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Exclusive: As a sequel to Dirty Dancing is in the works, the resort that inspired the original is getting its own small-screen treatment.

A scripted series set at Grossinger’s Catskill Resort Hotel, which inspired the movie as well as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, is in the works from Alan Zweibel, an original writer on Saturday Night Live and co-creator of It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, and Dr. Ruth Show producer Harris F.B. Salomon.

It is the latest project set at the Borscht Belt resort in upstate New York after a documentary from Bungalow Media + Entertainment.

The Mountains begins on the Fourth of July weekend, 1950, when America was dancing into a new era. It is the untold, multigenerational story of Jennie and Elaine Grossinger, the formidable matriarchs who transformed a humble Catskills boarding house into an empire of leisure, elegance, and resistance. Fiercely visionary, these two women not only defined...

One of the true musical geniuses of the 20th century, Brian Wilson, just passed away at the age of 82. The Beach Boys legend is best remembered for masterpieces like Pet Sounds and the troubled Smile — and not for the time he serenaded the Tanner family on Full House, which Wilson himself didn’t remember doing.

The Beach Boys obviously had a ton of songs about surfing, from “Surfin’ U.S.A.” to “Surfer Girl” to “Surfin’ Safari.” Then there’s the hauntingly beautiful “Surf’s Up,” which feels more like a rainy funeral than a day at the beach.

But despite the fact that his music was at the forefront of surf culture in the ‘60s, Wilson didn’t actually surf. As he told David Letterman in 1988, he tried it only once, but quickly abandoned the activity when the board nearly took out his eye.

Wilson has told this anecdote multiple times over the years,...

Before he was a Ghostbusterand an Oscar-nominee, Bill Murray was a cast member on Saturday Night Live, where he entertained late-night audiences from 1977 to 1980. Now, the Golden Globe-winning Lost in Translation star, who attended the 50th anniversary of SNL on Feb. 16, is reflecting on what the experience was like.

Per Entertainment Weekly, Murray appeared on SiriusXM’s Sway in the Morning with host Sway Calloway and talked about what the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live meant to him. “It was surprisingly emotional. I wept three times in the show. It really got to me,” Murray said.

When Calloway asked what he wept for, Murray started off by telling a joke, “Oh, there were sketches that were dying,” he said. “No, I’m kidding.”

Related'He Was a Tough Nut': Bill Murray Recalls Working With Gene Hackman on The Royal Tenenbaums

Bill Murray starred with Gene Hackman in the 2001 Wes Anderson...

Over four decades later, veteran actor and Ghostbusters star Bill Murray has addressed the literary treatment of his late friend and collaborator John Belushi by Bob Woodward, calling the latter's work "completely inaccurate." The legendary comedian, actor, and musician Belushi was one of the original Saturday Night Live cast members and died in 1982, aged 33, from an overdose of cocaine and heroin.

Murray aired his opinion of Woodward's 1984 biography Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. "If he did this to Belushi, what he did to Nixon is probably soiled for me too. I can't take it," he said. "You could have two sources and everything like that, but the two sources that he had, if he had them for the Wired book, were so far outside the inner circle that it was criminal, cruel."

RelatedErnie Hudson Reflects on Harold Ramis'...

Saturday Night Live actor Bowen Yang was accused by an extra who's worked on the NBC series of getting Shane Gillis fired back in 2019. However, Yang has spoken out on the allegation to note how that's not the case.

Six years ago, Yang and Gillis had both been hired to join SNL as new performers. Problematic jokes Gillis had made about Asians on his comedy podcast resurfaced soon after his casting was announced, boosting a social media movement for SNL to cut ties with the risqué comedian. The SNL team ultimately acquiesced by firing Gillis, though the bridges have been rebuilt, with Gillis having since appeared on the show as guest host. Ahead of his second guest-hosting stint on March 1, comic and SNL extra Michelle Best posted a comment on an Instagram video shared by NBC to "acknowledge" that Yang was allegedly responsible for Gillis' firing.

Related'Don't Negotiate With Terrorists':...

To celebrate the release of Dragnet available 3rd March on Blu-Ray, we are giving away 2 Blu-Ray copies of the film!

Dragnet is directed by Tom Mankiewicz and written by Dan Aykroyd and Alan Zweibel. Zweibel is known for producing Curb Your Enthusiasm – and won 4 Emmy’s between 1975-78.

Aykroyd plays Joe Friday, nephew of the original series star of the same name. He had always been a huge fan of the 1951 Dragnet series, giving many of his previous characters the ability to recite technical jargon in the same way that Joe Friday recites laws and police procedures; such as when Elwood describes the specifications of the “Bluesmobile” in The Blues Brothers.

