'Saturday Night Live' Weekend Update -- Cecily Strong Joins Seth Meyers at the News Desk

Seth Meyers has been manning the 'Saturday Night Live" Weekend Update desk alone for years, ever since the 2009 departure of Amy Poehler. This fall, however, he'll be joined on WU by new cast member Cecily Strong. She's probably best known for her visits to the newsroom as "The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party."

While her rambling, "whatEVER" delivery as the annoying party girl had a few funny moments, it's not a character I need to see again. According to Seth, I thankfully shouldn't have to:

As for The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with, it's prob safe to assume that she died somewhere, mid-conversation.
— Seth Meyers (@sethmeyers) September 15, 2013

With only a year on the show, it's tough to tell if Strong is going to be a good fit for the "Saturday Night Live" Update segments. Tina Fey had "Newswoman" written all over her, but Poehler's quirky collection of onscreen characters made her a less obvious choice that still worked amazingly well. Strong does have comedic talent; my personal favorite of her "SNL" sketches are her stints with Vanessa Bayer as the former porn stars hawking Moet and Chandon (forgive the low-quality vid, NBC likes pulling all of their "SNL" clips for some reason) :


Clearly the Powers That Be at "Saturday Night Live" have a lot of confidence in Strong, as her co-hosting stint may just be a training period for her to go solo when Meyers leaves in February. (The longtime "SNL" writer and Update anchor has a brand new gig at NBC, taking over the "Late Night" spot from Jimmy Fallon.) I personally would love to see Taran Killam take Seth's spot next to Cecily next year; the two could become a weird and wonderful duo that would add a much-needed spark to the currently creatively-struggling show.

What do you think, "SNL" fans? Does Strong seem like a good choice for Weekend Update? The new season of "Saturday Night Live" premieres Saturday night, Sept. 28 at 11:30/10:30c.

You might also enjoy: My "Saturday Night Live" gossip and recaps at Yahoo! omg!


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PHOTO: "Saturday Night Live" Weekend Update with Cecily Strong screencap, NBC, fair use.

Lost Cast on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Alan Dale (Widmore), Nestor Carbonell (Richard), Jeremy Davies (Faraday), Naveen Andrews (Sayid), Harold Perinneau (Michael), Emilie de Ravin (Claire), Terry O'Quinn (Locke), Daniel Dae Kim (Jin), and Matthew Fox (Jack) answer audience questions on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Thoughts on the Lost finale? Check out: Lost -- "The End" -- I Laughed, I Cried, I WTF?

Tonight on Jimmy Kimmel Live, we got a last chance to see some of our favorite Lost castaways (above pictured). While it was mostly good-natured chatting and cracking jokes, and some awkward moments, Jimmy did manage to have a Q&A with Matthew Fox at the start of the show about the Lost mythology.

It was an interesting theory Jimmy presented, about the idea of having to pass a test of character before concluding your life--and that Jack passed that test. Jimmy also conjectured that the Lost story was really about Jack's test, and that the others were merely players in that storyline--though they were experiencing tests of their own. I guess you could say that they all experienced tests of character, but perhaps the people who lived at the end still had their real tests yet to come.

The ads for the Jimmy Kimmel Live, Lost finale episode promised 3 alternate endings that Cuse and Lindeloff had planned. I was momentarily excited at the prospect of seeing what possibly better solutions they had tried out, but then I realized it was Jimmy Kimmel Live and these would most likely be joke set-ups.

The three clips had the actual Lost actors performing different finales--which turned out to mirror other famous season and series finale episodes. After each flub, the writers maintained that they hadn't seen the originals so they didn't realize they were the same. The first was a Survivor episode where Sayid was dismayed to learn that he'd been voted off the Island. Naveen Andrews was hilarious as he had his exit confessional where he complained bitterly about being killed, blown up, etc., only to be "kicked off the @#$%! Island".

(Article continues below these limited edition bobbleheads--click each pic for more info!)


The second Lost sketch involved Richard, Hurley (Jorge Garcia), Claire, & Jack in what was apparently a mirror of the Sopranos finale. Like Cuse and Lindeloff, I haven't seen it, so I can't tell you if it was funny or not. The third and final "alternate Lost ending" was the finest, with Bob Newhart waking up in bed with Kate, ala the series end of Newhart. Bob was peeved that Bob and Carlton hadn't seen his beloved series finale either.

