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Jeff Ross was inspired by the late Norm Macdonald to go public with his colon cancer diagnosis. “I was very good friends with Norm Macdonald, and he didn’t tell people about his health issues, and we didn’t get to give him a proper sendoff,” Ross shared on the Tuesday, July 15, episode of the third hour of Today. “As I went through it with myself and chemo, it was really my family and friends that lifted me up and helped me get through it.” Macdonald, who was best known for his comedy chops and five-season run on Saturday Night Live, died at age 61 of acute leukemia in September 2021. At the time, Ross paid tribute to him by sharing a throwback Instagram snap of the two of them sitting at a restaurant table with the late Bob Saget and Gilbert Gottfried. “I’m wrecked. I felt so lucky to sit at this table,...

Scroll long enough on the internet, and the odds are good you may see Arby’s ads starring Cedric the Entertainer from the Original Kings of Comedy and Black-ish star Anthony Anderson. They’re part of a long tradition of comedians shilling for fast-food chains. Some were championing hot wings or pizza before they hit it big, like Steve Carell. Others, like Kristen Wiig, entered the game after becoming a superstar. Then there’s Jason Alexander, who did it both before and after — proving there’s no wrong way to make a quick buck off a cheap burger.

Here are 10 other examples of comedians doing fast-food commercials, so we can see how they measure up against the new Arby’s campaign with Cedric and Anderson…

1 Jason Alexander for McDonald’s

A few years before he played George Costanza on Seinfeld, Alexander was his theater-kid self in a McDonald’s ad for the McD.

There was a point in time where Seth MacFarlane was on top of the animation world. "Family Guy," which MacFarlane created, wrote, and starred in, joined the ranks of "South Park" and "King of the Hill" as one of the most popular adult animated shows on television. Fox canceled the show twice in its first few years, only for it to come back bigger than ever. "Family Guy" still airs new episodes today and, much like "The Simpsons," it will go on long after we're all dead. Out of the show's wake came "American Dad" and "The Cleveland Show," but it was becoming clear that MacFarlane had the drive to expand into feature films. The man was born to direct a musical, but alas, maybe one day.

MacFarlane's feature directorial debut, "Ted," ended up being a massive critical and financial success. For every joke that's aged like milk, the 2012 comedy...

In the early 1980s, Paul Reubens was killing it as one of the stars of the L.A.-based comedy group, the Groundlings. What came next? “SNL was absolutely the Holy Grail,” Reubens says in the documentary, Pee-wee as Himself.

Reubens, Phil Hartman and other improvisers from the Groundlings would watch Saturday Night Live and scoff at the show in the way only jealous comedians can. “(We’d) suck our teeth at stuff, and be like, ‘After all these years, the sketches still don’t have endings!’” Reubens remembered.

But despite the grousing, “we still all wanted to be on the show,” Reubens confessed. “We still all thought, ‘This is it.’”

The Groundlings, like Second City in Chicago, was one of the places Saturday Night Live recruited new talent. In 1980, all of the original cast, along with producer Lorne Michaels, moved on to movies and whatever else came next. That...

Remember the American Comedy Awards?

No problem if you don’t — the honors, intended to become the Oscars of funny business, launched in 1987 and were dead in the water by 2001. (NBC tried to revive them in 2014; that half-hearted effort lasted a single year.) But the initial broadcast was impressive, mainly because big comedy stars actually showed up for the event.

Check out this list of presenters from the first show: George Carlin, Roseanne Barr, Gilbert Gottfried, Whoopi Goldberg, Lily Tomlin, the cast of The Golden Girls, Shirley MacLaine and Pee-wee Herman, for starters. That wouldn’t have been a bad guest list for SNL50.

1987 was a mixed-bag year for comedy. There was Carlin calling out the nominees for the year’s Funniest Newcomer, a list that somehow included Alf. Another Woody — pre-pariah Woody Allen — took home Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture for Hannah and Her Sisters.

While several of...

“Group Therapy,” an intimate exploration of mental health from some of the comedians who’ve shared their darkest — and funniest — life struggles on stage, is now streaming on Prime Video, TheWrap can reveal exclusively.

The feature-length documentary from Emmy-nominated filmmaker Neil Berkeley chronicles a group therapy session — led by actor Neil Patrick Harris — with Tig Notaro, Mike Birbiglia, Gary Gulman, Atsuko Osaka, Nicole Byer and British comic London Hughes, as they discuss the relationship between their professional and mental health journeys.

Notaro shares her devastating cancer diagnosis; Birbiglia jokes about his bizarre sleepwalking nightmares; Gulman shares his lifelong battle with depression; Japanese comic Atsuko Osaka talks about her mother’s schizophrenia; Nicole Byer jokes that she loses her keys a few times a day because of Adhd; and Hughes dealt with insecurity and lack of opportunity as a young Black comic in the UK.

