SNL 40 Year Reunion

[minor muppetz]

I always thought the cursing incident was sort of the straw that broke the camel's back when it came to the cast, but I suppose as the years go by something like that tends to be exaggerated in importance. Anyway, something like that couldn't have helped the cast and staff's cause to stay around, lol.

I've often seen that fact written, but I wonder if it is true or just "common knowledge". After all, only one cast member said the line. I wonder if that line was written or ad-libbed (I know Lorne Michaels has a policy against ad-libbing, but did Jean Dominian?), and if it was written, was it written by Charles Rocket or somebody else, and if it was written, did anybody look at the script and approve before hand? If it was written and planned in advance, then whoever wrote the line should have gotten fired, not most of the cast. I've seen a book on the show that pointed out that when the F word was said in that episode, half the cast laughed while the other half acted shocked and Rocket acted as if he was unaware of what happened. The fact that some were shocked might be a possibility that it was adlibbed (it was also pointed out that in the same episode, musical guest Prince uttered that word during one of his songs, but that the line was easy to miss).

 

[Gonzo14]

I also heard that they wanted Eddie Murphy to do the Cosby impression, but he refused, so they had Kenan do it. Apparently Norm MacDonald leaked that information.

 

[minor muppetz]

I also heard that they wanted Eddie Murphy to do the Cosby impression, but he refused, so they had Kenan do it. Apparently Norm MacDonald leaked that information.

Did Murphy ever impersonate Bill Cosby? I would have rather he played Buckweat, Mr. Robinson, or Gumby. If he never played Cosby, it wouldn't make sense for him to do so here (I know, some guest hosts did impressions of people they didn't play on the show, I think), especially when Keenan normally played Cosby.

 

[charlietheowl]

Did Murphy ever impersonate Bill Cosby? I would have rather he played Buckweat, Mr. Robinson, or Gumby. If he never played Cosby, it wouldn't make sense for him to do so here (I know, some guest hosts did impressions of people they didn't play on the show, I think), especially when Keenan normally played Cosby.

I know he did a Bill Cosby impression in one of his stand-up movies in the mid-80s, not sure if it ever made it to SNL.

 

[Drtooth]

I also heard that they wanted Eddie Murphy to do the Cosby impression, but he refused, so they had Kenan do it. Apparently Norm MacDonald leaked that information.

Well, Kenan did have a history of impersonating him, since he did that on All That. Heck, he was even Fat Albert in a movie.

I'm disappointed they cut his Bill Cosby impersonation short. I did like the Celebrity Jeopardy they had, but it felt short by a minute or two. And I kinda wish Kenan was one of the contestants instead of that woman impersonating Justin Beiber. Imagine if they used Steve Harvey (played by Kenan) instead. Supposedly, the real Steve hates when he does that.

 

[minor muppetz]

I regret the fact that I haven't done a Muppet Mindset article to tie in with the anniversary. I didn't think about doing such an article until I was watching. But there's still plenty of time, and I do have an idea for a Gorch article. But I think I'll wait a couple of weeks to write it, since I have a couple of still-unpublished articles I sent in. Then again, how do I know that somebody else hasn't had the same idea for an article?

Well, I have now done an article to honor the anniversary: https://muppetmindset.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/top-five-snl-land-of-gorch-segments/

 

[Muppet Master]

The fact that Eddie Murphy did next to nothing makes me sad for the special.

 

[dwayne1115]

The fact that Eddie Murphy did next to nothing makes me sad for the special.

Why Eddie stopped being funny years ago.

 

[fuzzygobo]

Rolling Stone's latest issue had SNL at 40 as the cover story. They ranked every cast member in the show's history. John Belushi topped the list (naturally), The Muppets were second to last. The skits with Scared, Ploobis and Favog weren't bad, the writers just couldn't (or didn't want to) come up with decent material for them.
Only Michael O'Donohue ranked lower, ironic that he wrote for Rolling Stone for years.

They could've ranked Gilbert Gottfried last, and he would've been pleased with that.

 

[Drtooth]

Rolling Stone's latest issue had SNL at 40 as the cover story. They ranked every cast member in the show's history. John Belushi topped the list (naturally), The Muppets were second to last. The skits with Scared, Ploobis and Favog weren't bad, the writers just couldn't (or didn't want to) come up with decent material for them.
Only Michael O'Donohue ranked lower, ironic that he wrote for Rolling Stone for years.

I'm pulling bias aside for this. But bullcrap that Mike O'Brien and his TERRIBLE films don't rank lower than that. They are easily some of the worst things I've seen on the show. And I've seen some awful stuff. Yes! The films are worse than Girlfriends Talk Show.

Also of note, I refuse to take the list seriously if Cecily Strong isn't near the bottom. She's not funny at all! SNL has a history of hilarious women. Jane Curtain, Tina Fey, Lorraine Newman to name a few, but she isn't one of them. Everything she does is awkward and unfunny. She's essentially the worst person behind the Weekend Update desk they ever had.