Rating: 
Summary: History of SNL as told by cast members,writers,producers,etc
Review: Live from New York is a hefty volume collecting the experiences of the numerous cast members, guest hosts, writers, producers, and others involved with the show since 1975. This book helped me understand how hard it is and has been to keep SNL on the air. Although cocaine and other stimulants are largely absent in the SNL offices today, as we're told to believe anyway, the show still mandates at least one-nighter and four days of incomparable stress to produce one and half hours of TV on Saturday night. This work regimen has produced some of the funniest moments in TV history and has established SNL as a cultural icon.Almost every important person involved with show throughout its history except Eddie Murphy was interviewed for this book, and the entire book save maybe 10 pages consists of clips of these interviews. We get to read about Lorne Michaels' and Dick Ebersol's early struggles to put the show on in 1975. We learn about the greatness of the original cast and its drug-induced wildness and internecine warfare. The book then does a great job in describing the lows of the show during the Jean Doumanian and Dick Ebersol years and SNL's subsequent resurrection during the years of Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz, Mike Myers, etc. The new cast surprisingly gets quite a bit of space in the latter part of the book considering its competition in the previous pages. The authors also spend a number of pages presenting various people's reactions to the deaths of John Belushi, Gilda Radner, and Chris Farley. Live from New York does a great job of letting us know about the unseen drama that has occurred behind one of the greatest shows in TV history. Using the interviews as the actual text was a great idea because the interviewees' words came through unadulterated. My only criticism of the book is that at almost 600 pages, it's a bit long, but that's it.
Rating: 
Summary: An In - Depth Look At A Groundbreaking Television Series
Review: Since it first premiered in 1975, "Saturday Night Live" has been immortalized with tv specials, rip - offs, movies and dvds. But not one person involved with the show has come forward to tell the stories that emerged from behind the stage. Until now. "Live From New York: An Uncensored history of "Saturday Night Live", as Told By Its Stars, Writers and Guests" is as engaging as it is informative and witty. With commentary from hosts, writers, cast members and even Lorne Michaels himself. The cast commentary is especially compelling. The stories that influenced were the ones concerning the infamous and controversial moments surrounding "SNL", like when Nora Dunn refused to appear on the show because Andrew Dice Clay was hosting, and when Sinead O'Connor tore up the picture of the Pope. And Victoria Jackson's commentaries on Nora Dunn and Jan Hooks is acid - tinged intrigue at its best. There are also touching tributes to John Belushi, Chris Farley, and Phil Hartman. It is not without flaws. The newer cast members could've gotten more of a say, and Eddie Murphy contributed to it as well. But I still think this is an enjoyable book. It;'s perfect for anyone who ever dreamed of saying, "Live From New York, It's Saturday Night!"
Rating:
Summary: Saturday Night Live - gets a "Bee Plus"!
Review: (Actually, I give it an "A" ! - but reading this book & remembering the "bee" sketches of 1975 was just so great, I had to have a little fun.) I was a fan of this show from its start, watching it religiously when I lived in New York from the mid 70's to the late 80's, and so I found this book to be, in the first part, a highly enjoyable trip down Memory Lane. It evokes the feeling of the show so vividly! The style of the book, with the various players, writers, producers and hosts all talking in turns, is perfect for getting a sense of what was going on with the show, both behind the scenes and in front of the cameras, as the years progressed. This style is also very conducive to the "night-table reading" I did - reading a few pages of it every night. The scenes and people described all felt so familiar to me as the narratives and reminiscences journeyed through those years when I watched the show weekly, and I'd find myself saying "oh yeah, I remember that!" as sketches and sayings I'd not thought about in ages were mentioned. It was also a fascinating eye-opener on the behind-the-scenes machinations, personality clashes, and lifestyles, as well as a vividly brought-to-life catch-up on what I missed from the late 80's on when I moved overseas and so lost touch with SNL. For someone like me, who had never even realised Adam Sandler and David Spade had been SNL alumni, nor ever got to see Chris Farley, the book gave a great sense of what the show was like in "their time". I was also very moved by the description of the first SNL broadcast after September 11. Therefore, whether you watched SNL ever, always, or never, I highly recommend this book - pure and intelligent entertainment!
Rating: 
Summary: Look before you leap
Review: I should have glanced at this book's format before I wasted my hard-earned dollars on this junk. It's simply a huge heap of quotes, regurgitated in some order known only to the authors. The "story" (simply interviews ad infinitum) unfolds by seasons of the show, without any sort of context, without any stab at putting the times in any perspective, without a clue, often, how the lesser-known characters contributed.
It quickly became a very frustrating read, and then became one that left me shaking my head in disbelief.
