Enjoy this blog because what you read is of legendary status.

Saturday, February 28, 2015

#TheDress

It's white and gold.

Damon Wayans Jr. Is Leaving New Girl

Coach is departing New Girl. Again. The character, played by the impeccable Damon Wayans Jr., appeared in the pilot episode of the amazing FOX comedy, but then had to leave the show when Happy Endings was unexpectedly renewed over on ABC. After that was unjustly canceled, though, he returned about one-fourth of the way through New Girl's third season. And now, at the end of the fourth, he will bid his loftmates farewell once more during the season finale. Liz Meriwether, the showrunner, and Wayans are apparently working hard together to give an ending to Coach that will "leave the door open for many returns." Take it from The Mindy Project. Adam Pally's Peter Prentice left the show, but in the two episodes since that said day he has made...two cameos. It's all good at FOX! And don't worry about Damon...something tells me he's got another project in the works soon. I'll talk more about that later. Wink wink.

R.I.P. SkyMall

Perhaps is slogan ("Free Copy - Take It. We'll Replace It!") didn't work out too well. We all know SkyMall, the shopping catalog in the sky, because almost everyone has flown on a plane and knows the paper staple of flying well. Unfortunately (I guess), the brand has filed for protection bankruptcy, but its future doesn't look good with all the smartphone technology. All those uncommon products will eventually have to find new homes. R.I.P. SkyMall, you're five thousand candles in the wind.

Friday, February 27, 2015

100 Favorite Movies: 16

I'm gonna tackle this issue first. By definition, it is not a bottle film, but it is set in one place so singularly that it seems like it. And that's just one of the many things I loved about it. The humor was so smart and creative and forward-thinking, but it was also completely in tone with what Seth and Franco and Evan Goldberg have always done. It was such an innovative comedic enterprise that I just really loved seeing in theaters. The fact that they're all playing fictionalized and exaggerated versions of themselves raises the enjoyment factor of this movie to another level. I will always maintain that this was the best comedy of 2013. And maybe the best comedy for any of these actors. Ever.

Disaster comedy directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg in 2013.

Starring: James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Mindy Kaling, David Krumholtz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Rihanna, Martin Starr, Paul Rudd, Channing Tatum, Aziz Ansari, Kevin Hart, and Jason Segel.

Tune in Monday for number fifteen!

To Kill a Mockingbird Sequel

This is huge literary news. Harper Lee famously wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the all-time great American novels and she also almost-as-famously only wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. She never published another book...until now. Go Set a Watchman, a sequel of sorts to To Kill a Mockingbird, is slated to be published on the fourteenth of July this year. It's been over sixty years since her most famous and truly breathtakingly beautiful novel was published, but after the rediscovery of the manuscript for Go Set a Watchman (which was written in the 1950s before To Kill a Mockingbird), Lee will be an author twice over - as if there was any question to her reverence. The new book will be set in Maycomb, Alabama once again as it will center around Scout Finch revisiting her father, Atticus, from New York as an adult. Her publishers and confidants have said remarkable things about the new foray and Lee herself said, "I thought it a pretty decent effort. I am humbled and amazed that this will now be published after all these years." Can't. Wait.

The Women of SNL

The Saturday Night Live hype train has been cruising along the railroad for some time now what with the fortieth anniversary and its well-deserved hubbub. One of the more notable aspects of the party was the fact that Glamour Magazine gathered all the most notable women throughout the storied history of Saturday Night Live together for a photoshoot. And some men dropped by the studio to help out, too. Pictured from left to right are Laraine Newman, Kristen Wiig, Amy Poehler, Ana Gasteyer, Tina Fey, Sasheer Zamata, Jane Curtin, Cecily Strong, Colin Jost, Kate McKinnon, Rachel Dratch, Michael Che, Aidy Bryant, Casey Wilson, Cheri Oteri, Molly Shannon, Maya Rudolph, Vanessa Bayer, Leslie Jones, and Taran Killam. What a seriously amazing assembly! Thank goodness all of them were or are on SNL. This is for you, Gilda!

Thursday, February 26, 2015

100 Favorite Movies: 17

One of the all-time great heist films. I'm sure there was doubt in 2001 over whether George Clooney and the gang could do right by the classic Rat Pack, Sinatra-led heist romp of the 1960s, but all of that fear was assuaged when this movie knocked it out of the park and spawned two sequels that also did moderately well. But this one trumped them all. Frank Ocean and his rag-tag group of specially-skilled con-men rob a casino in Las Vegas and it's just such an intricately smart and entertaining adventure that I want (and have) to watch again and again. And what an all-star cast! The Malloy brothers are classic.

Comedy heist directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Ted Griffin in 2001.

Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Scott Caan, Casey Affleck, Carl Reiner, Elliot Gould, Eddie Jemison, Shaobo Qin, Andy Garcia, and Julia Roberts.

Tune in tomorrow for number sixteen!

This Week's Entertainment by David


How Saturday Night Live Is Built

A recent article and slideshow from Vulture has taken us inside one of the less-celebrated functions of Saturday Night Live - how the sets are built. The article, visible here, takes you inside the Kevin Hart/Sia episode from earlier this year, primarily the sketch, The Journey, and how the set for that was built. The photo above was my favorite shown, though! CELEBRITY JEOPARDY! Hashtag: Potent Potables.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

100 Favorite Movies: 18

Despite my initial thoughts about what I would provide for a write-up for this movie, the last film in a series is not often seen as the worst. The Hangover trilogy went out on a high note, Toy Story broke every limitation, and now we've got this golden chestnut. The last installment of the Harry Potter film franchise was, without a doubt, the best. Everything was building up to this and even though there were some gems along the way (Prisoner of Azkaban, Order of the Phoenix, Deathly Hallows - Part 1), this one just got everything right. And want yet another bit of praise that has popped up from time to time during this list? It almost perfectly translated the book to the movie. There were some things I'd change, but you really couldn't ask for a better movie from what those who made it were given. Ten years after Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, it was still all so magical.

