News

Jimmy Fallon‘s iconic impersonation skills once tricked Saturday Night Live viewers for years.

The 50-year-old talk show host, who was a cast member on SNL from 1998-2004, revealed that he once stepped in and pretended to be announcer Don Pardo for an episode.

“[Don] was sick one night and Lorne Michaels said, ‘Jimmy, can you do Don Pardo?’ And I was like, ‘I think I can. I mean, I’ll try?’” he said while on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Apparently, his impression was so accurate, that Don‘s absence went unnoticed until Jimmy‘s recent revelation.

Keep reading to find out more…

“I totally faked. I was doing it live, my impression of Don Pardo. No one figured it out, I pulled it off,” Jimmy said.

If you didn’t see, last year, Jimmy revealed the celebrity impression that landed him his SNL gig.

Just when it seemed like the “Morgan Wallen left 15 seconds early” story would be the weirdest, refuse-to-die Saturday Night Live controversy of the year, “Aimee Lou Wood’s teeth” sauntered up to the bar and said, “Hold my beer.”

Getting you up to speed in case you missed it: SNL poked fun at the extended Trump family in an HBO parody called The White Potus. Most of the gags were aimed at political figures, but the character of Chelsea, played by Aimee Lou Wood, was turned into a dental joke. Sarah Sherman popped in some enormous fake chompers to imitate Wood’s toothy smile, a bit that inspired Wood to call out SNL on social media for “mean” humor. Within hours, Wood reported that a) she’d received a lot of online support and b) “I’ve received apologies from SNL.”

But as with many things SNL-related, stories that...

Kenan Thompson got his start in the business with kid-geared sketch comedy series All That, and if he gets his say, he’ll finish it that way, too. Believe it or not, Kenan Thompson has been on SNL for more than 20 seasons, first stepping into Studio 8H for season 29 in 2003. With just a few more seasons until he would officially land at having been on half of the show’s episode, he’s now wondering what it might be like if he actually stuck it out.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Kenan Thompson said it would be incredible if he made SNL his final gig. “It would be cool if I never left the show. That’d be crazy.” As it stands, Thompson is the longest-tenured cast member in the show’s history, with Darrell Hammond at 14 seasons compared with Thompson’s 22. (Hammond left in 2009 but took over announcing duties from...

Kenan Thompson is already the longest-serving cast member in Saturday Night Live's fifty-year history, and he doesn't plan on leaving any time soon. Thompson fully intends to be the show's first "forever cast member." The comedian discussed his future plans this week with Entertainment Weekly.

Thompson is now in his 22nd season as an SNL cast member; the previous record-holder was Darrell Hammond, who left the show after fourteen seasons. Thompson, who recently appeared on the show's 50th anniversary special, stated his intention never to leave the venerable NBC sketch show: "I guess the only other milestone would be just to be the forever cast member. Just never leave the show. I don't really know." He discussed the possibility of hitting his thirtieth season on the show, and also of possibly outlasting showrunner Lorne Michaels, who has been with the show for its entire tenure, minus a five-year absence...

After 50 seasons on NBC, only 167 people have joined the coveted cast of “Saturday Night Live” with a select few sticking around for 10 or more seasons.

The sketch series has kickstarted several cast members’ careers to a new heights, some so big you may have forgotten they started on the show: Billy Crystal, Robert Downey Jr., Ben Stiller, Laurie Metcalf and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, to name a few.

But several cast members’ careers are defined by the impact of the sketch show. Kenan Thompson has spent 22 seasons on the show, almost half of the series’ tenure.

Keep reading for a full breakdown of the longest running SNL cast members.

NBC Kenan Thompson

22 seasons (2003-Present)

Thompson is the longest running cast member on SNL with many of his fellow cast members joking that when he leaves the show will end. The comedian has played several iconic characters during his tenure on the show,...

2024 was a packed year for several actors working in Hollywood, whether they are continuously rising stars or already well-established names in the industry. The year had plenty of noteworthy character-driven dramas, animated features, chaotic comedies, and big-budget blockbusters to keep audiences entertained. More importantly, these actors proved their capability of playing two different types of characters.

For example, multiple actors from the enthralling and visually stunning Dune: Part Two, like Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Austin Butler, also appeared in acclaimed and award-worthy dramas in the same year. They are just a few of many actors who stole the show in 2024 with their commanding screen presence and shockingly good versatility. From newcomers like Cailee Spaeny to big-name stars like Chris Hemsworth, 2024 was a spectacular year for these particular performers.

Gabriel Labelle Ran a Food Stand & Portrayed The Iconic Lorne Michaels Snack Shack & Saturday Night

Movie

Character

Snack Shack

Moose

Saturday Night...

Saturday Night Live has served as a launching pad to TV superstardom (Tina Fey and Bill Hader), dominance at the box office and even #1 music albums (Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi). But not every SNL star goes on to greater showbiz heights.

