LADEN IS STILL ALIVE.
>> I DIDN'T TWEET IT.
IT'S A RETWEET WHICH IS SHORT
FOR A REALLY SMART TWEET.
>> YOU CAN'T JUST DO THINGS LIKE
THAT.
YOU'RE NOT JUST SOMEONE'S CRAZY
UNCLE?
>> REALLY, BECAUSE THIS
CONVERSATION IS A PREVIEW OF
THANKSGIVING DINNER AT A LOT OF
AMERICAN HOUSEHOLDS, SO CRAZY
UNCLES, STAND BACK AND STAND BY.
>> THAT IS ALEC BALDWIN BACK AS
PRESIDENT TRUMP, AND KATE
McKINNON PLAYING OUR OWN
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE.
ON A NEW EPISODE OF "SATURDAY
NIGHT LIVE."
ESA WRAY HOSTED THE SHOW WITH
MUSICAL GUEST JUSTIN BIEBER.
>> 45 YEARS AGO THIS MONTH, A
NEW ERA OF AMERICAN COMEDY BEGAN
WITH THE WORDS "LIVE FROM NEW
YORK, IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT."
CHIVVY CHASE, JOHN BELUSHI, AND
GILDA RADNER WERE AMONG THE NOT
READY FOR PRIMETIME PLAYERS WHO
STARTED THE REVOLUTION WITH A
30-YEAR-OLD PRODUCER LORNE
MICHAELS CALLING THE SHOTS.
THE SHOW QUICKLY BECAME A CRADLE
OF STARS AND AN APPOINTMENT FOR
THE COUNTRY EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT
AT AVENUE 11:30.
"SNL "NEW SEASON COMES IN THE
MIDDLE OF AN INTENSE
PRESIDENTIAL SEASON AND A
PANDEMIC.
LORNE AND I GOT TOGETHER INSIDE
THE FAMED STUDIO 8-H AS "SNL"
SCRAMBLED TO PUT ON THE SHOW
DEARTH ANOTHER HECTIC WEEK.
>> LIVE FROM NEW YORK.
>> FROM NEW YORK.
>> NEW YORK.
>> IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT.
>> IN A TIME WHEN ALMOST
EVERYTHING SEEMS OUT OF PLACE --
>> THE ONLY PRESCRIPTION IS MORE
COWBELL.
>> "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" IS
RIGHT WHERE IT BELONGS.
FOR 45 YEARS, THE
GROUND-BREAKING SKETCH COMEDY
SHOW AND ITS STAR-STUDDED CAST
HAVE CLOSED OUT THE WEEK ON A
FUNNY NOTE.
>> AND YOU'RE AN IDIOT.
>> MAKING US LAUGH AT THE WORLD.
>> IT WORKS!
>> ITS LEADERS.
>> STRATEGERY.
>> AND EVEN OURSELF.
>> NORMAN ROCKWELL PAINTING COME
TO LIFE, WILLIE GEIST.
>> AT THE CENTER OF IT ALL IS
"SNL'S" CREATOR AND PRODUCER,
LOER
LORNE MICHAELS.
>> AFTER WRAPPING LAST SEASON
REMOTELY, MICHAELS BEGAN
PLANNING THE SHOW'S RETURN TO
THE ICONIC STUDIO 8-H.
>> SAY WHAT YOU WILL ABOUT 2020,
BUT IT'S GOT MOVES.
>> WAS THERE EVER ANY CHANCE
THAT YOU WOULDN'T START THIS
SEASON BACK IN THE STUDIO?
>> I THINK IT WAS ALL I TALKED
ABOUT ALL SUMMER AND LEADING UP
TO IT, I NEED AN AUDIENCE.
BECAUSE WE'RE TAKING BIG SWINGS
AND THEY'RE HARD JOKES, WHEN YOU
DON'T HEAR ANY SOUND, IT THROWS
THE TIMING OFF.
AND THINGS THE OAUDIENCE DOES,
IT'S THE PLUG THAT MAKES THE
CIRCUIT WORK.
>> I THINK YOU SAID WE'RE NOT WE
CAN PULL IT OFF.
>> WE DID.
>> FEEL GOOD?
>> MY CURSE IS I MOSTLY SEE THE
MISTAKES, AND THEN SIX OR SEVEN
HOURS AFTER THE SHOW GOES OFF, I
START TO REALIZE, YEAH, IT
WASN'T BAD.
>> BIG GOVERNMENT DOESN'T MUZZLE
US WITH MASKS.
>> JUST 48 HOURS LATER, MICHAELS
AND HIS STAFF ALREADY WERE
LOOKING AHEAD TO THE NEXT SHOW.
AND TESTING NEW MATERIAL AT A
SOCIALLY DISTANCED AND MASKED UP
TABLE READ.
>> WEARING A SUIT TAILS, CARRY A
BIG BATON.
>> THE READ-THROUGH STARTS THERE
AND GOES ALL THE WAY TO THERE
WITH EVERYBODY AT A TABLE SIX
FEET APART AND MICROPHONES.
THIS ROOM IS NOW JUST A MUCH
BIGGER HONEST ROOM.
>> WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF
COMING BACK TO THESE SPACES?
>> FIRST AND FOREMOST, PROTOCOL,
EVERYBODY IS TESTED AS IS
WEAR THE MASK ALL THE TIME.
CAST WEAR THEM UP UNTIL THE
LIGHT GOES ON AND THEN TAKE THEM
OFF.
