Tag: SNL (21-30 of 89)

Mar 15 2013 03:54 PM ET

Tina Fey thinks 'Saturday Night Live' should end when Lorne Michaels leaves

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Image Credit: Michael N. Todaro/FilmMagic

In case that headline gave you heart palpitations, rest easy: Lorne Michaels isn’t exiting Saturday Night Live anytime soon. If and when the SNL executive producer does choose to depart his creation, though, Tina Fey wouldn’t be interested in picking up his mantle.

The subject came up in a recent interview with the Huffington Post, tied to Fey’s new comedy Admission. When the interviewer asks Fey if she might hypothetically want to step into Michaels’s shoes someday, the comedian immediately dismisses the idea: “Oh, SNL? I mean, I feel like SNL is so defined by Lorne’s taste and his sensibility. That’s why any time people have tried to imitate the format and make their own version of it, you’ll notice it never really quite happens,” Fey said.

Furthermore, Fey believes SNL as an institution is so tied to Michaels that when he steps away from the show, it should end altogether: “He is the center of the show…when he wants to stop, it should just stop.” READ FULL STORY »

Mar 12 2013 08:45 PM ET

SXSW: Comedy-nerd all-stars Fred Armisen, Marc Maron, and Scott Aukerman unite at IFC panel

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Image Credit: Amy E. Price/Getty Images

IFC has made a mission of promoting up-and-coming comedians as part of the network’s growing lineup (in between the odd documentary or random indie flick from the ’90s, of course). Their poster child is Fred Armisen — along with Carrie Brownstein and their show, Portlandia — but the channel has also fostered new shows from comedians Marc Maron (whose upcoming show Maron grew out of his popular WTF podcast) and Scott Aukerman, whose Comedy Bang! Bang! show launched recently on the network. At a panel today, Armisen, Aukerman, and Maron discussed the transition from alternative comedy to television series.

Below, some highlights from the hour-long talk…
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Mar 11 2013 01:15 PM ET

'Saturday Night Live' host poll: Fifth time's the charm for Justin Timberlake?

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This past Saturday’s episode of SNL was indisputably a season highlight. But here’s a question: How much of the credit for that belongs solely to host Justin Timberlake?

Timberlake certainly seems to have a Midas effect whenever he drops by SNL. His very presence energizes the entire show, even the segments in which he doesn’t appear. Take, for example, this week’s Stefon appearance, which is the funniest the character’s been in months.

That said, an enormous number of “surprise” cameos also buoyed Timberlake’s latest Saturday Night Live turn — and when the euphoria induced by Steve Martin, Andy Samberg, Jay-Z, et al wore off, we were left with an episode that lagged mightily after Weekend Update (“The Adventures of Sober Caligula”? ), despite Timberlake’s best efforts. Arguably, then, Timberlake himself doesn’t necessarily deserve full marks for the show’s success. (I’m not necessarily making that argument; I’m just saying one could.)

Still, Timberlake shouldn’t have much trouble shooting to the top of this week’s Host Poll — especially since last week’s results prove that none of our current Mr./Ms. Saturday Night contenders has a decisive lead. READ FULL STORY »

Mar 9 2013 06:00 PM ET

Justin Timberlake hosts tonight's 'Saturday Night Live' -- talk about it here!

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Image Credit: NBC

If you want to avoid spoilers for tonight’s episode of SNL, you might want to stop reading this post right about… now.

If you don’t want to avoid spoilers, you’ll be pleased to know that the show seems to be celebrating Timberlake’s fifth outing as host in a major way. Yesterday, Steve Martin tweeted a photo that gives a big hint about what’s in store for JT come 11:30 p.m.

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Mar 8 2013 01:21 PM ET

Justin Timberlake's top 10 'SNL' moments -- VIDEO

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Image Credit: Dana Edelson/NBC

On Saturday night, Justin Timberlake will be inducted into the Five-Timers Club — an elite squad of the few funny people who have hosted Saturday Night Live five times. (Technically, this is actually Timberlake’s sixth official appearance on the show; when Joshua Jackson hosted in 2000, ‘N Sync served as musical guest and also performed in a few sketches.)

The multitalented musician certainly deserves a spot alongside Christopher Walken and Tom Hanks. As he’s proved over and over again since his first hosting stint ten (!) years ago, Timberlake’s pretty much the best modern SNL host this side of Alec Baldwin — which means that narrowing down his best Saturday Night Live moments is about as tough as getting the “Barry Gibb Talk Show” theme song out of your head once it’s stuck there. (Er, sorry in advance.) Still, we managed to sift through an embarrassment of JT SNL clips somehow — and though many of them were gems, these 10 stand out.