Epic fantasy directed by David Yates and written by Steve Kloves in 2011.

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, John Hurt, Jason Isaacs, Kelly Macdonald, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, and Maggie Smith.

Tune in tomorrow for number seventeen!

You Support The Grand Budapest Hotel

For a poll that dominated the most of February, I asked you which movie nominated for Best Picture you felt deserved the award. And with an overwhelming majority, you selected The Grand Budapest Hotel! 'Budapest' received five votes which was good for eighty-three percent of the voice. Boyhood was the only other candidate receiving a check on the ballot with one vote, good for seventeen percent of the overall vote. Ultimately, Birdman proved victorious and I think it earned that. But nevermore! Which poll would you like to see next?

Portlandia Renewed!

Portlandia has just become one of the longest-running scripted cable comedies on television. IFC has renewed the amazing sketches comedy series from Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein, and Jonathan Krisel for, not just a sixth season, but also a seventh! That's right, Portlandia was renewed for two more years of ten episodes each! Good television really does get rewarded...sometimes.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

100 Favorite Movies: 19

While the development of Ghostbusters was far from normal, that doesn't take away from the quality of it. In fact, the phenomenon that resulted from the amazingly impeccable movie was just as far from normal as the production. The cast was originally supposed to be Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, and Eddie Murphy. Those were supposed to be the Ghostbusters. Well, the cast that ended up coming out of the development was one that I truly love. I love the cast they chose so much and I wouldn't have changed a thing. Egon Spengler is one of the all-time great movie characters. Granted, so are Peter Venkman and Ray Stantz, and, hell, even the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, but Spengler is so great. I LOVE this movie.

Fantasy comedy directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis in 1984.

Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts.

Tune in tomorrow for number eighteen!

The Parks and Rec Cast Visits Late Night Tonight

Today is a very sad day. Despite the fact that we will all be treating ourselves to another gloriously hilarious installment of Parks and Recreation, it will be the last. But never fear! It won't be the last time we see the unprecedented cast together. After tonight's series finale, Late Night with Seth Meyers will have the entire cast on the show to talk about the show. Amy Poehler, Adam Scott, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt, Aubrey Plaza, Retta, Jim O'Heir, and show creator Mike Schur will all be stopping by to hang out with Seth for the full hour. Another cool thing to note, today is the one-year anniversary of the debut of Late Night with Seth Meyers and who was his first guest way back on February 24, 2014? Why, Amy Poehler, of course!

The New SNL App!

Just in time for the fortieth anniversary of Saturday Night Live (and three days before the SNL40 Special), the show, NBC, and Apple collaborated to release a brand new SNL app! It's so amazing, too. I downloaded it instantly and it really has so many sketches. You can search by episode, season, cast member, so much of anything. And plus, it has over 3,000 hours of sketches and it creates recommendations for you! It knows me so well because it suggested "Mark Wahlberg Talks to Animals." Also, every emoji it comes with is amazing. I've used The Ambiguously Gay Duo emoji so much lately. Worth it! And it came out for Android today I believe!

Monday, February 23, 2015

100 Favorite Movies: 20

One of the more recent movies on this list, but that does not take away from how much it deserves to be here. It's probably my favorite live-action Disney movie. I think. Well, I mean, Disney acquired Marvel and there's some of that coming later in the list, but I'd say this is the best conventional live-action Disney movie on the list. But enough about that! It's sooooo good! The soundtrack is obviously amazing and it would have been amazing enough as it was, but then it blended the splendiferous soundtrack from Mary Poppins, too. But even if everything about the film was awful (unlikely because...actors and goodness, but still), it would still rank this high because of the scene where Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) and Richard Sherman (Jason Schwartzman) sit at a piano when all hope seems lost and just share a really poignant moment...while Robert Sherman (B.J. Novak) sleeps on a nearby couch. Heart emoji.

Period drama directed by John Lee Hancock and written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith in 2013.

Starring: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti, Bradley Whitford, Jason Schwartzman, B.J. Novak, Melanie Paxson, Colin Farrell, Ruth Wilson, and Annie Rose Buckley.

Tune in tomorrow for number nineteen!

This Week's Sports by David


J.K. Rowling's Plot Outline

While writing the fifth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling adhered to a strictly general outline of the ideas she wanted to convey in novel form. The photo of her plans for chapters thirteen through twenty-four can be seen in a higher clarity here. It's really neat to see the thoughts before the acclaimed fame and iconic status that came through this installment of the series which was the longest, but also one of the best.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

My Predictions for the 87th Academy Awards

This year is special for me and the Oscars because I have actually seen half of the Best Picture nominees. I can partake in the festivities with a genuine knowledge of how the movies worked and what will actually be deserving of proving victorious. The four movies I've seen in the Best Picture category are Birdman, Boyhood, The Imitation Game, and The Grand Budapest Hotel, my personal favorite. Listed below is each of the major categories with which nominee should win and which will win. Without further ado, THEEEEESE ARE THE OSCARS!

