Saturday Night Live musical sketches
Encyclopedia
Saturday Night Live
has featured many recurring characters that appear in sketches with a musical theme. In addition there are characters listed here who predominantly featured music, but may not have exclusively featured it.
Character lists: Alphabetical
and Chronological
Character categories:
portrayed by Bill Murray
. He sang current songs, typically in a drawn-out fashion, including originally instrumental music like the Star Wars
theme with made-up lyrics, and with musical accompaniment by Paul Shaffer
on piano.
on Saturday Night Live
. An intense but troubled rock and roll
artist, Candy Slice recorded an album in a sketch on December 9, 1978, in an installment Eric Idle
hosted.
She also performed in the Rock Against Yeast on February 17, 1979, while Rick Nelson was hosting. Her song was dedicated to Mick Jagger
and was solely about how Candy Slice was his "biggest funked-up fan". In that sketch, she also hobnobbed with the likes of Olivia Newton-John
(Laraine Newman
), Bob Marley
(Garrett Morris
) and Dolly Parton
(Jane Curtin
).
Slice's act consisted of two songs: the punkish "If You Look Close (You Can See My Tits)," and her musical homage to the Rolling Stones, "Gimme Mick," which concluded with "rock me 'n' roll me 'til I'm sick." At this point, Slice would belch into the microphone and pass out onstage, thus ending her set.
Candy Slice was based loosely on punk rock pioneer Patti Smith
.
character of Buckwheat, portrayed as an adult by Eddie Murphy
, sang current hits in garbled speech. His first appearance was in a commercial parody
for an album titled, Buh-Weet Sings. Right before each song, subtitles on the screen would list the name, spelled phonetically exactly as Buckwheat would say it (example: Looking for Love became Wookin' Pa Nub and Three Times a Lady became Fee Tines a Mady). One song, Bette Davis Eyes
is so poorly pronounced that the superimposed title is "???". Those who wanted to purchase the album were instructed to send money to "Bah Firty Fee, New Nork, New Nork".
The character was also the central focus of a series of sketches called "Who Shot Buckwheat?", which parodied the then-recent TV coverage of assassinations and attempted assassinations of public figures, such as the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan
and the murder of John Lennon
.
and Eddie Murphy
. Piscopo's character played the piano.
singer/songwriter (played by Dana Carvey
) is meeting with his record producers to go over his demo
, which they soon discover he has failed to record. He insists, however, that he has written songs and he can play the songs for them live, and when they ask him to do so, he quickly makes up a song called "The Lady I Know". He then sits at the piano and begins sloppily faking his way through the song, which ultimately becomes an endless refrain of the chorus, "Choppin' broccoli" in various vocal styles and intonations. Upon hearing it, the producers appear to be awestruck by his lyrics, and are ecstatic about recording the song.
This song was originally in a Dana Carvey stand-up comedy
routine about the vapidness of popular music.
Stevens returns in a later sketch, in which his producers try to convince him that his premature death might help the sales of his album. A fearful Stevens responds by hyping a new song, with the same tune as "The Lady I Know", but featuring different, though equally repetitive, lyrics and a similar endless refrain ("My pretty little lady! My pretty little gir-rl!") The producers are unimpressed.
) and her sister Liz (played by Nora Dunn
). They normally sing cover medleys of pop standards in very high-pitched voices, a la Nick the Lounge Singer. Their medleys always include the first two lines of "The Trolley Song" ("Clang, clang, clang went the trolley...") about two-thirds of the way through, followed by a string of scatting. In these medleys the last word of one song often segues into the first word of the next. The sisters are usually seen performing at various U.S. hotel lounges, and their performances usually begin with "You must have pressed 'L' for 'lobby'! Come, join us." Candy and Liz have a sister (a former member of the group), Audrey, who was played by Mary Tyler Moore
. The Sweeneys' accompanist, Skip, was played by composer Marc Shaiman
.
. Tonto
(played by Jon Lovitz
) and Tarzan
(played by Kevin Nealon
) mostly spoke the lyrics in broken English, leaving out certain verb
s and pronoun
s, while Frankenstein's Monster
(played by Phil Hartman
) usually just growled and moaned, rarely forming any semblance of the actual words, though he could opine that "bread good" and "fire bad". They came together to sing "We Are the World
", and during the holidays they would usually sing Christmas carol
s. On one occasion, they recited Edgar Allan Poe
's classic poem "The Raven
". For Easter, the trio were joined by Frankenstein's Monster
's evil twin (Mel Gibson
), who spoke whole sentences; they sang "Here Comes Peter Cottontail
". All four, plus Tarzan's own Jane, starred in their own sporadic soap opera, As World Turn (taken from the long-running As the World Turns
). The sketches appeared in the early 1990s.
cable TV rap
shows. Its host was played by Chris Rock
and the show's sidekick
was played by Chris Farley
. Farley's character was introduced by Rock with a string of nonsensical rhymes such as "My Ace in the hole, my buttered roll, my grassy knoll," etc. This show was notable for its "Mother Joke of the Day" which would be sent in from (fictitious) viewers, all of whom lived in one housing project or another. The winner would typically receive some early-Nineties
-themed gangster item (a red, yellow and green jacket with an 8-ball
on the back, for example). Chris Rock's character was named Onski and Chris Farley's character was B-Fats. Onski also plugged local fictitious sponsors, like "Bullet Hole tampons: 'cause sometimes you bleed in other places!", and "F'ed Up Malt Liquor." The sketch usually came to an end when Onski received a beeper
page from his "baby's mama" and he'd have to go pick her up somewhere (from work at Popeyes
, or the check cashing place). Onski's parting words each episode were "Always wipe, stay off the pipe, and if someone gets in your face, tell em 'I'm Chillin!'"
character played in the early to middle 1990s by Adam Sandler
. He would appear in a fancy shirt and black cape - often holding a white handkerchief as a parody of Pavarotti - and sing, opera style, jokes about current events and celebrities. Among Opera Man's sketches, regarding the L.A. Riots: "La Chiefa Policia, no dispatcha gendarme / morono, no respondo / no excusa, bagga doucha!"
There was also the "Tom Hanks-o/ nominat-o/ next year go to France-o/ give someone else/ a freaking chance-o!" sketch, during which, on the screen, a picture of Billy Madison
came up. The sketches always ended with mock-bravos and roses being flung in Opera Man's direction.
, announcing that since he (John Goodman) was hosting for the sixth time, he can do what he wanted and he wanted to perform with special guest and former castmember Dan Aykroyd as the newest incarnation of The Blues Brothers. The movie Blues Brothers 2000
has Aykroyd and Goodman as the new Blues Brothers.
or leather pants. He first appeared in a sketch with Teri Hatcher
about a sitcom called "The Princess and the Homeboy".
The Roxbury Guys was a 1990s sketch about two brothers named Doug and Steve Butabi (although their names and relationship to one another were never revealed until the subsequent release of the film) who always got dressed up in rayon
suits to go clubbing
, where they would attempt to pick up women. They were played by Chris Kattan
and Will Ferrell
respectively. Their trademark was bobbing their heads in unison to the song "What Is Love" by Haddaway
, which always played throughout the duration of each sketch. They were extremely unfortunate with the women at the clubs, often gyrating against them in an attempt to get them to dance, but always causing a negative reaction. The sketches often featured a third member of the group, similar to the others in appearance and actions, performed by that week's host (such as Tom Hanks
, Martin Short
, Jim Carrey
, Alec Baldwin
, and Sylvester Stallone
); this character was usually credited as "Barhop". The final running of the sketch during the September 26, 1998 episode featured another team of two club-hopping brothers: Steve Martin
and Dan Aykroyd
reprise their early-SNL roles as the "Wild and Crazy Guys".
(as Marty Culp), and Ana Gasteyer
as (Bobbi Mohan-Culp). Marty and Bobbi were an awkward, unstylish, married couple who served as music teachers at Altadena Middle School. In the sketches, they would perform prim, conservative medleys of modern pop, R&B or rap songs at various school functions, much to the embarrassment of their unseen son who attended the school; when Claire Danes
hosted, she played their college-student daughter, embarrassed beyond words when her parents performed during Career Day.
Marty played the keyboard and sings backup, while Bobbi was the lead vocalist, who sang in a high-pitched, operatic style. In between medleys, the Culps make comments to the audience of middle school students, often implying that the children are mocking them, most often by showing them the finger
.