Here are five comedians who killed on the show only to find they just weren’t as good at anything else. In fairness, as insults go, “You were better at Saturday Night Live than anything else,” isn’t the worst that one could hear.

[subtitle]1Joe Piscopo [/subtitle]

Joe Piscopo might have been the first comedian to get huge on Saturday Night Live who couldn’t transfer that success beyond the show. After the original cast left, Piscopo became the show’s first new star, cranking out uncanny versions of David Letterman, Jerry Lewis and his idol Frank Sinatra. His original characters, unfortunately, had the bad habit of being more...

On December 4, 1993, Charlton Heston hosted Saturday Night Live. While the show was solid overall, the start of the episode — including the cold open, opening montage and monologue — was something truly unique among SNL’s 900-plus episodes. Rather than try to describe it myself, however, I’ll leave it to the man who wrote and conceived of it: veteran TV writer David Mandel.

Mandel later worked on Seinfeld and Veep, but before that, he was a writer on Saturday Night Live where the opening of the Heston episode was his crowning achievement.

The Night ‘SNL’ Went to the Apes

I love format-breaking. I did the documentary episode of Veep, and I did the backwards episode of Seinfeld. Over the years, Saturday Night Live had done some very cool format-breaking that a lot of people had forgotten about. In the Charles Grodin episode, the concept is that Charles Grodin did all this...

Saturday Night's digital release date has been revealed.

Saturday Night will be available to buy or rent on digital platforms on November 12, followed by Blu-ray and DVD on January 7.

More to come...

Source: Sony Pictures

Saturday Night 4/10

Saturday Night (2024) is a forthcoming film with an undisclosed director. The movie centers on the vibrant nightlife of a bustling city, capturing the intertwining lives and stories of a diverse ensemble cast navigating personal and social challenges over the course of a single evening.

Director Jason ReitmanRelease Date October 11, 2024Writers Jason Reitman, Gil KenanCast Presley Coley, Abraham Hsu, Justin Matthew Smith, Ellen Boscov, Naomi McPherson, Kirsty Woodward, Mcabe Gregg, Leander Suleiman, Corinne Britti, Rowan Joseph, James Logan, Drew Scheid, Parker Wierling, Jon Batiste, Matt Wood, Emily Fairn, Kim Matula, Brian Welch, Kaia Gerber, Andrew Barth Feldman, Nicholas Podany, Billy Bryk, Gabriel Labelle, Rachel Sennott, Catherine Curtin, Robert Wuhl, Tracy Letts, Brad Garrett, Cory Michael Smith,...

Saturday Night Live, née NBC’s Saturday Night, has broken so much new ground in late-night television that in many ways, it’s shaped the industry in its own image. But who were the firsts among the firsts?

14 The First Cast Member

Big names like Chevy Chase, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd have gotten more press over the years, but Gilda Radner was the first person Lorne Michaels added to the roster. She tragically passed away in 1989.

13 The Most ‘Live From New York’s

Chevy Chase got there first, announcing the calling card after the first sketch ever aired. But Darrell Hammond would say the famous phrase the most often throughout his career, clocking in at 70 times.

12 The First Host

The structure of the show was a lot different in the beginning, but Michaels was already set on a rotating menu of hosts. The first to do it was George Carlin...

2024 has been a year packed with great cinema from all different genres. Some of the years biggest hits have also been the most financially successful, like Dune: Part Two, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Deadpool & Wolverine. However, unfortunately, many other great films have fallen by the popularity wayside.

Every year brings a number of films that dont live up to financial or critical expectations, but there are also a lot of films that simply dont spark huge love from audiences. These films are absolutely not failures; they are completely underrated and deserve a second look.

Watch the Chaotic Origin Story of Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live is one of the longest-running TV shows of all time, but its premiere episode was filled with production problems that should have doomed the series from the start. And this year, Jason Reitman tells the story of that tumultuous and chaotic night with Saturday Night.

Censors are played for comic relief in Saturday Night, the new movie detailing SNL’s early days. Hey, how was she supposed to know what “golden shower” meant?

But while the show’s writers snuck a lot of questionable content past the gatekeepers, they weren’t always successful. Here are five sketches that were rehearsed but never aired — mostly because good taste prevailed…

[subtitle]1Jesus of Nashville [/subtitle]

When NBC produced a 1970s mini-series called Jesus of Nazareth, SNL writers came up with their version: Jesus of Nashville. In the SNL script compilation book Saturday Night Live, a scribble indicates it was written by J.D. and J.B. — James Downey and… John Belushi?

The book version of the script features a Censored stamp with a large red cross “crossing out” the offending words. If the fake promo had run, Dan Aykroyd would have played the eponymous savior, singing this ditty:

I got...