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Mar 6 2013 10:30 AM ET

Justin Timberlake prepares to dominate 'SNL,' starting with the promos -- VIDEO

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There’s a reason expectations are so high for Justin Timberlake’s fifth outing as Saturday Night Live host: The guy is funny. Like, really funny.

If you’ve somehow forgotten just how good he is at hosting SNL, look no further than this week’s promos — which manage to pack more laughs into two minutes than entire sketches can in seven. Would that JT could steer the show every week… and run the cameras… and take care of the sound. Sigh! Check to make sure you’ve got your suit and tie, then watch the magic happen here:

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Mar 2 2013 06:00 PM ET

Kevin Hart hosts tonight's 'Saturday Night Live': Talk about it here!

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Image Credit: Dana Edelson/NBC

Only three actual comedians have hosted SNL this season — Louis C.K., Martin Short, and Jamie Foxx. And Foxx only half counts, since he’s better known these days as an Oscar-winning Serious Actor than as a sketch comedian and stand-up who starred in 100 episodes of his very own sitcom.

Perhaps not coincidentally, those comedian-hosted shows have also been some of the season’s strongest. Louis’s Abraham Lincoln-meets-Louie parody still stands as this year’s funniest pre-taped bit. Short is still at the top of EW’s weekly SNL host poll for a reason. And Foxx… well, since his comedy career reached its height in the ’90s, it makes a certain sort of sense that his episode of SNL felt like a relic from that era. Either way, he was a thoroughly commanding, dominant presence on the show, and that alone was enough to make his hosting turn impressive.

All of this bodes well for Kevin Hart, an actor and comedian who’s still a bit under the radar.  READ FULL STORY »

Feb 27 2013 04:00 PM ET

Maybe Andy Samberg should host the Oscars -- VIDEO

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(And no, I’m not suggesting this just because I want to see Michael Bolton perform at the Academy Awards again.)

As you may or may not know, Andy Samberg hosted the Independent Spirit Awards last Saturday. Granted, this annual celebration of independent film isn’t nearly as formal as the Oscars — it’s held in a boho-chic tent on a beach in Santa Monica, for one thing, and this year’s ceremony seated attendees at tables overflowing with drinks provided by sponsor Jameson Irish Whiskey. The ceremony also isn’t quite on the same level as the Oscars or the Golden Globes.

Even so, Samberg’s monologue and pre-taped bits were sharp, funny, and just tasteless enough to favorably compare with Seth MacFarlane’s Oscars routine — and with a little more practice, the ex-SNL star could be groomed into a host to be reckoned with.  READ FULL STORY »

Feb 27 2013 01:23 PM ET

Kevin Hart gets ready for his close-up in 'SNL' promos -- VIDEO

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As Jason Sudeikis points out in the video below, three of 2013′s four acting Oscar winners have hosted SNL this season. (Daniel Day-Lewis, you’re on notice.) Does that mean that upcoming host Kevin Hart has been hiding some secret dramatic chops?

Probably not — but the comedian’s stints hosting MTV’s 2012 Video Music Awards and starring on BET’s Real Husbands of Hollywood do seem like they’ve been good seasoning for his Saturday Night Live debut. If nothing else, an entire sketch built around Hart and Bobby Moynihan pulling the old Totem Pole Trench trick would definitely be a win. Check out Hart’s promos here:

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Feb 16 2013 09:30 PM ET

Christoph Waltz hosts tonight's 'Saturday Night Live': Talk about it here!

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The last time SNL welcomed a critically beloved, heavily-accented host, the resulting show was a pleasant surprise — Sofia Vergara presided over one of season 37′s better episodes. Given his amusing promos, recent goofy turns on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and “Between Two Ferns,” and excellent, Tarantino-honed timing, Christoph Waltz seems likely to repeat Vergara’s feat.

Sure, Waltz isn’t known primarily as a comedic force. And other Serious Actors, like Daniel Craig and Jeremy Renner, have fallen short as hosts this season.

Even so, something about Waltz just screams “old-fashioned showman,” and that alone is enough to make him seem like a natural for the SNL stage. After all, he’s proven himself adept at finding the dark humor within both a charming, ruthless Nazi colonel and a charming, ruthless bounty hunter in his two most famous big-screen roles. Additionally, Waltz seems like the type of actor who will fully commit to whatever material he’s given, which is an essential quality for any good SNL host; if Justin Bieber had pushed himself even a little harder, last week’s episode might not have been so dull. As long as Waltz isn’t cast as a psychopathic gentleman in every single sketch, his first outing as host should be a bingo. (Is that the way you say it?)

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