137-572: The Rutles ( / ˈ r ʌ t əl z / ) were a rock band that performed visual and aural pastiches and parodies of the Beatles . This originally fictional band, created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes for a sketch in Idle's mid-1970s BBC television comedy series Rutland Weekend Television , later toured and recorded, releasing two studio albums and garnering two UK chart hits. The band toured again from 2002 until Innes's death in 2019. Encouraged by
274-619: A second drummer playing a separate full drumkit, such as Adam and the Ants from 1980 onwards, although other formations can also be expanded using two drummers such as Pink Fairies (1970–1971), the Glitter Band , Wizzard , Sigue Sigue Sputnik , Add N to (X) , and Rialto . Other times, the vocalist brings another musical "voice" to the table, most commonly a harmonica or percussion; Mick Jagger , for example, plays harmonica and percussion instruments such as maracas and tambourine in
411-622: A sketch later in 1975, which presented a mock mini-documentary about the fictional 1960s band. The sketch featured Neil Innes (formerly of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and a frequent Monty Python collaborator) fronting the band, singing "I Must Be in Love", a pastiche of Lennon and McCartney 's 1964 style. The sketch was the work of Innes and Idle. Innes was the musician and composer for Rutland Weekend Television, and he routinely created songs along with ideas of how to present
548-450: A synth bass line. Two-member pop music bands such as Soft Cell , Blancmange , and Yazoo used programmed sequencers. Other pop bands from the 1980s, who were ostensibly fronted by two performers, such as Wham! , Eurythmics , and Tears for Fears , were not actually two-piece ensembles, because other instrumental musicians were used "behind the scenes" to fill out the sound. Modern bands that use this format include Ninja Sex Party . In
685-434: A 90-minute length, and sketches that have made it as far as the live rehearsal may be removed. This often results in less than two days of rehearsal for the eight to twelve sketches that have made it to the stage that then may appear on the live broadcast. The opening monologue, spoken by the guest host, is given low priority and can be written as late as Saturday afternoon. According to an interview with Tina Fey in 2004,
822-464: A Beatles song or genre. Fourteen songs were on a soundtrack album. The CD version added the six songs omitted from the original vinyl album. The album was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Comedy Recording of the year. The orchestrations and arrangements were by film composer John Altman , and it was recorded and mixed by Steve James. All You Need Is Cash was not a success on American television on its first showing on 22 March 1978, finishing at
959-587: A February 1981 episode, cast member Charles Rocket used the profanity "fuck" during a sketch. Rocket later said he was trying to kill time before the show's close and had not meant to utter the word. Following this episode, Doumanian was dismissed after only ten months on the job. Although some executives suggested SNL be cancelled, the show received a reprieve, and Dick Ebersol was hired as producer. Ebersol's sketches leaned towards more accessible, broad comedy, which alienated some long-time fans, writers, and cast members. His distaste for political humor led
1096-488: A Lame-O ", that had critiqued Silverman's job performance. Unable to secure the deal that he wanted, Michaels chose to leave NBC, and Jean Doumanian was given his position. Almost every writer and cast member, including Michaels, left the show after the May 24, 1980, season finale. Doumanian's rapidly-assembled new cast faced immediate comparisons to the previous cast, and was not received favorably by critics or audiences. In
1233-562: A Lion and the Dresden Dolls both feature a keyboardist and a drummer. Ratatat comprises a two-guitar band that uses a drum machine for beats. W.A.S.P. guitarist Doug Blair is also known for his work in the two-piece progressive rock band Signal2Noise, where he acts as the lead guitarist and bassist at the same time, due to a special custom instrument he invented (an electric guitar with five regular guitar strings paired with three bass guitar strings). Heisenflei of Los Angeles duo
1370-475: A Monday with a free-form pitch meeting between the cast, writers, producers, including Michaels and the guest host in Michaels's office over two hours. The host is invited to pitch ideas during this meeting. Although some sketchwriting may occur on the day, the bulk of the work revolves around pitching ideas. Tuesday is the only day dedicated purely to writing the scripts, a process that usually extends through
1507-466: A band (himself, John Halsey , Ollie Halsall , Andy Brown, and Ricky Fataar ) and the group played in a London pub to gel. During Rutles performances and studio recordings, Innes took lead on the songs that resembled Lennon's; Halsall sang on most McCartney-esque tunes; Fataar sang the Harrison songs; and Halsey sang a Ringo Starr -type song. Idle mimed to Halsall's singing and Brown's bass playing in
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#17327760595731644-557: A band are Arcade Fire and the Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros . More rarely, rock or pop groups are accompanied in concerts by a full or partial symphony orchestra, where lush string-orchestra arrangements are used to flesh out the sound of slow ballads. Rhys Chatham and Glenn Branca started doing performances in the late 1970s with orchestras consisting of 10 to 100 (Branca) and even 400 guitars. Some groups have
1781-494: A bassist and a drummer, such as in the bands Radiohead , Pearl Jam , and the Byrds . Some five-person bands feature two guitarists, a keyboardist, a bassist, and a drummer, with one or more of these musicians (typically one of the guitarists) handling lead vocals on top of their instrument (examples being Children of Bodom , Styx , Tally Hall , The Cars and White Reaper ). The four-piece arrangement can be augmented to five with
1918-413: A cast member at any time. In the first season of the show the cast was paid $ 750 per episode, rising to $ 2,000 by season two, and $ 4,000 by season four. By the late 1990s, new cast members received a salary between $ 5,000 and $ 5,500 per episode, increasing to $ 6,000 in the second year and up to $ 12,500 for a cast member in their fifth year. Performers could earn an additional $ 1,500 per episode for writing
2055-422: A company owned by NBC, Paramount Pictures , and Michaels. The new contracts were reportedly developed after many previously unknown cast members, such as Mike Myers and Adam Sandler , gained fame on SNL only to leave and make money for other studios. In a 2010 interview, Wiig was reported to be contracted to SNL for a total of seven years. The contracts also contain a network option that allows NBC to remove
2192-555: A copy of the Beatles' long-planned documentary, The Long and Winding Road (eventually re-titled The Beatles Anthology and released in 1995). Idle drew inspiration from this 1976 version of the documentary, as compiled by Neil Aspinall , and was granted permission to use some of the archival footage to tell the Rutles' story. Innes wrote, composed, and produced the music. He relied on his memory of Beatles music, and not careful later analysis, to create sound-alike songs. Innes assembled
2329-457: A cost of $ 250,000. By 1975, Michaels had assembled the show's initial cast, including Dan Aykroyd , John Belushi , Chevy Chase , Jane Curtin , Garrett Morris , Laraine Newman , Gilda Radner , and George Coe . The cast was nicknamed the "Not Ready for Prime-Time Players", a term coined by show writer Herb Sargent . Much of the talent pool involved in the inaugural season was recruited from The National Lampoon Radio Hour , including