Best Picture
Nominees: The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Birdman, The Theory of Everything, Boyhood, Whiplash, American Sniper, Selma.
Will Win: Birdman
Should Win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Directing
Nominees: Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Birdman), Richard Linklater (Boyhood), Bennett Miller (Foxcatcher), Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game)
Will Win: Richard Linklater
Should Win: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Best Actor
Nominees: Steve Carell (Foxcatcher), Bradley Cooper (American Sniper), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), Michael Keaton (Birdman), Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)
Will Win: Eddie Redmayne
Should Win: Michael Keaton

Best Actress
Nominees: Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night), Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything), Julianne Moore (Still Alice), Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), Reese Witherspoon (Wild)
Will Win: Julianne Moore
Should Win: Julianne Moore

Best Supporting Actor
Nominees: Robert Duvall (The Judge), Ethan Hawke (Boyhood), Edward Norton (Birdman), Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher), J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)
Will Win: J.K. Simmons
Should Win: Ethan Hawke

Best Supporting Actress
Nominees: Patricia Arquette (Boyhood), Laura Dern (Wild), Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game), Emma Stone (Birdman), Meryl Streep (Into the Woods)
Will Win: Patricia Arquette
Should Win: Emma Stone (This one was the toughest between Stone and Knightley.)

Best Original Screenplay
Nominees: Birdman, Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Foxcatcher, Nightcrawler
Will Win: Birdman
Should Win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Adapted Screenplay
Nominees: American Sniper, The Imitation Game, Inherent Vice, The Theory of Everything, Whiplash
Will Win: Whiplash
Should Win: The Imitation Game

Best Animated Feature Film
Nominees: Big Hero 6, The Boxtrolls, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Song of the Sea, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
Will Win: How to Train Your Dragon 2
Should Win: The LEGO Movie

Best Original Score
Nominees: The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Interstellar, Mr. Turner, The Theory of Everything
Will Win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Should Win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Original Song
Nominees: Everything Is Awesome (The LEGO Movie), Glory (Selma), Grateful (Beyond the Lights), I'm Not Gonna Miss You (Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me), Lost Stars (Begin Again)
Will Win: Glory
Should Win: Everything Is Awesome

Best Sound Editing
Nominees: American Sniper, Birdman, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Interstellar, Unbroken
Will Win: Interstellar
Should Win: Unbroken

Best Sound Mixing
Nominees: American Sniper, Birdman, Interstellar, Unbroken, Whiplash
Will Win: Birdman
Should Win: Birdman

Best Production Design
Nominees: The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Interstellar, Into the Woods, Mr. Turner
Will Win: Into the Woods
Should Win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Cinematography
Nominees: Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Ida, Mr. Turner, Unbroken
Will Win: Unbroken
Should Win: Birdman

Best Makeup and Hair Styling
Nominees: Foxcatcher, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Guardians of the Galaxy
Will Win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Should Win: Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Costume Design
Nominees: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Inherent Vice, Into the Woods, Maleficent, Mr. Turner
Will Win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Should Win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Film Editing
Nominees: American Sniper, Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Whiplash
Will Win: Boyhood
Should Win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Visual Effects
Nominees: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Guardians of the Galaxy, Interstellar, X-Men: Days of Future Past
Will Win: Guardians of the Galaxy
Should Win: Guardians of the Galaxy

Should be a good show! Knock 'em dead, NPH!

A Cast for In Dubious Battle

James Franco is a big fan of John Steinbeck's novels. After just coming off a stint on Broadway performing Of Mice and Men as George with Chris O'Donnell as Lennie, Franco announced the cast of an adaptation of one of Steinbeck's lesser-known works, In Dubious Battle, that he is also directing. The cast features Franco himself, Selena Gomez, Vincent D'Onofrio, Robert Duvall, Ed Harris, Bryan Cranston, and Danny McBride and they've already started filming. All the best, Franco, I know you know what you're doing!

I Am the Locker Room Guy



Before Super Bowl XLIX, Jimmy Kimmel Live! played host to some of the most famed Boston-born celebrities who took to the show to defend Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the New England Patriots in the whole DeflateGate controversy. This is a great video to see Bill Simmons, Matt Damon, John Krasinski, Chris Evans, and more take responsibility for the issue. I am the locker room guy.

Saturday, February 21, 2015

The SNL Quest Marches Onward

It's another one of those Saturday Night Live off-weeks and you know what that means! It's time to vote for the best sketch from each of the episodes we've had the pleasure of seeing since the last installment of this quest. Please pick your favorite sketch from each of the following episodes!

January 17: Kevin Hart/Sia





January 24: Blake Shelton





January 31: J.K. Simmons/D'Angelo



Wet Hot American Summer Cast Expands

The cast for the new Netflix series that is a continuation of the classic comedy Wet Hot American Summer has grown. And the new additions to the lovable gang are seriously amazing! If it wasn't already going to be fun enough, we've now learned that A.D. Miles and H. Jon Benjamin will also be returning to reprise their roles, but new characters will boast the acting talents of Kristen Wiig, Josh Charles, John Slattery, Randall Park, Jayma Mays, Michaela Watkins, Chris Prine, Jon Hamm, and Jason Schwartzman!!! If you weren't already on board before, how could you not be now?

The East/West Bowl Returns



The best recurring sketch from Key and Peele has made its third return, but this time the players participating in the East/West Bowl have taken to the NFL rather than the NCAA. But this time, real NFL players are involved including the man who started it all, D'Brickashaw Ferguson. Thank god Myrid Profiteroles is in our lives now, though.

Friday, February 20, 2015

Wet Hot American Summer Trailer



Welcome to the trailer Netflix has created that officially, officially, officially confirms that the streaming service is going to present with you an eight episode miniseries follow-up to the amazing 2001 comedy film, Wet Hot American Summer. The trailer, however, is just basically a parade of names that essentially confirms that the film's original cast will be returning for the miniseries. It's still an amazing trailer, though. I cannot wait to view this with my face eyes.