Aykroyd is at his comedic best as the namesake nephew of Detective Sgt. Joe Friday. Like his uncle, he’s a blue suited, by-the-rules cop who reluctantly joins forces with his footloose partner Pep Streebek (Hanks) to rescue the...

New York's hottest club is Saturday Night Live, but only if you've hosted it at least five times. That gets you entry to SNL's exclusive "Five-Timers Club". Now that Saturday Night Live has celebrated 50 years of laughs, we're taking a look at one of its most consistent yet difficult to attain inside jokes/accolades, The Five-Timers Club. Besides the obvious honor of being a late-night regular, what does this comedic membership entail? And what other entertainment icons have made the cut?

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Saturday Night LiveTV-14ComedyNewsMusicRelease DateOctober 11, 1975NetworkNBCShowrunnerLorne MichaelsCastSee All

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Adam McKay Self / Various

Adam Sandler Self (archive footage)

Al Roker Self / Margaret Jo McCullin / Various

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Directors  Dave Wilson, Don Roy King, Liz Patrick, Andy Warhol, Linda Lee Cadwell, Matthew Meshekoff,...

Pete Davidson became a regular fixture of Saturday Night Live with an eight-year long run on the show, becoming the series’ youngest cast member at the age of 20 and an instant hit thanks to his “Weekend Update” appearances, among other sketches. However, his return for the show’s 50th anniversary celebration had fans talking for a reason other than his comedic talents – the reducing number of his trademark collection of tattoos.

Davidson, who is currently starring as one of the many big-name voices in the animated hit movie Dog Man, has become well-known as a walking scrapbook of inked designs with around 200 tattoos adorning his body. Almost all the actor’s pieces of body art have some kind of personal significance to either his life or his career, but while appearing on SNL50 many fans noticed that he is not as tatted up as he used to be.

During a...

Tom Hanks stepped back onto the Saturday Night Live stage just days after staging a “walk out” at the weekend’s Homecoming Concert. While the actor and his wife, Rita Wilson, appeared to be disgruntled at there being no awards getting handed out at the event, it was, of course, all part of the show. This meant that it was not a surprise to see Hanks back on the show for its 50th anniversary special, where he introduced a special montage of sketches that have aged as well as a Hollywood star without a good surgeon.

Hanks joined a segment dedicated to what SNL executives and cast members have termed “canceled characters.” The legendary actor, who is part of the show’s “five-timers” club, delivered a fitting monologue to introduce the rogue’s gallery of controversial, offensive, and generally just problematic faces to have graced screen as part of SNL’s line up.

The stars really did come out for the 50th anniversary special for Saturday Night Live. Introducing Adam Sandler, who performed an incredible SNL50 tribute song, was none other than the legendary Jack Nicholson.

When the camera cut to Nicholson, the applause rained down. The actor kept it simple, saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, Adam Sandler!" From there, Sandler gave a shout-out to Jack and began his song, singing, "Everyone in this room has something in common. All of our lives were changed by the show."

Sandler is known for his songs and mashups, and this one was perfect for the occasion. He sang about the cast, funny moments (including those behind the scenes), the crew, Lorne Michaels, and paid a very heartfelt tribute to fellow SNL vet and friend, the late Chris Farley, who passed away in 1997, and Norm Macdonald, who died in 2021. You can watch the entire performance, and Jack's introduction,...

Eddie Murphy's impression of Tracy Morgan on Saturday Night Live stole the show in a recent sketch celebrating the show's 50th anniversary. Murphy did his Morgan impression during the show's 'Black Jeopardy' sketch.

Murphy was joined for the SNL skit by fellow Black comedians, with Kenan Thompson playing host Darnell Hayes (aka Alex Treblack), and the other contestants being Leslie Jones and Tracy Morgan himself. During 'Black Jeopardy', Murphy did a hilarious impression of Morgan -- while Morgan stood right beside him and played a man named Darius. From his very introduction, Murphy was fully in-character as Tracy, calling out "Big Dog gonna make some big money!" in an over-the-top impression that had the rest of the cast struggling to keep a straight face.

Related'Might Have Been a Little Hokey': Cobra Kai Finale Cut a Scene Revealing 1 Killed-Off Character Survived

A deleted scene from the Cobra Kai finale reveals...

It was a massively star-studded affair at the SNL50: The Anniversary Special on Sunday evening (February 16) held at Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center in New York City.

Saturday Night Live celebrated it’s 50th anniversary with hundreds of stars who have appeared on the show over the years.

From music stars like Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter and Cher, to actors like Ayo Edebiri, Emma Stone and Anya Taylor-Joy.

Keep reading to find out more…

The late-night sketch show’s special featured many returning sketches, with past and present SNL cast members reprising their characters, and even several celebrities who have hosted reprising their characters!

