Ugh. I don't think the Jim Carrey one was one of the best at all. His monologue, especially, was super lame. I thought the whole Top 50 concept was pretty suspect though, because, as someone noted earlier, these were all the same ones we always see on Comedy Central. Or, I guess, saw on Comedy Central before it moved to E!.

One of the episodes that I saw during the marathon that always cracks me up is the Jennifer Aniston one. The SATC parody was pretty funny, if for nothing else than her huge prosthetic nose. And my very favorite was the one with the Dickensian street urchin lawn ornaments, where she and Rachel Dratch sing those hilarious songs.

I would decapitate a whore for yoooouuuuu!

She's hosting again soon. I can't wait to see her. I think she has awesome comic timing and is fun to watch. I bet she's the only one of the Friends who will go on to have a successful movie career.

Toga, I think Wayne's World was the best SNL movie. It managed to take the sketch-comedy characters from the confines of their one set out into the real world without missing a beat, and they were surrounded with a quality supporting cast (most notably, a note-perfect Rob Lowe). That the film was popular enough to garner a sequel (which, while inferior to the first, is still pretty damn funny) is amazing, considering the usual SNL results.

And one can't forget The Blues Brothers, although they didn't really have to worry about making a five-minute sketch into a two-hour movie; they pretty much got to write a story from scratch to fit two costumes that SNL actors wore when singing. The movie overstayed its welcome a little, length-wise, but when it was good, it was very, very good. (We will, however, pretend Blues Brothers 2000 never happened.)

The post-Wayne SNL movies don't do anything for me. For the most part, they were trying to duplicate Wayne's World's success (and avoid Coneheads's downfall) by making movies out of currently popular characters and striking while the iron is hot, but that turned them into rush-jobs that didn't quite work out. I love "The Ladies Man" in five-minute talk-show doses, but the movie got old quickly.

The insistence that these characters have enough meat to become film characters is symptomatic of the recurring-character-based trend of the last few years. Someone made a comment in the Shales/Miller book that if you were to make a list of recurring characters who appeared more than five or seven times, the majority of the names would come from the 1995-present period, and that a lot of the old "classic" characters weren't on as often as you think they were. The heavy reliance on recurring characters these days runs the double-risk of the character overstaying his welcome and taking up space where new-concept sketches could hit bigger than tired retreads of old characters.

There are some current characters I still like to see as often as possible (like "Wake Up Wakefield" and Donatella Versace--two examples probably influenced by my love of all things Maya), but there's not really any reason there needed to be as many "Brian Fellow" sketches as there were "Church Lady" appearances (I have no numbers to back that up; I'm just using them as examples extrapolated from the argument in the preceding paragraph).

Hey, what about Office Space? Remember, Milton and Lumbergh first appeared in animated form in short films Mike Judge made for SNL in the early 90s.

Also, Tim Robbins first played Bob Roberts in a short film that aired on SNL in 1986, but I'm not sure that really counts.

I never think of Office Space, though I love it. I don't really think of "Milton" as an SNL product, though; it was more like (as far as I could tell) SNL was an outlet for the "Milton" shorts, the way MTV's Liquid Television was the original outlet for "Beavis & Butthead" shorts, and the character would have existed somehow without necessarily being on SNL.

That's very likely, but the same could probably be said of many of the characters. I know Ed Grimley originated on SCTV, and as I recall Molly Shannon said in Shales and Miller that she created Mary Katherine Gallagher while she was in college.

Speaking of Ed Grimley, he starred in a Saturday morning cartoon show called The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley back in the 80s. But of course SNL characters who appeared in other TV shows is another topic altogether. (And that may be the only one, come to think of it. Something to look into.)

Because of the comments here, I went out and bought the SNL book (the Shales one) and as others have said, it is completely engrossing. I certainly will look at the program a bit differently now that I know a little of what goes on behind the scenes! I've watched this show since it started when I was in high school, and although I know everyone harks back to the earliest years, I am always underwhelmed when I see those eps now...I think the writing in later years is sharper, although I agree that they repeat characters too much. There is a quiet excellence in actors like Will Ferrill, Daryl Hammond, and that ilk -- they impress me far more than the more flamboyant characters.