With Saturday Night opening nationwide, you might be tempted to jump on Peacock and watch the first-ever episode of Saturday Night (not yet with Live in its title). Of course it’s interesting from a historical perspective, but I rewatched the uncut DVD version to see if the actual comedy still held up. With 50 years in the show’s rear-view mirror, here’s the good and bad of that first episode from a 2024 perspective…

Good: George Carlin Stand-Up

Carlin admitted that he refused to appear in sketches, making him the only host in the show’s history to do so. Instead, he did what he did best — four separate stand-up sets interspersed throughout the show. Even though Carlin was jacked up during those monologues — “There’s one place where I can see myself grinding my jaw from the cocaine,” he said years later — you’re still catching an all-time great in his prime.

"Saturday Night" is Jason Reitman's fast-paced, sizzling chronicle of the chaotic 90 minutes leading up to the premiere of the first episode of the late night sketch comedy series that would come to be known as "Saturday Night Live". As we know, the series would go on to become a staple of pop culture that changed comedy and television forever, and it's still going strong today in its 50th season. 

But back in 1975, no one knew what this show would become, not even the young, confident showrunner Lorne Michaels (played by "The Fablemans" star Gabriel Labelle). Thankfully, we're in the future, and we know the long history of "SNL" that spans five decades, which includes a myriad of memorable sketches that have become greatest hits. That's why director Jason Reitman included some Easter eggs for hardcore "SNL" fans that allude to the future history of the show. Throughout the movie,...

The first five dates with their celebrity hosts and musical guests have been revealed for Saturday Night Live. Included among them is Michael Keaton, who's been riding a wave of success with the theatrical release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

As announced by NBC, SNL returns with Season 50 premiering on Sept. 28 with host Jean Smart, who just won an Emmy for her work in the acclaimed comedy series Hacks. She will be joined by Jelly Roll, who was also at the Emmys to perform a song for the "In Memoriam" segment, as the musical guest. They are making their debuts as the host and musical guest for the show.

Related Matt Reeves Explains if The Batman Is Required Viewing Before The Penguin Spinoff

Director Matt Reeves reveals how much of an impact The Penguin spinoff will have on The Batman films' overarching storyline.

That episode will be followed by respective hosts and...

Michael Che and Colin Jost have been manning Saturday Night Lives Weekend Update desk together since 2014, and in that time theyve cracked their fair share of jokes towards each other. Recently, Che let it be known that in all that time working together, there was one joke that Jost made that he could not stand.

During a recent appearance on the Fly on the Wall podcast hosted by longtime friends and comedians David Spade and Dana Carvey Che and Jost discussed their career and friendship. Though the two Saturday Night Live cast members take jabs at each other on a regular basis, Che did reveal the quip that went too far. "Yeah, I think jalapeo business, I was pretty furious about that one," said Che.

Related SNL Season 50 Gains Three New Additions as Another Cast Member Exits

SNLs 50th season welcomes new additions as another cast member exits.

"I remember...

Saturday Night Live isn’t always live from New York. Given the show’s popularity over five decades, it’s not surprising that other countries around the globe have adapted the franchise to fit their own cultural sensibilities.

But does every nation on earth have its version of Kenan Thompson? Here are five countries that do — or at least some reasonable facsimile.

1 SNL Korea Play

This one’s been around, off and on, since 2011, but it wasn’t easy to get started. “To get people to appear in this show, I had to beg,” head writer Jang Jin told Mwave. “I even asked them to appear on the show by giving them my next movie script.”

SNL Korea lasted for eight seasons through 2016, but a revival was announced in 2021. Like America’s SNL, it has its own Weekend Update and its own controversies, including accusations of sexual harassment by a boy band.

Funnyman Will Ferrell rose to fame as a fan favorite on the sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live. He had several recurring impersonations on the series, though there's one he wouldn't want to do again.

Per the New York Times, Ferrell reflected on his time at SNL alongside former head writer Harper Steele. Ferrell showed some regret over playing Janet Reno in "Janet Reno's Fantasies," along with other sketches on the show. On imitating Reno in the SNL sketches, which saw Ferrell dressing up in drag to poke fun at the attorney general, the actor stated, "That's something I wouldn't choose to do now."

Related 'Don't Really Know if I Belong': Saturday Night Live Star Explains Series Exit

Saturday Night Live has lost some of its talent ahead of the upcoming 50th season.

This kind of bums me out, Steele also said about the sketches. I understand the laugh is a drag laugh.

NBC's venerable Saturday Night Live late-night variety show prepares to enter a milestone 50th year with a number of fresh faces on board.

Emphasizing the effort to bring in new blood, budding comedians Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim, and Jane Wickline will join the show's cast as featured players. Their addition is coming as the show prepares for a season filled with celebrations, reunions, and high-profile guest appearances.

Related Saturday Night Live Loses Two Cast Members Ahead of Season 50

SNL loses two cast members ahead of season 50, sparking curiosity about the future of the cast and the upcoming milestone season.

