It was September 2019, and SNL was supposed to get a new cast member. He was Shane Gillis, an up-and-coming stand-up known for his sometimes “edgy” humor. Alas, the late night sketch show hadn’t fully vetted his past work, which had its share of racist and homophobic jokes. Gillis’ invitation was soon rescinded. The move was cheered on by many, and it seemed like his career was hobbled. Or was it? Gillis has gone on to become an incredibly popular comic, so much so that he’s coming back to SNL, with a twist.
Per Deadline, on SNL’s most recent episode, with Ayo Edebiri, Jennifer Lopez, and for some reason Nikki Haley, it was revealed that for the February 24th show, Gillis would return, this time as host. Alongside him will be musical guest 21 Savage.
Back in 2019, the furor over Gillis’ past bits, some made on podcasts, elicited a rare about-face from SNL.
“We were not aware of his prior remarks that have surfaced over the past few days,” read a statement put out by SNL brass. “The language he used is offensive, hurtful and unacceptable. We are sorry that we did not see these clips earlier, and that our vetting process was not up to our standard.”
Gillis responded with a mix of humility and humblebragging. “I’m a comedian who was funny enough to get SNL. That can’t be taken away,” he wrote on Twitter (now, sort of, X). “I respect the decision they made. I’m honestly grateful for the opportunity. I was always a MADtv guy anyway.”
Since then Gillis’ fortunes have improved. His stand-up special debutm, Shane Gillis: Live in Austin, bowed on YouTube, racking up over 16 million views. His most recent one, Shane Gillis: Beautiful Dogs, was a Netflix deal, and it charted in the streamer’s Global Top 10 TV (English).
You can watch Gillis’ SNL return, with 21 Savage, on February 24.
In another timeline Dune: Part Two would have already come and (maybe) went. The sequel was originally scheduled for a Thanksgiving release, but Hollywood studios heads played hardball with two union guilds, so now it’s due in less than a month. That’s not too far off, and its ad campaign has already reached some new, weird heights: Last week AMC Theatres unveiled their new Dune popcorn bucket, which uses a sandworm mouth as the lid. It’s the stuff of nightmares, which SNL made sure to parody on their latest episode.
During their episode with Ayo Edebiri and Jennifer Lopez (plus, for some reason, GOP second placer Nikki Haley), SNL dropped a pre-taped sketch in which a group of teens (Edebiri among them) get all hot and bothered by the promotional item. Of particular note was the, um, well, weirdly sexual nature of the sandworm mouth, which does not go unnoticed by the bevy of teens, including one played by Marcello Hernandez.
“I’m a gentle teenage boy with an innocent heart but you found a way to touch it,” Hernandez sings. “And now that my parents are gone, I’m going to lose my virginity to the Dune popcorn bucket.
“Oh, play my heartstrings just like a fiddle,” he continues, “and I’m not scared of the teeth in the middle.”
Eventually everyone’s taking their sandworm-affixed buckets to the prom as dates. “Around the world, children will buy this, got two popcorn buckets. We didn’t make this up, this is a real thing,” the ensemble sings. “Can’t wait to see Dune 2 eating popcorn out of my bucket. Then after, I’ll take it home and f*ck it.”
What would Dune author Frank Herbert, a serious man who made a game-changing sci-fi opus that’s packed silly with dense ideas, think of this sketch? He’d almost certainly be horrified at how his work has evolved into a bit about teens getting it on with sandworm mouths. Or maybe he’d be pleasantly surprised. Who’s to say?
Whatever the case, you can watch the sketch in the video. Dune: Part Two hits theaters on March 1.
Last week the conspiracy theory-loving wackos in MAGA hatched some next level nonsense: Taylor Swift is conspiring with the “deep state” to rig the Super Bowl and then somehow get Joe Biden re-elected. Makes sense, right? Or does it? MAGA’s latest doozy earned them a whole new level of mockery (while all but ensuring the GOP has lost the youth vote forever). Sure enough, SNL on Saturday gave this one prime real estate on Weekend Update.
After describing the Swift theory, co-anchor Colin Jost simply marveled at the sheer breadth of hate among the Trump crowd, which sounds exhausting.
“Man, MAGA people have so many enemies to keep track of,” Jost said. “You have to hate the NFL, Taylor Swift, Bud Light, Disney, Kristen Stewart for some reason, electric stoves, windmills, the concept of rainbows, and the green M&M.”
