Seriously? OMG! WTF?

After months of speculation, Lorne Michaels has confirmed the departure of several "Saturday Night Live" stalwarts — including Horatio Sanz and Chris Parnell. NBC’s latenight franchise will begin its 32nd season Sept. 30 with just 11 regular players — down nearly one-third from last year’s cast of 16, and one of the smallest ensembles in recent memories. In addition, helmer Beth McCarthy Miller, who has been the show’s director since 1995, is leaving and will be replaced by live TV vet Don Roy King. Also gone: Finesse Mitchell, a standup comic who had been with the show for three seasons. "SNL" had long ago confirmed the departures of Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch as a result of their involvement in Fey’s new NBC laffer "30 Rock." Returning to "SNL" next season will be Fred Armisen, Will Forte, Bill Hader, Darrell Hammond, Seth Meyers, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis, Kenan Thompson and Kristen Wiig. Poehler will be back on the "Weekend Update" desk. There’s no official word yet on who will co-anchor "Update" with her, but — despite published speculation about another contender — all signs now point to Meyers taking on the gig. An official announcement is expected as early as this week. Meyers will continue as head writer, sharing the position with Andrew Steele and Paula Pell. Dane Cook will host this year’s season opener, with the Killers as musical guest. Speculation about the fates of the "SNL" cast has been swirling since July, when series creator Lorne Michael told reporters that NBC budget cuts had forced him to make some tough choices about the upcoming season in order to preserve the skein’s annual output of 20 episodes. "Things like this are never pleasant," Michaels said in July. "I made the decision to stick with the 20 shows and cut everything back." Other than confirming the departures of Fey and Dratch and hinting that Sanz might not return, Michaels didn’t spell out exactly who would be leaving. That caused a flurry of media speculation about possible changes, some of it wildly inaccurate. The Los Angeles Times, for example, said Kenan Thompson was being forced out. But a person familiar with Michaels’ thinking insists that was never under serious consideration. For the most part, the cast members leaving have been with the show the longest. Parnell and Sanz, for instance, had been with the show eight seasons, having joined in 1998. Dratch had been around for seven, while Fey notched more episodes as "Weekend Update" anchor than anyone in "SNL" history.

Variety

If I watched this show I might care. 

Kenan Thompson was doing a studio voiceover gig when his cell phone started lighting up.The first call came from his agent. The second one: the boss, Lorne Michaels, creator of "Saturday Night Live." Pay no attention, they told him, to published reports that had him being fired from the cast.It would have been a major shock, Thompson said "I left Lorne’s office three days earlier, and he said I was coming back," said Thompson, a Lake Las Vegas resident since 2004.Ten of the 17 cast members are leaving, including four whose firings could be announced this week. Two mainstays, Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch, are leaving to work on "30 Rock," a parody of ‘SNL.’Thompson said Darrell Hammond, impersonator extraordinaire, has been told "he can come back if he wants."

Norm Clarke

I wonder who is gone? But since I do not watch the show I would not know their names anyways!

WHAT’s going on be hind the scenes at "Saturday Night Live" this month may be more dramatic than any thing you’ll see on the two prime-time shows starting this fall based on the famed late-night comedy.Four cast members are about to be fired – they know who they are, but the public doesn’t.Two others – including the undisputed star of "SNL," Tina Fey – are gone.Auditions are about to begin for the signature spot on the show, anchor of the snarky "Weekend Update."Lorne Michaels, the show’s boss and guiding personality for nearly 30 years – and the producer of "30 Rock" – has less than six weeks to get it all done. Crunch time."The history of ‘SNL’ has been that people step up," Michaels told the Post yesterday. "It’s just been that way, at least so far. I think there are people there now who are going to be brilliant." This will be one of the few seasons that he doesn’t bring in at least one new cast member. Knowing that budget cuts were looming for this fall, Michaels last year hired an exceptionally large cast – so that when the ax fell, he would already have a fresh, experienced cast ready to go.

NY Post

When was the last time this show was funny? I think when they added Joe Piscopo the show went downhill.

Tina Fey made the big announcement on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight. She said that she will no longer be the head writer of SNL and will leave Weekend Update in order to focus completely on her new comedy series, 30 Rock. Fey has been the head writer of SNL for six years and has been a writer for the show since 1997.

TV Squad 

She is the only I like on Saturday Night Live 

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