Latest news with #S.N.L
New York Times
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
What to Do in New York City in June
Comedy NY Laughs Fest June 5-8 in and around Union Square, Manhattan; Several past and present performers from 'Saturday Night Live' are taking part in a new comedy festival this weekend, the highlight of which involves the longtime 'Weekend Update' anchor Michael Che hosting what he's calling 'Che'Chella' at 10 p.m. on Saturday at Irving Plaza ($35 on Ticketmaster). The festival kicks off on Thursday with a free outdoor show starting at 6 p.m. in Union Square and featuring Emil Wakim, a current 'S.N.L.' cast member; and Chris Redd, a former cast member; as well as Sam Jay, Rachel Feinstein, Pete Lee and Shane Torres. There will be many shows to choose from all weekend at the Stand, like a free taping of Sean Donnelly and Dan St. Germain's podcast 'Burbs Bros' with their guest Michael Ian Black on Friday at 5 p.m. Back at Irving Plaza, you can catch up with Vinny Guadagnino from 'Jersey Shore' on Saturday at 7 p.m. (from $30 at Ticketmaster), and on Sunday at 8 p.m., you can top off the weekend by watching Hank Azaria, Big Jay Oakerson and others front a rock band in 'The Goddamn Comedy Jam' (from $25 on Ticketmaster). SEAN L. McCARTHY Music Pop & Rock Gov Ball June 6-8, noon-10 p.m., at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens; This weekend, Gov Ball — New York's flagship summer music festival, celebrating its 15th anniversary — will draw flocks of revelers to Queens and unofficially inaugurate outdoor music season in the city. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Mike Myers Is Ready to Defend Canada
As he played a chainsaw-wielding Elon Musk on 'Saturday Night Live' in March, the veteran Canadian comedian Mike Myers was not intending to make a personal political statement. But when he stood onstage for the closing credits of the show, he said, 'I got angrier and angrier.' He thought about Mr. Musk's remark that Canada is 'not a real country,' and about how President Trump had called the former Canadian prime minister 'Governor Trudeau' and rudely referred to Canada as 'the 51st state.' He thought about tariffs, and about graffiti he'd seen in Winnipeg: 'There's no greater pain than being betrayed by a friend.' And he thought about the legendary Canadian hockey player Gordie Howe and his famous 'elbows up' response to aggression on the ice. And so Mr. Myers, the 61-year-old star of the 'Wayne's World,' 'Austin Powers' and 'Shrek' films and a beloved figure on both sides of the Canadian-American border, boldly opened his down vest and flashed his 'Canada Is Not for Sale' T-shirt on live television. 'Elbows up,' he mouthed into the camera, twice. 'What happened came from my ankles and from my brain and from my heart, and it was not about me — it was about my country,' he said. 'I wanted to send a message home to say that I'm with you, you know.' As public acts of defiance on 'S.N.L.' go, the unveiling of Mr. Myers's T-shirt was less shocking than, say, the Irish singer Sinead's O'Connor's dramatic destruction of a photo of Pope John Paul II in 1992. But for the mild-mannered Mr. Myers, an expatriate who said that 'no one is more Canadian than a person who no longer lives in Canada,' it was the moment the gloves came off. 'What's happened has really hurt our feelings,' he said in a recent telephone interview that began when, in what felt like a classically Canadian move, he apologized for having hay fever and perhaps sounding a bit snuffly. 'We love America. We love you guys. We don't understand what this madness is.' Mr. Myers moved to the United States in 1988 because 'America is the entertainment capital of the world' and it was where his career took off, he said. Though he divides his time between New York and Vermont, he said he travels back home to Toronto often. He has an American wife, two American children and an American passport (alongside his Canadian one). 'I am also an American citizen, and I took my oath very seriously,' he said. 