saturday night live

[grand theft sparrow]

forecast: bad lost parody, the graduate parody, and special n'sync surprise guests.

You forgot Warren Beatty chatting with Lorne backstage and the way-too-late American Beauty parody that will occur during Bening's opening monologue, maybe with the real Spacey as a guest but definitely with a floating plastic bag.

[polkablues]

Watch it quick before Youtube has our memories wiped clean of it:

EDIT: On second thought, fuck YouTube.  NBC.com has the uncensored version up.

[picolas]

uncensored on youtube


reminds me of

a little bit

[essbe]

SNLl has steadily gone downhill since Ferrell left

[cine]

its steadily gone downhill since 1975, if you want to get technical about it.

[abuck1220]

its steadily gone downhill since 1975, if you want to get technical about it.

the hipness associated with bashing snl has gone uphill at double the rate, however.

the last two episodes have been more good than bad, i don't care what anyone says. there is always a lame sketch or two in there, but it's always been that way. people remember the really funny sketches from whatever era they prefer and that's what sticks in their mind.

[polkablues]

the last two episodes have been more good than bad, i don't care what anyone says. there is always a lame sketch or two in there, but it's always been that way. people remember the really funny sketches from whatever era they prefer and that's what sticks in their mind.

The Jaime Pressley episode, the Alec Baldwin episode, and the Justin Timberlake episode this season were all as consistently good as the show has been in years, and the Matthew Fox, Hugh Laurie, and Annette Bening episodes weren't far behind.

[pete]

just to stay on the cutting edge, I'm going to announce the obvious:
the snl bashing bashing is lame.  so is snl bashing bashing bashing bashing.  but snl bashing bashing bashing (what you're reading right now) remains happily relevant and hip.  It's akin to goldielock, and this is the little bear in the snl controversy.
and you know what?  if the show is cancelled, we'd all be happily co-existing right now.

[MacGuffin]

Watch it quick before Youtube has our memories wiped clean of it:

EDIT: On second thought, fuck YouTube.  NBC.com has the uncensored version up.

Censored 'SNL' Sketch Jumps Bleepless Onto the Internet

The nearly three-minute digital film, shown on "Saturday Night Live" last Saturday, was a parody of two boy-band singers (including one played by the real Justin Timberlake) crooning a holiday song about making a gift to their girlfriends of their male anatomy, which they appeared to have wrapped in boxes (strategically placed) and then topped with bows.

Given the subject matter, it was little surprise that NBC bleeped a recurring word in the chorus 16 times. But soon after the broadcast concluded at 1 a.m. Sunday, viewers who'd seen the bit on TV (and others who had just heard about it) could find the uncensored version online. That's because the network itself had placed it on its own Web site (nbc.com) and YouTube.com, under the headings "Special Treat in a Box" or "Special Christmas Box."

In less than a week the official uncensored version of the video has been viewed by over two million people on YouTube alone. In the process "Saturday Night Live" appears to have become the first scripted comedy on a broadcast network to use the Web to make an end-run around the prying eyes of both its internal censors and those of the Federal Communications Commission, whose jurisdiction over "Saturday Night Live" effectively ends at the Web frontier.

Lorne Michaels, the creator and executive producer of "Saturday Night Live," cautioned in an interview that the strategy of treating Internet users to the equivalent of an authorized "director's cut" of his late-night show "will be the exception" going forward. But he also predicted that other shows and networks, time and money permitting, would surely follow NBC's lead in making available material that was deemed not ready for prime time, or even late night. "My sense is that, as always, now that the door has been opened, some things will go through it," he said.

For "Saturday Night Live" the ubiquity of "Special Treat" on the Web this week has proved to be yet another digital stake planted firmly in unexplored ground. Almost a year ago a rap parody from the show (featuring two characters waxing rhapsodic about eating cupcakes and watching "The Chronicles of Narnia" on the Upper West Side) became one of the first bootleg videos to demonstrate the vast potential of YouTube, the portal through which millions of viewers were able to see it. (While NBC quickly ordered YouTube to take down the video, which was titled "Lazy Sunday" and protected by copyright, the network later reached agreement with the Web site to showcase copyrighted material from its shows, including "The Office" and "Saturday Night Live," on a dedicated page stocked by the network itself.)

