Annette Bening on SNL tonight- Page 2

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 11:10am

Some of the skits from last night are up on the NBC site.

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/videos/

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 11:12am

Bening wasn't "scanning around" either. Like many hosts, she was staring in one place that was nowhere near her fellow actors. She just did it much more obviously than anyone I have ever seen before.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 11:14am

Hi everyone. I am a huge SNL fan for 25 years,..and have also worked on the show a various amount of times. I still wouldn't call myself an 'authority'...on SNL..but here's my viewpoint based on some of the posts that I'm reading...which slightly tick me off.

SNL is VERY DIFFICULT to pull. every week,.LIVE. there is no way MadtV can be compared to SNL to begin with. MadTV is taped. they have every chance in the world to edit, fix skits, rewrite,get better camera angles..and they write their skits way ahead of time and plan ahead. (not to knock on their talent,..because they are talented...but it's a different kind of talent).
SNL is raw, pure and made up as they go along week by week,. the skits and ideas are thrown around monday..written by tuesday,..rehearsed wednesday...sets are built, commercials are taped..costumes and fittings on wednesday thru friday.
extras don't come into the picture until friday along with their chunk of skits that they go through (2 hours worth)

a dress rehearsal happens at 8pm on saturday with a live studio audience
then anywhere from 4-6 skits can be cut RIGHT BEFORE the show depending on material, commercials, humor levels, preparedness, etc..then they arrange an order..this happens an hour before the show airs....and then its LIVE at 11:30.
And like theatre...you can have a good night and a bad night. You can have a cast that takes time to get acclamated as well.

IT IS a VERY HIGH PRESSURE ENVIORNMENT...

SNL is an institution. What it does,..no one else on television can pull off.

as for annette bening and justin timberlake.

It further proves what kind of artists are good at improv, stand up, comedy, drama, sketch comedy, rehearsals, and so on.

Annette Benning is a film actress,..not a live stage actress..there is a difference.
and you can tell that with alot of the hollywood types that come in and think they could pull it off. although some are good at it..some are obviously not trained in sketch comedy.

There are even some comedians who are great in film..but are seriously unfunny when dealing with a live stage theatrical experience and come to SNL.

Justin Timberlake is a PRO at SNL...and that is because he..(along with dare I say Britney and Christina Aguilera) come from the same type of enviornment with the Mickey Mouse Club back in the early 90's. They had to work on comedy skits and sing and dance and be quick on cue cards for their show...EVERY DAY.

and this is why when Britney shows up,..or CHristina and Justin..they are pros in that enviornment..its what they grew up in.
You have to have that kind of talent and practice.
SOmeone like Annette Benning..who is used to sitting in a trailer and waits for a closeup or lighting to finish what has to get done..and has time to memorize lines is a different story. not to discredit her film power..but that's how that field is. alot of waiting around..and hopefully you have had enough time to have your lines and intentions memorized. something that is not easy for many other actors..and HARD TO DO for others as well.

I could see that maybe Annette walked in on tuesday or wednesday and thought she could wing it.

I think by her looking at the cue cards during the show..or when any other Hollywood type does it..is actually a great thing for the show. It shows the person's vulnerable side..and shows the true imperfections of the show. that's what makes the show brilliant. the fact that they are 'putting on a show' for you right before your eyes..in the moment. The crews swoosh stage sets over and build settings rght before your eyes...props and costumes and makeup and hair..like a scurrying pile of ants race..second by second...sometimes they work...sometimes they don't and that is the beauty of it.

You need to watch SNL as a piece of THEATRE...and it is so much more enjoyable every time...you root for things like when they nail a joke,..or things go terrribly wrong and get worse..or when the skit is so bad..the actors themselves know its bad..and they laugh at themselves. That is the fun of it. It is not perfect. it never will be. The audience is also a key factor. you can have a tough crowd or an embracing crowd. Since most of the time, the audience is made up of tourists...and not NYC ,..you can get a sketchy crowd. and that could ruin it. I was there one night where the crowd was made up of mostly people who didn;t even speak english well. it just never should have happened..because all the work was being dismissed.

I thought Annette's appearance was a riot..because her nerves were so high...and she truly felt viulnerable to that enviornment..and had so much fun with it.

the skits were hilarious. the *holes nativity, the coffee shop..etc.

And newcomers Kristen Wiig and Jason Sudekis are greatly underratted and brilliant at what they do.

to me..the best cast was late 90's
ana gasteyer,cheri oteri, molly shannon, will farrell, chris kattan, tracy morgan, tim meadows..they truly were at their peak..even better than season one.

but SNL is always interesting to watch..because its the only LIVE theatre on TV..it is the only form of televised vaudeville left in our american theatre history week after week.

and for that alone...it should be respected.




