack. They don't ask her to be a star.
So, overall, yes Casey needs to improve. But she's got lower expectations being the "backup" to Kristen and the two new castmembers.
Cast Ages
Ok, here's a perfect example of why I have no life. I like to research information that is useless and boring to about 99% of people, and yet to 'die hard' SNL fans, it's somewhat interesting. :)
I do this from time to time, when there's some downtime in the SNL news.
Recently I've been thinking about the ages of the SNL cast. Assuming Darrell isn't coming back, (which is still a shaky assumption) there will be 12 castmembers returning for season 35 in September. The oldest castmember will be Fred Armisen (42); he's the only castmember in their forties. The youngest, by far, is featured player Abby Elliott (22). The only other castmember in their twenties is Casey Wilson (28). That means that 9 out of the 12 castmembers are in their thirties. I think being in this "thirties" range is good for the cast. Not too young and inexperienced, but still young enough to be funny to a wide range of audiences. On premiere night (Sept. 26), the average age for a current SNL castmember will be 33.2 years. However, if 53-year old Darrell Hammond returns, the figure jumps to 34.7. Well, that's that. If I can think of any more interesting SNL statistics, I'll be sure to post.
I do this from time to time, when there's some downtime in the SNL news.
Recently I've been thinking about the ages of the SNL cast. Assuming Darrell isn't coming back, (which is still a shaky assumption) there will be 12 castmembers returning for season 35 in September. The oldest castmember will be Fred Armisen (42); he's the only castmember in their forties. The youngest, by far, is featured player Abby Elliott (22). The only other castmember in their twenties is Casey Wilson (28). That means that 9 out of the 12 castmembers are in their thirties. I think being in this "thirties" range is good for the cast. Not too young and inexperienced, but still young enough to be funny to a wide range of audiences. On premiere night (Sept. 26), the average age for a current SNL castmember will be 33.2 years. However, if 53-year old Darrell Hammond returns, the figure jumps to 34.7. Well, that's that. If I can think of any more interesting SNL statistics, I'll be sure to post.
Friday, August 21, 2009
An Uneventful Summer
Ok, so the summer is supposed to be the season of cast rumors. Fans of SNL always ask themselves these questions during the summer: Who's staying? Who's leaving? Will they hire any new castmembers? Etc, etc. However, this summer has been one of the most uneventful. Other than questions of Darrell Hammond's return, there's not much to talk about. Everyone else appears to be staying put, and Lorne likely will not hire any more help for now. How boring!
I suppose this is good for the show. With the cast remaining stagnant, it gives the show a chance to recover from the craziness that was the 2008 Presidential election. With the new castmembers (Bobby, Abby, Michaela) starting to gel with the rest of the regular cast, this seems to be the perfect time for Lorne to "sit on his hands" and just let things be.
I suppose this is good for the show. With the cast remaining stagnant, it gives the show a chance to recover from the craziness that was the 2008 Presidential election. With the new castmembers (Bobby, Abby, Michaela) starting to gel with the rest of the regular cast, this seems to be the perfect time for Lorne to "sit on his hands" and just let things be.
Darrell Hammond: Leaving, or Not?
Darrell Hammond has been the longest-serving castmember in the history of Saturday Night Live--his work speaks for itself. Undoubtedly, he has made a huge mark on the show. Now the question is: Is he done?
I, like every other SNL fan, watched the 34th season finale last May with host Will Ferrell and musical guest Green Day. The one thing that was made clear was that it was Darrell Hammond's last show. Wasn't it obvious? It was his 'swan song'. All the sketch appearances, the Celebrity Jeopardy skit, Dick Cheney, the whole nine yards. And then, of course, at the goodnights, after host Will Ferrell finished thanking all the guests, he wrapped his arms around Darrell and announced "This is Darrell Hammond, right here." Classic move, cut and dry. That means Darrell's gone, no question about it. Right? Maybe not. Although the wide assumption is that Darrell will not return for SNL's 35th season, there has been no official confirmation. I'm writing this on August 21st. Darrell's 'swan song' episode was May 16th. I'm wondering, how long does it take to confirm you're not coming back? I figured there would be an official press release the next day saying he wasn't returning. But here we are, nearing the end of the summer, with still no word on Darrell's future. I'm wondering if there isn't something more to this. Perhaps a contractual disagreement. In any case, Hammond's future on SNL will be an interesting development to watch over the next month.
I, like every other SNL fan, watched the 34th season finale last May with host Will Ferrell and musical guest Green Day. The one thing that was made clear was that it was Darrell Hammond's last show. Wasn't it obvious? It was his 'swan song'. All the sketch appearances, the Celebrity Jeopardy skit, Dick Cheney, the whole nine yards. And then, of course, at the goodnights, after host Will Ferrell finished thanking all the guests, he wrapped his arms around Darrell and announced "This is Darrell Hammond, right here." Classic move, cut and dry. That means Darrell's gone, no question about it. Right? Maybe not. Although the wide assumption is that Darrell will not return for SNL's 35th season, there has been no official confirmation. I'm writing this on August 21st. Darrell's 'swan song' episode was May 16th. I'm wondering, how long does it take to confirm you're not coming back? I figured there would be an official press release the next day saying he wasn't returning. But here we are, nearing the end of the summer, with still no word on Darrell's future. I'm wondering if there isn't something more to this. Perhaps a contractual disagreement. In any case, Hammond's future on SNL will be an interesting development to watch over the next month.
Megan Fox to host SNL premiere
Hollywood Scoop confirmed today that film star Megan Fox will host SNL's 35th season premiere on September 26th. This choice is quite an interesting one. Although there's no doubting the star-power of Ms. Fox, SNL fans may be concerned that she doesn't have the comedic skill to pull off a hosting gig like this. The past couple of seasons, SNL has gone gimmicky with their choices for premiere hosts. Last season, Olympic gold-medalist Michael Phelps hosted to poor reviews. The season before, NBA superstar LeBron James hosted to similar reviews. Although Megan Fox isn't as "out there" of a hosting choice as Phelps or James, her lack of comedic history shows that SNL will once again go for ratings. However, Fox may just exceed expectations. According to the same source, Fox is apparently already prepping for the gig by shooting a digital short in Los Angeles with castmember Andy Samberg. For me, this is a good sign. If Fox is preparing for the show this early, it shows that she's taking this seriously and intends on having a good show. The musical guest for the premiere has yet to be announced, although I'd expect it soon.
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