The Culps followed in the tradition of earlier skits that began with 1970s sketch Nick The Lounge Singer
and continued in the 1980s with The Sweeney Sisters. The basic premise being that the singers, who usually perform in bottom-of-the-barrel gigs, sing modern songs in their own unique style, but are totally oblivious to how unstylish and "cheesy" their performances are. The majority of the act was taken from the New York downtown duo Kiki & Herb.
as U.S. Attorney General
Janet Reno
. It aired four times and featured the song "My Sharona
" by The Knack
. During the dance party, Reno expressed an aversion to mosh pits and accused her youthful guests of lying during interviews. While she opposed moshing, Reno did engage in stage-diving during one episode, warning the dancing youths below to brace themselves for "180 lb of pure Reno." In most episodes, Darrell Hammond
would make an appearance as then-President Bill Clinton
, urging Janet to leave her basement and rejoin society; he would assure her that nobody blamed her for the events at Waco
, to which Reno would respond, "DANCE PARTY TAKES AWAY WACO!". Notable guests included Donna Shalala
(played by Kevin Spacey
), who slow-danced with Janet; and Rudy Giuliani
(played by himself), who lost to Janet in a boxing match. The last time the sketch aired, January 20, 2001, the real Janet Reno herself made a top secret cameo appearance. It was also the day she left office, as the Clinton administration had ended earlier that afternoon. After George W. Bush
's inauguration ceremony was completed at noon, Reno was whisked away to a supposed undisclosed location. Will Ferrell stated:
and Chris Parnell
. The premise of the sketch is that the brothers are auditioning to be dancers on tour for a musical act (usually, whoever is the musical guest on the show that week). They would wear matching t-shirts with quotes or references to a particular song by the artist, and then play a tape of the artist's songs and proceed to dance to it. Their dancing can be described as interpretive, as they often act out a portion of the song's lyrics in the form of skits during their performance. The musicians generally detest their performances, cutting them off before ever getting through an entire song.
, Olsen recapped the night's news in the style of a lead singer in a heavy metal
band.
Show was a faux variety show in which Ana Gasteyer
played the Grammy award-winning singer, who in the opening credits claims to be "the most beautiful and most loved singer in the world". The sketch was inspired by Dion's success in the wake of her number one Billboard Hot 100 hit "My Heart Will Go On
" in 1998.
In the sketches, Celine would usually begin with a solo, adding exaggerated vocal gymnastics and runs to even the simplest of songs. Then, she would usually invite a musical guest to perform. However, soon into their performance, Celine would feel upstaged, and would start singing over top of them in a much louder voice, much to their displeasure.
The sketch attracted the attention of the real singer herself, who invited Gasteyer to perform the character in one of her concerts in 1998.
. The members were Jeph (Chris Parnell
), Samm (Chris Kattan
), Sweet T (Horatio Sanz
), and Wade (Jimmy Fallon
); the host or musical guest would appear as the fifth member (similar to Gemini's Twin). Jeph described their sound as "gangsta rap meets hip-hop meets You Can't Do That On Television
." Sweet T has a 15 year old son named Ribeye, though adds that this doesn't make him an old dude, since he had him when he was 9. Their manager was a man with a thinly-veiled criminal past named Peter Tanner, played by Will Ferrell
. They were often seen bouncing around on large inflatable playground balls while singing, a reference to the Backstreet Boys
' trademark "folding chair dance".
and Ana Gasteyer
as members of the group that satirized Destiny's Child
. The two would incorporate hip-hop slang into their conversations in inappropriate ways, often misusing intellectual words or making up new words altogether: "It's time to get musicational!" "Our music comes from a very emotionary place." It is then occasionally revealed that the band members attended elite colleges.
A celebrity (often the guest host) would often appear as the current third member of the band. Such third members have included Cameron Diaz
, Gwyneth Paltrow
, Lucy Liu
, Britney Spears
, Charlize Theron
and Jennifer Lopez
. This was a jab at the infamous turmoil and frequent lineup changes in Destiny's Child.
In one sketch, the real members of Destiny's Child appeared as former members of Gemini's Twin who had been kicked out of the band.
played by Jerry Minor
) and Kid Shazzam (Horatio Sanz
) were caricatures of old school rappers who hearkened back to the early days of rap. They would often refer to their time spent in the Vietnam War
, mention friends of theirs who had great-grandchildren or hip problems, and use plural forms where they didn't belong (i.e. "Vietnams", "hip-hops"). They spoke out against profanity in rap music, saying things like, "We didn't rap about givin' your man friend fellat-i-os. We rapped about good stuff, like sneakers." They would begin and end each show with a similar simplistic rap which went "Rap rap, ribbity rap rap, rip rop ribbity do!" (a send-up of "Rapper's Delight
" by The Sugarhill Gang
).
The first full-fledged Rap Street sketch featured Tom Green
as MC Kevin Gustafson from Ottawa, Ontario.
, Horatio Sanz
, Chris Kattan
, and Tracy Morgan
singing the praises of Christmas
. It was considered highly unorthodox, mainly because of the roles the various players in the performance: Sanz played a C.F. Martin & Company backpacker guitar and sang, while Fallon sporadically played a keyboard, as Kattan held the keyboard and Morgan danced in place. The song generally appeared during Christmastime, but also appeared during other holiday seasons (though, always denouncing those holidays in favor of Christmas). At one point they are even criticized by Simon Cowell
, but he relents and proceeds to join them. In one skit, Horatio Sanz wanted to perform the song, then said "Guys?" referring to the fact that Fallon, Kattan and Morgan had all left the show. Kermit the Frog said "You can sing with me," and Sanz performed the song with Kermit, Fozzie Bear, Animal and Gonzo. Sanz and Fallon later performed the song on Fallon's talk show with musical guest Julian Casablancas
.
Episodes featuring "Season's Greetings":
A "Summer's Greetings From Saturday Night Live" sketch never made it past dress rehearsal. This would have appeared in the April 17, 2003 episode, with Dan Aykroyd as the host.
appears as Barry Gibb
, and attempts to discuss current events in Gibb's famous falsetto
singing voice. He would usually break into song after the first sentence of the topic. Barry periodically asks co-host Robin Gibb
(played by Justin Timberlake
) for input, if "he has any thoughts on" the topic, when he then offers no more than "No, no, I don't." The Bee Gees' 1975 hit "Nights on Broadway
" is used as the sketch's theme, but with different lyrics.
has hosted, Timberlake takes to the sidewalk as a costumed street advertiser (ex: man dressed as chicken to promote fried chicken chain) to upstage an existing street vendor in a competing business. Naturally, Timberlake outstages the previous person by parodying current contemporary hits (with his boombox), followed immediately by the signature slogan "Bring it on down to ______ville". In the three appearances in which Timberlake has hosted a show, Timberlake has always persuaded his opponent to come work for the chain he works for.
Variations:
and Beyoncé Knowles
at the 46th Grammy Awards. The sketch features Fred Armisen
as the host, playing Prince
, and with Maya Rudolph
as his co-host, Beyoncé Knowles
. The opening theme song of the show features Prince playing his famous purple guitar with his famed symbol. After the song is over, the two head to a purple couch, which coincides with much of the rest of the set, which is also purple. Prince rarely says much on the show, usually whispering into Beyoncé's ear what he wants to say. During most of the sketches, Prince vanishes during an important conversation only to be found nearby doing unrelated activities such as sculpting or painting.
An installment of this sketch appeared on the season 31 episode hosted by Steve Martin
with the real Prince as musical guest. The genuine article did not appear in the sketch.
The Lawrence Welk
A parody of the original "mildly-entertaining" Lawrence Welk Show
, this PBS
rerun features a sister act of The Maharelle Sisters from the Finger Lakes
. The fourth sister (named "Dooneese") has several simultaneously amusing and disturbing deformities, such as an unusually high frontal hairline, hands the size of a baby's, immobile wrists, and an odd canine tooth. The sisters usually sing in turn, and often when it comes time for her part, the musical act is thrown into disarray, as Dooneese sings or utters something totally arbitrary or disturbing, including the admission of her baking roadkill and having worms in her hair. Lawrence Welk is portrayed by Fred Armisen
. The freakish sister Dooneese is portrayed by Kristen Wiig
. The three normal sisters has been played by both guests or cast members and has, in various line-ups, been performed by Jenny Slate
, Abby Elliott
, Michaela Watkins
, Casey Wilson
, Nasim Pedrad
, Vanessa Bayer
, Amy Poehler
, Ana Gasteyer
, Maya Rudolph
and Anne Hathaway
. Their mother was played by Betty White in the episode she hosted.
