hollywood q&a
Late laughs
By Adam Thomlison
TV Media
A Little Late With
Lilly Singh
Q: When a non-comedian
hosts “Saturday Night Live,”
do they write their own
monologue or do they use
the staff writers?
A: In the bizarre world that’s
been built in and around NBC’s
Studio 8H, where “Saturday
Night Live” is produced, it’s not
a question of whether you col-
laborate, but how much.
Most people who’ve talked
about the writing process on the
iconic sketch show describe it
almost like one long story meet-
ing. The writers and the guest
host pile into creator Lorne
Michaels’ office on Monday to
pitch ideas and basically don’t
separate again until the early
hours of the following Sunday.
In that context, even the
seasoned comedian hosts take
input on their monologues. But
the inexperienced ones, unsur-
prisingly, get quite a bit more
support.
Former head writer Adam
McKay, for example, says one
of his favorite memories was
of literally running through the
studio halls minutes before air
to bring new monologue lines
to a host.
McKay’s successor, Seth
Meyers, said the challenge with
inexperienced hosts is less about
the writing and more about the
performance.
“Oftentimes by the time it’s
a problem, you know they can’t
[deliver jokes] ... and sometimes
they’re holding on to the idea
that they can.”
I’ve noticed
here in L.A.,
when
anyone gets
sick, they have
17 different ways to fix it,
and none of them are
medicine. Instead, they turn
to crystals and sage and
spiritual guidance, which
are somehow sold at Urban
Outfitters.
Q: Did Clarence Gilyard Jr.
ever compete in rodeos? He
wears a large cowboy buckle
most of the time when in
jeans.
A: The love of horse riding and
all things western is not acting
for Clarence Gilyard Jr.
Indeed, he says his rodeo
skills are a part of what earned
him his most famous role
— Ranger Jimmy Trivette on
“Walker, Texas Ranger.”
His agent directed him to
the casting call, he said, and he
immediately thought it was a
good fit.
“I was pretty much a cow-
boy back then,” he said in an
interview with Get.tv. “When I
12 | Screentime
“Saturday Night Live” showrunner Lorne Michaels
looked at the breakdown for the However, it seems that he had
character, it was pretty obvious
nothing to do with it.
… because of the physicality —
Rather, they’re selected inde-
because I was a martial artist,
pendently by numerous different
because I rodeoed, because I
set dressers because of what
played college football. All those they symbolize.
things, that was what the char-
“Apparently it is the paragon
acter was.”
of Americana,” “Roseanne” pro-
There doesn’t seem to be a
duction designer Garvin Eddy
list anywhere of rodeo competi- said in an interview with Slate
tions that he’s won, so I can’t
magazine. He also supported
say for sure which or how many
your interest in the blankets. “In
of his belt buckles were prizes,
all of the thousands of TV show
but he’s earned his rodeo cred in sets that I have designed over
another, maybe more valuable
42 years in Hollywood, no other
way.
piece of set dressing has gotten
Gilyard is the honorary chair-
as much attention.”
man of the charity Cowboys for
Set decorator Ann Shea said
Kids, a Phoenix-based organiza-
that she had never seen a single
tion that raises money for chil-
episode of “Roseanne” when
dren in need. He also competes
she made the same blanket
in celebrity rodeo competitions
choice for “Big Bang Theory”
as a fundraising activity.
character Amy’s room. She said
But these days, his devotion
she chose an identical afghan
to riding and roping is a pastime blanket — known affectionately
at best, playing second fiddle
as the granny-square — be-
to his true love of acting. But
cause they have “great texture,
his devotion to the West is still
color and lots of character.”
strong.
As for who supplies them,
Eddy said that the “Roseanne”
Q: I have noticed in the
set blanket came from a spe-
last few years that a variety
cific crafter in Los Angeles who
of handmade afghans are
makes them to sell in antique
showing up on the backs
stores.
of the couches of vari-
As for a trend towards homi-
ous shows: “The Big Bang
ness, that might be a byproduct
Theory” had a classic granny- of the larger trend towards
square afghan, as did “Rose-
what’s being called the Middle
anne” and now “The Con-
American sitcom. The common
ners.” “The Middle,” “Young element among all these shows
Sheldon” and others have
— apart from the blankets — is
them as well. Is this a trend
that they all seem to take place
towards hominess? Who sup- about a million miles away from
plies them?
