Live from NY, it’s Saturday Night Live!!!
Justin & Jimmy
These are the words that open one of my favorite TV shows. Many of you are more than familiar with it, but I bet some of you still need to hear about it. Saturday Night Live, or SNL, is one of the most popular shows on American TV. SNL is made in NY, but it was created by the Canadian-born Lorne Michaels. It’s broadcast on Saturday nights (appropriately enough) and it has just celebrated its 40th anniversary. On this occasion, the crème de la crème of SNL regulars have appeared on the show: it looked like as if a small galaxy of stars had exploded all over Manhattan. Everyone was there, including my beloved Jerry Seinfeld. Every show opens with a skit, usually political one, after which the aforementioned sentence is spoken. Every episode is hosted by a different star, who opens with a monologue and populated by a steady cast of comedians. The host takes part in the ensuing skits, which make fun and/or offend everyone, completely ignoring political correctness. There’s always a musical guest, providing musical breaks 2 or 3 times per show.
SNL did have lesser years, but it seems to have successfully picked up from the slump, and this season is really looking good.
Why do I love this show so much…? For the very reason I mentioned above – nothing is sacred here, and the sense of humor really reaches the stratosphere of absurdity. I laugh when I see Jimmy Fallon perform in duet with Justin Timberlake (my favorite pair), or when Beyonce is parodied, or when the entire cast engages in a game of “Jeopardy!”. There were comments here that boldly crossed the taboo of racial correctness, President was ridiculed (and still appeared on the show) and many members of the government were made fun of. Every episode of SNL is watched by everyone with even slight interest in the media and gets widely commented upon the day following the broadcast. SNL is also a real career booster, both for the cast members and for the musical stars. For many, SNL proved to be a ticket to a great career. It’s here where the likes of Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Fred Armisen, Kristen Wiig, Seth Meyers, Amy Poehler, and many others got their big breaks.
“Mother Lover”
Stefon & Seth Meyers
I dream of a show like that to appear in Poland one day, but I am afraid that a lot of time will have to pass before that happens. And once it does, we can probably expect a picket line in front of the TV studio. Still, let’s keep our hopes high.
My favorite skits:
