All posts tagged: saturday night live

Keir Starmer Mocked Over Mandelson Scandal In SNL Sketch

Keir Starmer Mocked Over Mandelson Scandal In SNL Sketch

Published by Sam Flores

Keir Starmer has been mocked over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to America in a brutal Saturday Night Live UK sketch. The prime minister was portrayed as a confused and indecisive ‘Who Wants To Remain A Millionaire’ contestant on the Sky TV show. Asked “is it ever a good idea to give Peter Mandelson a job”, the fake PM is presented with four possible answers. They are no, of course not, not in a million years, and yes. Actor George Fouracres, who plays Starmer on the show, says “it’s a tricky one” before saying he wants to ask the audience for their view. After none of them choose yes, the PM says that has “put a seed of doubt ion my mind” and then asks for two wrong answers to be taken away. With only “not in a million years” and “yes” left, Starmer says: “Oh gosh, this looks so much easier at home.” He then adds: “I’m afraid I’m just not being presented with the facts.” Starmer then asks …

Will Ferrell Predicted Actors Being Replaced by Robots

Will Ferrell Predicted Actors Being Replaced by Robots

Published by Daniella Wilson

It seems Will Ferrell can add predicting the future to his list of talents. Molly Shannon made a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where she opened up about her decades-long friendship with the beloved actor. She recalled working at a “cappuccino, scone place” in Los Angeles in the mid-1990s, when she was introduced to Ferrell through the Groundlings comedy troupe. “We clicked right away,” she said, noting that they met for the first time at the restaurant where she worked, and that she served him a scone and a latte. “We’ve been friends ever since. 30 years.” They were later hired on Saturday Night Live in 1995, which not only launched them both into stardom but also became a defining era for the NBC sketch comedy series. While reflecting on her early SNL days with host Jimmy Kimmel, the Divorce actress remembered one conversation she had with Ferrell that was surprisingly predictive of modern-day Hollywood. “One night when we were at SNL, we had just started, and I was so excited like, ‘Oh my …

Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, and Stevie Wonder Honor Eddie Murphy at AFI’s Lifetime Achievement Award

Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, and Stevie Wonder Honor Eddie Murphy at AFI’s Lifetime Achievement Award

Published by Sam Flores

Kevin Hart opened up the tribute to Murphy, by talking about the influence he had over every comic’s career and the walls he broke down as a black comedian. This was a prevailing theme throughout the night. “He’s our power. He’s our friend,” Hart said. “And even you white people think he’s your friend, and he’s done a lot to show you different! He’s given us the gift of laughter across generations.” In video interstitials, Murphy reflected upon his career. He pointed out that in Beverly Hills Cop, his character flipped the script on the usual tropes by having a black man not just tolerated in a position of power, but to take charge. He cited Peter Sellers as an inspiration to play multiple roles in movies like The Nutty Professor and Coming to America. He also pointed out that the industry initially complained about the novelty of Boomerang‘s all-black cast when it first premiered. Stevie Wonder received a standing ovation when he took the stage. Murphy famously parodied Wonder on SNL, but the two …

‘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 …

‘Saturday Night Live’ Has New Home in Canada

‘Saturday Night Live’ Has New Home in Canada

Published by Daniella Wilson

Saturday Night Live is set to leave longtime Canadian home Global Television for rival CTV and the Crave streamer, starting with the 52nd season later this year. The deal between CTV-parent Bell Media and NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution will see the NBC sketch comedy series shift to CTV and Crave, which already has library SNL episodes on its platform. A change of Canadian rights holders also follows NBCU’s Peacock as a direct-to-consumer streaming platform continuing to focus on the U.S. market and doing deals for its studio programming with Canadian broadcasters. “A proven hit for over 50 years, the series has always been at the vanguard of pop culture, setting the tone for modern humor. We will be enjoying alongside viewers when the new season premieres on Crave and CTV,” Justin Stockman, vp of global content at Bell Media said in a statement on Monday. The Canadian rights to SNL shifting north of the U.S. border from longtime Corus Entertainment comes as local media giants continue to play musical chairs with major U.S. TV brands …