Jost then added, “And you have to think that everybody in the government is a secret pedophile except for this guy dancing with Jeffrey Epstein.” Who was “this guy”? Of course it was the famous clip of a beaming Donald Trump dancing with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
“I mean, isn’t that the happiest you’ve ever seen Trump?” Jost noted. “He’s dancing like nobody is checking IDs.”
Elsewhere during the latest Weekend Update, Jost and Michael Che also dug in on Joe Biden, whose support among Black voters has slipped. “It’s getting so bad he now only has support from Obama’s white half,” Che joked.
Every single week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.
TIE: 10. Loudermilk (Audience Network series streaming on Netflix)
Speculation of a fourth season has been swirling after all three existing seasons of this Peter Farrelly co-created series arrived on Netflix. Ron Livingston stars as a music critic and recovering alcoholic/grumpy a-hole, and even his sponsor (portrayed by Will Sasse) has had about enough of his garbage. Could this series benefit from the binge model like Suits and Manifest and possibly be resurrected? Watch, laugh, and join the cause.
The third season of this series is filming in Maine and will cover Lee Child’s Persuasion novel. Neagley shall return, and perhaps she will even bring a rocket launcher, but if you haven’t watched how the Big Man resolves the helicopter catastrophe, grab the snacks and settle in for some adrenaline-pounding, one-liner-fueled action. Wait a second, can a helicopter even hold Reacher without crumbling into the ground out of sheer failure to contain him? These are the questions that keep Jack Reacher devotees awake.
Fortunately, the arctic blasts of a few weeks ago appear to have died down in much of the U.S., so perhaps you’re warmed up enough to watch this frozen plane-crash movie without shivering at the same time. This Oscar-nominated picture became a streaming hit for its harrowing portrayal of 1972 Andes Mountains crash survivors, who are left without protective gear and wondering when, if ever, they will be rescued. Oh yeah, and they have to find meals somewhere — eek.
8. The Beekeeper (Miramar movie on VOD & Amazon Prime)
Bless Jason Statham for continuing to throw himself into the most absurd revenge permutations. This variation involves Statham not only making honey as an actual beekeeper but being a top-secret Beekeeper member, meaning that he’s a shadowy government contractor who must “protect the hive” to keep bad guys from ruining society for real. It this a “one last job” story, too? Hell yeah.
World War II-obsessed team Steven Spielberg (Amblin Television), Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman (the latter two from Playtone) take to the skies with this followup to Band Of Brothers and The Pacific. The show stars a who’s-who of rising Hollywood stars, including Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Ncuti Gate, Anthony Boyle, Barry Keoghan, and Nate Mann. The aerial battle scenes are plagued by slightly odd-looking CGI, but that’s a minor distraction compared to the sweeping story of the real-life missions and bombardments to take Nazi Germany down.
Sometimes, truth is not only as terrible as fiction but isn’t believed by those who are wary of the “life imitating art” phenomenon. In this case, law enforcement dropped the ball by deciding to accuse a couple of fabricating a Gone Girl scenario for attention. There’s a reason that this crime strongly resembled that story, as it turns out, and this truth does, in fact, become stranger than Gillian Flynn’s fiction. True crime junkies cannot resist this infuriating watch, and if this docuseries doesn’t last long enough for you, then Unbelievable (starring Kaitlyn Dever) is a comparable Netflix show worth absorbing.
The financially successful celebrity do-gooder anthem, “We Are The World,” gets the deep dive treatment of an unprecedented collection of stars who gathered to raise many millions of dollars for Live Aid. Not only were Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, and Willie Nelson on hand, but Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, and Cyndie Lauper joined the party, too. The nostalgia is pouring out of this project, and the documentary approach yields the BTS approach nearly 40 years later.
4. The Postcard Killings (RLJE film streaming on Netflix)
This 2020 movie starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Famke Janssen didn’t fare too well in theaters at all, which makes sense considering its release date, of course. The film is finally receiving a wider, slightly obsessed audience who is here for JDM as an NYPD detective who zooms around the globe to track serial killers who killed his daughter and son-in-law. This story is based upon James Patterson and Liza Marklund’s best-selling novel and gives us JDM in a role that’s a world apart from The Walking Dead‘s duality-soaked Negan, which is merely one role that he’s tackled in his long-and-winding career but the most enduring one to this date.
