Semi-Deep Thoughts

Classic SNL Recap - Season 14 Finale

Being that season 50 started off with 4 consecutive new episodes it’s been a while since we have had a chance to check in on the classic era, but we are back with the Steve Martin hosted conclusion to season 14. Peacock cut out a lot from this one; the stream only runs 30 minutes long. The closing goodbyes actually gave us a good hint as to what was eliminated. In addition to musical guest Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers the stage included two surprise cameo guests - supermodel Paulina Porizkova, whose sketch made the cut, and Timothy Busfield, whose did not. I had to dig deep into my memories until I remembered a sketch about a new, thirtysomething inspired update of The Coneheads.

In addition, several of the cast were still in costume during the closing goodbye. Mike Myers was dressed as Dieter (man, I loved Sprockets) and Phil Hartman, Kevin Nealon, and Jon Lovitz were in their Frankenstein’s monster, Tarzan, and Tonto costumes. This is how much of a treasure Phil Hartman was. Rather than the standard group hugs, he remained in character. He kept the monster face going, and he waved his arms as if he were shouting “fire, bad!”

This episode held with it an air of sadness, as it was that very day that Gilda Radner died following a long battle with cancer. I’ve already spoken several times about what a true delight she was; I can only imagine how badly the news devastated everyone involved with the show. Don’t forget, the band leader at the time, G.E. Smith, was Radner’s first husband. This segment was not included in the Peacock stream, but in the live show they skipped the traditional monologue. Instead, Martin, while fighting back tears, introduced a showing of the classic Dancing In the Dark sketch which starred Radner and Martin.

This episode heavily featured Martin solo showcases. In one he offers a comedic ode to his wife, in another he discusses the importance of the camera always showing his good side. The cold open featured an Oval Office address with Dana Carvey as George Bush. There has been a lot of criticism of Carvey’s current Joe Biden impression, with many pointing out that he limits it to a small handful of verbal tics which he repeats over and over. That’s nothing new for him; when he did Bush he constantly relied on words and phrases such as “at this juncture,” “wouldn’t be prudent,” etc.

My highlights of the week were both recurring bits, such as the introduction of Toonces, The Cat Who Could Drive a Car. I make no apologies for being a Toonces fan. There were only 3 jokes to the bit: the panicked face on the Toonces puppet, the stock footage of the car driving off a cliff, and the realization that he can drive, “just not very well.” For some reason, there’s something about that particular phraseology that makes it work. It also helps that they never tried to drag any Toonces sketch out for too long. The format was rigid, but all they needed to do was make those compulsory jokes and then end it.

I also liked Jon Lovitz’s Get To Know Me bit. It’s another simple premise, he offers the key to success as nothing more than getting to know him. This week’s edition even included a rare on camera sighting of Don Pardo.

I’d have a lot more to say about the episode had Peacock not edited it down so severely. I suspect the sketches that were cut out were better than some of the ones included. There was an advertisement for an album in which Tammy Wynette (Jan Hooks) sang famous classical pieces. It consisted of her simply singing the words “stand by your man” over the music to the likes of Beethoven’s Fifth. It was pretty pointless. Next time I’ll tackle the premiere episode from Season 15. Bruce Willis handled the hosting duties that week.

An All-Time Celebrity Crush

She has been quite ill for years, but it was still a gut punch to have learned that Teri Garr died. She was one of the absolute greats, having mastered multiple aspects of show business, and she always came across as an extraordinary likable person.

She began her career as a dancer, appearing in the backgrounds in several Elvis movies. She was also one of the dancers in the classic concert film The T.A.M.I. Show. I tried to pick her out of the crowd when I saw it; I think I recognized one of the dancers as her, but she was quite young at the time so I can’t be certain that I selected the correct dancer. She was seemingly everywhere throughout the 60’s - to use two examples she was in the Monkees’ movie Head as well as the Gary Seven episode of Star Trek.

My earliest memory of her was as a regular in the cast of the Sonny & Cher variety show before her movie career took off with her casting as Inga in Young Frankenstein, which was only one of many outstanding movies of the time that she appeared in. The Conversation. Close Encounters Of the Third Kind. Even Oh, God! Unfortunately she was a victim of the inherent sexism in the comedy scene. As amazing of a career as she ultimately had, it should have been better. I had mentioned this before, but just try to imagine the sorts of roles that would have custom made for her had a Tina Fey type had that sort of power during Garr’s heyday.

She went on to earn an Oscar nomination for her role in Tootsie which finally helped give her leading roles, such as in Mr. Mom. But really, she was spectacular in everything, no matter the size of the role or no matter to what extent the quality of the material was beneath her considerate talents. I recently rewatched After Hours. In a movie filled with great comic actors and wacky characters, she was the standout. I suppose the most recent role that gave her prominent notice was her recurring role as Phoebe’s birth mother in Friends, which was inspired casting.

