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No one watched "Seinfeld" looking for likable characters — after all, if they did, they probably didn't hang around for long. But even the most dedicated fans of the sitcom needed an oasis of sanity to escape to every now and then when Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer got overly contentious or just plain unbearable. And on a show like "Seinfeld," David Puddy sometimes qualified as a pillar of sanity. Sometimes.

Played to deadpan perfection by Patrick Warburton, Puddy was an honest mechanic who loved the New Jersey Devils (a little too much) and was fond of Elaine. Elaine reciprocated this fondness, but their relationship was perpetually on the rocks. Theirs was not an ideal match — or maybe it was. Maybe these two worked best in on-again/off-again pairings, in which case they were meant to be together when they were together and vice versa. In any event, when it came to volatility,...

The overarching story of "Gilligan's Island" is, upon a moment of reflection, surprisingly nihilistic. Sherwood Schwartz's whimsical 1964 sitcom may take place in a cartoon-like universe where no one is really desperate, starving, or unclean, but it also takes place in a world where hope cannot thrive. At the beginning of every episode, the seven stranded castaways are presented with the opportunity to escape the island and return home. They become joyous and hopeful. Then a cataclysm occurs, usually at the bumbling hands of the clueless Gilligan (Bob Denver), and their opportunity is squandered. The castaways are stranded for another week, their prison sentence essentially extended. Hope becomes despair, again and again, creeping into this petty pace from day to day, to the last syllable of recorded time.

Sisyphus would relate.

"Gilligan's Island," however, offsets its despair with an unshakeable sense of whimsy. The show's characters may have eternally been pushing a boulder uphill,...

Saturday Night, Jason Reitman’s movie about the frantic behind-the-scenes rush to mount the first ever episode of Saturday Night Live, just screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. It received a “rapturous response” from audiences, further stoking rumors that it could be a potential Oscar contender, and presumably inspiring hundreds of aspiring screenwriters to begin work on scripts about the early days of MadTV.

Saturday Night is very much a “print the legend” type of movie, crammed full of infamous SNL anecdotes, often at the expense of the facts. Although, as Reitman admitted during the film’s introduction, there wasn’t always an objective truth to draw from. After interviewing “every living person we could find who was in the building on October 11, 1975, from Lorne (Michaels) to NBC pages,” Reitman and his writing partner Gil Kenan discovered that all of the stories “contradicted each other.”

This version of the...

Elderly television viewers in the 1980s and '90s had an amazing Hollywood ally in Dean Hargrove.

The small-screen veteran got his start in the 1960s as a writer for "My Three Sons" and "The Bob Newhart Show" (the unsuccessful precursor to the wildly successful 1970s sitcom of the same name), and received credit for some of the best episodes of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." He wrote on arguably the greatest mystery series to ever air on network TV (we're not arguing if you read that passage and immediately thought "Columbo"), and kept Dennis Weaver employed as a producer on "McCloud."

But his most lasting impact on the medium was his 1985 - 2002 run as the producer of such old-people-go-a-sleuthin' shows as the "Perry Mason" television movies, "Jake and the Fatman," "The Father Dowling Mysteries," "Diagnosis: Murder" and the grandpappy of them all, "Matlock."

Hargrove's genius was turning America's favorite TV...

Pioneering tap dancer and singer Arthur Duncan, celebrated for his time on The Lawrence Welk Show and The Betty White Show, passed away earlier this month at the age of 97. The Washington Post reported the news on January 17, that the dancer had died on January 4 at a care center in Moreno Valley, California. According to his wife, Carole Carbone, his cause of death was a stroke and pneumonia. She also noted that he was still searching for his next gig and was “performing until the end.” Duncan was best known for being one of the first African American regulars on a TV variety show, joining The Betty White Show in 1954. At a time when segregation was still common, some viewers attempted to get him fired, but Betty White wouldn’t allow it. Everett Collection He broke barriers during his debut on The Betty White Show, which was originally programmed to air only in Los Angeles.