Nicole Byer and Tig Notaro in...

When you've been an integral part of a sitcom phenomenon that's been popular for over a decade, it can be easy for people to just see an actor in the confines of their character. It may seem impossible to look at Jim Parsons and not think of Sheldon Cooper, but his work in "Hidden Figures" and "The Boys in the Band" shows an actor that's able to break free beyond the "bazinga" stigma. Simon Helberg has certainly had one of the most interesting careers of the "Big Bang Theory" bunch, having directed his own feature ("We'll Never Have Paris") in addition to starring in films directed by Leos Carax ("Annette") and the Coen Brothers ("A Serious Man").

But since the show's finale, it's Kaley Cuoco who has remained the most prevalent in the spotlight. Although she made waves in 2020 with the critically acclaimed Max original series "The Flight Attendant," she's...

Three years ago, the world of comedy lost a true original. Gilbert Gottfried may have been best known for playing the parrot Iago in Aladdin — and for the dirty jokes he spouted in the last two decades of his career — but his style of comedy was entirely his own. His stand-up material, which he began performing at age 15, was a surreal experience filled with obscure — often, even, unknowable — pop-culture references combined with bizarre rants about aliens and Nazis.

He hit the mainstream with a one-year stint on Saturday Night Live before appearing in films like Problem Child and Beverly Hills Cop II as well lending his voice to hundreds of cartoons. He never stopped doing stand-up either, as he was a fixture in comedy clubs and a frequent panelist at Friars Club and Comedy Central roasts. Just weeks after the terrorist attacks in 2001, he famously bombed with a 9/11 joke at a Hugh Hefner roast,...

For 50 years, Saturday Night Live introduced the world to some of the funniest people on the planet. As the years have gone on, several beloved cast members who shaped the show's legacy have passed away.

Countless comedians became household names thanks to Saturday Night Live. Chevy Chase, Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, and Kenan Thompson are just some of the names who audiences felt like they knew because of SNL.

That connection between the audience and the cast also means it especially hurts when a former SNL cast member passes away. Here's the complete list of the 15 Saturday Night Live cast members who have died.

Peter Aykroyd

Peter Aykroyd was the younger brother of original Saturday Night Live cast member Dan Aykroyd. The younger Aykroyd also got his start with Second City in Toronto.

Peter Aykroyd joined Saturday Night Live as a writer and cast member for season five...

Last week in Episode 6 of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17, 11 queens made it through a “sickening” fashion ball with style icons Law Roach and Hunter Schafer watching their every strut. Determined to keep them on their toes again this week, RuPaul Charles asked them to put their pop culture knowledge and improv skills to the test in “Snatch Game” featuring the legendary Global All Stars icon Alyssa Edwards.

Then, Ru and judges Michelle Visage and Ross Mathews welcome Emmy award winner Quinta Brunson to the dais to serve as guest judge for a “Nailed It!” runway. The contestants still in the running to be named “America’s Next Drag Superstar” at the start of the episode were: Acacia Forgot, Arrietty, Crystal Envy, Jewels Sparkles, Kori King, Lana Ja’Rae, Lexi Love, Lydia B Kollins, Onya Nurve, Sam Star, and Suzie Toot.

Here is our recap of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17, Episode 7, titled “Snatch Game,...

Quick LinksDisney Princess Enchanted Tales Was a Planned Series in the Early 2000sDisney Princess Sequels Tend to Be CringeworthyCinderella III: A Twist in Time Is So Bad That It’s Good

The Disney Princess brand is one of The Walt Disney Company's hottest properties, but not every one of its endeavors has been a success. Although a princess (Snow White) was the beginning of Disney feature-length animated films, centering on one doesn't always guarantee success. Sleeping Beauty, for example, did not fare well at the box office upon its first release. Still, when Disney was in its Dark Ages in the 1980s, it was another princess (Ariel) featured in The Little Mermaid that kicked off Disney's Renaissance. And so, in the early 2000s, when Disney chose to build an entire brand around its catalog of princesses, statistically, they were hedging their bets on a relatively safe property.

In 2007, Disney...

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,...

The man staring into the camera is not Pee-wee Herman. He may look a little like him, kinda sorta sound like him, have that same sly, agent-of-chaos-reporting-for-duty-sir smirk. But he is not the man in the tight gray flannel suit, the one who went from cult-figure famous to beloved by millions. “Hi, I’m Paul Reubens, on the set of the untitled Paul Reubens documentary,” he says, speaking directly into the camera. Should you think he takes this too seriously, the character actor with the impressive IMDb page launches into...

