Should SNL's Brittany Murphy Skit Be Pulled?

The Brittany Murphy sketch on Saturday Night Live two weeks ago was mildly funny at best, more noteworthy for the fact that it skewed an actress that hadn't done a notable movie in some time, and was not much in the public eye recently. Her biggest hits--Clueless, 8 Mile--were over five years old, and she was a voice in a relatively low-profile show, King of the Hill. It was one of those bits that you knew the writers threw out in a desperate attempt for an idea, and they had a somewhat competent actress able to play her (Abby Elliot, best known for her Angelina Jolie "bebes" bit; this was a good try, but the whole thing was just not good), and it made it onto the air. In normal circumstances, the piece would be forgotten.

But Brittany Murphy died suddenly and tragically, so far without explanation, last week, and the eerie timing of the piece was uncomfortable. And with the web and Hulu, things live online. So while most people were unaware of the Brittany Murphy sketch, it floated to the top of the heap, spurned by those arts aggregators and the few who were actually watching NBC at 12:20 am on a Sunday.

Now, it makes sense that NBC and Hulu (which NBC partly owns) would pull it out of respect. It's not funny, and it doesn't have anything to say. It prevents this now-gruesome mockery from becoming further terrible, obscuring the actual actress and her work. Does this mean that it should be forever gone? Is that restricted to the web (where bootlegs can surface)? Does SNL have an obligation never to air it again, whether in reruns on NBC or on other sites like Comedy Central? What about DVDs and the like? While I doubt that this piece will be considered one of Abby Elliot's standouts (let's hope), does it really deserve to be buried because of unfortunate timing? Is it just a matter of timing, that in another few weeks or months the clip will quietly resurface? That is probably the most likely case, since while the piece was in bad taste (though there are plenty that say the Tiger Woods sketch was way worse), it only suffered from bad timing. If this sketch had happened a year ago, even a few months ago, it wouldn't be as big a deal, though it would suffer from the same problem.

Was Brittany Murphy even aware of the sketch? Was she bothered by it? That would be interesting to know.

SNL Wins a Peabody

For their political coverage, most notably Tina Fey's blockbuster turn as Sarah Palin.

Other wins went to "Lost", "Entourage", "Breaking Bad", "John Adams", The Onion News Network, and a bunch of PBS documentaries from "Frontline" and "Independent Lens".

In other SNL news, tonight's episode features a French band no one's ever heard of, Seth Rogen has lost a lot of weight and looks great, I laugh at really dumb skits (the funky voices one), Cathy is trotted out in a creative piece on comic strips, the digital short is absurd and funny, and the show has gotten really, really gay.

You Won't Be Watching MadTV

The news was buried in an article on Spike Feresten in the Times on December 20.

MadTV is no more.

Defamer got the scoop.

Always the scrappy underdog to Saturday Night Live, MadTV, though never earning much respect or ratings, still managed to make a pop culture dent. After all, a guy at work did dress up as Stuart for Halloween this year, and my cousin, far from being on the tip of the zeitgeist, is known for having a wicked impression of Miss Swan, two characters that were mainstays on the program.

MadTV never could compare to SNL, partly because it was a taped program. They did not focus on news or politics, but on funky, oddball characters, but their biggest strength was by far their music video parodies, which they were able to be so successful at precisely because the show was taped. SNL copied them with their digital shorts, right around the time Andy Samburg was hired. Madonna, Britney Spears, John Madden, Whitney Houston and Kenny Rogers “starred” in many of their most well-known skits, and they also frequently mocked Apple (see “iRack”). Yet looking back over many of the highlights, a real sense of the pop culture of the last decade shines through, and there were times when they were right on the money—Feist’s "1234", “Trapped in the Cupboard”, and the Abercrombie kids mocked the absurdity that each brand was trying to sell.

Like SNL, the show did have musical guests perform, although the one thing that stood out about them was that they weren’t cool or big enough to go on SNL. Most didn’t make it that far—the artists didn’t upgrade and the viewers switched over or off before the act even began. The acts always seemed superfluous, tacked onto the end because it was some rule that variety shows had to have them. We all knew cast members contorting their voices and bodies to play real stars were far more entertaining.

MadTV had the fortune to start at 11, which meant a half-hour of their best stuff followed by viewers flocking in droves to their cooler counterpart. I’ve lost many arguments comparing SNL to MadTV, but the truth of the matter is, SNL always got the clout, even when they didn’t deserve it. SNL’s best asset, as they showed last year, was in political comedy. MadTV’s best asset was ripping upon the nation’s favorite television shows, music, and celebrities. Despite being on the air for fourteen seasons and having a syndication deal on Comedy Central for the last few, the show never got any respect, even though some of their impressions and parodies are on par if not better than SNL's best. Nicole Parker's Britney Spears, for example, is the best I've ever seen.

