Alan Rudolph with Anne-Katrin Titze on Robert Altman considering Johnny Carson and Peter Falk to be cast as Dwayne Hoover (played by Bruce Willis) in Breakfast Of Champions: “He would cast his movies before they were written.”
In the first instalment with Alan Rudolph, we discuss Robert Altman’s early connection to Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast Of Champions, the roles played by Bruce Willis, Nick Nolte, Albert Finney, and Owen Wilson, plus working with Willis and Demi Moore on Mortal Thoughts. Now, with the help of Ron Mann, director of What We Like, producer David Blocker, cinematographer Elliot Davis and Shout Factory, there is a 4K Digital Restoration of Breakfast of Champions available to screen in cinemas, on streaming platforms and Blu-ray DVD for the 25th anniversary of this very prescient film. Alan Rudolph was an assistant director on Altman’s Nashville, California Split, The Long Goodbye, and appeared as himself in The Player.
In the first instalment with Alan Rudolph, we discuss Robert Altman’s early connection to Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast Of Champions, the roles played by Bruce Willis, Nick Nolte, Albert Finney, and Owen Wilson, plus working with Willis and Demi Moore on Mortal Thoughts. Now, with the help of Ron Mann, director of What We Like, producer David Blocker, cinematographer Elliot Davis and Shout Factory, there is a 4K Digital Restoration of Breakfast of Champions available to screen in cinemas, on streaming platforms and Blu-ray DVD for the 25th anniversary of this very prescient film. Alan Rudolph was an assistant director on Altman’s Nashville, California Split, The Long Goodbye, and appeared as himself in The Player.
- 10/30/2024
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Tootsie Oscar nominee, Teri Garr has sadly passed away at the age of 79. While the famous actress has more than 140 credits to her name, she faced a horrible battle at the end.
Tootsie Oscar Nominee, Teri Garr Dead At 79
Before Teri Garr’s passing, she made big strides in the entertainment industry. One of her biggest splashes was with her performance in the 1982 movie Tootsie alongside Dustin Hoffman which landed her an Oscar nomination. Additionally, she is also well known for her part in the 1974 Mel Brooks horror comedy Young Frankenstein. Both movies received Academy Award nominations. Many people recognize her in her later career as the estranged mother to Phoebe Buffay in Friends. Likewise, some of her works include Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977 and Martin Scorsese’s After Hours in 1985. Furthermore, she starred in Mr. Mom with Michael Keaton.
Teri Garr as Inga...
Tootsie Oscar Nominee, Teri Garr Dead At 79
Before Teri Garr’s passing, she made big strides in the entertainment industry. One of her biggest splashes was with her performance in the 1982 movie Tootsie alongside Dustin Hoffman which landed her an Oscar nomination. Additionally, she is also well known for her part in the 1974 Mel Brooks horror comedy Young Frankenstein. Both movies received Academy Award nominations. Many people recognize her in her later career as the estranged mother to Phoebe Buffay in Friends. Likewise, some of her works include Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977 and Martin Scorsese’s After Hours in 1985. Furthermore, she starred in Mr. Mom with Michael Keaton.
Teri Garr as Inga...
- 10/29/2024
- by Bonnie Kaiser-Gambill
- TV Shows Ace
Teri Garr, the Oscar-nominated actress best known for her work in hit comedies like Tootsie and Young Frankenstein, died Tuesday, Oct. 29, at her home in Los Angeles, The New York Times reports. She was 79.
Garr’s publicist confirmed her death, saying it was caused by complications from multiple sclerosis. Garr was diagnosed with Ms in 1999 and revealed it publicly in 2002. In 2006, she suffered a brain aneurysm that left her in a coma for several days, though she eventually regained her ability to speak.
Over four decades, Garr enjoyed a wildly successful and multi-faceted career,...
Garr’s publicist confirmed her death, saying it was caused by complications from multiple sclerosis. Garr was diagnosed with Ms in 1999 and revealed it publicly in 2002. In 2006, she suffered a brain aneurysm that left her in a coma for several days, though she eventually regained her ability to speak.
Over four decades, Garr enjoyed a wildly successful and multi-faceted career,...
- 10/29/2024
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
The ditzy blonde was a comedy archetype long before Teri Garr came along. Comedians from Johnny Carson to Monty Python to the ribald gang on Three’s Company played the stereotype for cheap laughs, somehow equating blonde hair and big boobs with a comic lack of intelligence. But Garr, who passed away Tuesday in Los Angeles at the age of 79, turned the archetype on its ear, playing characters that might be described as flighty or eccentric while secretly being the smartest person in the room.
Take her Oscar-nominated turn in Tootsie as Sandy, Michael Dorsey’s eternally flustered best friend who deserved way better than she got. Like Dorsey, Dustin Hoffman was a notoriously difficult scene partner, but Garr gave as good as she got, improvising and arguing with the actor about the best ways to insult Dorothy, his female alter ego. “We have the same comic rhythm,” Hoffman says in Making Tootsie.
Take her Oscar-nominated turn in Tootsie as Sandy, Michael Dorsey’s eternally flustered best friend who deserved way better than she got. Like Dorsey, Dustin Hoffman was a notoriously difficult scene partner, but Garr gave as good as she got, improvising and arguing with the actor about the best ways to insult Dorothy, his female alter ego. “We have the same comic rhythm,” Hoffman says in Making Tootsie.
- 10/29/2024
- Cracked
25 years ago, writer/director Alan Rudolph realized a decades-long dream when he finally got to make his adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut‘s “Breakfast of Champions” with a cast that included Bruce Willis, Nick Nolte, Albert Finney, and Barbara Hershey, all operating at the peak of their talents. The tale of a smiling car dealership mogul (Willis) in the midst of a breakdown, “Breakfast” was one of Rudolph’s best films, a hilarious, prescient, and audacious portrait of not just a man, but a country losing its mind.
“Breakfast of Champions” was a deeply personal, fully realized work from one of the most interesting American filmmakers of his era. It was also a complete flop with audiences and critics.
“The film came out for two or three days and was radioactive,” Rudolph told IndieWire. “Breakfast” was so buried by the studio that released it that even its director couldn’t get...
“Breakfast of Champions” was a deeply personal, fully realized work from one of the most interesting American filmmakers of his era. It was also a complete flop with audiences and critics.
“The film came out for two or three days and was radioactive,” Rudolph told IndieWire. “Breakfast” was so buried by the studio that released it that even its director couldn’t get...
- 10/29/2024
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
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Clint Eastwood was one of the biggest movie stars in the world in 1995, but, up until that point, he was not known for appearing in family-friendly films. CBS' "Rawhide," the television series that launched him in the 1960s, and 1982's "Firefox," with its video game tie-in, are probably his two most kid-appropriate works. "Bronco Billy" and "Honkytonk Man" are also family films in a way, though, really, Eastwood only hit the bullseye with kids when he plopped Clyde the orangutan into the bare-knuckle-brawling adventures of Philo Beddoe in "Every Which Way But Loose" and "Any Which Way You Can" (both of which have no shortage of gleefully raunchy moments).
Eastwood also wasn't known for his romantic dramas, so the summer of 1995 promised to be an outlier for him with his adaptation of Robert James Waller's runaway bestseller "The Bridges of Madison County.
Clint Eastwood was one of the biggest movie stars in the world in 1995, but, up until that point, he was not known for appearing in family-friendly films. CBS' "Rawhide," the television series that launched him in the 1960s, and 1982's "Firefox," with its video game tie-in, are probably his two most kid-appropriate works. "Bronco Billy" and "Honkytonk Man" are also family films in a way, though, really, Eastwood only hit the bullseye with kids when he plopped Clyde the orangutan into the bare-knuckle-brawling adventures of Philo Beddoe in "Every Which Way But Loose" and "Any Which Way You Can" (both of which have no shortage of gleefully raunchy moments).
Eastwood also wasn't known for his romantic dramas, so the summer of 1995 promised to be an outlier for him with his adaptation of Robert James Waller's runaway bestseller "The Bridges of Madison County.