This article contains spoilers for Moana 2.

Disney has been a trusted brand for producing family-friendly all-age films. From original stories to classic fairy tales, many Disney movies are widely loved and long celebrated. Magical creatures and friendly animals make most stories less frightening despite tackling dark themes. The promise of love between a princess and a prince is also able to gloss over the disturbing truth underneath their union.

In fact, many classic Disney movies are more problematic than fans noticed. The portrayal of romance goes wrong in many movies. From Snow White to Moana 2, what seems like a magical journey about empowerment and adventure might have some very disturbing details lying in between the lines.Most Love Is Instant

Disney loves an instant love story. From Snow White to Cinderella, love at first sight is Disney's style. What's gluing two characters together is rarely explained in a Disney movie,...

Avril Lavigne was one of the biggest popstars of the 2000s, and her continued success in the industry, film and TV roles, and brand deals have all combined to give the Canadian punk rocker an eye-popping net worth. Pop and punk don't always go hand-in-hand with punk being counter-culture, and pop being mainstream, but when the combination works, some great bangers get produced. Take Avril Lavigne, the Canadian jean-wearing, hair-dyeing, boyfriend-cussing musician who owned the airwaves in the early 2000s with songs like "Complicated", "Girlfriend", and "What The Hell".

Over the course of her career, Lavigne has been nominated for 8 Grammys, set the Guinness World Record for the youngest female solo artist to top the UK chart, has had multiple Billboard top 100 hits, and is internationally famous on a level that may surprise casual fans who think the singer peaked with "Sk8er Boi" (via Sennheiser). She's been married and divorced twice,...

In the wake of the #MeToo-era, when eight women accused former TV host Charlie Rose of harassment, groping, and making lewd phone calls, Wendy Williams opened up about her own terrifying incident in the aftermath of that scandal. Recalling the time when she was groped by a guest on her chat show, Williams narrated her incident.

Wendy Williams on The Wendy Williams Show | image: Fox

While maintaining the anonymity of the guest, Wendy Williams recalled being unexpectedly groped by the star while greeting. Claiming to be baffled by the incident, from early on in her career, Williams asserted that her fans and viewers were well aware of who she was implying to.

Wendy Williams’ Inappropriate Experience with a Guest on Her Show

Although Wendy Williams is currently battling dementia, she was once hailed as a pop culture phenomenon for presenting hot topics on her daytime television show. Known for her...

Gilbert Gottfried began doing stand-up at 15 and continued performing until he died in 2022 at the age of 67. Throughout all that time, though, he never released a comedy album of original material. As his widow, Dara Gottfried, explains to me, “I nagged Gilbert for 20 years to put out an album of his original material, but Gilbert never updated his act — he was still doing jokes about Molly Ringwald, O.J. Simpson and Gary Coleman. He was afraid that, if people could hear an album of his material, they wouldn’t go see his live shows.”

But after Gilbert’s untimely passing from myotonic dystrophy type 2, a rare disease that causes muscle weakness and dysfunction, Dara decided the moment was finally right for that album. With the help of Gottfried’s friends Penn Jillette, Jeff Ross and several others, she released Still Screaming earlier this month, the profits from which go to the...

While he began his career telling jokes about frozen garbage pastries, Jim Gaffigan has since become a solid dramatic actor. Recently, he starred in the surreal indie dramedy Linoleum, and before that, he appeared in not one, not two, but three different Law & Order series, for five episodes total.

The TV procedural empire has frequently given comedians opportunities to take on more series roles, including Kathy Griffin, Martin Short and Gilbert Gottfried, who popped up in two episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, playing an NYPD technical wiz opposite fellow guest star Adam Driver.

Gaffigan guest starred in two episodes of the original Law & Order, one episode of Law & Order: Svu and two episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. And he played different characters in each one, thus destroying the believability of the Law & Order-verse.

The most prominent episode of the bunch for Gaffigan...

Gilbert Gottfried has one of the most recognizable voices of anyone in the last few decades, and before he passed, he lent that memorable voice to numerous beloved TV shows, movies, and comedy specials, netting himself an impressive net worth. Some movie and TV fans may not recognize the name Gilbert Gottfried immediately, but they'll certainly know exactly who he is once they hear just a handful of his roles. He was Iago in Aladdin, Digit in Cyberchase, Sidney Bernstein in Beverly Hills Cop II, and on SNL. Gottfried had his hand in many different pots.

Born on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, Gilbert Gottfried began his career on stage as a comedian and quickly made his way to TV, becoming a cast member on SNL for the 1980-1981 season. After 10 years of dating Dara Kravits, he married her in 2007 and the pair had two children soon after, Lily...

