World of KJ :: View topic - Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch leave SNL

Quote:

Tina Fey leaves Saturday Night Live for prime time

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - Tina Fey is leaving the anchor chair at Saturday Night Live.

Fey said she is quitting the show after six seasons as head writer and co-anchor of the Weekend Update fake news segment to focus on her new NBC prime-time series, 30 Rock, which debuts Oct. 11.

"I'm out of the fake news business now," Fey told the Television Critics Association's summer meeting Saturday.

She announced her SNL departure on Friday night's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Also leaving SNL is regular Rachel Dratch, who plays a sketch actress on Fey's new sitcom about a fictional late-night show.

"If you're asking if I'm happy about it, no," said Lorne Michaels, executive producer of 30 Rock and SNL.

"Tina disappearing is a huge hole in the writing staff."

Michaels said various individuals and duos will be tested in September to decide who will replace Fey on the Weekend Update segment.

Fey, 36, first joined SNL as a writer in 1997 and became head writer in 1999.

She is writing, starring and executive producer of her new show.

"I'm going to go nuts," she said Saturday.

"I do not understand the train that is about to hit me. We're trying to get as much done in the writers' room now before we start and I tried to gather a staff of writers who are experienced so they can proceed when I'm on the set."

30 Rock also stars Alec Baldwin and former SNL regular Tracy Morgan.

Joe wrote:

Good. Fey was the reason why SNL has gone so far downhill in recent years since she wrote most of the material.

Squee wrote:

Every time I see Darrell Hammond I become violent with boredom.

Archie Gates wrote:

Hey, didn't we notice the last few episodes this last season suddenly get a lot better? I noticed it and I remember Mr X saying something about that too.

Maybe Tina had already stopped writing much for SNL by then due to 30 Rock.

jmart007 wrote:

Before I used to think that a cast of Fey, Samberg, Poheller, Forte, Hader, Wiig, Meyers, Sudekis and maybe Rudolph would be a good size cast, just like in the old days when there used to be seven or eight. Now that Fey is gone, they should pretty much blow a good chunk of the cast up.

Keep; Poehler, Forte, Meyers, Samberg, Hader, Wiig, Sudekis and Rudolph.
Get rid of everyone else, except for maybe Keenan Thompson. That means they drop Hammond, Sanz, Armisen and Mitchell.

And then for this year, don't hire anyone else. Let these guys run with it for a little bit and let Poehler, Meyers and Sudekis co-head write the show.

At least there won't be anymore Debbie Downer sketches.

Maguire wrote:

Now I wonder who will be doing Weekend Update with Poehler? Please, not be Haratio! I actually think Seth Meyers would be a good fit. He and Poehler always have great chemistry and work well together.

Author:	Cotton [ Sun Jul 23, 2006 9:05 pm ]
Post subject:	Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch leave SNL
Quote: Tina Fey leaves Saturday Night Live for prime time PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - Tina Fey is leaving the anchor chair at Saturday Night Live. Fey said she is quitting the show after six seasons as head writer and co-anchor of the Weekend Update fake news segment to focus on her new NBC prime-time series, 30 Rock, which debuts Oct. 11. "I'm out of the fake news business now," Fey told the Television Critics Association's summer meeting Saturday. She announced her SNL departure on Friday night's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Also leaving SNL is regular Rachel Dratch, who plays a sketch actress on Fey's new sitcom about a fictional late-night show. "If you're asking if I'm happy about it, no," said Lorne Michaels, executive producer of 30 Rock and SNL. "Tina disappearing is a huge hole in the writing staff." Michaels said various individuals and duos will be tested in September to decide who will replace Fey on the Weekend Update segment. Fey, 36, first joined SNL as a writer in 1997 and became head writer in 1999. She is writing, starring and executive producer of her new show. "I'm going to go nuts," she said Saturday. "I do not understand the train that is about to hit me. We're trying to get as much done in the writers' room now before we start and I tried to gather a staff of writers who are experienced so they can proceed when I'm on the set." 30 Rock also stars Alec Baldwin and former SNL regular Tracy Morgan. Not that surprising, but still....

Author:	MikeQ. [ Sun Jul 23, 2006 9:09 pm ]
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30 Rock is going to be sooooo good. Between this and Studio 60, I might actually have a TV watching schedule (I normally watch hardly any television: CSI is my only regular show). PEACE, Mike.

Author:	Harry Warden [ Sun Jul 23, 2006 9:13 pm ]
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Good. Fey was the reason why SNL has gone so far downhill in recent years since she wrote most of the material.

Author:	Mister Ecks [ Sun Jul 23, 2006 9:25 pm ]
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Joe wrote: Good. Fey was the reason why SNL has gone so far downhill in recent years since she wrote most of the material. Although she didn't write the show herself, I would put a decent amount of blame with her, the head writer. Still though, the Weekend Update was good for the first two or three years when she did it. Rachel Dratch isn't going to be a big movie star, so it's wise on her part to do 30 Rock. I'll miss her on SNL. She did quite a bit with her roles on SNL over seven seasons. The good news is that hopefully Kristin Wiig will break out in the cast now. Bad news? Still no news on departures for Horatio Sanz, Darrell Hammond, Chris Parnell, and Maya Rudolph.

