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Irish Daily Mirror
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Netflix releases first image from Cillian Murphy's latest movie
Netflix has released a glimpse of Cillian Murphy's new movie, Steve. Set in the mid-'90s, Steve is a reimagining of Max Porter's Sunday Times bestseller, Shy. The film follows a pivotal day in the life of headteacher Steve, played by Oscar winner Cillian, and his students at a last-chance reform school amidst a world that has forsaken them. As Steve fights to protect the school's integrity and impending closure, we witness him grappling with his own mental health. In parallel to Steve's struggles, we meet Shy (Jay Lycurgo), a troubled teen caught between his past and what lies ahead as he tries to reconcile his inner fragility with his impulse for self-destruction and violence. Tracey Ullman (The Tracey Ullman Show, Mrs. America), Simbi Ajikawo (Top Boy) and Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves, Small Things Like These) are revealed as supporting cast members. Further cast members include Douggie McMeekin, Youssef Kerkour, Luke Ayres, Joshua J Parker, Araloyin Oshunremi, Tut Nyuot, Tom Moya, Ahmed Ismail, Joshua Barry, Archie Fisher, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Priyanga Burford, George Fouracres, Marcus Garvey, Ruby Ashbourne-Serkis and Roger Allam. Steve will be released in select cinemas in September and on Netflix from October 3, 2025.
Scottish Sun
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
The Simpsons secrets revealed as show hits huge milestone including special episode spoilers, predictions & best cameos
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FURIOUSLY sketching a yellow family on the back of a piece of paper, cartoonist Matt Groening had just minutes to impress a room full of waiting TV executives. The small-time comic strip maker had been given a shot at coming up with the next big animated series to fill a slot on American sketch series The Tracey Ullman Show. 12 The Simpsons is preparing to celebrate the show's 800th episode, 35 years after it first aired Credit: Alamy 12 The early sketches of The Simpsons make the famous characters almost unrecognisable Credit: Fox 12 Show creator Matt Groening (L), screenwriter Matt Selman and producer David Silverman have been behind The Simpsons' success Little did he know that the rushed doodle of a dad slumped on the sofa, a mother with towering hair and three kids — one loud, one weird and one mute — would soon take the world by storm. Now, more than 35 years on, The Simpsons is on the brink of celebrating its 800th episode. In a rare interview, Matt, 71, told how inspiration for the family could not have come from closer to home. While receiving an Honorary Cristal Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival this week, he joked: 'It's a little-known fact that my parents' real names were . . . Itchy and Scratchy. 'No, seriously, I have a real father called Homer, a real mother called Marge, real siblings called Lisa and Maggie and a real grandfather called Abe.' Contrary to popular opinion, that does not mean that Matt based cheeky practical joker Bart on himself. Instead, he thinks of himself more like Bart's nerdy and awkward best friend Milhouse. The idea for the cartoon may have been simple, but Matt has never run out of steam. Now in its 36th series, The Simpsons is currently on episode 790, with the milestone instalment due to air soon. Actress Yeardley Smith, who has been the voice behind Lisa Simpson since the start, revealed that the cast had already gathered for a table read to test out the script for the 800th show, which is believed to be the finale of the current run. The Simpsons reveals new actor for iconic character – as original star quits after 35 years She was joined by Dan Castellaneta (Homer), Julie Kavner (Marge), Sabrina Carpenter's aunt Nancy Cartwright (Bart), Harry Shearer (Ned Flanders), Hank Azaria (Moe and Chief Wiggum) and Pamela Hayden (Milhouse). Matt teased: 'Our main motivation is to surprise ourselves. 'We figure that if we can surprise ourselves, we will probably surprise the audience as well. 'We have parodies of cinema and references to books, TV shows and personal autobiographical anecdotes. 'As it goes on, we become known for different kinds of jokes.' One constant that fans love though is the celebrity cameos. 