SNL Discussion (Split Topic)

[mbrg]

 

 

Ya this is one of those things we have to disagree on. Can't stand the Fey/Poehler love and am Luke warm on Wiig, at best. It's hipster humour, I think. Molly Shannon was incredible... Comes from the same school of comedy as Ferrell where it's "absolutely anything for a laugh". Fearless woman.

 

From what I've read from you, "hipster" is used to describe anything you don't like...

 

 

A hipster colorectal exam?

[17to85]

I've had this argument with Noeller about people like Wiig before. She is a very funny lady, the problem is they basically ran every character she ever came up with into the ground and it just felt forced. They opted to take the easy way out and just throw out one of her characters again for the umpteenth time which was tiresome, but guys like Will Ferrell had the same problem too. 

 

As for Amy Poehler, she was funny too in that manic crazy kind of way, but Tina Fey is seriously unfunny and the most over rated comedienne I can think or and Noeller likes to associate Poehler and Fey because of how friendly they are. It's really a guilt by association I think. 

[sweep the leg]

I've had this argument with Noeller about people like Wiig before. She is a very funny lady, the problem is they basically ran every character she ever came up with into the ground and it just felt forced. They opted to take the easy way out and just throw out one of her characters again for the umpteenth time which was tiresome, but guys like Will Ferrell had the same problem too. 

 

As for Amy Poehler, she was funny too in that manic crazy kind of way, but Tina Fey is seriously unfunny and the most over rated comedienne I can think or and Noeller likes to associate Poehler and Fey because of how friendly they are. It's really a guilt by association I think. 

Tina Fey is a very good tv/sketch comedy writer. Her acting fits into the "meh" category, although she was never in a lot of skits on SNL anyways.

 

She played the straight act to everybody elses crazy on 30 Rock, so she didn't have to be funny on her own.

[17to85]

She is very over rated as a writer too. SNL improved greatly after she left. I will concede that different people find different things funny, but Fey is more annoying to me than funny. 

[Noeller]

Fey's time as head writer is among my least favourite eras of SNL. I'm terrified how bad things would be if she was head writer with Aidy Bryant in the cast. *shudder*

[Logan007]

Come on...Gilda Radner and Jane Curtin.  Nobody beats them in SNL for the ladies.

[17to85]

Come on...Gilda Radner and Jane Curtin.  Nobody beats them in SNL for the ladies.

Not all of us are that old, cut us some slack. 

[gbill2004]

Great discussion on Devin Tyler in here.

[comedygeek]

I'm sorry... I know I'm contributing to the thread derailment, but comedy is practically my business, and so I have to chime in.

 

I wasn't a huge fan of Tina Fey during her SNL years. I thought as head writer/co-head writer, she was boring. It's why when "30 Rock" came out, I didn't even watch it. I was a "Studio 60" guy that year (apparently the only one ) and it wasn't until the summer after that I decided to try "30 Rock". I found it brilliant, and still consider it one of the highest laugh-per-minute shows of all time. It was relentless, and Fey's writing (along with the entire staff) played a big part. So did the acting, of course, of which Fey was a part. I think she plays a solid straight woman in comedy, which is thankless but super important.

 

Kristen Wiig is a phenomenal actress, but I usually found her insufferable on SNL. Her recurring characters were all garbage. Amy Poehler can do it all, and from people I know who know her personally, she also couldn't be more of a sweetheart. That's always nice to hear with someone that wickedly funny. (She also used to spend a lot of time in Winnipeg when she and Will Arnett were married, as his grandparents lived here, and now his parents live here as well.) Rachel Dratch was pound-for-pound one of the funniest women SNL ever had, but because she wasn't conventionally attractive, she had trouble finding work post-SNL.

 

I'm of the firm belief that everyone's "favourite" SNL cast (with the exception of a few awful seasons, of which last season is probably included) is the one who was around when they were 12-16 years old. I'll always hold the Miller/Lovitz/Hooks to Carvey/Hartman/Sandler/Farley years as top notch, although I got pulled back into SNL quite heavily when The Lonely Island were hired, as I was already fans of their online work for a couple years before that. Getting to meet and interview them several times didn't hurt either (one of the highlights was filming a short comedy video with Jorma, and then him giving me a lift afterwards), but if you look at how many people out of those years of SNL have gone onto moderate to huge success on either TV or in the movies, it's a testament to how strong that cast was.

