SNL

Is anyone bothered by the fact that SNL used to be this great, edgy show and now it's just safe drivel? It's always had its contemporary side, but I'm really bothered by how lame it is lately. For example, tonight was a special chronicling the first 5 years. I was shocked at how far the old show pushed the boundaries. There were skits with characters pretty much snorting a line or selling weed. Can you imagine the uproar that would raise today? It's amazing how one 40 year-old tit at the Super Bowl has completely destroyed humor and anything even slightly risque on television and radio today. And another thing, the skits were actually funny. How can anyone forget the skits with Bill Murray and Gilda Radner as the teenage nerds with Dan Ackroyd as the refridgerator repairman with asscrack going for days?? Hilarious. how about Celebrity Jeopary with Will Ferrell as Trebek and Daryl Hammond as Sean Connery?? Laughing for days as Sean Connery selects The Rapist as his category!!!

I watched SNL this past weekend a bit and with the exception of the news segment and Horatio Sanz, there isn't much funny I see on the show. Am I being too hard on it? Maybe I need to give it more of a chance. It seems that since Tracy Morgan, Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon, and Chris Katan have left, well, there isn't much left. I know I have to give the new cast a chance but the writing seems so thin today. I think part of it might have to do with the range of the cast members, which I don't think is all that broad. Tina Fey is brilliant, but beyond her, there just isn't much substance. Its seems the overwhelming majority of the new skits are based on current events, which helps keep the show current. However, it will never lend itself to developing the next Wayne and Garth; the next Blues Brothers; the next Coneheads; the next Operaman; or the next Spartan Spirit skits.

Another thing that left me bothered was the how the old SNL in those first 5 years had AMAZING musical guests. They would have Peter Tosh singing "Legalize It"; The Dead doing "Do You Believe In Magic"; Bob Dylan; Jimmy Cliff; Patty Smith; and the list goes on and on. Today, every once in a while, they'll get a band that is on the cutting edge like the Scissor Sisters. But for the most part today, it's safe stuff .... U2 (don't get me wrong, I love the boys but they're mellowed now); Eminem (who seems to be the musical host every other week); 50 Cent (who is the host on the odd weekends Eminem isn't on); Kelly Clarkson (try to refrain from snickering); and even "controversial" lip-syncing Ashley Simpson (like anyone actually believed she got where she is today based on talent). It seems that Clear Channel has taken over booking their musical guests, which could explain why the same musical guests show up 4 times every season.

Sigh ... guess just another sign that I'm getting older or that this nation is getting more uptight. I think in my heart its the latter; but maybe it is just me. Any thoughts??