Returning will be Elizabeth Banks, Michael Ian Black, Bradley Cooper, Judah Friedlander, Janeane Garofalo, Joe Lo Truglio, Ken Marino, Christopher Meloni, Marguerite Moreau, Zak Orth, Amy Poehler, David Hyde Pierce, Paul Rudd, Molly Shannon, and Michael Showalter. More new characters will have actors announced soon! It's gonna be glorious.

Production Begins on Steve Jobs

Allow me to preface this with the fact that this movie was in development long before the Ashton Kutcher-led biopic was. The (what I think will be) better biopic began production towards the end of January with director Danny Boyle at the helm with a surefire solid script from Aaron Sorkin that relies heavily on the Jobs biography from Walter Isaacson and that focuses on Jobs at three pivotal moments in his life. Michael Fassbender plays the innovator whom I adore, Kate Winslet portrays Joanna Hoffman, the former marketing chief of Apple, Seth Rogen tackles the role of Steve Wozniak, and Jeff Daniels will play the role of ex-Apple CEO, John Sculley. I have very high hopes for this edition.

Fiona Gubelmann to Appear on New Girl

In an upcoming episode of New Girl that will air in March, Fiona Gubelmann, of Wilfred fame, will play a character named Val who Coach, CeCe, and Jess meet at a funeral for one of Coach's friends. Maybe this will open the door to see Jason Gann don the gray dog suit and play another one of Coach's friends? We'll see, I suppose.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

The Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special

Live from New York, it's Saturday night! Well, actually it was Sunday night when the greatest night of my life commenced with an absolutely flawless special. But who cares what day it was? All that matters is that everyone was there. Seriously. And we could see them all walk into the GE Building during the live, one-hour red carpet special for the anniversary hosted by Matt Lauer, Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie, and Carson Daly. And that was nice and all, but then my heart fluttered like I had heard the pounding of native drums somewhere in the distance as a camera panned into SNL's Studio 8H and soared over the audience to examine Jimmy Fallon, center-stage, with his back to the audience, an audience made up of only those close to the show. Excitingly dramatic music began to play before his song was interrupted by Justin Timberlake. The two then proceeded to spend five minutes rapping every catchphrase from the history of the show, complete with Jimmy replicating John Belushi's exuberant dancing as the beginning chords of "Soul Man" echoed throughout the studio and appearances from Rachel Dratch as Debbie Downer and Molly Shannon as Mary Katherine Gallagher. (Highlight: Timberlake dropping his gift box, Jimmy bending over to pick it up, and the two singing the theme song to Robert Smigel's recurring cartoon, "The Ambiguously Gay Duo.")



Then, once Darrell Hammond rattled off the name of every celebrity who was participating in the evening's festivities, who else but Steve Martin stepped out the new "SNL40" door to deliver the special's monologue. Perhaps no host is more associated with SNL than Martin so it was nice to see him deliver a few jokes before being inevitably bombarded by celebrities like Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, and Paul McCartney, who performed a short yet rousing duet with Paul Simon.

What followed was a gloriously comprehensive montage of all the classic moments in the history of the show and as it faded, we were all pleasantly greeted by original cast member Dan Aykroyd's smiling face as he reprised his classic Bass-O-Matic sketch from the seventies with Laraine Newman. And if that wasn't enough to convince you that the night was magical, the theme music from Jeopardy once the show returned from commercials had to do the trick. The return of Celebrity Jeopardy. How pleasant it was to have a rotating parade of celebrity impressions from forty years of SNL, but doubly so that Will Ferrell's Alex Trebek had to once again deal with the abrasive and aloof antics of Hammond's Sean Connery and Norm Macdonald's Burt Reynolds Turd Ferguson, respectively. (Just guess how Connery twisted the names of the categories, "Who Reads" and "Let It Snow.")



And wasn't it an interesting surprise to see the two newest cast members of Saturday Night Live, Pete Davidson and Leslie Jones, on stage right after the live sketch. They introduced another montage (as would Robert De Niro would do to honor New York City after them, Jack Nicholson did for political sketches, Tina Fey for Weekend Update, Peyton Manning and Derek Jeter for sports, and Louis CK for digital shorts) of cast auditions. Some of the auditions were never before seen, but none of them had the same effect on me that Gilda Radner's did. It was almost torture to end such a nostalgic segment with Gildna, too.

SNL is known for its unique blend of comedy and music in its unchanging (yet always different) format and it made for a perfect choice for the special's first musical performance. Paul McCartney singing "Maybe I'm Amazed." It wasn't as flawless as McCartney's songs usually are, but it was still something all who witnessed it were (yes) amazed by, naturally. He's a Beatle! And while he was a delight for viewers the world over, the same cannot be said for The Californians sketch. I've always loved The Californians, but it didn't seem to go over too well with fans as they claimed it went on too long. I thought it was a perfect way to get a lot of those in attendance involved in the show and it resulted in Betty White making out with Bradley Cooper. (Plus, I could listen to Fred Armisen slur, "What are you doing here?" in a Californian accent forever.) The sketch also went full meta at the end as David Spade and Cecily Strong took on the classic roles of flight attendants to wish the actors "Buh bye" from the set.



It was about this time in the show when Weekend Update would typically take place. Sure enough, we were treated to a desk manned by Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, and Jane Curtin, three veterans of Update. A few topical SNL jokes were delivered and it was just so amazing to see Curtin deliver jokes in that format for the first time since 1979. The occasion was made doubly engaging when Emma Stone slid out to the desk dressed as Gilda's classic character, Roseanne Roseannadanna. Melissa McCarthy then did her best impression of Matt Foley, motivational speaker, and Bill Hader and Edward Norton tried out competing Stefons to which Seth Meyers, Stefon's husband, said, "We have children now!" And how else could Update end than with Tina being captured by the Land Shark? Afterward, we saw multiple generations of Update anchors (Meyers, Macdonald, Kevin Nealon, and Colin Quinn) introduce the man who started it all, Chevy Chase who unchained Garrett Morris for a classic Update shouting bit.

