Next Season

   In my first blog post I spoke about trying to get stand in tickets for the show.  As you know I was unsuccessfull at getting in, but I am truly looking forward to watching the show live next season.  I will send as many emails to the show this August as I can to enter in the lottery system.  I'm sure they are thousands of people who send emails every year in hope to get on the show, but who know maybe I'll get lucky.  If I don't get chosen next season to attend a show I will try my chances again at getting in with a stand by ticket.  Next season I will be more prepared and I will know what to expect.  Even though this current season isn't over yet, I'm excited to see what next season will bring.  I'm already curious to find out if there will be any cast members leaving and who the new ones will be.  It will also be interesting to see what hosts will be chosen for next year.  I'm looking forward to next season, I'm sure the new sketches will not disapoint.

Will Ferrell

   This guy will most likely go down as the funniest and best sketch comedy performer of all time.  He is famous for his roles in movies such as Anchorman, Step Brothers, and A Night at the Roxbury.  His movie career helped put him over the top but I think his best and funniest performances came on Saturday Night Live where he truly shined.  His name is Will Ferrell.  He got the job after he auditioned for the show in 1995.  Many people don't know that Steve Carrell also auditioned for the job that year, but he obviously didn't get a spot on the show.  Ferrell's most famoust sketch and the one that he is probably most well known for is his "cow bell" sketch.  In the scene Will Ferrell plays a member of the 1970's band Blue Oyster Cult and actor Christopher Walken plays the record producer.  In skit Ferrell's character's job is to bang on the cowbell during the recording of the song.  Chrisopher Walken interupts the band a few times to tell Ferrell the famous snl line "I need more cow bell!"  He is one of my favorite snl performers of all time and he will go down in history as one of the best.

Helen Mirren

    The most recent live episode was only a couple of weeks ago and it featured host Helen Mirren.  Helen Mirren as you might know is a world famous British actress.  When I found out that she would be hosting the show, I was interested to see how they would include her in the different skits.  In my favorite skit of the episode she plays a woman from the 1800's who wrote a book called Monster, and all of her friends were there to celebrate her book.  During their celebration her landlord walks in to check the pipes in her apartment.  Her landlord was named Frank and looked exactly like Frankenstein who was the main character in the book that she had written.  Frank accuses her of using him as the idea for the monster in the book.  The skit is really funny because throughout it Frank, played by Fred Armisen, is constantly making monster noises that suggests that he is Frankenstein.  Helen  Mirren did a great job on the show.

Zach

    The show that I was probably most excited to watch this season was when Zach Galifianakis.  Zach is unlike any other comedian and perfomer I've ever seen.  He has such silly humor and mannerisms that makes him creative and original.  I first became aware of him when he appeared in a snowboard comedy movie called Out Cold.  He is probably best know for his recent role in the movie The Hangover.  He is a comic icon now and it was great to hear that he would be hosting the show.  His opening monologue for the show was silly and rediculous and nothing less.  At one point during his monologue he ripped off his suit to reveal that he was wearing a little red dress like the girl from the movie Anne wore.  He was off to a good start.  My favorite sketch that he was in was the last one of the show.  The skit took place on one of the life boats of the Titanic after it had sank.  I was a boat supposed to be for women only, but Zach's character was dressed up as lady so he could be safe.  I hope he hosts again next year.

Dream Job

   The ultimate job and a dream of mine that is shared by many others is to work for Lorne Michaels on Saturday Night Live.  I wouldn't necessarily have to be a performing cast member on the show, but it would be awesome to be a writer for the show.  In order to become a writer for the show you have to be an established comic writer.  You have to be able to prove to the producer Lorne Michaels that you have created some creative and funny material in the past.  There have been many famous comedians who have worked on snl at some point in their careers as a writer.  Conan Obrien who is the popular late night show host was once a writer for snl.  The creator of Seinfeld, Larry David, was once a writer for the show also.  It would just be the experience of a lifetime to have the opportunity to work on the show.

Dana Carvey

   Where should I begin with Dana Carvey?  He is an snl legend and part of one of the greatest casts to ever come through the building.  In his opening monologue he sang a song about how the cast of 1993 was the best cast ever.  During the song one of his former fellow cast members John Lovitz appeared on stage with him.  It was really cool to see both of them on stage together.  The song was clever and definitely funny, but it wasn't the best part of the show.  The first skit of the show brought back one of the funniest and most famous skits of all time.  The Wayne's World skit.  Dana Carvey played Garth and of course Mike Myers was brought on to play Wayne.  The chemistry was great between the two of them even after so many years and they didn't seem to skip a beat.  The skit seemed just like their original ones and it seemed just perfect while i was watching it.  I was happy that they brought back some old skits and cast members for the show.