That was her last gasp, as she dealt with major health issues in the last 20 years of her life. In addition to a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, she also suffered a near fatal brain aneurysm during that period. As a result she largely withdrew from the public spotlight.

But I’m burying the lede. In addition to being a superb comedienne, she was also one of the most magnificent talk show guests of all time. I headlined this section by describing her as an all-time celebrity crush. I’m underselling that; I can make the argument that she is my single all-time #1 celebrity crush, and that is largely due to her appearances on the NBC version of the David Letterman show. She was on all the time, and they barely bothered talking about whatever project she was plugging. They had an amazing rapport, and she was always such a good sport. I don’t know if it’s humanly possible for one person to be as consistently charming and personable as she was in these appearances.

Teri Garr was 79. I sometimes overuse the term “national treasure.” Trust me, she was a national treasure. This loss hurts.

Final Thoughts On WNBA 2024

I had so many feels as I was watching the ticker tape parade thrown for the Liberty that it made me realize I’m gonna be a complete basket case when the Mets finally win a World Series. The fact that the players on the Liberty appear to be a likable bunch was a huge factor in making it such a feel-good occasion. That, as well as the unique circumstances of this year. Whichever WNBA team won the title in this transformative season for the league earned an extra special victory lap.

I’ve talked about the metrics time and again this year. Attendance and television rating numbers were impressive all season, and they remained so even after Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever were eliminated from the playoffs, proving that it’s more than simply excitement over one player. The W as a whole has come into its own; even the nonsensical sports debate shows have carved out time for the hosts to scream at each other about the league, for better or worse. You could almost call the coaching carnage as a sign that the league is coming into its own. 7 of the 12 teams have either fired or parted ways with their coach. That’s rough, but it also shows how high the stakes are being raised.

I’ll also take this opportunity to say “I told you so.” I first became a fan of women’s basketball during the 1984 Olympics, more specifically from watching Cheryl Miller play. It was a long wait to see a domestic league develop. There was a brief attempt to form one in the early 90’s which only lasted as long as an all-star game that was used to audition the league. This league tried to use a shorter rim & smaller ball to encourage dunking & had the players wear unitards to attract a male audience. That died without a trace.

The WNBA was established in 1997 & I have been a fan of the league since Day 1. Admittedly the quality of play in the first season or two often left something to be desired. The rival ABL formed at the same time and there was not a deep enough talent pool to support two leagues. The ABL dissolved after 2 years, but even with all of the talent concentrated in one league the growing pains were severe.

It did not take long for the league to become a target for insecure men. Approximately 75% of the bandwidth of the entire internet was devoted to cheap shot jokes at the league’s expense. The misogyny was crystal clear; MLS had the exact same shaky beginnings but there wasn’t a cottage industry of MLS jokes as there was with the WNBA. Most of the mockery was uncalled for; yes more than half of the original franchises eventually folded - including the Houston Comets who won the first 4 titles - but that is nothing unusual for a new league. Major League Baseball is no longer played in Worcester or Hartford; there is no current NBA franchise in Fort Wayne or Rochester, nor will you see an NFL game in Canton or Decatur.

The jokesters also refused to take into account the fact that it takes a long time for a new league to gain traction. For goodness sake the NBA Finals used to air on tape delay. As massive as the league’s growth has been, there is still a lot to be done. The player’s association used their option to renegotiate the basic agreement a year early. With revenue exploding the players deserve to be paid more. No one is being delusion here; of course they don’t expect to receive NBA salaries. But they do deserve to share the same percentage of revenue that their NBA brethren receives.

After all, the higher that WNBA salaries are, the less reason there is for the players to sign with overseas teams during the offseason. That is a brutal schedule for those that do, it’s insane to essentially play a 12 month schedule every year with little time for recovery. One year Diana Taurasi’s Russian team ordered her to take a year off from the WNBA. Being that her Russian salary was much higher than her WNBA one, it was an easy decision for her to sit out. And of course those financial considerations were the reason why Britney Griner was even in Russia in the first place.

The other drawback to having so much of the league overseas for several months is that it creates an out of sight out of mind situation. It’s difficult to promote the league if many of your big names are in Türkiye. That’s why this winter’s introduction of the Unrivaled league is significant. It is a 3 on 3 league founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier which will begin play in January. More than two dozen WNBA players have committed to playing, and they will all receive equity in the league. 3 on 3 is not as physically draining as full court, so they will get good practice without wearing themselves out too much. Plus, the league has already signed a TV deal with TNT. There is now less of a reason for players to leave the country in the offseason and that will benefit everyone in the long run.