It's like the cast of "Parks and Recreation" -- when the show started, almost everyone save for Amy Pohler was a relative nobody. A few people knew of Aziz from "Human Giant" and Chris Pratt from "Everwood", but they were basically nobodies. Now Chris Pratt is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, Aubrey Plaza stars in a couple features a year, Aziz is a massively popular stand-up, everyone loves Nick Offerman, and even a bit player like Ben Schwartz is a relatively big TV and film actor. It's cool to see talent rise like that!

[Logan007]

 

Come on...Gilda Radner and Jane Curtin.  Nobody beats them in SNL for the ladies.

Not all of us are that old, cut us some slack. 

 

Ah, it has nothing to do with age.  I had to watch them on Best of SNL to see their skits.  They're just classic comedic actresses.

[Logan007]

I'm sorry... I know I'm contributing to the thread derailment, but comedy is practically my business, and so I have to chime in.

 

I wasn't a huge fan of Tina Fey during her SNL years. I thought as head writer/co-head writer, she was boring. It's why when "30 Rock" came out, I didn't even watch it. I was a "Studio 60" guy that year (apparently the only one ) and it wasn't until the summer after that I decided to try "30 Rock". I found it brilliant, and still consider it one of the highest laugh-per-minute shows of all time. It was relentless, and Fey's writing (along with the entire staff) played a big part. So did the acting, of course, of which Fey was a part. I think she plays a solid straight woman in comedy, which is thankless but super important.

 

Kristen Wiig is a phenomenal actress, but I usually found her insufferable on SNL. Her recurring characters were all garbage. Amy Poehler can do it all, and from people I know who know her personally, she also couldn't be more of a sweetheart. That's always nice to hear with someone that wickedly funny. (She also used to spend a lot of time in Winnipeg when she and Will Arnett were married, as his grandparents lived here, and now his parents live here as well.) Rachel Dratch was pound-for-pound one of the funniest women SNL ever had, but because she wasn't conventionally attractive, she had trouble finding work post-SNL.

 

I'm of the firm belief that everyone's "favourite" SNL cast (with the exception of a few awful seasons, of which last season is probably included) is the one who was around when they were 12-16 years old. I'll always hold the Miller/Lovitz/Hooks to Carvey/Hartman/Sandler/Farley years as top notch, although I got pulled back into SNL quite heavily when The Lonely Island were hired, as I was already fans of their online work for a couple years before that. Getting to meet and interview them several times didn't hurt either (one of the highlights was filming a short comedy video with Jorma, and then him giving me a lift afterwards), but if you look at how many people out of those years of SNL have gone onto moderate to huge success on either TV or in the movies, it's a testament to how strong that cast was.

It's like the cast of "Parks and Recreation" -- when the show started, almost everyone save for Amy Pohler was a relative nobody. A few people knew of Aziz from "Human Giant" and Chris Pratt from "Everwood", but they were basically nobodies. Now Chris Pratt is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, Aubrey Plaza stars in a couple features a year, Aziz is a massively popular stand-up, everyone loves Nick Offerman, and even a bit player like Ben Schwartz is a relatively big TV and film actor. It's cool to see talent rise like that!

I wish I could find that Miller/Lovitz/Hooks/Carvey/Myers/Hartman/Sandler/Farley on video.  I found a few skits but I'd love to rewatch that whole era.

 

Oh, and if you've never seen it, google audition tapes for Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman and a few others.  It's pretty funny/weird to watch them stand their auditioning and no one is laughing on the video...except you of course and sometimes who they're auditioning for.

 

Speaking of Pratt, I'm not a huge fan.  I find him ok, but I don't know how he's as big of a star as he is.  I liked Guardians of the Galaxy and he did really well voicing Emmett in the Lego Movie, but outside of that I never hugely liked what he's been in.  Tried watching Parks, but I just found it boring.

 

On that note, "YOU'RE THE DEVIL!"

 

[SPuDS]

So what season did Devin Tyler perform on SNL anyway?

[17to85]

So what season did Devin Tyler perform on SNL anyway?

Didn't you hear? He's getting the start on Saturday Night and the game is LIVE on tsn...

[17to85]

Speaking of Pratt, I'm not a huge fan.  I find him ok, but I don't know how he's as big of a star as he is.  I liked Guardians of the Galaxy and he did really well voicing Emmett in the Lego Movie, but outside of that I never hugely liked what he's been in.  Tried watching Parks, but I just found it boring.

 

 

Parks and Rec is to me a show that's a lot like Arrested Development in that the cast looks pretty good but the show I just don't find funny. 

[comedygeek]

So what season did Devin Tyler perform on SNL anyway?