I’ve spent quite a few hours in my life amusing myself with MadTV parodies on YouTube. I’m including some of my favorites below.

I never get tired of this, ever.



A newbie but a keeper. Her Hannah Montana is spot-on.



My dad is obsessed with this clip. It's probably one of the most-watched videos in my household.



Again, spot-on dis of the concept and what Christina was trying to do. Purposefully dressing as skanky as she could possibly be for this video was the wrong tactic.



JT was begging for this.



Chingy’s “Holidae Inn” was never used for something better.



Doesn’t make much sense, but who doesn’t love an “Umbrella” parody, especially with Nicole Parker?



The only thing good about “My Humps” was that this was created.



I could have just linked this above, but this is seriously one of MadTV's best.

On Tonight's TV

I’ve had a feeling since the premiere of The Office three weeks ago that season five was going to be a rough one for the show, a time of transition. This was only strengthened by tonight’s episode. Erratic, psychopathic Jan needs to leave. Michael is increasingly becoming stupid and mean, just like the show. Dwight spent most of last week worrying about how much time he wasn’t working; this week he spent an hour or so wrecking an expensive stroller. Pam and Jim keep missing each other; we hear bits of cell phone conversations, just like in an episode of Gilmore Girls. Michael did the right thing though and finally asked Holly out on a date.

This might be a historic election, but it is not a historic year for Saturday Night Live in terms of quality. Their first sketch with Sarah Palin was the best. Weekend Update is still the highlight. I was very disappointed in tonight’s debate sketch—they should have had John McCain go off the deep end with his anger instead of his imaginary Joe the Plumber friend. The writing just wasn’t there, but I guess that’s to be expected, with the cast so crunched. Weekend Update, as usual, was the best; their lines on the debate, especially about plumbers and McCain, were great. Like their “Really?!?!” sketch last week, the “Things We Liked” portion was eviscerating, pointed, and hilariously funny. Kristen Wiig’s portrayal of the nutty woman practically made Seth Myers break (and he’s no Jimmy Fallon). I had no problem with their trashing of McCain. They’ve gone quiet political this year, but I love it. I suspect non-Obama fans probably won’t.

SNL will have a new episode Saturday and another Thursday night special next week.

That's All I Have to Say

Anna Faris should play Britney Spears.

Wanting It

Last week, watching the season premiere of House, “Dying Changes Everything”, I was struck by the patient of the week’s philosophy. Wanting something for her wasn’t attainable, and she single-handedly shot down Thirteen and the popular conception that Americans, but women in particular, have, about wanting something.

Like Thirteen, I was taken aback by this woman’s attitude. She was a minion to a woman who didn’t care a whit about her, but the woman didn’t care how terribly she was treated. Thirteen’s attitude isn’t wrong, per se; it’s a very ingrained notion to the last two generations of women. But the more I think about it, the patient is right in a way. We can aspire—want—whatever we want, but we shouldn’t expect that we will get it. But she fails because she’s given up; she doesn’t even want to try.

Wanting something has become this big catch-all. We are supposed to want more and more, and increasingly, expect to fulfill those wants, whether they are monetary, romantic, consumer, or status-oriented. Aren’t we supposed to teach children that they can’t have everything they want? Yet why do we believe so ardently that we will eventually win the life lotto?

The core of the American dream seems to be boiled down to if you work hard, you will achieve. If you achieve, you get what you want: money, status, the family and kids and great job. Somewhere along the line this idea beefed up; now it’s just the idea of fervently wishing, of praying and working and imagining the success, of putting a plan in motion and believing that it will succeed. There is no realization that it may not work, because it will.

This idea is rampant in books like The Secret, those self-help tomes of visualization, of “positive thinking.” Positive thinking can be delusional, but nobody wants to call it that. We’re conditioned to want more. More ice cream please!

I tend to fall under the very Housian quote, first mentioned in the pilot, to borrow Mick Jagger’s line “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need.” The problem being that you often don’t realize what you need, and knowing that you won’t get what you want is a very depressing thought. There’s no way to get around this.

Oh, I am always told, things will work out. They always do. It seems a rationalization of the way life unfolds, from one bad or depressing turn to something else, unexpected, a different direction. Maybe it is what was needed, though they didn’t know it. But this is something I’ve only heard from women. It’s not that men don’t ruminate; maybe they aren’t as obsessed as finding the right way, or the best way.

