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About LinkBacksWhat a punk, liking his job so much.
I didn't say he was lying.
Yeah, I'm sure Jay Leno likes his job too, it doesn't translate into fun for the viewer though. It's time to give somebody else a chance.
The "they should hire a new head writer immediately before their most watched and most culturally relavent time" makes so little sense it hurts my brain. I have been lobbying for Mullaney for Update from the day he was hired as a writer, but it totally makes sense for Lorne and Seth to not want to rock the boat at this time. Plus, yeah, if Seth wants to keep the job, he can keep the job. It's not like the show has been bad. Can it be better? It can always be better, and besides the same old quibbles: too many recurring character sketches, too much focus on celebrity impressions, etc., which are perennial complaints lobbed at Fey's or McKay's or Downey's tenure as head writer, Seth has done a fine job. Last season had some really fantastic episodes (Baldwin, Fallon, and Rudolph were my favorites, I also loved Charles Barkley's a lot) and some mediocre ones and some bad ones. Like every season. It's not imperative he should leave now if he doesn't want to. Also, in general, Lorne is always averse to people leaving, always. If he had his way, Dan Akroyd and Bill Murray would have never left the show and would still be on it. So if Seth really likes the job and wants to keep it forever, this is no problem for Lorne. Could he possibly even be grooming Seth to step into his shoes one day in the semi-distant future?
That's a distinct possibility. I guess the show has not been bad over the last few seasons (other than the '09-'10 season, which I think was genuinely pretty bad, mostly due to an overuse of Wiig), but it's been a little bland. Other than Samberg's digital shorts (which will be missed next season) and Will Forte's bizarre sketches, there hasn't been a lot of genuinely surprising, original material, on the order of that Dr. Beaman sketch we were talking about. McKay's stint as head writer was typified by a lot of odd, over the top sketches like that, like Ferrell's boss who stabs his employees with a trident, or the "Wake Up and Smile" sketch. That's just the kind of writer he is. Fey's period got bogged down in a lot of female-oriented sketches making fun of Paris Hilton, "The View", reality shows, etc. but she was also capable of very wacky sketches like the "Colonel Angus" sketch or the census taker sketch.
Seth, on the other hand, his humor seems to be a little more middle-of-the-road. He wrote the Coach Burt sketch with Steve Buscemi, which was a funny take on the events of that week, but even with that you get the feeling he was holding back a little bit and the sketch didn't take things as far as it could have. I feel like most of the things that were successful last season (like the "Game of Thrones" sketch or the Emma Stone bridal shower sketch) were the product of some of the younger writers on staff. I feel like an infusion of new blood on the writing staff would shake things up a little bit. Mulaney's sense of humor seems to be more premise-based and writer-y than Seth, who seems like he enjoys writing topical jokes but is maybe not the best sketch writer in the world.
What exactly is the role of the head writer on SNL?
nathan smart!
http://www.nathansmart.com
My point in what I wrote is it's one thing to think he should go (fair enough, I think the show could be a lot better), but it's another to say he must think he's so great. Maybe he just likes having a steady, great job. No one gets on Leno for thinking he's so great. In fact, it could be that no one with the reputation for being such a schemer actually thinks they deserve their job (Leno).
Also I don't know why anyone thinks I said they said he was lying, or something, but I didn't.
They certainly do. What was the whole Conan/Leno thing if not Leno deciding for some reason that he didn't want to retire and he simply had to be on TV, to the point where they created a time slot that didn't previously exist, just for him? Then when Conan wasn't working out so great he was only too happy to swoop back in and take back The Tonight Show. I know Leno wasn't popular around here because of that, and people certainly got on him for it. Now, I know Seth's humor is not as lame and out-of-touch as Jay's, but like you say, the show could definitely be a lot better.Originally Posted by aenemaTron
I know we have a thread for Above Average Network, but this one has Kate McKinnon in it, so I figured I'd post it here:
Comparisons to Leno will one day be widely recognized as the comedy argument version of a Hitler analogy
I know, but since I was implying that Seth was just keeping his old seat warm while lobbying for a new job, both comments after mine seemed to hint that I could be thinking he wasn't being truthful with his statements about SNL.Also I don't know why anyone thinks I said they said he was lying, or something, but I didn't.
Very far-fetched, but you were wondering, here's the answer, and now we both lose.
My question about what the SNL head writer does was a serious one. What does the head writer do that Lorne doesn't? Is he/she just like Lorne only they write sketches too?
nathan smart!
http://www.nathansmart.com
I keep looking in this thread hoping for news about casting James Adomian. You have failed me thus far, thread.
From what I understand, the head writer is a leading voice in the direction of the show. Primarily, I guess that would be in picking the sketches, as well as making decisions in terms of rewrites. I'm not quite sure, but that's what I remember from interviews. Also, I think I heard Seth say he writes about three of the sketches in the show every week.
And for what it's worth, I think Seth is a great head writer, and this past season was one of the best in recent memory.
Happy news today for SNL:
SNL Emmy Nominations- 14 Total
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series - Kristen Wiig
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series - Bill Hader
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series - Maya Rudolph
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series - Melissa McCarthy
Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series - Jimmy Fallon
Outstanding Variety Series
Outstanding Directing For A Variety Series - Don Roy King (Host: Mick Jagger)
Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series
Outstanding Art Direction For Variety Or Nonfiction Programming
Outstanding Hairstyling For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special
Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Variety Series
Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic)
Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics - I Can't Believe I'm Hosting (Host: Jason Segel)
Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control For A Series
(congratulations to everyone, especially from personal standpoint to Bill.)
(sigh) and really, really sad SNL news:
RIP Nelson Lyon (SNL writer 1981-1982, friend/collaborator/inspiration for Michael O'Donoghue)
RIP Tom Davis (founding and award-winning writer and performer, comedy partner with Al Franken, 1975-1980, 1985-1994, sporadic guest writer/performer after, genius, hero)
(source: Dennis Perrin, author of Mr. Mike biography)
"Don't brame me. I stubbed my TOOOOEEEEEEE!!"
B McC, 1991
Delete - misread earlier post.
Tom Davis died. :-(
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/20/ar...t-59.html?_r=1
All SNL geeks should read his book. You'll love it.
http://www.amazon.com/Thirty-Nine-Ye...dp/B001UE7DAU/
NBC announced that they're doing prime time SNL Election Specials again this year. I hope they come up with new angles on both Obama and Romney, because they're going to have to be pretty prominent, and I think there's room for improvement.
Mysterious Exhortations | @monty_ashley on Twitter
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