Rating: 
Summary: Once you pop(it open), you can't stop!!
Review: My first memories of SNL where during the Eddie Murphy, Joe Piscapo, Billy Cristal years and from then on I have always had a place in my heart for the show. I have always wanted to know all about the behind the scenes lives of those involved and when I first opened the book at my local bookstore, I can only compare it to your favorite bag of chips...once I started I just couldn't put it down. It is sooo much better to hear the story straight from the horses mouth rather than have some author do all the research and write a biography and puttin' his own little twist and pervesion to the story. Before I even bought the book, while at the store, I sat for three hours just savouring all the juicy detail and stories I could before the store closed. I didn't have the money with me to buy it at the time but I was almost willing to sell my body to someon........O.K. maybe that's going just a little too far, but, I did immediatly come in as soon as possible the next day and hope that the book didn't disappear so I could get to every last crumb in this very salty and flavorful bag of chips.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Insight into the Show but with a Distracting Format
Review: This book is great for avid Saturday Night Live fans especially the ones who constantly watch the old episodes on basic cable. It goes through the show's history in mostly an interview format with bits of prose throughout. The interview format is distracting and redundant, since many of the cast members give similar comments. A fan of SNL will appreciate this format, giving an insider look at the show such as details about Norm Macdonald's firing which cannot be found in other books on SNL, while those wanting to know more about the show will find it irritating especially since the interviews do not go in any logical order. The format may be irregular and several comments superfluous, but because none of the prose books offers the insight that this one does, it is the best book on SNL out there.
Rating:
Summary: Almost always live...and often lively
Review: What we have here are several hundred brief personal reminiscences and commentaries from almost everyone directly involved with Saturday Night Life over a period of almost 30 years. They are organized by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller within each period of that television program's evolution, extending from its premiere in 1975 until last year. Throughout SNL's history, one of its most unique and challenging features is the fact that it is performed almost entirely LIVE. Except for a brief period (1981-1985), SNL's executive producer has been Lorne Michaels (born Lorne Lipowitz), a Canadian writer whose work on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In and specials for Lily Tomlin had attracted NBC's attention. Most members of SNL's cast and crew seem to have had a love-hate relationship with Michaels but their comments about him (both positive and negative) suggest that no one else could have guided the program as well as he has throughout the years since it first appeared. The material provides (albeit subjective) answers to questions such as these: 1. Which hosts were the most enjoyable to work with? Why? 2. Which were the most unpleasant? Why? 3. What was a normal week's work schedule? Who was involved in each stage of preparation for the next show? 4. Off-camera, what was it like to associate with John Belushi? 5. Of all the cast performers, why was Gilda Radner most loved? 6. How did Michaels deal with the NBC "suits" and especially with censors? 7. What were the biggest foul-ups prior to or during a show? 8. What do most of the cast and crew members agree are the show's greatest moments? Why? 9. What has been the best and worst aspects of being involved with SNL? 10. What is the consensus of opinion as to why SNL has continued for almost 30 years? Of special interest to me are the professional as well as personal relationships between and among cast and crew members, including Michaels. More specifically, as I read this book, I was curious to know what impact those relationships had on the programs telecast each Saturday night. Radner, Belushi, and Phil Hartman were three of my personal favorites. Although they made no direct contributions to the reminiscences and observations assembled in this volume, all three are quoted extensively and recalled fondly by those who were closely associated with them. Eddie Murphy offers a representative example of young people with immense but unrefined talent who are finally given the opportunity to perform. (During the 1980-81 season, one show ran short and needed several minutes of "filler" which he eagerly provided.) Almost immediately Murphy became the most popular member of the SNL cast and was featured prominently until 1984 when he began to concentrate on feature films. For reasons best revealed in this book, Murphy is probably the only SNL "star" who has since totally disassociated himself from the program. Who will most enjoy reading this book? Those who have been regular viewers of SNL throughout much if not all of its remarkable history. I also highly recommend it to those who are especially interested in popular culture in the United States from 1975 until the end of the 20th century. I can think of no other television program which offers more and better insights into the culture of that period than does SNL. To their substantial credit, Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller allow the contributors to speak for themselves. Predictably and understandably, the value of what they have to say is determined almost entirely by each reader's degree of interest in those who have proclaimed, week after week, "Live from New York! It's Saturday Night!"