Russell Brand

    Another one of my favorite episodes this season was when Russell Brand hosted the show.  Russell first became famous from his stand up comedy routines and then later becoming an actor.  His opening monologue for the show was basically a stand up routine and his jokes were spot on.  All of his jokes were really funny, especially the ones when he jokes about living in his home country of England.  He is such an energetic and talented entertainer that I knew from the start it would be a great show.  Many of the skits were British themed and many of the characters in the skits spoke with English accents.  My favorite skit was when they made fun of British people with really heavy accents.  It was a parody to British films and you couldn't understand what anybody was saying.  It was a good show.

Digital Shorts

    The digital short segment of the show is one of my favorite aspects of SNL of all time.  We live in a time where watching clips online is so easy.  It's no wonder why digital shorts have become so popular so quickly.  It was a genius idea to create a segment that was just a quick sketch that was already filmed and then aired live during the show.  One of my favorite digital shorts of all time is the first one ever created.  It's called "Lazy Sunday" and it was an internet phenomenon within days that it aired.  For those that haven't seen it, it stars Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell.  The video is basically the two of them on their way to see the movie The Chronicles of Narnia on a Sunday afternoon.  The clip is shown almost like a music video because both of them are singing rap style lyrics to everything that they are doing.  The fact that they are grown men on a journey to see The Chronicles of Narnia had me in stitches laughing the first time that I saw it.  The guys rap about everything from google maps to buying cupcakes for the movie.  It's one of the most creative comedy clips that I've ever seen.  The link is below for anyone that wants to watch it.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/1397/saturday-night-live-snl-digital-short-lazy-sunday

Jesse Eisenberg hosts the show

    The episode when Jesse Eisenberg is the host of the show was hilarious.  During his opening monologue Mark Zuckerberg made an appearance on the stage along with SNL cast member Andy Samberg.  Andy Samberg was doing his impression of Mark Zuckerberg, and many movie buffs know that Eisenberg played Zuckerberg in the movie The Social Network.  It was pretty hilarious to see the image of three Mark Zuckerbergs on stage standing next to each other.  Samberg's interpretation of Mark Zuckerberg isn't very accurate to what Mark really acts like or talks like, but this makes the impression really funny.  It was pretty cool of Zuckerberg to come onto the show and allow people to laugh at his expense.  Also, Jesse Eisenberg was really funny in all of the sketches that he was in.  He did a great job on the show.

Trying to Get Tickets

I think it's about time I post my first blog. They say it's better late than never. Who are they who say this?  I wanna meet them and tell them it's their fault it took me this long to post my first blog of this college symester and why I'm drifting off the topic I want to talk about right now.  About 3 months ago I tried to get tickets to my favorite show, the funniest show ever.  Saturday Night Live.  It was January 8th, on a saturday of course, and the very funny Jim Carrey was hosting the show that night.  I've never been to the show and I figured that night would be a great night to see my first show.  It was my birthday and I felt like spending the day in nyc with my girlfriend anyway, so why not give it a shot and try to watch the show.  For those that don't know SNL tickets are given out in a lottery system.  You must send out an email in August and hope you get tickets for either a live show or a dress rehearsal on a random Saturday night.  If you don't have tickets you can get stand-by tickets the morning of the show, but they don't gurantee that you will get in. Jim Carrey is obviously a very popular comedian so I knew there would be a lot of people trying to get stand by tickets.  I was still optimistic because of the snowstorm the night before, so I was hoping that a lot of people with tickets wouldn't show up. My girlfriend and I arrived a half an hour late at 7:30 am and our ticket numbers were 150 and 151.  I learned the hard way that it is very tough to get in the show and many dedicated fans of the show are determined to get in. I later learned that some fans camp out on the street starting on wednesday of the week that there is a show to gurantee an early place in line. The tickets are first come first serve so I clearly missed out by a long shot.  I still made it home in time that night to watch the show on tv.  It was hilarious as usual. Im looking forward to this August to try and get tickets through the lottery system.