We have gathered every celebrity, cast member and more’s looks from the red carpet and you can see over 200 below…

Abby Elliott

Adam & Jackie Sandler

Adria Arjona & Jason Momoa

Aidy Bryant

Alex & Hilaria Baldwin

Alex Moffat & Caroline Kingsley Moffat

Al Franken

Al Sharpton

Amelia Dimoldenberg...

Quick LinksThe "Original" 'Saturday Night Live'One 'SNL's Failure and Another's Success

Live from New York, it's Saturday Night! Speaking of that iconic opening line, have you ever wondered why it's phrased that way? Why does it say just "Saturday Night" and not "Saturday Night Live?" Having two "lives" might be redundant, but isn't Saturday Night Live the name of the show? It is now, but that wasn't always the case.

Casual viewers may not know that the original name of the series was actually NBC's Saturday Night. That's why the opener is phrased that way. Even though it was always live, it didn't add that word to the title until Season 3. Believe it or not, this was because there was already a series titled Saturday Night Live on the air when the then-nbc's Saturday Night debuted in 1975. This "other" SNL was Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell,...

Saturday Night Live's biggest stars are everywhere these days: from the hallowed halls of Studio 8H, all the way to the beachy shores of Malibu, California. And in honor of the historic 50th anniversary of the longstanding comedy sketch series, everyone is getting in on the action of celebrating and honoring its many iconic moments. Including Volkswagen, which reunited Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, and Fred Armisen as "The Californians" in a commercial for their latest car.

The air-headed, valley girl-inflection-toting bottled blondes from the popular soap opera parody sketch star in the ad for the new Volkswagen ID Buzz, an electric take on their own California icon, the old Vw bus, which debuted on Thursday. And, frankly, it's giving nostalgia vibes in an extremely earth-conscious way, which is like, totally Californian of them. We can see why Karina (Wiig) and her lover Devin (Hader) are too impressed by her...

NBC celebrated Saturday Night Live on Friday night with over three hours of music history on SNL50: The Homecoming Concert. The special hosted by Emmy winner Jimmy Fallon streamed live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City and is now available to stream on Peacock.

Musical acts included Arcade Fire, Backstreet Boys, Bad Bunny, Bonnie Raitt, Brandi Carlile, Brittany Howard, Cher, Chris Martin, Dave Grohl, David Byrne, Devo, Eddie Vedder, Jack White, Jelly Roll, Lady Gaga, Lauryn Hill, Miley Cyrus, Mumford & Sons, Post Malone, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Robyn, Snoop Dogg, St. Vincent, the B-52s, the Roots, and Wyclef Jean. Surprise comedy musical performances included Bill Murray, Paul Shaffer, Andy Samberg, Chris Parnell, Will Ferrell, Ana Gasteyer, Maya Rudolph, Fred Armisen, and Tracy Morgan.

But that doesn’t end the festivities. Sunday night’s SNL50: The Anniversary Special will switch over from mostly music to almost...

A star-studded crowd gathered to celebrate the legacy of the iconic comedy and musical series Saturday Night Live. As part of the 50th anniversary of the show, SNL50: The Homecoming Concert saw many familiar faces from the last 50 years of the series' history both watching and performing at the event, which was hosted by Jimmy Fallon. As the night kicked off, however, no one expected to see Oscar-winner Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson storm out of the auditorium after Fallon explained that the night would not include any awards presentations. Fallon said:

“Apparently, there’s been some confusion. This is just a concert. We’re not giving out any awards tonight. So, I just want to make sure that everyone knows that.”

At that point, Hanks and his wife stood up out of their seats and stomped up the central aisle and out of the venue. Of course,...

Tina Fey, the former head writer and cast member of NBC's Saturday Night Live, has revealed that she's part of the writing team behind SNL50, the 50th anniversary special that will air this Sunday on NBC. Even though Fey's experience on the show speaks for itself, returning as a staff writer meant that she had to clean the rust off of her comedy writing skills. However, a visit from a very special SNL icon made everything better.

Fey was a guest on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon alongside her former SNL co-star, dear friend and collaborator, Amy Poehler (via Entertainment Weekly). The conversation turned to what's brewing for SNL50, and Fey revealed that she's part of a team of staff writers for the special: "I know a little bit about what's taking shape because I am working on it as a staff writer, which I'm pretty excited about,...

We’re celebrating 50 years of “Saturday Night Live“! All this week, we’re digging into the late-night comedy institution with new stories, including lists, essays, interviews, and more.

It’s certainly a familiar scene by now, one we’ve all become quite accustom to over the last half century: There’s Lorne Michaels, the famed producer of a televised sketch comedy show airing on NBC. There’s a cast of ever-changing talented performers. At this particular point in time, Jim Downey is the head writer. Al Franken, Tom Davis, Jack Handey, and Alan Zweibel are all on the writing staff. There’s a live audience. There’s a musical guest. There’s the familiar parody newscast. On this particular night, Steve Martin is a guest, as he often is to this very day. Watching a clip on YouTube from this particular night from the mid-’80s, Steve Martin opens the...

