Continue reading “That’s All Folks: Paramount wins the battle for Warner Bros. (Maybe.)”
Tag: cecily strong
ICE threatens the Super Bowl, proving Bad Bunny’s entire point
Walton Goggins’ sexy dirtbag energy fails to enliven a middling ‘Saturday Night Live’
Saturday Night Live
Walton Goggins & Arcade Fire
May 10, 2025
Walton Goggins is having a moment. Thanks to his simultaneous roles in The White Lotus and The Righteous Gemstones, he was all but unavoidable this winter/spring; and let us not overlook his starring role in Fallout, too (which just wrapped filming season two, hooray!).
Of course, Goggins has been serving sexy dirtbag energy for a long while now, delivering memorable performances in Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Vice Principals, and The Shield and going as far back as the original Beverly Hills 90210 where he played “Mike Muchin” in an 1992 episode I’m sure we all remember.
Just look at that collar.
This is a long way to go to say that it took a minute, but Goggins is one of those rare character actors whose talent and charisma has finally been appreciated by the audience at large, and has overcome the odds to become something of a household name. As such, it’s not a surprise he’s hosting Saturday Night Live this week — but it was a surprise at how little the show exploited his particular energy and brand. Of the six characters he played, only two were typical Goggins roles. Otherwise, the episode leaned into surrealist comedy, and relegated Goggins to the straight man, which often felt like a waste of his particular and specific talents.
We have the first self-nominated bisexual Bachelorette, and honestly, I think ABC should do it
It’s Election Eve, SO WHO ELSE IS FREAKING OUT?
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.
Continue reading “Austin Butler hosts a goodbye party for Cecily Strong on ‘Saturday Night Live’”
The Emmys just changed their rules, and it’s bad news for one guy in particular.
It’s time to talk about that ‘White Lotus’ finale.
Amy Schumer and Cecily Strong make one last appeal to voters on ‘Saturday Night Live’
Saturday Night Live
Amy Schumer & Steve Lacy
November 5, 2022
Back in 2016, Amy Schumer, depressed by the election results, took a break from her Comedy Central sketch comedy series, Inside Amy Schumer. She and the show are back as of this year — over on Paramount+ now — and to promote it/celebrate, she hosted the pre-midterm election episode of SNL this weekend.
And the crucial election was clearly on SNL‘s mind; the issue of abortion rights in particular, which Schumer touched upon in her monologue, and to which Cecily Strong devoted another impassioned “Weekend Update” segment, imploring voters to give a shit. Please give a shit.
Aside from the anxious political messages, the rest of the episode was hit-or-miss, with one-third of the sketches feeling like they could have been written for an episode of Inside Amy Schumer, and the other two-thirds being typical lazy SNL bits. I’m sure you can guess which of the two I preferred.