Comedian Gilbert Gottfried’s hilarious career featured multiple instances of the comic sticking his foot in his mouth. He practically invented “too soon!” comedy with his 9/11 jokes at Hugh Hefner’s roast only three weeks after September 11th. That got him in hot water, but the jokes that really cost him money came in 2011 after an earthquake disaster in Japan.

Twitter was still relatively new then, and Gottfried took to the platform to share 12 jaw-dropping jokes in the aftermath of the tragic tsunami. He shocked social media with punchlines like:

“Japan is really advanced. They don’t go to the beach. The beach comes to them.”“Japan called me. They said ‘Maybe those jokes are a hit in the US, but over here, they’re all sinking.’”

The scandalous punchlines didn’t sit well with Aflac, the company that employed Gottfried as the voice of its duck mascot. Consider that...

With its 50th season currently airing, Saturday Night Live has seen its share of ups, downs and humiliations. It, too, has seen well over 150 cast members take the stage throughout its history, and that includes plenty that you either forgot about or had no idea were even on SNL. We’re talking people like Gilbert Gottfried, Laurie Metcalf, Joan Cusack, Julia Louis-Dreyfus – you probably could have guessed these were all in the ‘80s…Far removed from her brutal days on SNL in the mid-’80s, Louis-Dreyfus remembers where it all started – and not in a good way.

Appearing on the Wiser Than Me podcast, Julia Louis-Dreyfus recalled being spotted at a Chicago-based theater and being invited, along with what she called fellow “complete and total unknowns”, to perform part of the show in New York. Unfortunately, the setting and circumstances didn’t lend to the environment Louis-Dreyfus and company were...

There are quite a few famous faces who appeared on Saturday Night Live for a limited number of episodes: Ben Stiller, Gilbert Gottfried, Damon Wayans…Whether they bailed, were let go or decided to try to tank the show mid-air, they all have that distinction of having at least made it to Studio 8H. But few – that is, just two – people were hired but never got the chance to enter the famed studio. One of these sorta-kinda SNL cast members is Shane Gillis, who was hired in 2019 but fired after racist and homophobic statements he made resurfaced. Now, Lorne Michaels is standing by Gillis, pinning the blame on his firing on the network.

Speaking with The Wall Street Journal, Lorne Michaels admitted that Shane Gillis was in the wrong but that it maybe shouldn’t have cost him his spot on SNL. “He said something stupid, but it got blown...

Cullen Bunn Releases Three New Tales Of Terror: "Outer Shadows and Outland Entertainment are proud to present three new one-shot horror stories from Cullen Bunn, Diogo Carvalho, Luay Garwan, and Eman Casallos. The Kickstarter campaign for Cullen Bunn’S Triple Threat Of Terror launches before Halloween. The campaign will fund three single issue one-shots to be published by Outland Entertainment.

The three one-shots include The Window, Long Pig & Azrael, and Death Duel With The Chainsaw Witches.

Outer Shadows is thrilled to present Cullen’s Terror Triple-Threat, a special, horror-filled campaign introducing three different one-shot Tales of Terror, written by master of horror comics Cullen Bunn and illustrated by an exciting rogue’s gallery of artists.

The Window, illustrated by Luay Garwan with colors by Paul Little and letters by Shannon Potratz, follows a family who moves into a new home… only to discover that one window looks out onto...

Movie roles have been written around specific actors, potentially before or after that actor has signed a contract. When several actors turned down roles that would have changed Hollywood, it is possible that the screenwriter wrote a movie with a certain actor in mind but could only hope to be able to cast them. However, when these hopes are realized, or they agree to play the part ahead of time, the movie may spectacularly demonstrate how the writers leaned into a famous actor's strengths.

Some modern directors who still need to win Oscars demonstrate such amazing casting tastes, perfectly envisioning megastars as key characters from the earliest stages of writing. This extends to some characters in the best animated Disney movies when the producers have someone with a recognizable, dynamic voice in mind to bring to life the studio's next iconic character. The result is often that audiences believe a...

When Bridesmaids director Paul Feig was an up-and-coming stand-up comic, getting a chance — any chance — to perform at the Improv was a big deal. But some nights were easier to get on stage than others. “I got sabotaged by Robin Williams a couple of times when I finally got to be a performer at The Improv,” he said.

Sabotaged by Robin Williams? What was he doing, throwing spitballs during Feig’s set? Nothing that nefarious, Feig told Jesse Tyler Ferguson on the Dinner’s on Me podcast. As a comedian early in his career, Feig rarely got stage time until later in the evening. “I remember once it was my time to get up, and there was a full audience,” he said. “I was so excited, and they come up like, ‘Oh, Robin just wants to get up and do a quick set first.’”

Uh-oh. “Robin Williams” and “quick set...

