Nine people who must host SNL next season
If there were a way to completely stop people on the Internet from saying, “Why do you keep watching this? Saturday Night Live hasn’t been good since the days of Gildaphil Belushikroyd Normfeyrrell!”, I would punch that button (or that person). Thinking a little more optimistically, there can always be better days ahead, for SNL is forever renewable, with an ever changing cast and crew. The thing that gets the fastest turn-over is the host, who has the opportunity to bring something new and exciting from week to week.
Now that the so-so 33rd season is over, I like to pretend everyone at SNL has kicked aside all the beach time and BBQ invites to plan something exciting for their return. Picking good hosts is an important part of having a successful season, so I’ve compiled my own list of nine people that must host, just in case SNL decides to re-work the entire show based on blog responses. I’m just covering all my bases, all right?
Flight of the Conchords (Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie): I often find myself instantly skeptical when it’s time for another host that’s also playing musical guest. Sometimes it works out more than alright, like with the surprisingly funny Justin Timberlake, but other times … not so much. One group that has already proven their comedy chops and their ability to bring the funk is Flight of the Conchords. We know they’ve already touched upon Elven acting, indie awkwardness and Tongan ass-kicking, but how will they fare in sketch comedy? Probably hilariously. Plus, there’s two of them, so if one gets kidnapped by fangirls before the show, there’s back-up.
Michael Cera: During the writers’ strike, SNL put on a stage show at the Upright Citizens Brigade theatre, with Michael Cera serving as host. Of course, it wasn’t televised, so most of us regular viewers were deprived of this awesomeness. Upon the show’s return, it seemed almost inevitable that Cera would return. That didn’t happen. Because they hate us. And God hates us too. We didn’t even get a cameo when Jonah Hill hosted, which was weird, because doesn’t the entire Apatow group legally have to stay within thirty feet of each other at all times? SNL needs to get Cera back on the show before he’s too old to play the awkward youngster and the ladies don’t find him endearing anymore.
Ricky Gervais: “The Japanese Office” from Steve Carell’s episode featured a brief cameo from Ricky Gervais, which reminded me that he’d never been on SNL before that. Gervais’ star is rapidly rising in the States, with NBC’s incarnation of The Office and Extras both being smash hits, and he always seems to be promoting something, so why hasn’t he hosted? Once he’s up there, we can work on doing the same for his terribly underrated creative partner, Steven Merchant.
Stephen Colbert: As I watched Steve Carell host SNL for the second time, I wondered to myself why his Daily Show correspondent buddy Stephen Colbert hadn’t done the same already. Mr. Colbert is kind of a big deal now, as The Colbert Report has been making awesome television since 2005. Even Jon Stewart hosted back in 2002. His episode wasn’t tremendously remarkable, but I distinctly remember Mr. Stewart playing a creepy old guy and rubbing Jimmy Fallon. Now, look at it this way … Jon took over The Daily Show in 1999 and hosted SNL three years later. Isn’t it Stephen’s turn now? He has a sketch comedy background from Exit 57 and The Dana Carvey Show, and we all know that he works beautifully in front of an audience. Really, it’s been far too long. The only explanation I will accept for this wait is if he and Carell are still getting in shape for a live-action Ambiguously Gay Duo skit.
Robert Downey, Jr.: It’s been over ten years since Robert Downey, Jr. hosted for the first time and over twenty since his super-brief stint as a cast member. The man has had good time to hone his comedy chops since then, and his unusually hilarious performances in films like Iron Man and A Scanner Darkly have proven him more than worthy of another visit. Plus, these new post-Iron Man fangirls are insane and SNL could probably use the boost from this hotness.
Simon Pegg: This man is funny. He is a funny man. Man, is he funny. I could go on for days about his work co-writing and starring in Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, which is good, because it means I have enough material to not elaborate on how I felt about Big Nothing, Run Fat Boy Run, and whatever David Schwimmer-attached project I may have repressed. Pegg has been everywhere with his comedy, from stand-up to sitcoms to character-driven sketch comedy (the wonderfully surreal Big Train). His upcoming How to Lose Friends And Alienate People seems to have quite a few popular American names, so a night on the SNL stage would be a sweet way to promote that, yeah? Yeah, yeah? Please?
Conan O’Brien: Now that Conan O’Brien is officially taking over Jay Leno’s spot in 2009, it’s time for another visit to his old SNL stomping grounds. O’Brien hosted once in 2001, but has yet to return, which kind of surprises me because I thought he was absolutely hysterical. In fact, that episode was the reason why I started watching Late Night in the first place. Before the West coast (or the LA smog) completely consumes O’Brien for good, it’d be nice to let him say, “Live from New York…” as a New Yorker, one last time.
And on that note…
Jimmy Fallon: Whoa, hold on there! Put down those pitchforks! He’s not actually here, so calm yourselves. Hear me out, guys, hear me out. As soon as it was announced that Fallon would be taking over Late Night, the response was immediate and outrageously mixed. Some even went as far as to say they would rather see Carson Daly in the spot than Fallon. Seriously, folks, let’s just not say anything we might regret. Fallon hasn’t really done that much since his SNL days, when he would obnoxiously giggle through every single sketch or nervously play with his hair whenever Sir Ian McKellen tried to make out with him. There’s been a Taxi here and a Fever Pitch there, but not much else. Hopefully, Fallon has taken this excess time to give his career a good, hard look. It would be nice to have Fallon re-introduce himself to NBC’s late night comedy world by hosting next season, if only to say, “Look! I can hold my laughter even without Tracy Morgan staring daggers at me. And I got a better haircut!” Unless he didn’t, in which case I’m going to say good-bye to Late Night and start going to bed earlier.
