Menu
Civil War dropped in theaters last week, and has been a popular topic of discussion among the SoBros team. With a cast that includes Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, and Jesse Plemons, among others, it’s easy to see why! On the latest episode of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast, our resident film critic, Brandon Vick, offers up his review of the film before he brings me in for an overview of the filmography of one of the industry’s most underrated actors. From Jumanji to The Power of the Dog, we’re talking about a career that has spanned decades and somehow still flown under the radar, and we offer up our own Mount Rushmore of Kirsten Dunst flicks.
Subscribe to The Vick’s Flicks Podcast on Apple Podcasts, follow us on Spotify, or wherever you take in your podcasts!
Listen to “Ep. 146: Civil War Review and Kirsten Dunst” on Spreaker.Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
Subscribe to the SoBros Network Patreon here – $5/month gets you instant access to an exhaustive content library of articles, podcasts, and videos created exclusively for our subscribers!
#NoSleepTilDetroit rolls on as we’re pounding the dudes for tables on thi…wait…no…sorry, lack of sleep showing up again. We are pounding the table for different prospects on this week’s episode of Football & Other F Words. Tired of the ordinary mock drafts that have been droning on for months now, Zach cooked up a fun way to accomplish the same discussion that a mock draft would typically inspire in a fun and different way. On this week’s episode, we are mock drafting from three different scenarios – if the Titans stick and pick at #7, if they trade back in the first round, and if they trade back in the second round. When we’re on the clock in each round, Mike, Zach, and I have to stand up, take our shirts off, and pound the table for who we believe should be the pick in that spot. What we end up with is essentially nine different mock drafts.
Subscribe to Football & Other F Words on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify, or wherever you take in your shows!
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
SoBros Network and Stacking The Inbox have teamed up for the greatest premium content collaboration in the history of Nashville. Get all of the Tennessee Titans and NFL Draft coverage you need on top of premium SoBros Network content such as The Movie Review Rewind Podcast, Sports Punch, and much more! Only $5/month gets you instant access to an exhaustive content library of articles, podcasts, and videos created exclusively for our subscribers! Sign up on Substack today!
‘Tis the season. The 2024 NFL Draft is right around the corner. Our friends at The Hot Read Podcast have been digging into this draft class, position by position, over the last couple of weeks. I was honored to hop on with Easton and JT this past Sunday to get into this offensive line class on our O-Line Megacast (trademark pending). On it, I offered up my top 10 offensive tackles from what I consider to be one of the deepest groups in recent memory. Then, we move on to the interior guys, which is also probably one of the deepest groups in recent memory. The Titans need offensive line help, and it’s a great draft to go shopping. Smash that play button on the embed below, get you some popcorn, prop your feet up, and enjoy.
Go subscribe to Broadway Sports on YouTube and turn on notifications so you never ever miss another episode of The Hot Read Podcast again. You can also subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify, or wherever you take in your podcasts!
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
Subscribe to the SoBros Network Patreon here – $5/month gets you instant access to an exhaustive content library of articles, podcasts, and videos created exclusively for our subscribers!
What would you put in your massive mausoleum? That’s the question that Rooster and I break down on this episode of Phone It In, on which we dig into the history of the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum and the Terracotta Army. Qin Shi Huang founded the Qin Dynasty and was the first ’emperor’ of China. Prior to that, China’s leaders were known as ‘king.’ So, Qin Shi Huang might’ve also been the first marketing expert in history given his rebrand of ‘king’ to ’emperor.’ One of his first orders of business was to build out a giant mausoleum where he would spend the afterlife. Seems a little weird for that to be so high on the priority list, but I guess if it were somewhere around 221 BC, I might feel different. Anyway, there’s no real mystery or lore surrounding this place, but it’s a neat little dive into the history about one of the more curious spots on Earth.
If you haven’t already, subscribe to Phone It In on Apple Podcasts, follow us on Spotify, or you can simply smash that play button on the embed below to fire up our latest episode on which we dive into one hell of a way to spend the afterlife underground with all our homies:
Listen to “Ep. 57: Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum” on Spreaker.Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
Subscribe to the SoBros Network Patreon here – $5/month gets you instant access to an exhaustive content library of articles, podcasts, and videos created exclusively for our subscribers!