The SNL skit does what the best SNL skits do: boil down an issue to its essence, pointing out the truth while mocking the absurdness of it all. Sarah Palin represents that American notion, as indelible as the frontier spirit, of if you believe it, and you work hard, luck will conspire with you to form great things. Hillary Clinton here is the opposite, the underside of the American dream: what happens when hard work isn’t enough, when forces outside your control conspire against you.

Politics especially seems to have that quality, of “if only”. Al Gore is always served as an example. If only he was president! But look, he completely changed his career! He’s now considered one of the most beloved figures in America, and has had a tremendous amount of influence that he wouldn’t have if he became president. But that is what you do. You adapt; you go in a different direction because you must.

(The only reason this wasn’t posted last week was because FOX makes you wait a week and a day for House episodes to be available online. And while I was waiting, the New York Times published an article relating to the topic.)

TRL Heading for Retirement

Yes, it was still on.

TRL will officially be saying sayonara in November, after 10 years on the air. The show has been limping along the last several years, with a revolving cast of VJs, ever-younger acts, and odd timeslots. Designed to capture teenagers, the show started in 1998 from a meld of MTV Live and Total Request, two shows nobody watched. Carson Daly inexplicably became the guy with the coolest friends in the world, despite being incredibly dull. Unlike legions of young'uns who would love to be MTV VJs (many of whom appeared on TRL for their "I Wanna Be a VJ" contest), he either wanted to be a priest or a professional golfer, two deadly boring things for an MTV viewer.

Total Request Live's popularity is linked to the teen pop boom; both the show and the stars it created--Britney Spears, *NSYNC, Eminem, Fred Durst--fueled the maniacal teen-centered culture of the late '90s and early '00s. It was a symbiotic relationship; neither side would have done as well without the other.

Eminem, one of the show's mainstays back in its heyday, lampooned TRL frequently, in "White America" and in many of his videos. A version of TRL was mocked on Saturday Night Live, with Jimmy Fallon infamously quipping "Hello, I'm Carson Daly and I'm a massive tool." It also spawned BET's most popular show, 106th & Park.

TRL was no American Bandstand, but it became the de facto destination for actors and musicians to stop and pimp their work, taking a few pictures in the photo booth for posterity.

What's most notable might be that the show managed to hang on so long, even after most of the original acts showcased dropped out of the limelight. TRL was such a basic concept, easily fitting in with the realities of the new century by being user-friendly before that term was applied so liberally. The show increasingly edited videos down to nothingness, even forgoing some altogether, and while it gave a VERY skewed interpretation of what was popular in the US, it tapped into a certain teenage sensibility. The stats were interesting, and the idea of retiring a video meant that the countdown would never be dominated solely by one or two acts, though it sometime seemed that way. Apparently though, as the internet became increasingly sophisticated, the reason to vote for videos waned, and the structure behind the show changed.

New Yorkers knew to stay away from the MTV studios in Time Square during certain times of the day--notably immediately after school. In the summer, TRL would broadcast certain weeks from whatever Spring Break or beach haven the network camped to, moving the slot back earlier in the afternoon.

I spent many an hour after high school idly watching TRL. I never voted, although I once recognized the voice of a classmate on the television. It was also useful for checking out the weather in the city. That practicality never changed, even after all the names and faces did.

I also learned how to properly shout "Woooo!"Now that's a skill I will need.

Spotlight

While debating whether or not SNL has been endorsing candidates has been a hot topic recently, Entertainment Weekly spotlighted a related--and potentially more important--story: The fact that Saturday Night Live is pulling relevant political punches again.

Is Saturday Night Live Endorsing Clinton?

After watching the first two post-strike episodes of Saturday Night Live, the political commentary left me laughing but also wondering if SNL was endorsing Hillary Clinton.

As much as I love Tina Fey’s smackdown of misogynistic voters/Hillary Clinton haters, it’s pretty obvious that she’s for Ms. Clinton. It’s the “Texas and Ohio, it’s not too late!” that really pushes it over the edge. In fact, all the jokes—both that week and the Ellen Page episode—criticized Obama and left Amy Poehler’s Hillary fumbling to get her word out. The much-discussed sketch—referenced by Hillary Clinton in the Ohio debate (5:10 mark)--came across as very much pro-Clinton, since the audience could sympathize with her. She just wants fair treatment. Even though Tina Fey was head writer, it’s hard to tell how much of that particular episode she wrote, and that sketch was written by veteran SNL political sketch writer James Downey. Yet all of a sudden the line between what’s funny and what is actually an endorsement has blurred, in a way I don’t remember ever happening in the other two elections SNL has covered that I’ve watched: 2004 and 2000. This has become a way of measuring if the political comedy is valid, if it is underscored by some sort of favoritism by the creators.