The audience's attention was taken back to center-stage as Martin Short and a Beyonce that looked an awful lot like Maya Rudolph sang two short tribute songs to SNL, a performance that opened the door for a deluge of classic musical sketches from the show's history that was truly the best example of a coveted blend of generational comedy. Armisen and Kristen Wiig returned as Garth and Kat, Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer sang as Marty and Bobbi Culp, and Joe Piscopo hit the show with his Frank Sinatra impression, one made even more impressive by the fact that Piscopo has finally aged into it. Dana Carvey continued the bit by choppin' broccoli, Adam Sandler made a surprise appearance as Opera Man, and Kenan Thompson and Jason Sudeikis asked, "What's up with that?" We were then transported back to the 1970s as Steve Martin somehow sang "King Tut" again, Bill Murray performed the Jaws love song as Nick the Lounge Singer, and Aykroyd reprised "those brothers in blue" with Jim Belushi (the best alternative to John).



But when Chris Rock brought everyone back from commercial break, the truly historic moment was underway. Eddie Murphy was about to return to SNL for the first time in over thirty years. Rock's introduction was phenomenal and while Eddie's speech was condensed and frustrating, I believe it was just far too emotional of a night for him to bring back Gumby or Buckwheat or anything like that. The moment was too big, but you could see in his eyes that he loved every second. And is the image of Eddie back in Studio 8H not enough? It was for me.

After Eddie, an impeccable comedy question-and-answer period hosted by Jerry Seinfeld incorporated humorous remarks from John Goodman (a five-timer), Tim Meadows (a solid utility player), and Sarah Palin (the most famously lampooned politician). Best of all though was former SNL writer, Larry David's abruptly dry exchange with Seinfeld. As good as it was to see everyone who ever had anything to do with SNL together, it was still good to see Larry and Jerry, though they are obviously most associated with Seinfeld. Another duo that was nice to see reunited was Pete Twinkle (Sudeikis) and Greg Stink (Will Forte) who delivered the raunchiest joke of the night as fake sports analysts for ESPN Classic.

A warm tribute featuring Fey, Baldwin, and Fallon to Tracy Morgan who, due to his car accident in June of 2014, couldn't attend the reunion was bookended by Miley Cyrus singing "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover" and Kanye West singing a medley of some of his old and new tunes. A prerecorded musical segment followed Kanye's ordeal and of course it was "An SNL (40) Digital Short." Andy Samberg returned with his Lonely Island brothers, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, to sing a song dedicated to cast members breaking character during sketches with Sandler and Bill Hader. It was surprisingly heartwarming to see "Fallon and Sanz" breaking again and again amidst classic clips of Phil Hartman, Spade, and Ferrell.



As the show started to wind down towards the end, we were blessed with a classic "ten-to-one" sketch that started that way and was set to help end the sketch part of the night that way, too. A little bit of cable access from Aurora was brought to us as we partied on with Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Carvey), a welcome return to arguably the most popular sketch to ever come out of SNL. The latest episode of Wayne's World counted down the top ten things about SNL with a standing ovation coming at number one: the crew. Schwing!



Of course, there is only one show that could warrant an "In Memoriam" segment of its own and, naturally, that show is the one I've spent the past paragraphs speaking to you about: SNL. Cast and crew that had passed on from 1975 to the present-day were honored as the slideshow began with the haunting image of an old John Belushi video where he played an old version of himself walking through a cemetery. He titled it, "The Not Ready for Primetime Cemetery," and laughed at the thought that he'd be the first one to die. An indescribable video. The blistering emotions felt at seeing Hartman and Farley and Belushi and Radner again were softened by an image of Jon Lovitz at the end, hearkening back to a joke from Martin's monologue. It let laughs into the studio again and allowed for Paul Simon to come out on stage and absolutely crush his performance of the very fitting song, "Still Crazy After All These Years."

Finally, everyone who performed in the show and any cast member remaining at the event joined one another on the stage for the greatest goodnight the show has ever given. And it was Steve Martin who pulled Lorne Michaels, the man behind the whole thing, up on stage allowing Lorne to say hello to a few people who thanked him and eventually look out at the audience, hold back tears, and remain singularly prominent among a frenzy of history behind him. Generations transcended as Dana Carvey wrapped an arm around Chris Rock. Billy Crystal approached Mike Myers, who was filming it all with an iPhone. Molly Shannon hugged Jim Carrey, Edward Norton engaged Jerry Seinfeld, Justin Timberlake kissed Maya Rudolph, Jimmy Fallon said hello to (no relation) ex-cast member, Siobahn Fallon. Chevy Chase stood right beside Eddie Murphy. And Lorne looked out from the same stage where John Belushi said he wanted to feed Michael O'Donoghue's fingertips to the wolverines all those years ago. All those crazy, forty years.

SNL Month Is Coming

I've thought for a long time since the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special about how to celebrate the show properly. I thought I would maybe spend a week ranking the top sketches, cast members, hosts, characters, and more, but then I had a different thought. Why not bring back a classic element of the blog? The month long challenges! That's right, we haven't done one in a while, but it's coming back now. For March (and for the fortieth anniversary), we are going to celebrate SNL with the 31 Day SNL Challenge! Get ready.

