Former SNL writer, liberal wisenheimer and US Senate candidate Al Franken turns 57 today. Here's Franken's most recent Daily Show appearance, followed by two interesting facts about his SNL career:





1. He was supposed to take over for Lorne Michaels in 1980, but lost the job after calling NBC president Fred Silverman "a total unequivocal failure" in a Weekend Update editorial.

2. He almost became WU anchor, but was passed over for Norm MacDonald and subsequently quit the show.

Wikipedia reminded me of both these things, but I first learned them in the book Live from New York. If you haven't read it, well, I just don't even want to know you.

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