What a night for comedy, absurdity, and nostalgia! Lorne Michaels and the gang threw down some of the original classics and indulged in a 10 minute saga of newer skit, The Californians. It was all gravy. Here’s a countdown of MRP Team’s favorite moments from the 40th Anniversary episode of Saturday Night Live:

10. That amazing audition reel of SNL veterans & famous rejects alike.

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9. Wayne’s World! Excellent! Also doesn’t hurt that they totally mocked Kanye West. We’re not worthy!
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8. Maya Rudolph as the majestic queen, Beyoncé. And my God, she NAILS it.


7. When comedy queens Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Jane Curtin return to the Weekend Update desk – then Melissa McCarthy as Matt Foley, the man who lives in a van down by the river, promptly fell on top of said desk and destroyed it. Awesome Chris Farley tribute right there.


6. Emma Stone paying tribute to original SNL cast member Gilda Radner by portraying her hysterical, obnoxious character ROSEANNE ROSEANNADANNA. Radner was pure comedic genius, and we’re not sure if Emma did her any justice – but it was still cool to see.
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5. The hilarious audience Q&A, featuring Larry David’s high-brow snark.

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4. That EXTREMELY awkward Bill Cosby gag featuring Kenan Thompson. Yikes. Edgy. Too soon? Too soon.
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3. Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake’s flawless SNL cold open: A catchphrase rap intro. They crammed 40 seasons worth of inside jokes and EVERY SINGLE SNL CATCHPHRASE YOU COULD POSSIBLY THINK OF into a 5 minute song. And it was pure gold.
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2. That one time when Betty White and Bradley Cooper sucked face. On LIVE national television.


1. Celebrity Jeopardy with Will Ferrell as the irritable, flustered Alex Trebek – also featuring Kate McKinnon as a very precocious Justin Bieber, Norm Macdonald as a sassy Burt Reynolds, Jim Carrey as weirdly introspective Matthew McConaughey, Alec Baldwin as a charming, politically incorrect Tony Bennett, and Darrell Hammond as iconically belligerent Sean Connery. SHUCK IT, TREBEK!
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Other noteworthy stuff that happened:
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  • 30 Rock costars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin paid a touching & funny tribute to their friend & costar, Tracy Morgan.
  • Eddie Murphy made a rather lackluster return after a 30 year hiatus… womp womp.
  • Paul McCartney and Paul Simon argued with Miley Cyrus and a whole bunch of other famous people on who should get to host the 40th anniversary show. It was really just a clash of bizarre cameos.
  • During the Weekend Update montage, they DEFINITELY left out Cecily Strong from the montage of past and current anchors. We know she wasn’t exactly a veteran – and though she had a shorter run, she still did a fantastic job during her time and should have been recognized. You can’t jump right from solo Seth Meyers to current hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che. Poor form, guys. Come on.
  • SNL40 drew the show’s best ratings since the early 2000s! Hurrah. We thought this show was the funniest SNL has been since the mid 90s. Zing!

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Also, LIVE FROM NEW YORK, WE’RE TEAM MRP! We’ll be in NYC at the end of this month and while we’re officially all booked up, we’re scheduled to be back at the end of May! Click here to learn more – if you’re on the East Coast and looking to get some LA style headshots, this is the perfect opportunity. Let’s get in touch.

-MRP TEAM