The Morning Briefing: Eddie Murphy Makes SNL Funny for the First Time In Years

THANK YOU

For a few minutes on Saturday night, all was right with the program that was once must-see-TV for comedy aficionados.

The once-vaunted — and occasionally brilliant — Saturday Night Live has largely been reduced to an anti-Trump diaper-soiling/boring video feelings journal in recent years. Sure, it was in decline even before the 2016 election, but it’s been unwatchable since if one isn’t participating in the Trump tantrum.

Eddie Murphy returned to the show that helped turn him into one of the biggest stars in television and film history and it was freakin’ glorious. He began with a monologue that saw Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock, and Dave Chappelle join him on stage, then spent the rest of the show reprising his most famous SNL characters.

What struck me while watching Murphy bring hilarious characters like Buckwheat and Velvet Jones back to life was that the wokescolds would probably keep them from ever becoming SNL staples were he starting out on the show today. We just had to endure several days of them rending their garments because Joe Biden once had a stutter and people were wondering what his bizarro imitation of a stuttering kid was at the end of the last debate. The entire character of Buckwheat is built on a speech impediment.

Velvet Jones refers to women as “Ho’s.’

It’s almost certain that the #NeverFun crowd would have been weeping rivers over the development of either character.

Murphy is, of course, immune to all of that because he occupies a level of stardom that makes him almost unassailable. That’s why he was able to have the scolds’ nemesis Chappelle on stage with him.

There was a time when SNL was an equal opportunity offender, much like Family Guy is now. After eight years of turning Barack Obama into a sacred cow, followed by three-and-a-half of mistaking Trump complaints for Trump jokes, the show has all but abandoned the idea of being as funny as possible.

Eddie Murphy single-handedly schooled the new kids on what humor really is.

It would be nice if at least a couple of them learned something.

I’m going to give you a double dose from the show today. First the monologue in this section, then the Buckwheat sketch to finish up the post today.

Enjoy (the line about Cosby KILLED me).

The Socialist Perversion of Purity

During last week’s Democratic debate, Mayor Pete took a dig at Fauxcahontas for the fundraising  “purity test” that she’s trying to force on the other candidates.

Lizzie and Ol’ Gramps Sanders like to go on and on about their small-money donors, the implication being that they aren’t beholden to any big contributors.

This past weekend, Warren practically canonized herself because she now eschews high-dollar fundraisers and doesn’t “sell access” to her time.

Warren and Sanders may very well have a lot of small donors, but those small donors often work for the evil corporations the two constantly demonize. She acts as if getting a hundred bucks from an individual who works for Amazon means that the money has undergone some sort of magical purity test.

If we had any real journalists left in America, someone would ask her about this.

If.

PJM Linktank

Bah, humbug: SantaGate: Microsoft Removes Santa Hat Icon After a Single User Complained It Was ‘Pushing Religion’

From the Mothership and Beyond

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Elizabeth Warren Gave Top Donors Souvenir Wine Bottles In 2018

The VA AG Seems A Little Cheesed Off Over Those Second Amendment Sanctuary Proclamations

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A confluence of socialist awfulness: California Dreamin’- AOC Hits The Beach With Bernie Sanders In Venice
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Mom who lost son to suicide leads seminars to educate others, spread hope

McCarthy recommends Collins, Ratcliffe, Jordan to represent Trump in Senate impeachment trial

<insert poop joke here> Little bang for the buck: SF’s spending on street cleaning not really doing much

No wonder everybody hates it: The director of ‘Cats’ says the movie has a political message about the ‘perils of tribalism’

Look what Mr. I Hate PACs is up to: Beto O’Rourke unveils PAC with focus on boosting Texas Democrats in 2020

‘They’ll never catch me’: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wishes happy birthday to the ‘Zodiac Killer,’ and the ‘Zodiac Killer’ responds

Rep. Jeff Van Drew says an order from a Democrat leader about impeachment caused him to change parties

Community Bands Together to Help Family of Man Killed During Armed Robbery

Bee Me

New Portland Coffee Shop Will Only Hire You If You Fail A Drug Test https://t.co/FCe0uilfVK

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) December 21, 2019

The Kruiser Kabana

The Griswold family Christmas classic is the gift that keeps on giving.https://t.co/6vZqN8HdFq

— Mental Floss (@mental_floss) December 21, 2019

Oh, I LOLd.

Merry Monday.

___

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PJ Media Associate Editor Stephen Kruiser is the author of “Don’t Let the Hippies Shower” and “Straight Outta Feelings: Political Zen in the Age of Outrage,” both of which address serious subjects in a humorous way. Monday through Friday he edits PJ Media’s “Morning Briefing.”