- 10/28/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Prompted by the massive success of the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, ABC released dozens of thrillers and horror movies under their Movie of the Week banner between 1969 and 1975. Starting in 1973, the network branched out into late-night programming intended to compete with talk show king Johnny Carson over on NBC, and the five feature-length telefilms collected as The Classic Ghosts by Kino Cult originally aired in that slot.
These telefilms were shot live on two-inch tape in a manner akin to daytime dramas, which does lead to the occasional flubbed line of dialogue. Furthering the comparison, two of the movies were directed by Lela Swift, who helmed over half of Dark Shadows’s approximately 1,200 episodes. Gloria Monty, who directed two others, went on to radically reshape the floundering soap General Hospital in the late ’70s. It’s notable that the creative team behind the telefilms were mostly women. Besides directors Swift and Monty,...
These telefilms were shot live on two-inch tape in a manner akin to daytime dramas, which does lead to the occasional flubbed line of dialogue. Furthering the comparison, two of the movies were directed by Lela Swift, who helmed over half of Dark Shadows’s approximately 1,200 episodes. Gloria Monty, who directed two others, went on to radically reshape the floundering soap General Hospital in the late ’70s. It’s notable that the creative team behind the telefilms were mostly women. Besides directors Swift and Monty,...
- 10/26/2024
- by Budd Wilkins
- Slant Magazine
Legendary film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert had pretty mixed opinions when it came to movies based on Saturday Night Live sketches. They gave Wayne’s World two thumbs up, but called Coneheads one of the worst films of 1993. And for some reason they were massive fans of Stuart Saves His Family? Really?
But the duo’s harshest SNL criticisms, oddly enough, happened during an episode of SNL.
Siskel and Ebert appeared in the very first episode of the Lorne Michaels-less eighth season. The hook? They would be reviewing the season premiere of SNL — as in the one that was in the middle of airing. As Siskel noted during the sketch, it was “history’s first live review of a television show still in progress,” which is a pretty clever meta joke. It arguably worked far better than the episode’s central, highly-irregular conceit: that host Chevy Chase was...
But the duo’s harshest SNL criticisms, oddly enough, happened during an episode of SNL.
Siskel and Ebert appeared in the very first episode of the Lorne Michaels-less eighth season. The hook? They would be reviewing the season premiere of SNL — as in the one that was in the middle of airing. As Siskel noted during the sketch, it was “history’s first live review of a television show still in progress,” which is a pretty clever meta joke. It arguably worked far better than the episode’s central, highly-irregular conceit: that host Chevy Chase was...
- 10/25/2024
- Cracked
Johnny Carson might have been furious with Don Rickles for busting his cigarette box, but Rickles wasn’t the comedian Carson most hated having on The Tonight Show. That honor went to a comic who’d been entertaining U.S. presidents since Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Bob Hope. “Johnny admired Hope’s place in show business, but he was not a great admirer of his work,” said Tonight Show producer Peter Lasselly in the book Hope: Entertainer of the Century (via Last Night On).
The difference between the two comics? Carson preferred off-the-cuff improvisation while Hope relied on scripted punchlines, according to Andrew Nicholls, Carson's former head writer. Hope “was a guy who relied on his writers for every topic,” explained Nicholls. “Johnny was very quick on his feet. He appreciated people who he felt engaged with the real world. There was nothing to talk to Bob about.”
Carson grew...
The difference between the two comics? Carson preferred off-the-cuff improvisation while Hope relied on scripted punchlines, according to Andrew Nicholls, Carson's former head writer. Hope “was a guy who relied on his writers for every topic,” explained Nicholls. “Johnny was very quick on his feet. He appreciated people who he felt engaged with the real world. There was nothing to talk to Bob about.”
Carson grew...
- 10/23/2024
- Cracked
Johnny Carson is the gold standard. He did for late night what the Beatles did for rock music, and he will likely never be surpassed. Especially with the current state of the medium, and the fact that late night is ceding more and more ground to the internet.
But we digress. Johnny Carson's reputation is airtight, and he was chummy with a great many of his guests. He was not, however, a fan of every single celebrity who was invited to sit on his couch. There was one comedian who rubbed Carson the wrong way for decades, despite the fact that he appeared on The Tonight Show multiple times.
Johnny Carson felt Bob Hope was too rigid Actor Bob Hope | Evening Standard/GettyImages
The comedian in question? Bob Hope. The most decorated man in entertainment history was also a headache for Johnny Carson whenever he stepped out in front of The Tonight Show audience.
But we digress. Johnny Carson's reputation is airtight, and he was chummy with a great many of his guests. He was not, however, a fan of every single celebrity who was invited to sit on his couch. There was one comedian who rubbed Carson the wrong way for decades, despite the fact that he appeared on The Tonight Show multiple times.
Johnny Carson felt Bob Hope was too rigid Actor Bob Hope | Evening Standard/GettyImages
The comedian in question? Bob Hope. The most decorated man in entertainment history was also a headache for Johnny Carson whenever he stepped out in front of The Tonight Show audience.
- 10/22/2024
- by Danilo Castro
- Last Night On
Mimi Hines Dies: Nightclub Headliner Who Replaced Barbra Streisand In Broadway’s ‘Funny Girl’ Was 91
Mimi Hines, who along with her comedy and musical partner (and husband) Phil Ford was a staple of late-night talk shows and variety shows of the 1960s before making a name for herself on Broadway as the replacement for Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl, died peacefully of natural causes on Monday, October 21, at her home in Las Vegas. She was 91.
Her death was announced by her longtime attorney Mark Sendroff.
Born July 17, 1933, in Canada, the singer and comedian Hines met Ford in 1952 at the Last Chance Saloon in Anchorage, Ak, and began performing as a duo. They were invited to appear on The Tonight Show on August 28, 1958, where Hines’ performed of the Meredith Willson song “Till There Was You.” Legend has it that the performance brought host Jack Paar to tears, and soon the duo Ford and Hines were an in-demand booking, with appearances on The Garry Moore Show, The Hollywood Palace,...
Her death was announced by her longtime attorney Mark Sendroff.
Born July 17, 1933, in Canada, the singer and comedian Hines met Ford in 1952 at the Last Chance Saloon in Anchorage, Ak, and began performing as a duo. They were invited to appear on The Tonight Show on August 28, 1958, where Hines’ performed of the Meredith Willson song “Till There Was You.” Legend has it that the performance brought host Jack Paar to tears, and soon the duo Ford and Hines were an in-demand booking, with appearances on The Garry Moore Show, The Hollywood Palace,...
- 10/22/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
On April 28 James Corden announced that he will be leaving ‘The Late Late Show’ following its 2023 season. Corden has been with the CBS show since 2015 and has created iconic segments like Carpool Karaoke and Crosswalk the Musical which take not only television, but YouTube by storm. Corden states that he loves working for ‘The Late Late Show’ and credits a joyous working environment, but after a year of going out with a bang, it’s time for the next adventure. Perhaps a return to Broadway, or a rise in film roles. Though Corden’s announcement is the most recent, he’ll be joining a renowned group of retired late night hosts.
Hosting late night is an arduous task. The skill set required is like no other, hosts are typically comedians, with a monologue to open the show, they need to maintain their charisma throughout the episode, and they need to be skilled interviewers.
Hosting late night is an arduous task. The skill set required is like no other, hosts are typically comedians, with a monologue to open the show, they need to maintain their charisma throughout the episode, and they need to be skilled interviewers.
- 10/20/2024
- by Hollywood Intern
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Doc Severinsen was a snitch.
After a night off, Johnny Carson was back in his Tonight Show chair, and it didn’t take him long to notice something was off. A cigarette box that had been a mainstay on his desk for years was broken. “What the hell happened to this?” Carson asked the bandleader. “You know how long I’ve had this cigarette box? I brought this out from New York. What on earth?”
“Rickles!” came the shouts from offstage, either from the audience, stagehands or both. “Don Rickles,” Doc clarified in case Carson thought some other Rickles was the perpetrator.