2466-591: A decision yet at that point. Michaels has worked with Fey several times since her SNL tenure ended, including on 30 Rock . Michaels earlier said in 2021 that the show's fiftieth anniversary would be "a really good time to leave". Kenan Thompson , the show's longest-serving cast member, speculated in 2022 that SNL may come to an end altogether after its fiftieth season, saying that it could make financial sense for NBC. However, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in September 2024, Michaels denied that he
2603-560: A drummer (e.g. Van Halen , The Who , Red Hot Chili Peppers , Led Zeppelin , and U2 . Instrumentally, these bands can be considered as trios. In some bands, the guitarist could also be an occasional keyboardist, like The Who, the Smiths , and Joy Division . Some bands have a keyboardist instead of a guitarist, like Bastille and Future Islands . In some rock bands, bassists could be occasional keyboardists like Led Zeppelin and R.E.M. Keyboardists are used in place of bass, performing with
2740-709: A drummer (e.g. the Who , the Monkees , Led Zeppelin and U2 ). Sometimes, in addition to electric guitars, electric bass, and drums, also a keyboardist (especially a pianist) plays. Additionally, rock and pop bands can also include boy bands or girl bands , which many times have bands where the members do not play any instruments but sing and dance instead. Such is the case of Menudo , the Spice Girls and K-pop bands, for example. The usage of band as "group of musicians" originated from 1659 to describe musicians attached to
2877-512: A drummer, a bassist, two custom percussionists, a turntablist , and a sampler. Brazilian band Titãs , currently a three-man band, had as many as eight members in the late 1980s, with three lead singers, two guitarists, bassist, keyboard player, and drummer. In larger groups (such as the Band ), instrumentalists could play multiple instruments, which enabled the ensemble to create a wider variety of instrument combinations. More modern examples of such
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#17327760595733014-436: A drummer, and a keyboardist. Although organ trios are most commonly associated with 1950s and 1960s jazz organ trio groups such as those led by organist Jimmy Smith , organ trios also exist in rock-oriented styles, such as jazz-rock fusion and Grateful Dead –influenced jam bands , for instance Medeski Martin & Wood . In organ trios, the keyboard player typically plays a Hammond organ or similar instrument, which permits
3151-621: A drummer, and typically one or more of these musicians also sing (sometimes all three members sing, e.g. the Bee Gees or Alkaline Trio ). Some well-known power trios with the guitarist on lead vocals are the Jimi Hendrix Experience , Green Day , Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble , Nirvana , and Muse . A handful of others with the bassist on vocals include Thin Lizzy (from 1970 to 1974), Primus , Rush , Motörhead ,
3288-402: A flautist. An example of a six-member rock band is Toto with a lead vocalist, guitarist, bassist, two keyboard players, and drummer. Other examples include Australian band INXS and American Blondie ; both consist of a lead vocalist, two guitarists, a keyboard player, a bassist, and a drummer. The American heavy-metal band Slipknot is composed of nine members, with a vocalist, two guitarists,
3425-465: A four-piece 1984–1995), NOFX, Skillet, or even the lead guitarist, such as Dire Straits , Megadeth , Weezer , and Creedence Clearwater Revival . Some bands, such as the Beatles, have a lead guitarist, a rhythm guitarist, and a bassist that all sing lead and backing vocals, with those three playing and composing on keyboards regularly, as well as a drummer. Others, such as the Four Seasons , have
3562-543: A guitarist, singer, and drummer, for instance the Doors . Some bands have a guitarist, keyboard player, bassist, and drummer, for example Talking Heads , the Small Faces , and Pink Floyd . Some bands have the lead vocalists that are also the pianist and keyboardist such as Queen and Coldplay . Some bands have the bassist on lead vocals, such as Thin Lizzy (a four-piece from 1974 onwards), Pink Floyd, Motörhead (as
3699-399: A large number of members who all play the same instrument, such as guitar, keyboard, horns, or strings. Women have a high prominence in many popular music styles as singers. However, professional women instrumentalists are uncommon in popular music, especially in rock genres such as heavy metal . "[P]laying in a band is largely a male homosocial activity, that is, learning to play in a band
3836-442: A lead vocalist, a lead guitarist, a keyboard player, and a bassist, with the drummer not being a member of the band. Five-piece bands have existed in rock music since the development of the genre. Aerosmith , AC/DC , Def Leppard and Oasis are examples of the common lineup of vocalist, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass, and drums. An alternative lineup replaces the rhythm guitarist with a keyboard–synthesizer player (examples being
3973-448: A lone white piano, singing a short version of "Cheese & Onions". Later in the episode, as Neil Innes, he performed "Shangri-La", a song subsequently recorded by the Rutles. Written by Idle and Innes, All You Need Is Cash documents the rise and fall of the Rutles, paralleling much of the history of the Beatles. The project was given extra recognition through Harrison's support; as well as providing ideas, he supplied Idle and Innes with
4110-410: A musical guest, a solo act, or a band, who performs two or three musical numbers. Occasionally, the musical guest simultaneously serves as the host, and may also appear in comedy sketches. As of October 11, 2020, Dave Grohl is the most frequent musical guest, performing on fourteen shows since 1992. Michaels does not allow musical guests to perform using lip-synching tracks, believing it diminishes
4247-464: A parody of " Imagine ". This was also Innes's first and only entry in the Masters of Song-Fu competition run by Quick Stop Entertainment . On 9 February 2014, Idle reprised his narrator persona from All You Need Is Cash as part of The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to The Beatles , noting how the Rutles had made their American debut 50 years earlier, and it was an amazing coincidence
The Rutles - Misplaced Pages Continue
4384-592: A prefab was a cheap postwar form of British housing , intended to be temporary, often poorly constructed, draughty and leaky, and not well-regarded by those who had to live in them. The Rutles had connections with the Beatles aside from the parody. The Beatles were fans of Innes's previous band, the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band , and had featured the Bonzos in their television film Magical Mystery Tour (1967). Paul McCartney (working with Gus Dudgeon under
4521-836: A question and answer session and performance by members of the tribute show "Rutlemania" which ran for a week at the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood before doing a week in NYC at the Blender Gramercy Theater. The "Rutlemania" live show was conceived and written by Eric Idle which starred the Beatles tribute group the Fab Four as "The Pre-Fab Four" Rutles. In February 2009, on his website InnesBookOfRecords.Com , Innes released what he referred to as "Ron Nasty's Final Song", titled "Imitation Song",
4658-525: A regiment of the army and playing instruments which may be used while marching. This word also used in 1931 to describe "one man band" for people who plays several musical instruments simultaneously. Two-member rock and pop bands (such as the White Stripes , Tenacious D , the Black Keys , Twenty One Pilots , and Royal Blood ) are relatively rare because of the difficulty in providing all of