I just realized that there aren’t any ladies on this list, but there honestly aren’t any that I would include on my magic host wishlist. That’s a bit heart-breaking, no? I’d say Kristen Wiig, but she’s already bringing the funny every week as a cast member. Please feel free to comment with some women you think would do a fine job of hosting SNL. However, if anyone even dares to mention the likes of Lisa Lampanelli or Sarah Silverman, I will not hesitate to Internet-punch you in the face.
Emmy Hearts Guy, Harshes On Heroes, Housewives
Stewie, a serial killer and Down Under singers are in. Wisteria Laners, Cylon apologists and Heroes are out. Let the grousing begin.
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences released its list of Emmy semifinalists for this year’s top TV drama and comedy series, and along with usual suspects like The Office, Boston Legal and House, there’s plenty of new blood and old favorites still in the running for hardware.
Fox’s Family Guy could become the first animated show to win an Emmy for Best Comedy Series, making the top 10 along with newcomers like HBO’s Flight of the Conchords and ABC’s Pushing Daisies.
On the drama side, critically adored cable hits Damages, Dexter, Mad Men and The Tudors all passed muster, as did HBO’s dearly departed The Wire, which has one last shot at an Emmy nomination after five seasons of snubs.
Lost also made the cut, back in play after a snub in 2007.
Speaking of last year, The Sopranos was named Best Drama in its final season, beating a field that also included Boston Legal, Grey’s Anatomy, Heroes and House. On the comedy side, 30 Rock triumphed over Entourage, Ugly Betty, The Office and Two and a Half Men.
While all the 2007 comedy contenders were back, Heroes failed to repeat in its second season. Other notable shows on the diss list: prime-time broadcast hits Desperate Housewives, the various CSIs and Law & Orders, along with cable favorites like Battlestar Galactica, Big Love, Saving Grace, Army Wives, The Closer andsorry tweensHannah Montana.
The five finalists in each category, will be selected by a combination of “blue ribbon panel” balloting (50 percent) and the vox populi of the full TV Academy (50 percent). Nominations for the 60th Primetime Emmys will be announced July 17. The ceremony will go down Sept. 21.
Here’s a recap of the semifinalists.
Comedy Series:
- Curb Your Enthusiasm
- Entourage
- Family Guy
- Flight of the Conchords
- The Office
- Pushing Daisies
- 30 Rock
- Two and a Half Men
- Ugly Betty
- Weeds
Drama Series:
- Boston Legal
- Damages
- Dexter
- Friday Night Lights
- Grey’s Anatomy
- House
- Lost
- Mad Men
- The Tudors
- The Wire
The top ten comedy and drama Emmy semifinalists announced
The Emmy Awards voting is different than it used to be (more steps in the voting process and a special panel watches episodes and votes after that), and last year the list of the semifinalists was leaked online before it was officially announced. Well, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences don’t really want that to happen again, so they’ve decided to just announce the finalist list itself.
After the jump, the ten comedies and ten dramas that are semifinalists for the Emmy award this year. The list will be knocked down to five (more if there’s a tie) once another round of voting is done. The nominees will be announced live on July 17, and we’ll have coverage here at TV.
Best Drama Semifinalists
Lost
Mad Men
Grey’s Anatomy
Friday Night Lights
The Wire
Dexter
Damages
Boston Legal
The Tudors
House
Best Comedy Semifinalists
30 Rock
Flight of the Conchords
Entourage
Two and a Half Men
Pushing Daisies
The Office
Weeds
Family Guy
Ugly Betty
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Let’s Make a Deal: Studios, AFTRA Shake on It
One down, a whopper to go.
The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has OK’d a tentative deal with Hollywood studios on a new three-year contract, a first step in avoiding an industrywide actors’ strike this summer.
The union said this morning that the deal focuses on new media paychecks, establishing fees for content streamed and downloaded over the Internet and covering the use of actors’ voices and images in online clips.
The AFTRA deal only covers a few TV showsincluding Curb Your Enthusiasm, Rules of Engagement, Flight of the Conchords and Reaper, as well as the new sitcoms Project Gary, Harper’s Island and Roman’s Empireand must still be ratified by the union’s members.
“This is another groundbreaking agreement for AFTRA,” the union’s national president Roberta Reardon said in a statement. “In addition to achieving meaningful gains in compensation and working conditions for performers, it also establishes AFTRA jurisdiction in the dynamic area of new media and it preserves performers’ consent for use of excerpts of traditional TV shows in new media.
“This is a challenging time in the entertainment industry and this was a tough negotiation.”
Speaking of tough negotiations, the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers now must make peace with the more belligerent and more powerful Screen Actors Guild, whose members work in most prime-time TV shows and films.
SAG’s contract expires June 30.
In a statement, SAG National President Alan Rosenberg said that although the union had heard about AFTRA’s new pact, “We do not know the details of the agreement.”
“We look forward to receiving an update from AFTRA staff regarding the negotiations as soon as possible,” said Rosenberg. “We look forward to hearing more during a face-to-face briefing with AFTRA’s negotiating committee as soon as AFTRA provides the opportunity.”
Rosenberg said the guild, as promised, will be back at the table with producers at 10 a.m.