All posts tagged: Lorne

Is ‘Saturday Night Live’ Kingpin Lorne Michaels’ Successor Already in the Building?

Is ‘Saturday Night Live’ Kingpin Lorne Michaels’ Successor Already in the Building?

Published by Jenni Sidey

Typically the ending of a Saturday Night Live season is accompanied by speculation about who may not return to the show next season, whether it’s newbies who will be unceremoniously booted, longer-tenured cast members whose finale appearances might be coded as a tacit farewell (or at least a retroactive one if they make the call later), or the occasional legend who receives a genuine send-off. But for the show’s not-so-landmark 51st season, little of that is in play. Last fall, Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim didn’t return to the show, which also lost Bowen Yang mid-season, leaving far fewer on-the-bubble veterans in their wake. There are always question marks. It seems entirely possible that Chloe Fineman might peace out following her seventh season; while she didn’t get a farewell-coded sketch on the Will Ferrell-hosted finale, she did post a follow-up to her old “show understudy” bit as an Instagram video on Saturday night, as if shrugging off the idea that a sequel might have the opportunity to actually air. And of course, first-season cast members …

Lorne Michaels says he doesn’t think comedy does much good in the face of ‘totalitarian government’

Lorne Michaels says he doesn’t think comedy does much good in the face of ‘totalitarian government’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Lorne Michaels, the mastermind behind Saturday Night Live, has admitted that he thinks comedy has little power against totalitarianism. The 81-year-old creator of the long-running sketch series made the comments Tuesday after a Los Angeles screening of his new documentary Lorne, directed by Morgan Neville. “I think in the face of totalitarian government, I don’t think comedy really does much good; I think the totalitarians win every single time,” Michaels argued. He clarified, however, that “there is something as a safety valve in a culture which comedy is a really important part, and being able to even think those thoughts.” SNL is known for commenting on the current political climate. Michaels has won 24 of his record-breaking 112 Emmy nominations, many of which he received as an executive producer for ‘SNL’ (Getty) In the most recent episode’s “Weekend Update” segment, cast …

‘Saturday Night Live’ Boss Lorne Michaels Offers First Reaction to Doc

‘Saturday Night Live’ Boss Lorne Michaels Offers First Reaction to Doc

Published by Daniella Wilson

With Lorne, Morgan Neville pulled off the unthinkable by getting the enigmatic and elusive Lorne Michaels to sit for a feature length documentary that offers unprecedented access to the long reigning king of Saturday Night Live including his creative process, recollections, unique habits and inner circle. If that weren’t enough, Focus Features, which is releasing Lorne April 17, pulled off another rare feat by getting Michaels to Los Angeles for a West Coast premiere held inside the Steven Spielberg Theater on the Universal Lot Tuesday night after which he sat for a Q&A with NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios chairman Donna Langley. The nearly 35-minute conversation marked Michaels first public comments about the film and found him opening up on a range of SNL-related subjects from the sketch show’s expansion to the U.K., the recent epic 50th anniversary, and more. And he did so in front of an intimate and SNL-heavy crowd in the 250-seat theater that included Spielberg, David Geffen with plus-one Kris Jenner, Jon Hamm, Owen Wilson, and alums like Chris Parnell (who narrates …

SNL fans predict final season 51 hosts and musical guests hint at Lorne Michaels’ departure

SNL fans predict final season 51 hosts and musical guests hint at Lorne Michaels’ departure

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Saturday Night Live is preparing to air its season 51 finale next month, with two powerhouse celebrity guests whose casting has fuelled speculation that their monumental pairing could signal a swansong for creator Lorne Michaels. Former SNL castmate Will Ferrell, 58, will serve as guest host of the May 16 episode, alongside former The Beatles star Paul McCartney, 83, as the evening’s musical guest. While the Step Brothers actor has returned to host the series multiple times since his 2002 departure, and McCartney has made several appearances of his own, their joint appearance has reignited rumors of Michaels’ possible retirement from the show. “Everyone is talking about cast departures for SNL and yet, it’s actually Lorne Michaels leaving lol,” one viewer suggested on X, with a second responding: “Will Ferrell and Paul McCartney does kind of feel like giving a dog …

Lorne Michaels Is Ready for His Close-Up—but That Doesn’t Mean He Has to Like It

Lorne Michaels Is Ready for His Close-Up—but That Doesn’t Mean He Has to Like It

Published by Sam Flores

If I’m guessing at Lorne’s psychology, he still feels like he’s in the trenches, fighting. I asked everybody I interviewed: At what point do you think SNL became an institution that wasn’t going to go away? People gave me different answers, but when I asked Lorne, he said, “Maybe this year?” YouTube and TikTok and streaming have upended legacy media, so he probably does have to struggle to keep SNL relevant, even now. The great, fortunate accident of SNL is that it works perfectly on social media. Because it can be bite-size-able, I think most people watch SNL in the sketches that get shared the morning after. Aside from sports, SNL is the last best vestige of monoculture that we have in our country. It can still be part of the cultural conversation for that week, and so for that reason, it has value. You talked about Lorne wanting people to understand what he does. He has created this universe where he and his team find talent, give them a platform on SNL, and then …