Back in 1975 when the first “Saturday Night Live” was broadcast, I remember being at my aunt’s house in Framingham, Massachusetts and being amazed at the show. I was brought to tears watching Janis Ian singing “At Seventeen” and laughed out loud at the antics of George Carlin. Over the years, after going dancing (usually at The Sugar Shack, which catered to an under 21 crowd) I’d come home, put on my pjs and watch the end of “Saturday Night Live.” I’d watch videos of Mr. Bill and see what trouble he got into plus skits that included regulars Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Bill Murray and Gilda Radner. And to be honest, some of the skits hit the mark and some missed it. Over the years I’d only occasionally catch the show and now, with bedtime a lot earlier than when I was a teen, I can maybe stay up to see the opening monologue, which is on at 11:30 p.m. on (when else?) Saturday night. So on Sunday night I was eager to see “SNL50: The Anniversary Special.” I was excited to see the return of some of the best comedians that (in my opinion) comedy has ever produced – many of whom started at SNL: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, Bill Murray and Eddie Murphy – to name just a few. I’ve never been a huge fan of the show’s musical guests though I did make sure to watch when the Foo Fighters and John Mayer were on. I did see some of Sunday’s performers (though I totally didn’t get the performance by Lil Wayne) and overall was glad I stuck around. There were a couple of different directions Sunday’s show could have explored: a retrospective of previous years’ skits highlighting the talents of its castmates or performing totally new skits. SNL50 chose to mix it up by incorporating some past favorites that included a new “Lawrence Welk” skit with Will Ferrell as Robert Goulet and the Maharelle Sisters (Ana Gasteyer, Kim Kardashian, Scarlett Johansson and Kristen Wiig’s Dooneese). On Sunday, a bunch of stars were showcased during a “question and answer” session with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. The skit was a great opportunity to feature the many stars who made sure to attend the celebration. Though I thought Sunday’s show was a lot of fun it did remind me of the passage of time. Many of the stars have died, either due to self-inflicted injuries, disease or nefarious acts. As for me – some wrinkles have landed on my face and more than a few pounds have called my body “home.” But on Sunday I was a teenager again waiting for those words, “It’s Saturday Night!”

A few people were notably absent from Saturday Night Live's highly anticipated "SNL 50: The Anniversary Celebration" reunion show, including original cast member Dan Aykroyd.

Dan Aykroyd has broken his silence about not appearing at “SNL50.” Aykroyd, one of the original stars of “Saturday Night Live,” was not in attendance for the show’s 50th anniversary special last weekend,

Dan Aykroyd, Bill Hader and more notable names were absent at the 'SNL50: The Anniversary Special' on Sunday, Feb. 16

Everett Collection Original Saturday Night Live star Dan Aykroyd has addressed his notable absence from the star-studded SNL 50 anniversary event on Sunday, February 16. "Advantage of not attending – got to see every second of concert and show on TV,

My personal favorite moment of the night (outside of Jenna Ortega getting squished) was probably when Colin Jost and Bill Murray verbally sparred during “Weekend Update,” leading the Season 50 guest star to rank all of the ‘Update’ hosts and joke about the origins of his onscreen partner Danny Aykroyd’s famous “Jane,