MetaFilter posts tagged with snl

Viruses ninja!

well_balanced — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:33:07 -0800

The many MeFites previously disappointed by not being able to attend the recent and enticingly promoted 10th Annual Gathering of the Juggalos will be delighted to know that a similar opportunity presents itself. (SLYT - moderately NSFW)

Cheezborgercheezborgercheezborgercheezborgercheezborger ...

WCityMike — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:24:50 -0800

Cheezborger cheezborger cheezborger ^TM!! (ad infinitum) is one of the sounds you're likely to hear upon descending the stairs down to Lower Michigan Avenue and walking through a big fireman-red door (perhaps for the monthly Chicago meetup?) into the Billy Goat Tavern and Grill, where the bathrooms are confusingly named but not unisex, and where you can get a "cheezborger" or any one of a number of vegetarian-unfriendly menu options. The Billy Goat's been a Chicago tourist attraction since shortly after 'Rev.' Don Novello (a Goat regular, along with Bill Murray) penned the first 'Olympia Cafe' sketch in 1978 — but a staple of Chicago history for far, far longer. Wonder about the mystical meaning behind Steve Bartman narrowly grabbing the ball before outfielder Moisés Alou could in Game 6, Inning 8 of the 2003 World Series? Wonder about Mike Royko's favorite writing spot, one he immortalized? Read on. William Sianis emigrated from Paleopyrgos, Greece to the Windy City when 16 years old, and earned money selling stolen trolley car light bulbs and reselling streetcar transfers, avoiding arrest for the latter by hiding the transfers in newspapers. The Great Depression crashes an initial restaurant venture, but Prohibition's repeal in 1933 results in his purchase (with a check that bounced!) of the Lincoln Tavern, near Chicago Stadium (now the site of the United Center), where it would stay until its move in '64 to the present location. A year later, a baby goat bounces off a truck and is adopted by Sianis. The Lincoln Tavern was soon reborn as the Billy Goat Inn. This would begin a pattern of publicity- and profit-generating stunts, such as in 1944, when he posted a sign, "No Republicans Allowed", in the window. He promptly was flooded with profitable traffic from the 1944 Republican National Convention. In 1945, Sianis approaches the gates of Wrigley Field, where game four of the World Series is about to be played, with his goat Murphy. He asks the ushers to ask Cubs owner Philip Wrigley Jr. if Murphy can accompany him (Murphy being appropriately outfitted in a "We Got Detroit's Goat" blanket) into the Park – a request Wrigley denies by replying, "[T]he goat stays out, because he smells." Although reports differ, it's said Sianis declared to all as he walked away, "Them Cubs, they ain't gonna win no more." And, unlike the Curse of the Bambino, the Curse of the Goat has remained unbroken, despite multiple attempts from all to lift the curse. In 1950, Wrigley extended to Murphy his sincere apologies. In 1969, a year prior to his death, Bill Sianis formally lifted the Curse ... but the Cubs evidently hadn't learned their lesson; on July 4, 1973, nephew Sam Sianis brought Socrates the Goat to Wrigley, and was refused entrance at every gate. Sam and Socrates were invited back in 1984, 1989, 1994 and 1998, and each appearance garnered brief spells of good luck for the Cubs – but none were enough to lift the curse completely. Fans have even tried their own various curse-lifting rituals. In 2003, Cubs fans Jim Comiskey, David Townsend and Bill Miller – and Virgil Homer the Goat – were denied entrance to Houston's Minute Maid Park. When refused, they unfurled a scroll and announced the curse reversed. The Cubs had a stellar season, but it's believed by many fans that Steve Bartman's swipe of the ball in the eighth-inning rally was somehow the Curse's fault. In 2007¹ (GRAPHIC PHOTO) and 2009, butchered goats appeared overnight suspended from the Harry Caray statue in front of Wrigley Field. Neither animal sacrifice garnered any particular luck for the team. Amongst the crowds visiting the Billy Goat – and both encouraging and documenting the Curse – were its regulars: the newspaper men. Situated between the Wrigley Building and the Sun-Times Building (the latter demolished by Trump), the tavern was perfectly situated to serve the late-drinking newspaper crowd. The affection was mutual: the 2005 'funeral' for Chicago's longstanding City News Bureau was held at the inn. And it's where legendary columnist Mike Royko (RIP, Mike) felt he had a second home. In fact, Royko, notoriously private and gruff, gave a until-recently-unseen interview in 1982 at the Goat that displayed such a relaxed attitude that it amazed his son.² (If you've never read him, some of Royko's columns can be read online here and here – as well as his famous Nativity rewrite "Mary and Joe: Chicago-Style" (which was filmed!).) The Billy Goat continues to thrive. There are even bizarro Billy Goat outposts in the West Loop and near the United Center where it's "no cheeps – fries" — as well as a new D.C. place. The Billy Goat also is making its way onto the Internet – while the Curse is on MySpace, the Goat is on Facebook. And not only has it made its way onto the Internet, and to the nation's capitol, it's also opened a branch in the DC Comics Universe. John Constantine takes a thwack at the Curse in "All I Goat for Christmas", one of five stories in Hellblazer #250 (intro page), in which he fights a horned Goat demon in a vividly illustrated Billy Goat. Proving that even Superman, Batman, and the Phantom Stranger live in a universe where they too can get a cheezborger. ¹With a plaque saying: "As of October 3, 2007: let it be known to the spirit of Sam Sianis and all powers that be, I, Leon "Bull" Bartman, have sacrificed my goat life and thereby have reversed the "curse" and have blessed the cubs with "the Holy Cow"!!!! And in the name of Harry, Santo, Woo, Mr. Cub, "The Girls", Sweet Lou, Hendry, WGN, Mr. Wrigley, Tribune Co., all the Billy Goats of the world, and the best fans in baseball I SAY.....GO CUBS GO.....GO CUBS GO...HEY CHICAGO WHAT DO YOU SAY...THE CUBS ARE GONNA WIN TODAY!" ²Comment from David Royko: "My father [...] was rarely truly relaxed on camera [...][w]e don't even have that much home video [...] [i]t's a real knockout for me, because it is my father when he was relaxed, had had a couple but it seems not more, was with friends and softball buddies [...] telling a favorite story [...] [m]y father in this wonderful vein was something preserved only in the memories of those of us who'd been around him, and here's a snapshot, out of the blue."