The common denominator in "Special Treat" and "Lazy Sunday" — as well as another "Saturday Night Live" favorite on You Tube featuring the actress Natalie Portman and her supposed bad-girl side — is a performer on the show, Andy Samberg, and a supporting cast of producers he brought with him to "Saturday Night Live" from a pioneering Web site called Lonely Island.

The idea for "Special Treat" was hatched, Mr. Samberg said, when Mr. Michaels called him into his office last Tuesday and asked that he try to write something funny that would showcase the singing skills of Mr. Timberlake, who was both the host and musical guest.

Mr. Samberg and his colleagues — including Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone — presented a rough draft of the song to Mr. Timberlake on Thursday afternoon, and after they reworked it to his specifications, they recorded the voice track on special equipment in Mr. Samberg's office around midnight. They spent Friday and much of Saturday filming the video in and around New York, and not until 4 p.m. Saturday — less than eight hours before the show was to go live — was the video in sufficient shape to be shown to the NBC executive responsible for late-night programming, Rick Ludwin.

While the show's producers had already concluded on their own that the video would have to be bleeped to be broadcast, they had a special request for Mr. Ludwin: Would he permit the uncensored version to be made available on the Web?

"My first instinct, without having seen anything, was that we probably shouldn't do that," Mr. Ludwin said later in an interview. "My thought was that even though it's going on the Internet, it's still representing NBC. But I hadn't seen it yet. So I said it would depend on how dirty it was."

Drawing close to a monitor adjacent to the show's vaunted eighth-floor studio, Mr. Ludwin watched as Mr. Timberlake (in a blond wig) and Mr. Samberg (decked out with a close-cropped beard that made him look like the pop singer's twin brother) sang of the various holidays on which they wanted to present their special gift (including Hanukkah and Kwanzaa) and the various settings (including backstage at the Country Music Association Awards.)

"We were all laughing," said Mr. Ludwin, who had been accompanied by a representative from the NBC legal department. And then Mr. Ludwin said he had a change of heart.

"Those people who go on the Internet will not be shocked by this," Mr. Ludwin recalled thinking. "Obviously there are some people who will be offended. Those people are probably unlikely to go searching for it on the Internet. It's just funny."

Still, the material was touchy enough, Mr. Ludwin said, that he sought final approval for the Web version of the video from the highest echelons of NBC, including Kevin Reilly, the president of NBC Entertainment , and Jeff Zucker, chief executive of NBC Universal Television Group.. Both approved the idea, he said. Another executive suggested that a disclaimer be placed before the Web-only version of the video that warned of its explicit content, a proposal that was immediately accepted.

As yet another production featuring Mr. Samberg spreads like electronic wildfire, the performer said he was pleased that the show was becoming so adept at finding alternate routes to viewers, beyond the 6.5 million who, on average, watch the show on NBC each Saturday night, according to Nielsen Media Research. (A figure that is down slightly since last year at this time.)

"A sign now of success with a certain audience when you do a short comedy piece, anywhere, is that it gets on YouTube and gets around," Mr. Samberg said. "It's always something you're thinking about unconsciously. It's not our main objective. But there's no part of us that doesn't want to be on YouTube."

Which is not to say that NBC intends to make such decisions lightly in the future. "We're still not going to put just anything out there," said Jeff Gaspin, president of digital content for NBC Universal. "We still have to protect the brands."

Seth Meyers, the show's head writer, said that he and Mr. Michaels were also mindful that sometimes the funniest material — whether on their show, or Howard Stern's radio show — was borne of butting up against boundaries, either from the outside or self-imposed.

Sizing up the two versions of the "Special Treat" video, Mr. Meyers observed, "The most interesting thing is that it's actually not funnier uncensored."

[MacGuffin]

Louis-Dreyfus and Manning Hosting SNL

NBC's "Saturday Night Live" continues to thrill with its line-up in March running the gamut from Emmy winners, to Super Bowl MVPs and U.K. rock stars and an award winning American Idol.

