Friday, January 21, 2005
NBC PRESENTS NEW BEHIND-THE-SCENES SPECIAL: ‘LIVE FROM NEW YORK: THE FIRST 5 YEARS OF SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’ ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20
Released by NBC
NBC PRESENTS NEW BEHIND-THE-SCENES SPECIAL: ‘LIVE FROM NEW YORK: THE FIRST 5 YEARS OF SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’ ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20
NBC to Present Five Emmy-Winning Episodes from SNL´s First Five Years in the ´All Night´ Time Period Beginning Saturday, January 22
BURBANK, Calif. -- January 21, 2005 -- Marking the 30th Anniversary of NBC´s ´Saturday Night Live,´ the network will present a compelling behind-the-scenes look at the birth of this television icon in ´Live From New York: The First 5 Years of Saturday Night Live´ (Sunday, February 20, 9:00 – 11:00 p.m. ET).
From award-winning documentary writer-director-producer Kenneth Bowser (´Easy Riders & Raging Bulls´), ´Live from New York´ is a look at the creation of one of the most successful and influential shows in television history - it is SNL´s story told by the people who lived it.
Viewers will get a rare, intimate look at the formative years of the show in new interviews with creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels, the show´s original stars, including Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Laraine Newman and Garrett Morris, hosts such as Candice Bergen, Elliot Gould, Buck Henry, Eric Idle, Steve Martin, Penny Marshall and Lily Tomlin, writers (Al Franken, Jim Downey and many others), as well as original crew members and musicians (including original musical director, Oscar winner Howard Shore and Paul Shaffer).
These are the stories fans haven´t heard - all presented in a funny, fast-paced, nostalgic format, framed by the legendary musical performances from that iconoclastic era (artists include The Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello, The Grateful Dead, Patti Smith, The Band, Blondie, George Harrison, Paul Simon, Ray Charles, Bette Midler, Randy Newman, The Blues Brothers as well as John Belushi´s inimitable imitation of Joe Cocker).
In addition to the never-before-seen insights, the special will feature classic and hilarious footage from the 70´s as well as recollections from SNL stars of recent years (Dana Carvey, Jimmy Fallon, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Norm Macdonald, Tim Meadows, former writer Conan O´Brien, and Molly Shannon) discussing the show´s influence on them.
Leading up to the special, NBC will re-air Emmy-nominated and Emmy-winning episodes from the show´s historic first five years in the ´All-Night´ timeslot (directly following SNL on Saturday nights or at 3 a.m. ET, check local listings) for the next five weeks beginning Saturday, January 22.
The January 22 ´All Night´ show, with host Elliott Gould and musical guest Anne Murray (from the 1975-76 season), won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy/Variety or Music series. The January 29 show features Candice Bergen/Frank Zappa, from the 1976-77 season. The February 5 show features Steve Martin/Blues Brothers from the 1977-78 season, and February 12 features Richard Benjamin/Rickie Lee Jones from 1978-79 season. All were nominated for Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music series. The episode on February 19 with host Teri Garr and music from The B-52´s (from 1979-80) was nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy-Variety or Music series.
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