Tag: Seth Meyers

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 5 – Bill Hader

Among a cast of all-stars during his eight season stint, Bill Hader’s impressions and original characters on SNL were responsible for countless highlights. If he were only known for impersonations, he would probably belong near the top of this list. His Alan Alda is uncanny and there’s Al Pacino, James Carville, Harvey Fierstein, Vincent Price, Daniel Day-Lewis in an uproarious take on his There Will Be Blood character, and Clint Eastwood. Then there’s Keith Morrison from Dateline NBC which Hader revealed iin interviews to be his favorite show.

Fresh creations would put him near the top of the list like Italian talk show host Vinny Vedecci or past his prime newsman Herb Welch. Hader’s haunted Vietnam vet turned puppeteer gave us a classic sketch alongside host Seth MacFarlane.

Then, of course, there’s clubgoer Stefon and his amazing Weekend Update bits with Seth Meyers. John Mulaney and Hader collaborated on one of the show’s most side splitting creations. Hader could not keep a straight face during Stefon bits. Neither could we for so much of Hader’s run. #4 will be up soon!

Bill Hader

Years on the Show: 2005-13

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 10 – Norm MacDonald

My top 50 list of SNL cast members has been populated with numerous performers who sat behind the iconic Weekend Update desk: Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Dan Aykroyd, Dennis Miller, Kevin Nealon, Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, Colin Jost, and Michael Che. As we enter the top 10 of this countdown, we arrive at the final Update anchor. That means it’s the one I thought did it the best and that is Norm MacDonald.

The Canadian stand-up brought his flawless timing and devil may care attitude to the news desk. It could rightly be said that his Update was the last time SNL felt a little dangerous and that’s thanks to him and Jim Downey, his legendary Update cowriting partner.

No one could deliver a joke quite like Norm. Like Johnny Carson, you often laughed harder when they didn’t land due to his reaction. MacDonald’s relentless mocking of O.J. Simpson during his murder trial infuriated NBC exec Don Ohlmeyer, who was a friend of the disgraced football star. In fact, it is allegedly what got him fired from Update (a colossal error in judgment).

Norm’s contributions to SNL went beyond the signature segment airing after the musical guest’s first song. He had great impressions of Larry King and Senator Bob Dole and delivered a rather biting take on David Letterman, his comedic idol. Then, of course, there’s his 70s era Burt Reynolds who would appear on Celebrity Jeopardy.

You could spend hours going down a YouTube rabbit hole watching Norm be hilarious and I certainly have. Most of his couch work on Conan O’Brien’s shows will split your sides. The late great MacDonald did the same on SNL. #9 will be up soon!

Norm MacDonald

Years on the Show: 1993-98

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 14 – Chevy Chase

Coming from the National Lampoon Radio Hour like his costars John Belushi and Gilda Radner and his eventual replacement Bill Murray, Chevy Chase was the original breakout sensation on Saturday Night Live. He was the first person to say “Live from New York, It’s Saturday Night!”. The future star of comedy classics including Caddyshack, Vacation, and Fletch also was the initial anchor giving us the fake news on Weekend Update. And there’s that iconic Landshark sketch. And another with Richard Pryor. And his bumbling Gerald Ford which kickstarted 50 years of unforgettable POTUS impersonations.

With his opener “I’m Chevy Chase and you’re not”, it helped millions of viewers learn his name and brilliant deadpan delivery immediately. Chase’s quick rise to fame kept him on the show just a handful of episodes into season #2. Yet if it not for him, the Norms and Tinas, Colins and Michaels, Jimmys and Seths wouldn’t have followed. #13 will be up soon!

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 19 – Fred Armisen

Before co-creating another iconic sketch comedy show with Portandia and contributing to the occasionally brilliant Documentary Now! alongside Bill Hader, Fred Armisen was hitting home runs on Saturday Night Live.

His background in music (he would eventually be the bandleader on Late Night with Seth Meyers) provided some SNL highlights. There’s Garth and Kat, a musical duo with Kristin Wiig where incomprehensible tunes are made up on the spot at the Update desk. We have a clever Prince impersonation alongside Maya Rudolph’s Beyoncé.