Rating: 
Summary: Rambling, Tedious, and Pretentious
Review: Good points first (and there are good points): This book is truly an insider's view of the show, the politics surrounding the show, from virtually every perspective possible. It's an interesting primer on how shows are created, their evolutions, the tension between the "suits" and the creative types, among the creative types, and so forth. Weak points: This book needed a lot of editing. It's as if raw tapes were transcribed; the comments and views could have been tightened up substantially without losing any of the flavor. Every once in a while, the authors (Shales and Miller) provide a bit of commentary, but it's not enough...kind of like a Christmas fruit cake with too many jellied fruits and not enough dough. Another weak point--probably not Shales' and Miller's fault, but due to the way the book was created--is that you're given the sense that what appeared on the air was generally "the best of the best"...that the process of winnowing down all the material left most of the gems on-air (as well as many that regrettably didn't make it). I was mostly a fan of the earlier years but, after reading the book, I watched many of the shows on satellite (Comedy Channel). A lot of the shows and a lot of the bits were pretty weak. My point: There's a real disconnect between what many of the writers and performers recall and what the tape actually reveals.
Rating:
Summary: Addictive reading - A very fast 565 pages
Review: It is difficult to not be impressed by the gargantuan task undertaken by this book's authors to complete lengthy, detailed interviews with what appears to be almost everyone who has ever had anything to do with "Saturday Night Live", including former cast members, writers, producers, musicians, network executives and even former guest stars. Equally impressive was how the authors edited these interviews to form a cohesive whole, keeping the book in chronological and thematic order. This is just about the fastest 565 pages I've ever read. Particularly when detailing the show's creation through its first five years, the reader really gets a true sense of what the day to day process was of working on the show - from the immense amounts of cocaine used by all but a few to get through the all-night writing sessions, to the pre-AIDS era bed-hopping that was done between cast and crew members. The book provides more detail on some well known stories (most people know that John Belushi had a drug problem, but until reading this book I didn't understand the true depths of his addiction) as well as providing many surprises (I would have never pegged Harry Shearer as someone who was so universally despised during his time on the show nor did I realize how catty Nora Dunn and Jan Hooks were towards Victoria Jackson). One of the fun aspects of reading "Live From New York" is hearing differing perspectives on the same story. For example, first you'll hear Janeane Garofalo discuss what a horrible working environment "SNL" was during her brief time on the show, followed by one of the show's writers explaining that Garofalo was something of an insecure nutjob who created her own bad experience. Likewise, you'll hear former producer Jean Doumanian described as "Ayatollah Doumanian" by those who worked for her during her tenure as executive producer, followed by Doumanian herself describe how she was set up to fail. Some people might get frustrated by the lack of an objective "truth" presented in some of these stories, but this seemed to me to be more true to real life, where often the "reality" of a situation is dependent on your own perspective. Also very interesting was reading about the perceived weaknesses in the current "SNL" program in the opinion of some of the writers, including an overreliance on sketches involving recurring characters, too many "surprise" appearances by celebrities who are being parodied (as in the real Robert DeNiro "surprising" a cast member who is doing a parody of Robert DeNiro), and a lack of political bite that once defined the show. If I have anything negative to say about the book, it is only that the early sections, regarding the first few years of the show, spoil the reader in terms of the immense detail presented there that is missing in the sections dealing with the program's later years. In discussing the first few years of the show, the authors give great detail on how virtually every cast member came to be hired, what their history was before the show, how they got along with fellow cast and crew members, and whether or not the indulged in many of the bad habits that went on during the show. As the book gets to more recent casts, often the book would just mention that so and so and so and so joined the show, without much detail of how that came to be, instead choosing to focus on major controversies in the shows recent history, such as Nora Dunn walking off the show in protest of Andrew Dice Clay being invited to guest host, Sinead O'Connor tearing up a picture of the Pope on air, the deaths of Phil Hartman and Chris Farley, and NBC West Coast President Don Ohlmeyer's single-minded obsession with getting Norm McDonald fired from his "Weekend Update duties. If not for a sentence or two, you could go through the whole book without realizing that Dennis Miller was ever on the show. This is one of those rare books where, even at nearly 600 pages, the book seems too short. I would have gladly read several hundred more if it meant that all periods of the show were given the same depth.
