February 16, 2015
Forty years later, Saturday Night Live is still a force of comedy and endless celebrity charm.
During Sunday night's extended anniversary special, the differences between the SNL of 1975 and its evolution up to the present may have been best expressed by Tina Fey. In the iconic Weekend Update segment, Fey took a jab at the latest generation of viewers, likely live-tweeting the show instead of actually watching it.Not long afterward, Chris Rock even gave a shout out to Philadelphia, speculating about an alternative history in which Fey became an esteemed Drexel University English professor. Presumably, she would deconstruct everything about SNL's cultural pastiche and the evolution described above.
NBC's 3.5 hour special was chock full of stars and musical talent, combining a giant reunion with an archival blast from the past. Bill Murray, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, Paul McCartney, Eddie Murphy, and Kristin Wiig were among those on hand as the night began with a "Today Show" red carpet event.
From Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon riffing on previous skits, to Bill Murray giving a musical rendition of "Jaws" and opening up a tribute to those the show has lost over the years, to Mike Myers and Dana Carvey reprising their classic Wayne's World broadcast, the show carried plenty of fresh laughs and special reminiscences.
Fittingly, Paul Simon closed the evening with a performance of "Still Crazy After All These Years," sealing a night that displayed as much of SNL's past as it did the faces of its present and future.
Thank you #SNL40! Here's to 40 more! Photo by @MJKIM_lalala pic.twitter.com/S4IPuIuRLa
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) February 16, 2015
28 Behind-The-Scenes Pictures You Missed From @nbcsnl's 40th Anniversary http://t.co/d3aF1CvJ7P #SNL40 pic.twitter.com/5z9e6gJo0X
— BuzzFeed Celeb (@BuzzFeedCeleb) February 16, 2015
Watch Melissa McCarthy pay homage to the late, great Chris Farley on #SNL40 http://t.co/mDq9NmkqkG pic.twitter.com/Nc9DWmrzo8
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) February 16, 2015
Historic moment: Betty White using selfie stick! #SNL40 pic.twitter.com/GGMa04VFTM
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 16, 2015
Party time! Excellent! #SNL40 pic.twitter.com/O7mYhxetXN
— Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) February 16, 2015
Miley Cyrus Gave a Jaw-Dropping Performance of a Classic Song on "SNL 40" http://t.co/VJN5op7ZOB pic.twitter.com/pE9mE7L94q
— Cosmopolitan (@Cosmopolitan) February 16, 2015
Watch Kanye's performance of Jesus Walks/Only One/Wolves on SNL here http://t.co/2BLQ3sAOWV
— G.O.O.D. Music Facts (@goodmusic_facts) February 16, 2015