Frozen horrors have literally risen from the tundra (you’ll know that theme when you see it), and hoo boy, the first season is (thankfully) resurrecting itself loud and clear in this latest HBO season. Even a Rust Cohle connection officially exists in this season helmed by Jodie Foster and Kali Matthew. Granted, McConaughey and Woody Harrelson do not appear onscreen in this installment, but they are very much present in spirit and as executive producers. Additionally, this season heads to the uppermost point of the U.S. but takes many similar turns to the eerie chain of events that arose down in the Carcosa ruins of Louisiana.
It’s ladies’ night in the cocaine trade. Original Narcos co-creator Doug Miro and Narcos: Mexico executive producer Eric Newman team up to tell the story of Colombian drug cartel leader Griselda Blanco, the prolific cocaine trafficker as portrayed by Sofia Vergara. Griselda reigned in Miami in the 1970-’80s, and her tour of terror included operating under 20 aliases, moving hundreds of kilos per month, and ordering dozens of murders. Do not sleep on the details about the investigator who pushed the hardest to not only apprehend Griselda but credit her (cursed) trailblazing, too.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s blockbuster movie receives a glorious reimagining that brings several new shades of a “married assassin” story to the table. Donald Glover and Maya Erskine’s spy characters — also named John and Jane Smith — emerge in an arranged marriage, which might be even more of an occupational hazard than the high-risk missions that their job requires. This show turns all expectations of romantic comedy on its head, although yes, there’s both romance and comedy to be found on the scene, along with a show-stopping fart, cameos galore, and tasty action scenes.
In her second performance of the night, Jennifer Lopez debuted new music on the Saturday Night Live stage. Ahead of her upcoming album, This Is Me…Now, Lopez premiered the album’s title track.
The song, which serves as the opener on This Is Me…Now, is downtempo ballad, on which, Lopez basks in the joy of her rekindled love with her now-husband, Ben Affleck.
“You met me halfway / Growing pains, broke some chains in every chapter / Now we know what it takes for our ever after / Took some lefts, now we’re right here where we are,” sings Lopez in the song’s opening verse.
Having made a loving reconnection, Lopez realizes that Affleck has helped her love herself even more.
“This is me now / And I took my time / Lot of winters summers baby / And I healed my heart / But I love who I am lately / This is me now,” sings Lopez on the song’s chorus.
While on stage, Lopez was dressed in pink roses, symbolizing a blissful new chapter — a brand new era of love and happiness, with the person she never stopped thinking about.
You can watch the performance of “This Is Me…Now” above.
This Is Me…Now is out 2/16 via BMG. Find more information here.
In the modern day of technology, many of us have learned the hard lesson that past posts and comments can come back to haunt us. Such was the case for Ayo Edebiri on tonight’s episode of Saturday Night Live.
During a sketch, Edebiri, along with SNL cast members Andrew Dismuskes and Chloe Fineman, play contestants competing on a game show called Why Did I Say That?, hosted by Kenan Thompson. During the game show, Thompson retrieved past comments left on people’s posts by the contestants. The comments range from sexually objectifying to threatening death. The rules of the game entailed each contestant explaining why they left such comments on the posts.
After being forced to revisit those comments, Edebiri’s character decided she had enough.
“We get it,” Edebiri said. “It’s wrong to leave mean comments, or post comments just for clout, or run your mouth on a podcast, and you don’t consider the impact because you’re 24 and stupid. But I think I speak for everyone when I say from now on, we’re gonna be a lot more thoughtful about what we post online.”
“She thinks she’s on multiple tracks, but it’s not her,” Edebiri said at the time. “I think she thinks that she’s still good even though she’s not singing for most of these songs.”
Though tonight, it seemed that Lopez and Edebiri were both in good spirits. Perhaps they’ve put their differences aside?
Saturday Night Live has never shyed away from controversy. But tonight’s opening monologue proved to be a thorn in people’s side. During a sketch satirizing a Republican presidential primary, candidate Nikki Haley made a surprise appearance to ask Donald Trump (played by James Austin Johnson) some burning questions.
But tonight’s host, Ayo Edebiri, had a question for Haley.
SNL just had Nikki Haley appear as herself during their “Republican town hall” cold open……………..smh.
Ayo Edebiri: What do you think was the main cause of the Civil War, and do you think it starts with an “S” and ends with a “lavery”? pic.twitter.com/W1G35D1faQ
“I was just curious, what would you say was the main cause of the civil war, and do you think it starts with an ‘S’ and ends with a ‘LAVERY?,’” Edeberi asked.