The names of the normal sisters are (variously, depending on the installment) Holly, Rhonda, Nora, Nancy, Shirley, Toni, Janet, Peggy, and/or Clara.
as Henry Quincy Lundford and Paul Giamatti
(later replaced by Steve Carell
) as the hosts of a 70s-era, Smothers Brothers
-esque variety show. It featured Amy Poehler as Dorothy Winckler, an actress who herself was playing a character named Granny, whose catchphrase was "Aw, nuts!", accompanied by a zoom to her face; Maya Rudolph
as a female-empowerment singer who sang about being pregnant and not needing a man; Kenan Thompson
as a Barry White-esque, "King of the Sob Songs" singer, whose song was "Amanda"; and a skit set to 1920s-style upright piano music that featured two flappers, Charlie Chaplin
, and a man cranking an old Model-T Ford.
song that was performed with Chris Farley
dressed in drag as a lunch lady
. This was a parody of the Bruce Springsteen song "Jungleland", and, as in many other sketches with Chris Farley, Sandler was unable to keep a straight face through the scene.
The song included the common school lunch items (cast members dressed as food) growing angry with Farley over dismal food preparation practices. Sloppy Joe defended her actions, however, and he and the Lunch Lady fell in love.
The song ended as "Me and Sloppy Joe got married/ We got six kids and we're doin' just fine/ Down here in Lunch Lady... Land!"
and techno music. The sketches began in 2005, with Kenan Thompson
as the lead host, DJ Dynasty Handbag, and Rachel Dratch
as his dim-witted co-host, Tiara Z. Whenever Tiara says something stupid (such as reporting that clubgoers will be wearing "clubwear
" to the clubs this season or raising her hand to ask a question and then forgetting what her question was), DJ Dynasty Handbag responds with "Ooooh weeee, Tiara!", often followed by a remark on how "boring" or "dull" his co-host is.
Despite the departure of Rachel Dratch, Deep House Dish continued without her on the December 2, 2006 episode with Matthew Fox
. DJ Dynasty Handbag says that Tiara is no longer "with us"; she posted a picture of him in his Dunkin' Donuts
outfit and although she was not dead, she was dead to him, so, he replaced Tiara with T'Shane (Andy Samberg
), who is equally dimwitted. Whereas DJ Dynasty Handbag tended to insult Tiara on her dullness, he criticizes T'Shane mainly for his lack of intelligence.
During the "program" a variety of musical guests appear. These are usually played by cast members with at least one portrayed by the guest host of the week. The "artists" are usually parodies of a certain archetype of house music performer, the overlying joke being that within any given genre the artists who top the charts are indistinguishable from one another.
The opening sequence music clip is borrowed from the German electropop band (Melotron
), and the song is 'Der Kosmonaut'.
). To date, three such sketches have been transmitted so far.
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
has featured many recurring characters that appear in sketches with a musical theme. In addition there are characters listed here who predominantly featured music, but may not have exclusively featured it.
Character lists: Alphabetical
Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches
See also: Listed chronologically, Listed by cast member, Saturday Night Live TV show sketches of the 2000s-A:-B:-C:-D:-E:-F:-G:-H:-I:-J:-K:-L:-M:-N:-O:-P:-Q to R:-S:-T:-U to V:-W:-X to Z:...
and Chronological
Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches (listed chronologically)
* See also Listed Alphabetically, Listed by cast member, Saturday Night Live TV show sketches of the 2000sListed dates indicate the first appearance of the character or sketch.-1975–1976:...
Character categories:
- Weekend Update charactersSaturday Night Live characters appearing on Weekend UpdateWeekend Update has been a platform for Saturday Night Live characters to grow and gain popularity ever since Gilda Radner used it to create Emily Litella and Roseanne Roseannadanna. Many cast members have used Update as the primary vehicle for a certain character...
- Animal sketchesSaturday Night Live animal sketchesThis list includes write-ups for animal-themed recurring sketches that appeared on Saturday Night Live. The sketches are listed chronologically.Character lists: Alphabetical and ChronologicalCharacter articles:*TV show sketches...
- TV show sketchesSaturday Night Live TV show sketchesSaturday Night Live has long mocked the television medium with many fake commercials and parodies of TV shows themselves. Another of the show's frequently used styles of recurring sketches has been the talk show format...
Nick The Lounge Singer
Nick (whose last name changed with nearly every appearance) was a typical 1970s lounge singerLounge music
Lounge music is a retrospective description of music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It is a type of mood music meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place — a jungle, an island paradise, outer space, et cetera — other than where they are listening to it...
portrayed by Bill Murray
Bill Murray
William James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
. He sang current songs, typically in a drawn-out fashion, including originally instrumental music like the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
theme with made-up lyrics, and with musical accompaniment by Paul Shaffer
Paul Shaffer
Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.-Early years:...
on piano.
Candy Slice
Candy Slice was a character played by Gilda RadnerGilda Radner
Gilda Susan Radner was an American comedian and actress, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, for which she won an Emmy Award in 1978.-Early life:...
on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. An intense but troubled rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
artist, Candy Slice recorded an album in a sketch on December 9, 1978, in an installment Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
hosted.
She also performed in the Rock Against Yeast on February 17, 1979, while Rick Nelson was hosting. Her song was dedicated to Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
and was solely about how Candy Slice was his "biggest funked-up fan". In that sketch, she also hobnobbed with the likes of Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
(Laraine Newman
Laraine Newman
Laraine Newman is an American comedienne, actress, and writer, and was part of the original Saturday Night Live cast.-Personal life:...
), Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
(Garrett Morris
Garrett Morris
Garrett Gonzalez Morris is an American comedian and actor from New Orleans. He was part of the original cast of the sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live, appearing from 1975 to 1980.-Early life and career:...
) and Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
(Jane Curtin
Jane Curtin
Jane Therese Curtin is an American actress and comedienne. She is commonly referred to as Queen of the Deadpan.First coming to prominence as an original cast member on Saturday Night Live in 1975, she went on to win back-to-back Emmy Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series on the 1980s...
).
Slice's act consisted of two songs: the punkish "If You Look Close (You Can See My Tits)," and her musical homage to the Rolling Stones, "Gimme Mick," which concluded with "rock me 'n' roll me 'til I'm sick." At this point, Slice would belch into the microphone and pass out onstage, thus ending her set.
Candy Slice was based loosely on punk rock pioneer Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
.
Episodes featuring Candy Slice
- December 9, 1978 host: Eric IdleEric IdleEric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
- February 17, 1979 host: Rick Nelson
Buckwheat
The Our GangOur Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
character of Buckwheat, portrayed as an adult by Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
, sang current hits in garbled speech. His first appearance was in a commercial parody
Saturday Night Live commercial
The following is a partial list of Saturday Night Live commercial parodies. On Saturday Night Live , a parody advertisement is commonly shown after the host's opening monologue. Fast food, beer, feminine hygiene products, toys, and automobiles have been frequent targets.The commercial parodies have...
for an album titled, Buh-Weet Sings. Right before each song, subtitles on the screen would list the name, spelled phonetically exactly as Buckwheat would say it (example: Looking for Love became Wookin' Pa Nub and Three Times a Lady became Fee Tines a Mady). One song, Bette Davis Eyes
Bette Davis Eyes
"Bette Davis Eyes" is a song written in 1974 by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon and made popular by American singer-songwriter Kim Carnes.-History:...
is so poorly pronounced that the superimposed title is "???". Those who wanted to purchase the album were instructed to send money to "Bah Firty Fee, New Nork, New Nork".
The character was also the central focus of a series of sketches called "Who Shot Buckwheat?", which parodied the then-recent TV coverage of assassinations and attempted assassinations of public figures, such as the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
and the murder of John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
.
Pudge & Solomon
In this 1980s sketch, two grizzled barflies were played by Joe PiscopoJoe Piscopo
Joseph Charles John "Joe" Piscopo is an American comedian and actor best known for his work on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:...
and Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
. Piscopo's character played the piano.
Derek Stevens
In this 1980s sketch, an EnglishGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
singer/songwriter (played by Dana Carvey
Dana Carvey
Dana Thomas Carvey is an American actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for playing the role of Garth in the Wayne's World movies.-Early life:...
) is meeting with his record producers to go over his demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
, which they soon discover he has failed to record. He insists, however, that he has written songs and he can play the songs for them live, and when they ask him to do so, he quickly makes up a song called "The Lady I Know". He then sits at the piano and begins sloppily faking his way through the song, which ultimately becomes an endless refrain of the chorus, "Choppin' broccoli" in various vocal styles and intonations. Upon hearing it, the producers appear to be awestruck by his lyrics, and are ecstatic about recording the song.
This song was originally in a Dana Carvey stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
routine about the vapidness of popular music.