Carson wasn’t happy. “What the hell did he do with it?” he wondered. “The wood is broken! That’s an heirloom!”
It was an easy explanation. He was screwing around with guest host Bob Newhart, banging Johnny’s desk and accidentally busting Carson’s box.
This indignity would not stand.
After a night off, Johnny Carson was back in his Tonight Show chair, and it didn’t take him long to notice something was off. A cigarette box that had been a mainstay on his desk for years was broken. “What the hell happened to this?” Carson asked the bandleader. “You know how long I’ve had this cigarette box? I brought this out from New York. What on earth?”
“Rickles!” came the shouts from offstage, either from the audience, stagehands or both. “Don Rickles,” Doc clarified in case Carson thought some other Rickles was the perpetrator.
Carson wasn’t happy. “What the hell did he do with it?” he wondered. “The wood is broken! That’s an heirloom!”
It was an easy explanation. He was screwing around with guest host Bob Newhart, banging Johnny’s desk and accidentally busting Carson’s box.
This indignity would not stand.
- 10/15/2024
- Cracked
“Saturday Night” hit theaters everywhere on Friday, taking fans back to the very beginning of one of NBC’s most famous shows. But, is it a true story?
Directed by Jason Reitman, the film tells the story of the 90 minutes leading up to the very first episode of “Saturday Night Live.” It’s total chaos, with the crew openly revolting against producer Lorne Michaels (Gabriel Labelle), the content of the show itself still being nailed down, and studio execs simply counting on it to fail.
A lot of the film is rooted in reality, but, like many true stories put on screen, there is some fictionalizing that happens.
Let’s break it down what’s fact and what’s fiction in the “SNL” movie.
Is “Saturday Night” based on a true story?
On the whole, yes. Reitman talked to many, many people involved with the debut of “SNL” to get...
Directed by Jason Reitman, the film tells the story of the 90 minutes leading up to the very first episode of “Saturday Night Live.” It’s total chaos, with the crew openly revolting against producer Lorne Michaels (Gabriel Labelle), the content of the show itself still being nailed down, and studio execs simply counting on it to fail.
A lot of the film is rooted in reality, but, like many true stories put on screen, there is some fictionalizing that happens.
Let’s break it down what’s fact and what’s fiction in the “SNL” movie.
Is “Saturday Night” based on a true story?
On the whole, yes. Reitman talked to many, many people involved with the debut of “SNL” to get...
- 10/12/2024
- by Andi Ortiz
- The Wrap
The comedian previously partnered with Netflix on ‘John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A.’
The ranks of late-night luminaries like David Letterman, Johnny Carson, and Conan O’Brien are going to have to make room for a new member. The Hollywood Reporter has details about a newly planned live variety talk show that Netflix plans to offer, which will feature beloved comedian John Mulaney.
Key Details: Mulaney’s as-yet-unnamed show will debut on Netflix next year. The comedian previously worked with Netflix on a live project earlier this year. Netflix is continuing to make additions to its live programming slate in 2025. Sign Up $6.99+ / month netflix.com
THR reports that Mulaney will debut the new, live talk show in early 2025. Specific details are still being held close to the vest, but Mulaney will serve as the executive producer and co-showrunner of the series, so he’ll have plenty of creative control. The series...
The ranks of late-night luminaries like David Letterman, Johnny Carson, and Conan O’Brien are going to have to make room for a new member. The Hollywood Reporter has details about a newly planned live variety talk show that Netflix plans to offer, which will feature beloved comedian John Mulaney.
Key Details: Mulaney’s as-yet-unnamed show will debut on Netflix next year. The comedian previously worked with Netflix on a live project earlier this year. Netflix is continuing to make additions to its live programming slate in 2025. Sign Up $6.99+ / month netflix.com
THR reports that Mulaney will debut the new, live talk show in early 2025. Specific details are still being held close to the vest, but Mulaney will serve as the executive producer and co-showrunner of the series, so he’ll have plenty of creative control. The series...
- 10/11/2024
- by David Satin
- The Streamable
Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt), Jane Curtain (Kim Matula), Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman), Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott), Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris), Alan Zweibel (Josh Brener) and Lorne Michaels (Gabriel Labelle) in Saturday Night.
Ah, the weekend, a time to kick back and relax after the drudgery of the nine-to-fives grind. Well, that’s the case for most of us. For the folks working at “30 Rock” in the “Big Apple” it’s truly “crunch time” Most weeks, that is. And it all started exactly 49 years ago. That’s when one of the “big three” networks (in those “prehistoric’ times before cable and streaming), the National Broadcasting Company decided to gamble on a risky concept, one that was once the “norm” nearly twenty years prior. Back in the 1950s almost everything on the tube (other than creaky old movies) was aired live. But with the advent of video tape, most of the...
Ah, the weekend, a time to kick back and relax after the drudgery of the nine-to-fives grind. Well, that’s the case for most of us. For the folks working at “30 Rock” in the “Big Apple” it’s truly “crunch time” Most weeks, that is. And it all started exactly 49 years ago. That’s when one of the “big three” networks (in those “prehistoric’ times before cable and streaming), the National Broadcasting Company decided to gamble on a risky concept, one that was once the “norm” nearly twenty years prior. Back in the 1950s almost everything on the tube (other than creaky old movies) was aired live. But with the advent of video tape, most of the...
- 10/11/2024
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“What is the show?”
That’s what a nervous NBC kept asking about its newly conceived Saturday Night Live 50 years ago. Its young producer, Lorne Michaels, never answered. Nor is he likely to now: Saturday Night, a movie about his show, opens wide this week and Michaels says he hasn’t found time to see it.
Will filmgoers follow his example?
“SNL changed comedy and changed our culture,” Michaels said on Today this week. Actually it was Gabriel Labelle, the actor who plays Michaels in the movie, who said it, not Michaels himself.
Audiences caught a limited glimpse of the movie on 21 screens this past week week, with both the critics and the box office reflecting positivity but not acclaim. Certainly not the acclaim prompted by the launch of the 50th anniversary SNL season.
At 50, there’s agreement that SNL is still a blast, and a mess, its snarky political...
That’s what a nervous NBC kept asking about its newly conceived Saturday Night Live 50 years ago. Its young producer, Lorne Michaels, never answered. Nor is he likely to now: Saturday Night, a movie about his show, opens wide this week and Michaels says he hasn’t found time to see it.
Will filmgoers follow his example?
“SNL changed comedy and changed our culture,” Michaels said on Today this week. Actually it was Gabriel Labelle, the actor who plays Michaels in the movie, who said it, not Michaels himself.
Audiences caught a limited glimpse of the movie on 21 screens this past week week, with both the critics and the box office reflecting positivity but not acclaim. Certainly not the acclaim prompted by the launch of the 50th anniversary SNL season.
At 50, there’s agreement that SNL is still a blast, and a mess, its snarky political...
- 10/10/2024
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
The cast of Saturday Night, the movie chronicling the hours leading up to the first-ever episode of SNL, is receiving great reviews for their ensemble work. But many critics are singling out Cory Michael Smith for his portrayal of Chevy Chase, the show’s first breakout star. Director Jason Reitman didn’t want his actors talking to the real people they portrayed, but Smith told CinemaBlend that other sources were particularly instructive.
First up: Foul Play, the first movie Chase made after skyrocketing to stardom. The romantic caper co-starring Goldie Hawn was a big hit, cementing the Chase’s future in the movies.
“So cool. And it’s a great movie,” Smith said. “But I did notice there’s a different quality of him in Foul Play than other films. It’s his first feature, and you can sort of feel him exploring and figuring stuff out. It’s like...
First up: Foul Play, the first movie Chase made after skyrocketing to stardom. The romantic caper co-starring Goldie Hawn was a big hit, cementing the Chase’s future in the movies.
“So cool. And it’s a great movie,” Smith said. “But I did notice there’s a different quality of him in Foul Play than other films. It’s his first feature, and you can sort of feel him exploring and figuring stuff out. It’s like...