Jesse Eisenberg is a one-time Saturday Night Live host, once serving in that role for a guest hosting gig in 2011. He has not hosted the sketch comedy series since, but that could be in part due to the experience not going so well for the actor.

During a new interview for Today with Jenna & Friends, Eisenberg discussed his SNL experience. He revealed that he's still haunted by how it went, despite how he was told that it was the "best episode they ever did." For the former Lex Luthor actor, he went into SNL extremely excited, as creating comedy for the legendary show was something he had dreamed about. He also presumed that it was up to him to write the sketches he'd appear in, and he started slipping written skits to cast members leading up to the show. Eisenberg said he was told by someone at SNL that this was encouraged,...

With the 50th Anniversary of Saturday Night Live looming on the horizon, many of the show's former stars and guest hosts have opened up about their experiences on the series. While stories from writers about letting polarizing figures like Donald Trump host have taken center stage, a new anecdote has emerged from a 2013 host. Jesse Eisenberg, known for roles like Lex Luthor and Mark Zuckerberg, opened up about hosting the long-running sketch comedy series, and sadly, he doesn't look back fondly on the experience.

During a recent appearance on the newly revamped fourth hour of Today, Jenna & Friends (via Variety), he expressed regret about his lifelong dream being far more sour than sweet:

"I only have bad memories because I did such a dumb thing. My dream when I was 17 was to write for ‘SNL.’ I made a packet and everything and I got an agent. And then, when I got asked to host,...

As “Saturday Night Live” celebrates 50 years of being on air, the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, NY will preserve a collection of the show’s creative papers from the first five years of its history.

Original “SNL” cast member Laraine Newman and original writer Alan Zweibel will guest curate the collection of the original writers’ room documents.

The script for the first “SNL” episode, which was hosted by George Carlin, will go into the collection along with drafts for Weekend Update segments among other features and sketches. Early versions of the John Belushi samurai sketches, and the Gilda Radner character known as Roseanne Roseannadanna are also included.

“These papers are a rare encapsulation of the creative chaos and revolutionary spirit of ‘SNL’s formative years, when so many classic sketches and memorable characters were first brought to life. It was a watershed moment in comedy history that I was fortunate to be a part of,...

Saturday Night Live is celebrating its 50th year on television this year, and with this milestone comes a plethora of new insights and anecdotes regarding the show's storied history – some of which are collected in a new book, which reveals that former SNL writer and star Tim Robinson had a pretty strong reaction when Lorne Michaels invited Donald Trump to host an episode during his first presidential election campaign.

Before becoming President of the United States, Donald Trump was a mainstay on NBC, with his competition series The Apprentice serving as a pivotal part of the primetime lineup. Shortly after announcing his run for president, the network dumped Trump as host of the series due to derogatory comments he made about Mexican immigrants, but that didn't squash his involvement with NBC. Instead, to the shock and awe of many, Lorne Michaels invited Trump to host an episode of the long-running sketch series.

It's hard to believe, but this year, Saturday Night Live turns 50 years old. Created by Lorne Michaels, the show premiered on Oct. 11, 1975 and while it didn't go quite as smoothly, it certainly became a cultural phenomenon. Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, George Coe, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Michael O'Donoghue, Gilda Radner, and host George Carlin were the first to appear on the legendary show. And now, as its 50th anniversary special approaches, NBC has released a partial list of major A-list actors, musicians, and celebrities who will appear.

SNL50: The Anniversary Special will feature a who's who of major celebrities, per Variety. They include Sir Paul McCartney, Tom Hanks, Kim Kardashian, Steve Martin, Martin Short, Scarlett Johansson, Dave Chappelle, Miley Cyrus, Paul Simon, Robert De Niro, Sabrina Carpenter, Pedro Pascal, Bad Bunny, Quinta Brunson, Peyton Manning, Woody Harrelson, Adam Driver, Ayo Edebiri, and John Mulaney. More stars will be announced soon.

For the last several decades, Saturday Night Live has been faced with questions of its future. While so many people claim not to watch or call it unfunny, everyone still talks about it and sketches still go viral. Some feel the show has run its course, the sketches need work, or members of the cast need to go. Nothing ever comes of it because Saturday Night Live is engrained as part of the fabric of late-night television that no one really ever expects to end. But there’s one point in time when Saturday Night Live almost did get canceled, and arguably should have been. The show was hanging by a thread, and instead of a complete cast shake-up saving the show, it led to a year that has become known as the “weird season.”

This was in 1985 during season 11, a bizarre season that the new Peacock docuseries SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night...