12 The Simpsons has stood the test of time thanks to the show's combination of humour and creativity Credit: Alamy 12 Singer Billie Eilish was a recent guest star on the long-running show, appearing in a scene with Lisa Simpson 12 The Simpsons has had uncanny success at predicting future events on the world stage Huge names who have featured over the years include Ringo Starr, George Harrison and Paul McCartney, Gordon Ramsay, Elon Musk and former Prime Minister Tony Blair. And the writers also famously have a spooky knack for predicting the future. From Donald Trump becoming President to the creation of Apple's FaceTime, viewers heard it from Springfield first. But even with hundreds of episodes under his belt, Matt has no plans to shelve the series any time soon. In fact, he even hopes it lives on long enough to catch up with the timeline of another hit Groening production, Futurama. Matt joked: 'The Simpsons will still be on air in the year 3000! 'Unfortunately, critics will say the show has really been going downhill in the last one thousand years.' Here, we take a dive into The Simpsons' history books to look at its famous cameos and amazing predictions. The predictions 12 The Simpsons forecasted many technological advancements like video calling Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk IT'S not just the gags that have fans hooked, but the fact the hit series has long had an uncanny habit of predicting major future events. Through the show's 36 series, a number of storylines have been manifested into real life after first making their appearance in the form of cartoon animation. In 2000, Bart To The Future saw Lisa Simpson becoming US President, but a billboard in the background of one shot had a billboard ad for 'TRUMP 2024'. Another episode in 1993 predicted COVID-19, when a flu spread through Springfield residents, while the EBOLA outbreak was predicted in a 1997 scene. 12 The show featured Lady Gaga performing at the Super Bowl years before she took centre stage Credit: 20th Century Fox Elsewhere, the cartoon predicted the 2013 HORSE MEAT scandal, in its episode aired in 1994, which saw schoolkids unknowingly served horse meat for lunch. In a 1995 episode titled Lisa's Wedding, people were seen using SMART WATCH-like devices to communicate – an entire two decades before Apple launched their wearable gadget, while technology similar to FACETIME also featured. 12 Mr Burns attended an exclusive celeb gathering spookily similar to rapper P Diddy's infamous scandal-hit 'white parties' Credit: Fox And in 1998, Homer appeared to figure out the mathematical equation behind the HIGGS BOSON discovery, 14 years before particle physicists confirmed the concept. A 2012 episode, Lisa Goes Gaga, saw the young character watching singer LADY GAGA at the Super Bowl – suspended from the air in the same manner as the star's real-life 2017 show. And in 2019, Mr Burns attended an exclusive gathering for celebrities, which was spookily similar to rapper P Diddy's infamous scandal-hit 'white parties'. The celebrity cameos THE Simpsons is not short on memorable characters. But that hasn't stopped some of the world's most recognisable stars from wanting to have their moment being reimagined in yellow. The Beatles' RINGO STARR was the first of the group to make an appearance in 1991, where he appeared as himself to encourage family matriarch Marge to pursue a career in the arts. He was soon followed in series five's Homer's Barbershop Quartet by GEORGE HARRISON, in 1993, and SIR PAUL McCARTNEY in 1995, who convinced Lisa to go vegetarian. 12 The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr is one of the famous celebrities to star on The Simpsons Credit: 20th Century Fox SIMON COWELL first appeared in the series in 2004 as a brutally honest telly talent judge, while Space X tycoon ELON MUSK landed in a spaceship in an episode in 2015 and TONY BLAIR met with Homer in a 2003 episode that featured an animated version of the Queen. Needless to say, Her Majesty did not guest star. While Coldplay's CHRIS MARTIN sang in an animated concert as part of the series in 2010, telly chef GORDON RAMSAY made his appearance in 2011. 12 Controversial billionaire Elon Musk had an appearance on the show - on a spaceship And comedian RICKY GERVAIS cropped up not once but twice, starring in 2006 episode This Is Your Wife, and lending his voice to Season 22's Angry Dad: The Movie in 2011. There's been no shortage of pop stars either, with BILLIE EILISH recording alongside Lisa in an animated short in 2022. Other big chart names who have featured include TOM JONES, STING, ELTON JOHN, MERYL STREEP and DOLLY PARTON.
