Posted on 02/17/2025 4:09:28 AM PST by dennisw
It shouldn’t come as a shock that the best parts of the “Saturday Night Live” 50th anniversary special last night on NBC were seeing iconic stars back in Studio 8H again.
Everybody got to watch at least one of their favorites. It was the rare event that was just as nostalgic for 30-year-olds as it was for nonagenarians.
After Paul Simon, 83, kicked things off dueting on “Homeward Bound” with Sabrina Carpenter, 25, Steve Martin, who was never a cast member but hosted the program 16 times, began with a terrific opening monologue.
“A person born during the first season of ‘Saturday Night Live’ could, today, be easily dead of natural causes,” Martin, 79, said dryly.
The wild-and-crazy guy went on: “This is the monologue — traditionally the weakest part of the show. The monologue is like a rent controlled tenant: it’s not going anywhere even though it stinks.”
It was also a thrill to see Bill Murray back. During “Weekend Update” with Colin Jost and Michael Che, Murray, who was behind the desk for two seasons in the 1980s, ranked the best “Update” hosts of all time. He named the late Norm Macdonald, who was eegregiously fired by NBC in 1997 for ruthlessly going after OJ Simpson, No. 2.
“He made me ask the question of myself: Could OJ possibly have done it?,” Murray said in what felt like a low-key apology to the stand-up great.
Eddie Murphy returned for the “Black Jeopardy” sketch to hilariously play none other than Tracy Morgan, who was standing right next to him.
“James Earl Jones was my biological father!,” Murphy shouted, Morgan-style.
Laraine Newman, who appeared during the first five seasons, had a funny video segment with Pete Davidson attempting to relive her glory days.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
the last time I watched SNL was waaaaaaay back with eddie murphy and dan aykroyd... never cared for anyone after that. ESPECIALLY that will ferrel. man I hate that guy!!!
For me, SNL was good until windows 95 came out. Win 95 brought the internet, which brought the decline of many cultural factors such as popular music. I bought my first computer in 1996 to see what this internet thing was all about.
Microsoft was behind the curve. They had an ugly primitive ISP called the Microsoft Network that I used. That was confusing and hard to figure out.
Yeah, hard to enjoy the comedy of lefties.
The ONLY worthwhile thing about SNL was the Not Ready for Prime Time Players.
I remember they had Burt Reynolds hosting on one show, and they did a skit on the movie "Deliverance" where Reynolds is in the canoe with two S&M gay guys who heard what happened to Ned Beatty ..."So where arrrre these hillbilly boys at?" LOL Today they would get protests over "gay bias"
If the baby Clark Kent had grown up in Nazi Germany, he’d be known as Uberman. Just ask Jimmie Olstein.
New stuff, like the last 15 years?
“... the internet, which brought the decline of many cultural factors such as popular music. ...”
It seems to me that popular music evolves rather than declines. But I will say that I prefer the softer-edged, more musical music of the 60s and the early 70s. So to me it has declined, but that’s just me.
What is the “decline” that you speak of, and how did the internet produce the decline?
Thanks!
There was Gilda. And then there was everybody else.
Except for one or two people who came after Akroyd and Belushi SNL stopped being funny after they left.
The last time SNL was funny was back when Chico Esquela was part of SNL.
Bill Murray the best Update host? Gimme a break. “Jane,you ignorant slut!”
It was “cute” at one time, long ago. Now I enjoy not watching it.
SNL’s 50th?
It hasn’t been funny in 45 years, and, although I am well aware that I’m 50 years older than when the show debuted, I don’t enjoy people who were young when I was looking like fossils on live TV.
No thanks.
It was also a thrill to see Bill Murray back. During “Weekend Update” with Colin Jost and Michael Che, Murray, who was behind the desk for two seasons in the 1980s, ranked the best “Update” hosts of all time. He named the late Norm Macdonald, who was eegregiously fired by NBC in 1997 for ruthlessly going after OJ Simpson, No. 2.
Thank you, Bill!
Most of the last 80s cast are conservatives: Dennis Miller, Victoria Jackson, Jon Lovitz and Rob Scheider.
Guaranteed to ride up.
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