'That's what's so crazy. Americans are the last people you would think would ever be a threat to us.' In Canada, Mr. Myers has two streets named after him, appears on a postage stamp and in 2017 was named an officer of the Order of Canada for his work in comedy. He published 'Canada,' a memoir-cum-Valentine to his native country, in 2016. Emboldened by how his 'elbows up' defiance on 'S.N.L.' caught on up north, Mr. Myers plotted an escalation of his political involvement. 'I consulted with my brothers, who are both, obviously, Canadian, as well as being very savvy politically and smart and funny,' he said. The result was a television ad for the Liberal Party, featuring Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mr. Myers — wearing a 'Never 51' jersey — chatting beside a hockey rink. Though the race has been tightening, the Liberals have been buoyed by a surge of anger at Mr. Trump's bellicose behavior, and pollsters say they are favored to defeat the Conservatives in Monday's federal elections. Inspired by 'those World War II movies where they ask the fake Americans who won the World Series' as a way to unmask them, Mr. Myers said, he wanted the ad to be a reaffirmation of his own Canadianness as well as an endorsement of Mr. Carney. 'I wanted it to be like, 'I know I don't live there anymore, and let's talk about that,'' he said. 'I thought it would be funny if the prime minister of Canada ran an identity test on me.' (The part in which Mr. Myers correctly identifies Toronto's 'two seasons' as 'winter and construction' was contributed by Mr. Myers's best friend since childhood, David Mackenzie, he said.) The ad shows that Mr. Carney, in addition to being a former governor of the Bank of England, has fine comic timing. 'I think he's very reasonable,' Mr. Myers said of Mr. Carney. 'He's taken a calm, resolute, articulate stance in defense of our sovereignty.' Mr. Myers was an 'S.N.L.' cast member from 1989 to 1995. He's now appeared three times this season as Mr. Musk, who is originally from South Africa but who was raised in Canada. (At one point, Mr. Myers had Mr. Musk make a classic Dr. Evil pinkie gesture.) 'To the extent that Elon Musk is involved in our democratic government, it goes against how I feel as a Canadian,' he said of Mr. Musk's slash-and-burn approach. 'We don't have a distrust of the government. We have a belief in good government.' And comedy is one way Mr. Myers can make that point, he believes. 'Fascism doesn't like to be ridiculed; it likes to be feared,' he said. 'Satire is an important tool in the toolbox to say that this is not normal — that the cuts he's making are not normal.' Mr. Myers said he had no ill will toward another prominent Canadian expatriate, the hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky, whose embrace of Mr. Trump's MAGA movement has caused some Canadians to turn against him. Mr. Gretzky remains 'a great Canadian,' Mr. Myers said. He mentioned the game Red Rover, which he played as a boy in Toronto, as a vehicle for inviting Mr. Gretzky to join his side. 'Red Rover, Red Rover, we call Wayne over,' he said. 'I hope he does. We would accept him with open arms.' In his book, Mr. Myers writes that his native country has often struggled to define its purpose, its residents asking not 'Who are we?' but rather 'Why are we?' It has an answer now, he said. 'As the great Canadian poet Joni Mitchell said, 'You don't know what you've got till it's gone,'' he said. 'The possibility of it all being gone has raised our consciousness of how great we are.'
New York Times
13-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘S.N.L.': Laughing All the Way to Financial Chaos
With Easter approaching, it seemed appropriate for 'Saturday Night Live' to resurrect a favorite bit: a scene from the Bible that is interrupted by a comic monologue from James Austin Johnson playing President Trump. This weekend's broadcast, hosted by Jon Hamm and featuring the musical guest Lizzo, began with what looked like a straightforward re-enactment of the Cleansing of the Temple, with the role of Jesus played by Mikey Day. 'This will not stand,' Day said, overturning a money changer's table. 'I will rid this place of all its money.' The action paused so that Johnson could enter as Trump. 'Remind you of anyone?' he asked. 