On Mon, Feb 16, 2015 at 8:37 PM, Kevin M. <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > On Mon, Feb 16, 2015 at 7:37 PM, Joe Hass <[email protected]> wrote: > >> The best quote I've read about it came from Bill Simmons: "If you think >> of SNL 40 as a massive dress rehearsal that inadvertently became the live >> show, the whole night makes more sense." >> >> I confess that -- no surprise -- from all I've seen and read about the > show, I don't think I missed a thing by watching Top Gear instead. > > Two things that stand out for me are semi-related. First, the number of > photos of people in attendance who supposedly despise each other smiling > and hugging, specifically Sarah Palin and a Baldwin. Second, someone I know > posted a screenshot of what I assume to be the closing of the show, and > there stood Norm MacDonald, who was fired from the series in as bitter and > spite-filled rejection as I've ever seen on TV. Are these people such media > whores so desperate for attention that they all clamber to appear on this > show in the hopes of... what... appearing cool? Hip? Contemporary? > Well, I think that is a bit harsh. A stint at SNL is often referred to as time in high school or college. It is not uncommon that 15 or 30 or 40 years later, conflicts and feuds and grudges that seemed so raw and important back in the years of one's youth fade over time, and one is able to attend a reunion and focus on the better times. That was certainly Murphy's message, and I think the reunion vibe dominated the whole night. Simmon's quote above works less as a criticism of the show's production values than as an observation of what made the show work - it did not come across as hip or contemporary (well, maybe those Kanye jokes did); it came across as a very large extended community throwing a party for themselves. I thought what captured this best was that during the death reel, some of the biggest reactions were for crew members who I had never heard of - because it was a line producer or a writer or a costume person who meant something to the people who worked on the show over the years. Sarah Palin is another matter - although I think even that was less a forced attempt at BS amiability than, as referenced during a bit on the show, fell really flat. -- -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