Just my 2 cents...!

With all the classic TV that's coming out on DVD in complete form (the complete first and second seasons of Dick Van Dyke, etc. etc.), I wonder why they're not reissuing SNL that way. I'm not into "theme compilations." I want the complete shows, bad parts and all, starting with the first five years. I can't be the only one.

No comments on the Kelly Ripa re-run? Aside from the Horatio-as-Jimmy Buffett show-killing segment, it really was a good episode. Besides, hearing Chris Parnell call that cute puppy "a douchebag" never gets old. Or OutKast, for that matter.

My fave part of that sketch is Jim banging on Will's chest then looking up to the sky screaming "NOOOO, IT'S NOT YOUR TIME YET!!!" That always has me rolling. Actually, the entire sketch has me in stitches. :D

Man, that was bad. Was that the same episode where Jimmy (Fallon) made the ill-received joke about Rod Roddy telling people to "come on down!" to Hell?

I love Jimmy and Tina on Weekend Update, and I think they're the best anchors that they've had in quite a few years (and I loved Norm MacDonald), but there was some bad stuff in that one. I did think the show was really good other than that.

The Jim Carrey ep. was number one? Really?

I didn't see the Kelly Ripa episode when it first aired. I thought the hair color "with traces of crack cocaine" bit was hilarious, especially when she's dancing and making those "oop, oop" noises. The worst parts? Horatio "Humor-Killer" Sanz as Jimmy Buffett (hello, mute button!) and the unfunny Rod Roddy joke that would not die.

My roommate said that Kelly Ripa makes her eyes bled so she begged me to change the channel. I made her watch the monologue (for the Dance Party USA bit which we did giggle at) and the hair dye with crack ad. Her mouth just fell open and we both laughed till we almost puked.

Anyone who thinks Chris Parnell is not funny needs to see that sketch (and any time he raps). Repeatedly insulting the puppy walks the fine line of funny/mean that defines many of the best SNL moments.

The show started with Darrell Hammond as GWB. While I think Hammond is clearly a better impressionist than Will Ferrell, Ferrell is still the definitive GWB....and "strategery" is still the one word that sums up GWB.

I think Parnell is hilarious, but I always change the channel when he raps.

I always thought Will Ferrell was funnier insulting dogs (See: Dissing Your Dog) than Chris Parnell.

January host news
http://www.nbcmv.com/entertainment/release...aynightliv.html

WORD! It was just in horrible taste, I realize that is what we expect from SNL, but it was so horribly unfunny and Jimmy would not.let.it.end! Couple that with the Jimmy Buffett scene and I think that had to be the worst FallonFey WU.

Ugh ... my stupid NBC affiliate is going to show a telathon instead of the Nick/Jessica episode. I hate that they can not show national programming!

That sucks, but IMO, on normal terms, maybe you'll be thankful.

Ten-to-one they do an Apprentice parody. It's so obvious, seeing as how Hammond's in his ninth year and still on the show.

Yeah, but it will be sad not so see Phil Hartman do Donald Trump. 5 years and I'm still pissed about Phil.

Nick & Jessica? Ugh.

I thought the Rod Roddy joke was funny, dammit.

Been a pretty decent season, actually, except for Hammond's horrible, horrible Bush impersonation. They need to get that fixed; an election's coming up. (And Jeff Richards' Howard Dean was just as bad, so I'm a little nervous about Election 2004 on SNL).

BTW, I've caught a little "MADtv" for the first time now that it's on Comedy Central. I have to say it's no better than SNL.

FUnniest SNL moment to me ever involved, shockingly, COlin Quinn. He and Breuer were doing the Joe Pesci show and the real Pesci and Deniro show up and Deniro says something and Quinn, as DeNiro, says "I'm Colin Quinn, remember? Remote Control?" His delivery and "fear" was just so hilarious.