Howard Stern celebrates the 50th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live” with a week-long showcase of his legendary interviews with “SNL” cast members, celebrity hosts, writers, and musical guests representing every era of the late-night show’s storied history.

SNL on Stern: Part IHoward Stern SpecialsListen on the App

Listen on the App

‘SNL On Stern’ How to Listen

“SNL On Stern” begins with a special live kick-off show at 5pm Et on January 31 and runs for a full week on Howard 101 (Ch. 101) and the SiriusXM app.

What You’ll Hear

Brand new commentary from Howard discussing his longtime fascination with “Saturday Night Live” and its stars (many of who appear in this one-of-a-kind oral history of “SNL”), plus highlights from Howard’s interviews and additional commentary from “Saturday Night Live” cast members and executive producer Lorne Michaels.

‘SNL On Stern Roundtable’

The roundtable special stars “SNL” cast members Chris Kattan,...

Sure, everyone at Saturday Night Live is working together to make a great show, says Tina Fey in the new documentary series SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night. But the idea that SNL is about teamwork is an illusion, she explains. “It is built on competition. It is built for, like, ‘See you at the table.’”

“See you at the table” was an implied threat, by the way. Fey refers to the weekly scrum at the writers’ table to see whose scripts will rise to the top.

“I have to say as head writer, I came in from Chicago and I was ready to fight whoever, but the rewrite tables were tough. They were grouchy,” Fey remembers. “People would take the rundown of the show and just go sketch by sketch and make fun of it, like the title and make fun of it, goof on it, goof on it, goof on it.

To mark the 50th season of “Saturday Night Live,” putting together 90 minutes of live TV in six days — already a herculean feat — is not enough. In addition, the venerable variety show is flooding the zone with shows of its pop cultural might. On the heels of Jason Reitman’s hagiographic film “Saturday Night” and ahead of next month’s three-hour telecast from Studio 8H comes the four-part docuseries “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night.” Executive produced by Oscar-winner Morgan Neville, the show is the latest prong in NBC’s full-court marketing press to celebrate the anarchic experiment turned established institution. But 50 years in, the legend of Lorne Michaels’ merry circus has already been celebrated, many times over. “SNL50” adds little to this half-century of anecdotes, oral histories and archival footage. Instead, it embellishes around the edges, making use of gimmicky formats and the access that comes with aiding a corporate PR push to dress up old chestnuts.

“Comedy slowly became rock ‘n’ roll,” says Joe Piscopo, a Saturday Night Live cast member between 1980 and 1984, in the opening episode of SNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night.

The Peacock docuseries, which is exec produced by Morgan Neville, the man behind Fred Rogers doc Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, 20 Feet From Stardom and the Pharrell Williams Lego doc Piece By Piece, tells the story of the venerable NBC sketch comedy show ahead of its 50th anniversary next month.

It features a slew of cast members including Amy Poehler, Andy Samberg, Bill Hader, Bobby Moynihan, Bowen Yang, Cheri Oteri, David Spade, Tina Fey, Ego Nwodim, Fred Armisen, Heidi Gardner, Jason Sudeikis, Jay Pharaoh, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jon Lovitz, Kenan Thompson, Molly Shannon, Pete Davidson, Tracy Morgan, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Rachel Dratch, Will Ferrell, Billy Crystal and Damon Wayans as well as writers and producers such as Alan Zweibel, Al Franken, Harper Steele,...

The 50th anniversary of “SNL” is about to kick off.

Acclaimed Academy and Emmy award-winning documentarian Morgan Neville is honoring the 50th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live” with docuseries “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night,” which he executive produces. The four-part series offers a behind-the-scenes look at the history of the beloved sketch series, with each episode taking a different perspective on how the show began.

More than 60 SNL alums are interviewed onscreen, including Amy Poehler, Andy Samberg, Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Molly Shannon, Pete Davidson, Stephen Colbert, Tracy Morgan, Bob Odenkirk, Tina Fey, Seth Meyers, John Mulaney, Larry David, Will Ferrell, Rachel Dratch, and Fred Armisen.

The first installment, “Five Minutes,” is about the audition process. Emmy Award winner Robert Alexander directs the first episode, which includes never-before-seen audition footage and firsthand accounts from alums as they reflect on their preparation and journey to the “SNL” stage.

The second episode,...

Wild and crazy guys, the van down by the river, and, of course, more cowbell – just some of the classic sketches shown in the new trailer released today for Peacock‘s four-part docuseries SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night.

“Anybody can do comedy,” former cast member Tracy Morgan says at the start of the trailer before delivering the punchline – “But are you funny?”

The upcoming docuseries promises lots of funny moments from the history of Saturday Night Live. In the trailer, Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell, Dana Carvey and Amy Poehler are among the famous faces speaking about the venerable NBC late-night series. Andy Samberg reveals he threw up after auditioning.