THE AUDIENCE IS IN MASKS.
>> PRESIDENT TRUMP, TWO MINUTES.
>> I'M GOING TO DO TEN.
>> EVEN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC HIT,
MICHAELS WAS ANTICIPATING A BUSY
2020.
>> LET'S DO THIS.
COME HOLD MY BLADDER, LET'S GET
AT HER.
>> WE HAD THAT DEBATE ON
THURSDAY NIGHT, AND THEN FRIDAY
WHEN THE PRESIDENT TESTED
POSITIVE, IT ALL CHANGED.
AND IT WAS BEING REWRITTEN.
THE SCRIPT CHANGES HAD GOTTEN
INTO THE CONTROL ROOM AND OUT TO
THE CARDS.
THEY SORT OF ROLLED WITH IT.
>> IMAGINE YOUR WRITERS AFTER
FOUR YEARS OF THIS HAVE A LITTLE
BIT GOTTEN USED TO IT KNOWING
WHAT YOU GO IN WITH THE TABLE
READ ON WEDNESDAY IS PROBABLY
GOING TO CHANGE.
GOOD MOST OFTEN, WE DON'T EVEN
ATTEMPT IT UNTIL FRIDAY.
WE HAVE BEEN DOING THE DEBATES
OR ANYTHING POLITICAL PARTY
NIGHT.
FORTUNATELY THE CAST ARE GOOD AT
IT.
AND THEY CAN ADAPT.
>> "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" HAS
BEEN ADAPTING TO THE NEWS AND TO
THE TIMES EVER SINCE THE CA
CANADIAN-BORN MICHAELS PITCHED A
FRESH COMEDY SHOW TO NBC
EXECUTIVES BACK WHEN GERALD FORD
>> FORD'S POPULARITY CERTAINLY
IS ON A SHARP RISE HERE.
>> NOVEMBER 11th, 1945, 45th
ANNIVERSARY, WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> I DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR THIS.
IT JUST WORKED OUT THAT WAY.
>> SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT 1975,
THE TUMULTUOUS TIME IN THE
COUNTRY, OBVIOUSLY, SO WHAT WAS
SORT OF THE ETHOS OF THE SHOW
WHEN YOU STARTED IT, AND DO YOU
STILL SEE IT OUT ON THESE STAGES
TODAY?
>> WHAT HAD HAPPENED THEN WAS
MOST OF THE ESTABLISHED
INSTITUTIONS HAD BEEN
DISCREDITED, AND THAT CHANGE LED
TO PEOPLE NOT KNOWING WHERE OR
HOW TO TRUST.
SO IT WAS MORE IMPORTANT TO TRY
AND BE AN HONEST VOICE.
OUR JOB IS MOSTLY TO ENTERTAIN
BUT TO DO IT WITH A LEVEL OF
INTELLIGENCE, BUT STILL MAKE YOU
LAUGH.
>> I THINK IF YOU START TO THINK
THAT YOU'RE DOING IMPORTANT
WORK, NOT A GOOD SIGN.
IT'S AN EARLY WARNING THAT
YOU'RE ABOUT TO BE ACCEPTING A
LOT OF DEGREES AND LUCKTURING
PEOPLE.
>> I THOUGHT IT WAS
BREATHTAKING.
GARTH.
>> YEAH.
>> "SNL" HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT
TOUCHSTONE FOR THE COUNTRY
DURING DIFFICULT DAYS, LIKE THE
ONES WE'RE LIVING THROUGH TODAY.
LORNE, I'M INTERESTED IN ASKING
YOU ABOUT "SNL" AT THESE TIMES
OF TRAGEDY.
9/11, WHO COULD FORGET THE SHOW
WHERE YOU STOOD THERE WITH RUDY
GIULIANI?
>> CAN WE BE FUNNY?
>> WHY START NOW?
>> HOW DO YOU VIEW THE ROLE OF
"SNL" IN MOMENTS WHERE PEOPLE
ARE GRIEVING AND PEOPLE ARE IN
>> IF YOU HAVE AN AUDIENCE, YOU
BUILD UP AND EARN TRUST.
THEY KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO
DELIVER.
>> I KNOW YOU'RE NOT TERRIBLY
HAUGHTY ABOUT YOUR SHOW, BUT DO
YOU THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE
HERE IN THESE TIMES WHERE PEOPLE
ARE NOT FEELING GREAT?
>> I DO, AND NOT IN ANY GRAND
WAY.
IT'S OUR JOB AND WHAT WE DO.
>> WHAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT
TIMING?
>> AFTER NEARLY A HALF CENTURY
OF RUNNING THE SHOW, HE TURNED
INTO AN AMERICAN ICON, LORNE
MICHAELS IS BEGINNING TO
CONSIDER LIFE AFTER SATURDAY
NIGHT.
DO YOU SEE A DAY ANYWHERE ON THE
HORIZON WHERE YOU'RE NOT SITTING
IN THAT OFFICE ANYMORE?
>> MY PLAN IS TO BE HERE FOR THE
50th.
AND BY THAT POINT, I REALLY
DESERVE TO WANDER OFF.
>> THAT GIVES HIM ANOTHER FIVE
SEASONS.
"SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE "IS IN THE
MIDDLE OF A RUN OF FIVE
CONSECUTIVE LIVE IN-PERSON SHOWS
LEADING UP TO ELECTION DAY.
THAT IS SOMETHING IT HAS NEVER
DONE IN THOSE 45 YEARS ON THE
AIR.
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