Tag Archives: Saturday Night

Will Forte is Out at Saturday Night Live

Bad news for fans of laughing and all-around weirdness. According to ArtsBeat , Saturday Night Live cast member Will Forte — the man responsible for Tim Calhoun , this guy and, of course, Fart Face — will not return to the show when its 36th season starts this fall. Neither NBC nor Forte’s representatives would comment, but it appears the split is “amicable,” with the MacGruber star hoping to concentrate on other projects, specifically ones that will make more money than MacGruber . Developing… [ NYT /ArtsBeat ]

Read more:
Will Forte is Out at Saturday Night Live

‘Hangover’ Director Todd Phillips Developing John Belushi Biopic

Original ‘Saturday Night Live’ castmember died of a drug overdose in 1982. By Eric Ditzian Todd Phillips Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images Filmmaker Todd Phillips has made a career of documenting the modern man-child’s debauchery: Will Ferrell’s beer-bong-sucking nice guy in “Old School,” Owen Wilson’s stoner-cop in “Starsky & Hutch,” and basically the entire cast of the booze-sodden “Hangover.” Now Phillips is planning to document the travails of another debaucherous funnyman. But this time, it’s a true story, and we should expect a dose of tragedy to be mixed in with the drug-addled madness. Phillips and screenwriter Steven Conrad (“The Pursuit of Happyness”) are developing a biopic based on the life of John Belushi, following Warner Bros.’ acquisition of the comedian’s life-story rights from his estate, according to The Hollywood Reporter . Conrad is set to pen the script, with Phillips onboard as a producer but not yet committed to directing the project. Belushi was an original “Saturday Night Live” castmember, after getting his start with the Second City comedy group. He appeared on “SNL” from 1975 until 1979, leaving a year after the success of “Animal House” to pursue a full-time career in Hollywood. He appeared in “The Blues Brothers” in 1980, as well as a few other films. In 1982, at the age of 33, Belushi died of a drug overdose and was found in a hotel room at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. Phillips’ project marks the latest effort to capture Belushi’s life on camera. In 1989, Michael Chiklis starred as Belushi in “Wired,” based on a biography that was widely condemned by the actor’s family and friends when it was released. In a 2002 TV-movie about “SNL” castmate Gilda Radner, Eric Siegel portrayed Belushi. And in a 2005 TV movie about TV show “Mork & Mindy,” Tyler Labine appeared as the comedian. Who might play the role this time around? THR drops names like frequent Phillips’ collaborator Zach Galifianakis, Jack Black, Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen. Who do you think should play the role of John Belushi? Tell us in the comments. For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .

More here:
‘Hangover’ Director Todd Phillips Developing John Belushi Biopic

‘Glee’ Star Jane Lynch Set To Host ‘Saturday Night Live’

‘I notified her by accident,’ ‘Glee’ creator Ryan Murphy said of Lynch’s ‘SNL’ hosting gig. By Jocelyn Vena Jane Lynch Photo: Todd Williamson/WireImage Jane Lynch is about to get her funny on when she hosts “Saturday Night Live” next season. “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy confirmed the rumor on Tuesday night in New York City at the “Eat Pray Love” premiere. The Hollywood Reporter spoke to Murphy at the premiere and he confirmed reports that Emmy-nominated Lynch will be onboard to helm an “SNL” episode in October. “I notified her by accident,” Murphy said. ” ‘Saturday Night Live’ called to say, ‘Would you give us Jane for a week in October?’ We just don’t do that, but for Lorne Michaels, I said yes.” Murphy then quickly texted his star to let her know she’d have to spend some time in New York City later this fall. “I said, ‘Lady, you’re doing ‘Saturday Night Live,’ ” Murphy explained. “And she literally wrote back, ‘What are you talking about?’ I think we’re all going to go to see her and support her.” However, a rep for “Saturday Night Live” told MTV News via email that “We haven’t confirmed any hosts or musical guests yet.” Until then, Lynch will be turning the lives of the Gleeks upside down as Sue Sylvester on the new season of “Glee” when it kicks off in September. So, what will her character be up to? Well, even Lynch is in the dark. “I don’t know! I have no idea!” Lynch, who very comically parodied Madonna’s “Vogue” last season , told MTV News last month. “I haven’t even seen a script and I don’t have any idea!” Are you excited that Jane Lynch will be hosting “Saturday Night Live” this fall? Tell us in the comments! Related Photos The Year In ‘Glee’

Go here to see the original:
‘Glee’ Star Jane Lynch Set To Host ‘Saturday Night Live’