Target Lady (Saturday Night Live)

Kristen Wiig started playing the talkative cashier in sketch shows at The Groundlings Theatre, and included the character on her SNL audition tape. When the character debuted on the show in 2005, it was a breakout moment for Wiig, and Target Lady would appear on the show nine times. But even though the audition tape clearly did its job getting her on the show and giving her her first standout role, Wiig refuses to watch it. “I’ve never even seen the tape that they sent in, because I don’t like watching myself. You never think they’re going to say yes,” she told The New York Times in 2013.

Gilly (Saturday Night Live)

Love her or hate her, the mischievous elementary schooler is one of Wiig’s most recognizable SNL characters. Gilly has a habit of disrupting class in elaborate and violent ways and only...

Ray Milland produces, directs and stars in this odd, forgotten travelogue / adventure / romance /crime tale filmed in Portugal’s beautiful capital. Claude Rains is magnificent, Maureen O’Hara is okay and relative newcomer Yvonne Furneaux is a knockout. Most remembered is Nelson Riddle’s adaptation of the film’s title theme, one of the most admired pop instrumentals of the 1950s. Filmed in Republic’s ‘Naturama’ and ‘Trucolor,’ both of which prompt plenty of fuzzy man Savant-‘splaining.

Lisbon

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1956 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 90 min. / Street Date November 6, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Ray Milland, Maureen O’Hara, Claude Rains, Yvonne Furneaux, Francis Lederer, Percy Marmont, Jay Novello, Edward Chapman, Harold Jamieson, Robie Lester.

Cinematography: Jack Marta (Naturama and Trucolor)

Film Editor: Richard L. Van Enger

Original Music: Nelson Riddle

Written by John Tucker Battle, story by Martin Rackin

Associate-Produced and Directed by R. Milland

Lisbon is one...

Tilda Swinton is one of our finest living actors. Her performances have won her an Academy Award, a BAFTA, a European Film Award, and many more. She’s appeared in performance art pieces in the Museum Of Modern Art and elsewhere. She’s a fashion icon and has collaborated on high-fashion lines. She founded a film festival. She’s one of the most recognizable faces in cinema. So let’s just take a moment and think to ourselves, “Damn, Tilda, you look like someone who is still irritated The Lawrence Welk Show isn’t airing any new episodes.”

Tilda Swinton unrecognisable on set of #Suspiria https://t.co/RM2Z5n8MlN pic.twitter.com/c8kbNLkmzg

— Suspiria_MOVIE (@Suspiria_MOVIE) March 3, 2017

No, it’s not just how she looks now after enduring a Marvel press junket for Doctor Strange. Swinton is in costume for her newest film, a remake...

There’s an old adage in sports: “That’s why you play the game.” It means that on paper, certain outcomes seem guaranteed, whereas in reality results can be surprising. I’d apply that adage to last night’s Saturday Night Live. Was it inconceivable that an Ariana Grande-led show would be great? No, but if you were a betting person, you might not have placed a lot of money on that wager. A solid pop star? Sure! Someone well-equipped to execute one of the more difficult tasks in televised entertainment?...

There's an old adage in sports: "That's why you play the game." It means that on paper, certain outcomes seem guaranteed, whereas in reality results can be surprising. I'd apply that adage to last night's Saturday Night Live. Was it inconceivable that an Ariana Grande-led show would be great? No, but if you were a betting person, you might not have placed a lot of money on that wager. A solid pop star? Sure! Someone well-equipped to execute one of the more difficult tasks in televised entertainment? Well, the jury was out.

Lynn Anderson has passed away. The country music hitmaker died on July 30 at the age of 67 at Nashville's Vanderbilt Medical Center, according to a statement from her rep. Anderson, who is best known for her Grammy award-winning single "Rose Garden," is survived by her father Casey Anderson; her longtime partner Mentor Williams; three children, Lisa Sutton, Melissa Hempel and Gray Stream; and four grandchildren. Anderson's career in country music began in the 1960s. She was a regular on The Lawrence Welk Show around the same time. Anderson garnered many awards throughout her 40-year-career, including two Academy of Country Music Awards, one Grammy Award, one American Music Award,...