Updated On: 12/17/06 at 11:14 AM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 11:34am

I'm a stalwart defender, tab, and have been on here forever. I loved reading your post. For the longest time, another poster here who was herself an extra and got some experience playing "fifth old woman from the left" would bristle every time I said comparing SNL to MadTV was like apples and oranges.

So I'm glad to see your more detailed explanation of that thought. And your connecting it to live theater is a brilliant analogy. People who dismiss it without seeing it because "it should have been put out of its misery long ago" are, interestingly enough, often the biggest complainers about theater reviewers who "don't like anything" (and yes I mean YOU, Mr. Roxy) and would rather see things close.

I totally agree about its instituion status and I will always watch it, as long as it's on. (Oh, and I loved Kristin Wiig from her first appearance).

Updated On: 12/17/06 at 11:34 AM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 11:37am

Yeah..Kristen Wiig is right on the money. and finally until about 3 episodes ago...she is working it all the way through and they have been trusting her with so much,...thank god. She reminds me of Jane Curtain...with a little spackle of joan cusack thrown in every now and then.


oh yeah,..and thanks for the compliment. Updated On: 12/17/06 at 11:37 AM

[Sylar2]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 2:38pm

"Dick in a box" was brilliant!

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 2:39pm

Yeah, I enjoyed that a lot. You can always count on Mya for priceless reaction shots.

[Raviolisun]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 2:53pm

I have watched both MADTV and SNL for my whole life, and MADTV has never come close to SNL in writing, talent, or anything else. It might just be that my kind of humor just fits SNL better, I don't know.

And Tab, I agree with everything you said. Even the part about the late nineties cast being the best.

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 3:18pm

I really liked Justin Timberlake hosting. It was one of the best episodes out of the season so far. Like taboo123 said, MADTV has more time to rehearse and think of sketches and, yet it is still is only okay. SNL has amazing talent and most of the time, they do VERY well with the little time they have to do everything. I also agree with the late nineties cast being one the best casts.

EDIT: D*ck in a box was hilarious!
Updated On: 12/17/06 at 03:18 PM

[Kringas]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 4:30pm

I think Kristin Wiig and Jason Sudekis are two of the best cast members SNL has had in a while. I think it's had its ups downs throughout the years, but I've really enjoyed this season a lot.

[Sylar2]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 4:45pm

Did you hear that NBC is considering streaming the Friday Night dress rehearsal on their website? I think that would be fantastic especially to see the material that gets the axe before Sat's live performance.

[Raviolisun]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 5:00pm

That would be fun to see.

[kyguy78]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 11:43pm

I thought the Justin Timberlake show was the best one of the year so far. And anytime The Barry Gibb Talk Show is on, you know it's gonna be good times!

[TomMonster]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 2:48am

taboo is correct: the ENVIRONMENT is fierce. They have to wing it after the 7:30 SAT rehearsal. That's what separates SNL from the terrific MADTV.

Sylar--what rehearsal are you talking about?!? They don't finish the sets until Sat morn... The dress is Sat at 7:30--full re-write and then LIVE. If they stream the Sat rehearsal, I think the show might lose some tension...IMO. (But I would love to see it!)

Like taboo I worked in the building...It's madness, and such energy, and fun. But like any show the next audience can see it differently. That's the show we see live...

This week, with Justin, the opening Christmas song, was one of the funniest and "stupidest" and, I hope, classic moments of the show.

I was actually around to watch the the first season as a teenager--so I've been watching and still watching one of the best sketch comedy shows ever on TV. (I still miss Carol Burnett which was the lead-in, back then.)

(I LOVE MadTV, but they can cut and edit--very different).

Still, just plain happiness...

The Justin episode was one of the funniest of the season.

He was fearless in every scene. It's about being a clown in a clowns town. And having fun. The great guests are the ones who can adapt and have fun and don't worry about "cred".

Those of you who read "TIME" magazine know that frequently the "Update" segment is quoted. This weeks Update, was soooo funny that I couldn't figure out which one will appear in this weeks issue. We'll know soon...!

Updated On: 12/18/06 at 02:48 AM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 9:50am

With SNL..it's either..people 'get it' or people don't.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 4:55pm

The skits were "eh"...Justin Timberlake gave it his all, but "Dick In A Box" was genuinely priceless. I loved how it truly sounded like Color Me Badd.

[Sylar2]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 7:50pm

It's sorta like 30 Rock; its the feed that all the executives at NBC can watch during rehearsals on Friday.