Hanks was present because this was to be Rudd's 5th time hosting, thus his induction into the "5-Timer's Club", and Hanks would have been part of that sketch. As to why he still appeared, he answered that during the open: "You think I'm going to fly 3,000 miles and NOT be on TV?"
I'm not sure why Charli XCX is said to have "bailed out". The show, as aired, clearly ran with a less-than-skeleton crew (from what I could tell, there were MAYBE two camera operators based on the rigidity of the home base segments, and I'm guessing few-to-no stagehands, given that they didn't bother to bring in the Update set). It's likely her band, roadies, etc. would have exceeded the limitations placed on production for that evening, so her performances were scrapped. Was it a great episode, even by SNL standards? No. But given the situation, they did the best they could on short notice - and I still think this was preferable to putting on a proper rerun, as at least some new material got to air. On Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 1:31:24 AM UTC-5 David Bruggeman wrote: > Since it aired live to all time zones, no need for spoilers. Especially > since I won't mention specific sketches. > > I tumed in during Weekend Update. the show from that point was a mix of > old sketches and a video that would have aired in the 'regular' version of > the episode (which included Charlie XCX). Joining Rudd were Kenan, Michael > Che, Tina Fey and Tom Hanks (because he's COVID dad, I suppose). Rudd and > the others introduced the sketches, and Update was done live from the same > spot as normal, just without the Update set. > > Most of the sketches were Christmas themed, the one I saw that wasn't was > from an episode Rudd had hosted before. > > David > > On Saturday, December 18, 2021, 07:07:37 PM PST, <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > Or stuff that has aired before. They can use prerecorded sketches from > this season or go to the vault for Christmas sketches from the show’s > history. > > On Dec 18, 2021, at 6:29 PM, Doug Eastick <[email protected]> wrote: > > > If the show goes ahead, it's gonna be interesting. > > I'm guessing they will fill with pre recorded stuff that never saw air > before. > > > /Doug > [email protected] > > On Sat., Dec. 18, 2021, 6:25 p.m. 'Bob Jersey' via TVorNotTV, < > [email protected]> wrote: > > THR: Musical guest Charli XCX bails out. > https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/saturday-night-live-cancels-live-audience-omicron-1235065022/ > (link) > > B > > PGage, Dec 18th: > > I know it’s a straight line, but, for the safety of the audience, SNL > plans to go on tonight without a studio audience, with Host Paul Rudd. > > Unofficially, word is that 3 cast members tested positive (including > Jost?) and other cast members are worried about catching it. Wilder rumors > include that Lorne is positive, but that has been officially denied. > > Looks like show will try to go on, but with limited cast. > > > > https://nypost.com/2021/12/18/snl-has-covid-19-outbreak-may-cancel-everyone-is-fearful/ > > -- > > > -- 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]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/7ea8368c-a29c-461d-b0d1-4178f2b642e7n%40googlegroups.com.
