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Saturday Night Live feels more important than ever heading into season 50. The show is coming off a pretty weak season, and it will be forced to juggle the Presidential election along with the anniversary of the show's premiere in 1975.

SNL biographer James Andrew Miller claimed that season 50 will be the show's "toughest" yet, so it makes sense that Lorne Michaels and company would want to bring in fresh talent. Vulture confirmed that three writers have been brought on to make their debuts in the upcoming season.

SNL's new writers have years of TV experience Saturday Night Live -- Pictured: "Saturday Night Live" Key Art -- (Photo by: NBCUniversal)

The pedigree of these writers is undeniably impressive. There's Moss Pericone, who previously wrote for Velma and Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, as well as Carl Tart, who co-hosts the Flagrant podcast opposite Andrew Schulz. He also wrote episodes for the short-lived sitcom Kenan,...

The 2024 Emmy category Best Original Music and Lyrics could be completely dominated by “Saturday Night Live,” as the late night staple has submitted eight songs on the ballot for Season 49. Led by music director Eli Brueggemann and music producer Jake Procanik (Jp), this year’s catchy and satirical entries include Maya Rudolph‘s “Mother’s Day Monologue,” Ryan Gosling‘s “Get That Boy Back” featuring Chris Stapleton, and “Dune Popcorn Bucket” from the Ayo Edebiri-hosted episode. See the complete list below.

Note that “Saturday Night Live” has already won this specific race three times before, for the songs “Dick in a Box” (2007), “Justin Timberlake Monologue” (2011) and “Come Back Barack” (2018). Will the 2024 Emmys bring the long-running program yet another golden statuette for Best Original Music and Lyrics?

The nine other “SNL” tunes nominated through the years are “Motherlover” (2009), “Shy Ronnie” (2010), “I Just Had Sex” (2011), “Jack Sparrow” (2011), “3-Way (The Golden Rule...

Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including events for Ripley, Civil War and Monkey Man.

Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces premiere

Steve Martin was joined by Selena Gomez, Jimmy Fallon, Diane Sawyer, Richard Kind and Finn Wittrock at the New York premiere of his new Apple TV+ documentary on March 29.

Selena Gomez and Steve Martin Director Morgan Neville, Steve Martin and Jimmy Fallon

Civil War special screening

After debuting Civil War at SXSW, writer-director Alex Garland and stars Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Jesse Plemons and Nick Offerman screened the film in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Alex Garland, Nick Offerman, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Jojo T. Gibbs

Ripley premiere

Andrew Scott and Dakota Fanning joined creator Steven Zaillian at the Los Angeles premiere of their new Netflix series on Wednesday.

Some episodes are tougher than others for cast members to get air time on, Saturday Night Live cast member Ego Nwodim reveals in a new SNL Sketch Rewind video.

That apparently was the case for the Dec. 17, 2023 SNL featuring guest host and SNL legend Kate McKinnon.

However, Nwomdim managed to get her “Rich Auntie with No Kids” onto that episode’s Weekend Update segment, and she quickly became one of the most memorable characters of Season 49.

“She’s very cocky. She’s annoying, but fun,” remarked Nwodim. “You kind of hate her, but you love her.”

Nwodim explained she wrote the sketch with SNL staffers Asha Ward, Gary Richardson, and Alex English.

“I texted them when I found out we were getting to do it on Friday, and I asked, ‘What look do we want?’,” said Nwodim. “And Asha [Ward] sends back a picture of Kris Jenner dressed exactly like...

After Writers Guild of America waged a protest regarding the Television Academy‘s decision to move the outstanding writing for a variety series or special categories out of the upcoming Emmy telecast, the TV Academy has reversed course.

In a joint release sent out today, the Television Academy, Fox and the WGA said they were “happy to announce they have reached an agreement to include the Writing for a Variety Series category in the 75th Emmy Awards telecast airing live on Fox on January 15, 2024, at 8pm Est / 5pm Pst.”