The docuseries, Peacock says, will offer a behind-the-scenes look “at some of the American late-night comedy institution’s most iconic elements and rich history.”

The docuseries, executive produced by Morgan Neville, includes four episodes, each taking “a different creative approach...

Peacock has released a first look at SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, a new documentary series that offers a behind-the-scenes look at some of the American late-night comedy institution’s most iconic elements and rich history.

Executive produced by Academy and Emmy Award winner Morgan Neville, SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night streams exclusively on Peacock beginning January 16.

SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night is a four-part docuseries honoring the legacy of SNL, with over 60 contributors, including SNL alumni, and covering decades of SNL history. Spotlighting some of the show’s most iconic elements, each episode delves into the rich history of SNL and pulls back the curtain on the audition process, the writers’ room, the fan favorite “More Cowbell” sketch and the pivotal Season 11.

Each episode of the docuseries takes a different creative approach to the tapestry of Saturday Night Live and embraces the unique vision of their award-winning directors: Emmy Award winner Robert Alexander...

2024 was a packed year for several actors working in Hollywood, whether they are continuously rising stars or already well-established names in the industry. The year had plenty of noteworthy character-driven dramas, animated features, chaotic comedies, and big-budget blockbusters to keep audiences entertained. More importantly, these actors proved their capability of playing two different types of characters.

For example, multiple actors from the enthralling and visually stunning Dune: Part Two, like Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Austin Butler, also appeared in acclaimed and award-worthy dramas in the same year. They are just a few of many actors who stole the show in 2024 with their commanding screen presence and shockingly good versatility. From newcomers like Cailee Spaeny to big-name stars like Chris Hemsworth, 2024 was a spectacular year for these particular performers.

Gabriel Labelle Ran a Food Stand & Portrayed The Iconic Lorne Michaels Snack Shack & Saturday Night

Movie

Character

Snack Shack

Moose

Saturday Night...

In taking on the role of Gilda Radner in Jason Reitman’s film Saturday Night, British actress Ella Hunt was stepping into the shoes of a beloved U.S. treasure and a Saturday Night Live-verse she herself had not grown up with. In Saturday Night, Reitman details the hours approaching the very first broadcast of SNL—resulting in a fast-paced, comedic romp in which chaos reigns. For Hunt, it was not only a case of working through the character development with no long-held cultural connection to Radner, but also of honoring her in a way that resonated with all the SNL viewers who’ve loved her for so long.

Deadline: As a Brit, what was your feeling going into the role of Gilda Radner?

Ella Hunt: Honestly, for me, approaching this movie or when I got sent the audition, part of my initial hesitancy was, I can’t...

Saturday Night's digital release date has been revealed.

Saturday Night will be available to buy or rent on digital platforms on November 12, followed by Blu-ray and DVD on January 7.

More to come...

Source: Sony Pictures

Saturday Night 4/10

Saturday Night (2024) is a forthcoming film with an undisclosed director. The movie centers on the vibrant nightlife of a bustling city, capturing the intertwining lives and stories of a diverse ensemble cast navigating personal and social challenges over the course of a single evening.

Director Jason ReitmanRelease Date October 11, 2024Writers Jason Reitman, Gil KenanCast Presley Coley, Abraham Hsu, Justin Matthew Smith, Ellen Boscov, Naomi McPherson, Kirsty Woodward, Mcabe Gregg, Leander Suleiman, Corinne Britti, Rowan Joseph, James Logan, Drew Scheid, Parker Wierling, Jon Batiste, Matt Wood, Emily Fairn, Kim Matula, Brian Welch, Kaia Gerber, Andrew Barth Feldman, Nicholas Podany, Billy Bryk, Gabriel Labelle, Rachel Sennott, Catherine Curtin, Robert Wuhl, Tracy Letts, Brad Garrett, Cory Michael Smith,...

“Saturday Night” is a ticking clock film like few in recent memory. The new movie, directed and co-written by Jason Reitman, is about the first-ever broadcast of “Saturday Night Live” on October 11, 1975, and the story unfolds in real-time during the 90 minutes before showtime.

“Jason described it really well: You’re balancing truth and myth. But the main takeaway that you want is the feeling of what it might have felt like that night,” co-editor Shane Reid tells Gold Derby about the film. “So the constraints of time are something that we’re conscious of and using, but we’re not allowing it to dictate the way that you want to feel in the film.”

Starring Gabriel Labelle as “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels and featuring a parade of young talent playing the famed Not Ready for Primetime Players, “Saturday Night” is based on several interviews Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan conducted...

2024 has been a year packed with great cinema from all different genres. Some of the years biggest hits have also been the most financially successful, like Dune: Part Two, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Deadpool & Wolverine. However, unfortunately, many other great films have fallen by the popularity wayside.

