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Never Cursed wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 6:28 pm Norm MacDonald

No! This one hurts so, so much. One of the funniest people alive- his Saget roast, The View appearance, relentless OJ Weekend Updates, and the infamous Carrot Top bashing Conan interview are gems everyone should celebrate by watching today

Bob Dole seriously outlived him?

Never Cursed wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 6:28 pm Norm MacDonald

Fuuuck

Never Cursed wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 6:28 pm Norm MacDonald

Incredibly shocking and awful.

Any of his Letterman/Conan guest spots are way up there for me—“Chairman of the BORED” is an all-timer—and easily the best Weekend Update anchor. Definitely makes his last time on Letterman even more bittersweet; maybe it had to do with the Jimmy Fallon cancelling, but it makes sense now why he didn’t show up for Conan’s final line of shows. Get that extra Dirty Work footage out, Bob Saget/MGM.

My friend and I were literally talking about that “chairman of the bored” joke this morning before the news broke. Wild.

EDIT: This bit, which has no punchline to speak of, remains one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.

Probably the funniest human being I've been contemporaneously aware of. Rest in peace, Norm.

If I can bring in a deep cut, I love this “bad” joke from his last talk show

In my opinion if we are going to fight the war on terror, a good place to start would be our country's haunted houses.

Man this is some bullshit. Norm has been a presence my entire life. RIP.

soundchaser wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 6:49 pm My friend and I were literally talking about that “chairman of the bored” joke this morning before the news broke. Wild.

My friends and I usually go down a Norm YT rabbit hole every other Friday as a ritual, and we talk about this moment all the time of course (though "Box Office Poison" is even better I think). The passive accusation that Bill Clinton is a murderer on The View is my favorite

This one hits hard. Kudos to him for staying the same hard hitting yet lovable guy in public over the last decade despite his private health issues. A "character" with true character, best seen by how openly beloved he was by his peers. His final performance on Letterman during the end of that show stands out to me; just a great Norm set and a real sincerity afterwards from the performance space. (EDITED per correction below)

captveg wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:21 pm His final performance on Letterman during the end of that show stands out to me; just a great Norm set and a real sincerity afterwards on the couch during the interview.

Yeah, that Letterman appearance was really lovely. There was no interview, just Norm delivering a tearful tribute after his set. After six months or so of Letterman squirming as his guests spouted some cliches about how important his show has been, it was really moving to see such an acerbic comedian genuinely overcome with emotion when it was his turn.

Titus wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:35 pm

captveg wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:21 pm His final performance on Letterman during the end of that show stands out to me; just a great Norm set and a real sincerity afterwards on the couch during the interview.

Yeah, that Letterman appearance was really lovely. There was no interview, just Norm delivering a tearful tribute after his set. After six months or so of Letterman squirming as his guests spouted some cliches about how important his show has been, it was really moving to see such an acerbic comedian genuinely overcome with emotion when it was his turn.

That's right. He didn't go to the couch. I remembered the emotion of the moment, but forgot that he did it standing from the performance space.

Aw man, he might be the only thing I liked about SNL in the late-'90s. The O.J. jokes remain cathartic to this day. He had the craziest rehab story too.

Saturday Night Live never really made it to the UK, but surprisingly enough his series Norm turned up on Channel 4 on Friday nights in their US comedy slot around the same time as they were showing Friends, Will & Grace, Frasier, Spin City and so on.

That's really where I know him best from (well actually mostly from voicing Death on Family Guy. I see he later turns up on The Orville but have not yet seen that show). Its a shame that most of his film work was as part of the Adam Sandler ensemble players, although that does also mean that he turns up in the one tolerable Adam Sandler film, as part of the cavalcade of comedian cameos in Funny People.

colinr0380 wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 8:09 pm That's really where I know him best from (well actually mostly from voicing Death on Family Guy. I see he later turns up on The Orville but have not yet seen that show). Its a shame that most of his film work was as part of the Adam Sandler ensemble players, although that does also mean that he turns up in the one tolerable Adam Sandler film, as part of the cavalcade of comedian cameos in Funny People.

The Orville is essentially Star Trek by way of Seth McFarlane. It's considerably less crude than Family Guy but it's still on that same wavelength so if you're into all that you may enjoy it. MacDonald played a sentient alien blob on the show. It suits him well enough and plays to his strengths. The variable quality of the show is another thing entirely though, at least in my opinion.

The main way I have been exposed to the Orville so far is through those Red Letter Media videos talking about Star Trek: Discovery series that was airing at the same time, where they felt that ironically the 'comedy series' of The Orville ended up feeling like a more faithful spiritual successor Star Trek series than the official entry did!

Alright finally have a brief break at work to post these gems:

The View Interview

Midget Joke

Bob Saget Roast (video included, finally)

I won't post them, but you can watch compilations of his OJ Weekend Update gags on YT, so many that they couldn't be contained in one video!

Man, I watch his Conan dolphin story way too often.

I forgot how good he was on Celebrity Millionaire, too - not just as a comedian, but as a contestant.

therewillbeblus wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 9:43 pm The View Interview

That "There's never been any accusation towards Bill Cosby about anything" line certainly doesn't play the same way now.

This is a real bummer. Norm McDonald on the weekend updates was the first comedian I ever took notice of.

jindianajonz wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 10:40 pm

therewillbeblus wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 9:43 pm The View Interview

That "There's never been any accusation towards Bill Cosby about anything" line certainly doesn't play the same way now.

No but I always took it to be another deadpan joke since there had been plenty of accusations that were ignored, with Norm recognizing it and then the line (expectedly and deliberately, reinforcing his flippant ethos) being ignored on the show itself

therewillbeblus wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 10:59 pm

jindianajonz wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 10:40 pm

therewillbeblus wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 9:43 pm The View Interview

That "There's never been any accusation towards Bill Cosby about anything" line certainly doesn't play the same way now.

No but I always took it to be another deadpan joke since there had been plenty of accusations that were ignored, with Norm recognizing it and then the line (expectedly and deliberately, reinforcing his flippant ethos) being ignored on the show itself

It's probably worth sharing a subsequent Bill Cosby joke of his:

There's a comedian, Patton Oswalt, who told me: "I think the worst part of the Cosby thing was the hypocrisy." And I disagree. [...] I thought it was the raping.