This Week's Entertainment by David


Wednesday, February 18, 2015

The Ghostbusters Reboot Cast

I love the original Ghostbusters movie so much that I just do not have high hopes for the new reboot. It has nothing to do with the fact that it's all-female or that it's a Paul Feig vehicle. I just don't think it'll do right by the film. I think the same thing about the fact that Dan Aykroyd is holding out hope for a standard Ghostbusters 3. What'll it be without Harold Ramis? Anyway, Feig announced the new cast on Twitter and it's...okay. Kristen Wiig is obviously the highlight for me, but Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon, two solid and current SNL cast members are pretty good choices. I guess. Melissa McCarthy, I'm not thrilled about. I still maintain that Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Kristen Wiig, and Mindy Kaling is the dream team. Cecily Strong was also recently announced to be a part of the reboot and that's very interesting to me. I think she'd kill it, but I'm so skeptical about the whole thing regardless. We'll see.

Bob's Burgers Cookbook

One of the things Bob's Burgers is known for is those clever names Bob comes up with for the burgers that he later writes on the chalkboard. Typically, they're puns, always, they're awesome. The Bob's Burgers Experiment Blog has spent two years trying to create actual, workable recipes for the burgers Bob unleashes on his patrons and now, they're ready to release the recipes in a cookbook. Loren Bouchard, creator of the show, said he loves the blog that is run by Cole Bowden, who told NPR that the book will be released later this year. Fun and fun!

Perfect Casting

Yesterday, I discussed the potential of Chris Pratt portraying Indiana Jones and later today I'm going to discuss the cast of the new Ghostbusters reboot. But right now, this casting is just absolutely flawless. Emma Watson of Harry Potter and This Is the End fame will be playing Belle in the upcoming Disney movie that takes Beauty and the Beast and makes it live action. Could there have been a better choice? I don't think so.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: One Year Anniversary

It's hard to believe, but today is the one year anniversary of the debut of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon! One year ago today, Jimmy brought Will Smith, U2, and a whole slew of celebrities and friends on the show to celebrate the event. For the milestone, Taylor Swift, John Oliver, and Imagine Dragons dropped by and to commemorate the year, Ben and Jerry's released a new flavor of ice cream for Jimmy known as The Tonight Dough! He's living the dream!

Could Chris Pratt Be Indiana Jones?

Chris Pratt is definitely one of the biggest acting celebrities in the world right now. The star of Parks and Recreation, The LEGO Movie, and Guardians of the Galaxy is apparently Disney's first choice to play Indiana Jones. But wait! What about Harrison Ford? Well, Disney, which acquired Lucas Films a while back, is looking to reboot the franchise and Pratt is the one they're looking at to take on the role. I think Bradley Cooper is the way to go, personally, but we'll just have to wait and see!

Elijah Wood-en Wisdom

Elijah Wood is more than just a celebrity disc jockey. At least that's the thesis of this intriguing interview conducted by Entertainment Weekly with Elijah about his new DJ project. He partnered with Zach Cowie, who is also known as Turqoise Widsom, to go on a huge DJ tour titled Wooden Wisdom including a visit at the Brooklyn Bowl with genre blending and vinyl sounds. The interview is pretty neat and it's nice to have Elijah Wood's status as a Renaissance man affirmed.

Monday, February 16, 2015

This Week's Sports by David


Dustin Pedroia Is Ready

Dustin Pedroia's 2014 season was stilted and shortened by injuries he suffered to his hands. In the offseason, though, after undergoing three different surgeries to repair his injuries, Pedroia said he's healthy and ready to go. In an article from The Boston Globe, Pedroia said, "I'm ready to go. I'm ready to go. I'm good. If I started tomorrow, I'd be good." That sounds great to me! Pedroia is talking like he did at the beginning of the 2013 season. Happy days best be returning to the Boston Red Sox!

Tom Felton: Gryffindor




J.K. Rowling has a website known as Pottermore on which one can find out what house he or she would be in if he attended Hogwarts. It's a neat concept, though I'm not a member. Tom Felton, the man who portrayed Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies, however is on the website. He just joined, in fact. And interestingly, though Draco was a notorious Slytherin house member, Felton was sorted into Gryffindor! Humorous happening, but Rowling tweeted that she could have told him that years ago, but she didn't want to spoil his motivation. That's just fun!

Sunday, February 15, 2015

First Trailer for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt



The new comedy starring Ellie Kemper and Jane Krakowski and produced by Tina Fey, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, has finally unveiled the first look at the show with two minute-long trailer. NBC originally had the rights to the show before they passed on it and Netflix scooped it up. It looks quite high-concept, bizarre, and hopefully humorous! It's a good combination of comedians, too!

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Renewed!

Keeping with the FOX news, it's worth noting that last month, FOX renewed one of their best comedies, Brooklyn Nine-Nine for a third season! It'll be good to see the stellar cast headlined by the truly amazing Andy Samberg back for more police-related romps on Sundays. Additionally, FOX renewed Gotham and Empire for second seasons, the latter after only two episodes! Is FOX officially a major player again?

The Last Man on Earth...Grows?

The new show I'm most looking forward to this year is the post-apocalyptic comedy on FOX starring Will Forte called The Last Man on Earth. But apparently, the title may be misleading. What was originally supposed to be a one-man show has expanded the cast. January Jones, Kristen Schaal, and Mary Steenburgen have each joined the cast of the highly-innovative show. I suppose it didn't say The Last Human on Earth so the door is open for women to be in the cast. No word yet if they will appear in flashbacks, though. Still excited for more Forte! There's never enough Forte!

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Happy Valentine's Day!

