HBO's Godfather Epic: Is It a Better Way to See Godfather 1 and 2?

Last January, HBO showed a restored version of The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, but not as two different movies.
It turned both movies into a seven-hour epic, showing the history of the Corleone crime family from 1901 to 1959. This meant parts of Godfather II with Robert De Niro were moved to the front, followed by the remainder of the two movies,. There's also lots of deleted scenes that added depth to the story, and proof that anyone who crosses a Corleone does so at his peril.

I finally got a chance to see the mega-movie last week, and it was amazing. I usually saw both Godfather movies on AMC, and seeing them back to back usually takes ten hours including commericals. Seeing HBO's uncut and commercial-free version was much better. It still took more more than two days because I had to pause to check if the Sharks were heading to the Stanley Cup or the Warriors will blow a chance to defend their NBA title just like 1976.

Seeing The Godfather Epic in one seven-hour chunk, which is a perfect size for veteran Netflix bingers, is quite an experience, especially with the extra scenes. The story flows very well, although the segues from one crisis to another in the final hour are a bit abrupt. That's because the secret to Godfather II's success is how the stories of Young Vito and Michael Corleone mirror each other, the past creating the future. Taking Vito's scenes out of that movie changes it a lot.

What HBO did is not new, though...

NBC also re-edited both movies into a mini-series that lasted for four nights. However, it's not the complete version because foul language and violent scenes had to be left out. With HBO, it has the whole story, blood, profanity and all.

The deleted scenes also add some insight about what happens when you make a Corleone mad. For example, remember when Michael's first wife was killed by a car bomb in Italy? It looked like the guy who did it got away, but he didn't. For Vito, he not only got Don Ciccio, the man who had his parents killed, he killed the guy who told Vito's home town to turn him over to Ciccio when he was nine, Now that is a grudge,

If given a choice, I'd prefer to see Godfather and Godfather II in their original forms, because I am used to that after seeing them several times. However, I still refuse to see Godfather III unless there is new CGI technology that replaces Sofia Coppola with Winona Ryder...or even Shailene Woodley.

SNL Anniversaries, Celebrated on Cable and VHS

Next week, the show will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a three hour special, just like 15 years ago. A lot of people remembered that special because it brought back a lot of the old gang. It even recreated Elvis Costello's decision to change songs without telling anyone back in 1977. That time, it was appreciated.

Not too many people, however, remember the first big anniversary live special in September 1990, just before season 16 started. It was also live, and was only two hours. The VHS copy I had didn't include music performances from Prince and Paul Simon, or some past musical guests, due to rights.

Much of it is a bunch of clips from past shows. They were divided into three sections, 1975-80, 81-85 and 85-90.  Notice in the 81-85 section there's only one clip from season six: the unexpected finale where Tim Kazurinsky created the "I Married A Monkey" sketch. That section did have a lot of Eddie Murphy even if he didn't attend due to David Spade mocking him (supposedly). Murphy is expected to be back next week, and maybe with the same entourage who represented him in 1990.

There were also tributes to Gilda Radner and John Belushi, Charlton Heston reading a letter complaining about the show that he wrote (even though he hosted the show in 1987) and a section to sketches that were rather...naughty. It highlighted the Lord and Lady Douchebag sketch from 1980, and the nude beach sketch from 1988 where "penis" was said a million times. That sketch was written by Conan O'Brien, believe it or not.
The ending was disappointing. They brought out Robin Williams to riff on the show and some in the audience. It seemed they needed to fill time, but they should have had an extra segment just in case.

It's too bad NBC didn't release a DVD version of this anniversary show, as they did with their four history specials. It's not even on Hulu.  If you can't find in in your local thrift store, Amazon does have it and it's not too expensive.

Meanwhile, the VH-1 Classic SNL marathon is heading to the home stretch, showing the first five years. What's great about this is that they are showing the complete episodes, and that means the music, too. If only the channel had cleared the music for all the episodes between 1980 and 1998. That way we would have had 31 Days of SNL. That that, Turner Classic Movies.