I'm considering writing an angry letter to E! reading:
'Show more SNL or the Hollywood Stories get it.'

Try being a "Simpsons" fan. I can't believe I can't hear him say "Hi, I'm Troy McClure!" or "Lionel Hutz here!" anymore.

*sniffles*

Ha! Loved the "Friends" spoof. Especially Joey.

I knew she was going to forget the coat!

"We've got a great show tonight. My nipples are here!"

Was I the only one who heard this?

The Trump opening was great..."some of the great palaces of Iraq." heee!

And double-hee to Ross coming out of the closet. But what was up with that jacket?

I think the monologue would've been better had they had the cast come out to sing the theme song for Friends. Or better yet, the theme song to Cheers.

What? Sorry I was distracted by the nipples.


The Britney skit could have been so much better. Seriously? My students could come up with better jokes about her getting married.

I missed the nipples comment also. I thought her nipples were going to be apart of the opening monologue since they were so obvious. And I am concentrating too much on that woman's chest, lol.

The Britney skit was so lame and disappointing. That was the best they could come up with?

Those nipples could have cut glass.

That papparazzi sketch would. not. end. However, I liked JA getting out her frustrations with the press. "When are you going to have a baby???"

I loved the Gaystrogen commercial. Everything else so far? Blah.

I'm sure I've seen the Gaystrogen ad before. The Britney sketch was weak but I'm sure they would love to have her on the show in the future (for the ratings, if not her talent), so they could only be so harsh.

De-lurking to ask: Is Jimmy sporting a mullet? Wtf?!

I just couldn't get over how terrible Jennifer's portrayal of Britney was. Has she ever heard Britney talk? That whole skit was barely watchable.

As always Weekend Update is wonderful. Jimmy's hair is unusually fugly, though. I'm still laughing at the Christian nudist colony joke. BWAH!

ETA: Do they even bother to script these entirely too long Saddam/Osama bits? Probably not.

Black Eyed Peas sucked, too. That girl CANNOT sing! They've got half an hour to save this disaster of a show.

Al Franken and his one-man mobile uplink unit! Yay!

They were really soft on Britney. I suppose she'll be on the show again before the end of the year. And this Saddam/Osama skit will never end. Zzzzz.

They could have cut 12 inch thick glass.


Started off good with "Working for the Weekend" by Loverboy then went downhill after the Ron Jeremy comparison.

God, was that awful or what? It went on forEVER!!

so is that Saddam Osama buit a reoccring gag because seriously it was just a time waster i was fascinated by watching the sketch completely self destrct there. they have to stop putting jimmy fallon and horatio on the same sketch it just never works, they can;t keep a straight face.

and yeah i heard my nipples are here.

That Television Nippon skit was great! They really are underusing Maya Rudolph in this episode. She had the Japanese fan act perfectly done. That sketch was hilarious because it's so true. Asian fans tend to be a lot more emotional in odd ways for "Western" stars.

After seeing WU and the Saddam/Osama skit, I think back to earlier in the day when I was watching Half Baked. Once again, the thought of Jimmy Fallon not being on SNL had it not been for Jim Breuer's firing enters my head.

Oh, the Osama/Saddam skit ended? Sorry, I just woke up.

The Gaystrogen commercial? Among the funniest I've seen in a long time. The dancing rainbow Centrum-like man was fantastically hilarious!

wow...Meyers has some damn nice legs. He should wear cut-off jeans every freakin episode.

The "Friends" skit was the only one I laughed at tonight. Pretty dull episode for me.

I was in and out of this episode. I came back in time to see that last sketch.."Are you my weiner man?". hee

Overall this episode sucked. I did like the country singers.

Tonight's episode wasn't really horribly bad...it was just incredibly blah. The "Friends" sketch was the only really funny sketch. Ok, "Appalachian Emergency Hospital" was kind of funny too, but I won't admit it.

Tina and Jimmy's hair looked really different tonight. Hers looked longer and his looked really flat and weird.

Jim Breuer was fired? Why? I ask only because I don't remember it being discussed in the book.