In most ways, Gilbert Gottfried was always behind the times. On his podcast, he obsessed over old movies, and up until his death in 2022, his stand-up act still contained jokes about long-dead character actors like Ben Gazzara and impressions of an elderly Groucho Marx. There’s at least one example, though, of Gottfried being ahead of the curve, and that was when he appeared on the seventh season of The Celebrity Apprentice in January 2015.

Other funny people had competed on The Celebrity Apprentice before him, but no one so clearly gave exactly zero fucks about it. In a baking competition where he had to wear rubber gloves, he offered Geraldo Rivera a prostate exam, and later, he told dirty jokes to the executives of a frozen yogurt company, all to the chagrin of the insufferably self-serious Ian Ziering (who clearly couldn’t stand Gottfried).

Until his firing in the third episode,...

To the joy of comedy fans, and the horror of families who were just looking for a nice cartoon about jazz-playing felines, the 2005 documentary The Aristocrats delved into the history of the notoriously filthy joke about a family pitching a vulgar stage show to a talent agent. While we all know the punchline — “The Aristocrats!” — it’s the uniquely grotesque nuances of each comedian’s version that makes the movie so interesting.

The Aristocrats featured interviews with some of the biggest names in comedy — from Chris Rock, to Sarah Silverman, to George Carlin. Also Carrot Top. But the most memorable version of the joke was probably the one told by the late Gilbert Gottfried. Note: The clip is not safe for work, unless you work in the talent agency from the joke.

One celebrity you won’t see in the movie is Chevy Chase, which is odd because Chase is...

When some fans hear the name of Jay Pharoah’s new YouTube special Jared, they ask a simple question: “Who’s Jared?”

“A lot of people didn’t even know that was my real damn name,” Pharoah laughs when we talked about his comedy career this week. “‘Who’s Jared?’ Shut up. Okay, it’s me. Jared is me. Jared is just a metaphor for everything that people haven’t really gotten a chance to see. You can just expect the tumultuous trail of life that I’ve been going on in this past decade.”

The special, which premieres September 22nd, is “free for everybody to see. You don’t need a subscription. You can watch it anywhere,” he tells me. “I want y’all to enjoy it — growing-up stories, some pop-culture references in there, it’s pretty much a buffet of comedy.”

Get amped for Jared with Pharoah’s...

Olivia, a 21-year-old college student, was sitting in an English class at her Minnesota school last week when her professor began talking about the challenges in writing about traumatic events. But when he used 9/11 as an example, and described to the class how hectic things seemed that day, she realized just how she felt — or rather, didn’t feel — about the attacks. “Being terminally online is wild [because] someone mentioned 9/11 in my class today and I genuinely forgot that not everyone thinks it’s funny now,” she subsequently wrote in a...

Going into the documentary “From Darkness to Light,” most reasonably well-informed movie fans would know three things about “The Day the Clown Cried,” the Jerry Lewis Holocaust movie that is the subject of this doc: It was ahead of its time, it was never finished and it probably wasn’t any good.

Coming out of “From Darkness to Light,” which premiered on Sunday at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival, you’d likely know the same three things, but at least you’d have more context and more evidence that Lewis’ legendary but unseen film is indeed a bad movie. There aren’t any real revelations in the doc, just the sad and tangled story of a questionable idea being undermined by creative choices, business conflicts and a comic icon’s determination to bury something that embarrassed him.

At one point early in the film, Lewis, in a conversation described as...

When I was growing up in the ’80s and ’90s, there were a good number of hosted movie shows to choose from. There was, of course, Elvira. On a local channel, I could watch movies that were presented by the duo of Big Chuck and Lil’ John. On The Movie Channel and later TNT, I could watch drive-in critic Joe Bob Briggs host movies. From 1989 to 1998, USA Network aired a hosted movie show on Friday and Saturday nights that was called USA Up All Night, and I regularly tuned in for that. Programming tweaks were made here and there over the years, but for the most part USA Up All Night consisted of three movies that would air from 11 pm to 5 am. Gilbert Gottfried hosted USA Up All Night on Saturday nights, and on January 4, 1991, comedian/B-movie actress Rhonda Shear took over from Caroline Schlitt as the host of the Friday night edition.

Gilbert Gottfried blew it. His job squawking “Af-lac!” on insurance commercials was one of the cushiest gigs around, earning him big paychecks for easy afternoons of voice-over work. He lost the gig in 2011, however, when he took to Twitter to make jokes about a Japanese earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Reminiscent of his 9/11 jokes that practically invented the term “too soon,” Gottfried unleashed one-liners like “I just split up with my girlfriend, but like the Japanese say, ‘They’ll be another one floating by any minute now.’”