It was still a treat seeing episodes that haven't been shown, not even cable, in at least 15 years. This includes stuff from the second Golden Age of Carvey, Hartman, Hooks, Lovitz and Miller.
People may have also been surprised to see George Clooney hosting in a suit that looks more ridiculous than Batman and Robin, and Alec Baldwin hosting with his then-wife Kim Basinger (one of four married couple who did this). Others may wonder, especially if they're under 18, what's Laura Leighton doing there, and may be surprised their parents remember her from another TV show. Some may also be surprised Steve Carrell's wife worked on the show, while he almost did. Others may see Conan O'Brien in the nude, Stephen Colbert as a doctor, or Sarah Silverman in a bit part. If you're lucky, you may spot a young Kirsten Dunst.

It was also a great chance to see past Weekend Update anchors. I've noticed Kevin Nealon tried to be the second coming of Chevy Chase, and actually succeeded. Norm MacDonald was good, but he may have relied a bit too much on OJ Simpson jokes. Current fans may wonder why during season ten (84-85), they let almost anyone host the news before they gave it to Christopher Guest. Bob Uecker can actually claim he anchored for SNL, but so can George Carlin, which was a much better idea.

The Andrew Dice Clay episode was shown, the one Nora Dunn and Sinead O'Connor skipped because they didn't like his jokes. It's amazing the jokes that were bleeped in the original showing were aired intact. One term even wound up being a movie title.
They showed two episodes from season six, mainly because they included some of Eddie Murphy's best early work. Without him, the show was nearly doomed. If the channel had cleared the music, we would have seen an early appearance by Prince...proving he has NOT lost a thing in more than 30 years.
Of course, they showed the famous Coffee Talk episde with Rosanne and Madonna talking about Barbara Streisand, followed by a surprising cameo. That bit is in the Best of Mike Meyers DVD.

Still, there are lots of old shows they skipped over, mainly more recent ones and from the Ebersol era. I would have loved to see "Da War of da Woilds" with the classic line, "what da funk is dat?", as much as Jesse Eisenberg and Nicki Minaj in their version of the "Bride of Frankenstein". Pee Wee Herman even hosted, but that wasn't included in the marathon
Of course, I also missed the music, especially from the shows between 1980 and 1998. Some from that period is available on the SNL 25 Years of Music DVD.

Yahoo Screen has clips from the 80s and 90s. Hulu has more than 300 episodes, including the first five years and the last ten. It would be great if VH-1 Classic aired the episodes those sites don't have, like Comedy Central used to do. Actually, if you go through Amazon, you can find Best of 1991 and Best of 1993 of SNL, but they're VHS. These titles should be available somewhere online or DVD.

SNL Vintage: What Bottles Should NBC Open?

This week, Saturday Night Live will be 40 years old. Not too many shows reach middle age. In TV years, the show is 4000 years old, and Sunday shows like Meet the Press are practically skeletons.

NBC will be showing one-hour versions of old episodes of Saturday Night Live in honor of this major milestone. The opening episode was Richard Pryor hosting from 1975. People prayed the classic "Word Association" sketch will be shown uncut, "N" word included--and it did. It also had the Samurai Hotel bit with John Belushi, a spoof of The Exorcist that was better than the real sequel, and Gil Scott Heron singing "Johannesburg". It's actually sharper than what you get outside of HBO these days.

Next week, the show turns to 2000, with the "More Cowbell" sketch with Will Farrell and Christopher Walken. There's also some fine early Christina Aguilera, too.

After that, what's next? Taking a look at the SNL Archives website, I wrote down several episodes they should air, or will likely air. It's almost certain the show will salute 2001 with the season opener, which aired a few days after 9/11. It featured Paul Simon and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. It also had Reese Witherspoon in a classic spoof of "The Little Mermaid" that sort of had a sequel ten years later,

So, here are some suggestions. Please remember this is from a typical SNL fan, namely someone who stopped watching at least twice in the 40 year run. Diehard fans may have a more informed list:

1976:  Candace Bergen's second Christmas episode, featuring the first sketch that completely collapsed when she forgot Gilda Radner's character's name--and Radner was supposed to be the dumb one.

1977:  The "Anyone Can Host" contest winner that included Elvis Costello deciding not to play "Less Than Zero", and singing "Radio, Radio" instead. He wasn't welcome back until 1989, and that decision was spoofed in the 25th anniversary show. (Alternate choice: Ray Charles)

1978:  Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi's first appearance as The Blues Brothers. Also, Steve Martin as a medieval barber.