In October of 1975, a live late-night sketch comedy show from the mind of Lorne Michaels premiered on NBC, forever changing the television landscape. On Saturday the 11th, NBC’s Saturday Night hosted by the comedy legend George Carlin and featuring the musical guests Billy Preston and Janis Ian blasted into the living rooms of millions and millions across the country.
NBC’s Saturday Night aired live at 11:30 eastern every Saturday night and was originally planned to be a comedy-variety show featuring comedians, live musical performances, short films and more adult themed characters from Jim Henson’s Muppets world. Michaels decided to have a revolving door of hosts instead of settling in on one permanent host, and for the majority of the first three seasons, he did the same with the repertory cast members.
The show, which is known worldwide as Saturday Night Live(SNL), did not receive the last part of its name until the 17th episode of season 2 after ABC cancelled its late night variety show Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell. The late sports broadcaster hosted the show for 18 episodes in 1975 before being given the axe.
The original cast members were introduced as The Not Ready for Prime Time Players and would be referred to the name for the first 3 seasons. Entertainment legends Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtain, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, and Gilda Radner rounded out the primary cast for the inaugural season along with George Coe and Michael O’Donoghue who both left the show before the first season was over. After ABC cancelled the Cosell show, NBC plucked Bill Murray from it to add to its main lineup for season 2, marking the first time a cast member was added to the repertory players list.
Fast forward to today and Saturday Night Live has had 164 comedians call Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York home over the last 49 years. Many of them became household names during their tenures on the show and even went on to have a luxurious career in Hollywood. Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, and Mike Myers are some of the cast members from SNL that have gone on to gross billions of dollars at the box office.
There have even been some cast members who most do not remember being on the show who have gone on to win Oscars, Emmy’s, and even Tony Awards since leaving SNL. Robert Downey Jr. was fired after a year on the show and was even named the worst cast member of all-time by Rolling Stone magazine, but went on to gross over 14 billion dollars at the box office and won the Academy Award for his work in Oppenheimer. Christopher Guest left after one season and directed comedy classics Best In Show, Waiting for Guffman, and A Mighty Wind, and won a Grammy for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media for Wind. Everyone’s favorite Aunt Jackie from Roseanne, Laurie Metcalf was a cast member in 1981 and left after that season. Metcalf would go on to play Jackie for 230 episodes during the show’s run, earning her 2 Golden Globe nominations and three Emmy Awards wins. She has also brought home two Tony Awards for her work in 2017s A Doll’s House, Part 2 and 2018s Three Tall Women.
For some many comedians and comedic actors, the dream is to one day make it on Saturday Night Live in hopes of being the next Sandler or Myers. While it is a very big dream to dream, often times the funniest, most talented cast members do not get the adulation they are searching for from those watching at home. Many cast members leave a large impact on viewers despite not having that translate in to lucrative success outside of the show. For every Will Ferrell, there’s a Sasheer Zamata.
Zamata was a cast member for four seasons from 2014-2017 and had great success on the show with skits like Black Jeopardy!, 28 Reasons to Hug a Black Guy, and So Ghetto. She left the show after season 42 and has stayed busy playing roles in independent films and some television shows, but not to the degree the female cast members like Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon have.
For nearly 50 seasons, the unsung heroes of Saturday Night Live have gone unrecognized. Those heroes are the ones who often don’t star in the skit but rather play a bit character but somehow still find a way to shine during the episode. Here is my list of my favorite SNL cast members who were rarely given the spotlight.
My one condition to be included was that the cast member had to be on the show for at least four seasons. This is why you will not find the likes of Jim Breuer, Sarah Sherman, or Brian Doyle-Murray on the list.
Vanessa Bayer spent 7 seasons on Saturday Night Live starting in 2010 with season 36 and is one of many in a long line of former cast members who often stole the show with her amazing comedic skills from the more higher-profiled cast members and guest host. In her first two seasons on the show, she shared the stage with SNL legends Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis, and Kristen Wiig. Plus, Kate McKinnon joined the cast in her second season making it even more difficult to get screen time.
Despite all of the tough competition Bayer created some reoccurring characters that were often the highlight of that week’s episode including child actress Laura Pasons, Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy, and Brecky the former pornstar who sells homemade luxury items alongside Cecily Strong.