Enjoy February's biggest holiday everyone! Whether you call it St. Valentine's Day or, simply, Valentine's Day, you might as well have fun! Just hope that Al Capone doesn't call a hit out on you!

The Best Sitcom Episodes of the Last 25 Years

The AV Club recently shared a relatively-original idea for a television list. They ranked the best sitcom episodes of the past twenty-five years. You can read the second half of the list here and there were just, oh, so many good choices for the list. Friends, Community, The Office, 30 Rock, Arrested Development, The Simpsons, and Seinfeld are all featured and each with fairly amazing episodes. Good list!

Kristen Bell and Fred Armisen

Awards season is so overloaded with awards ceremony that anything besides the Oscars and the Golden Globes is typically rendered meaningless. But when you get amazing hosts for a fairly-obscure show, then it suddenly gains meaning. The Film Independent Spirit Awards never get too much recognition (this year they'll be airing February 21 - a Saturday - at 2:00 P.M. on IFC), but the hosts this year are stellar ones. Kristen Bell and Fred Armisen are the very worthy successors to last year's Patton Oswalt affair. You can't go wrong with these two!

Friday, February 13, 2015

100 Favorite Movies: 21

One of the best movies ever based on a book. It's so well made! With quotes like, "Inconceivable!" and "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die," (both of which were included in the book), it easily ranks as one of the all-time most quotable films ever made. I think it's also worth noting that there was not a single misstep in the film's casting. Truly an impeccable cast that you wouldn't want to see anyone else in any one of the roles. I believe that truly. I mean it. Anybody want a peanut?

Fantasy comedy directed by Rob Reiner and written by William Goldman in 1987.

Starring: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon, Mandy Patinkin, Christopher Guest, Andre the Giant, Wallace Shawn, Fred Savage, Billy Crystal, and Carol Kane.

Tune in February 23rd for number twenty!

Spider-Man Is Coming Back to Marvel!

He's coming home. After Amy Pascal stepped down as CEO of Sony, a new deal for Marvel to re-acquire rights to Spider-Man was quickly put into place. And now? It's official! Spider-Man will be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He will appear in his own stand-alone movie that will be distributed by Sony and consulted on by Marvel and Kevin Feige for July 28, 2017. Additionally, Spider-Man will appear in a Marvel movie before that day (presumably Captain America: Civil War) and then he will show up in Avengers: Infinity War. This is glorious news! There's no word yet if the new Spider-Man will be Peter Parker or Miles Morales (I think Morales would be better). Obviously, Donald Glover is the way to go for Miles, but if they go with Peter, I suggest Logan Lerman. But who cares? Spider-Man is back with Marvel!

VH1 Classic's SNL Marathon

To celebrate the fortieth anniversary of Saturday Night Live, VH1 Classic boasted the longest marathon of any one show. The marathon that was 433 hours long and featured hundreds of SNL episodes began on January 28th with the most recent available for syndication and rewound through the seasons all the way back to when George Carlin hosted the first episode. The marathon ended at 8:00 on February 15th when NBC's primetime special aired. The marathon was so much fun to watch as you could see so many different constants and changes, too. It had fun blocks like the Justin Timberlake Block and the Steve Martin Block and the bumpers (Lazy Sunday, Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood, and more) were always entertaining to watch. Some movies like The Blues Brothers and MacGruber were interspersed in the marathon, as well. Thanks to VH1 Classic for doing it! I recorded many episodes, including:

George Carlin/Billy Preston and Janis Ian
Paul Simon/Randy Newman and Art Garfunkel
Richard Pryor/Gil Scott-Heron
Paul Simon/George Harrison
Steve Martin/Randy Newman
Chevy Chase/Billy Joel
Steve Martin/The Blues Brothers
Carrie Fisher/The Blues Brothers
Eric Idle/Bob Dylan
Donald Pleasence/Fear
Michael McKean/The Folksmen
Ringo Starr/Herbie Hancock
Eddie Murphy/Robert Plant
Martin Short/Randy Newman
Robin Williams/James Taylor
John Malkovich/Anita Baker
Leslie Nielsen/Cowboy Junkies
Bruce Willis/Neil Young
Rob Lowe/The Pogues
Alec Baldwin/The B-52's
Alec Baldwin/Whitney Houston
Macaulay Culkin/Tin Machine
Jerry Seinfeld/Annie Lennox
Tom Hanks/Bruce Springsteen
Christopher Walken/Arrested Development
Bill Murray/Sting
Charles Barkley/Nirvana
Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger/UB40
Courtney Cox/Dave Matthews Band
Phil Hartman/Gin Blossoms
Phil Hartman/Bush
Matthew Perry/Oasis
Chris Farley/The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Rudolph Giuliani/Sarah McLachlan
Ben Stiller/Alanis Morissette
Bill Murray/Lucinda Williams
Jerry Seinfeld/David Bowie
Ben Affleck/Fiona Apple
Tobey Maguire/Sisqo
Katie Holmes/Dave Matthews Band
Winona Ryder/Moby
Christopher Walken/Foo Fighters
Justin Timberlake
Tom Brady/Beck
Tom Hanks/Red Hot Chili Peppers
Justin Timberlake
Jon Bon Jovi/Foo Fighters
Brian Williams/Feist
Shia LaBeouf/My Morning Jacket
Jon Hamm/Coldplay
Steve Martin/Jason Mraz
Justin Timberlake/Ciara
Will Ferrell/Green Day
Jon Hamm/Michael Buble
Zach Galifianakis/Vampire Weekend
Jon Hamm/Rihanna
Paul Rudd/Paul McCartney
Ed Helms/Paul Simon
Justin Timberlake/Lady Gaga
Alec Baldwin/Radiohead
Jimmy Fallon/Michael Buble
Mick Jagger/Arcade Fire
Bruno Mars
Martin Short/Paul McCartney
Justin Timberlake
Kristen Wiig/Vampire Weekend
Ben Affleck/Kanye West
Paul Rudd/One Direction
Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake
Melissa McCarthy/Imagine Dragons