'Wow. I also got rid of money last week. But instead of one temple, I did whole country. Maybe even the globe. The money's gone.' Johnson continued: 'Hi, it's me, your favorite president, Donald Jesus Trump, comparing myself to the son of God once again. You know, many people are even calling me the messiah, because of the mess-I-ah made out of the economy.' The financial turmoil, he said, was 'all because of my beautiful tariffs — they're so beautiful. They were working so well that I had to stop them.' Johnson said that the stock market 'did a Jesus — it died.' 'Then on the third day, it was risen,' he continued. 'And then on the fourth day it died again, possibly never to return, just like Jesus. Where the heck is that guy? Come back, get me out of this. And Jesus Christ is a name we've been saying a lot lately. We're saying it a lot. We look at our 401(k) and say, 'Jesus Christ, where did it all go?'' Johnson threw in a few topical jokes about Passover and Easter, saying, 'We love hunting for eggs, just like everyone's doing in the grocery store right now, because they cost a trillion, billion dollars.' Finally, Johnson asked that we 'remember the lesson that Mister Jesus taught us when he went buck wild on those money changers: We must never mix religion with commerce.' He added, 'You can read all about that in my Trump Bible. Now made in America, so it costs $1,300 and it falls apart even faster.' News you can use of the week It hasn't been a pleasant time to be watching TV news unless you're a fan of large numbers preceded by minus signs, arrows pointed emphatically downward and the color red. If you'd prefer a news program that isn't any more soothing but at least tries to commiserate with you while apprising you of current events, there's CTCBC, the Check-to-Check Business Channel, whose anchors (Hamm and Nwodim, equipped with their fact-packed chyron) will keep you caught up with the financial bellwethers that really matter, like the price of boxed mac and cheese, or the increase in the cost of candy bars ('from, 'Sure, baby,' to 'Put that back'). 'White Lotus' parody of the week Unlike, say, everyone on the internet, 'S.N.L.' had largely avoided talking about the latest season of 'The White Lotus,' the much-dissected HBO anthology series. But this weekend, 'S.N.L.' put all the material it had been stockpiling into a big noisy blender, mixed it with some lorazepam and came up with 'The White POTUS,' a filmed segment that was a satire of both the show and U.S. politics. Johnson, once again, was President Trump — this time, a silent stand-in for Timothy Ratliff, the shady financier played by Jason Isaacs. Chloe Fineman was the first lady, Melania Trump, who nonetheless spoke with the North Carolina accent of Parker Posey's Victoria Ratliff: 'Can you imagine how awful it would be if America lost all its money and no one in the world respected us anymore?' she asked. (A reaction shot showed the Newsmax headline Johnson had been surreptitiously scanning on his phone: 'Trump Triggers Worldwide Recession.' Watch for return appearances from 'S.N.L.' alums Alex Moffat (as Eric Trump) and Beck Bennett (as Vladimir Putin, the Russian president); Scarlett Johansson, the 'S.N.L.' spouse and frequent host (as Ivanka Trump); 'White Lotus' cast member Jon Gries (as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick); and at least another week's worth of 'White Lotus' discourse online as a result. Weekend Update jokes of the week Over at the Weekend Update desk, the anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che continued to riff on the economic fallout of the tariffs imposed by President Trump. Jost began: Che continued: Weekend Update desk segment of the week Heard any good jokes about the economy lately? Well, for those who could handle even more, Bowen Yang was on hand as his character Chen Biao, a Chinese trade minister who had plenty of sassy thoughts about the growing trade war between his country and the United States, 'I'm just wondering, which side is more willing to endure hardship for the glory of their nation?' Yang asked. 'The one that's been around for thousands of years? Or the one that's sending Katy Perry to space?'