SNL Auditions

Ufez Jones — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:25:27 -0800

Saturday Night Live Auditions (all YT links): Phil Hartman, John Belushi, Dana Carvey (2), Will Ferrell, and Jim Breuer (2), (3).

Incredigreat

Potomac Avenue — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:01:52 -0800

I'm On a Boat, Featuring T-pain (NSFWork or Landlubbers) ...is the latest video from the new album by Incredibad who is Lonely Island. "A slew of "real" musicians will join Samberg on the album, including T-Pain, Norah Jones, Jack Black, E-40, the Strokes' frontman Julian Casablancas and Justin Timberlake." The album has a bunch of older and SNL-developed tracks, but also enough new stuff (like the update of Just Two Guys, We Like Sports) that f a n s might be reasonably expecting more gold this year from the Dudes. KABLAMO4EVER

I wear a rubber at all times; it's a necessity.

hypersloth — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 06:12:49 -0800

Jizz in my Pants is the newest (nsfpants) SNL Digital Short from The Lonely Island, featuring Justin Timberlake (ads, sorry) and Jamie Lynn Sigler. The Lonely Island first earned attention for things like Nintendo Cartoon Hour and Bing Bong Brothers, and have gained notoriety for things like Lazy Sunday and Dick in a Box. Previously, here, here, here, here..

Big Bad John

nooneyouknow — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:15:20 -0800

Big Bad John .

Those who appear to be a little too happy will be asked to leave.

amyms — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:12:25 -0800

How I Want To Be Remembered by Jack Handey. He was fabulously wealthy, but he would pretend to be broke, and often tried to borrow cigarettes and money from people. Little did they know that those who gave him stuff would later be rewarded in his will, with jewels and antigravity helmets. You may know Jack Handey from his Deep Thoughts which first gained fame on as filler between sketches on Saturday Night Live. He is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker (scroll down this page for his other essays).

Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Radio Radio - Saturday Night Live

carter — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:07:41 -0800

It was 30 years ago today that Elvis Costello and the Attractions appeared on Saturday Night Live. They'd wanted to play Radio Radio but SNL said no as it was thought to be 'anti-media.' So they started playing Less Than Zero, but stopped eight seconds in and played Radio Radio anyway, which led to them being banned from SNL for 12 years. Tip o' the hat to the Post Punk Progressive Pop Party.

Fear The Walken -- C-Eye Design :: Flash :: Christopher Walken Cowbell Soundboard

y2karl — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 13:24:49 -0800

More Cowbell

Iran So Far Away

maryh — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 13:23:46 -0800

Andy Samberg and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sittin' in a tree...

Emmy in a box

XQUZYPHYR — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 06:13:00 -0800

And the Emmy goes to... D*ck in a Box.