Other impressions include President Obama, Joy Behar, and a hilariously inappropriate take on former New York Governor David Paterson. Vanessa Bayer and Armisen spun comedic gold into being shy friends with dictators. My personal favorite Armisen creation might be the condescending and sensitive to the touch Regine, who creeped out Jason Sudeikis’s friends at a house gathering. Or my favorite might be his Queen Elizabeth II. There’s a lot to choose from when considering Armisen’s arsenal of material. #18 will be up soon!

Fred Armisen

Years on the Show: 2002-13

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 23 – Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler really (?!?!) pops up in 23rd for my all-time 50 SNLers countdown as the Upright Citizens Brigade alum wasted no time making her mark on the show. Highlights include plenty of material with Tina Fey and Maya Rudolph (particularly Bronx Beat) during a golden age of female cast members. Poehler replaced Jimmy Fallon as Fey’s Weekend Update coanchor in her fourth year. After Fey departed, she would handle Update duties with Seth Meyers that spawned the Really!?!? bits.

There was one-legged Amber and her take on Dakota Fanning hosting a chat program where she was hilariously condescending. She would famously play Hillary Clinton to Fey’s Sarah Palin shortly after both had departed the regular cast and just as Parks and Recreation was readying its run. #22 will be up soon!

Amy Poehler

Years on the Show: 2001-08

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 31 – Seth Meyers

For 13 years, Seth Meyers served different roles on Saturday Night Live. During the first five, he was a regular featured player and while solid, he would not have made this list if not for his ascension to the Weekend Update chair in 2006 alongside Amy Poehler. They’re “Really!?!” segments were a particular highlight. Meyers would get the Update segment to himself beginning 2008. That was a year in which, as head writer, he was penning Tina Fey’s iconic bits as VP candidate Sarah Palin. He would go onto become the apple of legendary Stefon’s idea by way of Bill Hader’s legendary creation.

His Update duties (with a brief late period where Cecily Strong joined as coanchor) and SNL tenure lasted until 2014 when Meyers left to take over NBC’s 12:30pm Late Night franchise. He would succeed two other notable show vets in writer Conan O’Brien and cast member Jimmy Fallon. Like those two, Meyers is in among the pantheon of SNL’s finest. #30 will be up soon!

Seth Meyers

Years on the Show: 2001-14

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 32 – Cecily Strong

Over the period of a decade, Cecily Strong was one of the most consistently sturdy presences on Saturday Night Live in recent years. The longest tenured female cast member in the show’s history, the Second City alum briefly cohosted Update alongside Colin Jost before Michael Che replaced her.

Yet her best contributions came via the Update desk in non hosting segments such as playing Fox News host Jeanine Pirro. There’s memorable characters including the heavily opinionated Cathy Anne or the dimwitted Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started a Conversation with at a Party or the One-Dimensional Female Character from a Male-Driven Comedy. #31 will be up soon!

Cecily Strong

Years on the Show: 2012-22

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 35 – Dennis Miller

Dennis Miller and Jon Lovitz were the only SNL cast members to survive a disastrous 1985-86 season. It was the year Lorne Michaels came back after being away from the program for five years. He had plenty of wrong instincts that year, but putting Dennis Miller at the desk of Weekend Update wasn’t one of them. Fun fact: the gig was originally slated to go to Lovitz.

Miller’s irreverent and smart alecky style fit perfectly for six years while a murderer’s row of cast mates (Dana Carvey, Jan Hooks, Kevin Nealon, Lovitz included) joined in for segments. He also started the trend of Update anchors getting their own talk shows (Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and even OG anchor Chevy Chase). #34 will be up shortly!

Dennis Miller

Years on the Show: 1985-91

2017 Golden Globe Predictions

The most high-profile Oscar precursor arrives Sunday night when Seth Meyers hosts the Golden Globe awards. Of course, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association operates a bit differently by divvying its major categories (Picture, Actor, Actress) into Drama and Musical/Comedy.

