That was the best line of the night.
Pfft - Late. He was MY boyfriend since the America’s Funniest Home Videos: Uncensored DVD.
I didn’t like this episode at all, but I thought it was considerably worse than most this season. I don’t think SNL is all that bad - it has its low moments, but I think this season in particular it’s been pretty solid. But Steve Martin just wasn’t all that funny. I’ve never particularly liked anything I’ve seen him in, and this didn’t change my mind at all.
Really? The impression (HA!) I always got from him from interviews and articles about him was that he was the straight shooter. The guy who barely touches even alcohol.
What he said on the Tom Leykis show recently was-
He isn’t really used that much because the impressions he does are not needed. He’s older and he does impressions of older guys… SNL skews to younger pop culture… other than Clinton and Trump… he’s not needed.
That’s a pretty heavy accusation. Do you have a cite to back that up?
I do not, aside from the fact that I’ve heard it more than once (possibly on Television Without Pity).
there was also last week (or the week before) where Hammond appeared in the dress rehearsal, but was mysteriously absent from the live show
I’ve read that sketches are sometimes cut right up to the live broadcast. Maybe the sketch in which Hammond appeared got the axe at the last minute.
The show is just too damn long. They can never come up with enough decent sketch material for 90 minute show.
Here’s how the show should go:
Opening sketch - 3 minutes
Opening credits - 2 minutes
Monologue - 2 minutes
Fake Commercial - 30 seconds
Real commercials - 3:30
Hack: 11:41
Sketch 1 - 5 minutes
Sketch 2 - 3 minutes
Commercial - 3 minutes
Sketch 3 - 4 minutes
Commercial A - 3 minutes
Musical performance 1 - 4 minutes
Commercial - 2 minutes
Hack: 12:05
Weekend Update - 5 minutes
Commercial - 3 minutes
Sketch 4 - 5 minutes
Commercial - 3 minutes
Hack:12:21
Commercial - 2 minutes
Muscial performance 2 - 4 minutes
Commercial - 2 minutes
Closing - 1 minute
12:30
Or something like that, anyway. Shorter, y’know? Fewer sketches, less garbage.
what makes it seem to drag, IMO, is that usually there are 2-3 minutes of commercials after EVERY sketch - I have two theories for this
- revenue issues
- gives the cast a chance to change costumes/makeup/etc
I say this because the reruns on E! fit into one hour and seem to not be missing anything (except, in some cases, the 2nd musical performance)
So, blame it on Madison Avenue of you must
Just wanted to mention one more thing that cracked me up.
The African American monument in Washington, DC.
The Washington Monument pales in comparison. “You’ll never go back” 
It’s funny, I’ve watched SNL off and on this past couple of years and have just marveled at how bad it has been. The first half of this past Saturday was a marked improvement in overall quality (to my mind anyway). I thought most everything up to weekend update was okay (if not great) but was fairly consistent. Prince’s first number was just unbelievably fantastic. Normally, the worst stuff comes after Weekend Update which has been awful since Tina Fey took it over. They need someone strong who can give a deadpan line and not smirk or laugh, or give you the nod to let you know its funny. She’s one of the worst things going – and Fallon and Pohler haven’t helped at all. There are funny moments, but they walk all over them.
Starting with weekend update this ep, went downhill faster than a flatbed semi without brakes and carrying steel.
Cheap Dick joke aside, the African American momument bit was cute, as was the Prince Show, the “Don’t buy stuff you can’t afford” and the opening bit with Baldwin and the Viagra.