Ashley Padilla has been a Main Company member of The Groundlings since 2021 and brings a good amount of experience with her onto the SNL stage. She has guest-starred on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm and NBC's Night Court. With Padilla's extensive past in performing sketch comedy, and some claim she...

Before each Saturday Night Live performance, Kristen Wiig would light a candle, she once told Kelly Clarkson. Amy Poehler shared her own pre-show ritual with Clarkson this week. “When Don Pardo would say my name,” Poehler explained, “I used to just take a moment and close my eyes for about a split second. Because that's about all the time you have at SNL. Molly Shannon used to do that — she told me about it so then I did it.”

Aww, sweet. But not as fun as another SNL tradition that Poehler revealed. It turns out the Parks and Rec star got Shannon’s office after she left the show, a fact evidenced by the scribbles Shannon left on the room’s walls. “Everyone would just kind of leave their name like summer camp,” Poehler said. “You'd write your name on the wall.”

Defacing SNL property is a long-standing tradition that...

Among the recent exits from the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live is cast member Punkie Johnson. Soon after the news was revealed, Johnson opened up on why she left the show.

Per Deadline, Johnson commented on the ordeal while appearing on the Fly on the Wall podcast, which is hosted by SNL alums Dana Carvey and David Spade. While she had been with the show for four seasons at this point, Johnson still felt like she had trouble fitting in with the SNL family. She said that she had been feeling this way since the start, and upon looking for a way out, she was encouraged by her management to keep going until she had a plan established on where to go next. Johnson stuck around for another season, though without getting much of her material used.

Related Saturday Night Cast and Character Guide

Saturday Night has one...

Greg Kihn, the singer and songwriter of behind 1980s hits “Jeopardy” and “The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em),” died Tuesday of Alzheimer’s complications. He was 75.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Greg Kihn, an iconic figure in the realm of rock music,” Kihn’s management said in a statement posted on his website.

“Known for his magnetic stage presence and unique storytelling that captivated audiences around the globe. He was not merely a musician but a cultural phenomenon whose influence will resonate for generations to come.”

Kihn was born on July 10, 1949, in Baltimore. His management describes his songwriting style as a “unique” blend of folk, classic rock, blues, and pop, adding, “his sound helped define a rich musical legacy in the San Francisco Bay Area scene.”

His biggest hit was “Jeopardy,” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, just behind Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.

Greg Kihn, the singer, songwriter, guitarist and West Coast pop star best known for his bouncy hit “Jeopardy,” which made it to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 before being parodied by “Weird Al” Yankovic, has died. He was 75.

Kihn died Tuesday after a battle with Alzheimer’s, publicist Michael Brandvold announced. His family did not want to disclose the location of his death.

Kihn blended folk, classic rock, blues and melodic pop in a style that helped define the Bay Area music scene in the 1980s. His first hit was “The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em),” which got to No. 15 on the Hot 100 in May 1981.

The Greg Kihn Band released the danceable “Jeopardy” in January 1983, and only Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” kept from nabbing the No. 1 spot. A huge MTV favorite, it was quickly spoofed by Yankovic as “I Lost on Jeopardy,” which even featured the host of the game show,...

Sony Pictures has released the first trailer for Saturday Night from director Jason Reitman..

At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television – and culture – forever. Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Gil Kenan & Reitman, Saturday Night is based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live. Full of humor, chaos, and the magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, we count down the minutes in real time until we hear those famous words…

The film stars (in order of appearance): Gabriel Labelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O’Brien, Emily Fairn, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, Kim Matula, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Kaia Gerber, Tommy Dewey, Willem Dafoe, Matthew Rhys and J.K. Simmons. Also rounding out the ensemble cast...

Jason Reitman's SNL 1975 has been retitled Saturday Night. Columbia Pictures has also slated the upcoming biopic for release this October.

According to Deadline, Saturday Night will be released in theaters on Oct. 11, 2024, which is the same day as the legendary NBC comedy show's first-ever broadcast in 1975. "On October 11, 1975, a troupe of young comedians changed TV forever. Follow the behind-the-scenes story in the moments leading up to SNL's first broadcast. It depicts the chaos and magic of a revolution that almost wasnt, counting down the minutes in real time to the infamous words, 'Live from New York, its Saturday Night!'" reads the official logline for Saturday Night.

Related SNL Creator Says Comedy Show's Fame Turned Cast Members 'Into AHoles'

SNL has seen many stars come and go, but one thing that hasnt changed is its benevolent dictator, Lorne Michaels.

Who Stars in Saturday Night?

Reitman has assembled...

Eddie Murphy was once a pivotal member of the Saturday Night Live cast, but a joke leveled at him in 1995 put him on the outs with the series for nearly 25 years. While Murphy has since made his return to the show, he can still remember how the joke made him feel.