When Hillary appeared on the March 1 episode, there was so much speculation on this topic that she referred to it: “That scene you just saw was a reenactment, sort of, of last Tuesday’s debate, and not an endorsement of one candidate over another. I can say this confidently because when I asked if I could take it as an endorsement I was told absolutely not.” The line elicited laughs and cheers. But while they do skewer her in the sketch, calling out those things that others won’t say, how she’s determined to be “so ingratiating, annoying, and bossy” that everyone will cower to her as president, an argument can be made that the sketch leaves the impression of again pitying Ms. Clinton for how unfairly she is treated compared to the white gloves Obama is given. It’s in the Weekend Update that the zingers are leveled on Hillary, but unfortunately (or fortunately) they are not repeated online; we’ll only see those in reruns this summer.

But it’s the cumulative effect that matters.

So far, over the past three episodes, I’ve found the skewering roughly equal. SNL, like the rest of their media brethren, have focused more on Hillary overall than Obama, mainly due to her visibility and because frankly there’s more to go on: her desperation, her personality, her wonkishness, her husband, her history…Obama’s critiques are even in Clintonian terms, in that they are framed around lampooning Clinton. The opening 3 am sketch—a parody on the red phone ad—was more about Hillary than Obama; it’s her dark vision of the future, but it’s also acknowledging that Obama could be president, and that even if he is, she’s still going to hold the reins, so either way America’s electing her. It’s a very clever skit.

I noticed the Hillary focus last week, too. This time there was no Tina Fey to hold responsible. Maybe it was because I was looking for it, maybe it was because so many other people have Obama blinders on—and certainly, SNL makes sure to remind the world that this is true and the mainstream media have since begun to take pains to rectify that. The show's been a change agent before--in 2000, Al Gore famously used the lockbox sketch [thank NBC Universal for not having old sketches up online for my inability to link it] to correct what his advisers felt was his woodenness on the podium.

Whether or not Tina Fey actually endorses Hillary Clinton is irrelevant. There are some fans who take her character Liz Lemon’s line in 30 Rock (“There is an 80% chance in the next election that I will tell all my friends that I'm voting for Barack Obama but I will secretly vote for John McCain.”) as proof that she has no political allegiances and she’s just trying to be funny. None of the writers on the show have appeared or announced their endorsements and I don’t think they will. It will ruin what they’re trying to do.

SNL will never endorse a candidate and they shouldn’t. But as their political satire has gotten sharper and relevant, they have to pay attention to what they are doing. This shouldn’t make them sissies nor make them hard-nosed on anything, and despite what Tina did on her hosting night, she made one of the most memorable and funny moments on not only the show in a long time but also one of the most pointed. She knew what she was doing, and she didn’t care. If only more people would take such risks.

Live Blogging SNL*

Opening sketch: I can't wait to see who's playing Obama! Yes, I totally love the way they're skewering the media. This is awesome. Obamagirl! Sweet. But you're way off on your lipsynching. Way, way off. Ouch. Damn, I wish I'd seen the debate Thursday night, but I was blogging and forgot about it. Nice touch with the Obama stalker, and Kristen Wiig is Campbell Brown! Cool! Dude, Fred Armisen totally got Obama's cadence and stacco down. Wow, Obama won 31 out of the last 38 states? Hot damn. Hillary's screwed. Heh, this is great, the way they're mocking the "we can change" slogans. SNL is back, baby! Aww, poor Hillary, trying to get a word in edgewise. They really do make you feel bad for her.

Opening credits: Yay, new featured player! That's pretty unusual for a mid-season show, but we might as well consider it a new season for all the time that's passed.

Monologue: Tina Fey! Black dress...they all wear black dresses. She looks nice, though. Aught-seven? Who says that? Anyway, yay for writer's strike mention. Heh, I love the jargon. Nice. Tina Fey was rarely in sketches; her claim to fame was her superb job as Weekend Update anchor, but it'll be great to see her actually perform. Steve Martin! Cool. Possibly a way to (subtly) promote his new book? He started out as a writer? Well, that makes sense. "Look at those writers--you want to end up like them, all, all...weak, weak and...young?" Yes, yes I do! I would love to work on Saturday Night Live! Hmm, I wonder if those (very young) writers are actually writers, audience members or extras. Steve and Tina are great, look how well rehearsed this is, but boy do those slaps look f.a.k.e.