New York Times
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Why Morgan Wallen's Abrupt ‘S.N.L.' Exit Is Being Dissected
At the end of every 'Saturday Night Live' episode, the host, the musical guest and cast members assemble onstage to say goodbye to the audience and viewers at home. While the music plays and the credits roll, they make small talk, shake hands and say their farewells. There's not much to think about. Usually. Social media has been abuzz since Morgan Wallen, the pop-country superstar who was the musical guest on Saturday, walked offstage while the end credits rolled, leaving behind the host, Mikey Madison, and the rest of the 'S.N.L.' cast. It is not clear whether his sudden exit was an intentional message. Here is what we do know. What happened? After Madison made her closing remarks, she turned to Wallen and hugged him. They shared a few words off mic before he walked offstage into the audience past the camera. Shortly after the show ended, Wallen posted a picture to his Instagram stories of a jet with the caption, 'Get me to God's country.' It was unclear what Wallen, who in recent years was rebuked by music industry's gatekeepers after a video surfaced of him using a racial slur, meant by the statement or why he left the stage. Representatives for Wallen, who performed two songs from his upcoming album 'I'm the Problem,' and 'S.N.L.' did not immediately return requests for comment on Monday. (Variety cited anonymous sources to say that the exit was an 'oops' moment and that it was the route Wallen had used all week.) Why did the moment become such a hot topic? While 'Saturday Night Live' is often the subject of scrutiny and social media chatter, the attention has been even more intense since its 50th season began in September, weeks before the presidential election. Wallen is also a central figure in popular culture, a powerhouse on the music charts despite his controversies (he pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment last year after throwing a chair from the roof of a Nashville bar). Strong reactions to a musician from a genre that leans politically conservative is only the latest 'S.N.L.' moment to provoke conversation online. Bill Burr's post-election monologue upset many when he mocked cancel culture and joked about how female candidates should dress more provocatively. Tom Hanks drew ire when he appeared as a MAGA supporter who was uncomfortable shaking a Black man's hand in a sketch called 'Black Jeopardy.' Shane Gillis drew sharp criticism this month when he hosted the show five years after being fired for using slurs on old podcast appearances. Did Wallen break protocol? It depends on who you ask. Dustin Kidd, a professor of sociology at Temple University and an expert in popular media, said in a statement on Monday that it was customary for the musical guest to remain onstage as the closing music plays. 'Most people grow up watching 'S.N.L.' and would know that, and certainly someone planning to perform would know that,' he said. 'The show would have been carefully blocked in advance.' Kidd added that Wallen's Instagram story after the show seemed to indicate that he also skipped the customary after-party. James Andrew Miller, the co-author of 'Live From New York,' an oral history of 'Saturday Night Live,' said in an interview that Wallen's exit was a 'tad askew' and an 'outlier.' 'I think that for 50 years, most of the time the goodbyes go without incident or without any kind of exceptional behavior on anyone's part,' he said. 'When something does go awry, I think it just attracts an inordinate amount of attention.' What is Wallen's history with 'S.N.L.'? Wallen was first scheduled to perform in October 2020 but was not allowed to because he violated coronavirus protocols. Videos on social media had shown him drinking shots, kissing fans and mingling in groups after a college football game while not wearing a mask or following other social-distancing guidelines. He instead made his first performance on the show in December 2020, even referring to the incident in a sketch. What have 'S.N.L.' cast members said? Kenan Thompson told Entertainment Weekly on Monday that Wallen's abrupt exit was not the norm. 'I don't know what goes through people's minds when they decide to do stuff like that,' he said. 'I don't know if he understood the assignment or not, or if he was really feeling a certain kind of way.' 'The 'God's country' of it all is strange because it's like, what are you trying to say?' Thompson added. 'You trying to say that we are not in God's country? We're not all in God's country? We're not all under God's umbrella? That's not necessarily my favorite.'
New York Times
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘S.N.L.' Reprises the Trump-Zelensky Oval Office Face-Off
A shockingly combative White House meeting between President Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine may have precipitated a diplomatic crisis and signaled a fissure in the longstanding relationship between the United States and Europe. But the incident provided ample grist for the satirical mill on 'Saturday Night Live' in the first new broadcast after its 50th anniversary celebration. This weekend's show, hosted by Shane Gillis and featuring the musical guest Tate McRae, began with a voice-over that declared the meeting between Trump and Zelensky had gone 'really, really well,' adding, 'Everyone who watched felt at ease and thought, 'the world is now a safer place.'' The 'S.N.L.' replay of this meeting began with Mikey Day as Zelensky and James Austin Johnson in his recurring role as Trump, introducing himself as 'President and CEO of Gaza Hotel and Casino' and saying that he welcomed Zelensky to 'this incredible trap; it's going to be a big, beautiful trap, and we're going to attack him very soon for no reason.' Bowen Yang, playing Vice President JD Vance, chimed in, saying, 'Watch out, 'cause this kitty's got claws.' Turning to Marcello Hernández, who was playing Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Johnson asked, 'Are you excited to attack our European ally?' Hernández gave a vacant stare into the camera and replied, 'Um, no Inglés.' Johnson also said he thanked Zelensky for 'dressing like casual 'Star Trek,'' adding that he loved 'Star Trek' because 'there's no D.E.I.' Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