Because this year’s Primetime Emmys has moved the variety special (live) category into the telecast (it was on the Creative Arts show last year), the TV Academy was likely looking to keep the telecast capped at 25 awards, so something had to fall out. And in this case, it was the variety writing field that originally got pushed to the Creative Arts ceremony.

The second season of the Max Original comedy sketch show “That Damn Michael Che” will debut on Thursday, May 26 with all six episodes, HBO announced on Tuesday.

In the trailer, also released on Tuesday, Che has to tell his “Saturday Night Live Weekend Update” co-host Colin Jost, who’s heading straight for the omelet bar, that he’s at an all-Black breakfast event.

Each episode focuses on a single topical theme, like religion. In the clip, Che is less than thrilled when the pilot (David Alan Grier) on his flight instructs everyone to say, “Jesus, take the wheel.” “Shouldn’t the pilot be taking the wheel?” the comic asks his seatmate.

As Che also tells his audience during a stand-up routine, “Talking to god is like getting your therapist’s answering machine. Hey god, it’s me again. I don’t know if you’re getting these.”

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I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson is not going anywhere. Netflix has renewed the sketch comedy show for a third season. Debuting in 2019, the series' awkward and surreal sketches often revolve around someone making an embarrassing mistake in public and then trying to work their way out of them. Robinson stars and has been joined by actors like Patti Harrison, Gary Richardson, Sam Richardson, Conner O'Malley, Tim Heidecker, Brandon Wardell, and Shawntay Dalon.

Read More…...

The Amber Ruffin Show and A Black Lady Sketch Show have both secured Emmy writing noms for the first time – noticeably helping to improve the diversity of the category.

The Peacock series and the HBO show will compete in Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series against HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and NBC’s SNL.

A somewhat curious note of this category is that Ashley Nicole Black will compete against herself, having been involved in writing on both The Amber Ruffin Show and A Black Lady Sketch Show.

It marks The Amber Ruffin Show’s first Emmy nomination since the weekly show launched last year. However, it is not Ruffin herself’s first nom, having been nominated in this category for her work, alongside her head writer Jenny Hagel, on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

The Amber Ruffin Show is...

Netflix has shared a full trailer for the upcoming second season of Tim Robinson’s celebrated sketch series, I Think You Should Leave, arriving July 6th.

The clip features snippets of sketches populated by the same kind of overzealous weirdos that defined Season One. Among the characters Robinson plays are a guy who manages to get a hot dog stuck in his throat, one who demands someone hold the door for him in the most threatening voice imaginable, and a third who uses an excessive amount of profanity to inquire...

Netflix debuted one of 2019’s most critically acclaimed comedies in “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson,” and the streaming service’s follow-up is nearly here. Netflix released the trailer for the sophomore season of the comedy show on Tuesday morning, and it’s as filled with all the off-the-wall humor you’ve come to expect. Season 2 will premiere July 6 on Netflix.

You can also get a glimpse at a few of Season 2’s guest stars, which include Bob Odenkirk, Brooks Wheelan, Gary Richardson, John Early, Julia Butters, Mike O’Brien, Patti Harrison, Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Richardson, and Tim Heidecker.

Here’s the Season 2 synopsis, per Netflix:

The critically acclaimed and hilariously absurdist sketch comedy series, “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson” returns for a second season. Creators and writers Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin bring their distinct comedy style and observational humor to the forefront,...

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jamie Ward, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Simon Harrison, Chipo Chung and Amber Fitzgerald-Woolfe have joined the third and final season of “His Dark Materials,” directed by Amit Gupta, Charles Martin and Weronika Tofilska.

The eight-episode season, which is currently in production, is based on “The Amber Spyglass,” the final novel in Philip Pullman’s bestselling trilogy.

Season 3 of “His Dark Materials” follows Lyra (Dafne Keen) and Will (Amir Wilson), the bearer of The Subtle Knife, as they travel through multiple worlds to find and protect each other.

