Class Column Cockatoo

Once again Chris was written up in my Cornell alumni news class column!  He doesn't actually have a personal security detail (see below), but that would be nice! 



"Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"

Chris had a very exciting week last week.  On Wednesday he got a call from his agent about being on Saturday Night Live!  Of course, we agreed and the very next day he was at the SNL studio for his first rehearsal. 

In the SNL studio!

Chris was paired up with a brand new cast member, Kate McKinnon, for a little dance number as part of the recurring Manuel Ortiz skit.  The guest host last week was Sophia Vergara and the musical guest was the hotest boy band on the planet, One Direction.  They were all in the skit with Chris.  Chris did fine during his first rehearsal.  He was very comfortable on the set and quickly made friends with the cast and crew.  His favorite was Louis Tomlinson of One Direction, but all the band members were very sweet and friendly. Every time the band had a break they would gather around Chris and he would sit on Louis.  We were there for work and it all seemed so normal, but I then I would mentally step back and think "my bird is sitting on one of the most popular young men in all the world and we are standing in the middle of the set of one of the most popular tv shows of all time."  Kind of surreal.

Louis Tomlinson of One Direction, Chris, Harry Styles of One Direction

Chris and Alison surrounded by One Direction

Thursday went well so we went back Saturday afternoon for a dress rehearsal.  Even if you are in a skit you never know if you will end up live on the air Saturday night, because more skits are rehearsed than are aired and after every rehearsal the skits are reworked and some parts are cut due to time constraints and many other reasons, but it was a good sign that Chris was called back.  The Saturday afternoon rehearsal went well so Chris was called back to go Saturday night for a final dress rehearsal in front of a live audience.  There are two live audiences every Sat night.  The first one sees the final dress rehearsal around 8 pm and then they are dismissed and the second live audience comes in and sees the live show as it airs on tv starting at 11:30 pm.  If something doesn't go right during any of the live show, they still have the taped dress rehearsal in front of a live audience that can be broadcast.  Chris rocked the dress rehearsal in front of the live audience.  He was a true professional and totally comfortable and calm in front of the audience, the lights, dancing, sets moving around, etc. 

After the final dress rehearsal we waited around for the live show and Chris played around with the crew and posed for tons of photos.  One very nice crew member made him a toy out of untreated pine wood (cockatoo safe) in the SNL wood shop where they build the sets.  Chris also enjoyed an ice cream break with the crew.  He had pistachio gelato!  Lucky bird!

Chris' toy from the SNL wood shop

Chris even found time to pose for a photo with his mom (yours truly) backstage.  The photo is now one of my favorites and is my current Facebook photo.

Chris and Alison backstage



Around 11 pm on Saturday night is when the live show is finalized and the decisions come down as to which skits will air and how they have beed edited.  Sadly, we were told that Chris and Kate's dance had been cut from the skit.  We were very surprised because they had done a fantastic job, but there are time constraints to a live show and they obviously were not going to cut Sophia Vergara or One Direction out of the skit.  And, Chris couldn't really be in the skit without Kate since she was holding him, so Chris never got to go live on the air.  Everyone on the crew was very disappointed because Chris had become a huge hit during his rehearsals.  He had truly charmed everyone. 

Although he didn't get to be in the live show, he got to perform in front of the live audience in the final dress rehearsal and we both had a phenomenal two days on the SNL set.  Being part of SNL is a huge deal and Chris was such a rock star we think they might ask him back again.  It was truly an experience of a lifetime and I was lucky to be along for the ride.