The country music world lost a superstar this week. Lynn Anderson, the husky voice behind the hit single “(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden,” died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, July 30. She was 67. According to a statement from her rep, the cause of death was cardiac arrest. Anderson first rose to fame in the late ‘60s as a young singer on The Lawrence Welk Show, which helped her land a deal with Columbia Records in Nashville in 1970. Though she’d released [...]...

SNL. Saturday Night Live. The place where comedy and comedians make it. Just like the city it quintessentially represents, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.

And we have forty years to look at. As you might have seen, SNL is turning forty this weekend, and what better way to celebrate than to get the whole gang back together and make it a night that will go down in the history books? Anyone who’s anyone is going to the reunion (well, that is anyone besides Eddie Murphy of course) and it’s sure to bring back everything that made the show what it is today.

So here we look at some of the best sketches that has ever graced our eyes thanks to Lorne Michael’s marvelous show filler for Johnny Carson. (That’s right- the whole reason the show exists is because Carson wanted...

The Saturday Night Live 40th anniversary special is this weekend and we are literally falling out of our chairs with excitement and anticipation.

The show has created some of the most memorable characters since it first began in 1975. While the writers do an incredible job creating amazing sketches that leave us doubled over in laughter, it's the costumes that help the character really come alive.

Watch: Will Ferrell Better Be Bringing More Cowbell to the ‘SNL’ 40th Anniversary Celebration

So who is the man behind the costumes? His name is Tom Broecker and he’s been designing for the show for 21 years. His work earned him a nomination for a Costume Designers Guild Award in the Outstanding Contemporary Television Series category alongside fellow SNL designer Eric Justian.

With the anniversary special right around the corner, Broecker is certainly going to be a busy man. Nearly everyone possible cast member is returning and we’re hoping to see...

Kristen Wiig turns 40 on Thursday, Aug. 22, and to celebrate the "Saturday Night Live" alum's big birthday, we've collected her funniest moments. From yelling alongside Will Ferrell at the Golden Globes to her best Suze Orman impression, here are 20 of Wiig's most memorable bits.

1. "Knocked Up" (2007)

2. "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (2008)

3. "Ghost Town" (2008)

4. "The Lawrence Welk Show" ("SNL," 2008)

5. Suze Orman ("SNL," 2008)

6. Target Lady ("SNL," 2009)

7. Reading from Suzanne Somers' autobiography (2009)

8. 1920s party ("SNL," 2010)

9. "The Looney Tunes Show" (2011)

10. "7 Minutes in Heaven" (2011)

11. "Bridesmaids" (2011)

12. Offering a solution to global warming (Funny or Die, 2011)

13. Kardashian divorce special ("SNL," 2011)

14. Jay Z and Beyonce's baby ("SNL," 2012)

15. Playing a Martin Scorsese-themed drinking game at the SAG Awards (2012)

16. Wresting with Annie Mumolo at the Comedy Awards (2012)

17. Disney Housewives ("SNL," 2012)

18. Presenting the Golden Globe with Will Ferrell (2013)

19. Socialite CD ("SNL," 2013)

20. Portraying Michael Jordan on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" (2013)...

In hindsight, fans were bound to be disappointed. With Kristen Wiig’s eagerly anticipated return to SNL– after just a year away – many viewers were torn between wanting to see the best of her old characters and wanting to watch her expand. Unfortunately, last night we got neither. An eager Wiig brought the energy, and, especially alongside her friend Maya Rudolph, seemed to be having a great time visiting her old stomping ground, but for much of the show that enthusiasm — even during the return of characters like Dooneese — didn’t transfer to viewers at home.

The episode started with...

For Saturday Night Live fans, this week's show was like kicking back and catching up with kooky yet familiar friends.

Kristen Wiig made her way back to Studio 8H after leaving nearly a year ago – or 11 months and 30 days to be precise, as she pointed out in her opening monologue.