Murphy, who starred on SNL from 1980 to 1984, looked back on the joke in a new interview with the New York Times. On a 1995 episode of SNL, David Spade was doing the "Weekend Update" segment when he criticized Murphy's movie Vampire in Brooklyn flopping at the box office. Joking that Murphy's career was over as a result, Spade said, "Look, children, it's a falling star. Make a wish." Given his history with the show, this offended Murphy, who now notes that he also feels it was racist.

Related Eddie Murphy Reveals the Secret Reason Behind Beverly Hills Cops Success

Exclusive:...

Say this for Saturday Night Live — if performers don’t have the goods, they don’t stick around for long. A number of talented comics didn’t get asked back for even a second season, including future stars Sarah Silverman, Jenny Slate and Ben Stiller. But just because comics are good enough to earn multiple seasons doesn’t mean they can’t overstay their welcome. Here are four SNL performers who milked the show for all it was worth…

1 Kenan Thompson

Hear me out. Clearly, Thompson is an SNL Hall-of-Famer, logging more episodes and more sketches than anyone else in the show’s history. Bravo! But at this point, what does Thompson have left to prove?

Play

Thompson rarely develops recurring characters like Diondre Cole these days. Instead, he supports other cast members with the greatest comic reactions in the history of Studio 8H. A steady hand is always welcome,...

Lorne Michaels has been helming the Saturday Night Live ship since its inception in 1975, and in that time he has seen comedy greats rise into superstardom. In a recent interview, the SNL originator revealed his thoughts on fame, talent, and more.

Michaels gave a rare interview to the New York Times in which he discussed his long-time position as executive producer, talent scout, and crisis manager on SNL. The series is famous for its hilarious sketch comedy, but also because its a breeding ground for global comedy stars. Greats like Chris Farley, John Belushi, and Chevy Chase were discovered by Michaels and rode the wave into very successful careers. Sadly, Farley and Belushi both passed away due to substance abuse, and Chevy Chase has garnered a reputation as one of the hardest people to work with in Hollywood. Michaels gave his two cents on the effects overnight fame can have.

Actor Ryan Gosling is known for his many acclaimed movie roles, but a lot of attention has been given recently to his role in a viral Saturday Night Live segment. The sketch featured Gosling playing a character who looks exactly like Beavis, joined by Mikey Day as a Butt-Head lookalike.

When the sketch aired, it went viral, getting so popular that Gosling and Day even reprised their roles at the premiere of The Fall Guy. It seems to be the perfect pairing, though the skit only fell into Gosling's lap as it didn't come to light when it was first pitched back in 2018. In an interview with The Ankler, hairstylist Jodi Mancuso and makeup designer Louie Zakarian shared how Jonah Hill was the first actor to have the skit pitched, but it didn't move forward at the time, partly due to a disagreement with the sketch writer on the quality of the wigs.

Billy Crystal's cut sketch on SNL showcased his comedic talent and unique creative approach. Time constraints led Lorne Michaels to make tough decisions, cutting Crystal's sketch despite its quality. Crystal's resilience and return to SNL as a host and cast member highlights his passion for comedy.

Billy Crystal has a long history with Saturday Night Live, but his relationship with SNL had a tumultuous start when his sketch was cut from the pilot episode. When Saturday Night Live premiered in 1975, it was a groundbreaking moment for television comedy. The show, created by Lorne Michaels, introduced a live sketch comedy format that was fresh, irreverent, and politically charged, capturing the spirit of the times and becoming an instant cultural phenomenon. Its blend of sketch comedy, live music, and exciting SNL hosts paved the way for numerous careers and iconic moments in television history.

Billy Crystal, a comedian and actor known...

The first episode of "Saturday Night Live" to feature its now-famous "Celebrity Jeopardy!" sketch aired on December 7, 1996. The episode's guest host, Martin Short, played Jerry Lewis. Norm McDonald played Burt Reynolds. Most notoriously, Darren Hammond played Sean Connery. The central gag of "Celebrity Jeopardy!" is that the celebrities are all kind of dumb, to the point that they don't seem to perceive that they are on a game show. Alex Trebek (Will Farrell) can barely mask his annoyance with their outward idiocy.  "Celebrity Jeopardy!" also gained a lot of traction in allowing SNL's guest hosts to do their worst celebrity impersonations. Tobey Maguire, for instance, doesn't look or sound very much like Keanu Reeves, nor does Jimmy Fallon resemble Hilary Swank, but they ere impersonated anyway. In one notable twist, Tom Hanks played himself, only he was a version of himself that was too dumb to get his hand out of a pickle jar.

We're approaching five decades of the NBC sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live." The not-ready-for-primetime players actually were ready, with dozens of them going on to have huge TV and film careers. Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Richard Pryor, Lily Tomlin, Adam Sandler, Martin Short, Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon ... the list goes on and on and on. I mean, it's almost been fifty years of brilliant talent, even though not every season was perfect.

