THIS JOB WRITING FOR SMASH IS KILLING ME: That was an absolutely top-tier SNL episode which met impossible expectations, despite basically being packed with recycled concepts and minimal new material. It peaked not with anything Timberlake himself did (or that star-filled Five Timers Club sketch), surprisingly, but with a Stefon impression that left many of us cackling uncontrollably.
About that sketch, last night a few of us were kicking around the following question on Twitter: between Lorne Michaels, Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, Paul Simon, and Jay-Z, how do the folks inside 30 Rock last night rank in terms of career earnings? what about current wealth?
An initial googling suggests Jay-Z might even surpass Michaels atop the pyramid, with Hanks and Michaels neck-and-neck (bravo on taking a percentage of the gross for Forrest Gump), Martin and Aykroyd being a significant gap behind (don't forget about the latter's money for selling the House of Blues clubs), and Simon shocking trailing even them by a decent amount. Martin's placement on the list likely depends on which metric you employ, because the value of his art collection is significant. I'm just a bit stunned that Michaels might not be on top.
