Back to Blog
![]() Robinson's Neighborhood." His musical impressions included James Brown. Murphy, who now calls "SNL" a "Harvard for the comic actor," was responsible for innumerable classic bits, including Gumby ("I'm Gumby, damn it!") TV hustler Velvet Jones Buckwheat (of Little Rascals fame) and Mr. He also had no problem exposing his own underbelly, most memorably in the sketch that forever has us wanting "more cowbell." He excelled at outbursts, exposing the underbelly of rage simmering just below the surface of the average suburban dad. Yet his impressions left a mark: his Frank Sinatra is indelible and his Bill Clinton was the first to capture the essence of the ex-president. He was the ultimate straight man, the voiceover guy, the foil for his bigger, louder castmates. ![]() A quick wit, she could improvise when needed, showed strong comedy chops on "Weekend Update," and killed it with uproarious moments like her uber-pregnant and flawless Sarah Palin rap. Poehler as our top cast member because of her ability to jump into so many roles. And as the show hits this milestone anniversary, it is still as important to audiences as it was the first time the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" hit the stage at NBC's Studio 8H. Because if we've learned anything these past few weeks, it's that "SNL" means a whole lot to a whole lot of people. It was by no means easy, and some of our favorites didn't make the cut - it's nothing personal, Rob Schneider! - but we came up with a list that we're proud to say represents the show, its influence and everything "SNL" has meant to the universe of comedy. ![]() And from the show's 141 original cast members, we winnowed the list down to 65, threw their names on a wall and let fists fly as we got down to the business of establishing and ranking our Top 40. We focused on on-camera talent, not behind-the-scenes players, and took into account each individual's unique characters, impression work and overall impact on the show. ![]() It's a testament to the show's reach: Like no other program on television, "SNL" spans generations and inspires a passionate sense of ownership from viewers over their favorite eras, characters and cast members.įirst we established our criteria, judging cast members by their work solely on the show, not what they went on to do afterward. What followed was an intense, weekslong debate that drew opinions from everybody on our staff: Metro reporters, editors, designers, even the crew in sports. With "Saturday Night Live" celebrating its 40th anniversary with a massive prime time special on Sunday - Justin Timberlake, Adam Sandler, Paul McCartney, Kanye West, Steve Martin, Jerry Seinfeld and Eddie Murphy are just a few of the names scheduled to participate - The Detroit News entertainment staff decided to get together to rank the comic institution's all-time Top 40 cast members. the most heated debate to hit our office in years.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |