SNL Does 40

Last night was the epic television event that honored the history of a pop culture staple - Saturday Night Live. It's important like no other show, because it means something different to every generation. It reinvents itself regularly. And that's what makes it legendary.

As an avid fan since childhood, I was stoked to see all those old pals showing up in the comedy spotlight once again. Trudging around their old stomping grounds and such.  My one complaint - not nearly enough Cheri Oteri.

Like many others, though, I knew I would be pulled away for an hour to catch The Walking Dead.

It's as if NBC knew and decided to punish those that tuned away for an hour and plugged in The Weekend Update segment to air during the 9:00 to 10:00 time slot. There were many fantastic sketches before and after I cut away (Bill Murray singing a love theme from Jaws!), but all the people I REALLY wanted to see popped up in the below clip.

If it's even possible, I present all of my favorite people in a five minute segment: We've got Tina, Amy, Jane Curtin, Edward Norton and Bill Hader as two Stefon's, Emma Stone, Melissa McCarthy, and a land shark.

All I got to say is T.G.F.I  - Thank God For Internet, because at least I could find this clip a terrible, harrowing, agonizing, unmanageable, excruciating... few hours later. 

At first I felt like 40 was an odd year to have a celebration. That's the year when most people have birthday shindigs where everyone eats cake off of "Over The Hill" plates. But when I think of it that way, it's rather a fitting year.

Continually people say SNL is done or has reached its own "Over The Hill" moment. Every reincarnation over the 40 years has faced that criticism, some years more than others, yet that is what makes the show worthwhile. Not every sketch is a hit, but you tune in every week never knowing what kind of comedy is going to show up on the screen. Good or bad, it's always fun.

It could take a week to list all the cast members that were there last night and talk about how many classic sketches made a return (Celebrity Jeopardy!), but the celebration didn't forget to leave out the many hilarious cast members who have sadly passed on  - Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Chris Farley, and Jan Hooks just to name a few. Though not dead, I was also very touched by Mr. and Mrs. Alec Baldwin doing a little tribute to Tracy Morgan. That ball of light was definitely missed on the stage. Even though he is still alive, unlike Jon Lovitz.

Did anyone else watch all three and a half hours? It was like a test run for next week's Oscars.

I was enthusiastically in for the night, minus the hour I spent with Rick and his gang. I tuned in even though I'm having a little tiff with that show right now after last week's episode. I digress.

After finding out I missed that great Weekend Update bit and only caught a couple moments of Maya Rudolph playing Beyonce and sashaying around the stage with Martin Short, I should have let those frustrating guys in the zombie apocalypse wait until the next day and enjoyed a whole night of comedy instead.  Lesson learned.

Until next time.