Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Finished (E-Reader) - "Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live" - Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller

Really liked "Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live" - Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller.  I was surprised that the book was virtually all quotes from cast members, writers, producers, guests etc.. It took a little time to get into the format, but it was well worth it.  


I had lost touch with the show during the early '80's and picked up again about 5 years later.  It's interesting to see what happened during those years, what well known faces were on the show when I wasn't watching.  I certainly remember the original cast, and many of the later casts, but don't remember Julia Louis-Dreyfus and that period, though, of course, I remember her from Seinfeld - also didn't know Larry David was involved in SNL.


Lorne Michaels comes across, probably as he'd like to, as an odd combination of genius and difficult parent.  


The logistics of the show are amazing - the still-running (at publication time) all nighter writing sessions on Tuesday to meet the read-through on Wednesday is legendary.  It's also nice to see how the long-termers evolved, and how the show became a mechanism for young stars to become stars. 

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