saturday night live

[ono]

Paul Brittain, Taran Killiam, and Vanessa Bayer Join SNL.  Meh.  I'm more interested in seeing what Pedrad will come up with and if Slate will stick around.  Abby Morgan Elliott (don't know WHAT I was thinking there) is okay, but I really doubt she's going anywhere either way.  Most bummed about Forte's exit.  Though he's been around awhile, it seemed premature, and as good as a cast member as he was, it was a shame he didn't get a better sendoff.

[modage]

Abby Morgan is okay, but I really doubt she's going anywhere either way.

Abby Elliott? She'll stick around.

[ono]

Whoops.  Abby Morgan is the chick who drowned in Dawson's Creek.  Hah.  Even if Armisen annd Elliott are dating, that's no real reason for Lorne to keep her around.  It'd be on the strength of her impressions ('cause really, she didn't have a lot else going for her).

[polkablues]

Abby Elliot is mostly good as one of the extra people in a sketch who has a couple lines but isn't the main focus. She's not good enough to draw attention to herself, but also doesn't do anything bad enough to hurt anything. As opposed to Jenny Slate and Bobby Moynihan, who are occasionally quite funny, but just as often distractingly obnoxious.

Nasim Pedrad is a keeper, though. She's one they can actually build off of.

[polkablues]

BREAKING NEWS!  ACTUAL BLACK CAST MEMBER (possibly)!

[Pubrick]

BREAKING NEWS!  ACTUAL BLACK CAST MEMBER (possibly)!

wow those are really good impressions.

i was gonna post this one he does of obama but those (denzel/will, charie/eddie murphy) are pretty great.

i thought Cine would be the next black cast member.

[pete]

AMAZING KATT WILLIAMS IMPRESSION.

[cine]

i thought Cine would be the next black cast member.

haha my friend was really banking on the idea that he could get on the show. he had moved to Chicago to perform/teach with IO (where the new members Brittain and Bayer are from). now he can basically bet his life savings that he'll never be hired to SNL ever. Jay Pharoah is 22 and my friend is almost 28. no chance.

[ono]

Quite an opening lineup they've got this year, especially compared to last year:

Sep. 25 Amy Poehler / Katy Perry
Oct. 2 Bryan Cranston
Oct. 9 Jane Lynch
Oct. 23 Emma Stone
Oct. 30 Jon Hamm

Pretty sure that's right.  Whee.

[polkablues]

Five actually funny people in a row?  Has that ever happened before?

[Ravi]

I'm definitely DVRing (and then fast-forwarding through 90% of) these episodes.

[modage]

If anyone hasn't read this NYMag article from 1995, you should.  It's FASCINATING.

http://nymag.com/arts/tv/features/47548/

[Ravi]

If anyone hasn't read this NYMag article from 1995, you should.  It's FASCINATING.

http://nymag.com/arts/tv/features/47548/

I'm in the middle of reading this.  I can see why you capitalized "fascinating."  I don't see how good comedy could ever come out of such an atmosphere.

[Tictacbk]

If anyone hasn't read this NYMag article from 1995, you should.  It's FASCINATING.

http://nymag.com/arts/tv/features/47548/

It is fascinating, but 90% of the quotes in that article lack an actual name being attached to them.  Its all "says ex-cast member" or "a close friend to Jim" or "A former key writer who stays in close touch with the politics of SNL" or even "a young comedian who rejected an offer to join Saturday Night Live."  At first I was willing to let them get away with a few of those, but at a certain point it became absurd.

[Pas]

That article was great though. Makes you realize hard-hitting entertainment news is rare nowadays. Nice find.