Sunday, October 29, 2006
Live from New York...
Unlike many older SNL fans, I cannot remember many cast turnovers. I hail from the generation of Jimmy Fallon, Cheri Oteri and the tail end of Will Ferrell. I have to watch DVDs to catch the classic renditions of Chevy Chase. With the exception of the aforementioned Fallon, this season is the first one that I've seen with a different cast (well, if you count that last year's featured players are now full-blown cast members).
With the ever-revolving door of comedy show casts, the show always changes slightly with each new addition. Each show changes with each new host. Which brings me to...what makes an SNL host? In previous years there have been movie stars, few from the music world, and pretty much, household names. This season, however, as I urged fellow television owners to watch this season's premiere featuring one of my favorites, Dane Cook, the most common reaction was "Who's Dane Cook?"
Not what you'd expect, especially for a season premiere. Last night, Hugh Laurie from the TV show House hosted, and same reaction. Luckily for me I watch a lot of TV, because Laurie hasn't exactly garnered a lot of exposure outside of his television show (although it is a hit and is amazing).
Compare this to last season's hosts, in order of appearance: Steve Carell, John Heder, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lance Armstrong, Jason Lee, Eva Longoria, Dane Cook, Alec Baldwin, Jack Black, Scarlett Johansson, Peter Sarsgaard, Steve Martin, Natalie Portman, Matt Dillon, Antonio Banderas, Lindsay Lohan, Tom Hanks, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kevin Spacey. More bling than one of Paris Hilton's cell phones.
Now a little shadowed by spoofy spin-offs 30 Rock and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, one of whom has taken pretty much every cast member that didn't return for this season, has SNL lost its appeal? It's definitely not a tried-and-true conversation opener anymore (at least not in New York), but it's still funny (except for the tasteless Borat sketch last night...I'm still cringing).
So take a chance on the relatively unknown hosts. They may surprise you. At least it'll give you something to talk to me about.
With the ever-revolving door of comedy show casts, the show always changes slightly with each new addition. Each show changes with each new host. Which brings me to...what makes an SNL host? In previous years there have been movie stars, few from the music world, and pretty much, household names. This season, however, as I urged fellow television owners to watch this season's premiere featuring one of my favorites, Dane Cook, the most common reaction was "Who's Dane Cook?"
Not what you'd expect, especially for a season premiere. Last night, Hugh Laurie from the TV show House hosted, and same reaction. Luckily for me I watch a lot of TV, because Laurie hasn't exactly garnered a lot of exposure outside of his television show (although it is a hit and is amazing).
Compare this to last season's hosts, in order of appearance: Steve Carell, John Heder, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lance Armstrong, Jason Lee, Eva Longoria, Dane Cook, Alec Baldwin, Jack Black, Scarlett Johansson, Peter Sarsgaard, Steve Martin, Natalie Portman, Matt Dillon, Antonio Banderas, Lindsay Lohan, Tom Hanks, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kevin Spacey. More bling than one of Paris Hilton's cell phones.
Now a little shadowed by spoofy spin-offs 30 Rock and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, one of whom has taken pretty much every cast member that didn't return for this season, has SNL lost its appeal? It's definitely not a tried-and-true conversation opener anymore (at least not in New York), but it's still funny (except for the tasteless Borat sketch last night...I'm still cringing).
So take a chance on the relatively unknown hosts. They may surprise you. At least it'll give you something to talk to me about.
# posted by ange : 7:57 AM
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