4795-527: A reissue of Archaeology included a new Rutles track called "Rut-a-lot" (a jab at Idle's stage show Spamalot ) which is simply a live medley of songs from the first Rutles album. On 17 March 2008, all four movie Rutles (Innes, Idle, Fataar and Halsey) reunited for the first time at a 30th anniversary screening of All You Need Is Cash at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood . The event included
4932-580: A significant increase in ratings and a "shot of relevance" for the show, according to Vanity Fair . Trump disliked Baldwin's impression, tweeting in 2019 that the Federal Election Commission or the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should look into stopping SNL from "knocking the same person (me), over & over, without so much of a mention of 'the other side.'" In 2021, sources close to
5069-513: A significant overhaul, including Beck Bennett , Kyle Mooney , and Sasheer Zamata . Longtime head writer and cast member Seth Meyers also exited midway through that season, and was replaced by fellow writer Colin Jost in the Weekend Update segment. The show frequently parodied Donald Trump in and around his first presidency ; an ongoing impression by actor Alec Baldwin led to
5206-445: A singer, instrumentalist, songwriter, and bandleader". According to Auslander, she was "kicking down the male door in rock and roll and proving that a female musician ... and this is a point I am extremely concerned about ... could play as well if not better than the boys". Many bands maintain different but consistent lineups for studio recording vs. live performances. Toxic Holocaust , for instance, consisted entirely of
5343-451: A single member within the recording studio for the first 10 years of their existence but still toured as a band with supplementary members on stage. For decades Genesis maintained two consistent lineups: Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins in the studio with Chester Thompson and Daryl Stuermer always additionally appearing as band members in live performances. Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live ( SNL )
5480-467: A sketch that made it to air. In 2001, Ferrell became the highest-paid cast member, being paid $ 350,000 per season (approximately $ 17,500 per episode). As of the 2022–23 season, Kent Sublette, Alison Gates , and Streeter Seidell are the show's co-head writers. Seth Meyers became a co-head writer in the 2005-06 season, became the single head writer from 2008 to 2012 , and then left in 2014 . Current Update anchor Colin Jost has himself been
5617-454: A tribute to him. The touring version: Following the release of the 1978 the Rutles album, ATV Music , the then-owner of the publishing rights to the Beatles catalogue sued Innes for copyright infringement. Though Innes hired a musicologist to defend the originality of his songs, he settled with ATV out of court for 50% of the royalties on the 14 songs included on the album. The settlement did not include any other Rutles songs which were not on
The Rutles - Misplaced Pages Continue
5754-409: A weird catch-all of assorted Beatles-related tunes. For the collection, Rhino licensed the Rutles' "Hold My Hand" from Warner Bros Records. The cover of the album was done by well-known commercial artist William Stout , who had made a name for himself drawing the cover artwork for some of the best-looking Beatles bootleg records in the 1970s. His cover drawing included a representation of Mark Chapman ,
5891-524: A writer since 2005 and was one of the head writers from 2012 to 2015 before being renamed head writer, from 2017 until 2022 . Current Update co-anchor Michael Che has been a writer since 2013 . He temporarily left the show in the summer of 2014, but came back that fall to anchor Update and reclaimed his status as a writer, then serving as a co-head writer alongside Jost for five years. The Weekend Update segment has its own dedicated team of writers led by head writer Pete Schultz (who has been writing for
6028-552: A year. The film employs unused footage from the previous Rutles film, and features an even bigger number of celebrity interviews discussing the band's influence. This was met with mixed reactions from fans, particularly because no new footage of the Rutles was filmed. The DVD had yet to be released in the UK as of February 2014. McQuickly and Nasty have cameos in the 2004 graphic novel , Superman: True Brit , co-written by former Monty Python's Flying Circus member John Cleese . In 2007,
6165-476: Is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guitarists (a lead guitarist and a rhythm guitarist, with one of them singing lead vocals), a bassist, and a drummer (e.g. the Beatles and KISS ). Another common formation is a vocalist who does not play an instrument, electric guitarist, bass guitarist, and
6302-472: Is an American late-night live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC . The show's premiere was hosted by George Carlin on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title NBC's Saturday Night . The show's comedy sketches, which often parody contemporary American culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members . Each episode
6439-418: Is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers the opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, with featured performances by a musical guest. An episode normally begins with a cold open sketch that is usually based on political events and ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming, " Live from New York, it's Saturday Night! ", properly beginning the show. In 1980, Michaels left
6576-679: Is largely a peer-based... experience, shaped by existing sex-segregated friendship networks. As well, rock music "...is often defined as a form of male rebellion vis-à-vis female bedroom culture." In popular music, a gendered "distinction between public (male) and private (female) participation" in music has existed. "[S]everal scholars have argued that men exclude women from bands or from the bands' rehearsals, recordings, performances, and other social activities." "Women are mainly regarded as passive and private consumers of allegedly slick, prefabricated – hence, inferior – pop music..., excluding them from participating as high-status rock musicians." One of
6713-842: Is the house band for SNL . Academy Award-winning composer Howard Shore served as the first musical director, from 1975 to 1980, appearing in many musical sketches, including Howard Shore and His All-Nurse Band and (backing a U.S. Coast Guard chorus) Howard Shore and the Shore Patrol. Over the years, the band has featured several New York studio musicians including Paul Shaffer (1975–1980), Lou Marini (1975–1983), David Sanborn (1975), Michael Brecker (the early 1980s), Ray Chew (1980–1983), Alan Rubin (1975–1983), Georg Wadenius (1979–1985), Steve Ferrone (1985), David Johansen (performing as Buster Poindexter), Tom Malone (who took over as musical director from 1981 to 1985), and G. E. Smith (musical director from 1985 to 1995). As of 2017,
6850-433: Is the show's longest-serving cast member. Currently, the cast consists of 17 members, with 14 repertory players and 3 featured players: The cast were often contracted from anywhere between five and six years to the show, but starting with the 1999–2000 season, new hires were tied to a rewritten contract that allowed NBC to take a cast member in at least their second year and put them in an NBC sitcom. Cast members are given
6987-452: The 1984–1985 season . Though this season was considered one of the series' funniest, it diverged significantly from Michaels' innovative approach. Like Michaels before him, Ebersol informed NBC that he would only return if the show took a hiatus to recast and rebuild, and diverge significantly from the established live format. NBC rejected these requests and instead decided to approach Michaels to return as producer. Michaels returned for
