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Today's Top 10: Live from New York Edition

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Freelance Hack, Jan 24, 2009.

  1. Freelance Hack

    Freelance Hack Active Member

    60 years ago today John Belushi was born. Hard to believe Joliet Jake would be that old today.

    Since it's his birthday and since SNL's a repeat tonight, Today's Top 10 looks at the 10 best Not Ready for Primetime Players. The list looks just at their body of work on the show and not what they did elsewhere.

    1. Phil Hartman (the best impressionist the show's ever had)
    2. John Belushi
    3. Dan Aykroyd
    4. Will Ferrell
    5. Gilda Radner
    6. Eddie Murphy
    7. Dana Carvey
    8. Bill Murray
    9. Darrell Hammond
    10. Mike Myers

    Honorable Mention: Chevy Chase, Dennis Miller (if he only did more skits) and Tim Kazurinsky :)
     
  2. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    No Charles Rocket? Or Jay Mohr? Or Julia Louis-Dreyfus?
     
  3. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    1. Dana Carvey (the most dominant and versatile cast member ever)
    2. John Belushi
    3. Dan Aykroyd
    4. Phil Hartman
    5. Eddie Murphy
    6. Gilda Radner
    7. Bill Murray (kept the show hot as Belushi and Aykroyd faded away)
    8. Dennis Miller (Update counts big time)
    9. Billy Crystal
    10. Victoria Jackson
     
  4. Angola!

    Angola! Guest

    Chris Farley?
     
  5. Freelance Hack

    Freelance Hack Active Member

    It would be an interesting debate Carvey vs. Hartman. Both were excellent impersonators -- I just think Hartman had a wider range and better physical expressions. It wasn't just a voice with Hartman.

    Dennis Miller was the greatest anchor for Weekend Update. I will not debate that, but I bet you could count on one hand the number of skits he appeared in (I can only recall him playing George Bailey's brother in the alternate ending to It's a Wonderful Life skit).
     
  6. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    With Miller, I'd use the Sandy Koufax argument. When he was a cast member, a member of the show's best, deepest cast, Weekend Update was often the best part of the show.
     
  7. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    I'm not sure what my top 10 would be, but Angola is right...Farley is way up there.

    And Sandler too, even as annoying and trite as he has become.
     
  8. imjustagirl

    imjustagirl Active Member

    Farley was the ultimate one-trick pony. "Hey, look, it's the clumsy, stupid fat guy."

    No thanks.
     
  9. Freelance Hack

    Freelance Hack Active Member

    I loved Farley, but Belushi did what Farley did 20 years earlier. That's not a criticism, but who would you rather watch -- Farley or Belushi?

    And Sandler deserves some high praise too, but aside from his Weekend Update monologues -- he didn't have an outstanding character. What was his best ongoing skit? The guy who couldn't get the nerve to call his ex-girfriend?
     
  10. spnited

    spnited Active Member

    John Belushi
    Dan Akroyd
    Bill Murray
    Gilda Radner
    Chevy Chase
    Larraine Newman
    Garrett Morris
    Jane Curtin
    Eddie Murphy
    Billy Crystal
     
  11. Freelance Hack

    Freelance Hack Active Member

    Take out Murphy and Murray and you have what should have been the original cast.
     
  12. Angola!

    Angola! Guest

    Who are:

    Gilda Radner
    Larraine Newman
    Garrett Morris
    Jane Curtin

    Either they happened before my time or they have happened recently, when I stopped watching.
     
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