Author:	Squee [ Sun Jul 23, 2006 10:42 pm ]
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Every time I see Darrell Hammond I become violent with boredom.

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Author:	Shack [ Sun Jul 23, 2006 10:45 pm ]
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I like Tina, but the writing has been god-awful lately, so I'm happy I guess.

Author:	A. G. [ Mon Jul 24, 2006 12:41 am ]
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Hey, didn't we notice the last few episodes this last season suddenly get a lot better? I noticed it and I remember Mr X saying something about that too. Maybe Tina had already stopped writing much for SNL by then due to 30 Rock.

Author:	matatonio [ Mon Jul 24, 2006 1:38 am ]
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Well, i dont see SNL anymore so i dont really care but Rachel Dratch was great!

Author:	Jmart [ Mon Jul 24, 2006 1:48 am ]
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Before I used to think that a cast of Fey, Samberg, Poheller, Forte, Hader, Wiig, Meyers, Sudekis and maybe Rudolph would be a good size cast, just like in the old days when there used to be seven or eight. Now that Fey is gone, they should pretty much blow a good chunk of the cast up. Keep; Poehler, Forte, Meyers, Samberg, Hader, Wiig, Sudekis and Rudolph. Get rid of everyone else, except for maybe Keenan Thompson. That means they drop Hammond, Sanz, Armisen and Mitchell. And then for this year, don't hire anyone else. Let these guys run with it for a little bit and let Poehler, Meyers and Sudekis co-head write the show. At least there won't be anymore Debbie Downer sketches.

Author:	Mister Ecks [ Mon Jul 24, 2006 9:32 am ]
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Squee wrote: Every time I see Darrell Hammond I become violent with boredom. Really, the guy has about 500 impersonations in his arsenal. If they want Al Gore and Dick Cheney in a sketch together (no clue why), it's not going to happen. I'd rather see someone do a half-assed impersonation of Gore than see Hammond doing it. I actually like the guy, but his time has passed, and now let's see someone else try to do an impersonation or two. Hader, anyone?

Author:	Mister Ecks [ Mon Jul 24, 2006 9:34 am ]
Post subject:
Archie Gates wrote: Hey, didn't we notice the last few episodes this last season suddenly get a lot better? I noticed it and I remember Mr X saying something about that too. Maybe Tina had already stopped writing much for SNL by then due to 30 Rock. It's possible. For the first two years that she started actually appearing on the show, SNL was doing great. Then, everyone started saying that she saved SNL, and it seemed to go to her head. The show went downhill, paired with the loss of Will Ferrell. I don't doubt Tina might pull off a great comedy in 30 Rock. But, she lost it completely on SNL for the past three seasons.

Author:	Mister Ecks [ Mon Jul 24, 2006 9:36 am ]
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jmart007 wrote: Before I used to think that a cast of Fey, Samberg, Poheller, Forte, Hader, Wiig, Meyers, Sudekis and maybe Rudolph would be a good size cast, just like in the old days when there used to be seven or eight. Now that Fey is gone, they should pretty much blow a good chunk of the cast up. Keep; Poehler, Forte, Meyers, Samberg, Hader, Wiig, Sudekis and Rudolph. Get rid of everyone else, except for maybe Keenan Thompson. That means they drop Hammond, Sanz, Armisen and Mitchell. And then for this year, don't hire anyone else. Let these guys run with it for a little bit and let Poehler, Meyers and Sudekis co-head write the show. At least there won't be anymore Debbie Downer sketches. Sounds like a good plan. A small cast and new writers is an absolute necessity. The full cast doesn't really give anyone a chance on the show. For the love of God, please tell me Horatio is leaving!!

Author:	Maguire [ Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:15 am ]
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Now I wonder who will be doing Weekend Update with Poehler? Please, not be Haratio! I actually think Seth Meyers would be a good fit. He and Poehler always have great chemistry and work well together.

Author:	Shack [ Mon Jul 24, 2006 3:47 pm ]
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Yes, Seth Meyers also has that straight man comedy style, which would work perfect for Weekend Update I think. He seems like a news anchor.

Author:	gardenia.11/14.... [ Tue Jul 25, 2006 12:07 am ]
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I like Tina, Wahoo, wha... Besides that, I enjoyed snl last week.. Singing of desserts in excess( although it was like a previous skit on a bithday celebration) and then the tree got sawed.. ok.. and lots more short jokes... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- best wishes to all parties...

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Author:	Rev [ Tue Jul 25, 2006 12:16 am ]
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Maguire wrote: Now I wonder who will be doing Weekend Update with Poehler? Please, not be Haratio! I actually think Seth Meyers would be a good fit. He and Poehler always have great chemistry and work well together. i'd luv those two to do it.