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#17327760595737124-413: The 1985–1986 season ; the show was again recast, with Michaels borrowing Ebersol's idea to seek out established actors. Writers struggled with the cast, and Michaels cleaned house again for the 1986–1987 season , seeking unknown talent such as Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman instead of known names. This new cast was successful at reviving the show's popularity in the eyes of critics and audiences. In
7261-470: The 2005–2006 season . Before the start of the 2006–2007 season , the show suffered budget cuts that led to a smaller cast. The following season was also cut short by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike , which led to several cancelled episodes. Fey later returned to the show during the 2008 presidential election for several critically acclaimed guest appearances as vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin . Writer Robert Smigel later said it
7398-487: The All You Need Is Cash DVD commentary track that Harrison and Starr at one point discussed starting a band with Innes and Idle, based on the Beatles' and Rutles' shared and imaginary histories. Harrison and Starr also surprised him and Innes one day by singing a version of the Rutles' "Ouch!" In 1979, Idle and Fataar issued a single as "Dirk and Stig"—" Ging Gang Goolie " backed with "Mr. Sheene". This
7535-489: The SNL cast who appear on camera, many of the writers have been able to find their own success outside the show, such as Conan O'Brien , who was brought into SNL from The Groundlings in 1988, went on to write for The Simpsons , and eventually began hosting his own show . Former head writer Adam McKay , along with performer Ferrell, founded the successful comedy website Funny or Die . In 1999, Tina Fey (a year before joining
7672-597: The 1950s and '60s, girls in their teens—in rock usually sang songs as personæ utterly dependent on their macho boyfriends...". Philip Auslander says that "Although there were many women in rock by the late 1960s, most performed only as singers, a traditionally feminine position in popular music". Though some women played instruments in American all-female garage rock bands , none of these bands achieved more than regional success. So they "did not provide viable templates for women's on-going participation in rock". In relation to
7809-424: The 1990s, Local H continued on as a two-piece when their bassist departed, with guitarist/singer Scott Lucas modifying his guitars by adding a bass pickup for the lower strings. Starting in the 2000s, blues-influenced rock bands such as the White Stripes and the Black Keys used a guitar-and-drums scheme. Death from Above 1979 featured a drummer and bass guitarist. Tenacious D is a two-guitar band; One Day as
7946-475: The 2000 TV special The Beatles Revolution ), was made in 2002 and released in the US on DVD in 2003. The Rutles were foreshadowed in episode 3 of Eric Idle 's 1975 BBC television series Rutland Weekend Television , in which Neil Innes accompanied himself on a piano singing what later became the song "Good Times Roll" (included on the Rutles' first, self-titled album in 1978). The Rutles themselves first appeared in
8083-638: The 2009–10 season. In 2010 the 92-year-old Pardo was reported to be again considering his retirement, but continued to serve as announcer until his death at age 96 on August 18, 2014, following the 39th season. Apart from a brief period in 2006 in which Pardo pre-recorded his announcements at his home in Arizona, he flew to New York City to perform his announcing duties live, until 2010 when he began recording permanently from Arizona. Former cast members Joe Piscopo and Darrell Hammond have also impersonated Pardo and fulfilled his announcing duties during times Pardo
8220-491: The 39th season (2013–14) had a budget of over $ 70 million, for which it received a subsidy from New York State in the amount of $ 12.3 million. Edie Baskin was the original SNL photographer. She was hired after Michaels saw her photographs of Las Vegas and other work. Baskin helped create the opening title sequence for the show by taking photos of New York City at night. The first episode used publicity photos of host George Carlin as transitional bumpers between
8357-410: The Beatles were there the same day. He then lent straight narration to biographical sketches of the Beatles' early lives. On 29 December 2019, Innes died of a heart attack at the age of 75, and the Rutles were disbanded shortly afterwards. In his final interview before his death, Innes expressed enthusiasm about either a late 2019 U.S. tour or a 2020 spring tour for the Rutles. After an 18-year hiatus,
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#17327760595738494-576: The Conchords , the Ting Tings , They Might Be Giants (from 1982 to 1992) and T. Rex (until shortly after scoring their UK breakthrough hit , at which point they expanded to a four-piece and more). When electronic sequencers became widely available in the 1980s, they made adding in musical elements easier for two-member bands to perform. Sequencers allowed bands to program some elements of their performance, such as an electronic drum part and
8631-489: The K ", Gilda Radner as a reluctant street interviewee, George Harrison as a TV reporter, Mick Jagger and Paul Simon as themselves, Michael Palin as Eric Manchester (a parody of Beatles press agent Derek Taylor ), Ron Wood as a biker, Lorne Michaels as a man who wants to merchandise the Rutles, Al Franken and Tom Davis as Ron Decline employees, and many others. It includes actual footage of David Frost and Ed Sullivan taken from TV appearances. Idle claims on
8768-488: The Pity Party plays drums, keyboards, and sings simultaneously. Royal Blood and The Garden are two-piece bands that uses bass and drums along with electronic effects . The smallest ensemble commonly used in rock music is the trio format. In a hard-rock or blues-rock band, or heavy-metal rock group, a " power trio " format is often used, which consists of an electric guitar player, an electric bass guitar player, and
8905-485: The Police , and Cream . Some power trios feature two lead vocalists. For example, in the band Blink-182 , vocals are split between bassist Mark Hoppus and guitarist Tom DeLonge , or in the band Dinosaur Jr. , guitarist J. Mascis is the primary songwriter and vocalist, but bassist Lou Barlow writes some songs and sings, as well. An alternative to the power trio is an organ trios formed with an electric guitarist,
9042-769: The Rolling Stones. Ozzy Osbourne played the harmonica on some occasions with Black Sabbath . Flutes may also be used by vocalists, most notably Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull and Ray Thomas of the Moody Blues . Larger bands have long been a part of rock and pop music, in part due to the influence of the "singer accompanied with orchestra" model inherited from popular big-band jazz and swing and popularized by Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald . To create larger ensembles, rock bands often add an additional guitarist, an additional keyboardist, additional percussionists or second drummer, an entire horn section , and even
9179-419: The Rutles (Innes, Halsey and Fataar) reconvened to record the 1996 album Archaeology (a parody of The Beatles Anthology ). Halsall had died in 1992, but he appears on several tracks that were outtakes from the original 1978 album, and he is credited as a band member. (Similarly, the three surviving Beatles had incorporated recordings by John Lennon in the songs "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love".) On record,
9316-474: The Rutles songs "I Must Be in Love" and "The Children of Rock and Roll" (later reworked as "Good Times Roll"). One year after their initial BBC appearance, on 2 October 1976 Idle appeared on the American NBC show Saturday Night Live , and showed videotape extracts from Rutland Weekend Television – including the Rutles clip. That led to a suggestion by SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels to extend