Perhaps her most memorable skit is “Santa Baby,” a prerecorded sketch where she and host Ryan Gosling are at a Christmas Party and are overly excited to meet Santa Claus.
Alex Moffat spent 6 seasons on the show and relied heavily on his impression skills making a name for himself with his takes on Joe Biden, Casey Affleck, Chuck Schumer, and Anderson Cooper. He is probably best known on the show for his hysterical impression of Eric Trump. His recurring segment on Weekend Update, “Guy Who Just Bought A Boat,” is perhaps one of the best repeating characters on the segment in the last 20 years.
It is really hard to place an original cast member on this list but if anyone was overlooked in the early years due to the sheer amount of talent on the show it would have to be Jane Curtin. Curtin often played the straight-woman to the hijinks John Belushi, Gilda Radner and Dan Aykroyd. Throughout the history of Saturday Night Live, Curtain is most famously known for her “Point-Counterpoint” segment on Weekend Update with Aykroyd, where the infamous line “Jane, you ignorant slut” was born. She spent most of her time as a cast member behind the desk on Update replacing Chevy Chase and eventually being paired with Aykroyd and Bill Murray.
“Household Hints,” where Curtin portrays a sadomasochist who has been hired by Radner through the wanted ads for house cleaning purposes is a criminally underrated skit.
Mikey Day made a name for himself on the first 6 seasons of the hit MTV show Wild ’n Out. Day’s improv skills showcased on the show led to him being cast on Saturday Night Live in 2013 as a writer. He was promoted to featured player for season 42 and quickly made a splash cowriting and co-starring in the “Haunted Elevator” sketch that was highlighted by Tom Hanks’ portrayal of David S. Pumpkins.
His recurring character Matt Schatt, a typical nerdy guy who is married to an extremely attractive woman who others emphatically question why the couple is together, highlights Day’s comedic talents. His Science Room sketches with Cecily Strong, where they portray two unintelligent middle schoolers, easily leads to stomach cramps from laughing.
Since Day is still on the show, it is very possible that Mikey grows pass this list, putting him in the ranks of the show’s all-time greatest cast members.
It may be fair to say that not much hoopla surrounded Kyle Mooney’s departure from SNL in 2022. He left the show after the season 47 finale along with the hysterical Aidy Bryant, the ‘more famous for what he did off of the show than on the show’ Pete Davidson, and weird Barbie herself, Kate McKinnon.
While Mooney was a fan favorite to many, he almost always played the lovable loser in most skits and seemed to only be featured in sketches along Leslie Jones or his long-time collaborator Beck Bennett. Some of Mooney’s highlights during his 9 years on the show were from his recurring appearances on Weekend Update. His take on Baby Yoda was hysterical as well as the YouTube character he brought over to the show, comedian Bruce Chandling.
Kyle was never really given the chance to truly shine on the show but he was a great supporting cast member for close to a decade.
It is really hard to say someone was an underused or under-appreciated cast member when they gave the world characters like Drunk Uncle and Riblet, but I just always wanted more anytime I saw Bobby Moynihan on my tv.
Bobby had numerous sidesplitting recurring characters like pizza waiter Mark Payne, young movie fan Keith, and one of the Scared Straight kids, but was criminally overlooked for some of his celebrity impressions. Snooki, Ted Cruz, Guy Fieri, and Danny Devito were all some of Moynihan’s victims on SNL.
Moynihan always stood out whenever he was on the screen. I just feel he could have been given more opportunities to stand out on his own.
Quick…name your favorite Jay Pharoah Saturday Night Life skit where he wasn’t impersonating a celebrity! I’ll wait. Got one? It took awhile, didn’t it? They are few and far between, but some of the highlights include Principle Frye, rental car manager, and one of the corner boys.
Saturday Night Live has a long rich history of musical sketches and Jay was called upon several times to star in some of the better ones in recent years. Between his H&M rap ad featuring Wale and host John Goodman and his take on the Ylvis one-hit-wonder “The Fox(What Does The Fox Say?) with host Kerry Washington, Pharoah was able to display some of his comedic range.
