1). Pick 12 cast members, living or dead, of any SNL line-up, which would represent the collective best SNL cast of all time.
2). Then, pick any of the guys who have done update over the years for the Weekend Update Slot, or a guy/girl set (sure, you can mix and match—i.e. Norm MacDonald with Tina Fey, even though Norm did Update without a co-anchor), and lastly,
3). If the show should feature a). Deep Thoughts b). Fuzzy Memories, c). My Big Thick Novel or d). A cartoon by Robert Smigel.
My Cast, In No Particular Order
Will Ferrell
John Belushi
Mike Myers
Dana Carvey
Rachel Dratch
Chris Kattan
Phil Hartman
Chris Farely
Jane Curtain
Mia Ruodolph
David Spade
Gilda Radner
Update
Dan Akroyd & Tina Fey, [as funny as Jane Curtain is…she’s not as hot as Tina Fey, and Jane Curtain is already in my version of the cast, which helps to ease my shallow mind].
A, B, C, or D:
I’d pick a Cartoon by Robert Smigel, in hopes that it would be The Ambiguously Gay Duo, Fun With Real Audio or the Ex Presidents.
I think the question we need to ask here is, why is Jane Curtain in your regular cast? Swap her and David Spade for Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy, and put Dennis Miller into the Update slot (with Tina Fey).
1 Phil Hartman
2. Will Ferrell
3. Rachel Dratch
4. Jimmy Fallon
5. Horatio Sanz
6. Jane Curtin
7. Molly Shannon
8. The guy who plays “Drunk Girl”- just for that character
9. Chris Kattan
10. David Spade
11. Mike Myers
12. Darrell Hammond
Okay, most of these are from the current cast, but I have a lot of trouble getting into old episodes dealing with then current events. I’m not sure if it’s because I didn’t live through it, or if they just weren’t my type of funny.
Update
Norm McDonald and Tina Fey- I’d love to see them butt heads.
Robert Smigel’s Fun w/ Real Audio- especially the Friends episode
I didn’t even realize I’d set them up like that. It’s not like it’s alphabetical order or something- strange.
Sandler is a pretty funny guy, but I never really liked his stuff on SNL. Except maybe the stalker-boyfriend guy. I was really taking this request seriously, and thinking of things like complemetary talents and team chemistry.
That’s why I have Myers but not Carvey. To a certain extent they’re redundant and I think Myers is more inclusive.
Jan Hooks (mostly because she worked so well with Hartman)
Mike Myers (before he became too full of himself)
Gilda Radner
Bill Murray (mostly because he worked so well with Radner)
Christopher Guest
Will Farrell
Molly Shannon (only because she worked so well with Farrell)
Mya Rudolph (I’m convinced she’d be huge if she just had better material)
Rachel Dratch (ditto)
Darrell Hammond (the best impressionist they’ve ever had on the show)
Julia Louis-Dreyfuss (only because I’ve had a crush on her ever since she was on the show)
Weekend Update would be Tina Fey by herself. Or even better, with me. But I wouldn’t try to tell jokes, I’d just have her sit in my lap.
Special feature would be anything by Jack Handy (Deep Thoughts or My Big Thick Novel).
And the host would always be either Alec Baldwin, Lucy Lawless, Steve Martin, or Heather Locklear. (Really. Heather Locklear was one of the best hosts they’ve ever had. I was as surprised as anyone.)
Cast: Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Phil Hartman, John Belushi, Chris Rock, Mike Myers, Gilda Ratner, Cheri Oteri, Dan Akroyd, Billy Crystal & Mya Rudolph.
Eddie Murphy!!! (I can’t emphasize him enough)
Joe Piscopo (best Sinatra impression in the history of the show)
Phil Hartman (just one of the best all around talents ever)
Mike Myers (see above)
Tracy Morgan (I consistently find him strangely hilarious)
Maya Rudolph
Darrell Hammond (one of the best impressionists the show’s had)
Will Ferrell (but only because of his Bush impression, otherwise he would never be included in my list)
Ana Gasteyer
Rachel Dratch (like Morgan, I just fine her consistently funny)
Molly Shannon
Bill Murray
WU: Tina Fey and A. Whitney Brown (Colin Quinn would be shot on sight if he tried to move within 100 yards)
Special Feature: Smigel cartoon
Guest Host: Alec Baldwin (appeared on some of the funniest sketches ever like Shweaty Balls and the camp leader who molests Canteen Boy)
I think it should consist solely of Tracy Morgan performing skits for an hour and a half. Of course, that’s because I’m a hopeless masochist and I loathe myself.
I don’t have time to figure my list, but just had to share that I am competely dumbfounded as to why so many people have Mya Rudolph on their lists. I’m fairly certain she’s never done anything even remotely entertaining on the show. Ever. She’s terribly unfunny.
Oh, and who used to do the Sean Connery imitation? That was great, but I think it’s the only funny thing he ever did.
Although I never liked Chevy Chase that much, I’d have him do the classic Weekend Update when it was actually a spoof on the news and not a stand-up routine -slash- party.
And Robert Smigel cartoon, of course. Either that or a Mr. Bill short.
By the way, I think Maya Rudolph is totally hot. I agree with SolGrundy - she generally just doesn’t have good material. She plays the parts very well, but the jokes just aren’t funny. I don’t know how much individual cast members are responsible for their own writing, so I don’t know what to think. The skit where she plays the geeky middle-school girl was hilarious, though.
Will Ferrell
Mike Meyers
Chris Rock
Dana Carvey
Chris Farley
Eddie Murphy
John Belushi
Phil Hartman
Jon Lovitz
Billy Crystal
Jane Curtin
Gilda Radner
Featuring:.A.Whitney Brown and Adam Sandler
WU: Kevin Nealon
Deep Thoughts
