my paper for school
Matthew Pacific
Ms. Cronin
11/08/04
Period G
Saturday Night Live
To be the center of attention is what we as humans naturally strive for. A comedic performer can bless a room with laughter and attain respect and adoration just from simply telling a joke. I certainly have found myself determined at times to brighten a room with smiles and focus attention upon myself. As the middle child in my family I believe that my all out efforts for attention are acquired as a result of being just one of four boys. Often do I find myself seeking humor and innovative ways to make people laugh. Everything I read and watched as a child was as to benefit my quest for comedy. I embedded all comedic skits, jokes, and one-liners in my memory only for them to be repeated afterwards for a few cheap laughs. This fascination of mine ultimately lead to the discovery of my destiny. Just four simple words echo through my head every weekend. “ Live from New York it’s Saturday night!”.
Upon the VCR of my room sits my personal bible of comedy. The 25th anniversary special of Saturday Night Live. This collection of comedic performances is an assortment of the top comedic skits performed over the past 25 years of the shows existence. Not only do these skits bring forth hilarity, but also some unforgettable names that are symbolic to comedy in our time era. Names such as Chris Farley, Chevy Chase, and Adam Sandler will forever be noted as the forefathers of modern day humor. This humor has created the highest rated late-night show in America since 1977. While the cast member have changed over the years, the basic elements remain the same; a celebrity host, musical guest, ensemble of cast members, sketches, commercial parodies, and fake news segments. These segments reflect our generation through a signature form of comedy. Along with the difficult schedule and pressure-filled production environment it has resulted in some classic comedy sketches and some abysmally dull moments over the years. Creating comedy in such a situation is difficult at best and the audience was always aware when the show was running dry (usually in the last half hour). But this sense of the immediate and the unforeseen also gave the show its needed edge. By returning to TV's live roots, Saturday Night Live gave its audiences an element of adventure with each program. It acquainted the generations who never experienced live television programming in the 1950s with the sense of theatre missing from pre-recorded programming.
Due to its longevity, SNL has breached generational lines and made the culture of a younger audience available to their elders. Most of the skits performed are a comedic representation of the weeks’ current events and it is in this sense that our generation is represented. In a society where everything is taken serious and children are being socialized at a much younger age, there is a lack of conversing between adults and children. In this generation kids are thirsting for a voice. What better to represent children then a group of adults whom spread our generations’ news and entertainment through a universal language, comedy.
All this representation is exemplified into a minute video where generation after generation are repeatedly voiced through hilarious parodies , skits, and commercials. Then talk about famous skit like bill Clinton and george bush and kerry and other shit
Ms. Cronin
11/08/04
Period G
Saturday Night Live
To be the center of attention is what we as humans naturally strive for. A comedic performer can bless a room with laughter and attain respect and adoration just from simply telling a joke. I certainly have found myself determined at times to brighten a room with smiles and focus attention upon myself. As the middle child in my family I believe that my all out efforts for attention are acquired as a result of being just one of four boys. Often do I find myself seeking humor and innovative ways to make people laugh. Everything I read and watched as a child was as to benefit my quest for comedy. I embedded all comedic skits, jokes, and one-liners in my memory only for them to be repeated afterwards for a few cheap laughs. This fascination of mine ultimately lead to the discovery of my destiny. Just four simple words echo through my head every weekend. “ Live from New York it’s Saturday night!”.
Upon the VCR of my room sits my personal bible of comedy. The 25th anniversary special of Saturday Night Live. This collection of comedic performances is an assortment of the top comedic skits performed over the past 25 years of the shows existence. Not only do these skits bring forth hilarity, but also some unforgettable names that are symbolic to comedy in our time era. Names such as Chris Farley, Chevy Chase, and Adam Sandler will forever be noted as the forefathers of modern day humor. This humor has created the highest rated late-night show in America since 1977. While the cast member have changed over the years, the basic elements remain the same; a celebrity host, musical guest, ensemble of cast members, sketches, commercial parodies, and fake news segments. These segments reflect our generation through a signature form of comedy. Along with the difficult schedule and pressure-filled production environment it has resulted in some classic comedy sketches and some abysmally dull moments over the years. Creating comedy in such a situation is difficult at best and the audience was always aware when the show was running dry (usually in the last half hour). But this sense of the immediate and the unforeseen also gave the show its needed edge. By returning to TV's live roots, Saturday Night Live gave its audiences an element of adventure with each program. It acquainted the generations who never experienced live television programming in the 1950s with the sense of theatre missing from pre-recorded programming.
Due to its longevity, SNL has breached generational lines and made the culture of a younger audience available to their elders. Most of the skits performed are a comedic representation of the weeks’ current events and it is in this sense that our generation is represented. In a society where everything is taken serious and children are being socialized at a much younger age, there is a lack of conversing between adults and children. In this generation kids are thirsting for a voice. What better to represent children then a group of adults whom spread our generations’ news and entertainment through a universal language, comedy.
All this representation is exemplified into a minute video where generation after generation are repeatedly voiced through hilarious parodies , skits, and commercials. Then talk about famous skit like bill Clinton and george bush and kerry and other shit