Saturday Night Live - Season 35 premiering Sept. 26 (1 Viewer)

[ThomasC]

A Bronx Beat sketch was cut from dress rehearsal, but don't miss it! Stay until the end, trust me.


http://www.hulu.com/watch/147973/saturday-night-live-bronx-beat#s-p1-sr-i1

 

[Patrick Sun]

I won't ever look at a muffin in the same way again...

 

[EricSchulz]

Probably the first funny-from-start-to-finish show in ages! Betty was quite the trooper, and the return of some of the funniest women EVER on the show was icing on the cake! (or, muffin, if you prefer them that way...)

Not sure how Seth Meyers kept a straight face during the "Whitney Houston" interview!

 

[mattCR]

Originally Posted by EricSchulz

Probably the first funny-from-start-to-finish show in ages! Betty was quite the trooper, and the return of some of the funniest women EVER on the show was icing on the cake! (or, muffin, if you prefer them that way...)

Not sure how Seth Meyers kept a straight face during the "Whitney Houston" interview!

Tina Fey had to drift to the back in the Lesbian sketch when Betty started going off on Balls.. I'd agree with the funny from beginning to end. I can't remember a show where the very last sketch was actually funny enough it could have been in the first hour.
What she really did was something so few actors go on the show willing to do, she was willing to completely sell the concept whether it poked fun at herself or whatever. "Ascertain was my stripper name.." damn

 

[mattCR]

Apparently fans knew best. From NBC's PR Dept:

‘SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’ SCORES ITS HIGHEST OVERNIGHTS IN 18 MONTHS HOSTED BY BETTY WHITE AND FEATURING MUSICAL GUEST JAY-Z, ‘SNL’ ATTRACTS ITS HIGHEST METERED-MARKET RATINGS SINCE NOVEMBER 1, 2008 UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – May 9, 2010 – “Saturday Night Live” has scored its highest metered-market household rating in a year and a half, since the pre-election telecast of November 2008, according to in-home viewing figures from the 56 local markets metered by Nielsen Media Research. With a telecast hosted by Betty White and featuring musical guest Jay-Z, last night’s “Saturday Night Live” averaged an 8.8 household rating, 21 share in the metered markets, highest for the series since November 1, 2008 (9.0/20 for a telecast hosted by Ben Affleck with musical guest David Cook and guest appearances by Republican Presidential nominee Senator John McCain and Tina Fey as Governor Sarah Palin just prior to the 2008 election).

 

[Chris Lockwood]

Wonder if this week set a record for most former cast members appearing on a regular episode- 6.


I thought it was interesting that they didn't explain why they all came back. Something about women in comedy or just fans of Betty or what?

 

[EricSchulz]

It was for Mother's Day.

 

[Chris Lockwood]

Originally Posted by EricSchulz

It was for Mother's Day.

So Betty had nothing to do with it? They would have all come back regardless of the host?

 

[Craig S]

There was speculation they had all the other ladies back as "back up" in case Betty White didn't have the stamina to appear in a lot of sketches. Not sure I buy that, but if so, it sure wasn't needed. If I'm not mistaken, White appeared in every single segment, something that I think is pretty rare for hosts (a lot of them are not in the cold open, for example). She rocked the house from start to finish.

I loved seeing all the alums as well. Amy & Tina back on "Update" doing "Really..." was great. And you had to love "Delicious Dish", which was SO wrong ("Your muffin squirted in my mouth. I must be eating it right.").


In addition to the "Bronx Beat" skit, they also cut a pretty funny "Debbie Downer" that's up on Hulu.

 

[EricSchulz]

Originally Posted by Chris Lockwood




So Betty had nothing to do with it? They would have all come back regardless of the host?

All of the women, to the best of my knowledge, are now moms. In the past, I seem to think that SNL has had on the moms of cast members also.

 

[Malcolm R]

It's rather sad commentary on the level of "talent" available today that it takes an 88 year old woman to show how to properly host SNL, but that was one of the funniest shows in a while. It was a little disappointing that the writers mostly just wanted to put her in sketches where she was raunchy or swearing, but Betty made the most of it. Loved the census sketch. Brought back memories of all the Scandinavian words she used to throw around on "The Golden Girls" which would drive the other girls crazy. And I was afraid she was going to put an eye out whipping on those sunglasses for "CSI: Sarasota."

 

[Chris Lockwood]

Originally Posted by Craig S

There was speculation they had all the other ladies back as "back up" in case Betty White didn't have the stamina to appear in a lot of sketches. Not sure I buy that, but if so, it sure wasn't needed. If I'm not mistaken, White appeared in every single segment, something that I think is pretty rare for hosts (a lot of them are not in the cold open, for example). She rocked the house from start to finish.

In that case they wouldn't have needed to bring back 6 cast members- for that matter, they have enough current ones to fill in any gaps.

 

[joshEH]

Since they brought so many past cast members back last Saturday night, my only major regret was that we didn't get to see Betty White and Will Ferrell in a "Bitch Hunter" sketch together.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Perhaps they'll have to revisit it on "30 Rock" with both Betty and Will in tow.

 

[EricSchulz]

Today's Racine Journal Times front page got a nice laugh from those of us that caught the show:

 

[joshEH]

Though, it just struck me that Cheri Oteri must've pissed off someone other than Tracy Morgan.

 

[JustinCleveland]

Everything was great except Jay-Z. I'm not a fan of the "talk and grunt over actually talented musicians" genre.

Betty White was spectacular.

 

[ChristopherG]

I am not a rap fan but any means, but I thought Jay-Z was great. Funny seeing him trying not to crack up during that second performance....

 

[Greg.K]

I'm not a Jay-Z fan either, so I skipped the majority of his performance. But he's not exactly the first musical act that I've fast forwarded past on SNL by a long shot.


Betty White was great!

 

[joshEH]

So...Forte's out, looks like.

 

Why couldn't it be Wiig or Armisen leaving?

 

Forte might not have been a star, but he had some great moments, like the spelling bee sketch, or his monologue in this funeral sketch. Forte made it weird; injecting the dull, dull proceedings with much-needed WTF??-ness. Jeff Montgomery, "Fly High Duluth," Zell Miller, and the creepy guy who goes on an Obama rant at his cousin's wedding are all-timers. I will miss him on the show.

 

I kinda wish that Lorne Michaels would just man up, and fire the whole cast and writing staff, and get new blood in there again like they did back in the '80s and mid-'90s. All of this "cast-creep" they've been doing for the last five years is killing the chemistry and cohesiveness of the show.

 

I can't believe Donald Glover auditioned a few years ago, but didn't get the gig. A perfect fit for portraying Obama. He could've been Eddie Murphy-great (or at least as near to that as possible). Will anyone on the cast step up to fill the non-sequitur void left by Forte?

The better question: which new Kristen Wiig character will we see this season?

 

1. Introducing "Wendy," a spastic, balding cancer patient who shows up at a dinner party and starts farting on all the food. Nobody wants to tell her to leave, because they don't want to appear "insensitive."

 

2. Introducing "Nanook" -- the newest female cast member of Jersey Shore! She's hip, she's sexy, and she's a gorilla or a caveman or some shit.