Also starring Ruth Wilson, Simone Kirby, Will Keen, Jade Anouka, Ruta Gedminstas and James McAvoy, “His Dark Materials” is produced by Bad Wolf in association with New Line Cinema for BBC One and HBO. Executive producers include Jane Tranter, Dan McCulloch, Joel Collins and Julie Gardner for Bad Wolf; Philip Pullman, Jack Thorne, Tom Hooper; Deborah Forte, Toby Emmerich and Carolyn Blackwood for...

It looked like the movie business was making strides toward something resembling normalcy in recent weeks. Yet, that seems impossible now as Regal cinemas is closing its doors again. AMC and Cinemark will try to weather the storm but, for many of us, it's still streaming time. Luckily, there is no shortage of options for those in need of a new movie to watch this weekend.

This week sees the release of Adam Sandler's new Halloween movie on Netflix, as well as several other horror movies, including the latest from Jim Cummings. We also have a new American Pie movie, an alien invasion comedy and a movie about teenagers spontaneously combusting. Here are this week's streaming selections.

Hubie Halloween - Netflix

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Adam Sandler is back with another Netflix original movie. Hubie Halloween centers on Hubie Dubois who thanklessly spends every Halloween making sure...

Bleecker Street will release Save Yourselves! in theaters nationwide on October 2nd, 2020 and on digital October 6th, 2020. Written & Directed by Alex H. Fischer & Eleanor Wilson Starring Sunita Mani, John Reynolds, Ben Sinclair, John Early, Jo Firestone, Gary Richardson, Johanna Day, Zenobia Shroff, Amy Sedaris Jack (John Reynolds) and Su (Sunita Mani) are a …

The post The Planet Is Under Attack!

Save Yourselves!, a Bleecker Street comedy sci-fi film in which pouffes invade and seek to destroy Earth, hits theaters this fall. Written and directed by Alex H. Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, the Sundance-featured rom-com focuses on a millennial couple portrayed by John Reynolds and Sunita Mani, who head to a cabin in a bid to unplug, but instead find themselves in the midst of an invasion.

What is a pouffe? Per the trailer, they look kind of cute and unobtrusive as the couple Jack (Reynolds) and Su (Mani) observe one in their cabin.

In the first trailer for “Save Yourselves!,” a comedy sci-fi that was a Sundance darling, a young millennial couple decides to unplug from their phones and travel to a cabin upstate — only for them to be blissfully unaware when aliens invade and quickly destroy civilization.

“Save Yourselves!” stars John Reynolds and Sunita Mani as the clueless couple now working to survive the alien invasion, not to mention figure out how to even function without the help of their smartphones.

“We don’t have any skills,” Mani says in the trailer. “I’ve been wanting to Google ‘How to build a trap to catch a rabbit’ so bad,” Reynolds replies.

The good news is that the aliens in “Save Yourselves!” are all adorable little colored poof balls that look like fluffy pillows or decorations, and the couple will figure out how to survive with or without WiFi and cell reception.

“Save Yourselves!...

Bleecker Street has released a new trailer for Save Yourselves! This sci-fi/comedy may not be on everyone's radar yet, but it is poised to be the subject of much discussion when it arrives later this year. The movie made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival and was picked up for release by the folks at Bleecker Street and Legion M. Now, we are getting our first good look at what is coming down the pipeline just in time for Halloween.

The trailer opens up with a couple who has decided mutually to go off the grid for a week. To get away from technology, they decide to make use of a friend's cabin, far removed from civilized life. Things seem nice enough at first, even though they are both struggling to adapt to their rugged surroundings. As it turns out, they picked a terrible week to disconnect from...

The end credits of Saturday Night Live‘s Season 45 premiere revealed changes in the NBC series’ writing staff. Joining SNL as new writers are Dan Bulla, Dan Licata and Jasmine Pierce.

Gone from last season are Michael Koman, Alan Linic, Eli Coyote Mandel, Katie Rich and Julio Torres who has HBO series Los Espookys. Additionally Bowen Yang, who was a writer on the show last season, is now a cast member.

