Horatio Sanz fell into that "fat funny guy on Saturday Night Live" that always seemed to be hazardous for its occupants health. John Belushi, Chris Farley, and their drug/alcohol problems automatically come to mind. But by the beginning of the new millennium, Lorne Michaels seemed to have learned his lesson, and picked an actor who, while not quite shining like Belushi or Farley, seemed a lot more emotionally stable.
But what has Horatio been doing since he left SNL in 2006? Exercising and eating at Subways, apparently.
Are you guys ready for the "after" pic? You are definitely not ready:
Unlike, say, Barack Obama, Saturday Night Live had no problem filling that Rahm Emanuel spot during this week's broadcast. Because although there is only one African-American cast member right now on the show, there's at least 50 Jews hanging out in the green room.
Welp, Lorne Michaels has (begrudgingly, we're sure) decided to hire a new cast member for Saturday Night Live, this one a black male who can pretend to be Barack Obama in poorly written comedy sketches for the next four to eight years. Currently, Fred Armisen, who's of Hispanic, European and Japanese descent, plays the role of Obama on SNL.
After the jump, two of the front-runners in the search for the fake Barack, Wyatt Cenac and Jordan Carlos. We think Carlos has him beat, but who knows! SNL hasn't made any good decisions in years.
Now that there's no more election (or Tina Fey or Amy Poehler), Saturday Night Live got back to the basics this weekend: Surprise celebrity guest stars and men in women's clothing. For this episode (featuring adorable host Paul Rudd), Justin Timberlake showed up to seem likable for five minutes during a skit involving a Beyonce music video shoot. The former boy bander has become quite the tool as of late, but he always manages to be fairly awesome when he's on this show, so we approve.
Meet Michaela Watkins, newest member of the SNL troupe, doing her Arianna impression. And ha! It's pretty good. Especially how she incorporated her dorm room or whatever into her audition tape.
But if Lorne Michaels was going the political route for the rest of the season and trying to keep cashing in on the post-election viewership, why not hire a guy who looks reasonably like Obama? Not that there is anything wrong with Fred Armisen, but he just plays it so straight, and it brings up that issue of how do you make fun of a guy who represents real change and hope for our country? Blah bah. You guys know what I'm talking about.
But hey, at least Michaela will make a good Michelle Obama? And her Arianna is still way better than Tracy Ullman's.
Now that the election is over and both Tina Fey and Sarah Palin have ended their runs playing the potential future Vice President, what's in the cards for the two women? Both are hilarious — one intentionally, one unintentionally — and both are beautiful and (arguably) talented. So who will stand a better chance for success in life after the presidential election? CONTINUED »
FEY RETIRES PALIN IMPRESSION; SNL TO BE CRAPPY AGAIN "Tina Fey’s hilarious turn as Sarah Palin put Saturday Night Live on the electoral map like nothing else in recent memory — viewership is up nearly 70 percent this season. But will Fey continue to moonlight as the gorgeous governor, who could be a parody-worthy public figure for years to come? 'I have to retire just because I have to do my day job,' reveals the creator and star of NBC’s 30 Rock (which experienced a 20 percent ratings uptick for its Oct. 30 season premiere). 'I think [Kristen] Wiig would do a really good job.'"
So Saturday Night Live milked the last they could out of the election last night, during the "Live" Presidential Bash, which wasn't very live at all but, for the most part, pre-taped. Okay, whatever, Lorne. It's your reputation.
But as for the "guests" who stopped by, there wasn't an Obama or Biden to be seen! But you know who did try their hand at comedy, for the umpteenth time? You betcha… John McCain and Sarah Plain and Quirky.
Ha ha ha? That was more somber than funny, Palin. Especially the part where you threaten NBC with revoking their broadcasting license once you are sworn in as Vice President. Lady, you are terrifying.
Here's John McCain, not doing much better, after the jump.
Martin Eisenstadt, some jackass McCain campaign strategist who went with Senator McCain and the rest of his crew to Saturday Night Live this weekend, wrote on his blog yesterday that "Joe the Plummer [sic]" was canoodling at the show's after-party with SNL's only remaining female superstar, Kristen Wiig. It sounds like a big lie, especially considering the source, a McCain crony who can't spell plumber, but here you go:
CONTINUED »
SNL MILKING THE CAMPAIGNS FOR ONE MORE WEEKEND "The McCain-Palin ticket just booked another trip to 30 Rock, according to sources on the inside. This Saturday, Nov. 1, Senator John McCain is said to be making an appearance on the show, the last live episode before voters hit the voting booths. Earlier, it was rumored that Senator Barack Obama, McCain's rival, would be making a Nov. 1 appearance on 'SNL.' A rep for the show issued the standard response, 'We aren’t confirming anything,' but sources inside 30 Rock and the McCain camp believe the senator is gearing up for an appearance. 'It’s really his last chance to appeal to younger voters,' says a McCain source."