Stevens returns in a later sketch, in which his producers try to convince him that his premature death might help the sales of his album. A fearful Stevens responds by hyping a new song, with the same tune as "The Lady I Know", but featuring different, though equally repetitive, lyrics and a similar endless refrain ("My pretty little lady! My pretty little gir-rl!") The producers are unimpressed.
The Sweeney Sisters
The Sweeney Sisters, a recurring sketch from the 1980s, are a duo of party singers, Candy Sweeney (played by Jan HooksJan Hooks
Janet V. "Jan" Hooks is an American actress and comedienne best known for her work on NBC's Saturday Night Live , on which she appeared from 1986 to 1991...
) and her sister Liz (played by Nora Dunn
Nora Dunn
Nora Eloise Dunn is an American actress and comedian, perhaps best known for her work on NBC's Saturday Night Live.-Early life:...
). They normally sing cover medleys of pop standards in very high-pitched voices, a la Nick the Lounge Singer. Their medleys always include the first two lines of "The Trolley Song" ("Clang, clang, clang went the trolley...") about two-thirds of the way through, followed by a string of scatting. In these medleys the last word of one song often segues into the first word of the next. The sisters are usually seen performing at various U.S. hotel lounges, and their performances usually begin with "You must have pressed 'L' for 'lobby'! Come, join us." Candy and Liz have a sister (a former member of the group), Audrey, who was played by Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore is an American actress, primarily known for her roles in television sitcoms. Moore is best known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show , in which she starred as Mary Richards, a 30-something single woman who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis, and for her earlier role as...
. The Sweeneys' accompanist, Skip, was played by composer Marc Shaiman
Marc Shaiman
Marc Shaiman is an American composer, lyricist, arranger, and performer for films, television, and theatre. He is perhaps best known for writing the music and co-writing the lyrics for the Broadway musical version of the cult John Waters film Hairspray, for which Shaiman won Tony and Grammy...
.
Tonto, Tarzan & Frankenstein's Monster
This trio showcased three popular film characters who were probably least likely to get together and sing because they are all known for their inability to speak proper EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. Tonto
Tonto (Lone Ranger character)
Tonto is a fictional character, the Native American companion of The Lone Ranger, a popular American Western character created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker...
(played by Jon Lovitz
Jon Lovitz
Jonathan "Jon" Lovitz is an American comedian, actor, and singer. He is best known as a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990.-Early life:...
) and Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
(played by Kevin Nealon
Kevin Nealon
Kevin Nealon is an American actor and comedian, best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1995, acting in several of the Happy Madison films, for playing Doug Wilson on the Showtime series Weeds, and providing the voice of the title character, Glenn Martin on Glenn Martin,...
) mostly spoke the lyrics in broken English, leaving out certain verb
Verb
A verb, from the Latin verbum meaning word, is a word that in syntax conveys an action , or a state of being . In the usual description of English, the basic form, with or without the particle to, is the infinitive...
s and pronoun
Pronoun
In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun is a pro-form that substitutes for a noun , such as, in English, the words it and he...
s, while Frankenstein's Monster
Frankenstein's monster
Frankenstein's monster is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The creature is often erroneously referred to as "Frankenstein", but in the novel the creature has no name...
(played by Phil Hartman
Phil Hartman
Philip Edward "Phil" Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family moved to the United States when he was 10...
) usually just growled and moaned, rarely forming any semblance of the actual words, though he could opine that "bread good" and "fire bad". They came together to sing "We Are the World
We Are the World
"We Are the World" is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World...
", and during the holidays they would usually sing Christmas carol
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
s. On one occasion, they recited Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
's classic poem "The Raven
The Raven
"The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1845. It is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow descent into madness...
". For Easter, the trio were joined by Frankenstein's Monster
Frankenstein's monster
Frankenstein's monster is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The creature is often erroneously referred to as "Frankenstein", but in the novel the creature has no name...
's evil twin (Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
), who spoke whole sentences; they sang "Here Comes Peter Cottontail
Here Comes Peter Cottontail
Here Comes Peter Cottontail is a 1971 Easter television special made by Rankin-Bass, based on a 1957 novel by Priscilla and Otto Friedrich entitled The Easter Bunny That Overslept. The title of the special is from the Easter song "Here Comes Peter Cottontail", which is also heard in the special....
". All four, plus Tarzan's own Jane, starred in their own sporadic soap opera, As World Turn (taken from the long-running As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
). The sketches appeared in the early 1990s.
I'm Chillin'
I'm Chillin was a spoof of public-access televisionPublic-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV rap
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
shows. Its host was played by Chris Rock
Chris Rock
Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
and the show's sidekick
Sidekick
A sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
was played by Chris Farley
Chris Farley
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
. Farley's character was introduced by Rock with a string of nonsensical rhymes such as "My Ace in the hole, my buttered roll, my grassy knoll," etc. This show was notable for its "Mother Joke of the Day" which would be sent in from (fictitious) viewers, all of whom lived in one housing project or another. The winner would typically receive some early-Nineties
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
-themed gangster item (a red, yellow and green jacket with an 8-ball
Eight ball
Eight-ball is a pool game popular in much of the world, and the subject of international professional and amateur competition...
on the back, for example). Chris Rock's character was named Onski and Chris Farley's character was B-Fats. Onski also plugged local fictitious sponsors, like "Bullet Hole tampons: 'cause sometimes you bleed in other places!", and "F'ed Up Malt Liquor." The sketch usually came to an end when Onski received a beeper
Pager
A pager is a simple personal telecommunications device for short messages. A one-way numeric pager can only receive a message consisting of a few digits, typically a phone number that the user is then requested to call...
page from his "baby's mama" and he'd have to go pick her up somewhere (from work at Popeyes
Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits
Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits is a chain of fried chicken fast food restaurants, owned since 1993 by the Sandy Springs, Georgia-based AFC Enterprises, which was originally America's Favorite Chicken Company...
, or the check cashing place). Onski's parting words each episode were "Always wipe, stay off the pipe, and if someone gets in your face, tell em 'I'm Chillin!'"
Opera Man
Opera Man was a Weekend UpdateWeekend Update
Weekend Update is a Saturday Night Live sketch that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typically presented in the middle of the show immediately after the first musical performance...
character played in the early to middle 1990s by Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
. He would appear in a fancy shirt and black cape - often holding a white handkerchief as a parody of Pavarotti - and sing, opera style, jokes about current events and celebrities. Among Opera Man's sketches, regarding the L.A. Riots: "La Chiefa Policia, no dispatcha gendarme / morono, no respondo / no excusa, bagga doucha!"
There was also the "Tom Hanks-o/ nominat-o/ next year go to France-o/ give someone else/ a freaking chance-o!" sketch, during which, on the screen, a picture of Billy Madison
Billy Madison
Billy Madison is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Tamra Davis and starring Adam Sandler, in the title role, Bradley Whitford, Bridgette Wilson, Norm Macdonald and Darren McGavin. The film was written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy, and produced by Universal Studios. It made over $25.5 million...
came up. The sketches always ended with mock-bravos and roses being flung in Opera Man's direction.
Mighty Mack Blues
Mighty Mack Blues is a member of the Blues Brothers, though not an original. He is a replacement for John Belushi's Jake Blues since John Belushi died in 1982. Mighty Mack was introduced on the 1995 episode where he hosted with musical guest The Tragically HipThe Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie , Paul Langlois , Rob Baker , Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay . Since their formation in 1983 they have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, and 46 singles...
, announcing that since he (John Goodman) was hosting for the sixth time, he can do what he wanted and he wanted to perform with special guest and former castmember Dan Aykroyd as the newest incarnation of The Blues Brothers. The movie Blues Brothers 2000
Blues Brothers 2000
Blues Brothers 2000 is a 1998 American musical comedy film that is a sequel to the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. Directed by John Landis, the film featured Dan Aykroyd and John Goodman, with cameos by many musicians.-Plot:...
has Aykroyd and Goodman as the new Blues Brothers.
G-Dog
A 1990s sitcom about a bald-headed, foul mouthed gangsta rapper played by Tim Meadows who usually appeared wearing only a SpeedoSpeedo
Speedo International Ltd. is a manufacturer and distributor of swimwear and swim-related accessories. Founded in Australia in 1914, the industry leading company is now a subsidiary of Pentland Group Plc. Today, the Speedo brand can be found on products ranging from swimsuits and goggles to wrist...
or leather pants. He first appeared in a sketch with Teri Hatcher
Teri Hatcher
Teri Lynn Hatcher is an American actress, writer, and presenter. She is known for her television roles as Susan Mayer on the ABC comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives, and Lois Lane on the ABC comedy-drama series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman...
about a sitcom called "The Princess and the Homeboy".