Despite an eventual apology, Gottfried’s gags were a step too far for Aflac, which didn’t want its duck associated with such insensitivity. Japan accounted for about 75 percent of Aflac’s business, so the breakup with Gottfried was understandable. But it meant the insurer needed a new duck voice, prompting a casting call that saw more than 12,000 people competing to quack for Aflac.

Summer is winding to a close, though the blistering sun has not yet received the memo. That means the final days of vacationing or summer road trips are in order. Of course, horror has taught us the myriad of ways that the open road can induce abject terror and stress; flat tires are the least of your summer worries in horror.

Films like The Hitcher, Near Dark, and Splinter highlight how car troubles, creepy rest stops, and seedy motels don’t compare to humanity’s worst- human or otherwise- prowling the highways.

This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to road trip horror movies. These five titles exploit our travel anxieties by pitting their protagonists against vampires, cannibals, psychopaths, and the devil himself over vast stretches of highway.

Here’s where you can stream them this week.

For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.

Blood Relatives – AMC+, Shudder...

While it’s mostly been embraced by nostalgia-drunk Ghostbusters fans today, Ghostbusters II was generally regarded as a disappointment when it was initially released in 1989, with the primary complaint being that it followed the beats of the first movie way too closely.

Both films conclude with a citywide ghost invasion that requires the Ghostbusters to fight a giant monster — the first time it was the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, the second was the Statue of Liberty. The Ghostbusters are also locked up in both movies — in the first, they’re thrown in jail; in the second, they’re placed in a psychiatric institute. And finally, the Ghostbusters are disrespected by the city in both movies, which makes no sense in the sequel since they just saved everyone in the first film.

There was, however, one deleted scene from the sequel that would have made it utterly unlike the first film:...

Punkie Johnson’s departure from Saturday Night Live this week is the latest evidence that, more often than not, stand-up comics have a hard time making the transition to sketch comedy. Bill Murray called it. “Nowadays there’s probably more stand-ups that end up on the show, sort of more individual guys, than there used to be,” he says in SNL oral history Live From New York. “They’re individually good, but they maybe don’t have that particular skill or training or as much experience in that area.”

“That area” is sketch comedy. That’s why so many of the show’s all-time great cast members — John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Phil Hartman, Chris Farley, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Kristin Wiig, Kenan Thompson and Bill Hader, to name a few — came to the show from a sketch comedy background, often trained at Second City or the Groundlings. In Murray’s view,...

Animorphs was an adaptation of a '90s book series. Nickelodeon had a crack at adapting Animorphs, but to this day remains controversial. Looking back at Nickelodeon's live-action sci-fi series, it questions if it deserves its infamous status.

The late 1990s were an ambitious and strange time for Nickelodeon's lineup, yet Animorphs should've been their darkest live-action show. Nickelodeon wasn't hesitant to explore dark and complex stories, as seen in Invader Zim, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, and Hey Arnold!. Reflecting on shows where aliens harvest organs from children, Gilbert Gottfried dispels morbid curiosity about death, and mental health takes center stage; it's baffling that Nickelodeon's adaptation of Animorphs deviated so radically from its source material. This raises questions about what got lost in translation, the era in which Animorphs aired, and whether the TV adaptation warranted the controversy that continues to haunt the series.

A staple of countless...

Add Beck Bennett to the list of Saturday Night Live stars populating superhero movies. James Gunn recently announced that Bennett would appear in his new Superman film as Steve Lombard, a loudmouthed sportswriter who lives to torment Clark Kent.

Bennett is just the latest SNL star to find his way into the Marvel and DC cinematic universes, too. Here are other SNL vets who suited up for super action…

1 Robert Downey Jr.

The undisputed king of this list, Downey spent a tortured year as an SNL cast member when he was only 21. “I learned so much in that year about what I wasn’t,” he told the Off-Camera Show’s Sam Jones. “I was not somebody who was going to do impressions. I was somebody who was very ill-suited for rapid-fire sketch comedy.”

Play

Downey rebounded from his SNL failures (and other ‘80s and ‘90s misadventures) before becoming the...

The Greater Philadelphia area’s new non-profit horror organization dedicated to supporting indie horror, Delco Horror Haven, hosted their second film premiere event this past Saturday with the screening of Porch Pirate. This is the first full-length feature film from the Philly-based Baby Goblin Productions.

Porch Pirate tells the story of young, low-rent thief Bobby, who is duped into stealing packages from the houses of unsuspecting families in the suburbs by his friend and literal partner-in-crime Ray (Geoff Colella). Ray presents his business as “legitimate,” and Bobby goes along with it although the gig is obviously illegal and both are on parole. The duo’s racket is to sell their stolen goods to shady local pawn shop owner Mike, who takes advantage of them by buying for a fraction of the items’ worth—like every pawn shop dealer in the history of pawn shopping.