Every year brings a number of films that dont live up to financial or critical expectations, but there are also a lot of films that simply dont spark huge love from audiences. These films are absolutely not failures; they are completely underrated and deserve a second look.

Watch the Chaotic Origin Story of Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live is one of the longest-running TV shows of all time, but its premiere episode was filled with production problems that should have doomed the series from the start. And this year, Jason Reitman tells the story of that tumultuous and chaotic night with Saturday Night.

With Saturday Night opening nationwide, you might be tempted to jump on Peacock and watch the first-ever episode of Saturday Night (not yet with Live in its title). Of course it’s interesting from a historical perspective, but I rewatched the uncut DVD version to see if the actual comedy still held up. With 50 years in the show’s rear-view mirror, here’s the good and bad of that first episode from a 2024 perspective…

Good: George Carlin Stand-Up

Carlin admitted that he refused to appear in sketches, making him the only host in the show’s history to do so. Instead, he did what he did best — four separate stand-up sets interspersed throughout the show. Even though Carlin was jacked up during those monologues — “There’s one place where I can see myself grinding my jaw from the cocaine,” he said years later — you’re still catching an all-time great in his prime.

In 2008, director Jason Reitman lived his “SNL” dream.

He was fresh off the success of “Juno,” which earned Reitman a Best Director Oscar nomination and the film a Best Picture nomination. His agent reached out to Lorne Michaels and relayed Reitman’s wish — to do a guest writing stint on “Saturday Night Live.” And, incredibly, it happened.

“It was like getting to suit up for the Los Angeles Lakers for one night,” Reitman told TheWrap. He and “SNL” writer Simon Rich stayed up until four in the morning on a Tuesday night working on ideas. On Wednesday, they took their three sketch ideas to the table read. “And then later that afternoon I got to be there for the moment when they come out of Lorne’s office and pinned a piece of paper to the wall,” Reitman said. That’s when he found out that one of his sketches...

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...

Rachel Sennott didn’t get into the premier sketch comedy group during her tenure at NYU. Now she’s playing one of the architects of the world’s most famous sketch comedy show in Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night. Co-written by the latter and Gil Kenan, the biographical comedy-drama chronicles the messy 90-minute period before the first episode of Saturday Night Live on Oct. 11, 1975. Sennott portrays writer Rosie Shuster, who’s also the first wife of SNL creator Lorne Michaels (Gabriel Labelle). And much like their ambitious attempt to shake up NBC’s Saturday night programming, their marriage, as depicted in the film, is in a similarly fragile, yet oddly collaborative, state.

In contrast with a lot of her castmates, Sennott didn’t have a great deal of existing material to reference during prep, but she did have the ultimate resource one phone call away.

“I spoke to Rosie, which was amazing.

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,...

Saturday Night Live has long been known for its stars’ impressions of everyone from current politicians like Kamala Harris to historical figures like Vincent Price. Saturday Night, the movie set in the moments before its series premiere, isn’t aiming for verisimilitude on that level: the actors might be playing real-life people, but they’re also creating characters. The object isn’t an SNL, or even MADtv-level impersonation, and the performances shouldn’t really be judged on that basis.

So consider the ranking below — focused solely on the actors playing the show’s original seven cast members, known as the Not Ready for Primetime Players — purely a novelty, and don’t use it to fill out your ballot when it’s time to vote for the Oscars.

Warning: Contains moderate spoilers for Saturday Night.

7 Emily Fairn as Laraine Newman

In keeping with the way the show treated its female performers...

For his latest nonfiction role, Gabriel Labelle had a rare peek inside his character’s world.

The Saturday Night star recently recalled his visit to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where he saw a Saturday Night Live taping and met creator Lorne Michaels while portraying him in the film, which premieres nationwide on Oct. 11 following a limited release.

“Our first two days of shooting were in New York, just to shoot outside of 30 Rock, and Lorne was super cool and invited us to watch the Josh Brolin episode live,” he told IndieWire. “And so a handful of us, those who live in New York and then those who were just in New York to shoot regardless, we were able to go and check it out. It was really great.

“Lorne was there, and I actually got to speak with him briefly after the show. We didn’t say too much to each other.

At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television – and culture – forever. Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Gil Kenan & Reitman, Saturday Night is based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live. Full of humor, chaos, and the magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, we count down the minutes in real time until we hear those famous words…

The film features Gabriel Labelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O’Brien, Emily Fairn, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, Kim Matula, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Kaia Gerber, Tommy Dewey, Willem Dafoe, Matthew Rhys, J.K. Simmons. Also rounding out the ensemble cast are Jon Batiste and Naomi McPherson.

Saturday Night Opens Exclusively in Movie Theaters October 11, 2024.

https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/saturdaynight

The St.

