Last night I was on my way home from NYC when SNL was gearing up for their live production at the Upright Citizens Brigade theatre. Michael Cera hosted the thing while Yo La Tengo was the musical performance. Here is an article about the performance from the New York Times.

Thirty minutes before showtime just about all the cast members of “Saturday Night Live” were gathered in a green room, going over their bits. “Fred, remember on the cold open, you wait for Darrell,” Seth Meyers, one of the show’s head writers, instructed Fred Armisen. Kenan Thompson ran his lines and brushed his teeth; Rachel Dratch adjusted her Debbie Downer wig; Kristen Wiig gathered her props. Norah Jones, a surprise guest, arrived and greeted the guest host, Michael Cera, the deadpan boy-hero of “Superbad.”

“We all thought about what we’re going to do during the strike, and because we have no other skills, we just scraped this together,” said Amy Poehler, who hosted a racier-than-normal “Weekend Update” with Seth Meyers. “Nice suit,” Mr. Cera told Mr. Armisen, who moments later doffed his pants and was standing spread-eagle, having clumps of fake hair applied to his buttocks. Mr. Cera read his cue cards a few feet away. Every few minutes Gena Rositano, a headsetted stage manager, called out the time. And then, at 11:37 p.m.:

“Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!” Mr. Armisen announced from the stage. Then came the usual mix of topical and ludicrous sketches, videos and music. Yo La Tengo sang.

But this NBC show was not live from Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center. Nor were there any television cameras. The continuing writers’ strike meant there could be no new broadcasts. Instead the cast, writers and a few key production staff members had gathered in a subterranean comedy theater in Chelsea to perform the show live on stage for an audience of less than 200, including a Who’s Who of downtown comedy. The TV audience got a rerun of a Nov. 3 show, but at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater there was a rare event born of hammy necessity, unexpected availability and good vibes.

“We’re like cranky trained monkeys if we don’t get to perform,” said Amy Poehler, who is also founder of the theater. “We all thought about what we’re going to do during the strike, and because we have no other skills, we just scraped this together.”

Read the rest of the article at NYT.

See more pictures.

It’s Sunday night and I’ve just returned from a crazy weekend. I had a business meeting (I know, fancy) in NYC yesterday that was simply amazing, I did a little roaming around and then I was back home. So that’s from Boston to NYC and back in a 18 hour span. That’s a lot of driving for one day and I was tuckered.

I have to quick tell you that after our meeting yesterday we went for lunch at Bar Martingnetti on Broome Street and I had quite the encounter with a celebrity chef. I had to go to the bathroom so I headed to the back of the restaurant where there are 3 bathroom doors. A woman had just gone into the only open one and there was a really tall man in front of me pacing. The pacing back and forth got more frantic as the seconds ticked on. He finally started almost doing the peepee dance when he turned toward me. It was Todd English. I smirked because it was hysterical watching Todd English almost piss himself. Then it got worse and he had to start grabbing himself in the crotch, like a 4 year old panicked that he might have an accident. It took everything I had to not laugh in his face.

Finally, a door opens and he rushes in. A good 45 seconds later I hear the toilet flush and the door open instantly. TODD ENGLISH didn’t wash his hands. SICKA! So gross. I almost died. So here’s a thought for everyone out there… stay clear of food Todd English has touched. Thankfully he was just a bar patron at this place and not a chef because I would have thrown up. That’s my fun story of the trip.

Woke up this morning, watched last week’s episode of THE HILLS where Heidi confronted Lauren finally! It was divine. I loved watching Heidi try and claw her way back in, watching Spencer almost have a cow, watching Whitney freaking out over Lauren getting an IM from Heidi and finally watching the final blowout. You go Lauren with your bad self telling Heidi that you’d like to “forgive her and forget her.” Looooved it!

Then Jon and I went to lunch, went shopping for a good long while, and now I’m home and it’s almost time for THE AMAZING RACE. Oh crap, it’s my parent’s anniversary today. Gotta make that call.

So while I was away, the WGA and AMPTP have decided to reopen talks starting next Friday. Could this mean that things are looking up or that both sides are trying to save face? Regardless, this could mean that we have television back sooner than we thought.

Gotta call the ‘rents. Glad to be home.