Rating:
Summary: Yadda, yadda, yadda!
Review: If you took out every comment by cast, writers and producers on trying (unsuccessfully)to figure out Lorne Michaels, this heavy tome would easily be cut in half. Too much whining, too little interesting, historical information for me, a long time fan of the show.
Rating:
Summary: 4-1/2 stars -- Long but GREAT retrospective
Review: My brother told me about this Live From New York book, and being an avid Saturday Night Live watcher, I decided to pick it up. This book, compiled by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller, is a very good retrospective of the series, and how (and WHY) it came to be. I originally expected the book to just be straightforward and biographical, if you will, but the whole thing is actually told through the testimonies of workers on the show, cast members, NBC executives, writers, and even guest hosts. There were a few surprises I found, though. One is that Chevy Chase appears to be a very arrogant person, because whenever he came back to host, to say that he insulted the cast would be an understatement (he was eventually banned from hosting ever again after 1996). As for Dick Ebersol, who replaced Lorne Michaels as executive producer from 1981 to 1985...well, a lot of people in the book say that his name seems to fit his personality. And it was also interesting that the book never mentioned anything about Martin Lawrence's risqué monologue when he hosted back in '94. It was also revealed things like the TRUE reason why Ben Stiller pulled out of hosting the second episode of the 2001-02 season (it ended up being hosted by Seann William Scott, who was originally supposed to host the following episode), hosts from Hell like Steven Seagal (maybe that's why NBC doesn't air that episode any more) and Frank Zappa, and behind-the-scenes problems with the seemingly tight cast from 1986 to 1990 (Dana, Nora, Phil, Jan, Victoria, Jon, Dennis, and Kevin). Also, I was surprised to find testimonies from people like Nora Dunn and Norm MacDonald because I didn't think cast members that were fired would want to talk about the show at all. But I WASN'T surprised to see no sign of Eddie Murphy (what's up with his ego, anyway?). Anyway, this is a very good book. At close to 600 pages, it'll take you a few days to get through it, but if you're really into Saturday Night Live, you should like it. Anthony Rupert P.S. One more thing I'd like to mention is that there are pictures in the middle of the book from various years, and one picture is taken from the 1998-99 season, and it shows a "Celebrity Jeopardy!" sketch with the caption stating that Michael J. Fox is portraying Tom Cruise. It was Ben Stiller, not Michael J. Fox.
Rating:
Summary: A Quick Read, Even at 566 Pages...
Review: I'm not what you call an avid SNL fan. I grew up in the eighties and loved Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo but really didn't get back into SNL until Chris Farley reared his head. Live From New York is a fascinating look into the backstage antics and sniping straight from the participants mouths (well, most of them Eddie Murphy declined). At 566 pages, this book is an incredibly fast read. I absolutely could not put this book down, although too much of it is devoted to Lorne Michaels and not enough to Chris Farley, Will Ferrell or Phil Hartman. Still, this is intriguing stuff, hearing about Belushi going to rehearsals bombed or about who actually started the infamous Chevy Chase/Bill Murray fight. Bill Murray gives some really good insight into some of the cast members like Gilda Radner. Chevy Chase comes off like a pompous ass which is a shame because he was so damn funny. Anyway, this is a very entertaining look into what it's like to be on SNL and the everyday rigors and pressures that these performers endure. Highly Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: For Fans
Review: This book is a full one, with numerous quotes from many participants themselves who were cast members of the famous
TV show, but the information provided is a bit limited.
