Hey!, Extreme Challenge, and Jam the Vote

Pop-ups (29 · 4 fan picks from YouTube comments)

1. Phil Lord's Space Olympics voice note

   8:20

   Phil Lord, who with Chris Miller is credited as a fan, sent a voice note after watching Space Olympics for the first time, calling it his favorite short the hosts have made.

   I have never seen or heard of Space Olympics. But I'm going to watch it right now.

2. Bugs was Tim Robinson's idea

   12:47

   Mike O'Brien wrote in to say the Bugs short was Tim Robinson's Monday pitch, handed over with Zach Cannon, and a second short called Dogs was cut after dress rehearsal.

   Bugs was completely Tim's idea. In fact, it was his Monday pitch that week.

3. Fans point here

   14:14

   1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 5 likes.

   The next show is James Franco. Oh, are we going to talk about our best short ever? No, we're going to talk about the James Franco show. There's three shorts that we're trying to cover today. And what they all have in… — Seth

4. James Franco hosts; three forgettable shorts

   14:15

   James Franco hosted an episode whose three shorts the hosts agree are forgettable. Their discussion centers on the short 'Hey!', which feels like an OC or Gossip Girl parody.

   Are we going to talk about our best short ever? No, we're going to talk about the James Franco show.

5. The 'hey, hey' motif in their shorts

   15:48

   Jorma notes that nearly every one of their shows or movies includes a scene where characters greet each other with 'hey' and the reply is 'hey.' The joke here turns on a baby wiener.

   there's a hey, hey scene where people come up and say, hey, and then the other person says, hey, it's in almost everything

6. Most of their shorts age well

   16:15

   Akiva argues that for comedy, the Lonely Island's shorts age unusually well compared to expectations, which is why this batch stands out as forgettable.

   for how many things we did on the show and we're covering almost every single one, most of them age really well

7. Hey! uses Let's Go Sailing music

   16:45

   Jorma says the music in Hey! is by Let's Go Sailing, a band fronted by his friend Shana.

   It's a Let's Go Sailing song that my friend Shana is the lead singer of that band.

8. Dear Sister reuses the same world

   17:42

   Andy explains that by this point the crew was asked to produce a short every week, so they sometimes ended up recycling similar ideas, as with the Dear Sister world.

   We've done Dear Sister, which is very clearly the same world. It's just ended up being a stronger concept.

9. Hey! was shot on the 30 Rock roof garden

   18:33

   The hosts recall that the roof deck set for Hey! is the 30 Rock garden terrace, reached only by crawling through someone's office window, and used for many shoots.

   it's just the roof deck at what floor is that on? 12th floor? Somewhere around there. We shot up there all the time.

10. Fans point here

    18:45

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 10 likes.

    We shot up there all the time. It's just in 30 Rock. I just remember in order to get there, you have to walk through someone's desk space and out the window. Oh, that's right. And we shot there all the time. Yeah,…

11. Fans point here

    22:43

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 16 likes.

    rocketmoney.com slash island. So it is a nice timestamp to say it was James Franco and Kings of Leon. What were the two Kings of Leon songs? 100 bucks, if anybody can name both. Journey to the Center and then, oh God,…

12. Kings of Leon bet

    23:05

    Seth bets $100 that the hosts can name two Kings of Leon songs; Andy names Sex on Fire and You Somebody.

    Sex on Fire, You Somebody. Nice work.

13. Extreme Activities Challenge

    26:05

    The hosts debate Extreme Activities Challenge, an Anne Hathaway-episode short. Akiva says its clever deconstruction of extreme challenges fades into weaker territory, and Andy would have cut three beats and three celebrations.

    I would have cut three beats and then I also would have cut three celebrations.

14. Letting the music dictate the visuals

    26:09

    Andy names a sin the crew often warns against: letting the music drive the visuals instead of the reverse, which he feels Extreme Activities Challenge commits.

    I felt like we were committing the sin we always say not to, which is letting the music dictate the visuals

15. Lawrence Welk sketch pulled back for the 50th

    27:24

    The Maharelle Sisters Lawrence Welk sketch with Anne Hathaway became iconic enough to be revived in the SNL 50th special, and Seth calls the first episode unlike anything else.