The Roxbury Guys
- For the film about the same characters, see A Night at the RoxburyA Night at the RoxburyA Night at the Roxbury is a 1998 comedy film based on a recurring skit on television's long-running Saturday Night Live called "The Roxbury Guys." Saturday Night Live regulars Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, Molly Shannon, and Colin Quinn star....
.
The Roxbury Guys was a 1990s sketch about two brothers named Doug and Steve Butabi (although their names and relationship to one another were never revealed until the subsequent release of the film) who always got dressed up in rayon
Rayon
Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulose fiber. Because it is produced from naturally occurring polymers, it is neither a truly synthetic fiber nor a natural fiber; it is a semi-synthetic or artificial fiber. Rayon is known by the names viscose rayon and art silk in the textile industry...
suits to go clubbing
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
, where they would attempt to pick up women. They were played by Chris Kattan
Chris Kattan
Christopher Lee "Chris" Kattan is an American actor/comedian, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Kattan was born in Sherman Oaks, California. His father, Kip King, was an actor and voice actor who appeared on the series Reno 911! as Larrie Plum. His mother, Hajnalka E....
and Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
respectively. Their trademark was bobbing their heads in unison to the song "What Is Love" by Haddaway
Haddaway
Nestor Alexander Haddaway , better known by his stage name Haddaway, is a Trinidadian-German singer. He is most famous for his worldwide 1993 hit, "What Is Love".- Early life :...
, which always played throughout the duration of each sketch. They were extremely unfortunate with the women at the clubs, often gyrating against them in an attempt to get them to dance, but always causing a negative reaction. The sketches often featured a third member of the group, similar to the others in appearance and actions, performed by that week's host (such as Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
, Martin Short
Martin Short
Martin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, singer and producer. He is best-known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live...
, Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey
James Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...
, Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
, and Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
); this character was usually credited as "Barhop". The final running of the sketch during the September 26, 1998 episode featured another team of two club-hopping brothers: Steve Martin
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
and Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
reprise their early-SNL roles as the "Wild and Crazy Guys".
The Culps
The Culps, or "The Culp Family Musical Performances", were recurring characters that appeared on SNL between 1996 and 2002, and were portrayed by Will FerrellWill Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
(as Marty Culp), and Ana Gasteyer
Ana Gasteyer
Ana Kristina Gasteyer is an American actress of stage, film, and television. She is best known for her comedic roles when she was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2002.-Early life:...
as (Bobbi Mohan-Culp). Marty and Bobbi were an awkward, unstylish, married couple who served as music teachers at Altadena Middle School. In the sketches, they would perform prim, conservative medleys of modern pop, R&B or rap songs at various school functions, much to the embarrassment of their unseen son who attended the school; when Claire Danes
Claire Danes
Claire Catherine Danes is an American actress of television, stage and film. She has appeared in roles as diverse as Angela Chase in My So-Called Life, as Juliet in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, as Kate Brewster in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, as Yvaine in Stardust and as Temple Grandin in...
hosted, she played their college-student daughter, embarrassed beyond words when her parents performed during Career Day.
Marty played the keyboard and sings backup, while Bobbi was the lead vocalist, who sang in a high-pitched, operatic style. In between medleys, the Culps make comments to the audience of middle school students, often implying that the children are mocking them, most often by showing them the finger
Finger (gesture)
In Western culture, the finger , also known as the middle finger, is an obscene hand gesture, often meaning the phrases "fuck off" , "fuck you" or "up yours"...
.
The Culps followed in the tradition of earlier skits that began with 1970s sketch Nick The Lounge Singer
Nick The Lounge Singer
Nick The Lounge Singer was Bill Murray's most popular recurring character during his tenure on Saturday Night Live. The character was a typical 1970s lounge singer who sang current songs in a drawn-out, schmaltzy manner, and was typically accompanied by Paul Shaffer on piano. Nick always had a...
and continued in the 1980s with The Sweeney Sisters. The basic premise being that the singers, who usually perform in bottom-of-the-barrel gigs, sing modern songs in their own unique style, but are totally oblivious to how unstylish and "cheesy" their performances are. The majority of the act was taken from the New York downtown duo Kiki & Herb.
Janet Reno's Dance Party
Janet Reno's Dance Party ("coming to you live, from my basement/the deck of a battleship") was an SNL sketch starring Will FerrellWill Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
as U.S. Attorney General
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
Janet Reno
Janet Reno
Janet Wood Reno is a former Attorney General of the United States . She was nominated by President Bill Clinton on February 11, 1993, and confirmed on March 11...
. It aired four times and featured the song "My Sharona
My Sharona
"My Sharona" is the debut single by The Knack, released in 1979 from their album Get the Knack. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart where it remained for six weeks and was #1 on Billboards Top Pop Singles of 1979 year-end chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry...
" by The Knack
The Knack
The Knack was an American New Wave rock quartet based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with their first single, "My Sharona", an international number one hit in 1979.-Founding :...
. During the dance party, Reno expressed an aversion to mosh pits and accused her youthful guests of lying during interviews. While she opposed moshing, Reno did engage in stage-diving during one episode, warning the dancing youths below to brace themselves for "180 lb of pure Reno." In most episodes, Darrell Hammond
Darrell Hammond
Darrell Hammond is an American actor, stand-up comedian and impressionist. He was a regular on Saturday Night Live from 1995 until 2009, the longest tenure of any cast member. Upon his departure, Hammond, at age 53, was the oldest cast member in the show's history...
would make an appearance as then-President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, urging Janet to leave her basement and rejoin society; he would assure her that nobody blamed her for the events at Waco
Branch Davidian
The Branch Davidians are a Protestant sect that originated in 1955 from a schism in the Davidian Seventh Day Adventists , a reform movement that began within the Seventh-day Adventist Church around 1930...
, to which Reno would respond, "DANCE PARTY TAKES AWAY WACO!". Notable guests included Donna Shalala
Donna Shalala
Donna Edna Shalala served for eight years as Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton and has been president of the University of Miami, a private university in Coral Gables, Florida, since 2001. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest...
(played by Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey, CBE is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and crooner. He grew up in California, and began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, before being cast in supporting roles in film and television...
), who slow-danced with Janet; and Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
(played by himself), who lost to Janet in a boxing match. The last time the sketch aired, January 20, 2001, the real Janet Reno herself made a top secret cameo appearance. It was also the day she left office, as the Clinton administration had ended earlier that afternoon. After George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's inauguration ceremony was completed at noon, Reno was whisked away to a supposed undisclosed location. Will Ferrell stated:
The DeMarco Brothers
The DeMarco Brothers are played by Chris KattanChris Kattan
Christopher Lee "Chris" Kattan is an American actor/comedian, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Kattan was born in Sherman Oaks, California. His father, Kip King, was an actor and voice actor who appeared on the series Reno 911! as Larrie Plum. His mother, Hajnalka E....
and Chris Parnell
Chris Parnell
Thomas Christopher "Chris" Parnell is an American comic actor best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998–2006 and currently for his recurring role as Dr. Leo Spaceman on NBC's Emmy Award-winning comedy series 30 Rock. Parnell also voices Cyril Figgis on the FX animated comedy...
. The premise of the sketch is that the brothers are auditioning to be dancers on tour for a musical act (usually, whoever is the musical guest on the show that week). They would wear matching t-shirts with quotes or references to a particular song by the artist, and then play a tape of the artist's songs and proceed to dance to it. Their dancing can be described as interpretive, as they often act out a portion of the song's lyrics in the form of skits during their performance. The musicians generally detest their performances, cutting them off before ever getting through an entire song.
Gunner Olsen
Played by Jim BreuerJim Breuer
Jim Breuer is an American stand-up comedian, actor and radio host. He is most noted for his time as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and starring in the 1998 cult "stoner comedy" Half Baked, alongside Dave Chappelle....
, Olsen recapped the night's news in the style of a lead singer in a heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band.
The Céline Dion Show
The Celine DionCeline Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
Show was a faux variety show in which Ana Gasteyer
Ana Gasteyer
Ana Kristina Gasteyer is an American actress of stage, film, and television. She is best known for her comedic roles when she was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2002.-Early life:...
played the Grammy award-winning singer, who in the opening credits claims to be "the most beautiful and most loved singer in the world". The sketch was inspired by Dion's success in the wake of her number one Billboard Hot 100 hit "My Heart Will Go On
My Heart Will Go On
"My Heart Will Go On" is the theme song/love theme of the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic. With music by James Horner, lyrics by Will Jennings, and production by Simon Franglen, James Horner and Walter Afanasieff ,, it was recorded by Céline Dion...