The format consists of hundreds of brief quotes, clustered
around a linear time-line, so there isn't much of a feel of
literature about the book at all. The disjointed format lessens the interest in reading it, but
the quotes provide a first-hand look at one of our popular
institutions. If "unnamed sources" had told some of these stories, no one would believe them. There are such sorid tales of massive drug
abuse and routine, non-romantic sex, taking place during the
writing and rehearsals, that they would sound like wild exaggerations. Outsiders wouldn't believe a TV show could be
put on the air with such inattention and such casual attitude
toward public performance, but the participants detail a long
list of abuses and excesses. There are more confessions in this book than in a Catholic church, and if salacious detail interest a reader, then this
book is a place to start. The format prevents it from being as readable as it should be,
but some interesting facts are here. But this book, as a serious subject, is only for the true fan of the TV show.
The displays of self-indulgence behavior and selfish attitudes
detailed here will repel many potential readers, so approach
this book with caution. It won't hold the interests of many
readers very long. It is almost like a pasted-up version of a supermarket tabloid,
and the only redeeming feature is that the details are provided
by those who were there doing all those stupid, selfish things
to themselves and fellow staffers. As I said, for the serious fan of the show only.
Rating:
Summary: Addictive read, ultimately frustrating
Review: Because this book is so large and covers such an interesting subject, you basically will live with it for a couple of days, having feverish dreams about being a cast member or writer, trying to make Lorne happy. Certainly, SNL deserves such a comprehensive book, and the authors interviewed everyone they could. However, the book drags interminably after you finish reading about the original cast. There are certain things that get repeated a million times by several people. By the time you reach the end of the book, you say to yourself, I just don't care that Gwyneth Paltrow was scared but had a great time hosting. In addition, the authors do something I have never seen in journalism before, which is to let people and places mentioned in interviews go past without any referencing. For example, at one point someone is talking about Gilda Radner and "Gene." Granted, most people know she was married to Gene Wilder, but it is very surprising that the authors wouldn't add in brackets [her husband, actor Gene Wilder]. They never add anything in brackets, ever, or have any footnotes. There are DOZENS of these dangling throughout the book and it gets very annoying. Also, perhaps this is too much to ask for, but there is hardly any cultural context. The authors add a few weak transitions between interviews, and that's about it. I hesitate to even use the word "authors"--they are interviewers and compilers. A truly important HISTORY would include some analysis. So because of the lack of referencing and the weak narrative, the authors seem lazy, like "Oh let's just throw all these interviews together and readers will just have to figure out what happens when." Last but not least, I am very disappointed that most sketches and characters were not discussed specifically. It is very surprising that the authors didn't seem interested in what was in FRONT of the camera. The book is much more interested in gossip and office politics. When the interview subjects do talk about the creative genesis of certain famous sketches (John Belushi's Samurai, or Pat, or the two wild and crazy brothers, for example) the book really comes alive. But there are SO few of these!! If you are looking for stories about any of Chris Farley's characters, for example, forget it. You will hear only about his personality. Want to hear anything about Father Guido Sarducci? Not a peep. Dan Aykroyd in recent years got together with John Goodman to tour as the Blues Brothers--anybody think this is a cheap sellout or have any opinion on this?? Couldn't tell you. The writers were hardly ever discussed as creative beings--just drug using (or not), scared of Lorne, bickering, etc. You get very little sense of how they came up with characters, or wrote jokes for Update, or collaborated with the actors, or decided what was too offensive, etc. Instead you hear for the hundredth time about how they stay up all night on Tuesdays or whatever.
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