- 10/8/2024
- Cracked
What can we say about Chevy Chase on his 81st birthday that we haven’t already said before?
Here’s the good news: We don’t have to say it. After decades of burning down every bridge in sight, it was no problem to find 81 burns to light the candles on his cake. Below is a birthday portrait of the man of the hour, courtesy of the co-workers, directors and other unfortunates who’ve worked with Chase over the years.
1 Will Ferrell
“The worst (SNL) host was Chevy Chase.”
(Live From New York: The Complete Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live)
2 Buck Henry
“I thought Chevy shouldn’t have left (SNL). I thought it was really stupid.”
(Live From New York: The Complete Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live)
3 John Carpenter 4 Director Kevin Smith
“Chevy went on to claim he invented every funny thing that ever happened in the history of not just comedy,...
Here’s the good news: We don’t have to say it. After decades of burning down every bridge in sight, it was no problem to find 81 burns to light the candles on his cake. Below is a birthday portrait of the man of the hour, courtesy of the co-workers, directors and other unfortunates who’ve worked with Chase over the years.
1 Will Ferrell
“The worst (SNL) host was Chevy Chase.”
(Live From New York: The Complete Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live)
2 Buck Henry
“I thought Chevy shouldn’t have left (SNL). I thought it was really stupid.”
(Live From New York: The Complete Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live)
3 John Carpenter 4 Director Kevin Smith
“Chevy went on to claim he invented every funny thing that ever happened in the history of not just comedy,...
- 10/8/2024
- Cracked
The Vice Presidential debate was all the talk on late night this week. It's the sort of controversial but not too controversial topic that's ripe for the likes of the Tonight Show and the Late Show. The thing is, even the hosts were surprised by how vanilla the debate was.
Stephen Colbert admitted to Late Show viewers that he was let down by the lack of wild statements during the debate. Jimmy Kimmel, meanwhile, conceded that he has a better time watching debates when Donald Trump is involved. Jimmy Fallon felt pretty similarly.
Jimmy Fallon said the debate was jarringly normal
The Tonight Show host told viewers that it was the "craziest" debate thus far because of how civil it turned out to be. "They actually talked about policy," he noted, before quipping:
This debate turned out to be polite, friendly and intimate. It was jarring. Basically people were expecting...
Stephen Colbert admitted to Late Show viewers that he was let down by the lack of wild statements during the debate. Jimmy Kimmel, meanwhile, conceded that he has a better time watching debates when Donald Trump is involved. Jimmy Fallon felt pretty similarly.
Jimmy Fallon said the debate was jarringly normal
The Tonight Show host told viewers that it was the "craziest" debate thus far because of how civil it turned out to be. "They actually talked about policy," he noted, before quipping:
This debate turned out to be polite, friendly and intimate. It was jarring. Basically people were expecting...
- 10/6/2024
- by Danilo Castro
- Last Night On
Late-night talk shows have done away with one custom of Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show — the tradition of guests sticking around on the couch to steal attention from whoever’s being interviewed. Makes sense, but we lost the uncomfortable interactions that happen when two comics like Richard Pryor and Chevy Chase share the same stage.
It was Pryor’s turn for the spotlight when he came out to promote a comedy special. But Chase, sitting next to him after plugging his own special airing on the same night, couldn’t keep to himself. When Pryor did a bit about bringing slides to view with Carson, Chase kept sticking his head into the frame — and into the joke.
As for Pryor’s special? He was in the middle of telling Carson all about it when Chase interrupted him mid-joke.
“May I say that I have seen Richard’s special?” he asked.
It was Pryor’s turn for the spotlight when he came out to promote a comedy special. But Chase, sitting next to him after plugging his own special airing on the same night, couldn’t keep to himself. When Pryor did a bit about bringing slides to view with Carson, Chase kept sticking his head into the frame — and into the joke.
As for Pryor’s special? He was in the middle of telling Carson all about it when Chase interrupted him mid-joke.
“May I say that I have seen Richard’s special?” he asked.
- 10/4/2024
- Cracked
Nearly from the beginning, Saturday Night Live musical guests have used the show as a vehicle to promote a new album, introduce a new style or even launch a career. The last thing the artists want is goofy cast members joining in, turning a sizzling musical spot into a ridiculous sketch.
At least, that’s usually how it works. Over the years, pop and rock acts have occasionally invited cast members to join in the fun — here are five times when comedy and music came together on SNL…
1 Chevy Chase and Carly Simon @maximumrocknsoul
When Simon recorded her hit, “You’re So Vain,” she persuaded Mick Jagger to sing uncredited backup vocals. Not a lot of radio listeners knew Jagger was singing, but they would have found out when Jagger agreed to back Simon during an early Saturday Night Live appearance.
Instead, it was Chase donning an apricot scarf and...
At least, that’s usually how it works. Over the years, pop and rock acts have occasionally invited cast members to join in the fun — here are five times when comedy and music came together on SNL…
1 Chevy Chase and Carly Simon @maximumrocknsoul
When Simon recorded her hit, “You’re So Vain,” she persuaded Mick Jagger to sing uncredited backup vocals. Not a lot of radio listeners knew Jagger was singing, but they would have found out when Jagger agreed to back Simon during an early Saturday Night Live appearance.
Instead, it was Chase donning an apricot scarf and...
- 10/3/2024
- Cracked
The Tonight Show is the late night talk show. It's Johnny Carson, it's Jay Leno, it's Conan O'Brien (before it was Leno again). The pedigree is second to none, which is why Jimmy Fallon is worried about the show's future.
Fallon has been leading The Tonight Show since 2014, and while he has done a skillful job of bringing topical sketch ideas and fun games to the table, his time behind the desk has not been smooth. He's suffered ratings losses to the likes of Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel.
Jimmy Fallon has suffered numerous controversies The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon -- Episode 1176 -- Pictured: (l-r) Actor Sam Heughan during an interview with host Jimmy Fallon on December 16, 2019 -- (Photo by: Andrew Lipovsky/NBC)
He's also been the subject of intense scrutiny regarding the "toxic workplace" that he's allowed to take root behind the scenes. Fallon addressed the allegations that...
Fallon has been leading The Tonight Show since 2014, and while he has done a skillful job of bringing topical sketch ideas and fun games to the table, his time behind the desk has not been smooth. He's suffered ratings losses to the likes of Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel.
Jimmy Fallon has suffered numerous controversies The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon -- Episode 1176 -- Pictured: (l-r) Actor Sam Heughan during an interview with host Jimmy Fallon on December 16, 2019 -- (Photo by: Andrew Lipovsky/NBC)
He's also been the subject of intense scrutiny regarding the "toxic workplace" that he's allowed to take root behind the scenes. Fallon addressed the allegations that...
- 10/2/2024
- by Danilo Castro
- Last Night On
Saturday Night, the highly-anticipated new film from director Jason Reitman, chronicles the frenzied production of the very first episode of Saturday Night Live. Studio 8H was complete and utter chaos on the night of October 11, 1975; there were fistfights, near fatal accidents, contract disputes, at least one incident of indecent exposure, and on top of everything else, producer Lorne Michaels seemed to have no idea what his show was supposed to be.
At one point, Michaels violently tore his scene cards off of the wall out of frustration, and the network threatened to bump the ill-prepared comic upstarts from their time slot, and replace them with a rerun of Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show, mere moments before the show was scheduled to air.
At least that’s how it happened in the movie. Which wasn’t exactly 100 percent true to life, it seems.
Play
The New York Times recently spoke...
At one point, Michaels violently tore his scene cards off of the wall out of frustration, and the network threatened to bump the ill-prepared comic upstarts from their time slot, and replace them with a rerun of Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show, mere moments before the show was scheduled to air.
At least that’s how it happened in the movie. Which wasn’t exactly 100 percent true to life, it seems.
Play
The New York Times recently spoke...
