The latest episode of Saturday Night Live marked Kristen Wiig’s departure from the long running late night variety show. Wiig’s quirky characters and comedy will be missed, but with her success in films like Bridesmaids and Paul, a future in blockbuster movies is sure to follow.

SNL has produced many top film comedians over the decades. Beginning in 1975, the show takes relatively new comedians and casts them within an ensemble. Those who stand out more than others eventually go on to star in their own television series or films. Besides Wiig, former cast members such as Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Eddie Murphy have all had successful film careers. SNL alumnus Will Ferrell is presently coming out with two films, The Campaign and Anchorman II. Other SNL alumni like Mike Meyers and Adam Sandler are now house hold names with franchises based off of their character work.

Aside from the big screen, former SNL comedians have continued their work in television. NBC’s 30 Rock star Tina Fey based her character Liz Lemon off of her experiences working as both a performer and head writer for SNL. Similar to Fey, Amy Poehler left SNL’s Weekend Update desk to play the lead in the hit series Park and Recreation. Julia Louis-Dryfus, who performed on the show before her work on Seinfeld, just began her first season of HBO’s Veep. Jimmy Fallon continued his late night success by taking over Late Night after Conan O’Brien’s departure for The Tonight Show.

Many of the shows writers have found the spotlight post-SNL as well. Conan O’Brien wrote for Saturday Night Live before hosting Late Night, The Tonight Show and currently Conan on TBS. Much like Mr. O’Brien, Stephen Colbert found work within the same late night setting as the host of The Colbert Report. Larry David, who wrote for the show in the 80s, reunited with his SNL colleague Louis-Dreyfus for Seinfeld and is currently working on Curb Your Enthusiasm. SNL not only gives opportunity to showcase a comedian’s talent but also to refine their brand of comedy and cultural influence. Former cast member and writer, Al Franken, worked on the show from its inception with creators Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. He has since moved on to a successful career in politics as a senator from Minnesota. As SNL alumni, they are recognized as lovable, relatable, and intelligent.

The show itself has created films from its more popular sketches. Starting in 1980 with The Blues Brothers, films such as Wayne’s World, Coneheads, and A Night at the Roxbury were all based off of a SNL skit. Most recently in 2010, SNL produced MacGruber, a film starring Wiig and Will Forte based off of their popular sketch mocking  the TV series MacGyver.  These films however, are not solely associated with the show. They have found a place within pop culture on their own, displaying the comedian’s skill away from the ensemble.

SNL is a rare show that truly showcases its talent. From its guest hosts to its spot on commentary on current events, SNL has been a pop culture phenomenon for the past thirty years. By taking a newcomer or relatively lower talent by Hollywood’s standards and joining them with big names within a fast pace setting, comedians can hold their own and go on to become hugely successful themselves. SNL is now losing another talented individual with Wiig, and in the years to come, we should expect others will follow in the historic footsteps left by the shows predecessors.

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Top 5 Comedic, Inspirational Commencement Speeches

Stand-up comedian Patton Oswalt leads us down the path of knowledge as he explains the beginning of “firsts.” As the tagline goes for the FunnyOrDie.Com video, “There have been many FIRST’s before, but only a few FIRST’s are truly historic.”

The Young Adult star briefly discusses signatures that were “out trolled” in the Declaration of Independence, caveman paintings, and even landing on the moon. If what he is saying isn’t enough to make you laugh, the wig may help. After the video went up earlier this week, the Ratatouille voice actor hosted the 16th annual Webby Awards on Monday which honors excellence in the internet.

Internet sensation Jenna Marbles (Jenna Mourey) really knows the way women are. And that’s probably why she is so funny. There is an abundance of honesty in her videos, as wacky as they get, that make people really relate.

In her new video, “How Girls Pack a Suitcase,” she starts out with stuffing a million pairs of pants in one bag and realizes she needs to bring shorts. This leads to the packing of unnecessary amounts of clothing (and other items as well: board games, pizza, etc). Because in the world of over packing, everybody knows that the gateway drug is pants. Check out more of Jenna Marbles’ videos on YouTube.Com where she posts a new one every Wednesday.

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Andy Dick May Have Sexual Abuse Charges Excused

Comedian Colin Quinn just landed a book deal with Grand Central Publishing, the same people who gave us books by popular television host Jon Stewart and rising comedian Demetri Martin. The writers of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (Thank You Notes) have also worked with Grand Central Publishing to release humorous literature.

Entitled ‘Yesterday’s News‘, the book is inspired by his one man Broadway show Colin Quinn Long Story Short which had the former Saturday Night Live cast member using his unique brand of comedy to observe and comment on human history.

Directed by Seinfeld co-creator and star Jerry Seinfeld, Quinn’s performance was more than just 75 minutes of stand-up. The Irish-American comedian not only used observational humour (in respect to the past of course) but channeled various historical figures in order to explore the demise of former empires around the world.

The show’s popularity led to Quinn recording a special performance of the show which aired as an HBO special on April 9th, 2011. It not only garnered critical praise for the under-the-radar comedian, but picked up an Emmy award nomination along the way.

Now, Quinn turns his sharp wit and satirical style to the literary world which will see the former Weekend Update anchor expand on his already vast knowledge of history.

Deadline.com reports that the book’s content will include made-up headlines, op-eds, obituaries and the classifieds of each civilisation’s fake daily newspapers.

Aside from working on the release of his new book, Quinn will also be performing Long Story Short at the Montreal Just For Laughs festival this weekend.

Check out a behind the scenes look of what Long Story Short is all about: