BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) GILDA RADNER
There still hasn’t been a woman to really rock as much as Gilda Radner did on SNL during the shows first few seasons. I know Tina Fey’s current credibility is up there, but Gilda brought a comedic timing that Fey could never touch. She’d go all out for a laugh, but didn’t have to because her worst work was still better than pretty much anyone elses. I’d love to hear her opinions on females in comedy, the current landscape of comedy and entertainment, and I’d love to know what she’d be doing right now.
(THREE) JOHN BELUSHI
I’d love to hang out with John Belushi and watch his process. He was a comic genius and was part of some of my favorite comedy memories. His work in Animal House is classic and iconic. His work in Blues Brothers is classic and iconic. His work on SNL is classic and iconic. There were a few weird spots in his career, but he took chances and sometimes weirdness ended up being the result. I’d want to find out his thoughts on Blues Brother 2000, comedy and life in general, and I’d want to get a rough count on how many Oscars he’d have by now.
(TWO) PHIL HARTMAN
Phil Hartman is probably the most underrated cast member in the history of SNL and the dude was still featured a lot. He carried so many shows and sketches on his back and did so with class and a sense of accessible sophistication. He was just getting out there. News Radio was pretty decent, but you just knew he was in for something even bigger. Imagine Phil Hartman on a show like The Office…. Okay, I’ll stop. Your mind is already blown.
(ONE) CHRIS FARLEY
Duh. Chris Farley rocks. Growing up in the 90’s, his movies were a staple of things that made me laugh. Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, Beverly Hills Ninja, and the cameo roles he had in movies were amazing. He was such a likeable and funny guy that even a bad movie would be great because he made it work. On SNL he rocked. People are quick to say Belushi was the best “funny fat guy”, but I still go with Farley. While he didn’t have Animal House and Blues Brothers, I think Farley’s SNL run was much stronger and provides a billion laughs. I’d love to know what he’d want to be doing right now in the landscape of 2011. Imagine Chris Farley and Will Ferrell bouncing laughs off eachother. I'm pretty sure that would have ended world hunger and brought world peace.
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