I believe Darrell Hammond performed on his last SNL
I will now delve into a bit of speculation on the part of Saturday Night Live. I may be way off base here, but the show’s 34th season finale may have been the last for Darrell Hammond. There’s no official word from either the show or NBC that Hammond is leaving, and a quick look around the Interweb didn’t provide any news stories on his departure. However, there were a few signs from the finale that point to it being the last for the 14-year SNL veteran.
First, since the election ended, Darrell was a featured player in a number of sketches. In two of them — the cold open where he played Dick Cheney and in Celebrity Jeopardy where he played Sir Sean Connery — he was able to utilize his talent for voices. Granted, these were also scenes that featured guest host Will Ferrell as both George Bush and Alex Trebek. So, having Hammond appear in them was a given.
Saturday Night Live – Will Ferrell; Green Day
Another season of Saturday Night Live come and gone. 34 seasons is an impressive feat for any program. This show really has become an institution, as well as a launching point for many comedy careers. One of those careers is Will Ferrell’s, so it seems right that he is back hosting the season finale. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he has a big summer movie opening this year too.
I was happy to see that SNL ended the season on a high note, as I thought this was one of the best episodes of the season. Like last week there were a ton of special appearances and cameos, some oddly placed, but they were still fun. Let’s break it down….
Ten best movies adapted from TV series
Last week I did a little dumpster diving on the Hollywood backlot and pulled out a collection of vomit-inducing big screen adaptations that failed miserably to live up to the TV series that inspired them. The putrid stench of their incompetence still clings to the walls at FOX, Warner Bros., and Universal. No amount of Lysol can combat these odious bombs.
Out with the bad; in with the good. Once in a great while, Tinseltown gets it right. The small screen to big screen transition — when placed in the hands of skilled practitioners — can be quite smooth. The following list of successes is the exact reason why TV series are such popular fodder for movie producers. Without further adieu, let’s frolic in a jasmine-scented meadow and drink from the cool refreshing waters of a babbling brook. It’s time to inhale some cinema goodness.
BBC Babble – Bond… James Bond
Is there a more definitive fictional British character than James Bond? I say no. You could argue Sherlock Holmes, I guess. What about Ebenezer Scrooge? Robin Hood and Macbeth deserve consideration as well. However, none of those personae has reached the same pop culture icon status as 007. Ian Fleming’s suave spy was a hit in print, but became an institution on the big screen.
Including 1983’s ill-conceived Sean Connery resurrection in Never Say Never Again, there have been 23 movie incarnations of James Bond. Six actors have carried a license to kill. Some have been good: Connery and Daniel Craig. Others have sucked: George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton.
Ten worst movies adapted from TV series
Hollywood loves an easy sell. They prefer projects with built-in audiences because the risk of failure is lessened. More and more producers are looking to repackage television shows from past and present in hopes of striking gold. It may be a lazy practice, but it does make good business sense. In an industry where misses are more frequent than hits, a popular TV series delivered to the big screen properly can mean mega-bucks at the box office.
The only problem with this concept is more often than not, television fails to translate to cinema. If things go awry, it’s best to seek the nearest shelter and avert your eyes from the monumental calamity certain to annihilate your favorite multi-plex. Because when Hollywood screws up, they screw up BIG!!!
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