    Lawrence Welk, obviously we're in the shadow of the 50th where this is a sketch that became so iconic that it was then pulled back

16. Wig busts out the baby hands at table read

    27:39

    Andy recalls that Wig performed the baby hands at the table read, so everyone knew what they were watching in the Lawrence Welk Maharelle Sisters sketch.

    I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, Wig busted out the baby hands at the table read.

17. Call your high school friends

    28:20

    Seth jokes that after the Maharelle Sisters table read the cast should have canceled their plans and called their old friends, since the sketch was that good.

    I remember after the table read, we all should have just gone back to our offices and called our friends from high school

18. Mark Wahlberg Talks to Animals gets retitled

    29:11

    The hosts half-joke about naming the episode after the Mark Wahlberg bit. Andy's Wahlberg voice is the basis for the impression.

    Can we title this episode Mark Wahlberg Talks to Animals?
    Andy Samberg’s Mind Squad

19. Wahlberg bit was first tried in Chicken Alley

    30:41

    The Wahlberg talks-to-animals sketch was first attempted and didn't air. It was later moved to center stage and aired.

    we tried Wahlberg Talks to Animals once. Harper and I wrote it.

20. Andy's Wahlberg voice came from Jonah Hill

    30:51

    Andy says he started doing the impression after Jonah Hill said he sounded like Mark Wahlberg. He was just doing a Bay Area voice.

    did I say that I started doing the impression because Jonah Hill said I sounded like Mark Wahlberg one day?

21. Donkey sketch written in about three pages

    32:52

    The whole Hey Donkey script was roughly three pages, which the hosts take as a sign of the bit's loose charm.

    The whole piece is like three pages, maybe.

22. Jam the Vote's Thursday context

    36:15

    Jam the Vote aired during an election-season Thursday weekend update, part of an unprecedented run of extra SNL shows.

    It was a vote of confidence to be like, we want more SNL, even not on a Saturday.

23. The Sun's Day Off was cut at dress

    37:00

    An animated short that never aired and remains password protected online. Jorma recalls it as one of his first animation-heavy shorts.

    Is it online? No. We didn't really finish it.

24. Fans point here

    41:41

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 16 likes.

    Can you Seth's Corner me real quick? Seth's Corner, you're all invited. Seth's Corner, it's happening right now. Take it away, Seth. I wrote a scene where her and Keenan were in a rowboat and it was like a romantic…

25. Googie Renee, budget bridal gowns

    43:09

    Googie Renee sells damaged, slightly stained wedding dresses. Kenan Thompson's James Anderson-written sketch is praised for its four-line exchanges.

    Googie Renee is budget bridal gowns.

26. Five shorts that never aired

    45:02

    The hosts count unaired digital shorts, citing Kevin for a total near five. Sun's Day Off is among them.

    So how many shorts have not aired? Is it only four or five that have ever not aired?

27. Seth first saw Jam the Vote live

    45:28

    Seth recalls first seeing Jam the Vote when it played during a live Thursday weekend update, with Amy at the desk.

    So Jam the Vote starts playing during a live weekend update Thursday.

28. The spicy hot link gag

    46:13

    Andy grabs a hot dog to decide for Fred, and the spicy hot link warning becomes the sketch's payoff.

    Careful. Spicy hot link.

29. Vomiting felt real on the street

    48:38

    Because the vomit was shot on the street with gross food, it looked too real and bummed out the hosts more than expected.

    this, because we were on the street and he would just put some gross shit in his mouth, it felt real.

30. Seth's disapproval as a favorite

    49:14

    Jorma says he loves it when Seth and Neil Brennan dislike one of the group's bits. He finds it giddily funny.

    Seth, the way that you and Neil Brennan don't like things is my favorite.

31. Six shorts never aired

    51:02

    The hosts list six never-aired shorts, naming Lobster Claw, Handlebar, Gawker Hopefuls, and The Sun's Day Off so far.

    There were six shorts never aired.

32. The 50th anniversary show

    51:36

    The hosts discuss the SNL 50th show, including the musical mashups at Radio City and the Dancing On My Own opening.

    I want to toast women of SNL.

33. Ras Trent teased for next episode

    56:07

    The next episode will discuss Ras Trent, and Rihanna is said to have liked the short. Signoff follows.

    The next short we're going to talk about is Ross Trent, which, you know, I'll save it for next week.