Comparing Heiresses

WCityMike — Wed, 02 May 2007 10:06:16 -0800

Amongst the many companies with offices in Manhattan is a multibillion-dollar French conglomerate that handles "diversified commodities, energy, shipping, real estate, manufacturing, and communications." The owner, Gerard, is one of the richest men in the world, and, at 75, his children and grandchildren stand to inheirit a tidy sum of perhaps half a billion each upon his passing. Unless you've been in a cave for a few decades, one of them has — given syndication, perhaps even daily — been making you laugh for a long, long time. A heiress and princess who you first met live from New York (where she met her husband), then a yuppie in a movie of Christmas indignities, and finally in a small, barely aired show about, er, nothing ... meet ~~Elaine~~ Julia, the multibillion-dollar heiress, Northwestern dropout, Emmy-winning actress, and even a distant relative of Richard Dreyfuss. And then compare her to a certain other celebrity heiress.

Dear Meme

ztdavis — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 12:26:04 -0800

(Spoilers in most links). So an SNL digital short, Dear Sister spoofs the second season finale of the OC. Now the internets just don't know when to stop, with parodies (of the parody) playing on everything from the obvious like The Departed, LOST, Snatch, The Matrix, Reservoir Dogs, and Predator to the not-so-obvious like Lord of the Rings, Raging Bull, Monty Python, Duck Hunt (my favorite), Looney Toons, LazyTown, Smash Brothers, Office Space, and Bio-Ooze Super Soakers.

Shave, shock and humiliate a man’s genitals in three seconds flat

homunculus — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 22:32:13 -0800

Torboto: The Robot That Tortures People.

Can you tell me how to check for a hernia?

jbickers — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 07:06:09 -0800

If Mittens chose to save Baby Penguin based on his beliefs, and Mittens' beliefs are not under his direct control, does Mittens really have freewill? SNL's spot-on parody of "Dora the Explorer."

Put a door in the box....

MapGuy — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 15:38:57 -0800

Put the bunny in the box... Back at ya Justin (previously). The world is going to hell, but at least we still have laughter. This smile is for sale here.

1: Cut a hole in a box..

hypersloth — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 19:46:15 -0800

A Special Christmas Box (youtube) might get pulled, but here's the official NBC video (which wants to resize your browser) of the newest SNL Digital Short, featuring Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg, two guys who know when a gift needs giving.

Conspiracy Theory Rock

riotgrrl69 — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 14:35:49 -0800

Media-opoly from Saturday Night Live's TV Funhouse skit created by Robert Smigel broadcast in 1998 on NBC, a subsidiary of GE. Not broadcast since, apparently.

I assure you we will not let the glaciers win.

XQUZYPHYR — Sun, 14 May 2006 05:40:46 -0800

In the face of the overwhelming problems in this country, President Al Gore took the time last night to appear before the country on NBC and address each issue with the American people.

Lazy Ramadi

ColdChef — Sat, 13 May 2006 12:30:45 -0800

Lazy Ramadi

Curtis Salgado - the original Blues Brother

goodnewsfortheinsane — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 08:11:53 -0800

"John Belushi is here," Curtis Salgado said to his bandmates after that fateful show in Eugene, Oregon, one evening in 1977 (pdf). "[We said, 'Who's John Belushi?' because for as long as we could remember, we'd always had to work on Saturday nights."

"The new Audrey Hepburn?"

Sinner — Sun, 05 Mar 2006 10:46:23 -0800

"Damn, Natalie, you a crazy chick!" (video) Natalie Portman, rapper and riot grrl? Maybe Lazy Sunday (video;mefi post) wasn't a freak occurence after all. Personally, I had expected the Lonely Planet guys to end up a one-hit wonder, but in my book they've (at least) moved up a notch to talented one-trick pony. Another very well-done digital short that should be seen by a lot more people than SNL's dismal ratings will allow.

The day after SNL's "Lazy Sunday"

centerpunch — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 08:46:21 -0800

Lazy Monday, a west coast response to SNL's "Lazy Sunday" video, is the best, but not the only fan followup. The midwest is represented by Lazy Muncie, and for a surprisingly well done version with 11 year olds lipsyncing to the original, there is Lazy 11-year-old Sunday.

Frat-based zeitgeist

mrgrimm — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 11:55:55 -0800

"More cowbell!" is the new "Freebird."

Chronics of Narnia

piratebowling — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 21:28:32 -0800

Lazy Sunday. Apparently SNL occasionally can be funny still. Points for giving shoutouts to magnolia bakery and MeFi's favorite recent web toy google maps