This Targaryen can’t be bothered to watch ‘House of the Dragon’

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Aubrey Plaza hosts a delightful ‘Parks and Rec’ reunion on ‘Saturday Night Live’

Saturday Night Live
Aubrey Plaza & Sam Smith
January 21, 2023

Aubrey Plaza is having a moment. After being best known for playing the dark and deadpan April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation, Plaza re-emerged last year as the dark and deadpan … and sexy Harper on The White Lotus. But it’s not that Plaza is typecast — she’s just playing Aubrey Plaza as evidenced by this old Today Show interview in which she discussed being a (very bad) NBC page in the early 2000s.

Yes, Plaza began her career as an NBC page (while also performing stand-up and improv at Upright Citizen’s Brigade) and even tried out for Saturday Night Live before landing the role of a lifetime on Parks and Recreation.

And so Saturday’s gig hosting SNL was a homecoming for Plaza, an opportunity to fulfill her dream of being on Saturday Night Live, and to reunite with her Parks and Rec co-star, boss and SNL alum, Amy Poehler. It was a celebration of Plaza’s growth, and (for the most part) the writers rose to the occasion, giving Plaza material that fit her dark and deadpan brand.

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‘Poker Face,’ ‘Shrinking,’ ‘The Bachelor’ and everything else you don’t want to miss on TV this week

 

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Happy anniversary to the one who knocks.

 

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Give Leslie Jones her own show. Immediately.

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‘Night Court,’ ‘That 90s Show,’ ‘Accused,’ and everything else you don’t want to miss on TV this week.

 

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Jimmy Kimmel’s reenactment of the fight between the two princes is the best thing you’ll see all day.

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It’s the end of an era: ‘Days of Our Lives’ says goodbye to John Aniston

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Austin Butler hosts a goodbye party for Cecily Strong on ‘Saturday Night Live’

Saturday Night Live
Austin Butler & Lizzo
December 17, 2022

For all of my fellow olds out there; Austin Butler is the kid who played Elvis in that recent Baz Luhrman movie, but he got his start in Nickelodeon shows in the early 2000s. This is why if you remember watching Eddie Murphy on SNL when he was originally a cast member, you probably have no idea who this kid is. But that’s OK — all you need to know is that he’s handsome, he has a certain charisma, and he does bear something of a resemblance to Elvis.

But how was he as a host of Saturday Night Live? The answer is: fine. He seemed a little nervous early in the night, which is pretty typical for first-time hosts with little live performance experience. But he was very loose and natural in a digital sketch, and later in the night, he was clearly enjoying himself in a bit where, ironically enough, he played an enthusiastic Elvis fan.

As for the episode itself, it was a perfectly middling outing that was overshadowed by the news that after 11 seasons, this would be Cecily Strong’s last episode. The show says goodbye to her twice, which is only fitting as she joins Fred Armisen and Al Franken as the fourth longest-running cast members. Strong has left her mark on the show and will be missed.

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It’s time to talk about that ‘White Lotus’ finale.

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