After failing to steal some packages,...

New animated projects were just announced at Annecy, and a Regular Show series is among them. While details are scarce, it's been confirmed that a Regular Show revival is officially in the works.

Per Variety, a new Regular Show series from J.G. Quintel was announced alongside Craig McCrakcen's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends spinoff. They join two other animated shows, including a new Aventure Time series and Side Quests. A Scooby-Doo reboot series with anime-style animation was also announced at Annecy.

Related The Best Old Cartoon Network Shows of All Time

Cartoon Network shows like Adventure Time, Johnny Bravo and Dexter's Laboratory are more iconic thanks to their unique humor and amazing characters.

The Regular Show revival isn't yet officially titled, but it is in development for a release on Cartoon Network. No story details have been divulged, and it isn't officially confirmed if Mordecai and Rigby will return as the main characters.

Jenny Mollen’s and Jason Biggs’ next date night will likely capture more attention than usual.

The actors, husband and wife, on Saturday will attempt to revive a cable-tv mainstay for decidedly new purposes. When “Dinner & A Movie” debuted on TBS in 1995, it did so in an era when cable had yet to gain its fullest traction. A male-and-female duo gabbed and quibbled about movies such as “Breakfast Club” or “Fargo” and scarfed up gourmet snacks before throwing to a commercial. In return, executives hoped, viewers would stick around longer than they might otherwise. In 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery, TBS’ corporate parent, wants to use a retooled version of the show — off the air since 2011 — to throw a spotlight on everything from the company’s movies to the chefs from its Food Network.

When Biggs and Mollen watch “Aquaman,” they will do so accompanied by a seafood extravaganza created by a popular Food Network personality,...

Villains and heroes are part and parcel of Disney movies, as they lead the main plot line. While some protagonists use their brute strength to defeat the antagonist, there are also a number of heroes who steal the limelight by being the most intelligent and able to use their smart minds to outwit their enemies.

As previously mentioned, there are times when strength or the ability to fight comes in handy. For example, the Beast from Beauty and the Beast is faced with fighting Gaston and an army of villagers, which requires him to use violence. A smart mind can be just as useful when plotting against another character. Having said that, intelligence isn't only measured by the ability to defeat someone else. There are other heroes who are proven to be super smart in how they wish to live their lives.

Aladdin Didn't Want Jafar to Take Over Jasmine's...

Gilbert Gottfried's offensive tweets about the 2011 Japan tragedy cost him the Aflac Duck role, leading to his termination by the company. Aflac conducted a nationwide casting call to replace Gottfried, with Daniel McKeague eventually chosen to voice the iconic mascot. Despite being fired, Gottfried apologized while McKeague now maintains the Aflac Duck's humor and distinctiveness in advertising.

Aflac, a prominent American insurance company, is widely recognized for its iconic mascot, the Aflac Duck, which was voiced by the iconic Gilbert Gottfried before he was fired in 2011. Introduced in 2000, the Aflac Duck quickly became a beloved symbol of the brand, known for its loud quacking of the companys name in a distinctive, humorous voice. The mascot helped Aflac establish a unique identity and significantly boosted its market presence, making the duck an integral part of the company's advertising campaigns.

Though not Gilbert Gottfried's real voice, the comedian was famous for...

Gilbert Gottfried's unique voice was not his natural voice; it was a deliberate choice crafted for his performances. His iconic high-pitched, grating tone with vocal fry became a signature element of his comedy and acting. Revealed in a message to Howard Stern, Gottfried's real voice was calm, ordinary, and devoid of his shrill persona.

Gilbert Gottfried was a beloved comedian and actor renowned for his unique comedic style and distinctive voice, but that wasn't his natural voice. Born on February 28, 1955, in Brooklyn, New York, Gottfried began his career in stand-up comedy at the age of 15, quickly making a name for himself with his abrasive humor and fearless delivery. Over the decades, he became a staple in the comedy world, known for his unapologetic and often controversial jokes. His career spanned various forms of media, from television and film to voice acting, where his unmistakable voice became his trademark.

Gottfried...

Disney villains are an essential part of the studio's movies, with some of them taking the form of animals. There are a number of notable human villains that have a huge impact on the films. The likes of Captain Hook from Peter Pan or Governor Ratcliffe from Pocahontas have all made their mark as the worst villains, inflicting suffering on the movies' protagonists.

However, the villainous animals that are also part of many a Disney movie are just as scary (if not more so) as the human characters. They all had different abilities that would help them achieve their goals, or assist those that they were a sidekick to. Some of them may have appeared to be cute animals, but they weren't to be underestimated.

