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On Sunday, February 15, the past and present cast of Saturday Night Live—at least those that could be in attendance—returned to Studio 8H for a nearly three hour long live anniversary special. It unfolded with all the grandeur of a cross between a variety show and a packed high school reunion. In regular SNL fashion, there were some lulls and stumbles along the way but a few gems emerged.
Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake opened with a name dropping and catch phrase spouting musical number detailing the history of Saturday Night Live much like they always do on Fallon’s late night show. The two pantomime exhaustion as they call off Shweddy balls and other pinned phrases from the mouths of Wayne and Garth and the Fenstrunk brothers. Justin did his best Christopher Walken, shouting “More cowbell!”
The stage was a revolving door of those who have hosted multiple times, and a retainer of celebrity favorites. Steve Martin’s monologue was crowded with the likes of Tom Hanks, Melissa McCarthy, Miley Cyrus, Alec Baldwin, Billy Crystal, Paul McCartney, and Paul Simon. As the names piled up it was just easier to give up counting and let what was happening just happen.
Derrick Jeter and Patton Manning awkwardly introduced forty years of sports on SNL. It’s a troubling reminder of a dancing LeBron James, Tracy Morgan throwing Shaq over the knee and spanking him, McCarthy as a raging basketball coach and Chris Farley as a Figure Skater.
Martin Short ushered in a segment about the shows marriage of comedy and music. Maya Rudpolph arrived ceremoniously as Beyoncé to help him. Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen’s Garth and Kat do their best to make up songs as they mimic one another. It is the usual mess it is as they trying not to break character. Will Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer’s Marty and Bobbi Culp do a medley of billboard toppers like “All About That Bass”, “Uptown Funk” and “Turn Down for What?”
Adam Sandler returns as Opera Man lamenting: “Lorne Michaels has gathered us here but no one’s getting paid-oh, but Betty White is here so at least we’re all getting laid-o.” One of my personal favorites, Kenan Thompson does a rendition of “What’s up With That” with a brillo haired Jason Sudeikis doing the running man in a red jogging suit. The segment ends on Bill Murray belting out a stirring and troubling ballad about Jaws and then the Blues Brothers do a final number to bring everyone on stage.
Chris Rock gave a loaded and rousing tribute to Eddie Murphy in his opening monologue, about how Eddie Murphy saved SNL and hasn’t been on SNL in 35 years. While he is considered one of the most quintessential members of the cast, he received very little screen time, coming out briefly to thank everyone and….cut to commercial. With his absence in the first half of the special and Rock’s build up, it was very anticlimactic to not have seen more of him.
Weekend Update—Jane Curtin, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey lead as anchors, joking about SNL alums critical failure at the box office. Emma Stone, Edward Norton, and Melissa McCarthy do impressions of their favorite characters. When someone comes knocking at the door, Jane warns Tina not to answer the door because it could be a shark, and low and behold, it is a shark.
The sketch later devolves into a montage of the best of the best of Weekend Update (Cecily Strong’s tenure noticeably absent). The best is hearing Bobby Monynihan’s Drunk Uncle splutter: “They don’t now they value of a dollar, they’re all just twerking nine to five.” And not to be forgotten, Dan Aykroyd’s golden line in Point Counter Point: “Jane, you ignorant slut.”
During Jerry Seinfeld’s monologue, formatted in a popular question and answer sketch, he took a shot at Brian Williams, saying that was an original cast member. Maybe… Just earlier on the red carpet, Jim Carey asked Matt Lauer where they were hiding Williams, prompting Lauer to shoo Carey away as he checked his watch. There was a heaping helping of star power present to ask questions, including Michael Douglas, and John Goodman. John has been on the show multiple times and loves it—“a Goodman’s Dozen. It’s like a hotel where you get to play pretend”.
James Franco then materializes, asking did everybody get his email; he worked really hard on it. Grumpy as usual and somewhat surprised to be there, Larry David had to ask Jerry if he was actually a writer on SNL. The two went back and forth, surprised that they were both there. Ellen Cleghorne, who enjoyed a five year stint on the show, asked one of the most important questions of the night: why aren’t their more black women—not on SNL, just in general. One moment to really grin at was Jerry mistaking Sarah Palin for Tina Fey. What a plot twist.
Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin were on hand to pay a short and sweet tribute to their friend Tracy Morgan. While Baldwin did an offbeat impression, Fey played it straight, expressing that if Tracy was there he would like them all to know how much he would want to get them pregnant. He had just last year been involved in a near fatal car crash that claimed the lives of several of the people in his vehicle and landed him in critical condition. He is currently still recovering from brain damage.
Louis C.K was brought out to introduce the best of the pre taped short films and commercials. The audience was treated to a flurry of clips from “The Ambiguously Gay duo”, “Digital shorts”, “Lonely Island”, and “Macgruber”. After Kanye’s performance, Zach Galifinakis somehow stole Sia’s gigantic wig, in order to present “Adam Samberg and Andy Sandler’s” new short about the best moments when a cast member has broken character, dogging mostly on Fallon and Horatio Sanz to the tune of ‘Simply the Best’.
Before the shows’ wrap up, it took a moment with an in memoriam featuring John Belushi, Jan Hooks, announcer Jon Pardo, Andy Kaufman, Danitra Vance, Charles Rocket, Phil Hartman, Chris Farley, Gilda Radner… and Jon Lovitz—who is still alive.
Zhana Johnson
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