In case you missed the funny girl's return to the late-night circuit, here are her three best, most Lol-worthy moments that made us wish she was here to stay.

1. Happy Mother's Day ... KindaWiig got into the spirit of Mother's Day early in a parody commercial for 1-800-Flowers, in which...

For Saturday Night Live fans, this week's show was like kicking back and catching up with kooky yet familiar friends. Kristen Wiig made her way back to Studio 8H after leaving nearly a year ago - or 11 months and 30 days to be precise, as she pointed out in her opening monologue. In case you missed the funny girl's return to the late-night circuit, here are her three best, most Lol-worthy moments that made us wish she was here to stay. 1. Happy Mother's Day ... KindaWiig got into the spirit of Mother's Day early in a parody commercial for 1-800-Flowers, in...

It was Kristen Wiig's Greatest Hits Night on "Saturday Night Live" as the cast alum returned to the show just a year after leaving, this time as a first-time host. The episode revisited several of the fan-favorite characters Wiig played over the years, making for an episode that felt instantly comfortable.

The first character to reappear was Gilly, in Wiig's monologue. The impish troublemaker, thankfully, only popped up for a brief gag. Of all of Wiig's recurring characters, Gilly was the one who had worn out her welcome way before the comedienne left the show. Much more exciting in the monologue was Wiig's discovery of (a very pregnant) Maya Rudolph and Jonah Hill getting frisky in a janitor's closet backstage, if only for this exchange:

Hill: "We're tying to make a baby."

Wiig: (To Rudolph) "But you're already pregnant."

Rudolph: "It worked!"

From there, the flashbacks didn't let up.

Kristen Wiig returns to "Saturday Night Live" this week for her first time as host, and it doesn't look like she and frequent sketch partner Fred Armisen have lost any of their timing in this set of promos.

Their first bit in the promos for Saturday's (May 11) show has them talking about which characters they're going to bring back. The ones they mention are just for the sake of the joke in the promo, but Wiig built up a pretty big stable of recurring characters and celebrity impressions in her time on the show. Here are a few that would be fun to see again:

- Penelope, the one-uppingest friend you'll ever have.

- Dooneese, the doll-handed outcast among the four singing sisters on "The Lawrence Welk Show."

- Suze Orman, along with her very. Sharp. Jackets.

- Kathie Lee Gifford

- Anastasia Sticks, co-host of "Hollywood Dish."

Which characters...

We’ve learned that Melissa McCarthy will host Saturday Night Live on April 6. This will be McCarthy’s second time hosting SNL in two years and she received rave reviews the first time around in October 2011. One of the highlights of that appearance was a reunion with her Bridesmaids co-star Kristen Wiig in The Lawrence Welk Show cold opening. McCarthy currently stars in the box office hit Identity Thief with Jason Bateman.

Today we are talking to an iconic Tony Award-winning star who made her name as a teenager singing on TV variety shows - The Lawrence Welk Show and Sing Along With Mitch included - and then went on to a multimedia career in film and theatre, conquering Broadway with her Tony-winning turn in the Jule StyneArthur Laurents musical Hallelujah, Baby in 1967 and returning to the stage in the subsequent decades in a host of Broadway productions, such as Blues In The Night, Jerrys Girls, Anything Goes, August Wilsons King Hedley II and her celebrated Muzzy in Thoroughly Modern Millie - a role she reprises in the new Muny production of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical beginning this week - the one and only Leslie Uggams. Taking a thorough look back at her career thus far, Uggams opens up about her many successes and how she has endured for fifty years...

What's a "Saturday Night Live" finale without at least one surprise guest?

Quickly becoming an unofficial "SNL" cast member a la Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin and Justin Timberlake, the great Jon Hamm stopped by Studio 8H once again to appear in the "Lawrence Welk Show" cold open with his "Bridesmaids" co-star Kristen Wiig.

Appearing as Italian crooner Johnny Prosciutto, Hamm wooed the ladies of "The Lawrence Welk Show," including Wiig's typically demented and hilarious character. Normally, the tiny-handed Dooneese has to work twice as hard as her pretty sisters to get some attention on the show, but this time there's something about her that Prosciutto obviously can't resist.