SNL is, of course, live, meaning that even though there are rehearsals, it can change at the last moment, with sketches, and even actors, being cut. The very first episode of the very first show on October 11, 1975, cut an actor who went on to heights of fame. That actor was Billy Crystal. You may know that he hosted for the first time in 1976 and was a cast member from...

Kenan Thompson — 18 seasons and counting (2003- ) Thompson, who first broke out in the 1990s Nickelodeon sketch series “All That” and co-starred with Kel Mitchell in the 1996-2000 sitcom “Kenan & Kel,” joined “SNL” in 2003. After two years as a featured player, he was promoted in 2005 — and has cemented his reputation as the longest-serving cast member in the show’s history. Best characters: Diondre Hall, host of “What’s Up With That”; Steve Harvey; “Cinema Classics” host Reese De’What; Al Sharpton

Darrell Hammond — 14 seasons (1995-2009) The gifted impressionist who impersonated more than 100 people on the show used to hold the record for the longest-serving cast member — though he could reclaim the title since he served as the show’s announcer after Don Pardo died in 2015. Best characters: Bill Clinton, Sean Connery, Jay Leno, Donald Trump

Seth Meyers — 13 seasons (2001-2014) Meyers joined the cast with Amy Poehler and enjoyed a record...

Spain’s fast-growing TV production company Mediacrest is joining forces with Wanda Vision, one of the country’s top arthouse distributors-producers, on docu-filmmaker Gerardo Olivares’ project “Lonely Man.”

The Mediacrest-Wanda deal will see Wanda Vision’s partners José María and Miguel Morales assuming co-producers roles, handling an undisclosed part of project distribution rights.

“Lonely Man” represents Olivares’ return to the docu-fiction genre, a territory he already visited in two previous Wanda-produced projects, international sales hit “La Gran Final” and multi-prized feature “14 kilómetros.”

Both titles allowed Olivares to introduce fictional elements that helped the stories to progress within a real environment and characters.

In the case of “Lonely Man,” located in the Río Negro province in Argentina’s Patagonia, Olivares tells the story of Cándido Sandoval, a 70-year-old gaucho who lives alone in a cabin isolated from the world.

“This is a very personal project that arose after my travels...

We always watched “Jeopardy!” in my house when I was growing up. We watched Art Fleming do it when Don Pardo was the Vo. We used to play the home game. Later, when Alex Trebek hosted, my brother was on the show and lost, which was hilarious. He’s a comedian, and the Final Jeopardy! category was “Comedians.” And he lost.

So it was always a part of my life for as long as I can remember.

Trebek was a great host because of his confidence. You could easily be a smug jerk in that job, knowing all the answers and reading them off cards. But so rarely did he do that. He was so unassailably nice. That’s what was fun about Sean Connery and Burt Reynolds hating him so much in the “Celebrity Jeopardy!” sketch on “Saturday Night Live” — not really hating him so much as just wanting to fuck with him.

Jeopardy! is a long-running game show that originally aired on NBC in 1964 through to 1975, then was revived on the same network from 1978 to 1979 before becoming a daily syndicated show produced by Sony Pictures Television from 1984 through to present day.

Related: 10 Best Board Games Based On Popular TV Shows And Movies To Own

The original versions of the quiz show, which sees three contestants compete to give an answer in the form of a “what is” or who is” type of question, was originally hosted by Art Fleming. Don Pardo took over after, followed by John Harlan for the 1978/79 season. However, the daily syndicated version has always been hosted by Alex Trebek since it launched in 1984, with Johnny Gilbert as the announcer.

To date, more than 8,000 episodes of the show have aired, and it is considered to be one of the greatest TV shows in American history. This September, the 36th season premiered.

Frank Zappa’s seminal live double album Zappa in New York will celebrate its 40th anniversary with an extensive reissue that includes over three hours of previously unreleased performances. The five-disc set will arrive March 29th via Zappa Records and Universal Music.

The original set was recorded during Zappa’s four-night run at the Palladium in New York between Christmas and New Year’s 1976. Zappa in New York compiled the best performances from that run, while additional overdubs were added later in the studio. While the album was supposed to...

1986: Capitol's Clarissa found a voodoo doll in her bed.

1994: Gh's Bobbie & Tony mourned Bj on her birthday.

2010: The "Train Crash" episode of Emmerdale.

2011: One Life to Live's Cord & Tina revisited the past."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1966: On Dark Shadows, Burke Devlin (Mitchell Ryan) told Carolyn (Nancy Barrett) that Roger Collins (Louis Edmonds) may have kept the expensive fountain pen for himself on the night Bill Malloy died.

1970: On Another World, Rachel (Robin Strasser) cried to Steve (George Reinholt) that their sick little boy, Jamie, would die as punishment for her sins.