Iago Was a Confident Parrot

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A kind-hearted street urchin and a power-hungry Grand Vizier vie for...

Some casting choices improved Disney movies, while others saved them from complete obscurity. Robin Williams as Genie and Eddie Murphy as Mushu stand out as the most iconic parts of Aladdin and Mulan. Dwayne Johnson as Maui and Idina Menzel as Elsa were exactly what was needed for certain musical numbers to have the biggest impact.

Disney has made many casting choices that saved or at least improved some of the studio's movies. In some cases, the Disney movie was likely headed for success before a specific actor was brought on board, due to a strong story and a soundtrack destined to become famous. Then, when a future iconic Dinsey voice actor known for other projects was cast, they drew additional attention to the movie with their previous fame and proved to be one of the best parts of the final product.

On the other hand, some average or under-the-radar...

When Adam Sandler made his television debut as Stud Boy and the Trivia Delinquent on MTV's influential game show "Remote Control," he did not exude an all-ages appeal. He was an unassuming goofball: funny, yes, but in a dorky way that augured a career as, at best, a supporting comedic performer. If he played his cards right, he could have Gilbert Gottfried's movie and television career.

Like Gottfried, Sandler became a Not Ready for Prime Time Player on "Saturday Night Live." Unlike Gottfried, he didn't get canned after his first season. By the early 1990s, he was one of the show's breakout stars. He built on his success via a pair of platinum comedy albums ("They're All Gonna Laugh at You" and "What the Hell Happened to Me?"), and proved he could carry a movie with 1995's "Billy Madison." The critics loathed him, but teens and twentysomethings dug his unrepentantly juvenile humor.

Superman: The Animated Series crafted iconic DC villains like Lex Luthor to perfection. The show's maturity in writing and voice performances resonated with fans. Characters like Livewire and Toyman were given depth and complexity in their portrayals.

Superman: The Animated Series featured a swathe of classic DC villains, many of which were depicted to absolute perfection. Superman: The Animated Series was part of the DC Animated Universe, following the immensely popular Batman: The Animated Series. Bringing the iconic Man of Steel to life, Superman: The Animated Series boasted several incredible episodes featuring some of the most compelling depictions of Superman's infamous Rogues' Gallery.

Superman: The Animated Series first aired on The WB from 1996 until 2000. Like Batman: Tas, Superman: The Animated Series was praised for its maturity, writing, and voice performances - including Clancy Brown and Gilbert Gottfried. Modernizing Superman and his comic book lore, the DC animated show included some...

Exclusive: Marcello Hernandez has signed with Lbi Entertainment.

Hernandez is a Cuban/Dominican stand-up comedian, writer, and actor who currently performs as a featured player on Saturday Night Live. On SNL he has been featured on Weekend Update and some of the more memorable recent sketches with people such as Pedro Pascal, Bad Bunny, Ana de Armas and Jason Momoa.

Doing stand-up since he was 18 years old, he has opened for headliners such as Jo Koy, Dave Chappelle, Tim Dillon, Mark Viera, and Gilbert Gottfried. In 2020, he became a host and creative director for @onlyindade, a Miami-based account with over one million followers. In 2022 he was selected as a Just For Laughs New Face of Comedy. Starting in 2023 he can be seen in commercial campaigns for T Mobile and Nissan.

He continues to be repped by CAA and attorney Patti Felker...

When Morgan Jay was cast on a prime-time TV show, he thought he’d finally gotten his big break.

A musical comic since 2007, Jay was sure his 2019 multi-episode appearance on NBC’s Bring the Funny would take his career from long nights and low pay to ticket sales and maybe even the hour-long comedy special of his dreams. While singing about the intricacies of modern dating and strumming along on guitar made fans of judges Chrissy Teigen and Kenan Thompson, it didn’t even “move the needle” on his career,...

Friends, castmates and fans are sharing their remembrances of and tributes to Richard Lewis, the beloved comedian and longtime Curb Your Enthusiasm actor who died Tuesday at 76.

Lewis was part of the raft of comedians who broke through during the 1980s and gained fame as stand-up comedy began to flood cable TV later that decade and into the ’90s. His contemporaries included Jerry Seinfeld, Paul Reiser, Ellen DeGeneres, Ray Romano, Sinbad, Gilbert Gottfried, Rita Rudner, Larry Miller, Paula Poundstone, George Wallace, Elayne Boosler, Carol Leifer and many more.

Related: Remembering Richard Lewis: A Career In Photos

Lewis probably was best known for recurring on his longtime friend Larry David’s HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, playing himself as David’s neurotic, often needy longtime best pal.

Related: Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2024: Photo Gallery & Obituaries

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