Our favorite Baldwin brother, Alec, chatted with David Letterman last night about his stint on SNL with national joke Sarah Palin. He has great things to say about the lady, although he admits he doesn't want "her hand on the nuclear button." Sounds like someone's been talking to Matt Damon.
He also shows off his not-as-good-as-Tina Fey Palin impression and reminds us how senile his Bible thumping brother, Stephen, has truly become.
The best part of last night's Saturday Night Live was actually a skit featuring Will Forte as a Halloween sexual predator, but stupid NBC won't release the video (much like the amazing Fancy Pants sketch from the season premiere). Instead, here's a clip of the opener, which parodied the Joe Biden and John Murtha remarks made at recent Obama rallies. It was fairly humorous, but not nearly as awesome as Kristen Wiig's tiny hands from a few weeks back.
On another note, why was Coldplay allowed to perform four times throughout the show? That seems a little unfair, no? If anyone has an explanation, feel free to enlighten us.
OK OK, one more thing and then we'll be done: Congrats to Amy Poehler, who had her baby Saturday night and was unable to make the show. Archie Arnett is the luckiest little boy in the world.
Does anyone else get the sense that these Weekend Update Thursdays only work because of YouTube and Hulu and the ilk? Because it's doubtful anyone watches this program on its own, but it is really convenient to have bite-size clips of it ready in the morning. Sort of like SNL itself? Discuss.
Anyway, Will Ferrell gave his promised cameo on the show last night, with a marked return of his President Bush character. It was funny! Especially when he referred to Sarah Palin and Barack Obama as "the hot lady and the Tiger Woods guy."
See for yourself, after the jump:
Threatening to box Barack Obama wasn't enough to prove Stephen Baldwin the craziest in his nut-job family, so now he's coming after the other team.
After Sarah Palin's comments on SNL this week that Stephen was her favorite Baldwin, the bass-mouthed brother took to the TV circuit, claiming he would beat down Joe the Plumber for a chance to become the next GOP mascot: "After Joe the Plumber and all the hype he’s getting, it’s making me think that to be the number one Republican kind of poster boy, I have to challenge Joe the Plumber to a UFC Smackdown.”
In the wake of an awkward and unnecessary Sarah Palin appearance on Saturday Night Live this weekend, news comes that Lorne Michaels, who recently donated $4,600 to Barack Obama's presidential campaign, may have coaxed the Illinois senator into appearing on SNL the Saturday before the election.
I heard from one of Sarah’s aides this morning that at the obligatory SNL after party, a slightly affected Seth Meyers blurted out something to the effect of “…yeah, but just wait til you see what we have cooked up for Obama’s appearance right before the election.” You may remember that Obama “canceled” his appearance on the show on opening night because of Hurricane Ike. But sources now say that it could have been a ploy cooked up by Lorne Michaels and David Axelrod to save Obama for the November 1st show… right before the election.
COMEDY IS IN THE TANK!
• By popular demand: The other clip of Sarah Palin's Saturday Night Live appearance. [Yeeeah]
• Jennifer Aniston is reportedly pregnant with John Mayer's baby. We'll wait until the National Enquirer confirms this before we believe it. [INO]
• Guy Ritchie on sex with Madonna: It's like "cuddling up to a piece of gristle." [CityRag]
• Tara Reid reminds us of the dangers of too much plastic surgery. [ICYDK]
• Suri Cruise tries to make a run for it after Tom forces her to pose for pictures. What a dad. [DListed]
• Dakota Fanning performed with her high school cheerleading squad over the weekend while her new movie debuted at the box office. Just like us! [PS]
Last night's Saturday Night Live was epic, right, guys? Or was that just us? To kick things off, Mark Wahlberg made good on his promise to confront Andy Samberg in the SNL studios' "cafeteria" — and it was hilariously awesome. We can't tell if Mark really didn't have a sense of humor about the animals skit when it debuted a couple weeks ago and then slowly grew one or if he has simply been fooling us all along. Either way, he was funny.
And then it happened: Vice Presidential joke Sarah Palin also followed through with her threat to appear on the show, despite our concerns that the cast would go easy on her. They openly mocked her during a Weekend Update rap, moose and all. We would say more, but we don't want to spoil the glory.
Click through for both clips. CONTINUED »
ANOTHER ANNOYING GUEST LINED UP FOR THIS WEEK'S SNL "Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg better watch out for Mark Wahlberg! The actor is miffed after Samberg portrayed him in a skit called 'Mark Wahlberg Talks to Animals' on Oct. 11's show. … A source hints to Usmagazine.com that Wahlberg will appear on SNL this weekend to get his revenge in person."
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