(Probable) Final 2024 Thoughts On the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

Now that another induction ceremony is in the books, things look to be quiet until the nominating committee meets early next year and reveals the list of nominees for the Class of 2025. So why not take a moment to consider what’s next.

The challenge of the ceremony itself presents an unsolvable problem. In the past few years the Hall has made a commitment to making full use of the side categories, which is a good thing. There should be a place for lesser-known yet vitally important artists or behind the scenes figures. Just because someone like Norman Whitfield isn’t the biggest household name doesn’t mean that he wasn’t a crucial contributor to our collective pop culture, and he deserves the recognition. This comes with a price. The more people honored on any particular evening, the longer the ceremony is going to be.

There are basically three components to the ceremony: the film clips, the speeches, and the performances. Producers have correctly made the film packages longer; this affords enough time to fully tell the story of why this person is important. Compromises have come with the performance portion. Acts are limited to a set that lasts only 7 minutes long; that’s why they have mostly been medleys. And if a side category honoree is deceased, their segment is usually limited to the film package.

The speeches need to be cut down, but that’s easier said than done. You try telling Cher that she can only speak for 3 minutes, or even better, see what happens if the band attempts to play her off if she’s going on too long. I suppose there are more reasonable potential solutions. They could try having only member of a band speak on behalf of the entire group (good luck with that one) or making it clear to the presenters that their speeches have a maximum length that will be strictly enforced. Or even kill two birds with one stone - instead of a presenter’s speech have that person narrate the film package. No solution is ideal, but the Hall needs to do something. I was exhausted watching at home; I can only imagine how torturous it must have been for those at the venue.

Finally, what will next year’s class look like? Or more specifically, did the ceremony offer any hints? That can be tricky. I remember the ceremony in which Kim Gordon was one of the singers performing with Nirvana and the next day Questlove promised that he would heavily lobby for a Sonic Youth nomination. He must not have been persuasive, that nomination is yet to happen. On the other hand, I have to believe that Peter Frampton’s appearance at last year’s ceremony at the very least brought his name to the forefront.

With that in mind, there are several names who either appeared on stage or in the filmed packages that could very well be in the conversation. I’ll start with Kris Kristofferson. I raised an eyebrow when I saw that he led off the In Memoriam segment. I’m calling it now; he will be a Musical Influence inductee next year. I’ll also keep an eye out for Queen Latifah and the previously nominated Cyndi Lauper. Sightings of Andre 3000, Method Man, and Posdnous could bode well for OutKast, The Wu-Tang Clan, and De La Soul respectively. Billy Idol could very easily be next year’s Peter Frampton. Was Alanis Morrissette’s appearance in a film clip a sign that she and the Hall have kissed and made up? Might Pink be a first year eligible nominee next year? We’ll find all of this out once the process kicks back into gear in a couple of months.

Non-Peak TV - BJ & the Bear

This show felt almost like the television version of a key party. There was a bowl filled with an assortment of plot points, and a TV producer just grabbed things at random and built a show around it. Let’s see, a show starring a big rig truck driver? Next, a bumbling sheriff to serve as his chief antagonist? OK, one more. A chimpanzee sidekick? That’s gold Jerry, gold!

That gives us BJ & the Bear, which somehow ran for 3 seasons. Greg Evigan starred in the titular role (that was BJ, the chimp was the bear) and the show followed his escapades as his routes somehow frequently brought him in the midst of some sort of local crime (usually at the hands of corrupt businessmen) that he was more than happy to help the citizenry fight against. Against all odds more often than not there was an attractive young woman conveniently involved in the plot for a romance of the week.

And before getting a spin-off series of his own, BJ often crossed paths with Claude Akins as Sheriff Lobo. It was practically a requirement that for any TV show or movie which involved a lot of time spent in vehicles there also had to be a counterpoint in law enforcement. It could be a sheriff, it could be a state trooper. Just as long as he was comically corrupt or incompetent, just sit back and let the hilarity ensue.

In a ratings ploy in the final season a new element to the show was added with the introduction of a new set of characters - the 7 lady truckers. This included a pair of identical twins, because of course it did. All one needs to know about the level of creativity that this show had was seen with the character portrayed by Judy Landers, an actress who let’s just say had a very noticeable physique. Her character was named Stacks! I’m picturing the conversations as the writers were developing that character. “She’s a buxom blonde.” “Fantastic, let’s name her Stacks.” “Gee, do you think that’s a little too subtle for our target audience?”

It’s a sign of how dire things were for NBC in the late 1970’s that it was actually one of the network’s bigger successes of the era. Looking at it through a modern lens the best thing I can see about it is that it was a poor man’s Dukes Of Hazzard. At least there were no confederate flags to be seen here.

Closing Laughs

That will be enough for today, all you good people. Many thanks for tuning in, and I will see you all again on Friday.