Editing Lorne Michaels (section)

===''Saturday Night Live''===
In 1975, Michaels created (with fellow NBC employee [[Dick Ebersol]] and president of the network [[Herb Schlosser]]) the TV show ''NBC's Saturday Night'', which in 1977 changed its name to ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' (initially there was a name conflict with an ABC show titled ''[[Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell]]'', which debuted September 20, 1975, and was cancelled on January 17, 1976). The show, which is performed live in front of a studio audience, immediately established a reputation for being cutting-edge and unpredictable. It became a vehicle for launching the careers of some of the most successful comedians in the United States.

Originally the [[television producer|producer]] of the show, Michaels was also a writer and later became [[executive producer]]. He occasionally appears on-screen as well, where he is known for his [[deadpan]] humor. Throughout the show's history, ''SNL'' has been nominated for more than 156 [[Emmy Award]]s and has won 36. It has consistently been one of the highest-rated late-night television programs. Michaels has been with ''SNL'' for all seasons except for his hiatus in the early 1980s (seasons 6–10).
[[File:Lorne Michaels (1988 FOX press photo).jpg|thumb|Michaels in 1988]]
Michaels appeared in the show during the first season, where he offered [[The Beatles]] {{US$|3000|1976|round=2}} to reunite on the show.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://snltranscripts.jt.org/75/75rbeatles.phtml |title=SNL Transcripts: Beatles Offer, April 24, 1976 |publisher=Snltranscripts.jt.org |access-date=March 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525104202/http://snltranscripts.jt.org/75/75rbeatles.phtml |archive-date=May 25, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He later increased his offer to {{US$|3200|1976|round=2}}, but the money was never claimed. According to an interview with [[John Lennon]] in ''Playboy'' magazine,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geocities.com/wireless_machine/lennon/pi1.htm |title=John Lennon: The Playboy Interview September 1980 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061113060341/http://www.geocities.com/wireless_machine/lennon/pi1.htm |archive-date=November 13, 2006 }}</ref> Lennon and [[Paul McCartney]] were in New York City that night and wanted to see the show. They decided against it though, as it was too late to get there in time, and they were both tired. This near-reunion was the basis for the TV movie [[Two of Us (2000 film)|''Two of Us'']]. On the episode airing November 20, 1976, musical guest [[George Harrison]] appeared, but Michaels told him the offer was conditional on all four members of the group showing up.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/george-harrison-tried-cashing-money-lorne-michaels-promised-beatles-reunion-snl.html/|title=George Harrison Tried Cashing in on the Money Lorne Michaels Promised for a Beatles Reunion on SNL|first=Hannah|last=Wigandt|publisher=Showbiz Cheat Sheet|date=2022-09-05|accessdate=2024-11-23}}</ref>