9453-530: The United States . The show format has been developed and recreated in several countries, meeting with different levels of success. Successful sketches have seen life outside the show as feature films, including The Blues Brothers (1980) and Wayne's World (1992). The show has been marketed in other ways, including home media releases of "best of" and whole seasons, and books and documentaries about behind-the-scenes activities of running and developing
9590-610: The Weekend Update hosts have gone on to find greater success outside the show, including Dennis Miller , Seth Meyers , Norm Macdonald , Colin Quinn , and Jimmy Fallon . As of Season 49, SNL has featured 164 cast members including, besides the above-mentioned players, Rachel Dratch , Amy Poehler , Chris Rock , David Spade , Will Forte , Julia Louis-Dreyfus , Tracy Morgan , Chris Parnell , Maya Rudolph , Andy Samberg , Molly Shannon , and many others. Kenan Thompson
9727-731: The White House told The Daily Beast that in 2019, Trump repeatedly asked his advisers and lawyers to stop his negative portrayals on SNL and other shows such as Jimmy Kimmel Live! through the interference of the FCC or the Department of Justice . In 2021, James Austin Johnson assumed the Trump impression from Baldwin. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , SNL ' s 2019–2020 season
9864-461: The availability of either can mean the photoshoot for both occurs as late as Thursday. Matthews employs flattering portrait lighting with hard lights to achieve a Hollywood style. On the lighting, Matthews commented: "I think it just helps the image pop off the screen ... If you use soft or flat lighting, it becomes not as dimensional ... The [classic Hollywood lighting] gives a little more contrast, and if I use edge lights and then light
10001-522: The band is under the leadership of Tower of Power alumnus Lenny Pickett , keyboardist Leon Pendarvis , and Eli Brueggemann, who does not play in the band on the live show. The band plays instrumentals leading in and out of station breaks; affiliates who run no advertising during these interludes hear the band play complete songs behind a Saturday Night Live bumper graphic until the program resumes. The band plays "Closing Theme (Waltz in A)", written by Shore, at
10138-542: The band was augmented by keyboardist Mickey Simmonds (who also played with the band live) and bassist Malcolm Foster (ex-Pretenders), as the Rutles had no bass player. Guitarists Doug Boyle and Bernie Holland were featured. Beginning in 2001, Innes and Halsey toured as the Rutles in the UK (and once in Japan), augmented by other musicians. The touring group performed songs from the Rutles repertoire, Neil Innes's solo career, and usually at least one George Harrison song per tour as
10275-685: The bands Yes , Journey , Bon Jovi , Dream Theater , and Deep Purple ). Another alternative replaces the rhythm guitarist with a turntablist , such as in Deftones , Incubus , or Limp Bizkit . Further alternatives include a keyboardist, guitarist, drummer, bassist, and saxophonist, such as the Sonics , the Dave Clark 5 , and Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs . Three guitarists may be present with
10412-452: The bottom of all programs that week. The show fared better on BBC television when it premiered a week later, on 27 March 1978. A 66-minute version was edited for TV and was released on video and DVD, but this has been superseded by the restored 72-minute version. Additional actors in the special include Dan Aykroyd as the man who turned down the Rutles, John Belushi as Ron Decline (a parody of Allen Klein ), Bill Murray as "Bill Murray
10549-489: The camera. Others associated with the show, such as writers, have gone on to successful careers creating, writing, and starring in television and film. Broadcast from Studio 8H at NBC's headquarters in the Comcast Building at 30 Rockefeller Plaza , SNL has aired 975 episodes since its debut and began its 50th season on September 28, 2024, making it one of the longest-running network television programs in
10686-575: The cast and becoming a Weekend Update anchor) became the first woman SNL head writer and successfully made the transition to starring on the show, as well as writing and starring in feature films, ultimately creating and starring in her own show 30 Rock , which was partly based on her SNL experiences. In 2005 Fey was paid $ 1.5 million per season for her dual role as head writer and performer. Writer John Mulaney has also found success outside of SNL through well-received stand-up specials, his Broadway act The Oh, Hello Show , and
10823-452: The cast, causing a divide between the veteran members and the new, younger talent. This led to increased competition for the show's limited screen time, and an increasing reliance on "younger", less subtle humor. The show lost Carvey and Hartman, two of its biggest stars, between 1992 and 1994. Wanting to increase SNL ' s ratings and profitability, NBC West Coast president Don Ohlmeyer and other executives began to actively interfere in
10960-412: The cast. Traditionally, the host of the show ends the opening monologue by mentioning the musical guest for the night and saying, "We got a great show for you tonight, (musical guest) is/are here. So stick around, we'll be right back." Comedian George Carlin was the first to host SNL in the debut October 1975 episode; three episodes later, Candice Bergen became the first woman to host and subsequently
11097-548: The collective alias Apollo C. Vermouth) had produced the Bonzos' hit single " I'm the Urban Spaceman " in 1968. George Harrison made a guest appearance on Rutland Weekend Television ' s 1975 Boxing Day special, with Idle and Innes, and he encouraged them to make a film that would parody the Beatles' career and serve to deflate the myths surrounding the band's legacy. In 1976, BBC Records produced The Rutland Weekend Songbook , an album containing 23 tracks including
11234-399: The completed film. Halsall appeared in the film as "Leppo", the fifth Rutle who in the earliest years "mainly stood at the back". Brown did not appear in the film. The film is a series of skits and gags that illustrate the Rutles story, following the chronology of the Beatles. The glue of the film is the soundtrack by Innes, who wrote and composed 19 more songs for the film, each a pastiche of
11371-434: The control room, with multiple digital and analog video recorders used to store footage. Graphics are provided by a Chyron Lyric Pro character generator and an Avid Deko character generator. Audio facilities consist of a Calrec T Series digitally controlled analog mixing console, and a Yamaha digital mixing console used for tape playback support and utility audio work. While exact budgets for other seasons are not known,
11508-404: The dedicated Weekend Update team, who know those characters better. SNL writers are often also performers or experienced in writing and improvisational comedy. Many are hired from similar backgrounds such as The Groundlings, Second City, Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre , and ImprovOlympic . Comedian Jim Downey was head writer for 10 years, from 1985 to 1995. Downey (who previously joined
11645-428: The early 1990s, much of this core cast began to leave the show, and younger performers such as Chris Farley and Adam Sandler began to be promoted to repertory status. Some of these cast members, such as Sandler, Farley, Rob Schneider , Spade, and Chris Rock , would come to be known as the "Bad Boys of SNL " for their outrageous comedy style. Afraid of cast members leaving for film careers, Michaels had overcrowded
11782-532: The end of the show. Since the show's inception, SNL has aired from Studio 8H, located on floors eight and nine of the Comcast Building (formerly the RCA Building and GE Building , now 30 Rockefeller Plaza or "30 Rock"). Three of the shows of the 1976–77 season were shot at the former NBC Studios in Brooklyn, due to NBC News using Studio 8H for presidential election coverage. During
11919-618: The first episode to not feature any musical performances since the first episode of season 12 , as well as the third episode in the show's duration to not have a musical guest, due to the rise of the Omicron variant in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic . Charli XCX was planned as the musical guest, but her performance was cancelled due to the new restrictions as the show had a "limited cast and crew" and no audience. The Saturday Night Live Band (also known as "The Live Band")
12056-605: The first host to return. Guests who have hosted five or more times are sometimes referred to as belonging to the Five-Timers Club , a term that originated on a sketch performed on Tom Hanks 's fifth episode. As of February 11, 2017, actor Alec Baldwin holds the record for most times hosting, having performed the duty on seventeen different occasions since 1990; Baldwin took the record from actor Steve Martin who has hosted fifteen times since 1976. Occasionally, former SNL cast members also host. Each episode also features
12193-490: The gender composition of heavy-metal bands , it has been said that "[h]eavy metal performers are almost exclusively male" "...[a]t least until the mid-1980s" apart from "...exceptions such as Girlschool ." However, "...now [in the 2010s] maybe more than ever–strong metal women have put up their dukes and got down to it", "carv[ing] out a considerable place for [them]selves." When Suzi Quatro emerged in 1973, "no other prominent female musician worked in rock simultaneously as
12330-416: The keyboard player to perform bass lines, chords, and lead lines. A variant of the organ trio is a trio formed with an electric bassist, a drummer, and an electronic keyboardist (playing synthesizers) such as the progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer . A power trio with the guitarist on lead vocals is a popular record-company lineup, as the guitarist and singer usually are songwriters. Therefore,
12467-403: The label only has to present one "face" to the public. The backing band may or may not be featured in publicity. If the backup band is not marketed as an integral part of the group, then the record company has more flexibility to replace band members or use substitute musicians. This lineup often leads to songs that are fairly simple and accessible, as the frontman has to sing and play guitar at
12604-407: The latter's idea for a variety show featuring high-concept comedy sketches, political satire, and music performances that would attract 18- to 34-year-old viewers. NBC decided to base the new show at their studios in 30 Rockefeller Center . Michaels was given Studio 8H , a converted radio studio that was home to NBC's election and Apollo moon landing coverage. It was revamped for the premiere at
12741-418: The live aspect of the show. Exceptions are made only when the musical act is focused on intense dance routines instead of vocals, where it is difficult to be both heavily physically active and sing. A 1975 performance by pop group ABBA was the first and only act to feature lip-synching, until the controversial 2004 performance of Ashlee Simpson . The December 18, 2021, episode (hosted by Paul Rudd ) became
12878-504: The man who had killed John Lennon. The ensuing uproar prompted Rhino to reissue the album with a new cover featuring a photograph of Beatles memorabilia, claiming that Stout refused to amend his work. A clip from All You Need Is Cash appeared on a VHS compilation tape of comedy videos put out by the now-defunct Vestron Home Video in 1985. The clip is simply the Tragical History Tour part of All You Need Is Cash , with
13015-780: The mixing of audio and video elements by the Senior Audio Mixer, coupled with additional audio feeds consisting of music, sound effects, music scoring, and pre-recorded voiceovers. All sources are stored digitally, with shows captured and segregated into individual elements to reorganize for future repeats and syndication. The production tracking system was migrated from primarily analog to digital in 1998, with live shows typically requiring 1.5 terabytes of storage, consisting of audio elements and five cameras' worth of visual elements. Elements of Saturday Night Live that are pre-recorded, such as certain commercial parodies, SNL Digital Shorts , and show graphics are processed off-site in
13152-432: The musical elements which are part of the rock or pop sound (vocals, chordal accompaniment , bass lines , and percussion or drumming). Rock and pop duos typically omit one of these musical elements. In many cases, two-member bands omit a drummer, since guitars, bass guitars, and keyboards can all be used to provide a rhythmic pulse. Other examples of two-member bands are MGMT , WZRD , Pet Shop Boys , Hella , Flight of
13289-633: The night into the following morning. Writing may not begin until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. At 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, the sketches are read by the cast during a round-table meeting in the writers' room, attended by the writers and producers present during the pitch meeting, technical experts such as make-up artists, who may be required to realize certain sketch ideas such as those using prosthetics, and other producers, resulting in attendance of approximately fifty people. At this point, there may be at least forty sketch ideas that are read-through in turn, lasting upwards of three hours. After completion of
13426-444: The option of rejecting the first two sitcom offers but must accept the third offer, with the sitcom contract length dictated by NBC and potentially lasting up to six years. The move drew criticism from talent agents and managers who believed a cast member could be locked into a contract with NBC for twelve years—six on SNL and then six on a sitcom. The contract also optioned the cast member for three feature films produced by SNL Films,
13563-402: The original LP release (some of which were included in the television film, e.g., "Baby Let Me Be", "Between Us", "Blue Suede Schubert", "Get Up And Go", "Goose Step Mama", and "It's Looking Good"); Innes retained 100% royalties to these. On actual Rutles releases, LP, CD, etc., writing credit for all songs has always been printed as Neil Innes only. Rock band A rock band or pop band
13700-474: The original head writer, Michael O'Donoghue . NBC's Saturday Night debuted on October 11, 1975, with an episode featuring Carlin as host. The original title was used because the Saturday Night Live title was in use by Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell on rival network ABC . After the cancellation of Cosell's show in 1976, NBC purchased the rights to the name and officially changed
13837-497: The positive public reaction to the sketch, Idle wrote the mockumentary television film All You Need Is Cash (1978, a.k.a. The Rutles ). Idle co-directed the film with Gary Weis ; it features 20 Beatles' music pastiches written by Innes, which he performed with three musicians as the Rutles. A soundtrack album in 1978 was followed in 1996 by Archaeology , which spoofed the then-recent Beatles Anthology series. A second film, The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch (modelled on
13974-451: The post-production facilities of Broadway Video . Studio 8H production facilities are maintained by NBC Production Services. As of 2018, the show uses five Sony HDC-1500 cameras, primarily mounted on Vinten pedestals , although one is mounted on a Chapman-Leonard Electra crane. As of 2014, a Grass Valley GVG 4000-3 digital component production switcher and GVG 7000 digital component routing switcher are used to route visual feeds to