New York Times
16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Journalists Share Short Sketches of ‘S.N.L.' Memories
John J. O'Connor, a television critic for The New York Times, missed the first half-hour of 'Saturday Night' when it premiered live on NBC at 11:30 on Oct. 11, 1975. 'An unusually good dinner on Long Island and a steady rain during the 100-mile drive back to the city thwarted thoroughly noble intentions,' he wrote in the newspaper that month. But 'Saturday Night,' a late-night sketch comedy series that changed its name to 'Saturday Night Live' in 1977, had his attention. And quickly, 'S.N.L.' became a fixture of The Times's media and cultural coverage. Half a century later, 'S.N.L.' is still going strong, and The Times publishes a recap of each episode, reviewing the host's monologue and noteworthy sketches. In the lead-up to the 50th anniversary of 'S.N.L.,' which NBC is honoring with a special broadcast on Sunday, The Times's Culture desk has published a deeper look into the history and influence of the show. Articles in a series, 'S.N.L.' at 50, have appeared in newspapers since last fall, exploring topics such as popular political sketches, five decades of musical guests and the subjective eye its viewers tend to develop. Times Insider asked four Culture journalists to explain their own personal histories with the show. Read their accounts below. TERENCE McGINLEY Up Late, Exposed to Sketch Comedy For better or for worse, I was given carte blanche access to TV at a pretty young age (I was allowed to stay up late, too). What could have been more exciting for a kid than watching 'Saturday Night Live' during its 1990s heyday? My favorite sketches from those years involved Sprockets, the Spartan cheerleaders and Mary Katherine Gallagher, as well as any time Chris Farley or Will Ferrell was onscreen. More than anything, 'S.N.L.,' along with two of my favorite series of that era, 'The Tracey Ullman Show' and 'Mr. Show,' gave me a foundational appreciation for sketch comedy in general and may have shaped my sense of humor more than might have been advisable. — Maya Salam, Culture editor A 'Mirror for the Nation's History' to Share 'S.N.L.' is a fascinating subject because it's been at the heart of American culture for so long that it has become a kind of mirror for the nation's history and your own. I started watching as a kid during the Dana Carvey years, which is still my favorite era. (This made it extra fun when I talked to Carvey for our catchphrases package and listened to him do George Bush, Ross Perot and all the other impressions I used to copy at school.) Now I watch the show with my daughter. If she's lucky, she may one day talk to Bowen Yang about why his George Santos sketches were so hysterical. (And I'm sure Santos would be thrilled to be remembered.) — Jeremy Egner, television editor This TV Critic Doesn't Watch I don't watch 'Saturday Night Live.' That may surprise you, since I am a professional TV critic. It certainly has surprised various editors. I know, of course, that 'S.N.L.' is a cultural institution. But institutions, by nature, are usually not where the most exciting action is in any art form, TV included. And honestly? I haven't stayed up until 1 a.m. since high school. When I say I don't watch 'S.N.L.,' though, I don't mean that I never see it. For me, the most significant development in the history of 'S.N.L.' was not a particular cast change but the invention of YouTube. That's how I, and many others, now experience the show. Sketch comedy is hit-or-miss by definition, but when it hits — a banger Lonely Island short, say — I'm glad to watch it the next day, after social media tells me about it. If you love your routine of staying up to watch 'S.N.L.' — live, from New York — I'm happy for you. I'm also grateful: You and your night-owl companions are essentially the screeners for the rest of us morning-after clip-watchers. I, and my relatively well-rested eyeballs, thank you for your service. — James Poniewozik, television critic Monday Morning, Favorite Lines Ranked Even when I was a kid and I first started watching 'S.N.L.,' I could tell that Weekend Update was the centerpiece of the show. That didn't mean I understood much of what Dennis Miller was talking about, but he seemed amused by himself. I was a little older when Kevin Nealon took over and he seemed funny enough, even if he mostly gave 'a friend's kind of goofy dad' vibes. But when Norm Macdonald took over, it was a revelation. This one still gets me every time: 'In music news, No. 1 on the college charts this summer was Better Than Ezra. And at No. 2: Ezra.' My friends and I would set our VHS every Saturday night and come to school Monday ready with our best lines, ranked. — David Malitz, deputy culture editor
