Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining
Review: A great behind the scenes look at one of the most enduring t.v. shows of all time. Interesting tidbits heretofore unknown to the average fan. Loved it! (But if you really want a laugh, read "No One's Even Bleeding" or "Delano".)
Rating: 
Summary: Face it: It's as "inside" SNL as you or I will ever get
Review: The curtain is pulled back on SNL in this book to reveal (not surprisingly) that Lorne Michaels was, is, and always will be the Wizard who always kept SNL ticking. Decades of drug use, debauchery, infighting, sleeping around, desperation, and show-biz chutzpah are related courtesy of first-hand accounts of the writers, stars, agents, TV executives, staff members, and guests of the show. Not all comments are complimentary, and not all that went on behind the scenes was funny. But it all makes for a fascinating read, despite the fact that a few notable surviving cast members chose not to participate in these oral interviews. "Live From New York" is as much a evolutionary history of the business of television over the past three decades as it is an oral history of the show itself. Perhaps SNL isn't as consistently cutting edge and counter-culture as it was in its earliest years. But nowadays the show IS the pop and showbiz culture it lampooned in the past. It cannot ever really return to its fabled glory days of 1975-1979 because the entire showbusiness landscape has changed so dramatically since then. One must credit Michaels for recognizing that and still plodding ahead with the show for most of the years since the days of The Not Ready For Prime Time Players. Read this book to find the origins of many of the standard conventions and favorite moments of the show: why the band always dresses in tuxedos, the inspiration of Danny Aykroyd's buttcrack-exposing refrigerator repairman, the inhuman writing schedule, etc. This is better than an "E! True Hollywood Story" any day.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I was very interested in the book as I have watched SNL for years, but found the Shales book dull, slow moving and frankly, I don't want to read the mundane contributions from "stars", mostly about nothing in particular. I also do not share the adulation of Belushis talent and ego - it does get better in the latter half of the book which is why I rated it 3 stars. Probably a little high.
Rating:
Summary: Uncensored!
Review: Whether you liked SNL in 1975 or enjoy it now, this book is an amusing romp through the history of the show. Although the years have been filled with amazing talent, it's still surprising to hear from others that it was primarily the genius of Lorne Micheals, the guy behind the scenes, that got the show going and continuing. This is stuff you DON'T see on television. There are too many episodes of outlandish behavior to describe here, but suffice it to say there are things that went on that should have killed most shows. There's lots of gossip, of course, and many of the cast members embarrass themselves while trashing others and many that are a heck of a lot sweeter than you would think (Jane Curtin comes to mind). There is blatant talk of alleged 'racism', 'anti-feminism' (one member refused to do skits written by women) and outrageous drug use during, before and after the shows. In fact, in the beginning, it seems the show needed that edge to survive, or to survive, needed that edge. No matter. This voluminous collection of after-thoughts is entertaining, hilarious and sometimes sad. You can decide where the true talent was, who had the biggest heart or who was the biggest jerk. This book is full of them and I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: If you loved the show, you'll love the book!
Review: I grew up with SNL, so this book was a nostalgic trip down memory lane. It was also very interesting in giving you insight or validation on hunches or suspicions. I knew I didn't like Chevy Chase for a reason! I appreciated that the cast members, guest hosts, writers, etc., were allowed to give THEIR take, rather than have it processed through a writer. The end result is a lot like SNL; you're not really sure what you'll get from page to page. Overall, I felt this was a fitting tribute to a pop-cultural fixture in our society.
Rating:
Summary: I won't say anything cliche here
Review: I find it interesting that everything I've read about this book harps on "Chevy Chase being a jerk" or something to that effect.
When in fact, the book hasn't painted him out to be a jerk at all. There were people that resented him, but it was sheerly out of their own, personal pettiness.
They resented him because he got famous first. That reflects poorly on those that resented him, not on Chevy Chase.
What I also found interesting was that none of what I've read has mentioned how mean John Belushi could be. Maybe people won't mention this because he's dead...but it doesn't keep it from being evident.
At least Belushi had a rather redeeming quality about him. Belushi was on most occasions sweet and lovable.
It's Harry Shearer that really seems to be the biggest jerk with the biggest chip on his shoulder to match with his huge ego. He, unfortunately for the people that worked with him, doesn't have any redeeming qualities.
The book has been a great insight to what actually went on in Rockefeller Plaza. Some people's stories contradict...but you can gather what's the truth when you read all sides of each story.
The only reason I'm not giving the book a 5 star rating is because it's sometimes written chronologically out of order. Which makes it a little confusing, not to mention odd.
But alas, if you've ever gotten into at least one season of SNL you'll enjoy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Vastly Overated
Review: When I began to read this book, I was expecting a superbly written historical account of the Saturday Night Live television show, and instead got nothing more than a plethora of transcribed interviews with people associated with the show. When I began reading this book, I was hoping the authors would include a listing of all of the people who have graced the show as regular performers, or one of all of the guest hosts, but none such information was offered. Apparently all it takes to write a best-selling book nowadays is a tape recorder, and a word processor, because that is all this book is comprised of. A court stenographer could have written it.
Rating:
Summary: Keeping me up nights
Review: I thought only Stephen King could keep me up nights, but this book is keeping me up wanting to read "just one more" anecdote. If you're a long-time SNL fan like I am, or just like the show now and wonder how it all got started, this is the complete oral history. It's an easy, fun read. And if you have a long memory like I have, you'll find yourself laughing out loud remembering skits you didn't even know you'd forgotten.
Rating:
Summary: Some juicy behind-the-scenes gossip make for a fun read!
Review: Whatever page you turn to in "Live From New York," you are bound to find something you didn't know, something gossipy, something fun. Authors Shales and Miller have written an oral history that can be read from beginning to end or by dipping into randomly. No matter how you read it, players Chevy Chase and Nora Dunn come off rather badly, at turns petulant and egotistical. (Dunn was not interviewed in this book.) Meanwhile, Chris Farley and Phil Hartman receive appropriately glowing tributes. Other interesting tidbits include learning about Victoria Jackson's problems with her female counterparts; Chris Parnell's "firing"; the rivalries that cropped up with the original cast members; and, on and on. The stories the cast members tell are almost always interesting and fascinating. Between these lengthy interviews, the authors put the different SNL incarnations in perspective with sometimes informative, sometimes irrelevant, and sometimes numbingly inane commentary. No matter whether you are a one-time SNL watcher or a longtime one, this book is a terrific read!
Rating:
Summary: An Honestly Subjective History
Review: All history is subjective, of course, but here you get to see what historians are up against when they try to reconcile dozens of conflicting views to try and tell a story. Wisely the authors don't try to tell the story of Saturday Night Live - they let the participants' words speak for themselves, so you hear from those who loved it, those who hated it, and those who, as time has passed, see it with more objective eyes. I would have liked to have heard from some of the missing names: Charles Rocket, Eddie Murphy, etc., but I can only assume they chose not to participate. (The authors don't explain why they aren't represented, or what their interview methods were. I would like to have seen comment on both.) All in all, though, it's an excellent overview of the show's history in the words of those who were there.
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