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Happy Monday!
From beginning to end, Adam Sandler gave comedy fans a memorable performance as host of ‘Saturday Night Live.’
‘SNL’ great Adam Sandler hosted his former show for the first time this weekend. There were many, many ways — and by this, I mean characters — the writers and cast could have approached his long-awaited, triumphant return. Surprisingly, there weren’t too many throwbacks to characters from Adam Sandler’s glory days at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. But make no mistake, the return of Opera Man at Weekend Update, for instance, was funny in ways that only the Sandman could deliver.
From singing his opening monologue…
to singing as the iconic Opera Man…
and his emotional acoustic tribute to close the show…
Adam Sandler proved why he’s a still such a fan favorite after all of the years as he combines humor with heart in pointed yet good-natured punchlines.
And while NBC’s timing and rationale for Adam Sandler’s firing (along with Chris Farley and Chris Rock) still makes absolutely no sense, NBC’s timing and rationale for bringing Adam Sandler back to ‘SNL’ — sparked by the success of his Netflix stand-up special titled ‘Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh’ — were pitch-perfect.
Have a Better Week Than Last Week.
Reenter Sandman
“Old school SNL” means something different to everybody. It depends on how old we are. And yet it also doesn’t matter to some extent.
Funny is funny.
There was a particular era of SNL cast members where this sentiment rings true. Chris Farley, David Spade, and Chris Rock–to name a few–created timeless, classic sketches, as well as a brand of comedy that was and is hilarious to the masses. And a bunch of this generation of SNL alums is still going strong with their brand of comedy in TV, movies and, thankfully, stand-up.
Oh, almost forgot to mention “the Sandman” himself:
Adam Sandler.
Actually, I didn’t forget. This blog post is about the aforementioned SNL generation that was very much defined by Adam Sandler. His triumphant return to the stage of stand-up comedy via Netflix will hopefully inspire a new generation of aspiring comedians to learn from a golden generation.
That would be fresh.
Happy Monday!
Saturday Night Live has been providing late night sketches with some of the biggest names in comedy beginning with its very first cast back in 1975. Whether cast members and/or writers stayed for one season, seven or more, or if comedy greats today auditioned but didn’t make the cut, last night’s celebration at Studio 8H was an iconic moment for comedy. There was a history of SNL rap by the fan-favorite Fallon-Timberlake bromance, Steve Martin (need I say more?), a Jeopardy game with perfect categories for Sean Connery to mispronounce, a Californians sketch with a vintage mile-high goodbye, musical melodies from unforgettable duos, classic fake commercials, before unseen audition tapes, an In Memoriam remembering past giants, including with the very much alive and well Jon Lovitz sitting stunned in the audience, the return from one of its greats, a Q&A about nothing, a Wayne’s World episode 40 years in the making, cameos galore and countless clips from our favorite skits.
(Click the bottom right icon for sound and click on the video to stop and play)
One of the best parts about live television (and SNL in particular) is waiting for comedic professionals to break character. In so many situations, when the actors and actresses start laughing, that actually makes the skit so much more hilarious and memorable. Fortunately, there’s a special digital short for that:
Once again, let’s not forget to give another standing ovation to the man who envisioned it all 40 years ago and who has discovered and launched some of the best careers in comedy: Lorne Michaels.
Live from New York, it will always be Saturday Night!
