May 19 2013 10:32 AM ET

'Saturday Night Live' finale recap: Ben Affleck shines, but Stefon and Fred Armisen steal the show

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Image Credit: Dana Edelson/NBC

Last year, Kristen Wiig’s emotional SNL sendoff set a high water mark for cast member farewells. (Compare it to, say, the way Chris Kattan said goodbye with a “terrible re-enactment” of his SNL career during his last show 10 years ago.)

I’d say that mark was met — and possibly exceeded — by the closing sketch of tonight’s show, in which Fred Armisen (as punk rocker Ian Rubbish, first introduced when Vince Vaughn hosted a few weeks ago) sang a sweet original tune filled with simple, evocative lyrics like, “It’s been all right, I’ve had a lovely night.” He was joined onstage by bandmates Derek Gash (Bill Hader, who’s also leaving the show) and Keith Grimshaw (Taran Killam, who’d better not be going anywhere).

While Wiig’s goodbye paid tribute to her as a singular, standout personality, Armisen and Hader’s was more understated. But because Armisen is a chameleon, it’s only fitting that he bid farewell in character — and it was equally fitting to see Hader, the show’s strongest supporting presence (when he’s not playing Stefon), say goodbye while backing up one of his castmates.

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May 19 2013 08:00 AM ET

Rock And Roll Hall of Fame answers one great mystery of rock music: When did Rush get so cool?

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Image Credit: Kevin Kane/HBO

It’s always been a great irony of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that induction ceremonies might be the least rock ‘n’ roll thing ever. But Public Enemy, Rush, Heart, Donna Summer, Quincy Jones, Lou Adler, Albert King, and Randy Newman took their spots in the canon last night — the actual ceremony happened at L.A.’s Nokia Theater in April, but HBO didn’t air it until a month later — it was clear that many of them must be big fans of irony.

Randy Newman kicked things off with his anthem “I Love L.A.,” which got the whole crowd of Los Angelenos (including Jack Nicholson) earnestly singing the refrain “We love it!,” even though the song mocks their hometown. Later, Dave Grohl noted that Rush were being honored despite the fact that they’ve always been ignored by the mainstream press, especially Rolling Stone, whose editor in chief, Jann Wenner, co-founded the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. The best moment of the night came when Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson managed to give his entire acceptance speech using only the words “blah blah blah.” Speaking in different intonations and using hand gestures, he was able to convey the whole story of the band, right up to the surprising phone call that informed them that they were being inducted (“Blah BLAH blah?”), and the thanks-to-fans-like-YOU! speech that followed. (“Blah blah BLAH!” he said, pointing at the crowd.) He somehow managed to send up every awards-show speech ever — and maybe the whole Rock and Roll Hall of Fame itself — at the same podium where they’re so revered. If you ask me, that’s just as rock ‘n’ roll as any music that earned a golden statue that night.

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May 18 2013 09:01 PM ET

'Doctor Who' season finale: The Doctor's name is...

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Image Credit: BBC America

Spoiler alert! If you haven’t watched the Doctor Who season finale, stop reading now. My recap is over there, but here’s a quick sketch.

READ FULL STORY »

May 18 2013 06:00 PM ET

Ben Affleck hosts tonight's 'Saturday Night Live' finale: Talk about it here!

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Image Credit: Dana Edelson/NBC

There are so many talking points for SNL‘s 38th season finale that I hardly know where to begin! Maybe it’ll help to organize them as a list:

1. Tonight marks Ben Affleck’s fifth time hosting Saturday Night Live, which grants him membership to SNL‘s storied Five-Timers Club. Usually, a moment like this would occasion a big, cameo-stuffed sketch featuring veteran hosts like Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. But SNL just gave us a cameo-stuffed Five Timer’s Club sketch when Justin Timberlake hosted in March — and it’s way too soon to repeat that same conceit. So how will the show acknowledge Affleck’s milestone? Maybe Timberlake will show up to induct him?

2. As you may already know, Stefon’s very first SNL appearance wasn’t a Weekend Update visit. It was this little-remembered sketch from the last time Affleck hosted the show in 2008, which casts Bill Hader and the host as brothers pitching a movie together. (According to the clip, Stefon’s last name is Zolesky — who knew?) This has to mean that Stefon and Affleck’s David are going to appear together again tonight, right?