- 9/30/2024
- Cracked
When I first heard about the premise of Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night” — the entire film takes place in the 90 minutes leading up to the late-night comedy landmark’s first episode in 1975 — I confess that I found the idea to be a head-scratcher. Sure, it seemed like there would be a backstage let’s-put-on-a-show “What can go wrong? Everything can go wrong!” real-time frenetic bustle to the thing. And that sounded like fun.
More to the point, though: The show that came to be called “Saturday Night Live” — in the first season, it was just called “Saturday Night” — didn’t come together overnight, or in 90 minutes. A universe of pitching and planning and casting and writing, along with an infinite number of decisions large and small, went into the formation of a revolutionary new television comedy spirit and form. How was “Saturday Night” created? How was it dreamed up? How did it all come together?...
More to the point, though: The show that came to be called “Saturday Night Live” — in the first season, it was just called “Saturday Night” — didn’t come together overnight, or in 90 minutes. A universe of pitching and planning and casting and writing, along with an infinite number of decisions large and small, went into the formation of a revolutionary new television comedy spirit and form. How was “Saturday Night” created? How was it dreamed up? How did it all come together?...
- 9/29/2024
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
After spending her entire career as a comedian and talk-show host consumed by what other people think of her, Ellen DeGeneres says in her new Netflix special For Your Approval that she “just can’t anymore.”
“But if I’m being honest, and I have a choice of people remembering me as someone who was mean or someone who was beloved,” DeGeneres confesses to the audience of fans who attended the taping at Minneapolis’ Orpheum Theater, she chooses beloved.
While DeGeneres spends much of the special making her case to...
“But if I’m being honest, and I have a choice of people remembering me as someone who was mean or someone who was beloved,” DeGeneres confesses to the audience of fans who attended the taping at Minneapolis’ Orpheum Theater, she chooses beloved.
While DeGeneres spends much of the special making her case to...
- 9/28/2024
- by Krystie Lee Yandoli
- Rollingstone.com
He is slightly embarrassed to admit it, but Nicholas Podany first watched When Harry Met Sally as he was gearing up for an audition to portray the classic rom-com’s star, Billy Crystal.
Podany was going out for Jason Retiman’s Saturday Night (in theaters this weekend in limited release before opening wider on Oct 11.) Told in real-time, it tracks the 90 madcap minutes before the first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975.
Podany, who trained at Julliard and had appeared on Broadway in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, auditioned first for SNL cast member Dan Aykroyd. For that self-tape, he recreated Aykroyd’s “Super Bass-o-Matic” sketch that saw the actor pulverizing a bass in a blender. Podany was then asked to audition for the role of a young Lorne Michaels and got a callback, but not for Michaels. Instead, he was sent pages from the script to read for a young Crystal.
Podany was going out for Jason Retiman’s Saturday Night (in theaters this weekend in limited release before opening wider on Oct 11.) Told in real-time, it tracks the 90 madcap minutes before the first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975.
Podany, who trained at Julliard and had appeared on Broadway in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, auditioned first for SNL cast member Dan Aykroyd. For that self-tape, he recreated Aykroyd’s “Super Bass-o-Matic” sketch that saw the actor pulverizing a bass in a blender. Podany was then asked to audition for the role of a young Lorne Michaels and got a callback, but not for Michaels. Instead, he was sent pages from the script to read for a young Crystal.
- 9/28/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Comedian, fashion critic and awkward party guest Joan Rivers was famously banned from The Tonight Show because she had the temerity to… take a job? Johnny Carson was absolutely furious that Rivers accepted an offer to host a competing talk show, and Jay Leno continued to enforce the ban because, well, Jay Leno sucks, I guess.
But Leno’s competition, The Late Show with David Letterman, was totally free to host Rivers. And one memorable Rivers segment ended with Letterman removing his jacket and storming off the set. But it was all in good fun.
Back in 2014, Rivers made headlines for a tense interview with CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield. After the host pressed Rivers on issues ranging from the boundaries of humor to the ethics of fur, Rivers complained about the “negative” tone of the interview. “You are not the one to interview a person who does humor, sorry,” Rivers...
But Leno’s competition, The Late Show with David Letterman, was totally free to host Rivers. And one memorable Rivers segment ended with Letterman removing his jacket and storming off the set. But it was all in good fun.
Back in 2014, Rivers made headlines for a tense interview with CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield. After the host pressed Rivers on issues ranging from the boundaries of humor to the ethics of fur, Rivers complained about the “negative” tone of the interview. “You are not the one to interview a person who does humor, sorry,” Rivers...
- 9/26/2024
- Cracked
Some of the least funny SNL sketches from the past decade have been the cold opens, namely those that consist mostly of lightly rewritten versions of recent speeches, congressional testimonies, or interviews by politicians. One gets the sense that these skits are built to do nothing more than play on the audience’s mere recognition of what’s being referenced, patting us on the back for being in the know while vying for our laughter.
While Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night does, unlike those sketches, at least include some honest-to-goodness jokes, it often gives into the same pandering instincts. For instance, the film openly invites SNL aficionados and comedy nerds to point at the screen in collective recognition at the events and lore of the show’s past and nod along with pride in their knowledge.
Written by Reitman and Gil Kena, the film offers us a glimpse of John Belushi...
While Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night does, unlike those sketches, at least include some honest-to-goodness jokes, it often gives into the same pandering instincts. For instance, the film openly invites SNL aficionados and comedy nerds to point at the screen in collective recognition at the events and lore of the show’s past and nod along with pride in their knowledge.
Written by Reitman and Gil Kena, the film offers us a glimpse of John Belushi...
- 9/25/2024
- by Derek Smith
- Slant Magazine
Updated with Stephen Colbert’s response: Donald Trump loves to rant on social media and has recently gone after late-night show hosts, with Stephen Colbert being his latest target.
The former president of the United States went on a tirade against the comedian after watching him in a PBS interview.
“I briefly watched an interview of Stephen Colbert on highly government subsidized PBS, and found it fascinating for only one reason — Why would they be wasting time and the public’s money on this complete and total loser?” Trump shared on Truth Social on Tuesday, September 24. “He is not funny, which he gets paid far too much to be, he is not wise, he is Very Boring, and his show is dying from a complete lack of viewers.”
Trump suggested that Fox News host Greg Gutfeld’s late-night show “is killing him” in viewership.
“CBS should terminate his contract and pick almost anyone,...
The former president of the United States went on a tirade against the comedian after watching him in a PBS interview.
“I briefly watched an interview of Stephen Colbert on highly government subsidized PBS, and found it fascinating for only one reason — Why would they be wasting time and the public’s money on this complete and total loser?” Trump shared on Truth Social on Tuesday, September 24. “He is not funny, which he gets paid far too much to be, he is not wise, he is Very Boring, and his show is dying from a complete lack of viewers.”
Trump suggested that Fox News host Greg Gutfeld’s late-night show “is killing him” in viewership.
“CBS should terminate his contract and pick almost anyone,...
- 9/25/2024
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
Donald Trump is making late night his latest target.
The 78-year-old former President of the United States criticized late night television during a 23 rally in Pennsylvania on Monday (September 23) for his presidential campaign.
He claimed the late night shows hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel are “all dying,” via Variety, and added: “These three guys are so bad.”
Keep reading to find out more…
“He’s not very funny,” Trump said about Jimmy Fallon.
“Those three guys are being blown away by [Fox News’] Gutfeld,” Trump added. “When I first ran in 2015 or was thinking about running I went on [Jimmy’s] show, ‘The Tonight Show,’ which is dying. They’re all dying. Where is Johnny Carson? Bring back Johnny. It made you appreciate the greatness of Johnny Carson. These three guys are so bad.”
Johnny Carson, who formerly helmed the Tonight Show, died in 2005.
“I don’t like anybody that doesn’t like me.
The 78-year-old former President of the United States criticized late night television during a 23 rally in Pennsylvania on Monday (September 23) for his presidential campaign.
He claimed the late night shows hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel are “all dying,” via Variety, and added: “These three guys are so bad.”