As has been a common theme lately, one of the “Musical/Comedy” entries is a bit questionable – Jordan Peele’s Get Out. To be fair, it is a difficult picture to classify. The Golden Globes can often shed some light on Oscar contenders or solidify front runners. Here are my predictions, race by race, on who and what will emerge victorious and my runner-up picks:

Best Picture (Drama)

Nominees: Call Me by Your Name, Dunkirk, The Post, The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Predicted Winner: The Shape of Water

Runner-Up: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Picture (Musical/Comedy)

Nominees: The Disaster Artist, Get Out, The Greatest Showman, I, Tonya, Lady Bird

Predicted Winner: Lady Bird

Runner-Up: The Disaster Artist

Best Director

Nominees: Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water), Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk), Ridley Scott (All the Money in the World), Steven Spielberg (The Post)

Predicted Winner: del Toro

Runner-Up: Nolan

Best Actor (Drama)

Nominees: Timothee Chalamet (Call Me by Your Name), Daniel Day-Lewis (Phantom Thread), Tom Hanks (The Post), Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour), Denzel Washington (Roman J. Israel, Esq.)

Predicted Winner: Oldman

Runner-Up: Chalamet

Best Actress (Drama)

Nominees: Jessica Chastain (Molly’s Game), Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Meryl Streep (The Post), Michelle Williams (All the Money in the World)

Predicted Winner: Hawkins

Runner-Up: McDormand

Best Actor (Musical/Comedy)

Nominees: Steve Carell (Battle of the Sexes), Ansel Elgort (Baby Driver), James Franco (The Disaster Artist), Hugh Jackman (The Greatest Showman), Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out)

Predicted Winner: Franco

Runner-Up: Jackman

Best Actress (Musical/Comedy)

Nominees: Judi Dench (Victoria and Abdul), Helen Mirren (The Leisure Seeker), Margot Robbie (I, Tonya), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), Emma Stone (Battle of the Sexes)

Predicted Winner: Ronan

Runner-Up: Robbie

Best Supporting Actor

Nominees: Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project), Armie Hammer (Call Me by Your Name), Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water), Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World), Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Predicted Winner: Plummer

Runner-Up: Rockwell

Best Supporting Actress

Nominees: Mary J. Blige (Mudbound), Hong Chau (Downsizing), Allison Janney (I, Tonya), Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird), Octavia Spencer (The Shape of Water)

Predicted Winner: Janney

Runner-Up: Metcalf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mYB2g8TRcY

Best Screenplay

Nominees: Lady Bird, Molly’s Game, The Post, The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Predicted Winner: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Runner-Up: Lady Bird

Best Animated Feature

Nominees: The Boss Baby, The Breadwinner, Coco, Ferdinand, Loving Vincent

Predicted Winner: Coco

Runner-Up: Loving Vincent

Best Foreign Language Film 

Nominees: A Fantastic Woman, First, They Killed My Father, In the Fade, Loveless, The Square

Predicted Winner: First, They Killed My Father

Runner-Up: A Fantastic Woman

Best Score

Nominees: Dunkirk, Phantom Thread, The Post, The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Predicted Winner: Dunkirk

Runner-Up: The Shape of Water

Best Song

Nominees: “Home” from Ferdinand, “Mighty River” from Mudbound, “Remember Me” from Coco, “The Star” from The Star, “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman

Predicted Winner: “This is Me”

Runner-Up: “Remember Me”

I’ll have a recap up Sunday night with how I did! Until then…

The Late Night Carousel and Jon Stewart

For longtime followers of my blog, you may know that I’m endlessly fascinated by the nowadays seemingly constant shifts taking place on late night comedy TV. This evening, we were informed of yet another seismic shift in the medium.

Some context: when I was very young, there was essentially only one late night talk show in town and it belonged to The King of Late Night, Johnny Carson – who hosted The Tonight Show for 30 years. Competitors such as Joan Rivers and Alan Thicke, among others, tried and failed to take him on. Only Arsenio Hall managed some success against him in the waning years of Johnny’s run.