Family Guy’s ‘Down Syndrome Girl’ Song Gets Emmy Nod

“Down Syndrome Girl,” the unfunny and offensive Family Guy song poking fun at a female character with special needs, has been nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. The Feb. 14 Family Guy episode, which the song appeared in, sparked outrage after its premiere – most notably from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin who has a son with Down syndrome. At one point in the episode, the character with Down syndrome said that her mom was “the former governor of Alaska,” a clear reference to Palin and her son, Trig. Palin quickly criticized the show for the distasteful jab at her son. “[W]hy make it tougher on the special needs community? When is enough enough? When are we going to be willing to say some things just aren’t really funny?” she said on Feb. 16. In the aftermath, many celebrities stood in agreement with Palin, including talk show host Joy Behar, the Daily Show’s Mo Rocca and comedian Jessica Kirson. But now the song is being nominated for an Emmy award, facing off against the much more tasteful musical numbers, “Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit” from “How I Met Your Mother,” and Saturday Night Live’s “Shy Ronnie.” New York magazine noted that the Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics award has been “gaining a reputation as Emmy’s quiet nod to First Amendment rights.” Last year, the Justin Timberlake-Andy Samberg collaboration “Motherlover” won the award, and in 2007 the same two artists won for the song “Dick in a Box.” While both are fairly offensive in content, the lyrics are actually funny – and stop short of mocking people with disabilities. But many people argued that the lyrics of “Down Syndrome Girl” went too far. These are some lines from the song, as transcribed by the MRC’s Noel Sheppard: And though her pretty face may seem a special person’s wettest dream. You must impress that ultra-boomin’, all consumin’, poorly-groomin’, Down Syndrome girl. You want to take that little whore and spin her on the dancing floor. My boy between the two of us we’ll get her on the shorty bus and then you’re gonna take it on a whirl. Now go impress that super-thrilling, wish-fulfilling, YooHoo-spilling, ultra-swinging, boner-bringing, gayly-singing, dingalinging, stupefying, fortifying, as of Monday shoe lace-tying, stimulating, titillating, kitty-cat impersonating, mega-rocking, pillow talking, just a little crooked walking, poorly-pouting, poopie-sprouting, for some reason always shouting, fascinating, captivating, happiness and joy-creating, Down Syndrome girl. The Down syndrome episode wasn’t the first time the Family Guy’s offensive content generated controversy. The program’s creators also aired a show that staged “Terri Schiavo: The Musical” and another episode mocking Jewish people called “When You Wish Upon a Weinstein” that was banned from TV.

Read the original:
Family Guy’s ‘Down Syndrome Girl’ Song Gets Emmy Nod

CBS ‘Early Show’ Follows ABC’s Lead, Touts Kagan’s SNL-Worthy Humor

During the ‘Early Wrap’ segment on Friday’s CBS Early Show, co-host Harry Smith discussed the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan with a panel of media pundits: “The almost unknown, practically under the radar, the Supreme Court nominee, Elena Kagan, before committees this week being funny. She was downright funny.” GQ Magazine’s Washington correspondent Ana Marie Cox agreed with Smith and added: “…a Saturday Night Live skit made live , in part because she looks exactly like Rachel Dratch. And it’s perfect because Al Franken is on the committee. And I kept on watching like waiting for someone to burst into song or Unfrozen Caveman Senator.” Radio host Jane Pratt chimed in: “Her joke was good, the Chinese food joke was good.” Smith remarked: “Very funny. Sunday night, and Christmas.”          On Wednesday’s Good Morning America on ABC, news reader Juju Chang noted Kagan’s “lively sense of humor” and later asked co-hosts George Stephanopoulos and Elizabeth Vargas “who is going to play her in the SNL skit?” Vargas replied: “I don’t think they could be as funny as Elena Kagan was!” While the Early Show touted Kagan’s comedic performance, neither Good Morning America nor NBC’s Today made any mention of the confirmation hearings on Friday. In addition, none of the evening newscast on Thursday made any mention of Kagan’s final day of testimony. Here is a full transcript of the July 2 Early Show exchange provided by NewsBusters’ Scott Whitlock: 8:20AM HARRY SMITH: The almost unknown, practically under the radar, the Supreme Court nominee, Elena Kagan, before committees this week being funny. She was downright funny.  MO ROCCA: Last Justice Standing. [All laugh] ANA MARIE COX: American justice. It’s funny. I actually thought she was funny, too.  SMITH: Right.  COX: I have to say, watching it immediately, I don’t know if I’m allowed to say SNL, but Saturday Night Live, a Saturday Night Live skit made live, in part because she looks exactly like Rachel Dratch. And it’s perfect because Al Franken is on the committee. And I kept on watching like waiting for someone to burst into song or Unfrozen Caveman Senator. I mean- JANE PRATT: Yeah. Right. I haven’t been able to watch it just because I feel like- like, I see Al Franken looking like he’s kind of falling asleep and I’m like, it makes me feel like I’m going to fall asleep and then I wanted to crack a joke. Her joke was good, the Chinese food joke was good. SMITH: Very funny. Sunday night, and Christmas. COX: She took the fifth on Team Edward vs. Team Jacob, which all women do. [They move on to other topics.]