As this is Wiig's last episode as a cast member, we can't think of any better way to wrap up such an impressive "SNL" career than a make-out session with Jon Hamm -- no matter how weird it had to be.

Watch the video above.

What's a "Saturday Night Live" finale without at least one surprise guest?

Quickly becoming an unofficial "SNL" cast member a la Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin and Justin Timberlake, the great Jon Hamm stopped by Studio 8H once again to appear in the "Lawrence Welk Show" cold open with his "Bridesmaids" co-star Kristen Wiig.

Appearing as Italian crooner Johnny Prosciutto, Hamm wooed the ladies of "The Lawrence Welk Show," including Wiig's typically demented and hilarious character. Normally, the tiny-handed Dooneese has to work twice as hard as her pretty sisters to get some attention on the show, but this time there's something about her that Prosciutto obviously can't resist.

As this is Wiig's last episode as a cast member, we can't think of any better way to wrap up such an impressive "SNL" career than a make-out session with Jon Hamm -- no matter how weird it had to be.

Watch the video above.

There was no doubt about it: This was Kristen Wiig's night. Of the three cast members rumored to be leaving "Saturday Night Live," I think we can go ahead and remove the word "rumored" off of Wiig and Samberg, who said his goodbye with "Lazy Sunday 2." Jason Sudeikis, on the other hand ... well, he introduced the Foo Fighters? In other words: There were really no hints throughout a show that he had very little to do with concerning his future (unless you want to read into Jagger mentioning that "many of you are moving on" in the final sketch). So if it was his last show, that's a shame. On to what turned out to be a quite emotional final Scorecard of the season...

Sketch of the Night

"She's a Rainbow" (Mick Jagger, Kristen Wiig, Ensemble) A perfect ten. Honestly, that was the most touching, emotional sendoff that I've ever seen "SNL" pull off.

During her opening monologue, first-time Saturday Night Live host Melissa McCarthy gushed–in the same sweetly genuine way she did when she nabbed her first Emmy a few weeks go–that she was excited to be hosting the legendary late night institution and it was something she’d dreamed of her whole life. McCarthy made sure she didn’t let a moment of it pass her by: The Bridesmaids breakout star committed to every bit with total fearlessness, but more than anything else you could tell she was having fun, and her enthusiasm was felt by anyone who tuned in for last night’s SNL.

With so much of the heavy lifting falling to Kristen Wiig during her seven years on "Saturday Night Live," she has racked up a long  list of recurring characters.

Some are received better than others. And as Vulture points out in Wiig's recent profile in Time, there are two you will never see again.

"Because her characters are simple," writes Time, "she's smart enough to retire them long before other 'SNL' cast members would. She'll no longer do Penelope the one-upper or Gilly the mischievous schoolgirl, not even at [Lorne] Michaels' request."

Whether you share her sentiment or not, Wiig is apparently over the sociopath with the fro -- who once spawned her own Christmas special -- and the world's worst brag.

We're inclined to admit that Gilly was well past her due date, but we still got the occasional snicker from Penelope. At least there's always the possibility...

Like most horror fans, the first time we saw the 1974 classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, we were left with one thought on our mind: Yes, but what happens next? What did horrifying villain Leatherface do after failing to recapture Sally Hardesty and swinging around his chainsaw in the middle of the damn road? Did the power tool enthusiast go on a hunt for a new victim, or simply head back home to catch the rest of The Lawrence Welk Show?

Now, after 37 years, the rest of the story will be told, courtesy of a 3D sequel titled, naturally, Leatherface 3D, and horror news site Bloody Disgusting is reporting that director John Luessenhop will be taking the helm. 

Not even Leatherface can resist the allure of champagne music.

Originally, the Leatherface-focused film was meant to be a sequel to the 2003 remake, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which is notable both for...