1979: Kate Jackson hosting and seeming to sabotage SNL for then ABC chief (and former NBC chief) Fred Silverman

1980:  Final episode of original cast with Buck Henry

1981:  Bill Murray helping out in this most lost of seasons

1982:  Eddie Murphy hosting when Nick Nolte couldn't make it

1983:  John Candy or Jerry Lewis

1984:  Robin Williams' first time as host. (Alternate choice: Billy Crystal hosting before he joined the cast)

1985:  Mr. T and Hulk Hogan hosting to generate publicity for Wrestlemania. They never had a chance against Crystal as Fernando. 

1986:  Jay Leno in the season when Robert Downey Jr and Joan Cusack were in the cast, but a better choice would be Sam Kinison, NBC will likely choose Leno or even Sigourney Weaver

1987:  Not sure, but Dennis Hopper with Roy Orbison is a good choice,

1988:  Tom Hanks, thanks to the Girl Watchers sketch with Jon Lovitz and Mr. Short-Term Memory

1989:  John Goodman with Toonces and Wayne's World almost showing Madonna's "Erotica" video (compare that to what Nikki Minaj does now)

1990:  Alec Baldwin in an early turn as host, or Andrew Dice Clay

1991:  Michael Jordan with Public Enemy, or Roseanne spoofing "Misery"

1992:  Roseanne again with Tom Arnold, and the famous "Coffee Talk" sketch that includes Madonna talking about Barbra Streisand...and guess who shows up in the final 30 seconds

1993:  Christina Applegate doing a killer impression of Cher, but it's also the episode that introduced us to Matt Foley. Watch it in a van down by the river.

1994:  Dana Carvey, including an appearance by George Bush 41. It includes a sketch on the OJ Simpson Trial

1995:  Again not sure, but George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino are good choices

1996:  Jim Carrey will host October 25th, so why have his first time hosting so we can see "Jimmy Tango's Fat Busters"

1997:  Chris Farley or Jon Lovitz hosting are good choices, but seeing Claire Danes as a bitter Tinkerbell would be a wise choice

1998:  Cameron Diaz spoofing the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky controversy is an easy choice. It's a staple on VH-1 Classic

1999:  Another staple:  Gwyneth Paltrow pretending to be English until Ben Affleck calls her out on it. Yeah, he used to date her, too.

2002:  John McCain would be a good choice. He was quite funny until he decided to be a go-to guest on the Sunday shows

2003:  Justin Timberlake's first time as host, proving to be the best cast member SNL never had

2004:  Lindsay Lohan's first hosting gig, and debut of Debbie Downer. Or, Jude Law in the notorious Ashlee Simpson lip-synch controversy. He also does a great impression of Tony Blair.

2005:  Diaz again, with the Barry Gibb Talk Show including Timberlake. Or, Tom Brady in an unusual sexual harassment film

2006:  Alec Baldwin with Chrstina Aguilera, and Tony Bennett in a sketch with Baldwin spoofing him. Throw in a duet with him and Aguilera, and you have a classic

2007:  Peyton Manning showing he can host better than his brother

2008:  Tina Fey hosts for first time just after end of writer's strike

2009:  Tracy Morgan would be a good choice, but so would Neil Patrick Harris or Taylor Swift

2010:  Betty White, period. They should also show Jon Hamm's first hosting gig, too

2011: Obvious choice is Timberlake and Lady Gaga, but Jesse Eisenberg is my choice because he had better sketches--and Minaj as the Bride of Frankenstein.

2012: Actually, really tough: Mick Jagger would be a great choice, but Emma Stone and Zooey Deschanel also had strong showings. I'd choose Jagger because he did surprising well, It's also the farewell for Kristen Wiig

2013:  Melissa McCarthy in another classic rookie performance.

Yahoo Screen is the online source for old SNL sketches, but Hulu is missing seasons six to 29. What is surprising that no cable channel wants to be the home for all SNL episodes. Comedy Central used to serve that role, and so did E! despite terrible promotion. VH-1 Classic has episodes from 1999 on, but it should consider a marathon of many more episodes.
Also, remember when NBC used to air old episodes at 2 AM, even the less-censored Andrew Dice Clay episode? I got very good old episodes before I got the DVDs from the first five years. Wouldn't anyone like to have TV Land or Comedy Central show the complete history of SNL?

Well, at least NBC will show us a part of the show's history. It would be better if we saw more of it. If nothing else, we'd be surprised when we're reminded that Sid Caesar and Milton Berle actually hosted.