See the rest here:
CBS ‘Early Show’ Follows ABC’s Lead, Touts Kagan’s SNL-Worthy Humor

Daily Kos Whacks ‘Eight Most Irritating Conservative Celebrities,’ Demeans Them as No-Talent ‘Rejects’

The conservative newspaper recently made a list of the “Eight Most Irritating Liberal Celebrities.” They were in order, from the top: Roger Ebert, Rosie O’Donnell, Michael Moore, Joy Behar, Janeane Garofalo, Al Gore, Matt Damon, and Robert Redford. Gore’s not quite a match, since he’s not an entertainer. You wouldn’t call his doom-laden slide-show documentary “entertainment.” This list inspired “King One Eye” at the Daily Kos to match that effort with “The Eight More Irritating Conservative Celebrities.” The writer, Mark Howard, also cross-posted at his vicious media-criticism website called News Corpse , where he posts with the byline of “Mark.” He suggested conservative celebrities are all unemployed, no-talent losers: “They ought to think twice before provoking a “Battle of the Irritating Stars.” when they have a far more annoying roster of vexatious celebrities. And it is notable that most of their idols are rejects who have no current career opportunities save for appearances on Fox News and at Tea Parties.” The list: Ben Stein This hybrid actor/pundit’s career was literally built on his being irritating (Bueller?). In the years following that electrifying debut, Stein escalated the breadth of his annoying personality to embrace a free market fantasy that revealed the shallowness of his reputed expertise in economics. Throw in a heap of sexism and a willingness to whore himself out as a spokesperson for disreputable credit schemes and you have a recipe for chronic distemper. Mel Gibson Gibson demonstrated his theatrical gifts early in his career. His roles in “The Year of Living Dangerously” and “Mad Max” proved he could tackle depth, action, and humor. Unfortunately, his filmography after that became an almost non-stop succession of vengeance, violence, and scenery chomping as a stand-in for emoting. But what’s worse was his submersion into cultist Christianity and anti-Antisemitism. Nothing is quite as irritating as overt hate-speech. Chuck Norris Having to watch this no-talent hack embarrass himself through his atrocious movies is bad enough. But having to endure him on the campaign trail is just cruel. His lame attempts to portray Mike Huckabee as a superhero fell as flat as the notion of himself still claiming that mantle despite his advanced age and decrepitude. Stephen Baldwin What can I say? Baldwin was never not irritating. He built on that reputation by starring in unreality shows and begging for donations to “restore” himself from bankruptcy. Clearly Stephen’s brothers hogged all the talent in the family and selfishly left him a miserable loser and a wretched failure. Come to think of it, he may be more pathetic than irritating. Jon Voight This one-hit wonder has managed to keep his name in the papers by having a very public feud with his more famous (and more talented) daughter, Angelina Jolie, and by drinking the Glenn Beck Kool-Aid by the gallon. With a prominent ignorance of history and government, Voight still mouths off about socialist conspiracies and Constitutional abuses that exist only his Beck-infected brain. Dennis Miller One of the saddest stories in the entertainment world is the tale of the once promising newcomer who winds up a pathetic has-been and resorts to desperately grasping for attention by any means he can muster. Even if it means becoming a toady for the likes of Bill O’Reilly and dressing up as a born again neo-con. Miller’s new persona is devoutly conservative, but he retains his penchant for indecipherably obscure references. Listening to him like sitting through a Xenophanic allocution on Byzantine incandescence. Ted Nugent Approaching the nadir of irritatability is the Motor City Jackass himself. Nugent has become a cartoonish proponent of guns and animal massacre. His rants against government spending and social welfare are high decibel testimonials to selfishness and coldhearted disinterest in anyone less fortunate than he is. During the 2008 campaign Nugent brandished machine guns on stage and made obscene threats directed at Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and other Democrats. His behavior crossed the line from irritating to abusive, hostile, and unconscionably grotesque. He concluded with video of former Saturday Night Live star Victoria Jackson . [Hat tip: Walrus Puritan]