Keep reading to find out more…
“He’s not very funny,” Trump said about Jimmy Fallon.
“Those three guys are being blown away by [Fox News’] Gutfeld,” Trump added. “When I first ran in 2015 or was thinking about running I went on [Jimmy’s] show, ‘The Tonight Show,’ which is dying. They’re all dying. Where is Johnny Carson? Bring back Johnny. It made you appreciate the greatness of Johnny Carson. These three guys are so bad.”
Johnny Carson, who formerly helmed the Tonight Show, died in 2005.
“I don’t like anybody that doesn’t like me.
- 9/25/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Donald Trump does not like late night television, and late night television does not like him. The two have been oil and water since Trump became President in 2016, and people like Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert have effectively built their entire shows around roasting him.
It should come as no surprise, then, that Donald Trump has harsh words for the late night medium. What is surprising, though, is who he decided to target. Instead of ragging on Kimmel or Colbert, he decided to go after the least political late night host of all: Jimmy Fallon.
Trump dubbed Fallon 'not very funny' during rally The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon -- Episode 1058 -- Pictured: (l-r) Actor Noah Centineo during an interview with host Jimmy Fallon on April 29, 2019 -- (Photo by: Andrew Lipovsky/NBC)
The ragging occurred during a Trump rally on September 23. The former President told the crowd in Pennsylvania that...
It should come as no surprise, then, that Donald Trump has harsh words for the late night medium. What is surprising, though, is who he decided to target. Instead of ragging on Kimmel or Colbert, he decided to go after the least political late night host of all: Jimmy Fallon.
Trump dubbed Fallon 'not very funny' during rally The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon -- Episode 1058 -- Pictured: (l-r) Actor Noah Centineo during an interview with host Jimmy Fallon on April 29, 2019 -- (Photo by: Andrew Lipovsky/NBC)
The ragging occurred during a Trump rally on September 23. The former President told the crowd in Pennsylvania that...
- 9/25/2024
- by Danilo Castro
- Last Night On
Once again proving that he’s willing to address the matters that are most pressing for everyday Americans today, Donald Trump spent a not insubstantial amount of time this week complaining about his least favorite late-night hosts.
At a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, Trump began by sounding off on Jimmy Kimmel, specifically complaining about that one joke he made at the Oscars six months ago. This guy’s faced two assassination attempts since then, but he still seems way more upset that the former host of The Man Show made fun of him during an award show.
If that wasn’t weird enough, Trump also complained about several other network late-night hosts, including Jimmy Fallon — so don’t expect to see Trump lining up for Tonightmares anytime soon.
Trump recalled the time that he went on Fallon’s Tonight Show while beginning his presidential campaign (how could we forget tussle-gate...
At a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, Trump began by sounding off on Jimmy Kimmel, specifically complaining about that one joke he made at the Oscars six months ago. This guy’s faced two assassination attempts since then, but he still seems way more upset that the former host of The Man Show made fun of him during an award show.
If that wasn’t weird enough, Trump also complained about several other network late-night hosts, including Jimmy Fallon — so don’t expect to see Trump lining up for Tonightmares anytime soon.
Trump recalled the time that he went on Fallon’s Tonight Show while beginning his presidential campaign (how could we forget tussle-gate...
- 9/24/2024
- Cracked
Donald Trump railed against the state of late night television during a Sept. 23 rally in Pennsylvania for his presidential campaign. He claimed the late night shows hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel are “all dying” and added: “These three guys are so bad.” Trump is often the target of jokes on these programs.
“He’s not very funny,” Trump said specifically about Fallon after a clip from Kamala Harris’ 2020 appearance on “The Tonight Show” aired during the rally. The clip featured Harris talking about fracking and Fallon responding: “Mamala Kamala just don’t give a frack.”
“Those three guys are being blown away by [Fox News’] Gutfeld,” Trump added. “When I first ran in 2015 or was thinking about running I went on [Jimmy’s] show, ‘The Tonight Show,’ which is dying. They’re all dying. Where is Johnny Carson? Bring back Johnny. It made you appreciate the greatness of Johnny Carson.
“He’s not very funny,” Trump said specifically about Fallon after a clip from Kamala Harris’ 2020 appearance on “The Tonight Show” aired during the rally. The clip featured Harris talking about fracking and Fallon responding: “Mamala Kamala just don’t give a frack.”
“Those three guys are being blown away by [Fox News’] Gutfeld,” Trump added. “When I first ran in 2015 or was thinking about running I went on [Jimmy’s] show, ‘The Tonight Show,’ which is dying. They’re all dying. Where is Johnny Carson? Bring back Johnny. It made you appreciate the greatness of Johnny Carson.
- 9/24/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Donald Trump is apparently nostalgic for “The Tonight Show” of years past, calling this week for the return of Johnny Carson as host of NBC’s late night program. Of course, that gave the hosts of “The View” a good laugh on Tuesday morning, considering Carson’s been dead for almost two decades.
While at a campaign stop on Monday, Trump recalled being on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon, hurling insults at the host and misremembering when exactly it happened.
“When I first ran, it was like 2015, thinking about running, I was going to run, I went on his show, right?” Trump said.
“And he goes — ‘The Tonight Show,’ which is dying. They’re all dying,” Trump continued. “Where’s Johnny Carson? Bring back Johnny.”
The women cracked up after watching the clip, with each of them jumping in to provide an answer. Carson died in January 2005 after a long battle with emphysema.
While at a campaign stop on Monday, Trump recalled being on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon, hurling insults at the host and misremembering when exactly it happened.
“When I first ran, it was like 2015, thinking about running, I was going to run, I went on his show, right?” Trump said.
“And he goes — ‘The Tonight Show,’ which is dying. They’re all dying,” Trump continued. “Where’s Johnny Carson? Bring back Johnny.”
The women cracked up after watching the clip, with each of them jumping in to provide an answer. Carson died in January 2005 after a long battle with emphysema.
- 9/24/2024
- by Andi Ortiz
- The Wrap
“For Your Approval,” the new comedy special starring Ellen DeGeneres, begins with a kind of run-through of DeGeneres’ long career. We open with a shot of DeGeneres in her dressing room, smiling wistfully as she looks into the mirror and sees, overlaying herself, a projected memory of her first appearance on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show”; she smiles slightly at the recollection, then gets up to walk down the hallway toward the stage, seeing in monitors, as she walks past, clips from her 1990s sitcom, including her character’s (and her own) coming out as a lesbian. She walks up a staircase with each individual rung emblazoned with a headline about that sitcom’s 1998 cancellation and hears voices like Barbara Walters’ and Diane Sawyer’s describing the controversy; breathing a heavy sigh as she reaches the top of the staircase, 2024 DeGeneres breaks into a brave smile as Dory, her “Finding Nemo” character projected behind her,...
- 9/24/2024
- by Daniel D'Addario
- Variety Film + TV
Once upon a time in late night television, it was customary for talk shows to fill up their couches as the evening's episode progressed. The first guest would do their segment and then move down a spot on the adjacent couch, making room for the next guest to yap with Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett or whoever. What with the barnacle presence of sidekick Ed McMahon, Carson's couch could get especially crowded some nights. Sometimes this got tense (like the time Burt Reynolds inexplicably went after "Double Dare" host Mark Summers on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno"); sometimes it was chaotic comedy bliss (which is what happens when you ask Carson to rein in the irrepressible duo of Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters); and sometimes it was just plain surreal.
This tradition started to fade out of fashion in the 1980s when "Late Night with David Letterman" introduced its one-guest-at-a-time approach.
This tradition started to fade out of fashion in the 1980s when "Late Night with David Letterman" introduced its one-guest-at-a-time approach.
