Correction

Just to correct an earlier statement, I found out that SNL is actually nominated for 6 emmys this year! Great job guys!!

SNL Over the Summer

When SNL lets out for summer, many people think that it simply goes into hibernation and all its stars take an extended vacation. Oh no. Things are happening. Big things.

One of the biggest things is the recent hiring of Amy Poehler onto the new Office Spinoff show, set to premire sometime after the superbowl next year. It goes without saying that she will be deeply missed. She broke the 7 year barrier for the show and has served about half of it as a weekend update anchor, at first with Tina Fey, and now with Seth Meyers, both of whom are absolutely hilarious. I am, however, fairly confident in the current cast that they will be able to step up and fill the gap Amy is going to leave. The first thought that enters ones mind is that Kristen Wiig will be the one to fill this gap, but I don't think so. Anyone who has watched a show in the past 4 or 5 months knows that Wiig is put on stage more than some of the long time veterans! I would prefer actually to see more of Bill Hader doing sketches, and not playing minor rolls. Also Casey Wilson may have been brought in for the very reason to replace Poehler. We'll see how Lorne plays that out as the season progresses, but there is one question that I'm not sure about. Will Amy return at all? Is she going to start out the SNL season and then leave later on, or is she going to be to involved with shooting the show and her baby (due in the fall (congrats Amy!)) to bother? Quite the conundrum....

Oh boy, the emmys are coming up. I beleive, though i'm not positive, that the only SNL related Emmy Nomination was for Amy Poehler, who is, ironically, leaving the show. Last year the Dudes (Andy, Jorma, and Akiva) along with Justin Timberlake all received Emmys for their Digital Short "Dick in a Box". Over the years, SNL has won 22 Emmys, a high standard for any Television show.

There's more to be said, and I will post later on to update you on the happenings of SNL.

EPISODE #1 - GEORGE CARLIN

George Carlin passed away early this week, as most of you know. In his wake there were many tributes and/or protests to signify his departure from our material earth. One of the most joyous of these, however, was the airing of the first episode of SNL, which he himself hosted.
For those of you who watched it live yesterday, or on DVD in the past couple of years, you will know it's not exactly the "cutting edge comedy and political satire that pales today's show in comparrison" to quote many critics. No, in fact, most people, even the most die-hard fans will find it EXTREMELY boring. Yes, horrible. Absolutely a piece of crap.
Now, I bet you weren't expecting that. Don't get me wrong, I did see the elements there, but if I were some sort of critic, I would have to say that show sucked.
"But SNL Examiner, why would you say that? Half of what everybody says about SNL is about how the first era was a great legacy that could never be compared by any other!"
Sort of. When SNL first started out, by our standards, it wasn't very funny. Since then, comedy has evolved, become more fast-paced and many things that would never EVER be said then can now be said openly on Television for the entire world to hear. Even though the show in its early days did have many funny sketches, one major thing that drew audiences in was this new feeling of a TV show actually speaking the truth! It was going out there and saying and doing things that everybody thought but nobody ever really brought up on Television. Not to mention that the cast was quickly defined as the very essence of Cool. In the eyes of America, they could go out on stage and take a crap while singing the national anthem, and the audience would applaude. They were simply uncomparable, with no show ever doing anything like this, and no former cast to compete against.
But as for that very first show, I doubt things were even in that direction.
Lorne Michaels, creater and executive producer of the show, once said:
"When it all started out, I knew all the ingredients, I just didn't know the proportions."
And that is apparant in the first episode. Every one is there, everything is as it should be, but not in the same amounts. George Carline came out and did 4 giant monolouges for goodness sake! Billy Preston and Janies Ian both played twice (I'm not completely sure on those spellings (forgive me)) for a good 5 minutes! The few times that the legendary Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Players came on stage, their material was shoddy and not very satisfying. In days to come, people would start tuning in more and more for the comedy, and not so much for the host. This is probaby a good thing, because I don't know if there were enough people who could fill up 4 monolougues of material to keep the show running. Pretty much by the beginning of the second season, the standard format of the show had been set with sketches, 2 musical performances, and one host monolougue.
As for George Carlin himself, his stand-ups were pretty good. Nothing special. It got me to chuckle a few times, for examply when he pointed out that everything God has ever made dies. Famously, he was stoned for the entire week, and may very well have been stoned during the show for all we know.

REVIEW: DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN

I went out and saw the Zohan last week and came home with a mixture of elation and dissapointment. I know. Not exactly a mixable pair, but hey, does it really matter whether somthing is possible or not? Anyways, as all of you know, Adam Sandler used to be a prime time player on Saturday Night Live. Alongside Chris Farley, David Spade, and Chris Rock (who makes a cameo in the movie) he formed what have come to be known as SNL's bad boys. When I came to see the movie, I was not in the mindset to find any deep or emotion stirring story. I wasn't after 50 First Dates or Big Daddy, if you even consider those emotion stirring. I was going for one of the things that Sandler does best. Sometimes, when jokes are going to far, people will say "don't go there, man!" Well, Sandler goes there. Again and again and again. And thats what people can trust in him. Don't get me wrong, he has shown he is capable of doing more than just going on screen and letting a fish fly into his butt, but when it comes down to it, hes the only one who WILL. His unrestrained sense of humor keeps drawing audiences back for the next movie. Don't get me wrong. There was definatley problems going on with Zohan. For instance, I wasn't particularly fond of the ending. Whats all this sonic screaming crap? Theres really not much of a joke in that. I find the plot just a tad underdeveloped. Even though the comedy was almost always there, audiences have a hard time accepting the film without trust in the storyline. On the other hand, was anybody actually looking for a well developed storyline when they went to see a movie about an ex-anti-terrorist who moved to America and became a hair-stylist? Sounds kinda silly now doesn't it? Simply the fact that Sandler made it sound plausible at all in any context is reason to give him some kudos, if you ask me. Just to sort of tie this into SNL, I'll say that after looking at this movie, it seems like the kind of character that would be easily transformable into a sketch. It would be a lot less formidable because of the lack of special effects and stund doubles, but probably still pretty funny. In his days back on SNL, many fans saw a duo developing between Sandler and Farley, with Sandler playing the subtle, ridiculous characters, and Farley balanceing that with his boistrous, out of control everyman characters. Sandler seems to bring this into his movie, with Zohan never truelly raising his voice or going out of control, but always saying ridiculous things. Plus, Zohan is pretty much the definition of a ridiculous character.

A Quick Introduction

Hello,

Saturday Night Live is perhaps the most successful Television francise ever. Over its course of 33 years it has spawned more stars and insights into pop culture than have ever been seen by a normal audience. Some of its alumni include John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Eddie Murphey, Billy Crystal, Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, David Spade, Chris Rock, Will Ferrel and MANY MANY more. It has brought you so many hilarious or satirical sketches that to mention but a few of them here would take to long to write. I have dedicated myself to knowing everything I can about this show, and I'm pretty sure I've done well. I guess you get to make the call. This is going to be my blog, reviewing SNL not from a media standpoint, but from one of my own. I hope you enjoy.