This particular question alluded to a December 2023 town hall in New Hampshire, where Haley said that the Civil War was “basically how the government was going to run. The freedoms and what people could and couldn’t do,” and failed to acknowledge slavery.
As one could expect, Haley’s guest appearance didn’t go over well with viewers. Many took to Twitter to express their chagrin over Haley’s SNL appearance.
“turning SNL on to watch ayo edebiri host and being met with real life actual nikki haley is one of the grossest cons of all time,” said one viewer on Twitter.
turning SNL on to watch ayo edebiri host and being met with real life actual nikki haley is one of the grossest cons of all time
“We are all these extras,” said a viewer, commenting on a picture of background actors appearing disgruntled as Haley’s surprise appearance was revealed.
Tonight (February 3) Jennifer Lopez made her fifth appearance on Saturday Night Live as the musical guest. The performance arrives ahead of her upcoming album, This Is Me…Now, which will be accompanied by a film, streaming on Prime Video. And with her performance of the album’s lead single, “Can’t Get Enough,” Lopez gave us a taste of what to expect, by showing off her theatrics.
While on stage, Lopez moved effortlessly to the festive beat. Joined by dancers matching her energy, Lopez continued to ride the high ahead of This Is Me…Now, which was largely inspired by her rekindled romance with her now-husband, Ben Affleck.
Dressed in black and white, Lopez and her dancers were celebrating the ultimate wedding bash. Midway through the performance, she was joined by rapper Latto, who contributed a verse to the song’s remix, which was released last month. While Latto’s surprise appearance was rather short, she didn’t once miss a beat.
Toward the end of the performance, rapper Redman made a surprise appearance, adding yet another new verse to “Can’t Get Enough.”
Jennifer Lopez brings out Latto for SNL performance of “Can’t Get Enough.” https://t.co/nJ43Zw0ko4
Drake’s growing tension with Rihanna has seeped into his live sets.
The status of the rumored ex-lovers (with matching tattoos) appears to be far from cordial. In 2023, fans began to speculate that Drake was sending shots at Rihanna on his song “Fear Of Heights” off his album, For All The Dogs. Now, users online believe he’s back to his shady ways.
During the opening night of the It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What? in Tampa, Florida, Drake refused to perform his parts of Rihanna’s hit 2016 song “Work.” Instead of completely removing the tour’s setlist, Drake allowed concertgoers to jam out as he enjoyed a brief break between records.
“I don’t sing this song anymore,” he said. “But you [all] can sing it though.”
drake says he no longer sings his ‘work’ collaboration with rihanna anymore, thoughts?? pic.twitter.com/8rbEkvwF6b
To borrow a phrase from today’s cool kids, J. Cole is back outside. In 2023 alone, the “No Role Modelz” rapper has connected with several of his rap friends, including Lil Durk, Bas, and Lil Yachty, to flood the market with fresh verses.
Along the way, he even secured his first No. 1 record, thanks to Drake’s “First Person Shooter.” But fans are desperate for Cole to step away from the collaborations for a moment to drop solo material. Fortunately, the wait could be over soon. With a few previously teased projects still in limbo, what does Cole plan to release first? According to a video circulating online, Cole’s putting all his efforts into wrapping up his highly-anticipated album, The Fall Off.
Is J. Cole’s New Album’ The Fall Off’ Finished?
According to J. Cole, the long-awaited project is nearly complete. In a video captured by one concertgoer during the opening night of the It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What? he shared a status report on the album.
“Right now, I’m at the tale end of working on this album,” he said. “This album that I’ve been working on for a long time. It’s called ‘The Fall Off,’ but I don’t know how many people know about it. I feel like I ain’t never said that sh*t out loud, but I’m right there. And as I approach the end, I just be thinking to myself and rethinking sh*t.”
But The Fall Off isn’t the only body of work Cole teased to supporters. Back in 2020, Cole took to Instagram to share a photo suggesting that before The Fall Off, he planned to release another album titled It’s A Boy. So, could Cole have plans to release a two-pack as a token of appreciation for supporters’ patience? Or is that another musical dream deferred, like the collaboration album with Kendrick Lamar? The world will know soon enough.
J. Cole confirms 3 new albums before he retires; Upcoming album titled “The Off-Season” pic.twitter.com/A9blZkLSrM
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gems in link in bio (@ladidaix) 