- 9/22/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Illustrations by Maddie Fischer.To participate in the Toronto International Film Festival Scavenger Hunt, simply take a selfie with each of the eight “landmarks” around Festival Street—the three-block stretch of King Street where you’ll find key festival venues, food trucks, and brand activations—then enter a raffle to win a prize. I wondered what a “landmark” would look like as I began my search one evening, killing time before Roberto Minervini’s existentialist war movie The Damned (all films 2024). I imagined informational placards on the festival’s main theaters—maybe I could learn something about the architecture of Roy Thomson Hall, the distinctive concert hall that resembles a mirrored funnel? Or some bizarre trivia about the Reitman family, that cinematic dynasty who developed the Lightbox Theater?I spotted the first landmark: a black square of poster board, affixed to a crowd-control barricade. It was adorned with plain white text,...
- 9/18/2024
- MUBI
Norm Macdonald’s most popular impression on Saturday Night Live was Burt Reynolds, the ‘70s action-comedy star who… Wait, what’s this? Mr. Reynolds has entered a new name on the podium. He’d now like to be referred to as “Turd Ferguson.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Turd Ferguson. It’s a funny name.”
By his own admission, Macdonald wasn’t much of a sketch comedian, preferring to stay behind the Weekend Update desk and deliver one-liners. But he made an exception when it came to Reynolds. “I knew that if I did an impression of him it would get a laugh because he has such great comic timing and delivery,” Macdonald told Paste Magazine in 2018 after Reynolds’ passing. “So it was really stealing his persona to get laughs, you know. But I could never figure out a way. This guy that I wrote with, Steve Higgins … me and Higgins...
“Yeah, that’s right. Turd Ferguson. It’s a funny name.”
By his own admission, Macdonald wasn’t much of a sketch comedian, preferring to stay behind the Weekend Update desk and deliver one-liners. But he made an exception when it came to Reynolds. “I knew that if I did an impression of him it would get a laugh because he has such great comic timing and delivery,” Macdonald told Paste Magazine in 2018 after Reynolds’ passing. “So it was really stealing his persona to get laughs, you know. But I could never figure out a way. This guy that I wrote with, Steve Higgins … me and Higgins...
- 9/17/2024
- Cracked
The envelopes have all been opened and the statuettes have all been handed out, but there is still plenty of TV to watch! The 76th Annual Emmy Awards took place this past Sunday, handing out top honors to some of TV's best comedy, drama, and unscripted series, including "Hacks," "The Bear," "The Traitors," "Shōgun," and more. But if you're all caught up on this year's nominees and winners, your to-watch list may be looking a little light.
If you're trying to figure out what to watch next based on some of your favorite Emmy winners this year, check out our recommendations on what to watch next!
What to Watch Next If You Enjoyed This Year’s Emmy Winners:
What to Watch If You Loved ‘Shōgun’
What to Watch If You Loved ‘Hacks’
What to Watch If You Loved ‘The Bear’
What to Watch If You Loved ‘Fargo’ and/or ‘True Detective...
If you're trying to figure out what to watch next based on some of your favorite Emmy winners this year, check out our recommendations on what to watch next!
What to Watch Next If You Enjoyed This Year’s Emmy Winners:
What to Watch If You Loved ‘Shōgun’
What to Watch If You Loved ‘Hacks’
What to Watch If You Loved ‘The Bear’
What to Watch If You Loved ‘Fargo’ and/or ‘True Detective...
- 9/17/2024
- by Ashley Steves
- The Streamable
It all went down at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. Lots of wins, even more losses and many moments we just had to rate as either best or worst — from John Leguizamo’s impactful message about diversity and inclusion to Candice Bergen scratching at Donald Trump’s vice president pick Jd Vance.
Netflix’s thrilling drama miniseries “Baby Reindeer” took home four Emmys, alongside FX’s “The Bear” and “Shōgun,” while “Hacks” proved that comedic moments are needed to win Outstanding Comedy Series. Plus, Jodie Foster won her very first Emmy for her role in Season 4 of “True Detective: Night Country.”
The evening was hosted by father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy, who both have taken home Emmys for their work on “Schitt’s Creek.” Here are the best and absolute worst moments from the night.
Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards (Getty Images...
Netflix’s thrilling drama miniseries “Baby Reindeer” took home four Emmys, alongside FX’s “The Bear” and “Shōgun,” while “Hacks” proved that comedic moments are needed to win Outstanding Comedy Series. Plus, Jodie Foster won her very first Emmy for her role in Season 4 of “True Detective: Night Country.”
The evening was hosted by father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy, who both have taken home Emmys for their work on “Schitt’s Creek.” Here are the best and absolute worst moments from the night.
Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards (Getty Images...
- 9/16/2024
- by Raquel 'Rocky' Harris, Jacob Bryant
- The Wrap
A night of nostalgia, a Baby Reindeer sweep and an incredible launching pad for the upcoming seasons of The Bear and Shōgun made up the 76th annual Primetime Emmys on Sunday.
While the Family Levy didn’t exactly rock the L.A.’s Peacock Theater as the first father-and-son hosts, breakout moments came courtesy of TV’s old guard and Jodie Foster’s first Emmy win.
Here are some of the great moments, surprises and snubs from tonight’s telecast on ABC.
Great moment when Eugene Levy made a crack about The Bear‘s record wins in the comedy category and how, well, it’s hardly a knee-slapping series. “In the true spirit of The Bear we will not be making any jokes.”
Surprise when Martin Short, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez came out right after the Levy opening monologue and showed us how to really make...
While the Family Levy didn’t exactly rock the L.A.’s Peacock Theater as the first father-and-son hosts, breakout moments came courtesy of TV’s old guard and Jodie Foster’s first Emmy win.
Here are some of the great moments, surprises and snubs from tonight’s telecast on ABC.
Great moment when Eugene Levy made a crack about The Bear‘s record wins in the comedy category and how, well, it’s hardly a knee-slapping series. “In the true spirit of The Bear we will not be making any jokes.”
Surprise when Martin Short, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez came out right after the Levy opening monologue and showed us how to really make...
- 9/16/2024
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
Billy Crystal hit the stage at the 2024 Emmy Awards on Sunday (September 15) at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
The 76-year-old comedian and actor was on hand to present the award for Outstanding Talk Series, which featured late night talk shows.
During his introduction, he shared his first impressions with each of the hosts of the nominated shows, and they had something in common.
Keep reading to find out more…
“The category I get to present is Outstanding Talk Series, and it’s a very special one to me because I realized the other day it’s almost 50 years since I went on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson for the very first time,” Billy started out.
After sharing a story about that appearance, he noted that he kept a diary throughout his career with notes from appearances on the nominated shows. He then read off his thoughts after his first time on the shows.
The 76-year-old comedian and actor was on hand to present the award for Outstanding Talk Series, which featured late night talk shows.
During his introduction, he shared his first impressions with each of the hosts of the nominated shows, and they had something in common.
Keep reading to find out more…
“The category I get to present is Outstanding Talk Series, and it’s a very special one to me because I realized the other day it’s almost 50 years since I went on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson for the very first time,” Billy started out.
After sharing a story about that appearance, he noted that he kept a diary throughout his career with notes from appearances on the nominated shows. He then read off his thoughts after his first time on the shows.
- 9/16/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Jon Stewart is back winning Emmys.
Stewart, who won the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Series, one of the categories previous iterations, for 10 consecutive years between 2003 and 2012 as host of The Daily Show, returned to Emmy winning ways in the Outstanding Talk Series category.
Stewart, who got a kiss from Stephen Colbert on his way to stage, said that the win has “made an old man very happy”.
“This is remarkable, to have an opportunity to work with this incredibly talented group, has really made my Mondays,” he said.
Related:‘Slow Horses’ Writer Will Smith Pokes Fun At Namesake’s Oscar Slap In Emmy Speech
Stewart received the award from Billy Crystal, who said it was 50 years since he first went on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
He thanked his fellow hosts Ronny Chieng, Jordan Klepper, Michael Kosta and Desi Lydic, saying that they “kick ass”.
“But if you really...
Stewart, who won the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Series, one of the categories previous iterations, for 10 consecutive years between 2003 and 2012 as host of The Daily Show, returned to Emmy winning ways in the Outstanding Talk Series category.
Stewart, who got a kiss from Stephen Colbert on his way to stage, said that the win has “made an old man very happy”.