On March 17, "SNL" alum and actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus returns to Studio 8H and to the show where she got her start and where she made a triumphant return last season. Louis-Dreyfus, an "SNL" cast member from 1982-1985, is the first female alum to host the show. She earned worldwide acclaim and recognition for her portrayal of Elaine Benes on NBC's "Seinfeld," for which she received two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, five Screen Actors Guild Awards and four American Comedy Awards during the landmark comedy's nine years on the air. She is currently starring in the hit comedy series "The New Adventures of Old Christine," which recently earned her another Emmy. She also had a critically praised recurring role on "Arrested Development." Louis-Dreyfus' film credits include, A Bug's Life, Hannah and Her Sisters and Deconstructing Harry.

Joining Louis-Dreyfus on the show is British trio, Snow Patrol. The band, which features a fusion of a variety of alternative song styles, will perform from their hit record "Eyes Open." The record is a chart mainstay, led by its first Grammy nominated single "Chasing Cars" which figured prominently in the second season finale of "Grey's Anatomy." On the strength of that song and touring all over North America, Snow Patrol became the first U.K. rock act in 13 years to break the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. "Eyes Open" was also the No. 1 selling album in the U.K. in 2006. The record is a follow-up to their popular major label debut "Final Straw."

On March 24, SNL welcomes Indianapolis Colts quarterback and Super Bowl XLI MVP Peyton Manning to host. Since joining the Colts as the number one overall draft pick in 1998, Manning has rewritten the record books earning two NFL MVP Awards and making five Pro Bowl appearances prior to his stunning Super Bowl victory earlier this year. Manning has also thrown for more yards and touchdowns than any other player in that time period and is the only player in league history to pass for 4,000 yards in six consecutive games and recorded four career perfect games the most in NFL history.

Manning makes his acting debut on "SNL" and joins an illustrious list of athletes who have hosted in the show's 32-year history including fellow NFL stars most recently Patriots QB Tom Brady as well as Joe Montana, Walter Payton, Deion Sanders along with superstars of other sports including Derek Jeter, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Andy Roddick, George Foreman and numerous others.

Joining Manning on March 24 is musical guest and "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood. Since winning "Idol" in May 2005, Underwood's debut album "Some Hearts" has sold over 5 million copies and has produced four No. 1 singles. She recently took home two Grammy Awards for Best New Artist, Best Country Female Vocal. In addition, Underwood has won two Country Music Association Awards, two Academy of Country Music Awards, two CMT Awards, 2 People's Choice Awards and 8 Billboard Awards.

[pumba]

Did anyone catch it last night?

The fake i.d/buying beer skit was really great. The dakota fanning show was very funny too. Show's funny.

[cine]

the digital short was one of their best.

NEXT WEEK:scarlett johansson and bjork!

[modage]

the digital short was one of their best.

i also thought so.  i loved it even though i didn't know that it was a take-off of the OC, (which makes it not quite as brilliant) but even with the context its still pretty damn funny.  watch both versions here.

[Pubrick]

the digital short was one of their best.

i also thought so.

dearest cine/mod,

LAY OFF THE CRACK.

sincerely, your good pal, pubrick.

seriously. that was funny for the first 2 kills, and has very little replay value since it plays out the joke well and truly by the end of the clip. the joke of everyone walking into a room getting killed was done (to death, as the title of their movie implies) 18 years ago by Penn and Teller, and recently (and much more memorably/funnier) in Mulholland Drive.

also this clip is at least 2 years overdue as an OC parody.

[MacGuffin]

D**k in a Box Wins an Emmy!
Source: The Associated Press

"D**k in a Box," last December's music video performed by Justin Timberlake and "Saturday Night Live" cast member Andy Samberg, was honored at the Emmy's creative arts ceremony.

"I think it's safe to say that when we first set out to make this song, we were all thinking 'Emmy!'" Samberg joked in accepting the award Saturday for best original music and lyrics.

"The other thing we were thinking was, 'Hey! Here's this young up and comer, Justin Timberlake, who is clearly very talented and could clearly use a break,'" Samberg said. "So, Justin, if you're out there, congrats to you, kid.'"

The video, which beat out competition that included two songs from a musical edition of "Scrubs," became an Internet sensation. It garnered millions of views on YouTube and NBC's website, which posted an un-bleeped version.

The Creative Arts Emmys, which recognize technical and other achievements for the 2006-07 season, will air Sept. 15 on E!, the night before the Primetime Emmy Awards on Fox.