Of course, for many years, it was the man who followed Carson that was seen as his obvious heir apparent upon retirement: David Letterman, whose innovative Late Night show followed Tonight. When Jay Leno (one of Dave’s favorite guests) began filling in for Johnny as he began to vacation more, the paradigm shifted. It was Leno who would succeed Johnny in 1992 amid much controversy. It prompted Letterman to move to CBS the following year. For two years, Dave would reign supreme as the new King of Late Night until Leno (with an assist from Hugh Grant who appeared immediately following his shocking arrest with a prostitute) became #1 for nearly two decades.

Oh… There’s more! The Letterman departure to CBS as Leno’s competitor left a void at the 12:30 Late Night slot that’d be filled with an unknown SNL writer named Conan O’Brien. And in yet another highly controversial media frenzy some sixteen years later, Leno would reluctantly “retire” and hand Conan the Cadillac that is 11:30 on NBC. It didn’t go as planned. Jay would end up with a 10pm nightly program that failed badly. Conan’s ratings couldn’t match what Leno brought in and NBC let him go with a reported $40 million payout. He would eventually end up at TBS where he remains today and Leno would return to The Tonight Show.

Oh… There’s more! When Conan did first jump to 11:30, it once again left a hole at 12:30am and SNL vet Jimmy Fallon was named. By 2014, Leno would once again depart (for good this time) and Fallon was moved up. In the year since Jimmy has taken over, it’s gone considerably better for him than Conan. Fallon has kept The Tonight Show at #1 over Letterman and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel.

And of course Letterman announced his retirement that will take place in May after 33 years at Late Night and Late Show. His successor will be Stephen Colbert in September. Colbert, along with Steve Carell, Ed Helms, Rob Corddry, John Oliver and many others, owe their careers to one program and one man…

Jon Stewart. You knew I’d get there eventually, right? Of course that would be the news of the day. The man who’s hosted The Daily Show for 17 years announced he is stepping down this year as host. There is no doubt that Mr. Stewart, like Dave and Johnny before him, has forever changed American comedy and late night. It changed the way people thought about news and received it (especially among the coveted 18-49 audience demographic).

What some younger viewers might not know is The Daily Show existed before Jon Stewart. The first host was former ESPN anchor Craig Kilborn. He left to host The Late Late Show, the talk show airing after Letterman. Kilborn’s eventual departure paved the way for Craig Ferguson, who also announced he’s stepping down this year and that has set up James Corden to be the new host who will follow Letterman successor Colbert.

Most importantly, Kilborn’s Daily Show exit led to Stewart in 1999. You also may not be aware that this wasn’t Stewart’s first talk show. It was his second. His first aired on MTV and then in syndication and was canceled after two seasons. On his final show on that program, he nabbed his biggest guest: his comedy idol. A man named David Letterman.

Conan and Kimmel and Stewart were all Dave disciples, in the same way Letterman was a Johnny disciple. Yet Stewart brought something new to his iteration of “The Daily”. He turned it into must see TV very often. His political satire could shape people’s views on stories and politicians. As mentioned before, it provided his correspondents a platform to big things whether on film or the small screen.

There will be breathless speculation as to who will take over The Daily Show. Had Stewart made the announcement last year, my guess is John Oliver would be the easy choice. After all, he filled in for an extended period of weeks when Stewart took a sabbatical to make his directorial movie debut with Rosewater. Oliver did such a great job as guest host that HBO quickly snatched him for his acclaimed weekly Sunday evening program. He’s likely to stay put. So is Seth Meyers at Late Night, who succeeded Fallon.

My hunch is that Comedy Central will look to their current crop of Daily contributors which includes Jason Jones and Aasif Mandvi. And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they go with their current longest tenured correspondent Samantha Bee, giving a much needed late night female face among the two Jimmy’s, Stephen’s, Seth’s, etc…

One thing is nearly certain: while Johnny Carson was not the first host of The Tonight Show and Jon Stewart was not the first Daily Show hosts, these two landmark television programs will always be linked to them, even as the Late Night carousel keeps spinning.

And here it is. Your Moment of Zen: