Maya Rudolph Signs New SNL Contract
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Comedy, Late Night, NBC, Saturday Night Live,
With only days to go until the season premiere, we can announce that regular Maya Rudolph has now been confirmed for Saturday Night Live’s newest season. Up until recently, Rudolph’s status with the long-running show was unclear. Her previous contract expired last May and she was reportedly weighing a future outside TV. My guess is Will Forte’s recent flick, The Brothers Solomon, encouraged her to stick around a little longer.
SNL’s 33rd season premiere is scheduled for Saturday, September 29th.
(For several new developments in this story, click here.)
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Gallery: Maya Rudolph Signs New SNL Contract
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SNL Hosts Announced for First Three Shows
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Late Night, NBC, Saturday Night Live,
SNL is set to premiere its 33rd season on September 29th. I have been a fan of Saturday Night Live since I can remember, and while I know it takes a beating by critics and bloggers every year, there is a soft place in my heart for the show. There are some duds—not everything works. But that’s okay. There’s a lot that is right and very funny—and quite frankly, I’m willing to tune in to see how if all turns out. So, the first show of this season will be hosted by basketball star LeBron James, and while I don’t usually dig the shows hosted by athletes, I’ll give it a try. After all, last season’s episode hosted by Peyton Manning was surprisingly one of my favorites. I guess I shouldn’t sell athletes short of their comedic talent. I’ll give it a shot. The second show, however, you don’t even need to ask me twice about watching… super funny Knocked Up star Seth Rogan (pictured here with my sweetie, Paul Rudd) will take on hosting duties on October 6th. Musical guests include Kanye West for next week’s premiere and Spoon on October 6th. Jon Bon Jovi will host on October 13th—yeah, I don’t get that either—but Foo Fighters will also appear.
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Gallery: SNL Hosts Announced for First Three Shows
The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Coverage
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Action, Animation, Award Shows, Comedy, Drama, Mini Series, Prime Time, Reality, Sci-Fi/Horror, Specials, ABC, Bravo, Cable, CBS, FX, FOX, HBO, NBC, Showtime, 24, Amazing Race, The, American Idol, Daily Show, The, Dancing With The Stars, Desperate Housewives, Entourage, Extras, Family Guy, Grey’s Anatomy, Heroes, House, Lost, Medium, My Name Is Earl, Scrubs, Saturday Night Live, Survivor, The Office, The Sopranos, Top Chef,
The 59th Annual Emmy Awards has not even started, yet I’m already sensing sensing a weird vibe about tonight’s telecast. Will the show be a celebration of those young and new (e.g. Heroes)? Will it be a tribute to those bowing out (James Gandolfini and crew)? Or will performer Kanye West somehow manage to cast a controversial shadow over the rest of the ceremony?
What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, we were still handing out trophies to stars from Will & Grace and The West Wing (those shows feel so five-years ago now). Today, we welcome a new crop of nominees including Ugly Betty and 30 Rock for Best Comedy. Last year, we were entertained by an always-hilarious Conan O’Brien. This year, we are threatened by a song and dance number from this year’s host, Ryan Seacrest. Last August, 24 snagged the award for Best Drama. This September, it’s not even nominated (yet somehow Boston Legal is).
I think it would be safe to assume the voters would predictably (and respectfully) shower The Sopranos with honors, but I’ll still be crossing my fingers for an upset sometime tonight. We’ll need something to talk about tomorrow…
Here’s the play-by-play of tonight’s events coming to you from the neglected West Coast!
Click to continue reading The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Coverage
Gallery: The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Coverage
Justin Timberlake Wins Emmy For HIs ‘D—- In A Box’
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Award Shows, Comedy, Late Night, Music, Prime Time, FOX, NBC, Saturday Night Live, Internet,
Just a day before racking up Moon Men at the VMAs, Justin Timberlake added a more significant statue to his mantle: an Emmy. It’s probably the only award he received last weekend that was actually about a video.
Timberlake and Andy Samberg‘s work on the digital short, ‘D—- In A Box’, earned them the Outstanding Original Music & Lyrics honor at Saturday’s Creative Arts Emmy Awards. The performance, which originally aired on Saturday Night Live last December, has been an internet favorite ever since.
Does an award for this racy segment mean the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has suddenly become hip? Probably not, but we can always hope. Be looking for the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards to air this Sunday (9/16) on FOX.
Read More | Entertainment Weekly
Gallery: Justin Timberlake Wins Emmy For HIs ‘D—- In A Box’
Fall 2007 TV Programming Schedule
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Action, Comedy, Drama, Games, Prime Time, Reality, Sci-Fi/Horror, Sports, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, The CW, Hell’s Kitchen, America’s Next Top Model, Dancing With The Stars, Desperate Housewives, ER, Everybody Hates Chris, Family Guy, Grey’s Anatomy, Heroes, House, My Name Is Earl, Prison Break, Scrubs, Saturday Night Live, Survivor, The Bachelor, The Office, DVR,
Despite having a Tivo and another DVR, I know that a new television season can take some serious planning. When will your favorite shows start? What days are they now on? Which programming ‘conflicts’ will you have to resolve? Will you need to buy another TV???
Hopefully our detailed scheduling guide can assist you in the weeks to come. We have compiled information from five different networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and CW) and included the days, times and premiere dates for this fall’s shows.
Click to continue reading Fall 2007 TV Programming Schedule
Gallery: Fall 2007 TV Programming Schedule
Jimmy Fallon’s Gettin’ Hitched
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, NBC, Saturday Night Live, Gossip,
A sad, salty tear just streamed down my face when I read that my sweet Jimmy Fallon got engaged. I don’t know why I’ve been holding out hope that he would consider me. Heck, I’m married, so I don’t even know why I feel like my heart has been trampled upon. Seriously though, Fallon has always been a favorite of mine, but I’m a sucker for a funny guy (Jon Stewart, Paul Rudd and David Duchovny have a special place in my heart). Jimmy, who you may recall from Saturday Night Live and later, films Taxi and Fever Pitch, popped the question to Fever Pitch producer Nancy Jovonen last weekend—at sunset on a dock at Lake Winnepesaukee. That just happens to be where On Golden Pond was filmed, and incidentally, is just a great name to say outloud. Blah, blah, blah… he gave her some amazing ring and then, my heart snapped in half as I tried to deal with the fact that I’m losing Jimmy forever. Back to reality, Fallon is also rumored to replace Conon O’Brien on Late Night when O’Brien moves over to the Tonight Show in 2009. All I know is that I expect to see Fallon show up on an episode of 30 Rock this season—how great would that be?
Gallery: Jimmy Fallon’s Gettin’ Hitched
Molly Shannon in Lifetime Original Movie
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Cable, Saturday Night Live, Cable/Satellite,
If you found the little sampling of Molly Shannon on a recent Saturday Night Live just wasn’t enough—you’re in luck. She’ll be appearing in a Lifetime Original movie called More of Me. I, for one, loved her on SNL... my husband and I were quoting Sally O’Malley for days afterwards (“I like to kick. Stretch. And kick!”). She’ll be flexing her funny bone again in this Lifetime movie, and while I typically run screaming from any of that channel’s originals, this one has me curious. More of Me will star Shannon as a busy wife and mother with multiple copies of herself to cope with her busy life. And while the premise seems a little silly, it’s worth seeing Shannon on the small screen again (in my opinion). Libby Beers, head of original movies for Lifetime said, “We’re always seeking to infuse our original movies with a variety of genres and we know our loyal audience always enjoys smart, relatable and contemporary comedies. Molly Shannon is a genuine movie and television star, and both her unique physical and comedic acting skills make her ideal for this role.” And maybe she’ll do a little of that kick/stretch/kick business—or at least a girl can hope!
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Gallery: Molly Shannon in Lifetime Original Movie
David’s Channel Surfing Thoughts
Posted by David L. Williams Categories: Drama, Late Night, Music, Prime Time, ABC, Cable, FOX, HBO, NBC, American Idol, Saturday Night Live, Talent, The Sopranos, Editorial, Features, News,
Yes, even more thoughts I’ve had about TV for the past few days, laid out for you in easy-to-read paragraph format.
MOLLY SHANNON ANNOYS & DELIGHTS – Saturday Night Live came back with a new episode recently starring Molly Shannon (she’s ostensibly there to promote her movie “Year of the Dog,” but I really think SNL looks for any excuse to have it’s former cast members return) and it was … pretty much what I thought it was going to be. I used to remark when Ms. Shannon was on the show that she didn’t have many characters, just the same character in different outfits and wigs. That character comes out, goes through her catch phrases and/or crazy falls, and then the sketch is over. That’s Mary Katharine Gallagher, that’s Sally O’Malley (the I’m 50! Lady), that’s Ann Miller (from “Leg Up”).