“This is remarkable, to have an opportunity to work with this incredibly talented group, has really made my Mondays,” he said.
Related:‘Slow Horses’ Writer Will Smith Pokes Fun At Namesake’s Oscar Slap In Emmy Speech
Stewart received the award from Billy Crystal, who said it was 50 years since he first went on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
He thanked his fellow hosts Ronny Chieng, Jordan Klepper, Michael Kosta and Desi Lydic, saying that they “kick ass”.
“But if you really...
- 9/16/2024
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
For decades, The Tonight Show has been the standard for all late-night talk shows. Johnny Carson made it an institution, and any star or comedian knew landing a spot would boost their career. They also knew that keeping on Johnny’s good side was vital, as if you crossed him, he’d hit a ban that would harm a career. That was kept up by Jay Leno as being banned from The Tonight Show was a big deal.
Some supposed “bans” aren’t really true, like Sylvester Stallone. It’s also tricky to see if some stars were banned or just fell out of popularity. However, there are clear-cut cases of bans by Tonight Show hosts as these ten celebrities committed some affront to prevent themselves from sitting on that famous couch.
Joan Rivers Princes Trust Comedy Gala - We Are Most Amused | Christie Goodwin/GettyImages
For years, Joan Rivers and Carson were good friends,...
Some supposed “bans” aren’t really true, like Sylvester Stallone. It’s also tricky to see if some stars were banned or just fell out of popularity. However, there are clear-cut cases of bans by Tonight Show hosts as these ten celebrities committed some affront to prevent themselves from sitting on that famous couch.
Joan Rivers Princes Trust Comedy Gala - We Are Most Amused | Christie Goodwin/GettyImages
For years, Joan Rivers and Carson were good friends,...
- 9/14/2024
- by Michael Weyer
- Last Night On
Saturday Night, Jason Reitman’s movie about the frantic behind-the-scenes rush to mount the first ever episode of Saturday Night Live, just screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. It received a “rapturous response” from audiences, further stoking rumors that it could be a potential Oscar contender, and presumably inspiring hundreds of aspiring screenwriters to begin work on scripts about the early days of MadTV.
Saturday Night is very much a “print the legend” type of movie, crammed full of infamous SNL anecdotes, often at the expense of the facts. Although, as Reitman admitted during the film’s introduction, there wasn’t always an objective truth to draw from. After interviewing “every living person we could find who was in the building on October 11, 1975, from Lorne (Michaels) to NBC pages,” Reitman and his writing partner Gil Kenan discovered that all of the stories “contradicted each other.”
This version of the...
Saturday Night is very much a “print the legend” type of movie, crammed full of infamous SNL anecdotes, often at the expense of the facts. Although, as Reitman admitted during the film’s introduction, there wasn’t always an objective truth to draw from. After interviewing “every living person we could find who was in the building on October 11, 1975, from Lorne (Michaels) to NBC pages,” Reitman and his writing partner Gil Kenan discovered that all of the stories “contradicted each other.”
This version of the...
- 9/12/2024
- Cracked
“Can satire save the Republic?”
— May 2017 cover story of The Atlantic featuring Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump
“Mad TV would have done a Barron Trump School Shooter skit the week after Columbine. Donald would show up in a diaper having sex with Ivanka.”
— Redacted podcaster
Saturday Night Live means many things to many people. In its recent There’s a Cheeto in the Damn White House era, the show’s adopted a level of self-importance and, frankly, smug ruling-class unfunniness that’s made it somewhat of a punching bag for the dispossessed young left. But go back: the rot has been pretty present for a while, as evidenced by Aaron Sorkin’s short-lived series maudit Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, a Bush-era fantasy where every week a group of overpaid TV writers and comedians seemingly were able to get evangelical America to put a gun in their mouth through the...
— May 2017 cover story of The Atlantic featuring Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump
“Mad TV would have done a Barron Trump School Shooter skit the week after Columbine. Donald would show up in a diaper having sex with Ivanka.”
— Redacted podcaster
Saturday Night Live means many things to many people. In its recent There’s a Cheeto in the Damn White House era, the show’s adopted a level of self-importance and, frankly, smug ruling-class unfunniness that’s made it somewhat of a punching bag for the dispossessed young left. But go back: the rot has been pretty present for a while, as evidenced by Aaron Sorkin’s short-lived series maudit Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, a Bush-era fantasy where every week a group of overpaid TV writers and comedians seemingly were able to get evangelical America to put a gun in their mouth through the...
- 9/11/2024
- by Ethan Vestby
- The Film Stage
Talk shows are a fickle business. There have been hundreds of talk shows throughout the history of television, and only a select few connect on such a profound level that they stick around. It's almost unheard of to go more than a few years on the air, let alone pull a Johnny Carson or David Letterman and stick around for decades.
The longevity guys will be saved for another list, though. This list is for the celebrities who didn't get a chance to get settled in their talk show gigs, or even leave on their own terms. We're talking about the controversial ones, the ones who were undone by personal scandals and off-screen antics. Let's begin, shall we?
Alec Baldwin (Up Late with Alec Baldwin) Celebrities Visit "Late Show With David Letterman" - April 11, 2011 | Jeffrey Ufberg/GettyImages
Alec Baldwin has become so mired in controversy in recent years that it's...
The longevity guys will be saved for another list, though. This list is for the celebrities who didn't get a chance to get settled in their talk show gigs, or even leave on their own terms. We're talking about the controversial ones, the ones who were undone by personal scandals and off-screen antics. Let's begin, shall we?
Alec Baldwin (Up Late with Alec Baldwin) Celebrities Visit "Late Show With David Letterman" - April 11, 2011 | Jeffrey Ufberg/GettyImages
Alec Baldwin has become so mired in controversy in recent years that it's...
- 9/11/2024
- by Danilo Castro
- Last Night On
This can be written with great confidence: You know a Paul Anka song. Right now, you’re either thinking, “Well, yes, of course I do,” or you’re thinking, “I do not.” If you are in the latter group, you are wrong. There are, of course, his big hits like “Put Your Head on My Shoulder.” But then there are the songs he’s written for others, most notably “My Way,” which he wrote for Frank Sinatra and has been covered by Elvis, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Sid Vicious, and countless others. It’s in the conversation for one of the most famous songs ever written.
That’s kind of the remarkable think about Paul Anka — who is at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, returning to his Canadian roots for the premiere of John Maggio’s documentary “Paul Anka: His Way” — that he’s written so many famous songs for others.
That’s kind of the remarkable think about Paul Anka — who is at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, returning to his Canadian roots for the premiere of John Maggio’s documentary “Paul Anka: His Way” — that he’s written so many famous songs for others.
- 9/9/2024
- by Mike Ryan
- Indiewire
It’s been announced that The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon will now only air four new episodes each week. The change reflects the trend of cutbacks for late-night fare in recent years. That said, Fallon is expected to remain on the show for the next few years.
Four Episodes Per Week Is A Late-Night Norm Across Networks
New episodes of the series will air from Monday through Thursday. Fridays will now be reserved for reruns of the show. Other similar shows have also embraced a four-day work week. These include The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Night With Seth Meyers, and The Daily Show.
Jimmy Fallon | YouTube
Despite being the norm, late-night fare has seen a drop in viewership in the past few years, which have likely inspired the cutbacks. Notably, Late Night with Seth Meyers announced it would cut its house band, The 8G Band,...
Four Episodes Per Week Is A Late-Night Norm Across Networks
New episodes of the series will air from Monday through Thursday. Fridays will now be reserved for reruns of the show. Other similar shows have also embraced a four-day work week. These include The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Night With Seth Meyers, and The Daily Show.
Jimmy Fallon | YouTube
Despite being the norm, late-night fare has seen a drop in viewership in the past few years, which have likely inspired the cutbacks. Notably, Late Night with Seth Meyers announced it would cut its house band, The 8G Band,...
- 9/7/2024
- by John Witiw
- TV Shows Ace
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