Author Topic: Betty White on "Saturday Night Live" (Read 10943 times)

tpirfan28 · « **Reply #15 on:** May 08, 2010, 07:57:32 PM »

Friendly bump as a reminder that she's on tonight. Set your favorite recording device.

SRIV94 · « **Reply #16 on:** May 09, 2010, 01:05:28 AM »

[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'240538\' date=\'May 8 2010, 06:57 PM\']Friendly bump as a reminder that she's on tonight. Set your favorite recording device.[/quote]
I'll just say to West Coasters--you're in for a treat.

clemon79 · « **Reply #17 on:** May 09, 2010, 03:59:35 AM »

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'240542\' date=\'May 8 2010, 10:05 PM\']I'll just say to West Coasters--you're in for a treat.[/quote]
And if that was "limited involvement", then the regular hosts must do odd jobs around the set during the week or something.

She made a Kristen Wiig skit funny. All I'm sayin'.

/mmmm, muffins

davemackey · « **Reply #18 on:** May 09, 2010, 07:00:00 AM »

Next week they're closing out the season with one of the "old reliable" hosts - Alec Baldwin.

TimK2003 · « **Reply #19 on:** May 09, 2010, 10:08:04 AM »

Nice to see that she appeared on every skit (a first???). I'm glad that Jay-Z gave both Betty and I a break for a few minutes. That show earned a solid A, despite a lack (surprisingly) of a game show parody and perhaps a cameo from Don Pardo (he would've fit nicely in any skit w/ Betty).

Also it was nice to see that they let her run on her own during the opening monologue with no "interruptions" like those in most other host openings of late. Hopefully the SNL players took some notes on how to perform while she was on, like "How to say your lines without making it look like your obviously reading off the cue cards."

Definitely worth a second or 3rd viewing via Hulu/NBC.com!!!

BTW, there are 3 other "dress rehearsal" skits w/ Betty that did not make the cut: "Debbie Downer", "Joyology" and "Bronx Beat" that you can see on hulu.com http://www.hulu.com/collections/444/147973. Nothing to write home about on these skits, since they were cut from the live show, but it's Betty White!!!

/Wizard...Of...Ass!!!

narzo · « **Reply #20 on:** May 09, 2010, 10:45:24 AM »

Now this is coming from someone who hasn't watched a full episode of SNL in at least 5 years but...

is the show always this reliant on gay and lesbian jokes? The muffin sketch, the spanish talk show, the vintage sketch, the prisoners sketch, the MacGyver bit, all had passing or multiple jokes about gay/lesbian s*x.

Just seems like lazy writing going for the cheap laugh.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #21 on:** May 09, 2010, 11:43:14 AM »

[quote name=\'narzo\' post=\'240551\' date=\'May 9 2010, 10:45 AM\']Just seems like lazy writing going for the cheap laugh.[/quote]
Welcome to Saturday Night Live for most of its existence. It's a weekly TV variety show, sometimes cheap laughs are all you can afford.

It does seem to me that this year they're even more reliant on the "mad libs" style of writing for their recurring skits than they used to be. Rather than relying on popular characters and coming up with new ways for them to be funny, they fall back on popular skits, writing exactly the same skit over and over and just filling in the blanks with different proper names. They think that's what we want, because they're so used to the live audience shrieking with recognition that they equate that with entertainment value.

Still, the object of the game this season has been to stay up until the end, when there's almost always an outside-the-box, often surreal bit. That paid off last night with the odd (if not particularly funny) digital short, and the census taker sketch, just about the only time outside the wonderful monologue that they didn't have Betty play the dirty grandmother.

/But OK, 'Wizard of Ass'? That's funny stuff there.

Jumpondees · « **Reply #22 on:** May 09, 2010, 12:39:58 PM »

SNL has not been appointment television for me in nearly a decade, but there was no way I was going to miss this one, and that I was going to last the entire show. I can't remember the last time I saw a SNL that was funny from start to finish, although I could have done without the MacGruber skits.

This episode got a bit more media attention in the days leading up to it, so I am curious as to how the show did numbers wise. Any word?

TimK2003 · « **Reply #23 on:** May 09, 2010, 12:50:29 PM »

[quote name=\'Jumpondees\' post=\'240554\' date=\'May 9 2010, 10:39 AM\']SNL has not been appointment television for me in nearly a decade, but there was no way I was going to miss this one, and that I was going to last the entire show. I can't remember the last time I saw a SNL that was funny from start to finish, although I could have done without the MacGruber skits.

This episode got a bit more media attention in the days leading up to it, so I am curious as to how the show did numbers wise. Any word?[/quote]

Biggest (overnight) Ratings in 18 Months!!!

The overall Nielsen ratings will come out on Tuesday.

irwinsjournal.com · « **Reply #24 on:** May 09, 2010, 02:09:32 PM »

Also wondering whether any other SNL host has appeared in every skit. There could have been more references to or parodies of any of her shows worked in, and that's probably a missed opportunity... but I'm not really complaining.

I'll never look at a muffin the same way again.

tpirfan28 · « **Reply #25 on:** May 09, 2010, 02:30:41 PM »

I watched one other episode this season (November when Taylor Swift was on), and I noticed two repeating bits - MacGruber and the prison thing toward the end.

Some of the skits were painfully unfunny until Betty showed up - looking at you, Spanish Maury. The opening was probably the best skit on the program, the digital short was great, and I was crying in laughter at the end of the NPR cooking bit. But c'mon...they couldn't kill all three MacGruber bits for a faux-game show thing? Password, Pyramid, Jackie Rogers Jr's $100,000 Jackpot Wad?

/Betty's husband in the NPR skit couldn't have been Allen just for giggles?

Joe Mello · « **Reply #26 on:** May 09, 2010, 02:45:04 PM »

[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'240561\' date=\'May 9 2010, 02:30 PM\']But c'mon...they couldn't kill all three MacGruber bits for a faux-game show thing?[/quote]
Only if they don't want to advertise their movie.

tpirfan28 · « **Reply #27 on:** May 09, 2010, 02:57:24 PM »

[quote name=\'Joe Mello\' post=\'240562\' date=\'May 9 2010, 02:45 PM\'][quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'240561\' date=\'May 9 2010, 02:30 PM\']But c'mon...they couldn't kill all three MacGruber bits for a faux-game show thing?[/quote]
Only if they don't want to advertise their movie.
[/quote]
Didn't know that was happening. So the point can be retracted on those grounds.

Joe Mello · « **Reply #28 on:** May 09, 2010, 06:46:22 PM »

[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'240563\' date=\'May 9 2010, 02:57 PM\'][quote name=\'Joe Mello\' post=\'240562\' date=\'May 9 2010, 02:45 PM\'][quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'240561\' date=\'May 9 2010, 02:30 PM\']But c'mon...they couldn't kill all three MacGruber bits for a faux-game show thing?[/quote]
Only if they don't want to advertise their movie.[/quote]
Didn't know that was happening. So the point can be retracted on those grounds.[/quote]
From a business standpoint, yes. As a matter of taste, you are still in the right ;-)

Jay Temple · « **Reply #29 on:** May 09, 2010, 10:12:01 PM »

Not the funniest show of the season, but the most fun I've had watching the show in quite some time. Still, I'm with y'all in being disappointed that there wasn't a game show sketch. They've done two Secret Word sketches this season, and they couldn't write her into one of those?