Chevy Chase was one of the original breakout stars of “Saturday Night Live,” and it turns out he’s not enjoying everything he’s seeing and hearing on the current iteration of the long-running NBC sketch comedy series. Chase appears on an episode of Netflix’s “Norm Macdonald Has a Show” (via CinemaBlend) and can be heard launching into a mini-rant about the one thing he hates about the present “Saturday Night Live” cast.

According to Chase, the current “SNL” cast is not doing justice to the signature catchphrase, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night.” Chase and the original cast popularized the phrase during the early run of the Lorne Michaels-backed series, and the comedian says the current cast has lost the intention behind what makes the catchphrase such a staple of the series.

“I mean it just gets so bad,” Chase said about the line delivery,...

When “Late Night with Seth Meyers” producer Mike Shoemaker teased that Amy Poehler, “Saturday Night Live” fans knew that meant one very exciting thing: another edition of “Really!?!”

She is the best. Really. pic.twitter.com/rTEomHvtFD

— Mike Shoemaker (@shoemakermike) June 21, 2017

The segment first popped up back when Poehler and Meyers were co-host of SNL’s “Weekend Update,” with the two taking aim at headline-makers like then-Senator Larry Craig and members of a Congressional committee on birth control. (A new addition to the canon is always exciting, but nothing tops that combo of the old graphic with Don Pardo intro’ing the title.)

When Poehler left the show for Pawnee pastures, Meyers kept the “Really!?!” flame alive, co-delivering the indignation with Kermit the Frog (who knew he was so passionate about Twizzlers and Hot Pockets!) and an also-returning Tina Fey.

With Poehler in town promoting her upcoming summer comedy “The House,” it made sense that another desk-sharing “Late Night” moment would be in the works. For this particular go-around, the two focused on the protests of the Public Theatre’s production of “Julius Caesar” depicting the ruler as Trump-like with insight into Tuesday’s news that Daniel Day-Lewis would be retiring from acting.

Though many of the “Really!?!”s touched on political news, this isn’t the first time the two have focused their laser questions elsewhere. The first time Poehler and Meyers re-teamed for the segment, the pair took aim at a pair of sports commentators who claimed that women’s soccer wasn’t worth watching.

“Really!?!” Reunion, Vol. IV is another notch in a great June for “Late Night,” which has already seen the show’s “Closer Look” segments continue to trend, another scorching edition of “Ya Burnt” and one of the most delightful bloopers in the show’s history. Keep it coming, folks.

Stay on top of the latest TV news! Sign up for our TV email newsletter here.

Related storiesKate McKinnon Breaks Out Jeff Sessions Impression and a Rejected Sketch Character for All Your 'SNL' Offseason NeedsJames Comey Hearing: Late Night TV Reminds Us There's No Silver Bullet For Trump PresidencyThis 'Late Night' Confetti Cannon Accident Is the Most Wonderful Thing to Happen on TV in Months -- Watch...

Saturday Night Live got hip to the Empire phenomenon early, building an entire sketch around the Fox smash hit back in March and then asking breakout star Taraji P. Henson to host her own show mere weeks later. That's some turnaround time. Still, despite the series' apparent interest in capitalizing on a genuine media dynamo, the Henson-hosted show didn't pack the punch of even the most flaccid of Empire offerings.

Henson's energy remained high throughout – here is a host that, when they say how excited they are to be there,...

Park City, Utah – There are still some films to be discussed in my Sundance coverage. Here’s write-ups of “Digging for Fire,” “Entertainment,” and “Results,” which featured the return of festival-approved directors, albeit heading in different directions.

At this year’s festival, two maestros of the ol’ mumblecore days stepped into the big-time spotlight with their new films that boasted their biggest casts and fanciest films yet. The first to show was Joe Swanberg, who has gone from super low-key directing to hosting a celebrity party this side of “This is the End” in “Digging For Fire.” The other is Andrew Bujalski, whose previous films were nerd alerts like “Mutual Appreciation” and most recently “Computer Chess.”

In a reverse course is Rick Alverson’s “Entertainment,” which doesn’t start modestly but attempt to reach a wide audience, but starts with a big promise to reach a very specific audience. An explanation on that below.

It was the final big American film and TV awards ceremony before the Oscars, and the one most likely to indicate who will be going home with Academy awards in a month’s time. Find out if Hollywood’s most celebrated actors perfect their speeches ... or losers’ faces

Screen Actors Guild awards 2015: the winners in pictures

10.09pm Et

A quick-fire night then with a couple of surprises thrown in, mostly in TV.

Uzo Aduba started the evening by winning best female actor in a comedy series for her work in Orange is the New Black, which follows the Globes giving their equivalent to Gina Rodriguez.

9.56pm Et

Costner is back and… well… that’s it.

9.55pm Et

Naomi Watts on the other hand is clearly very happy to be there. Zach Galifianakis takes the piss out of Julianne Moore’s “When I was on As the World Turns” moment,...

Former 'SNL' cast member Jon Lovitz opens up about the passing of friend and former co-star Jan Hooks.