" in 1998.
In the sketches, Celine would usually begin with a solo, adding exaggerated vocal gymnastics and runs to even the simplest of songs. Then, she would usually invite a musical guest to perform. However, soon into their performance, Celine would feel upstaged, and would start singing over top of them in a much louder voice, much to their displeasure.
The sketch attracted the attention of the real singer herself, who invited Gasteyer to perform the character in one of her concerts in 1998.
7 Degrees Celsius
A parody of late-1990s "Boy Bands", specifically 98 Degrees98 Degrees
98 Degrees is an American adult contemporary boy band consisting of four vocalists: brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre, and Jeff Timmons. The group was formed by Timmons in Los Angeles, California....
. The members were Jeph (Chris Parnell
Chris Parnell
Thomas Christopher "Chris" Parnell is an American comic actor best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998–2006 and currently for his recurring role as Dr. Leo Spaceman on NBC's Emmy Award-winning comedy series 30 Rock. Parnell also voices Cyril Figgis on the FX animated comedy...
), Samm (Chris Kattan
Chris Kattan
Christopher Lee "Chris" Kattan is an American actor/comedian, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Kattan was born in Sherman Oaks, California. His father, Kip King, was an actor and voice actor who appeared on the series Reno 911! as Larrie Plum. His mother, Hajnalka E....
), Sweet T (Horatio Sanz
Horatio Sanz
Horatio Sanz is a Chilean-born American actor and comedian best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998-2006. Sanz most recently starred alongside his former SNL castmate Chris Parnell in the Comedy Central series Big Lake.-Early life:Sanz, the youngest of three sons, was born in...
), and Wade (Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon
James Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...
); the host or musical guest would appear as the fifth member (similar to Gemini's Twin). Jeph described their sound as "gangsta rap meets hip-hop meets You Can't Do That On Television
You Can't Do That on Television
You Can't Do That on Television is a Canadian television program that first aired locally in 1979 before ultimately airing internationally in 1981...
." Sweet T has a 15 year old son named Ribeye, though adds that this doesn't make him an old dude, since he had him when he was 9. Their manager was a man with a thinly-veiled criminal past named Peter Tanner, played by Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
. They were often seen bouncing around on large inflatable playground balls while singing, a reference to the Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...
' trademark "folding chair dance".
Gemini's Twin
Gemini's Twin is an R&B/pop music group composed of Jonette and Britanica, created for a series of sketches on Saturday Night Live and written by SNL writer James Anderson. The sketches featured Maya RudolphMaya Rudolph
Maya Khabira Rudolph is an American actress, comedienne and singer known for her comedic roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2007, and for appearing in films such as Away We Go, Bridesmaids, Grown Ups, A Prairie Home Companion and MacGruber...
and Ana Gasteyer
Ana Gasteyer
Ana Kristina Gasteyer is an American actress of stage, film, and television. She is best known for her comedic roles when she was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2002.-Early life:...
as members of the group that satirized Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
. The two would incorporate hip-hop slang into their conversations in inappropriate ways, often misusing intellectual words or making up new words altogether: "It's time to get musicational!" "Our music comes from a very emotionary place." It is then occasionally revealed that the band members attended elite colleges.
A celebrity (often the guest host) would often appear as the current third member of the band. Such third members have included Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...
, Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...
, Lucy Liu
Lucy Liu
Lucy Alexis Liu is an American actress and film producer. She became known for playing the role of the vicious and ill-mannered Ling Woo in the television series Ally McBeal , and has also appeared in several Hollywood films including Charlie's Angels, Chicago, Kill Bill, and Kung Fu Panda.-Early...
, Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...
and Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
. This was a jab at the infamous turmoil and frequent lineup changes in Destiny's Child.
In one sketch, the real members of Destiny's Child appeared as former members of Gemini's Twin who had been kicked out of the band.
Rap Street
Rap Street was a TV show sketch which appeared twice on Saturday Night Live in 2000. The hosts of Rap Street, Grandmaster Rap (a take-off on Grandmaster FlashGrandmaster Flash
Joseph Saddler better known as King Grandmaster Flash, is an American hip hop musician and DJ; one of the pioneers of hip-hop DJing, cutting, and mixing....
played by Jerry Minor
Jerry Minor
Jerry C. Minor is an American actor, comedian and writer known for his comedic roles in numerous television programs such as Mr. Show, Saturday Night Live, Delocated, Crossballs, Carpoolers and Lucky Louie....
) and Kid Shazzam (Horatio Sanz
Horatio Sanz
Horatio Sanz is a Chilean-born American actor and comedian best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998-2006. Sanz most recently starred alongside his former SNL castmate Chris Parnell in the Comedy Central series Big Lake.-Early life:Sanz, the youngest of three sons, was born in...
) were caricatures of old school rappers who hearkened back to the early days of rap. They would often refer to their time spent in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, mention friends of theirs who had great-grandchildren or hip problems, and use plural forms where they didn't belong (i.e. "Vietnams", "hip-hops"). They spoke out against profanity in rap music, saying things like, "We didn't rap about givin' your man friend fellat-i-os. We rapped about good stuff, like sneakers." They would begin and end each show with a similar simplistic rap which went "Rap rap, ribbity rap rap, rip rop ribbity do!" (a send-up of "Rapper's Delight
Rapper's Delight
"Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 single by American hip hop trio The Sugarhill Gang. While it was not the first single to feature rapping, it is generally considered to be the song that first popularized hip hop in the United States and around the world. The song's opening lyric "I said a hip hop, a...
" by The Sugarhill Gang
The Sugarhill Gang
The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop group, known mostly for their 1979 hit, "Rapper's Delight", the first hip hop single to become a Top 40 hit. The song uses the instrumental track from the classic hit "Good Times" by Chic as its foundation....
).
The first full-fledged Rap Street sketch featured Tom Green
Tom Green
Michael Thomas "Tom" Green is a Canadian actor, rapper, writer, comedian, talk show host and media personality. Best known for his shock humour brand of comedy, Green found mainstream prominence via his MTV television show The Tom Green Show...
as MC Kevin Gustafson from Ottawa, Ontario.
Season's Greetings From SNL (Christmas Is Number One)
This was a musical performance by Jimmy FallonJimmy Fallon
James Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...
, Horatio Sanz
Horatio Sanz
Horatio Sanz is a Chilean-born American actor and comedian best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998-2006. Sanz most recently starred alongside his former SNL castmate Chris Parnell in the Comedy Central series Big Lake.-Early life:Sanz, the youngest of three sons, was born in...
, Chris Kattan
Chris Kattan
Christopher Lee "Chris" Kattan is an American actor/comedian, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Kattan was born in Sherman Oaks, California. His father, Kip King, was an actor and voice actor who appeared on the series Reno 911! as Larrie Plum. His mother, Hajnalka E....
, and Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan is an American comedian who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.-Early life:...
singing the praises of Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
. It was considered highly unorthodox, mainly because of the roles the various players in the performance: Sanz played a C.F. Martin & Company backpacker guitar and sang, while Fallon sporadically played a keyboard, as Kattan held the keyboard and Morgan danced in place. The song generally appeared during Christmastime, but also appeared during other holiday seasons (though, always denouncing those holidays in favor of Christmas). At one point they are even criticized by Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
, but he relents and proceeds to join them. In one skit, Horatio Sanz wanted to perform the song, then said "Guys?" referring to the fact that Fallon, Kattan and Morgan had all left the show. Kermit the Frog said "You can sing with me," and Sanz performed the song with Kermit, Fozzie Bear, Animal and Gonzo. Sanz and Fallon later performed the song on Fallon's talk show with musical guest Julian Casablancas
Julian Casablancas
Julian Fernando Casablancas is an American singer-songwriter and musician of The Strokes. Casablancas pursued a solo career during The Strokes' hiatus, releasing the album Phrazes for the Young on November 3, 2009....
.
Episodes featuring "Season's Greetings":
- April 8, 2000
- December 9, 2000
- December 1, 2001
- April 13, 2002
- December 14, 2002
- April 10, 2004
- December 18, 2004
A "Summer's Greetings From Saturday Night Live" sketch never made it past dress rehearsal. This would have appeared in the April 17, 2003 episode, with Dan Aykroyd as the host.
The Kelly Brothers
- See entry: The Kelly Brothers on Saturday Night Live characters appearing on Weekend UpdateSaturday Night Live characters appearing on Weekend UpdateWeekend Update has been a platform for Saturday Night Live characters to grow and gain popularity ever since Gilda Radner used it to create Emily Litella and Roseanne Roseannadanna. Many cast members have used Update as the primary vehicle for a certain character...