For another startling reunion, Sawyer appeared on the big screen TV, live from Canada, where he was shooting Snakes on a Plane 2: Electric Boogaloo. This was funny enough in and of itself, but Josh Holloway actually did some fly break-dancing moves with the original Breakin' movie duo Adolfo 'Shabba-Doo' Quinones and Michael 'Boogaloo Shrimp' Chambers. Ten points for an awesomely outrageous 80s reference and ten more points for execution.

Jimmy also had random people staring out from the jungle foliage surrounding the set of sand and airline debris--the funniest was a boy who may have been, and certainly looked like, the young Jacob.

My only complaint about the show is at least partically the fault of the Lost writing itself--there was only one woman, Emilie de Ravin, on the show. I felt moderately better when Evangeline Lilly at least showed up in the Bob Newhart sketch. What about Yunjim Kim (Sun)? Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet)? Maggie Grace (Shannon)? L. Scott Caldwell (Rose)? Tania Raymonde (Rousseau)? I hope they were all busy and that it wasn't just male-centric planning by former Man Show host Jimmy Kimmel. Despite the appealing cast diversity on Lost, however, you have to admit it's been largely a male-dominated story arc, relegating all of the women's roles to romance and motherhood.

One of the things I liked best about the Lost cast reunion on Jimmy Kimmel live was that there seemed to be a lot of genuine affection between the cast members. With six years of living and filming on Hawaii, it's nice to know that some friendships were formed, and Michael Emerson, Terry O'Quinn, and Matthew Fox had plenty of nice things to say about each other. I also liked that Naveen Andrews pretty much kissed everyone on the cheek, including a very affectionate kiss for Michael Emerson when the actor said he was happy there didn't seem to be any gleeful satisfaction from his fellow actors when Ben got any of his 100 beatings.

After the Jimmy Kimmel Live special, they had a Q&A session with some of the cast, which you hopefully you can still see on the Jimmy Kimmel Live website.

Saturday Night Live -- Gerard Butler Photo Bumpers and Videos

Ahh, the SNL photo bumpers from last night's Saturday Night Live episode! Hopefully my straight male readers will forgive me while I g-guh over Gerard Butler's pictures. The man is still as strong, hot, sexy, and gorgeous as ever. And goofy, which is just how we like him. If you're here for the funny, scroll down for a couple video sketches from the show, and a link to more. Oh, and P.S., *click* the pics for slightly larger versions!


Looking for my review of the episode? Click here for the Saturday Night Live -- Gerard Butler October 17, 2009 post.


You couldn't have a Saturday Night Live with Gerry Butler without doing a spoof on 300, complete with near-nekkid outfits and plenty of man love:




Gerard shows his beastly side, and who knew a clock and candelabra could be so naughty...




This link is as much about Gerard's hilarious performance as it is about Jason Sudeikis' dancing, Kenan Thompson's singing, and James Franco wondering WTF he was thinking when he agreed to sit in on an SNL sketch...lol...




You can enjoy more SNL vids over at the NBC site, and see more of the photo bumpers as well, though they've deprived us of the bare-legged kilt shots. Damn.




PHOTOS: Gerard Butler photo bumpers, Saturday Night Live, c2009 NBC.

Saturday Night Live -- Gerard Butler, October 17 2009

Gerard Butler and Will Forte in a promo for tonight's SNL.

Wow. That hasn't happened in awhile. I actually laughed--a lot--at tonight's Saturday Night Live. With freewheeling, just-happy-as-#$%^!-to-be-here host Gerard Butler and the cast doing barely controlled insanity, it's the most conistently funny SNL I've seen in way too long.

Click here for Gerard Butler SNL photo bumpers and sketch videos!

The night started strong with a political opener that was spot on--President Obama getting so angry at his Republican rivals over health care that he hulks out--into The Rock Obama. Yes, that's right, we got to see Fred Armisen transform into The Rock, who was pretty funny as he combined smooth Obama calmness with angry Hulk arm-detaching.

Gerard Butler then did the monologue, talking about how he generally did two types of films: shirt off (action), and shirt on (sensitive role). To show his range, he sang "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera--then fended off groups of warriors, ninjas, and Kristin Wiig--who threatened him at knife point to take off his shirt. Sadly, he disarmed her and his shirt stayed on.

Gerard Butler monologue from Lilián López Camberos on Vimeo.

Next up, Kenan Thompson did a hilarious commercial spoofing rap star cliches, selling extra bubbly wine made for pouring over women's behinds--it's one of those things that can't be explained in print. It was just satirical and crazy and just plain funny--a sketch Eddie Murphy would have been proud of in his SNL days.