With one month to go before showtime at the 47th Denver Film Festival, festival organizers have peeled back the curtain to reveal this year’s official selections, honorees and jurors.

Presented by Denver Film, the festival will kick off with the opening night presentation of Malcolm Washington’s directorial debut The Piano Lesson from Netflix on Nov. 1. Hitting the screen at the McA Denver at the Holiday Theater, The Piano Lesson is an August Wilson adaptation starring Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Deadwyler, John David Washington, Ray Fisher, Corey Hawkins, Stephan James, Erykah Badu and more.

The festival runs Nov. 1-10, and during that time 185 features, documentaries and shorts will screen in the Colorado capital. Justin Kurzel’s The Order starring Jude Law as an FBI agent on the trail of a white supremacist group in the Pacific Northwest will serve as a centerpiece presentation on Nov. 8. The film, which also...

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Saturday Night, now playing in select theaters, is a perfect celebration of Saturday Night Live's 50th anniversary. With the newest season premiere and movie releasing coinciding, the NBC comedy spectacular is proving that it's just as relevant to today's pop culture as it has ever been. The movie is directed by Jason Reitman, who co-wrote it with his Ghostbusters: Afterlife partner Gil Kenan, and features a stacked cast portraying some of the most iconic names in early SNL history.

The central conceit of Saturday Night is a race against the clock to the first-ever episode's 11:30 Pm premiere on October 11, 1975. While young creator Lorne Michaels (Gabriel Labelle) runs himself ragged trying to coral his comedians and present a semblance of a project worthy of NBC executives' consideration, various cast and crew members are going through their own trials and tribulations.

Dylan O’Brien is keeping a pretty cool head after undertaking his latest role.

The Saturday Night actor said he “can’t wait” to meet Dan Aykroyd following his portrayal of the Saturday Night Live alum in the upcoming Jason Reitman-helmed film, which premieres nationwide on Oct. 11, the 49th anniversary of the NBC sketch comedy show’s first episode.

“I’m okay if my guy hates it. It’s acceptance. That was my method,” he joked to People about Aykroyd’s potential reaction to his performance.

“I hear we’re very similar, in a way that I never knew,” added O’Brien. “I feel like we’re going to get along.”

Saturday Night takes place on October 11, 1975, as a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers change television forever. Formerly titled SNL 1975, the film tells the true story of what happened behind the scenes that night in the 90 minutes...

It must be a blessing and a curse to have your name forever immortalized as a Saturday Night Live character. On the one hand, you’re famous! On the other hand, well, you’re famous, and maybe for character traits that are funny in a comedy sketch but not in real life.

Here are five real people who — often without their prior knowledge — became household names thanks to SNL…

[subtitle]1Matt Foley [/subtitle]

The real Matt Foley is a priest and long-time friend of Chris Farley. He had no idea he was about to become an iconic comedy character when he showed up for a Second City show in the early 1990s. “I was in the audience that night,” Foley remembered in The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts. “When he said, ‘My name is Matt Foley, and I am a motivational speaker!’ I was probably as red as a beet.

Jason Reitman’s SNL origin story, Saturday Night, hasn’t even hit movie theaters yet, but it’s already sparking an explosion of online opinions. Most recently, Muppet devotees have been wading into the discourse, due to the film’s depiction of Jim Henson, as played by Cousin Greg from Succession, who, confusingly, also plays Andy Kaufman in the film.

Over on the Muppets subreddit, fans have been responding to a recent Slate article that makes mention of the film’s “dismissive” treatment of Henson. One user noted that this news is “disappointing if true.” Another Muppet fan pointed out that “it makes no one look good to treat Muppets as badly as (the SNL cast and crew) apparently did. Good biopics should capture the magic of their target.”

But others defended the film, suggesting that the “Muppet SNL skits are probably the worst thing Henson ever did,” and reminding...

Lamorne Morris went against the better wishes of “Saturday Night” director Jason Reitman when meeting with original “Saturday Night Live” cast member Garrett Morris, whom he plays in the upcoming movie about the origins of the famed sketch comedy show.

You see, Reitman wasn’t keen on the film’s sprawling ensemble — Gabriel Labelle plays Lorne Michaels, Rachel Sennott plays writer Rosie Shuster, Cory Michael Smith plays Chevy Chase, Ella Hunt plays Gilda Radner and Dylan O’Brien plays Dan Aykroyd — interacting with their on-screen counterparts prior to production. “Saturday Night,” which premieres on Tuesday at the Toronto Film Festival, takes place entirely on the night of the first “SNL” episode.

“Garrett was going through similar things that I find myself going through in my career, so it was easy to relate to that ‘fish out of water’ feeling,” he said. “So, I wanted to make sure that that’s actually what Garrett was feeling.