Elton John took over NBC's "Saturday Night Live" on Saturday night and judging by his performance - if there was ever any doubt - the bitch is back!

The star, who served as host and musical guest, opened the show as a Liberace-esque pianist on "The Lawrence Welk Show," where Kristen Wiig popped out of Elton's piano -- with her gigantic forehead and child hands as Dooneese, before chasing Elton off the stage as she attempted to catch bubbles with her creepily tiny hands.

Next up was Elton's monologue. Surprisingly self-deprecating and blunt, Elton tackled a couple of ...

Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sir Elton John hosted Saturday Night Live last night. During his monologue he mentioned that he'd appeared once before on the show, as musical guest back in 1982. "And of all the things I tried once in the early eighties," said Elton, "this seemed like the safest to try again."

This wasn't exactly a great episode of SNL, but it had it's moments. What came as a bit of a surprise was how good Elton John's timing was. Even with sometimes mediocre material he more than held his own opposite the regular cast.

The show's cold open was actually one of the weaker segments, with Sir Elton playing a Liberace-type performer on The Lawrence Welk show.

The monologue might have been the show's highlight. Elton's impeccable timing was on full display and he talked at length about being a father. A few of the jokes he made about finding...

Elton John made his first appearance on "Saturday Night Live" in nearly 30 years, providing both hosting and musical guest duties for the April 2 episode. And, though he did a bang-up job, he wasn't half as good as surprise guest Tom Hanks, who showed up in the night's best skits.

But before we get into that, can we acknowledge that something is amiss at 30 Rockefeller Plaza? There hasn't been a political cold open in episodes, and we're starting to wonder if the series is making a formal break from tradition.

(Not that we don't love any opportunity to watch Kristen Wiig play the baby-handed singing sister on "The Lawrence Welk Show.")

So after the curiously non-political opening sketch and a monologue John spent making jokes about gay fatherhood, we got our first dose of Hanks.

Joining Carmelo Anthony and a returning Will Forte, Hanks played the equally clueless brother to Forte's absent-minded sportscasters.

Host: Betty White! In case you don't know, she's an old lady who won a Facebook contest, I think? Musical Guest: Jay-z! As Betty White said, “Jay-z is here. If I had a dime for every time I've said that, I'd have one dime.”

Surprise Guests: Maya Rudolph, Tiny Fey, Amy Poehler, Ana Gasteyer, Molly Shannon and Rachel Dratch.

Cold Open: The Lawrence Welk show - which I sort of wish wasn't reprised, as it is one of the best sketches ever and hard to top. But it was better than a generic politics opening and basically all the surprise guests showed up for the opening, which was pretty spectacular.

Monologue: Alternately sweet and hilariously mean, and occasionally kind of dirty, White instantly proved that she was more than up to the job: “Before I got this hosting gig, I didn't know what Facebook was. But now that I do,...

It's been a strangely inconsistent "SNL" season so far and it appears the show's writing staff is suffering from major burnout.  Could the promise of a two-week break and the return of previous host James Franco end things on a positive note for 2009?  We'll see... The Lawrence Welk show - Christmas Edition Fred Armisen returns as Lawrence Welk and gets ready to introduce a famous Latin singing sensation (Franco) joining that familiar quartet, The Merryll Sisters. Welk: "You know what they say, 'You can take the girl out of the finger lakes, but not the finger out of the girl" (Pause)...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush takes the oath of office for his second term at noon EST today amid security that has turned the city into a maze of concrete barriers and steel security fences and has raised questions about the cost of the inaugural celebration. Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who is suffering from thyroid cancer, is scheduled to swear in Bush, and House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., is scheduled to swear in Vice President Dick Cheney. The U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club, the U.S. Marine Band and mezzo-sopranos Denyce Graves and Susan Graham will perform, as will Guy Hovis, a vocalist from Tupelo, Miss., who performed on The Lawrence Welk Show. He will sing "Let the Eagles Soar," a song written by Attorney General John Ashcroft. Once the inauguration parade winds its way down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House, the parties begin as the nine official inaugural balls kick off the evening.