New York or L.A., which used
A: More amazing than the
to be the default settings for TV
fact that these blankets show up shows.
on TV so often is the fact that it’s
Have a question? Email us
not intentional.
at questions@tvtabloid.com.
The first thing I noticed about
Please include your name and
your question is that all but
town. Personal replies will not
one of the shows you list came
be provided.
from sitcom guru Chuck Lorre.
January 1, 2020 | East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald
Astrology is another big
thing that people believe
in. They’ll use it for
guidance, for support, even
for an excuse! You can’t be
on trial for murder and say,
“I plead not guilty, Your
Honor, because Mercury
was, like, totally in
retrograde, and it wasn’t
my fault!”
Conan
Democrats
are now
deciding
which of
President
Trump’s crimes to include in
the articles of
impeachment. So far they
have bribery, obstruction of
justice and fathering Don
Jr. He could get the chair
for that one.
Nancy Pelosi said she
doesn’t hate the president
because she’s a Catholic,
and Catholics don’t hate
people. I just want to say,
as a lifelong Catholic, I
think that was the funniest
thing I have ever heard in
my life. We hate everyone!
this, the victims of
Chernobyl said, “Totally
worth it!”
The Tonight Show
Starring
Jimmy
Fallon
It’s looking
like Trump
could be
impeached before
Christmas, but if he
behaves, Nancy will let
Trump open one of his
charges on Impeachment
Eve.
Wal-Mart has apologized
for selling a sweater that
features Santa with cocaine
— I guess that explains
why Rudolph’s nose is so
red.
I read that the tube in
London will now have first
class cars where the rich
can drink champagne and
eat hors d’oeuvres.
Meanwhile, on the New
York subway, you can still
play the fun game, “Is that
man passed out or dead?”
The Late Show With
Stephen
Colbert
For years,
undocumented
workers served Trump’s
meals, cleaned his homes
and ironed his boxer shorts.
That’s right, boxer shorts.
The only tighty whitey in
Trump’s White House is
Mike Pence!
Among Jewish voters,
Trump’s approval rating is
29%, which, among Jewish
voters, is slightly less than
Mel Gibson.
Due to a doping scandal,
Russia is banned from the
2020 Olympics and the
2022 World Cup. Russia
replied, “No problem, at
least we can still
participate in America’s
2020 presidential election.”
Jimmy Kimmel
Live
The miniseries “Chernobyl”
got four Golden Globe
nominations. After hearing
Tomorrow,
Time
magazine
will name
their Person of the Year for
2019, which is exciting.
They’ve whittled the
finalists down to five,
[which] is crazy because we
all know the person of the
year is Baby Yoda.
There’s a lot of fake stuff
on Instagram. For instance,
you know how when you
see photos of people and
they look happy? They’re
not.
I have no problem with the
president not working. In
fact, that is what I want. I
don’t want him working.
You know you’re on a bad
road trip when you’re glad
the driver fell asleep at the
wheel. That’s how I look at
it.
Late Night With Seth
Meyers
A team of
three men
announced
last week
that they have
set a new cross-country
speed record, driving from
Manhattan to Los Angeles
in 28 hours. “How did you
get from New York to L.A.
that fast?!” said Spirit
Airlines.
A dentist in Alaska is on
trial after he was caught on
video extracting a patient’s
tooth while riding a
hoverboard. The jury will
rule next week, while the
dentist already does.
Officials in Las Vegas are
searching for a person who
has been placing miniature
cowboy hats on the heads
of pigeons — hopefully to
give them the key to the
city.
President Trump met with
the Russian minister of
foreign affairs today. On
the same day he’s being
impeached. That is brazen.
That’s like buying a boat
and naming it “The Missing
Wife.”