Suuuch a good marathon.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

100 Favorite Movies: 22

This is undoubtedly the most underrated Pixar movie. It is critically acclaimed and it grossed over six hundred million dollars at the box office and it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, but no matter! People rarely bring it up when discussing the best Pixar movie. It's always either The Incredibles, Up, Wall-E, or Toy Story 3. And don't get me wrong, all of those are great and I think Toy Story 3 might be my favorite Pixar movie, but how is Ratatouille not in that discussion? It's so smart and mature and cultured. It has one of the best endings to any movie ever and even boasts the now iconic quote, "Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere." Amazing movie.

Animated comedy directed by Brad Bird and written by Brad Bird in 2007.

Starring: Patton Oswalt, Lou Romano, Janeane Garofalo, Ian Holm, Brian Dennehy, Peter O'Toole, Brad Garrett, Peter Sohn, Will Arnett, and John Ratzenberger.

Tune in tomorrow for number twenty-one!

This Week's Entertainment by David


College Football Mean Tweets



The latest installment of Jimmy Kimmel's famed Mean Tweets segment took a turn. Instead of straight-up celebrities, the tweets focused on a more niche group of personalities. ESPN's college football reporters. It's always fun to see people like Lou Holtz and Kirk Herbstreit belittle themselves with self-depreciation. It's just too good and the tweets are starting to become more clever.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

100 Favorite Movies: 23

Here's another amazingly perfect Indie-esque movie. Paul Rudd's character of Ned in this immensely quality film is a perfect example of the ultimate optimism who just wants to enjoy life with the people (and dogs) he cares about. There is much to be treasured in this movie and many lessons to be learned from it. One of the all-time great cinematic quotes comes from this movie. "I live my life in a certain way. And that is, I like to think if you put your trust out there, I mean you give people the benefit of the doubt, see their best intentions, they'll want to live up to it." Rock on, Ned.

Comedy drama directed by Jesse Peretz and written by Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall.

Starring: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, Steve Coogan, Hugh Dancy, Rashida Jones, and T.J. Miller.

Tune in tomorrow for number twenty-two!

An Exhibition in Spring

On 5th Avenue this spring, Saturday Night Live will boast SNL: The Exhibition. It will be an exhibit of SNL history with wardrobes, artifacts, rare photographs, scripts, notes, letters, and more from the storied past of the iconic sketch comedy show. The website already has shown some previews like a letter from Gilda Radner to Lorne while she had cancer, an actual conehead, and Chris Farley's Matt Foley costume. It will be cool to see pictures of the event!

Who's Next for The Golden Globes?

Pretend that photo above is just Tina Fey and Amy Poehler presenting the new hosts (or host) of the Golden Globes. Sadly, this year's ceremony was the last one hosted by the greats, Fey and Poehler. But then Entertainment Weekly had to go and immediately post the hardest poll in the entire world. Who should host next year? Billy Eichner? B.J. Novak and Mindy Kaling? Joel McHale? Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon? John Oliver? Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader? Amy Schumer? You make your polls too challenging, EW.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

100 Favorite Movies: 24

My favorite film from the amazingly talented Duplass brothers is, without a doubt, Jeff, Who Lives at Home. I was skeptical upon seeing commercials for this back when it first came out, but one serendipitous night on Netflix, I decided to watch it. And boy was I delighted. It is an amazing movie about how, in the grand scheme of things, everything is connected. And these characters are all so wonderfully broken, but they still manage to examine the problems they have going through life as similar, relatable, and (most of all), manageable.

Comedy drama directed by Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass and written by Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass in 2011.

Starring: Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Susan Sarandon, and Judy Greer.

Tune in tomorrow for number twenty-three!

Trainwreck Trailer

A new comedy from Judd Apatow made up of a stellar cast that features Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson, Vanessa Bayer, Daniel Radcliffe, and LeBron James has finally surfaced with some footage. That's right! We finally have a trailer for this movie which is sure to be a unique, fun, and hilarious comedy. Czech it out.

The 2014 Movie Club

In anticipation of the Academy Awards later this month, Slate has posted a thought-provoking article that examines each of the nominees for Best Picture under a moral and artistic lens. It's really quite a good read, but I, of course, enjoyed the portion on The Grand Budapest Hotel the most that said everything Wes Anderson makes feels touched by human hands. It's a real winner.

Monday, February 9, 2015

The 2014-15 New England Patriots Season



I told you I'd be doing so much more to celebrate the amazing, I'll-never-get-over-it Super Bowl victory for the New England Patriots this year. So much more, in fact, that I created this montage of their roller coaster season. From the Week One loss to the controversy following the Kansas City Chiefs game to the critics-silencing victory over the Denver Broncos to the amazing divisional round comeback win over the Ravens to Deflate Gate to finally winning the Super Bowl. Chilling, harrowing images that all culminate in unbridled ebullience. Go. Patriots.

This Week's Sports by David


David Sedaris at the Beach

It is always awesome whenever David Sedaris shows up on NPR and it's always awesome when he releases a new collection of essays. But there is just something most special about when a new Sedaris essay appears in The New Yorker. They're really just the best. On January 5, a new essay titled Leviathan and subtitled Ways to Have Fun at the Beach made its way into The New Yorker and as expected, it is a delightful treat. You can read it here if you want to do so.