Monthly Archives: October 2014
It’s Live and From New York, But Is It New?
“New York’s hottest new club is called, ‘Copycat.’ And it has everything: Glow sticks, red bouncy balls, women dressed like Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne, Spud Webb and a Ground Mine.
What’s a Ground Mine?
It’s when someone watches a funny sketch by The Groundlings and they say ‘mine!'”
There have been reports this week that sketch giants Saturday Night Live (SNL) stole a Tina Turner routine they performed last weekend from the famed Los Angeles sketch comedy group The Groundlings. After watching the skits side-by-side, it seems virtually indisputable that SNL didn’t lift the sketch. In normal circumstances, it could possibly be a coincidence. Well, actually, not true. But the reason why this is such a big deal right now is that SNL (celebrating its 40th anniversary) has been barely treading water the past couple years. This creative comedy problem has been exacerbated by the departures of Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis, Fred Armisen, Nasim Pedrad and head writer/Weekend Update anchor Seth Meyers.
Plus, the co-creator of Stefon and veteran SNL writer John Mulaney left the show to write and star in his Sunday night FOX sitcom Mulaney with SNL alum Pedrad.
Despite the major cast shakeup following the end of last season, SNL still has some quality performers, like Kenan Thompson, Jay Pharoah, Taran Killam, Vanessa Bayer, Bobby Moynihan and Aidy Bryant. However, Weekend Update newcomer Michael Che is far too amused by his own jokes and the cast (in a broad sense) is lacking that special spark that fans tune in for on a late Saturday night. The expectation for gut-busting laughs is at a very low, low level. The writing has also been geared more towards flat-out opinions with an agenda about certain topics and people instead of playful, cleverly disguised comedic jabs at anybody and everybody.
Fortunately, impressionist extraordinaire Bill Hader is hosting this Saturday night with musical guest Hozier. This means (in 99.99% likelihood) a return of Stefon to the Weekend Update desk. Thank goodness! And it also means that the sketches including Hader should be laugh-out-loud hilarious, with a possible surprise guest star or two (cough-cough, his movie co-star Kristen Wiig…)?
Unfortunately, such a quick return from Hader indicates that SNL is trying to rejuvenate its audience with a past favorite. To be fair, Hader did just release a critically acclaimed drama, The Skeleton Twins, so the booking is legit and appropriate timing wise. However, like the sketch scandal, it just appears like SNL wants to stop treading water for a couple hours and instead climb into Samberg’s nearby boat with its recently departed cast members for some relaxed laughs for a change.
And judging by SNL’s current struggles, they have to be hoping that 40 turns out to be the new 30.
(P.S. Look for Saturday Night Live to lampoon itself over the scandal with The Groundlings this weekend)
The Carlton: Defining the Unusual
Carlton’s log: I’m about to dance America back to the ’90s!
Jimmy’s Daily Planet is a big fan of the 1990s sitcom hit, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The acting and the writing was fantastic. Plus, it was a show that achieved the right tone with teenagers and parents alike in terms of the appropriateness of the jokes and the content in general. And it was coupled with valuable life lessons.
Of the many memorable scenes, episodes, zings and lessons learned, there is one particular dance that remains a treasured favorite. It’s iconic. “The Carlton” expresses a love not only for the smooth voice of singer Tom Jones, but also a feeling that allows anyone to literally throw caution to the wind and move like no one’s watching.
Except people are always watching (and doing) that dance with ecstatic delight, especially when it’s performed by its original sitcom lead on prime-time television on a major network.
Alfonso Carlton, you know what to do:
Thank You Alfonso!
Happy Monday!
The sudden (and rare) splendor of serendipity should never be questioned, but rather admired for its quintessence. It can be defined as the most purposeful and glorious instance of randomness with an imaginative energy that overwhelms every one of our senses in that split-second moment. We see something, or someone, in a sea of people or a scene of chaos with a special clarity that stops everything. And if that moment truly is exceptional, then it could be the beginning of the greatest journey of your life.
Visually, it may look like this:
Dream Big This Week…Like a Big Fish!
The Boundlessness of Crazy
Absolutely crazy.
The world changed forever after the horrific attacks occurring on 9/11. In fact, it’s surreal just how much the world seemed to change on a dime following that heart-wrenching September morning. But that’s a much longer post for another day. Along with New York City, Washington D.C. forever altered its security protocols, procedures and precautions after that day. Traveling to, driving and walking around our nation’s capital pre-9/11 and post 9/11 have been starkly different experiences. The former felt relatively open and relaxing while the latter has felt armed and distant.
And that’s okay, because we are not fighting another country, but Islamic extremists who cowardly attack using disguised guerrilla warfare. The war is not with the collective, but the individual. Accordingly, the proper defense demands acute awareness at all times.
Or so we thought.
Reading reports and watching videos that reenacted the White House intruder’s path has been mind-boggling. How in the hell did this happen? It’s more difficult to steal a book at Barnes and Noble than it is to enter the front door of The White House with a knife in hand and then run from room to room looking for the President of the United States of America. Think about that! The intruder, Omar Gonzalez, was one turn away from the stairs that lead up to the first family’s living quarters.
So, somebody in the secret service please remind us: If you’re not even going to lock the front door or even guard the outer perimeter of The White House, the most important building and symbol in the nation, then what’s been with all the extra security all these years? This is just another instance of when people are again forced to answer the question of, “can you believe this happened?” with “actually, yes, yes I can.” I was in Washington, D.C. this past Monday afternoon and stood with a group of tourists behind extra barricades to The White House across the street from the iconic St. Johns Church. Looking around, it’s still inconceivable how someone could jump the fence, run across the lawn and then into The White House.
And this is only the tip of the iceberg with the Secret Service and this is all combined with the myriad of domestic and global events the past few years that are causing the world to spin out of control with increasing lack of trust in vital institutions and people. But if this of all things happened, what can we possibly expect to take place next? The world continues to get more and more nonsensical. Things are just crazy.
Absolutely crazy.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 