In his 6 seasons on the show, Pharoah was best known for his celebrity impressions. He took over as Barack Obama when Fred Armisen decided to leave the show and would routinely drop by Weekend Update to show off his long list of immaculate impressions including Kevin Hart, Katt Williams, Jay-Z, and Chris Rock.
There was so much potential in Pharoah becoming one of the all-time great cast members, but it just seems it was difficult to grab the spotlight when he was sharing the stage with the likes of Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis, Andy Samberg, and Kenan Thompson.
Abby Elliott was only a cast member for 4 seasons but she left a great impact and lasted three seasons longer than her father Chris Elliott did.
Her hosting job on What Is This? is a greatly under appreciated sketch. Vanessa Bayer and Bill Hader answer the simple question when pictures of a tree, cow and sun are shown but host Eli Manning is giving the third degree as Abby just wants to know “What is this?” in regard to their relationship.
Before taking a dramatic turn on the hit show The Bear, she shined in the Bed News commercial and also as Rosie Pope star of the Bravo Network show Pregnant In Heels. A lot like Jay Pharoah, Elliott was best know for her impressions on the show. Outside of Pope, Abby was well known for her takes on Meryl Streep, Christina Aguilera, Kate Middleton, and Anna Ferris.
It’s almost criminal to put Nasim Pedrad on this list of under appreciated Saturday Night Life cast members but I truly feel she could had been utilized even more. Pedrad spent five seasons on SNL before leaving to co-star on the short-lived series Mulaney starring former SNL writer John Mulaney.
Nasim left a long-lasting impression on the sketch show’s history due to her hysterical parody of Kim Kardashian. In addition to her impression of the world’s most famous influencer, Pedrad would find herself playing young teens like Bedelia, Ravish, Shallon, and Henry. Maybe her funniest sketch is Roomies with Andy Samberg and host Taylor Swift. In the sketch, Pedrad plays Samberg’s girlfriend who has an unhealthy relationship with her roommate played by Swift. I’d bet to say many college aged guys have dated a girl a lot like Pedrad’s character.
When Vanessa Bayer joined the cast, it seemed as if the two were so similar in the types of characters they portrayed that they often would cancel each other, hence them both not getting bigger opportunities on the show and finding themselves on this list.
The former America’s Got Talent contestant Melissa Villaseñor spent six seasons on SNL and was easily the most versatile cast member on the list. From her celebrity impressions to quirky characters, Melissa has cemented herself as the most underutilized cast member in Saturday Night Live history.
Time after time Melissa stood toe-to-toe with some Hollywood heavyweights in sketches proving that she could be trusted to carry an entire episode. Hoops with Jennifer Lopez and A Peek at Pico with Selena Gomez are just two of the many times where it was basically Melissa and that week’s guest host in a sketch together. Unfortunately, there were too many occasions where Villaseñor would be relegated to a line or two or just as window dressing in scene.
Best known by fans for her impressions of music’s biggest names, Villaseñor regularly would channel singers in sketches or Weekend Update. Her dynamite sendups of Lady Gaga, Dolly Parton, Stevie Nicks, and Gwen Stefani made her a fan favorite, but it may be her Weekend Update character Kid Genius Riley Jenson that made me a fan.
As the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live approaches, it stands to see who from the current class can just miss grasping the reigns and join this talented list of beloved cast members who weren’t appreciated enough at the time.
Steven McCash is the Lead Music Writer and Utility Man for SoBros Network. Steven is the host of the ‘Drinking With…’ podcast, and the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music in addition to the occasional live show review. He also pitches in as a Nashville lifestyle writer and football analyst (hence the ‘Utility Man’ title). Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75
SoBros Network and Stacking The Inbox have teamed up for the greatest premium content collaboration in the history of Nashville. Get all of the Tennessee Titans and NFL Draft coverage you need on top of premium SoBros Network content such as The Movie Review Rewind Podcast, Sports Punch, and much more! Only $5/month gets you instant access to an exhaustive content library of articles, podcasts, and videos created exclusively for our subscribers! Sign up on Substack today!
About
SoBros Network
SoBros Network is a collective of individuals based in Nashville who share a passion for celebrating what they love. Be it sports, entertainment, podcasting, or a well-timed fart joke, SoBros deliver simultaneously the highest caliber and the lowest brow achievable.
© 2024 SoBros Network. All rights reserved.