Trump Calls Tiger Woods From Rehab, Melania Explains Epstein Statement

Trump Calls Tiger Woods From Rehab, Melania Explains Epstein Statement

Published by Daniella Wilson

Saturday Night Live wasted no time parodying President Donald Trump’s polarizing Easter social media post about the Iran war. The cold open kicked off with James Austin Johnson’s Trump discussing the wording of the post with Ashley Padilla’s Karoline Leavitt. “Start with, ‘Open the f-ing Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in hell.’ And then at the end, maybe throw in, ‘Praise be to Allah,’” Johnson’s Trump said, which prompted Padilla’s Leavitt to reply, “You think I should type, ‘Praise be to Allah,’ and that’s from you, the President of the United States?” “Yes, yes, Allah, you say Allah. It’s a sarcastic attack on the world’s largest religion,” he added. “They famously have a great sense of humor about that kind of stuff.” “As your press secretary, this puts me in a tough position, sir,” Padilla’s Leavitt responded. “Oh, don’t worry about that, Karoline. Like I said to Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem right before I fired them, you’re doing a terrific,” he added. Trump went on to “make some urgent phone calls” …

If You Don’t Know Anitta from Brazil, You’re About To

If You Don’t Know Anitta from Brazil, You’re About To

Published by Sam Flores

Anitta’s singing career began at age 8 Born Larissa de Macedo Machado in the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Honório Gurgel, Anitta started singing as an 8-year-old member of her parish church. By age 11, she was also studying English and dance, but then her studies took a more vocational bent, as she graduated with a public administration certificate. But by 2013, when she was just 20, the turned back to the arts, winning a career-boosting “Best New Artist” award from the São Paulo Association of Critics. Anitta’s name didn’t always have two “ts” Anitta chose her stage name after watching 2001 TV series Presença de Anita, about a seductive teen (the titular Anita) at the center of a deadly love triangle. Anita “could be sexy without looking vulgar; girl and woman at the same time,” Anitta said of the character. After beginning her career as “Anita,” she changed her moniker to “Anitta” soon after she was discovered on YouTube by record producer Renato Azevedo. That two-t name was firmly in place by 2013, when …

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 …

All the Hosts and Musical Guests

All the Hosts and Musical Guests

Published by Daniella Wilson

Saturday Night Live has set its first roster of hosts and musical guests for season 51. Coming off its 50th anniversary season, the NBC sketch comedy show will premiere its 51st edition on Oct. 4. Bad Bunny will host the season premiere, marking his second time as host, and Doja Cat will make her first SNL appearance as musical guest. Former castmember Amy Poehler is set to host on Oct. 11 — her third time hosting and second solo gig (she also hosted once with Tina Fey) — with musical guest Role Model. Sabrina Carpenter will take on both the host and musical guest roles on Oct. 18. After a week off, SNL is set to return Nov. 1 with Miles Teller hosting for the second time and Brandi Carlile making her third appearance as musical guest. Comedian Nikki Glaser will host the Nov. 8 edition with musical guest sombr (both making their debuts on the show). On Nov. 15, Glen Powell will make his hosting debut with musical guest Olivia Dean, also a first timer. …

Vanity Fair Edits Chloe Fineman Clip About Pantsing 6-Year-Old Boy

Vanity Fair Edits Chloe Fineman Clip About Pantsing 6-Year-Old Boy

Published by Daniella Wilson

A Vanity Fair clip featuring the cast of Saturday Night Live has gone viral after it was edited to remove specific details and some awkward cast reactions to Chloe Fineman’s shocking tale of being fired as a camp counselor in her youth. Vanity Fair’s video features Fineman alongside Mikey Day, Sarah Sherman, Ashley Padilla, Jane Wickline and James Austin Johnson as they test one another in an episode of the mag’s game show series, this one titled “SNL Cast Test How Well They Know Each Other.” One segment finds Fineman polling her colleagues to guess the job she got fired from and later rehired by with a bonus question of “Why was I fired?” Day jokes it was for “racially insensitive comments” while Sherman guesses that Fineman was sacked from a restaurant for a bad attitude. Padilla asks how old she was at the time, and Fineman offers that she was 16. Then she tells the tale. “I was fired as a camp counselor,” Fineman says. “I pantsed a boy. He would lift my shirt …