It would have been a good story if the outside world had been permitted to enter into it. But it doesn't. I know the writers aren't lazy, look at all this verbiage!, but it doesn't add up to a hill of beans. Dang, the ratings system doesn't allow one to enter NO stars at all. Save your money. Terrible.
Rating: 
Summary: Live From New York
Review: Being a fan of SNL, I was really looking foward to this book. But I can't help but feel a little bit dissapointed by it after finishing it.
Most of the stuff about the early years in interesting, as you get to hear about how the show was created, how the origanel cast was brought togather etc. But once it gets into later casts, the book is fairly repetitive, and suffers greatly from the he said-she said things that you really would hope people would get over in high school.
Also, not hearing from Eddie Murphey at all is a let down, being that he single handedly saved SNL in the early '80's. I really could care less about what Piscopo has to say about the subject, ya know what I'm saying?
But overall if you really like SNL, there are a lot of really interesting tidbits to be found in this book. Just don't have your expectaions up to high before reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Good, bad, never ugly
Review: I think this is the first entertainment insider type of book that I have ever read. I bought the book hoping that it would give me insight into a successful creative process underwritten by talented and egotistical personalities. I was not disappointed; creativity only works in tension, and the story of SNL is full of eustress and distress. I did gain a better appreciation for how SNL has positively affected everything from the quality of television to the quality of political discourse in our society. The sound bites from various writers, producers, cast members, hosts, network executives and agents seemed like individual lights strung out around a tree, and I kept flipping pages back and forth to try to get a better continuity of what had happened in a given topic or situation--more visual whiplash than I am used to. Of course, the strength of this approach was to get multiple sides of a story. I was hoping for a little more historical context, beyond the first-person/second-person narrative sound bites and the authors' short italicized summaries (sparsely sprinkled throughout the interview bits). It would have been nice to see some of the other pieces of information that one might get on a complete resume and a lengthy interview, so that I could get to know the players better.
Rating:
Summary: Live from New York, and You're Not
Review: The perfect book for anyone that has grown up watching one of the most successful television shows of all time. It provides a a behind the scenes look at the creation and production of Saturday Night Live, through a oral history of the producers, writers and actors who have come and gone over the years. The book has an interesting narrative style, which takes a bit of getting used to but totally makes sense when you think about the daunting task it must have been to compile all this information in the first place. The book is not a critique of the show and generally lets the participants tell when they had it right and when they didn't. It is wisely divided into time periods, which also makes sense when you think about it. My only criticisms of the book is that it does not get into more critical detail of the show or how the writers and actors were treated and I also found the last chapter, a salute to Lorne Michaels, to be rather self-serving and unnecessary, as if it were a condition for writing the book in the first place. Again, this is the perfect book for anyone who can remember watching the very first episode and who grew up staying up late every Saturday night just to watch this show. A great job.
Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointing Book
Review: The subject could not be more interesting -- a fascinating show with many interesting characters. This book is an abject failure however. Overwritten, dull, and self-indulgent it cannot hold the reader's interest. I was totally disappointed in this book. These so-called writers could have and should have done a far better job with the material. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Very Entertaining - Good Read for SNL Fans
Review: I still have a copy of the book by Hill and Weingrad on the first 10 years. I started to read the new book (this book) in the middle by accident then could not put it down until I read the whole book. It is not quite as good as the first book covering the first 10 years. I thought this book, in addition to the longer time span, had a few more insights that filled in on what happened in detail regarding Michaels versus NBC to start the show and the various players in the show. I did not find it disjointed. Having watched the shows and read the prior book one has a general sense of what will happen next. Easy to read and covers the major players. I still prefer the first book. Four stars. Jack in Toronto
Rating:
Summary: This is a wild and crazy book
Review: This is an excellent oral history of one of the seminal programs in television history. I have watched the program off and on since junior high and have witnessed many of its ups and downs, but this book delves much deeper into the program then what is actually shown the viewer every Saturday night. I think the gossipy details of cast romances, drug use, office politics and the tragic deaths of some of the show's alums are interesting, but what really makes this book unique are its insights into the production of a television program and the television business. I have no interest in pursuing a career in tv, but I think this would be a great introduction for anyone who does. The style of the book, being an oral history with only a loose chronology, fits well with its subject matter and it is nice that the voices in the book are those of the people actually involved--the real talent--rather then the author's manipulating interviews and filtering information to fit their own opinions. It is a very quick read that will entertain any reader and is very insightful. I would recommend it to any fan of Saturday Night Live, people interested in the entertainment industry or readers who enjoy good stories and story tellers. This is one of the best books I've read this year.
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