.
The Barry Gibb Talk Show
Jimmy FallonJimmy Fallon
James Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...
appears as Barry Gibb
Barry Gibb
Barry Alan Crompton Gibb, CBE , is a singer, songwriter and producer. He was born in the Isle of Man to English parents. With his brothers Robin and Maurice, he formed The Bee Gees, one of the most successful pop groups of all time. The trio got their start in Australia, and found their major...
, and attempts to discuss current events in Gibb's famous falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
singing voice. He would usually break into song after the first sentence of the topic. Barry periodically asks co-host Robin Gibb
Robin Gibb
Robin Hugh Gibb, CBE is a British singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the Bee Gees, co-founded with his twin brother Maurice , and elder brother Barry....
(played by Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
) for input, if "he has any thoughts on" the topic, when he then offers no more than "No, no, I don't." The Bee Gees' 1975 hit "Nights on Broadway
Nights on Broadway
"Nights on Broadway" is a song by the Bee Gees for the Main Course album in 1975. The second single release from the album, it immediately followed their number-one hit "Jive Talkin'"....
" is used as the sketch's theme, but with different lyrics.
Singing/Dancing Street Advertisers
Featured only in episodes where Justin TimberlakeJustin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
has hosted, Timberlake takes to the sidewalk as a costumed street advertiser (ex: man dressed as chicken to promote fried chicken chain) to upstage an existing street vendor in a competing business. Naturally, Timberlake outstages the previous person by parodying current contemporary hits (with his boombox), followed immediately by the signature slogan "Bring it on down to ______ville". In the three appearances in which Timberlake has hosted a show, Timberlake has always persuaded his opponent to come work for the chain he works for.
Variations:
- "Omeletteville" (breakfast restaurant, dressed as an omelette) opposed by Chris ParnellChris ParnellThomas Christopher "Chris" Parnell is an American comic actor best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998–2006 and currently for his recurring role as Dr. Leo Spaceman on NBC's Emmy Award-winning comedy series 30 Rock. Parnell also voices Cyril Figgis on the FX animated comedy...
, dressed as bacon and eggs. - "Homelessville" (homeless mission, dressed as a cup of soup) opposed by Will ForteWill ForteOrville Willis Forte IV, better known as Will Forte , is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2002–2010 and for starring in the SNL spin-off film MacGruber.-Early life:Forte was born in Alameda County, California, the son of...
working for Salvation ArmySalvation ArmyThe Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
, dressed as Santa ClausSanta ClausSanta Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
. - "Plasticville" (plastic surgery practice, dressed as silicone breast implant) opposed by Will ForteWill ForteOrville Willis Forte IV, better known as Will Forte , is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2002–2010 and for starring in the SNL spin-off film MacGruber.-Early life:Forte was born in Alameda County, California, the son of...
working for a gym, dressed as a dumbbellDumbbellThe dumbbell, a type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It can be used individually or in pairs .-History:...
. - "Turkeyville" In the episode in which Justin Timberlake doesn't host (Paul RuddPaul RuddPaul Stephen Rudd is an American actor and screenwriter. He has primarily appeared in comedies, and is known for his roles in the films Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Dinner for Schmucks, The Object of My...
hosts instead), he appears on Weekend UpdateWeekend UpdateWeekend Update is a Saturday Night Live sketch that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typically presented in the middle of the show immediately after the first musical performance...
and says he would have done this for ThanksgivingThanksgivingThanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
. - "Liquorville" (Liquor store, dressed up as beer bottle, accompanied by Lady GagaLady GaGaStefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
dressed as a bottle of wine, against a tea shop promoted by a character played by Kristen WiigKristen WiigKristen Carroll Wiig is an American film and television actress who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Wiig was a member of improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, and has appeared in several films and television series, including Bridesmaids, MacGruber, Flight of...
)
The Prince Show
The Prince Show is a sketch parodying the memorable performance of PrincePrince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
and Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
at the 46th Grammy Awards. The sketch features Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen is an American actor, comedian and musician best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and portraying off-color foreigners in various comedy films such as EuroTrip, Anchorman and Cop Out...
as the host, playing Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, and with Maya Rudolph
Maya Rudolph
Maya Khabira Rudolph is an American actress, comedienne and singer known for her comedic roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2007, and for appearing in films such as Away We Go, Bridesmaids, Grown Ups, A Prairie Home Companion and MacGruber...
as his co-host, Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
. The opening theme song of the show features Prince playing his famous purple guitar with his famed symbol. After the song is over, the two head to a purple couch, which coincides with much of the rest of the set, which is also purple. Prince rarely says much on the show, usually whispering into Beyoncé's ear what he wants to say. During most of the sketches, Prince vanishes during an important conversation only to be found nearby doing unrelated activities such as sculpting or painting.
An installment of this sketch appeared on the season 31 episode hosted by Steve Martin
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
with the real Prince as musical guest. The genuine article did not appear in the sketch.
The Lawrence WelkLawrence WelkLawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...
Show
A parody of the original "mildly-entertaining" Lawrence Welk ShowThe Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years , then nationally for another 27 years via the ABC network and first-run syndication .In the years since first-run syndication...
, this PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
rerun features a sister act of The Maharelle Sisters from the Finger Lakes
Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes are a pattern of lakes in the west-central section of Upstate New York in the United States. They are a popular tourist destination. The lakes are long and thin , each oriented roughly on a north-south axis. The two longest, Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake, are among the deepest in...
. The fourth sister (named "Dooneese") has several simultaneously amusing and disturbing deformities, such as an unusually high frontal hairline, hands the size of a baby's, immobile wrists, and an odd canine tooth. The sisters usually sing in turn, and often when it comes time for her part, the musical act is thrown into disarray, as Dooneese sings or utters something totally arbitrary or disturbing, including the admission of her baking roadkill and having worms in her hair. Lawrence Welk is portrayed by Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen is an American actor, comedian and musician best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and portraying off-color foreigners in various comedy films such as EuroTrip, Anchorman and Cop Out...
. The freakish sister Dooneese is portrayed by Kristen Wiig
Kristen Wiig
Kristen Carroll Wiig is an American film and television actress who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Wiig was a member of improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, and has appeared in several films and television series, including Bridesmaids, MacGruber, Flight of...
. The three normal sisters has been played by both guests or cast members and has, in various line-ups, been performed by Jenny Slate
Jenny Slate
Jenny Slate is an American actor and comedian best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2009–2010 and for her recurring role as Stella on the HBO comedy series Bored to Death.-Early life:...
, Abby Elliott
Abby Elliott
Abigail "Abby" Elliott is an American actress and comedian currently appearing as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Life and career:...
, Michaela Watkins
Michaela Watkins
Michaela Suzanne Watkins is an American comic actress, best known for her various roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, a regular performer with The Groundlings in Los Angeles, her recurring role as "Lucy" in the sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, and for her supporting role as...
, Casey Wilson
Casey Wilson
Cathryn Rose "Casey" Wilson is an American actress, comedienne and screenwriter. She was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2008–2009 and currently stars as Penny Hartz in the ABC comedy series Happy Endings....
, Nasim Pedrad
Nasim Pedrad
Nasim Pedrad is an Iranian-American comic actress currently appearing as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:...
, Vanessa Bayer
Vanessa Bayer
Vanessa Bayer is an American actress and comedienne who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Early life and career:...
, Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler
Amy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...
, Ana Gasteyer
Ana Gasteyer
Ana Kristina Gasteyer is an American actress of stage, film, and television. She is best known for her comedic roles when she was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2002.-Early life:...
, Maya Rudolph
Maya Rudolph
Maya Khabira Rudolph is an American actress, comedienne and singer known for her comedic roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2007, and for appearing in films such as Away We Go, Bridesmaids, Grown Ups, A Prairie Home Companion and MacGruber...
and Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway (actress)
Anne Jacqueline Hathaway is an American actress. After several stage roles, she appeared in the 1999 television series Get Real. She played Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries...
. Their mother was played by Betty White in the episode she hosted.
The names of the normal sisters are (variously, depending on the installment) Holly, Rhonda, Nora, Nancy, Shirley, Toni, Janet, Peggy, and/or Clara.
