Live from New York, it's SATURDAY NIGHT! (Lauren Sauer)

Since its premiere in 1975, NBC's Saturday Night (as the title was originally coined) has been entertaining audiences for a running total of thirty-seven seasons and has given birth to the careers of Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Sarah Silverman, Eddie Murphy, Chevy Chase, Maya Rudolph, Chris Farley, Mike Myers...need I go on? Even in a world where Glee and The Voice run rampid*, SNL remains as a glittering reminder that television isn't completely dead nowadays.

But why? WHY does this late-night troupe of liberal goofballs remain to be so successful? Is it the hosts they pick? Is it Kristen Wiig's talent? Is it the sex appeal Seth Meyers exudes from the Weekend Update desk? Perhaps.

No but really, unpopular opinion time: he's hot.



Perhaps the magic behind SNL is the "L": it's LIVE, anything could happen! Even if the show is an absolute train wreck, audiences can't turn the channel, due to the promise and excitement in-the-moment television brings. People love seeing any performance in its most raw, vulnerable state, whether they realize it or not, because it connects the actors on screen or stage to the viewers. Even when the actors are breaking and the scene is falling apart, it's still so endearing that the audience can't turn the channel. Take for example this gem of a clip from a few years ago: "Debbie Downer", a personal favorite of mine.

For me, Saturday Night Live is important because it's taught me so much as I grow and develop. As a sixteen-year-old, my thoughts and opinions are completely different than they were when I was fourteen, and the opinions I'll have when I'm in my twenties will be completely different than they are now. Navigating this ever-changing time in my life has been aided by SNL because the writers and cast members have provided for me a place to explore my ideas. Maybe it helps that they lean to left politically, just like I do, and that the jokes always dance on the border of satire without crossing over into wildly inappropriate territory, which I appreciate, but overall I just think part of me really resonates with the happenings over there at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. While I've been growing up, even when I was too young to watch and would sneak downstairs after my parents had fallen asleep with the TV on, Saturday Night Live has taught to redefine my own sense of humor, to question everything, and to make informed, smart decisions while still being able to laugh along the way. Maybe I'm biased, but let's just say I'm proud to be navigating my high school years with the help of Lorne Michaels, instead of Snooki Polizzi or any of those Real Housewives.

Anyway, I guess if you take anything from my messy and scattered thoughts, let it be this: SNL is funny, smart, and liberal and I like it. Seth Meyers is attractive and I like him. SNL>Glee.

If any of you have any thoughts on live television or how media can help (or hinder) growth and development, please feel free to email me.

Until then, LIVE FROM MY BEDROOM, IT'S WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
...that's just not as catchy

Lauren Sauer

*No offense, "Gleeks", but it's just not my thing. I hope we can still be friends.

A Serious Addiction

“Hi my name is Jessica and I’m addicted to television.” “Hi Jessica!”

Sorry, I couldn’t help but start this blog off humorously. Truthfully, I’m being completely serious, and this is a very real thing to me.

 What is the definition of addiction? According to dictionary.com, an addiction is “the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma”. Many people wouldn’t normally consider television to be an addiction, but in my mind there’s no doubt about it.

 Let me break this definition down piece by piece and apply it to television. It says “being enslaved to…something that is psychologically or physically habit forming”. A lot of people can sympathize with being a slave to the television (Not necessarily you. If that’s so, you should be grateful.), and know how hard of a habit it can be to break. In this age of multitasking I don’t feel comfortable just sitting down and eating a meal or snack, or doing something on the computer, I feel like I need to turn the TV on to keep my mind busy.

 The part of TV being an addiction that most people argue with is not that is can be psychologically habit forming, but that it can be physically habit forming as well. Now I’m not an expert, but I’ve read in a few places that when you watch TV, your nervous system slows down and your brain waves change. To me, these effects sound similar to those of depressant substances, and could cause a physical dependence on watching TV.

 The part of the definition of an addiction that I think doesn’t fit television is that “its cessation causes severe trauma”. While I do think you can start to crave TV and its calming effects, I don’t think that there is more than a psychological withdrawal when you decide to stop watching.

 It is hard to stop though. The TV sucks up such an enormous amount of your day that when you decide to turn it off, it can feel like there’s nothing else to do to fill your time. This problem is addressed in the blog Escape Your Television, where a guy writes about getting “sober” and turning off his TV.

 If you’ve ever struggled with this, or have any tips for me, feel free to email me.

-Jessica