There is no change at the helm, with Michael Che, Colin Jost and Kent Sublette returning as head writers. The premiere end credits also listed Neal Brennan and Dave McCary who have been guest writers on SNL and were tapped for the premiere.

Here are the program’s Season 45 writing credits:

Head Writers

• Michael Che

• Colin Jost

• Kent Sublette

Supervising Writers

• Fran Gillespie

• Sudi Green

• Streeter Seidell

• Anna Drezen

Senior Writer

• Bryan Tucker

Writers

• James Anderson

• Dan Bulla

• Steven Castillo...

Friendships rarely start on terms more passive-aggressive than an intergenerational one does in “Good Posture,” writer-director Dolly Wells’ roughly drafted feature debut that manages to be just affable enough. Navigating the bookish streets of New York again after playing a kindhearted bookstore owner in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” — this time, behind the camera in present-day Brooklyn — Wells swaddles her film with her soft artistic spirit; an aura she also infused into Marielle Heller’s melancholic drama. The result is a genial slice-of-life comedy, a female-driven, late-coming-of-age tale in the tradition of Lynn Shelton’s “Laggies,” exclusively brewed and bottled among the tree-lined sidewalks of Bed-Stuy.

While sufficiently charming, “Good Posture” would have been mostly unremarkable if it weren’t for sensational “The Meyerowitz Stories” actor Grace Van Patten, who plays recent college graduate Lilian, an entitled and thoroughly privileged brat who hides her aimless existence behind her noticeable beauty.

In a Gold Derby exclusive, we have learned the category placements of the key Emmy Awards contenders for HBO. For this season, the premium network has returning champs “Game of Thrones”, “Barry” (Bill Hader), “Veep” (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), newcomers “Gentleman Jack” (Suranne Jones) and “Succession” (Brian Cox), plus limited series “Chernobyl” (Jared Harris), “Sharp Objects” (Amy Adams) and “True Detective” (Mahershala Ali) as part of their 2019 campaign.

Below, the list of HBO lead, supporting and guest submissions for their comedy, drama, TV movies and limited series. More names might be added by the network on the final Emmy ballot. Also note that performers not included on this list may well be submitted by their personal reps.

SEECarmen Ejogo Interview: ‘True Detective’

“Ballers”

Comedy Series

Comedy Actor – Dwayne Johnson

Comedy Supporting Actress – Joy Bryant, Brittany S. Hall

Comedy Supporting Actor – Russell Brand, London Brown, Donovan W. Carter, Rob Corddry, Troy Garity, Omar Miller,...

The 18th Tribeca Film Festival launches this Wednesday 24th April at New York’s iconic Apollo Theater with the world premiere of Oscar-winner Roger Ross Williams’s documentary The Apollo, which focuses on the history and legacy of that very venue. Before the 2019 edition of the festival closes on Sunday, the 5th of May with the world premiere of Danny Boyle’s comedy Yesterday, Tribeca audiences will be treated to a vast array of TV, short film, online work, narrative feature and documentary screenings, plus special musical performances, onstage talks, anniversary screenings and reunions, as well as podcasts, video games and Vr experiences.

Our man in Manhattan James Kleinmann will be at Tribeca once again for HeyUGuys and here he takes a look at this year’s full documentary and narrative feature film lineup. For the full festival schedule and to buy tickets head to the official Tribeca website.

Spotlight...

Saturday Night Live co-head writers Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider are leaving the venerable late-night sketch comedy program after six years but staying in business with the company behind it, Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video. Bryan Tucker and Kent Sublette, who worked alongside Kelly and Schneider last season, remain SNL‘s co-head writers, leading the charge starting with the Season 43 premiere tonight.

Kelly and Schneider will be focusing on a siblings comedy they have at Comedy Central. The cable network in March gave a pilot order to the project, from Kelly, Schneider and Broadway Video. The pilot has been shot and is now awaiting a series pickup. No decision has been made yet but I hear its prospects look good.

Kelly and Schneider were named SNL head writers at the beginning of last season, joining Tucker. The trio, along with Sublette, who was promoted to co-head writer in Episode 12, presided over...