Annuelle: This is totally Tina. It's female-centered. She wrote Mom jeans, remember, and that extra-large 1950s maxi-pad commercial. Totally her: icky feminism, cringe-inducing.

Rock of Love: Wow, nice job with Tina. Those lips! Those breasts! The makeup! They really did a nice job. Oh, Amber. I've never liked Amber. I know what's she getting at--those retardedly ugly women who brag about everything, even though what they're saying makes no sense, and it's just to make themselves feel better. I wonder if we can call this a resurgence of the women. Wait, is Maya Rudolph off the show? I didn't see her in the credits. Even the featured player is in this skit, and so far, the women are carrying this show. We'll have to see what happens the next few episodes to see if this is a premature theory. [on the disgusting kiss between Jason Sudeikis and Amy Poehler] Man, people do sick things in the name of comedy. It's always sloppy licking kisses, or nudity, too. "Skills to pay the bills"--excellent line. That was awesome, that list of reality shows!

Wilco next week. Interesting.

Commercials: That voiceover for dogs sounds like Zach Braff making funny noises. Notice how many actors do voiceovers in commercials nows? John Goodman (who's hosted SNL something like 15 times) for Dunkin' Donuts..."We all had to do what we needed to do to pass the time..." Very NBC, acknowledging things. April 3rd. The Office is coming back April 10, which you didn't mention...

"What the hell is the bitch saying?": This could be fun. Oh, the first one she's talking about her dog. Yep. Hey, that Casey girl (featured player) is sure getting a lot of face time. Maybe because it's her first show? Good for her. I'm not feeling the casual use of "bitch" here. It's just another reason (TV reflects real life; real life reflects TV) why people toss it around so often. And it's another Tina Fey trademark.

"21" promo: This sounds a bit like Good Will Hunting. Ooh, this sounds like a book. Oh, I want to see it. Now the good movies are coming out.

Car commercials: President's Day was last week, so why are there still President's Day sales?

12:10. Weekend Update should be next. It's always on at midnight/12:15. Up, nope, it's Carrie Underwood.

"Drillbit Taylor" promo: One of those comedies that's sold by the fact that it's "funny" and by its star.

iPhone commercial: iPhone and Facebook team up...oh no. No, it's not that great! We don't need to check Facebook every hour! Ahhhhh!

Quarterlife! ...That's not blogging, that's livejournaling.

There's President's Day and cars again...so, movies and cars, that's what advertised at 12 am.

Weekend Update: It's Mike Huckabee! Man, the media loves Huckabee. I know they've wanted to do something with Huckabee for a while. He's such a good sport, shame no one will vote for him. Heh, I love he skewered that retarded "miracles and math" line. Javier Bardem as Dora...oh! Hmm, that toy doesn't sound like a toy but a gadget for adults. Must everything have iPod hookups attached?

Women's News: Yes, yes!! Tina doing what Tina does best! Oooh, potshots at Lindsay. I'm sure Tina's disappointed at her, she always really liked her and thought she was very talented. See Mean Girls commentary for this, and the fact that Lindsay hosted SNL and cameoed a few times. Oh man, this is why I loved Tina Fey: This smackdown is BEAUTIFUL. This is AWESOME. She's totally right, too. Blindly following Oprah, "bitches" being the type of people who solve problems, and get things done, the inane comments of Rush Limbaugh...oh man, Tina Fey is THE SHIT. Whoo!!!!

Sela Ward shilling for toothpaste...

Trump sketch: Where do they think up these celebrities? Oh, Casey's Rachael Ray isn't good, though it's high time someone impersonated her. Gene Simmons good, and Amy Poehler's old man from Six Flags is inspired.

Does Will Ferrell ever get tired of making goofy sports-related comedies? This is at least the 5th president's day car commercial...one per break.

Wedding toast: Do his insults make any sense? Making pipes?

Milkshake skit: Ohh, this is from "There Will Be Blood." Der. I only know that because someone told me that line days ago. This is too insidery because it's all based around the Oscar-nominated movies.

Mr. Peterman from Seinfeld (John something) for Toyota Corolla. But no President's Day slogans!

"Baby Mama" promo: Hmm, very Tina Fey--this is what you get when women get to write and direct their own movies. Wow, that sounds like an insult. I still wouldn't pay to see the movie.

President's Day cars. At least they acknowledge they're going to extend the sale. And Greece x2.

Lady Business: Another Tina Fey creation. I like the high-heeled shoe on the end of the y. Well, this concept was asking for it.

A lot of commercials have voiceovers.

Goodbye: Man, SNL looks like so much fun. Tina Fey, come back soon!

*The sentiments are live, just transcribed and edited the next day.