14111-400: The read-through, Michaels, the head writer, the guest host, and some of the show producers will move to Michaels' office to decide the layout of the show and decide which of the sketches will be developed for air. Once complete, the writers and cast are allowed into Michaels's office to view the show breakdown and learn whether or not their sketch has survived. Sketches may be rewritten starting
14248-418: The reasons that mixed-gender bands rarely exist is that "bands operate as tight-knit units in which homosocial solidarity – social bonds between people of the same sex... – plays a crucial role." In the 1960s, pop music scene, "[s]inging was sometimes an acceptable pastime for a girl, but playing an instrument...simply wasn't done." "The rebellion of rock music was largely a male rebellion; the women—often, in
14385-636: The regional premise of the TV show, which was presented as a programme by a fictional TV station based in Rutland , the smallest county in England. The initial idea had been to do a parody of the Rolling Stones called the Rutland Stones but, when it became a parody of the Beatles, Idle suggested the name "Rutles". 'The Prefab Four' is a play on the Beatles' nickname 'the Fab Four' with an additional subtext:
14522-441: The reunion album, titled Archaeology as a play on the Beatles' Anthology series, featured several tracks recorded in 1978 that included his contributions. The Japanese version included four bonus tracks. In 2000, Idle released Eric Idle Sings Monty Python , a live concert album in which he performs "I Must Be in Love" as Sir Dirk McQuickly. In 2002, Idle made The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch , which remained unreleased for
14659-424: The same day, but will certainly commence on Thursday. Work focuses on developing and rewriting the remaining sketches and possibly rehearsals. If a sketch is still scheduled beyond Thursday, it is rehearsed on Friday or Saturday before moving to a rehearsal before a live audience at 8:00 p.m., again on Saturday, before the live show. After the rehearsal, Michaels will review the show lineup to ensure it meets
14796-528: The same time. The four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. Before the development of the electronic keyboard, the configuration was typically two guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer (e.g. The Beatles , KISS, Metallica , Rise Against , Weezer , the Clash , and the Smashing Pumpkins ). Another common formation is a vocalist, electric guitarist, bass guitarist, and
14933-438: The segment since 2011 ; and has been the segment's head writer since 2014) The segment's previous head writer was Alex Baze (who wrote for the segment from 2004 to 2014 , and was the head writer of the segment starting with the 2011–12 season, until his aforementioned 2014 departure). Scenes on Weekend Update that involve members of the cast acting in-character alongside the host are often written by staff writers outside
15070-438: The show after the 1978–1979 season to make The Blues Brothers , and as the fifth season ended in 1980, Michaels asked executives to place the show on hiatus for a year in order to allow him time to pursue other projects. Michaels suggested writers Al Franken , Tom Davis , and Jim Downey as his replacements; NBC president Fred Silverman disliked Franken and was infuriated by his Update routine in May 1980, called " A Limo for
15207-447: The show and commercial breaks, the second episode used photos Baskin had already taken of host Paul Simon . It was then that Michaels suggested that Baskin photograph the hosts for the bumpers instead of using publicity photos, beginning a tradition that continues today. Since 1999, Mary Ellen Matthews has been the official photographer of SNL , responsible for devising distinctive photo layouts and aesthetics for still imagery used on
15344-409: The show for longer than they may have otherwise. In January 2024, Variety said that "speculation [had] been rampant for years" that Michaels would retire from the series after its fiftieth season , premiering in 2024. Michaels told Entertainment Tonight that month that former head writer and cast member Tina Fey could "easily" be his successor, were he to step down, but said he had not made
15481-474: The show had received over 305 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, the most received by any television program. The live aspect of the show has resulted in several controversies and acts of censorship, with mistakes and intentional acts of sabotage by performers and guests. Beginning in 1965, NBC network affiliates broadcast reruns of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on Saturday or Sunday nights. In 1974, Johnny Carson petitioned to NBC executives for
15618-407: The show to explore other opportunities. He was replaced by Jean Doumanian , who was then replaced by Ebersol after a season of bad reviews. Ebersol ran the show until 1985, when Michaels returned. Since then, Michaels has held the job of showrunner . Many SNL cast members have found national stardom while appearing on the show, and achieved success in film and television, both in front of and behind
15755-555: The show to largely avoid jokes about President Ronald Reagan during his time as showrunner. Under Ebersol's leadership, Eddie Murphy, who had been underused during Doumanian's tenure, rose to prominence with popular characters such as Mister Robinson's Neighborhood and Gumby . His success was a major factor in the show's resurgence, though it created tensions within the cast. In a break with tradition, producers hired established comedians such as Billy Crystal and Martin Short for
15892-466: The show's first five seasons included Belushi's samurai , the Coneheads (Aykroyd, Curtin, Newman), and Radner's Roseanne Roseannadanna . Drugs were a major problem during the show's first five years, which exacerbated existing tensions. Cocaine had become an "integral part of the working progress" on SNL by the 1978–1979 season , according to Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad. Aykroyd and Belushi left
16029-435: The show's humor, cast, and backstage dysfunction. The show's cast was largely overhauled for the 1995–1996 season with names such as Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri , which was successful at revitalizing the show. The show faced new competition during this period in the form of Fox ' s sketch comedy show Mad TV , which aired a half hour earlier than SNL and featured a more diverse cast. The 2000–2001 season
16166-541: The show's name to Saturday Night Live at the start of the 1977–1978 season . The cast was initially paid $ 750 per episode, and essentially lived at the offices, according to Michaels. The show found its footing by the fourth episode, hosted by Candice Bergen , which featured the cast in most segments. The show developed a cult following , and its humor was seen as refreshing and daring, in comparison to previous sketch and variety shows that would rarely deal with controversial topics and issues. Iconic characters during
16303-409: The show's writing staff in the show's second season in 1977) is not only the show's longest-tenured head writer, but he is also overall the show's longest-tenured writer in the show's history. As he wrote for the show on-and-off for 30 years, formally retiring from the show in 2013 . Experienced writers with backgrounds in television shows are also sometimes brought into the SNL writing room. Like
16440-461: The show, recommending that new stars such as Chris Farley and Adam Sandler be fired and critiquing the costly nature of performing the show live. Criticism of the show's writing increased during this period, which reached its peak by the 1994–1995 season , which is considered one of the series' worst. A widely publicized profile of the show in New York during this period was highly critical of