 

I think it was Season 31, which made him one of the youngest SNL cast members of all time after Anthony Michael Hall and Eddie Murphy (and slightly younger than Robert Downey, Jr.). He only lasted I think 3 episodes, and from what I recall, he didn't have a featured sketch make it to air. His spot was taken over mid-season by Kristen Wiig (likely after Lorne Michaels realized it would be the last season for Fey & Dratch, and needing to increase the female presence on the show). It turns out Devin Tyler's loss was SNL's gain, as Wiig became one of its most long-standing and recognizable stars.

But of course, it didn't end up too bad for Devin Tyler, as he was able to score a football scholarship at Temple University and the rest -- as they say -- is history.

Of note, of course, is that Devin Tyler is one of only a few former SNL cast members to also spend time behind bars (after his 2012 assault conviction). Robert Downey, Jr. is probably the most famous of that group.

[Logan007]

 

Speaking of Pratt, I'm not a huge fan.  I find him ok, but I don't know how he's as big of a star as he is.  I liked Guardians of the Galaxy and he did really well voicing Emmett in the Lego Movie, but outside of that I never hugely liked what he's been in.  Tried watching Parks, but I just found it boring.

 

 

Parks and Rec is to me a show that's a lot like Arrested Development in that the cast looks pretty good but the show I just don't find funny. 

 

Yes exactly.  I wanted to like Arrested Development and couldn't even finish one episode.  I got through one episode of Parks, and tried bits and pieces here and there but it just underwhelmed me.

[sweep the leg]

Rewatch some of the stuff from the Myers/Carvey era. I laughed my ass off as a teenager, but it hasn't aged well. I don't get why Wayne's World or Hans & Frans was so funny anymore.

[iso_55]

 

Come on...Gilda Radner and Jane Curtin.  Nobody beats them in SNL for the ladies.

Not all of us are that old, cut us some slack. 

 

I am. They were great. 

[Goalie]

Gotta admit, watched a few segments of SNL this week and it was pretty funny.. The weekend update was good, the bigger woman and the host in the bar was pretty funny, the nfl on cbs thing running through the teams offences and defenses but instead of saying what college they went too, saying what crime they committed. Was pretty decent actually. The host was pretty good actually. 

[17to85]

It was a horrible episode and mostly because Aidy Bryant doing the oversexed fat girl is all she does and it wasn't funny the first time. Complete waste of space. The rest of the female cast is very talented why does most of the screen time go to the useless one?

[sweep the leg]

I thought Weekend Update was very funny. The new guy talking about sucking **** for money was solid.

 

Thought the He-Man & Lion-O skit was funny too.

[17to85]

Update had a few good segments, the new guy is a good standup for sure, hopefully that translates into some sketches. The Marvel can't fail bit was good, and the NFL stuff was decent but the rest of it was just such a mess. 

[robynjt]

 

Speaking of Pratt, I'm not a huge fan.  I find him ok, but I don't know how he's as big of a star as he is.  I liked Guardians of the Galaxy and he did really well voicing Emmett in the Lego Movie, but outside of that I never hugely liked what he's been in.  Tried watching Parks, but I just found it boring.

 

 

Parks and Rec is to me a show that's a lot like Arrested Development in that the cast looks pretty good but the show I just don't find funny. 

 

 

See, I feel that way about Arrested Development, but adore Parks and Rec.

 

Kristen Wiig is a phenomenal actress, but I usually found her insufferable on SNL. Her recurring characters were all garbage. Amy Poehler can do it all, and from people I know who know her personally, she also couldn't be more of a sweetheart. That's always nice to hear with someone that wickedly funny. (She also used to spend a lot of time in Winnipeg when she and Will Arnett were married, as his grandparents lived here, and now his parents live here as well.) Rachel Dratch was pound-for-pound one of the funniest women SNL ever had, but because she wasn't conventionally attractive, she had trouble finding work post-SNL.

 

I can't even watch anything with Kristen Wiig in it, because I grew to dislike her so much from every SNL skit she was ever on.  Plus the first movie I saw with her was Bridesmaids... and I couldn't stand it. 

[Noeller]

Bridesmaids was such a piece of ****, and saved only by Melissa McCarthy being as filthy as she is...

[Logan007]

I don't even think Melissa McCarthy saved that movie.  I like some of her stuff, I thought The Heat was pretty good, and I sometimes will watch Mike and Molly which is ok, but she's getting type cast and I think she's a better actress then just the butch bitchy girl she plays in movies.