The Lundford Twins Feel Good Variety Hour
This sketch featured regular cast member Fred ArmisenFred Armisen
Fred Armisen is an American actor, comedian and musician best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and portraying off-color foreigners in various comedy films such as EuroTrip, Anchorman and Cop Out...
as Henry Quincy Lundford and Paul Giamatti
Paul Giamatti
Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti is an American actor. Giamatti began his career as a supporting actor in several films produced during the 1990s including Private Parts, The Truman Show, Saving Private Ryan, The Negotiator, and Man on the Moon, before earning lead roles in several projects in the...
(later replaced by Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
) as the hosts of a 70s-era, Smothers Brothers
Smothers Brothers
The Smothers Brothers are Thomas and Richard , American singers, musicians, comedians and folk heroes. The brothers' trademark act was performing folk songs , which usually led to arguments between the siblings...
-esque variety show. It featured Amy Poehler as Dorothy Winckler, an actress who herself was playing a character named Granny, whose catchphrase was "Aw, nuts!", accompanied by a zoom to her face; Maya Rudolph
Maya Rudolph
Maya Khabira Rudolph is an American actress, comedienne and singer known for her comedic roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2007, and for appearing in films such as Away We Go, Bridesmaids, Grown Ups, A Prairie Home Companion and MacGruber...
as a female-empowerment singer who sang about being pregnant and not needing a man; Kenan Thompson
Kenan Thompson
Kenan Thompson is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his work as a cast member of NBC's long-running sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live...
as a Barry White-esque, "King of the Sob Songs" singer, whose song was "Amanda"; and a skit set to 1920s-style upright piano music that featured two flappers, Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
, and a man cranking an old Model-T Ford.
SNL Digital Short Music Videos
- Shy Ronnie (featuring RihannaRihannaRobyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
) - Shy Ronnie and Clyde (featuring RihannaRihannaRobyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
) - Two Worlds Collide (Andy Samberg and Kenan ThompsonKenan ThompsonKenan Thompson is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his work as a cast member of NBC's long-running sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live...
as Reba McEntireReba McEntireReba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
) - Like A Boss (featuring Seth Rogen)
- I'm on a BoatI'm on a Boat"I'm on a Boat" is a single from The Lonely Island's debut album Incredibad. It was also featured as a Saturday Night Live Digital Short. The song features R&B singer T-Pain. The song, produced by Wyshmaster, is a parody of many rap video clichés. The music video reached number one on YouTube in...
(Lonely Island featuring T-PainT-PainFaheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...
) - Jizz in My PantsJizz in My Pants"Jizz in My Pants" is a SNL Digital Short which aired on Saturday Night Live on December 6, 2008 and YouTube on the same day. It serves as the music video for the first single from The Lonely Island's debut album, Incredibad...
(Lonely Island) - Dick in a BoxDick in a Box"Dick in a Box" is a song by American comedy troupe The Lonely Island featuring singer Justin Timberlake. The song and music video debuted on Saturday Night Live as an SNL Digital Short on December 16, 2006...
(featuring Justin TimberlakeJustin TimberlakeJustin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
) - Motherlover (featuring Justin TimberlakeJustin TimberlakeJustin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
) - Iran So Far (featuring Adam Levine)
- Lazy SundayLazy Sunday"Lazy Sunday" is a song and short video by American comedy troupe The Lonely Island, released on December 17, 2005, broadcast on Saturday Night Live as the second Digital Short...
(Andy SambergAndy SambergDavid Andrew "Andy" Samberg is an American actor, comedian, rapper and writer best known as a member of the comedy group The Lonely Island and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live...
and Chris ParnellChris ParnellThomas Christopher "Chris" Parnell is an American comic actor best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998–2006 and currently for his recurring role as Dr. Leo Spaceman on NBC's Emmy Award-winning comedy series 30 Rock. Parnell also voices Cyril Figgis on the FX animated comedy...
) - I Just Had SexI Just Had Sex"I Just Had Sex" is a song by comedy hip hop group The Lonely Island featuring R&B singer Akon and produced by DJ Frank E. It was released as the first single from The Lonely Island's second album, Turtleneck & Chain, released in May 2011...
(Lonely Island featuring Akon) - I Broke My Arm (Emma Stone)
- The CreepThe Creep (song)"The Creep" is a song by American comedy hip hop group The Lonely Island, released as the second single from their second studio album Turtleneck & Chain. It features rapper Nicki Minaj. Filmmaker John Waters also gives the introduction to the song. He is credited as a featured artist on the album,...
(Lonely Island featuring Nicki MinajNicki MinajOnika Tanya Maraj , better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj; ), is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist...
and John Waters)
Lunch Lady Land
Lunch Lady Land is an Adam SandlerAdam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
song that was performed with Chris Farley
Chris Farley
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
dressed in drag as a lunch lady
Lunch Lady
Lunch lady is an American slang term for a woman who cooks and serves food in a school cafeteria; the equivalent British English term is "dinner lady". In Britain, a dinner lady also patrols the school playgrounds during the lunch breaks to maintain order amongst the children...
. This was a parody of the Bruce Springsteen song "Jungleland", and, as in many other sketches with Chris Farley, Sandler was unable to keep a straight face through the scene.
The song included the common school lunch items (cast members dressed as food) growing angry with Farley over dismal food preparation practices. Sloppy Joe defended her actions, however, and he and the Lunch Lady fell in love.
The song ended as "Me and Sloppy Joe got married/ We got six kids and we're doin' just fine/ Down here in Lunch Lady... Land!"
Deep House Dish
Deep House Dish is a show on the fictional "MTV4" network, "The alternative to the alternative," which features houseHouse music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
and techno music. The sketches began in 2005, with Kenan Thompson
Kenan Thompson
Kenan Thompson is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his work as a cast member of NBC's long-running sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live...
as the lead host, DJ Dynasty Handbag, and Rachel Dratch
Rachel Dratch
Rachel Susan Dratch is an American comic actress best known for her roles as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1999 to 2006.-Early life:...
as his dim-witted co-host, Tiara Z. Whenever Tiara says something stupid (such as reporting that clubgoers will be wearing "clubwear
Clubwear
Clubwear is a general term for the type of provocative, revealing, or fetish clothing that is worn to nightclubs featuring a sensual atmosphere with a very relaxed dress code...
" to the clubs this season or raising her hand to ask a question and then forgetting what her question was), DJ Dynasty Handbag responds with "Ooooh weeee, Tiara!", often followed by a remark on how "boring" or "dull" his co-host is.
Despite the departure of Rachel Dratch, Deep House Dish continued without her on the December 2, 2006 episode with Matthew Fox
Matthew Fox (actor)
Matthew Chandler Fox is an American actor. He is mostly known for his role as Charlie Salinger on Party of Five, and for portraying Jack Shephard on the supernatural drama television series Lost.- Early life :...
. DJ Dynasty Handbag says that Tiara is no longer "with us"; she posted a picture of him in his Dunkin' Donuts
Dunkin' Donuts
Dunkin' Donuts is an international doughnut and coffee retailer founded in 1950 by William Rosenberg in Quincy, Massachusetts; it is now headquartered in Canton...
outfit and although she was not dead, she was dead to him, so, he replaced Tiara with T'Shane (Andy Samberg
Andy Samberg
David Andrew "Andy" Samberg is an American actor, comedian, rapper and writer best known as a member of the comedy group The Lonely Island and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live...
), who is equally dimwitted. Whereas DJ Dynasty Handbag tended to insult Tiara on her dullness, he criticizes T'Shane mainly for his lack of intelligence.
During the "program" a variety of musical guests appear. These are usually played by cast members with at least one portrayed by the guest host of the week. The "artists" are usually parodies of a certain archetype of house music performer, the overlying joke being that within any given genre the artists who top the charts are indistinguishable from one another.
The opening sequence music clip is borrowed from the German electropop band (Melotron
Melotron
Melotron is a futurepop and synthpop band from Germany. In 1996 Andy Krueger, Edgar Slatnow and Kay Hildebrandt left their former band, The Vermin, to form Melotron. The band found success with their first single, "Dein Meister," in 1998....
), and the song is 'Der Kosmonaut'.
The Mellow Show
This sketch is about a fictional talk show hosted by Jack Johnson (Andy SambergAndy Samberg
David Andrew "Andy" Samberg is an American actor, comedian, rapper and writer best known as a member of the comedy group The Lonely Island and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live...
). To date, three such sketches have been transmitted so far.
Episodes featuring The Mellow Show
- April 12, 2008 host: Ashton KutcherAshton KutcherChristopher Ashton Kutcher , best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model and comedian, best known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show...
as John Mayer - November 21, 2009 host: Joseph Gordon Levitt as Jason Mraz (with Dave MatthewsDave MatthewsDavid John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...
of The Dave Matthews Band as Ozzy Osbourne)