The world of comedy and entertainment is still coping with the loss of celebrated comedian and former Saturday Night Live cast-member Jan Hooks, who passed away on Thursday from an undisclosed illness.

Comic and fellow SNL alum Jon Lovitz, who was on hand at the Carousel Of Hope charity gala on Saturday, stopped to talk to Et, and to share his memories of his friend and former co-star.

"I was on the show with her for four years… and she was a talent," a stoic Lovitz told Et. "We always thought of her as like the female Phil Hartman. She could play anything and do anything, and she was a great actress. A great comedic actress."

Photos: In Memoriam: 'SNL' Stars We've Lost

On Saturday's episode of SNL, the show played...

'SNL' gave a sweet tribute to one of their own.

Saturday Night Live gave a moving tribute to Jan Hooks, who passed away on October 9 at the age of 57.

SNL alums Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig introduced the tribute.

Wiig said, "She was one of the best that ever was and her influence is clear in every one of us who has been here since."

The emotional tribute also featured the late Phil Hartman. Hooks and Hartman sing beautifully in "Love Is But a Dream."

Photos: Remembering 'SNL' Stars We've Lost

Hooks spent eight years on SNL. She was on the show for five seasons, 1986 through 1991, and she had continuing cameos afterward.

News: Kevin Nealon Remembers Jan Hooks

SNL's Don Pardo passed away this past August. Et remembers him in the video below.

Happy birthday, Saturday Night Live. The show aired its first episode 39 years ago today, so it's time to look back at how it all began. For starters — forget politics or pop culture for the cold open. SNL opened with John Belushi (rocking an Eastern European accent) learning English from Michael O'Donoghue by imitating everything he does — including having a heart attack. Afterwards, SNL announcer Don Pardo famously flubbed the first introduction of the cast, calling them the "not ready for primetime players" (there shouldn't have been a "not" in there). George Carlin hosted, but he wasn't the type

read more...

It's not easy to make light of a terrifying virus, but 'SNL' nails it with this dark sketch.

Let's start off by recognizing that it's really hard to make Ebola funny.

That being said, Saturday Night Live managed to pull off the nearly impossible feat with one of their hilarious fake trailers, this time for The Fault In Our Stars 2: The Ebola In Our Everything.

Host Sarah Silverman plays Olive (basically Shailene Woodley's character from the original film) and cast member Taran Killam plays Theodore (essentially Ansel Elgort). They spark up a relationship when they meet at a hospital, with Theodore thinking Olive has cancer.

News: 'SNL' Hires Michael Che as First Black 'Weekend Update' Anchor

When he finds out she has Ebola, Theodore's feelings change pretty quick, but Olive still wants to make out.

It's almost uncomfortable, what with Ebola being a terrifying death-virus and all, but it still...

Nik Wallenda will be blindfolded for Chicago skyline tightrope walk "It's about challenging myself, and hopefully through challenging myself, inspiring other people to challenge themselves," Wallenda says of his live Discovery Channel stunt. "I've never performed blindfolded. I've trained a lot, intensively actually, blind-folded." Jimmy Kimmel transforms into a pig Watch “Jimmy the Pig” try to get kids to tell a lie. Amazon picks up “Red Oaks” along with “Hand of God,” orders more scripts for “The Cosmopolitans” Steven Soderbergh’s suburban comedy “Red Oaks” and Ron Perlman’s “Hand of God” will get full seasons, while Amazon will “explore the series” potential of Whit Stillman’s “The Cosmopolitans” via the additional scripts. Click Read Full Post For More Check out Triumph the Insult Comic Dog as a full-sized Times Square mascot “Conan” sent Triumph to insult the other mascots. “How to Get Away with Murder” books Elizabeth Perkins The...

Are SNL's growing pains over as it enters its 40th season? It certainly didn't seem that way from the show's bizarre season opener. While Chris Pratt—and Chris Pratt's abs, in a supporting role—conducted themselves amiably, the show seemed to lack the festive air we'd expect from a premiere tied to such an important season. Instead, it seemed on a mission to prove that a new era has come to Studio 8H—one with a markedly different tone. There was only one notable cameo, and it came from Pratt's wife, Anna Faris—not, as might have been expected,...

Saturday Night Live writer/onetime Daily Show correspondent Michael Che this week made his debut as coanchor of the NBC sketch series’ “Weekend Update” segment, alongside second-year Updater Colin Jost. What was your first impression of the new twosome?

Related Saturday Night Live‘s Cecily Strong Addresses Weekend Update Exit: ‘I’m Genuinely Happy About It’

As Update got underway amid a sleek new set, changed-up graphics and (I believe?) more stylish-than-usual wardrobes, Che stumbled on his very first line, but enjoyed relatively smooth sailing beyond that. Soon into the segment, he was joined by Cecily Strong’s “Girl You...