SNL Vintage airs at 10 PM Saturdays starting this Saturday on NBC. Season 40 of SNL airs at 11:30 with Chris Pratt and Ariana Grande.

Why NBC IS More Blind Than Mr. Magoo

When I learned that NBC will air Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol for the first time in nearly 40 years, I thought this was great. It first aired in Living Color in December 1962. It showed the myopic old man (voiced by Jim Backus)  enjoying success in a Broadway musical version of A Christmas Carol. Of course, it showed him getting into trouble because of his bad eyesight before and after the play. During it, though, Magoo plays Scrooge straight, and goes a fine job as the miserly old man who learns the true spirit of Christmas. It lead to a weekly show, where Magoo played other figures of literature including Dr. Frankenstein, the Count of Monte Cristo and Ishmael from Moby Dick.

Then I remembered that TV in 1962 is very different than what TV is now. I wondered how much of the original show would survive the cuts NBC would impose to fit in more ads. I know that the special used to be shown mostly uncut in syndication in the 1970s, and just the musical on TNT.

Last night's showing was a disaster. They cut out all of the framing device, half of "The Plunderer's March", and the finale reprise of "The Lord's Bright Blessings". They figured that showing the "Christmas Carol" part was enough.
This is just like restoring the Mona Lisa, but her face is missing, or a Model T without wheels... including the steering wheel

Is there any reason behind this, with the expectation that no one will notice?
I suspect there is. Hardly anyone remembers Mr. Magoo, who used to be a cartoon staple in the movies and TV. He won two Academy Awards, for crying out loud! He used to be on NBC for a time. He was even Uncle Sam in another animated special.
Yet the Peacock network probably didn't even promote this special, but they had ads for what followed, the WWE Salute to the Troops. Promoting a show where pro wrestlers are meeting our troops is a good idea. Mr. Magoo, though, deserved better.

Let's not forget one other thing: the composers of the songs, Bob Merrill and Jules Styne, went on to make another musical you may have heard of....Funny Girl!

Thankfully, there is YouTube, which has the uncut version of Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol.



It's also available on DVD, along with other Christmas specials that have been trimmed for extra commercials by short-sighted TV bean-counters.

No Conan, No Peace...But A Sold-Out Tour Will Do

From time to time, we are told the real reason why "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" exists: it was cheaper to fire Conan than let Jay Leno go. There are reports he could have pocketed 120 million if the Peacock kept Conan. Thus, Conan isn't worth 120 million, but is worth 45 million....reluctantly.

Well, geniuses, considering how quickly seats for this "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On TV" tour are selling, Conan is worth 45 million...and more.
It's been revealed slowly he'd do a 30-city tour to meet with fans, and maybe try out some ideas when he comes back to TV, preferably at Fox so it can prove to itself it doesn't need 24 and American Idol to exist (but should have admitted having a Dollhouse or a Firefly would have been great).
Anywho, when I woke up to discover the news, I immediately got a $57 dollar ticket to the show on April 22nd at the Masonic. Sure, with convenience fees, it's 74 bucks, but at least I am getting a decent seat at a 3200 seat facility. I was hoping the Orpheum was available, because that's where he had his show three years ago. Well, it should be some night.

Now, I didn't know there was a list of the 30 cities on the tour. Still, it wouldn't include Sacramento....but it did. He's coming two weeks after the SF show. I blew at least 50 bucks because I thought Conan would consider Sacramento too shoddy to be considered...just like the guys who decide where the NCAA Final Four regionals should be held. Not only that, I could have gone for a 40 dollar ticket if I could.
Sure, I jumped the gun, but looking back, it's better to be quick. I'm already hearing of Conan tickets being scalped big time. Does that ever happen to Jay Leno when he does a stand-up comedy show in Vegas or Thunder Valley Casino? Nope.

So, the point is, I'm going. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll see him wandering around the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, discovering that the most gourmet thing he'll get near that place is Wolfgang Puck Pizza. Actually, he'll have better luck at the Hyatt or Sheraton nearby. Maybe he'll be seen at either place. I'd be stunned if he stopped by KFBK, since his Sacramento stop is immediately after a show in San Jose the night before. He does have two days to rest before the next stop in Colorado. We'll hope for the best.

With the popularity of the "Prohibited" tour after just one day, you have to wonder if NBC could ever make 125 mil from Leno is just one day. The network certainly will as long as he's there, likely after ten years. It might take even longer, once Conan returns to TV. If people can pay between 50 and 75 bucks to see him for one night, after seeing him for free, what does that say about Jay Leno?