READ FULL STORY »

May 18 2013 08:00 AM ET

This Week On Stage: Sigourney and Co. extend, Billy Crystal Back to Broadway

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Image Credit: Chad Batka

Three weeks until the Tony Awards, and the Broadway extensions (i.e. bids for prospective votes) are in full swing. The Trip to Bountiful has announced an extension to Sept. 1, and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike has announced it will extend several more weeks to July 28 (as star Sigourney Weaver amusingly pointed out: “the audience’s response is so enthusiastic—and, also, we need the money.”). Billy Crystal warmed the hearts of many by announcing that he will be reviving his Tony-winning solo effort 700 Sundays for a holiday run later this year. And though it’s May, there’s no slowdown for new Off-Broadway offerings, among them a comic take on the Constitution by a former SNL-er and the long-awaited return of one of last season’s most acclaimed new musicals. Click on the links below to read the full reviews: READ FULL STORY »

May 18 2013 12:00 AM ET

'Star Trek Into Darkness': Let's talk about that ending (and Benedict Cumberbatch)

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Image Credit: Zade Rosenthal

Nobody knew anything about Star Trek Into Darkness. The trailers for J.J. Abrams’ reboot-prequel-sequel were filled with mind-blowing images: Spaceships falling to earth! Spock jumping across flying vehicles! Pretty red trees! But besides a boilerplate plot description that read like a Blockbuster Sequel Mad Libs — “personal score to settle,” “epic chess game of life and death,” “sacrifices must be made” — the actual plot of Into Darkness was shrouded in mystery. And nothing was more mysterious than the film’s newest and most glamourous addition: Benedict Cumberbatch, who was playing a character named “John Harrison,” the red herringest of red herring franchise names since “John Blake.” Well, now we finally know the truth. At long last, we can all finally bask in the knowledge that has been kept hidden for so long. SPOILER ALERT from here, because ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to introduce: READ FULL STORY »

May 17 2013 07:47 PM ET

EW.com's 4th Annual Season Finale Awards: Nominations wanted!

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Yes, there are still a few season enders to come, but the nomination period for EW.com’s 4th Annual Season Finale Awards has officially begun! Help us celebrate the good and call out the bad by copying and pasting the list of this year’s 20 categories below into a comment and writing in your picks. We’ll take them under advisement when we announce this year’s nominees on May 23 and open the polls for voting. Winners will be announced May 24.

And the categories are… READ FULL STORY »

May 17 2013 06:04 PM ET

Peter Parker with a bong? Joe Casey springs 'The Bounce' -- FIRST LOOK

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Image Credit: Credit: Man of Action/Image Comics

When readers first met young Peter Parker, back in 1962 on the opening page of Amazing Fantasy No. 15, he’s wearing spectacles, carrying schoolbooks and listening too hard to the latest insult.

It’s a little different when readers are greeted by young Jasper Jenkins – the title character of Joe Casey’s The Bounce – in our exclusive preview of the first issue. Instead of eyeglasses, he’s got glassy eyes and the object in his hand looks suspiciously like a three-foot bong. He’s also ignoring the latest lecture. “With great power comes great responsibility” still applies — but in the case of this 21st century slacker soul, it may also be accompanied by metahuman munchies.

NOTE: The preview pages below contain R-rated language and drug use. READ FULL STORY »

May 17 2013 04:26 PM ET

Join 'The Voice' debate: Team Christina vs. Team Shakira -- POLL

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Image Credit: Art Streiber/NBC; Mark Seliger/NBC

Ever since Shakira was first announced as Christina’s replacement, fans of the blond vocalists have been participating in a battle round of their own. And now that we know that both Christina and Shakira will return to their red swivel chairs within the next year, fans are more polarized than ever. While both are undoubtedly superstars, as coaches, they both have their pros and cons. Is Christina too mean? Is Shakira too nice? We’ve heard it all before. Now, we weigh in with our analysis, and you get to tell us which bombshell you prefer: READ FULL STORY »

May 17 2013 03:39 PM ET

'The Office' series finale. One writer hated it. One writer loved it. Let's discuss.

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Image Credit: Chris Haston/NBC

Last night’s series finale of The Office was way up in the ratings — meaning that a bunch of people who haven’t been viewing the daily happenings of Dunder Mifflin tuned back in to see Pam, Jim, Dwight — and yes, even Michael — one last time.

This morning at Entertainment Weekly Headquarters we naturally all had opinions about what worked and what didn’t in the farewell episode of the long-running sitcom. Was it a fitting end for America’s favorite paper company?  Over email this morning, Jeff Labrecque and Erin Strecker hashed out the supersized episode — Jeff didn’t care for it; Erin loved it. Read their debate, and then tell us what you thought of the finale in our poll below.

JEFF LABRECQUE: For the record, I am a devoted fan of The Office. I’ve watched just about every episode from the very beginning and I’ve never been part of the herd that liked to complain that the show lost its fastball in the final few seasons. But I can’t remember a series finale of a beloved show that was more self-congratulatory. It was simple and total wish-fulfillment for every character. (Except Toby?) It almost felt like the writers crowd-sourced the plot from the whims of the show’s biggest fans. (Turns out they sorta did, according to Jenna Fischer, who told Dan Snierson that executive producer Greg Daniels asked each cast member for what their dream for their characters would be.) It just felt like one 75-minute long curtain-call, bow after bow after bow, patting itself on the back while taking every easy way out. Didn’t it feel a little pandering to you? READ FULL STORY »

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