And she did those first two characters when she hosted and it was annoying and really not funny. The laughter always felt more like a reflex from the audience than an actual “this is funny” laugh.
But what Molly Shannon also can do (and I heard Mike White, the writer/director of “Year of the Dog,” mention this in an interview) is be really funny when she’s quiet and not so over-the-top. Like the Delicious Dish sketch (aka Schwetty Balls) and her typical 80’s mulleted stand-up comedienne.
She did the stand-up comedienne character on Weekend Update and that was great, and she played a quieter part in a very good presidential debate sketch. So, it was a mixed bag: nothing great, but nothing too awful.
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Gallery: David’s Channel Surfing Thoughts
This Week’s Channel Surfing Thoughts
Posted by David L. Williams Categories: Comedy, Drama, Reality, ABC, Cable, HBO, NBC, Saturday Night Live, Survivor, The Office, The Sopranos, Editorial, Features,
Otherwise known as thoughts I’ve had about the last few days of TV that aren’t long enough individually to make an entire article…
WOO-HOO, THEY LOST! – I lamented the possibility of Charla and Mirna winning The Amazing Race: (not really) All Stars, and they didn’t. They came in last (or third, really) and it was all…kinda lackluster. I didn’t want C&M to win, and I wanted the Beauty Queens to win, but they didn’t either. Eric & Danielle (aka, Team Not Charla & Mirna) won and their fakey relationship and the love between them will, I’m sure, flourish like a sunflower and I’m feeling underwhelmed. Then again, I felt underwhelmed most of the season, so I guess this is a fitting finale. By the way, Race Producers (and I know that you read all of my work), let’s try to make sure in the future that you not design the race legs so that the decisions made by the racers in the first thirty-five minutes of the episode don’t matter at all. I know you want to keep things close, but that’s just annoying.
BEST OF? REALLY, SNL? REALLY?? – Saturday Night Live was not new this week, but instead had their best of the 2006/2007 season episode. There are a couple of things wrong with this. The first is that they still have a few more episodes left. I’m not sure why they felt the need to jump the gun on this one, but maybe they were just tired of rerunning the Peyton Manning episode. Just a tip, NBC: maybe you should wait until the season is over before you start doing a “Best Of” episode. And this leads me to the other thing that’s wrong with this episode: just because you’ve chosen the best example of a recurring sketch, that doesn’t necessarily mean that what you’ve chosen is any good. I know that a lot of people like to hate on SNL on the internet (I believe the phrase “Is this show still on?” is a common “joke” (ironic quotes firmly in place)), but I can’t fully hate the show yet because there are always funny moments every week, and that’s why God invented TiVo (that has to be invented by God, right? Humans are not that good). But, SNL, “Deep House Dish” and that Bronx talk show … they’re not funny. Really not ever. And I really like Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, and Keenan Thompson. Those sketches, though, are just … ugh. Oh, and finally, SNL went online to have people cast votes on what their favorite digital short of the year was (and maybe the whole episode should have just been digital shorts). Did anybody really think “Dick in a Box” wouldn’t win?
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Gallery: This Week’s Channel Surfing Thoughts
Justin Timberlake Given HBO Special
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Music, Prime Time, Specials, Cable, HBO, Saturday Night Live,
Love his music or hate it, Justin Timberlake is huge. And he’s not going anywhere any time soon. Given his popularity, HBO has signed on with the “SexyBack” singer to do a special for his first solo concert this summer. Timberlake’s Madison Square Garden appearance on August 16 will be taped for the special. HBO’s Nancy Geller said, “Justin Timberlake is a dynamic performer, and we’re thrilled to welcome him back to HBO.” He was previously on the cable network for an ‘NSync special. She continued, “We’re especially excited that he’ll be creating unique new elements for the special that will make the show an even more memorable experience for our viewers.” Timberlake has been making the rounds, winning two Grammys, hosting the Kids’ Choice Awards, hosting over at Saturday Night Live and even taking on films like Alpha Dog and Black Snake Moan. He’ll next be heard in Shrek the Third.
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Gallery: Justin Timberlake Given HBO Special
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