Trivial Matters

Tonight is the premier of the 34th season of Saturday Night Live… and I’m starting to wonder if it has finally run its course.

I can remember staying up for SNL as a kid, and literally laughing my ass off so loud that I’d wake my mom. Lately, though, it just doesn’t do it for me anymore. I don’t know if it is because I now have The Daily Show and Colbert Report to satisfy my political bashing needs, or because all of the funny people have left the show long ago. (Which is a problem that The Daily Show is starting to face as well.)

Speaking of which… I read a report online about Lorne trying to get Tina Fey back to do Sarah Palin for tonight’s episode. For those of you who don’t know, Fey is not only one of the hottest women on the planet, but also was the first female head writer on SNL, and I believe her departure was the final nail in the coffin. It speaks volumes that he has to ask her (and Maya Rudolph) to come back in order to play specific people. I wonder just how talented this new batch of improv stars are, that they can’t do a suficient job.

And frankly, all they need to be a suficient. SNL was never about accuracy when it came to impersonations. (Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman notwithstanding.) Rather, it was about the writing and the level to which they were willing to go to take these public figures to task. If Lorne Michaels is having to resort to casting based on looks, then I don’t think the writing is going to be there.

If I get home from games night in time, I’ll probably watch part of it (if only to see more of Tina Fey).

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