16577-434: The show. Taped material significantly increased in the mid-2000s with SNL Digital Shorts by The Lonely Island , and continued into the following years with videos by Good Neighbor and Please Don't Destroy . The cast continued to evolve significantly into the 2010s as several longtime cast members such as Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig left the series. The 2013–2014 season saw the hiring of seven new cast members in
16714-607: The show. Throughout five decades on air, Saturday Night Live has received a vast number of awards, including 84 Primetime Emmy Awards , six Writers Guild of America Awards , and three Peabody Awards . In 2000, it was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame . It was ranked tenth in TV Guide ' s " 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time " list, and in 2007 it was listed as one of Time ' s "100 Best TV Shows of All- TIME. " As of 2022,
16851-454: The show. Matthews creates photo portraits of the hosts and musical guests of each episode which are used as commercial bumpers. The limited time frame between the host's involvement in the production process and the Live show requires Matthews to create makeshift photo studios on-site at 30 Rock, with Matthews attempting to shoot the host on Tuesday and the musical guest on Thursday, although
16988-661: The skit into a one-hour mock documentary for television. This proposal led to the mockumentary All You Need Is Cash (1978), directed by SNL film director Gary Weis, with Idle credited as co-director. On 23 April 1977, Idle made another appearance on Saturday Night Live , with Neil Innes as a musical guest. A running theme for this episode was the "Save Great Britain Telethon", and it included an appearance by "the Rutle who lives in New York, Nasty". Innes appeared as Nasty with
17125-404: The songs on the show. After writing "I Must Be in Love", Innes conceived parodying the film A Hard Day's Night , because he felt the song sounded very "Beatle-y". He passed the idea of a Beatles spoof along to Idle, who had a separate idea about a boring TV documentary maker, and they merged the ideas into a single extended sketch for the TV show. The "Rutles" band name was a running joke based on
17262-578: The sound clunkily muted out during the segment's narration in order to leave just the music. This home video release was released on both VHS and Laserdisc. Innes, with a group called the Moptops backed by the 'Rutland Symphony Orchestra', performed as "Ron Nasty and the New Rutles" at a convention honouring the 25th anniversary of Monty Python in 1994. This led to a Rutles reunion album in 1996, featuring Innes, Fataar and Halsey. Halsall died in 1992, but
17399-526: The special John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch . Don Pardo served as the announcer for the series when it began and continued in the role for all but season seven, between 1981 and 1982, when Michaels had left and Mel Brandt and Bill Hanrahan filled the announcing role. In 2004 Pardo announced that he would step down from his position, but then continued in the role until 2009 when he again announced his retirement, but then continued into
17536-467: The summer 2005 shooting hiatus, crews began renovations on Studio 8H. With its thirty-first-season premiere in October 2005, the show began broadcasting in high-definition television , appearing letterboxed on conventional television screens. The offices of SNL writers, producers, and other staff can be found on the 17th floor of "30 Rock". Production on an SNL episode will normally start on
17673-501: The three- to four-member dedicated Weekend Update writing team will write jokes throughout the week. The host(s) of Weekend Update will normally not work with or read the scripts from the team until Thursday evening after the main show sketches have been finalized. The host(s) will then work on contributing to the script where necessary. With onsite facilities housed on floors eight and seventeen of Rockefeller Plaza, post-production duties on live broadcasts of Saturday Night Live include
17810-478: The training or experience necessary for SNL . The cast is divided into two tiers: the more established group of repertory players; and newer, unproven cast members known as featured players, who may eventually be promoted to the repertory stable. Of the many roles available in the show, one of the longest-running and most coveted is being the host of Weekend Update , a segment featuring one or two hosts, who get substantial screen time performing as themselves. Many of
17947-475: The weekend shows to be pulled and saved so they could be aired during weeknights, allowing him to take time off. In response, NBC president Herbert Schlosser approached the vice president of late-night programming, Dick Ebersol , and asked him to create a show to fill the Saturday night time slot. Schlosser and Ebersol then approached Lorne Michaels . Over the next three weeks, Ebersol and Michaels developed
18084-439: Was Idle's only appearance on a Rutles-related disc. There were no Rutles projects throughout the 1980s. In 1982, the Rutles were involved in a record scandal reminiscent of the one surrounding the Beatles' Yesterday and Today album. Rhino Records, at the time a small Los Angeles label specialising in offbeat releases, released an album that it called Beatlesongs , purportedly a collection of Beatles novelty songs but actually
18221-502: Was indefinitely halted on March 16, 2020. The season was later resumed in April with three remotely produced episodes labelled Saturday Night Live at Home , and the show returned to Studio 8H in October 2020. After the 2021–2022 season , many longtime cast members left the show in a major cast overhaul, including Aidy Bryant , Kate McKinnon , and Pete Davidson ; Michaels said that the pandemic had led to some cast members staying with
18358-472: Was notable for its well-received spoofing of that year's presidential campaign between Al Gore and George W. Bush . The show's New York City cast and crew were highly impacted by the September 11 attacks in 2001, and returned on September 29 with an acclaimed appearance by Rudy Giuliani . Political humor was reduced for the following seasons. The show switched to high-definition broadcasting for
18495-551: Was retiring at the end of the season. A three-hour prime-time live broadcast to celebrate the series' fiftieth anniversary will air on February 16, 2025. Those selected to join the cast of SNL are normally already accomplished performers, recruited from improvisational comedy groups such as The Groundlings (Newman, Hartman, Will Ferrell , Jon Lovitz , Kristen Wiig ) and The Second City (Aykroyd, Farley, Tina Fey , Tim Meadows ), or established stand-up comedians (Carvey, Sandler, Macdonald, Chris Rock ), who already possess
18632-475: Was the show's "biggest moment since the 70s", and Michaels observed that it made Fey a "huge star" and that "you could see perception changing completely". Armisen played Barack Obama from 2008 to 2012, following which cast member Jay Pharoah assumed the impression. The show began to rely more on pre-recorded material and videos more than it ever had before during this period, to the extent that some commentators said it had sometimes outshined live material on
18769-411: Was unavailable. Hammond took over as full-time announcer starting with season 40 . A typical episode of SNL will feature a single host chosen for their popularity or novelty, or because they have a film, album, or other work being released near the time of their appearance on the show. The host delivers the opening monologue and goodnights, introduces the musical guest, and performs in sketches with
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