Originally posted here:
Daily Kos Whacks ‘Eight Most Irritating Conservative Celebrities,’ Demeans Them as No-Talent ‘Rejects’

More Salma Hayek MILF Cleavage

After yesterday’s big purple Salma Hayek MILF cleavage spectacular , I thought I’d back it up with some pictures of the latina hottie in her sexy leather biker mom vest. I wish I was a two year old so I could say to Salma’s baby “Dude, your mom’s hot”. I’ve got a lot of friends and I’ve never had the chance to say that. Sorry guys. Anyhow, here she is leaving that show hosted by that guy who used to do Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live … Not Dennis Miller… The other guy.

Movieline Has the Final Word on Conangate — and the First Interview with the Author

Back in February, Viking confirmed that Bill Carter, the bestselling author of the Late Shift had flown to Los Angeles to begin research on a new book chronicling the latest late night shakedown at NBC. Proof of the project arrived earlier this week online via cover art for The War For Late Night: When Leno Went Early and Television Went Crazy (pictured right) and a September release date. Anxious to hear more about the surefire bestseller, Movieline phoned Carter earlier this week to discuss the impending release date and whether Jay Leno is really as cold and calculating as Conan fans make him out to be.

Go here to read the rest:
Movieline Has the Final Word on Conangate — and the First Interview with the Author

Friday Night Lights’ Zach Gilford on His Big Episode, That Facebook Campaign, and the Series Finale

Friday Night Lights has always has passionate fans, but over the last few weeks, their fervor has been updated for the Facebook age. It’s due in large part to Zach Gilford’s shattering performance in the recent episode “The Son,” which found his character Matt Saracen grappling with his hated father’s death. Perhaps inspired by the grassroots activism that landed Betty White on Saturday Night Live , the website PopEater launched an unofficial Emmy campaign for Gilford (he’d be nominated in the guest actor category, since he went from regular to recurring this past season) and now it’s become a surging Facebook petition that’s brought a spotlight back to the acclaimed but underseen series. As he films an arc of episodes for the show’s fifth (and presumed-to-be final) season, Gilford rang Movieline to talk about filming the tough episode, the things we didn’t see, and what the FNL series finale will (and won’t) have in common with the final episode of lost.

Link:
Friday Night Lights’ Zach Gilford on His Big Episode, That Facebook Campaign, and the Series Finale

Betty White Calls Sandra Bullock A ‘Lifelong Friend’ On ‘The View’

‘Golden Girls’ star also recalls her friendship with the late Rue McClanahan. By Jocelyn Vena Betty White on “The View” on Monday Photo: ABC Among the many topics Betty White discussed during her stop by “The View” on Monday (June 14), the “Golden Girls” star talked about how well Sandra Bullock addressed her personal life at the MTV Movie Awards earlier this month, when she accepted the Generation Award. “She’s doing fine and, bless her heart, I was so proud of her that night that she didn’t avoid the subject, she addressed [telling everyone], ‘Don’t worry about me. I’m doing fine,’ and she meant it,” White said of her co-star in “The Proposal.” “We had a great visit backstage.” White said that the two actresses became close on the set of the hit movie. “We became lifelong friends on ‘The Proposal,’ ” she said. “She’s one of the most special people I’ve ever met. Too bad she’s not good looking, but otherwise …” White also opened up about the loss of her other lifelong pal, Rue McClanahan, who died earlier this month. The two starred on “The Golden Girls” together some 25 years ago, and White said they always kept in touch after the show ended in 1992. “I talked to her three days before we lost her,” White said. “She lived in New York and I lived on the West Coast. We talked every three, four weeks. She was getting back [after some health complications], so we thought she was doing well. But, unfortunately, it surprised us.” With her much-hyped stint on “Saturday Night Live” behind her, White is looking forward to her next gig on the small screen, the TV Land sitcom “Hot in Cleveland” that also stars Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick. “Well, because there’s four of us naturally there’s a comparison [to ‘Golden Girls’], but it’s totally different … the chemistry between us,” she shared. “They truly love each other and it shows.” So, what’s next for White? ” I’m ready for Robert Redford, whenever he is!” she joked. What do you want to see Betty White do next? Share your ideas in the comments.

Go here to read the rest:
Betty White Calls Sandra Bullock A ‘Lifelong Friend’ On ‘The View’