Conan O'Brien? Who's He?

This week, NBC will be showing more reruns of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, but it's not showing the final episodes. In fact, you can't even find full episodes of the show anywhere. Hulu has some bits and pieces, and interviews, but not the show.
That's why it's a great idea to get a DVD recorder. That way, you can record the final episodes, and have proof it really happened. Kind of like Super Bowl XLIV.

Not only that, the NBC Universal store website has a "Getting Rid of Conan" sale. All Conan stuff 20 percent off, then they dump it all at local Goodwill stores or maybe It's a Wrap in Burbank. I got a cap and two shot glasses. Hopefully, if I am lucky to see the new Conan show in Los Angeles, I'll go, wearing the cap. I'm sure they'd encourage that sort of thing. I'm still kind of torn whether to see Leno again when I got to Anaheim and L-A in April. It depends of who's there. Otherwise, it's Kimmel for me.

So, no matter if NBC is taking the George Orwell approach by denying it ever had a Cnan O'Brien on the payroll, we'll always have the proof.

By the way, I had planned to go to Anaheim for three days for the Wizard World event, but then I wanted to see Bonnie Hunt one more time before her show ends (barring an epiphany by Warner Brothers that daytime TV will really suck without her...and that Tyra and Martha Stewart are leaving broadcast TV). I also want to shop at the usual places where the unused swag shows up, like Goodwill, It's a Wrap and Out of the Closet. Maybe some leftovers from Dollhouse will come my way. So, why not take care of both, especially when I learned you can get to Anaheim to the Burbank airport at a reasonable price?

Finally, a post for the New Year

I know I have been paying attention to the other blog because of the Dollhouse thing. So, I think I'll start 2010 here with a few remarks.
First, NBC and its late-night screwups: there must be a few old-time executives who think this would be a much different world if NBC gave The Tonight Show to David Letterman the second Johnny Carson retired in 1992. The other two major networks would not have jumped into the late-night talk scene so quickly. I mean, could anyone think of an ideal late-night talk show host aside from Johnny and Dave back then. Sure, Merv Griffin was tried until he decided to stick to game show producing, and Joey Bishop's viability was long gone. We only accept people like Arsenio Hall, Jimmy Kimmel and Craig Ferguson as our late night thing because people had to look for them, and given them their shot.
Maybe Leno would have been on late night anyway, but either syndicated or after Letterman. What a different world it would have been, if NBC treated Letterman right.
So how about the world we have now?
After Jimmy Kimmel's killer smackdown the other night with his classic impression of Leno on his show, I wonder if ABC should watch its back as the other networks start coveting him, like Fox? Well, ABC has Kimmel for keeps, now more than ever. It's also a cinch bigger stars will be coming in more often after this. He's the top guy in Los Angeles if only for a day or two, but that will last as more people see what he does.
My guess: NBC has to pay $50 million to Conan and his staff because of the big move they had to do. Let him start on Fox in June, and but I am sure he won't keep his current spot at Universal. NBC give Leno Conan's current theater and complete the humiliation. However, if the Peacock paid attention to the public's response, Leno would go. However, NBC would have to pay $80 mil to do that. As Letterman said on his show, it's all about money. It's why NBC thought it had to keep Leno, and still thinks that way because dumping Conan would be a less expensive mistake...at least for now. The real price tag comes a year from now, if you add the additional money the network would lose, and I don't mean from the Olympics.
I just wonder....if NBC decides after two years Leno's time really is over, and they want Conan back, how much MORE will they have to pay to get him? Yeesh!
Well, we'll all see the slow death of the peacock starting next Friday if Conan really does leave on the same night Fox forecloses on Dollhouse. Man, will it be a depressing night.

I'm just thankful I can recover from this with good news: after maybe nine months of trying to get on GSN Live, I succeeded. I won 225 bucks by answering two incredibly easy music questions. The cash will go towards my four-day trip to Anaheim to see Eliza Dushku, and this time hopefully getting an autograph from her, at Wizard World. The extra day will be used to say goodbye to Bonnie Hunt, who also is taking risks as she's reading towards her show's final days. With so many people quitting, from Tyra Banks to Simon Cowell (or being tossed out like Conan), maybe Warner brothers may think twice about keeping Bonnie around.