When certain people hear "'SNL' comedy," rightfully so, you expect it to be a certain kind of goofiness.
Before 'SNL,' I would do stand-up, opening for Jeff Tweedy. It was worse than bombing in that people were dead silent.
When I write on 'SNL,' I've found I'm most productive while collaborating and joking with friends and not being firmly attached to any one idea.
'SNL' is our main priority because that was our first big break.
I'm really impressed every time Kanye comes to perform at 'SNL' because he finds a new way to make that space work for him.
I started watching 'SNL' when I was thirteen or so; those were the Molly Shannon/Ana Gasteyer/Cheri Oteri years.
I'm a female in comedy, so of course I want there to be more women on 'SNL', and women of color.
It wasn't until I got 'SNL' that my parents told me they were a little bit worried, like that I would have food to eat.
I'm not the first person to say this, but communication at 'SNL' - I don't want to say it's not good, but unless you ask questions, you will not know what's going on.
I took my pants off in my 'SNL' audition. It was to do a character called Out of Breath Jogger from 1982. I had short shorts on underneath. It eventually aired, so it was worth it!
I would love to stay at SNL forever. But you can't stay in the same place. People think you're a loser.
I think I made more money when I was lifeguarding at 15 years old than I did on my first year at 'SNL.'
Seeing the energy of 'SNL' made me want to be a part of it. If that was a job, I thought, that was the job I wanted. That was my plan. Comedy.
You can track elections by who was playing that president on 'SNL' at that time. There's the theory that the more likable or charismatic impression would help get the president elected.
I am always so happy to be at 'SNL.' I still feel like a kid when I'm there, like I can't believe I'm watching them make the show.
I used to watch 'SNL' when I was babysitting, after I put the kids to bed. It was the Gilda Radner and Bill Murray era. I loved it.
The hard part about SNL is, there's no real communication when you get there. It's not like people are mean to you, they just act like you're not there.
'SNL' has changed my career because it gave it a platform to be seen. And I really feel like the Weekend Update desk is where I am given the opportunity to shine on that show.
Even when I was at 'SNL,' I didn't do impersonations. I always wanted to be the kind of person who could do them - I always thought they were the coolest thing on the show - but I didn't have any experience.
I was obsessed with 'Kids in the Hall', 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?', 'SNL'... like, I was a Conehead for one Halloween and the Wild and Crazy Guys for another.
If I watch an episode of SNL, and there's one thing that I liked, then that's a good episode.
I always took pictures, but about five or six years ago, I started taking more behind the scenes at SNL, and now I have some 60,000 photos sitting on my laptop.
Say what you will about the leadership of 'SNL,' they have crafted an institution as opposed to just running a show. I don't think that's by accident.
Chris Rock went from a guy whose name you knew from SNL to a legendary comedian by working his ass off.
We did reach a wider audience with 'SNL,' but it's hard to know what attracts people to your band in the long run.
I would say it wasn't until my fourth season on 'SNL' where people or my agent was saying, 'You're an actor.' I never thought of it that way.
I am a fan of 'SNL' and a big Jimmy Fallon fan, too.
Well, basically, when you get SNL, everyone wants to take a meeting, just in case you end up being good.
I think 'SNL' was such a unique thing because it was material you created and you're very comfortable with it, even though the setting was pressure-packed.
'SNL' ain't been relevant since Jim Belushi. It's on every week; it's not funny. They need to find some black women to put on there to make it funny.
'SNL' has always been known for its ability to skewer politics, and the circus that was Palin's bid to be Vice President was ripe for parody.
I felt that it was cool to even get to the point where I was able to audition on the actual 'SNL' stage. Looking back on it, I can't believe that I wasn't more nervous.
If I could work with Eddie Murphy on 'SNL,' I think I could quit comedy forever. For me and my generation, he's God.
At 'SNL' there's framed pictures of all the cast members, and it starts with Dan Aykroyd. It's linear. It just keeps going through all these people, and then you're at the end of it.
SNL' and 'Half-Baked' came and certainly brought me a bigger audience. But I lost the perspective of being a real good comedian.
Definitely, I did not, after 'SNL,' say, 'OK, first I'll go be in Alexander Payne's movie.' I thought I might go back to writing, to be honest.
Plenty of black people that I know have been on 'SNL,' and they haven't been utilized to the best of their abilities.
Hosting 'SNL' was something I'd always wanted to do. The show allowed me to play to my strengths - mixing music with comedy seemed like a way into that world.
I steal props from 'SNL' a great deal. Almost every sketch I'm in, I try to grab something from it, so I have a storage space full of props.
If you watch 'SNL,' any time there's this thing with everyone singing, I'm, like, the one person who just has a straight line of dialogue because I can't sing to save my life.
I really like John McCain. He's an awesome dude and was a lot of fun when he hosted "SNL." I'd love to see a McCain-Giuliani "rage" ticket.
When I was at 'SNL,' I would constantly get in arguments, 'Why aren't we more political? We're not going after Bush.' Then look what happened - that Sarah Palin season, they were on fire. It was about something.
I was always self-conscious about the fact that I didn't have as much comedy experience as other people at 'SNL,' and I kept thinking they were going to realize they'd made a mistake by hiring me.
Tina Fey is part of a generation of women who have changed the face of comedy at 'Second City,' 'SNL,' in sitcoms and in film.
People get recruited from sketch groups and put on 'Mad TV' and 'SNL,' but those aren't ensembles, they're all-star teams.
I hired Tina Fey for 'SNL,' which was certainly a good match. She took off right away there.
What's more important to 'SNL': comedy or buzz? To the writers, players and guest hosts, it's probably the former; to Lorne Michaels and the suits at NBC, it's ultimately probably the latter.
We thought we were going to go up against SNL on Saturday Nights - that would have changed things so much that it's almost impossible to speculate what might have happened.
At 'SNL,' we don't have the luxury to perfect things. However a video turns out, that's what we have to present. There's a number of things that I'm super embarrassed by and wish didn't air.
'SNL' is really hard to do when you're single and living alone. And then it's pretty tough when you're married, because you don't see your spouse.
'SNL' after-parties are sort of like a time to celebrate your successes and drown your sorrows, depending on how the show went for you.
It's definitely like being in some weird sorority. I'm friends with a lot of actresses, but my 'SNL' friends are my closest.
I had always wanted to be on SNL, it's not always great, but it's this leftover childhood dream.
At 'SNL,' I wrote political stuff, but I never felt the show should have an axe to grind. But when I left in '95, I could let my own beliefs out.
When I first set out to ruin SNL, I didn't think anyone would notice, but I persevered because - like you trying to do a nine-piece jigsaw puzzle - it was a labour of love.
When I left college, I was out of work for three years. I had this dream of being on 'SNL,' and that was all I could imagine.
My parents introduced me to 'SNL,' Monty Python, and Richard Pryor probably way earlier than they had any right to.
I steal props from SNL a great deal. Almost every sketch Im in, I try to grab something from it, so I have a storage space full of props.
Frank Sebastiano is a real write. He has two Emmys, one from 'SNL' and the other from 'The Chris Rock Show' . The only award I have is an FM-mmy.
Getting 'SNL' was pretty amazing, so just to be able to have an eight-year career there and be really happy with everything I did, it was pretty big.
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