New Context To SNL Sketch Mocking Brittany Murphy Two Weeks Ago

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by Steve Krakauer | 9:03 am, December 21st, 2009

» 5 comments

With the news of Brittany Murphy‘s death at the age of 32, people will inevitably begin looking for public signs of the actress’ recent slip.

After reports Murphy had been fired from her upcoming movie The Caller for bad behavior, Abby Elliott portrayed Murphy on Saturday Night Live just two weeks ago – a sketch that takes on a new context in light of the weekend’s events.

The short portrayal took place as part of Weekend Update on the December 5 show (here’s a transcript). It begins with “Murphy” confused about why she’s there in the first place (“Seth, I’m really honored to be here, hosting Saturday Night Live“) and continues to have her lay out a half-baked plan to sabotage her movie. It’s a fairly random and devastating parody – and especially devastating now, in light of Murphy’s death.

Danny Groner wrote about the circumstances leading up to Murphy’s death on The Huffington Post, and noted the Hulu clip of the Murphy segment was removed by Hulu at around 9pmET last night.

That seems to be the SNL reaction, for now. The awkwardness that ensues leads to headlines like this, from EOnline.com: “When Saturday Night Live Killed With a Brittany Murphy Gag.” Fairly harsh, especially for a channel’s website that is going to be part of the NBCU family soon.

Here’s the SNL sketch from two weeks ago (until it gets removed) and below, a recent late night talk show appearance by the actress herself:

In April, Murphy appeared on CBS’ Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson, using an Irish accent for the entirety of an interview, unexplained by the actress. Gawker asked at the time if it was “drinking or nerves” that led to this. Here’s an exchange from that interview:

Ferguson: Do you (makes drinking motion)?
Murphy: Look at me normally, I don’t need that.
F: Ah yeah.
M: I don’t like the way it makes me feel. I like to stay grounded.
F: Really? This is grounded?

This, like many recent public appearances by Murphy and, well, people pretending to Murphy, will now and forever be viewed in a new, sad light. Here’s the full interview in April:

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BJL411

I quit visitng HULU when I heard Rupert Murdoch is taking ownership of it.. yet another media ownership of his dangerously huge worldwide monopoly on media.

As for Brittany, it’s a sad case.. this girl could have been a huge star.. she had those unique qualities. But she was thin as a rail, obviously unhealthy, and a home full of prescription meds. Sad, sad, sad to see some starlets go down this way, but it was a catastrophe in the making.
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I’m not sure what was so “devastating” about the SNL parody. The way I interpreted it at the time, one of the new girls wanted to try out a character… perhaps a young actress that not enough people would know, so that the imitation couldn’t easily be compared… and I’m sure she hoped it could become recurring.

Maybe Ms. Elliot actually thought she had a Brittany Murphy imitation in the bag, maybe the character came with her, but I don’t (and didn’t) see anyting particularly devastating in the clip.

Pretty much everyone SNL has parodied or will parody in the future will die and I’m willing to bet that every dead celebrity is going to be in at least one YouTube.
ireenawagner

I don’t see it as censorship. I see it as having class. It wasn’t especially funny, and kinda seemed to come out of the blue, so with her tragic death (anyone dying at 32 is tragic) the respectful thing to do would be to remove it. At least for now. They can always put it back into the archives later, but I’m glad they did this out of respect to her loved ones.
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