Other highlights included the two gay guys from Jersey talking about Obama's proposed repealing of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the military, and then a 300 sketch about the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the Spartan army. Playing on gay themes in 300 isn't all that original, but seeing all the guys in leather panties and chestplates was funny enough, and all the silly puns worked. They also took a playful jab at Butler, with Leonidas' men saying no one was convinced he was even born in Greece--frustrated, Leonidas presented them with a stone tablet birth certificate. (Butler is a great actor, but he definitely is known for his dodgy accents.)

Weekend Update's Seth Meyers tried to ignore the boy in the balloon story since "it wasn't news", until the balloon itself showed up. That's SNL at its ridiculous best, when a helium balloon floats into frame and says "Hi, Seth," in a forlorn voice.

One of the latest sketches had Kenan Thompson giving it his all as a singing talk show host who ignores his guests--one of whom happened to be James Franco--as he continually bursts into song. This was a riot because of everything going on in the background, for each time he launched into a new song, more people would come onto stage--backup singers, dancers, and Gerard Butler pimped out in white suit and big white sunglasses and a cane. And you haven't lived until you've seen Jason Sudeikis in a red track suit and gold chain doing the running man. Sudeikis was doing some serious moves back there, all in perfect white boy hilarious style.

And then there was the Beauty and the Beast sketch, with Wiig and Butler--where the Beast confessed he thought she was the beast. Once again you kind of have to see it to believe it, with trash talk by the clock and the beast, and you don't even want to know what's been going on with the tea pot. Then there's Lumiere, who's only attracted to candelabras--though once in college he dated a menorah.

To add to the fun, sponsor Budweiser was the only one who had commercials tonight--and as a trade for this monopoly of air time, they gave us behind the scenes clips of dress rehearsals of previous SNL sketches. There was Darrell Hammond getting extra friendly with a burro, and Jimmy Fallon and Sean Hayes cracking up even more than they did on the air at Will Ferrell and his mini-cellphone-using character. Even better was Harvey Keitel giggling uncontrollably during a Native American casino sketch, no doubt because it was impossible not to laugh at Rob Schneider wearing long raven hair in double braids--which Keitel was also sporting.

All in all, one of the more entertaining Saturday Night Live episodes I've seen. It was just pure bedlam and that's when it's the best. Since I knew Gerard Butler was ridiculously good-natured and goofy in real life, I was hoping it would transfer over to the show and it did. Here's hoping they bring him back again--he may not be quite as crazy as Alec Baldwin, but he's pretty game for general insanity.

Watch Saturday Night Live on NBC, Saturday nights at 11:30/10:30c.



PHOTO: SNL promo screencap, c2009 NBC.

Chelsea Lately Lands Jennifer Aniston -- screencaps and video

Tonight Chelsea Lately had A-List celebrity Jennifer Aniston. This is big, big news. As awesome as Chelsea Handler is, because it's E!, or because publicists are afraid of what she might say, Chelsea Lately guests tend to rate in the C or D-list range. I am so glad that Aniston took the plunge tonight, because she showed how much fun an interview with Chelsea can be, if you can keep up with her. Aniston has always had a flair for comedy, and tonight she was at her best--relaxed, sly, and enchantingly amusing.

And of course I love Chelsea Handler. I've written a lovefest article on her for AC, and there should be more Chelsea!love from me on TheFrisky.com this fall. Handler's late night talk show, Chelsea Lately, actually lures me away from Jon Stewart and The Daily Show. That's right--she's that good. She's funny, she's smart and sexy, and every night with her roundtable of comedian guests she tears to shreds all the moronic happenings in celebritydom.

Because Handler's on E!, there's less pressure to appeal to mainstream demos and sponsors, so she can go for the jugular. Sometimes she appears to shock herself, and the roundtable often dissolves into hysteria, giggles, and even snorts. It can be pure chaos, but when it clicks right, that chaos is sublime.

Tonight the two blond beauties, Aniston and Handler, greeted each other on stage in matching sexy black dresses. They talked a little about Aniston's upcoming film Love Happens, Mormonism, paparazzi, and whether Jennifer Aniston would be willing to go out with Chelsea Lately's red-headed regular Brad Wollack. Aniston's response was...well, you can see for yourself:




I think doing Chelsea Lately was a smart move for Aniston. After all, Handler snags more of the young crowd than your big three network late night stars. She also brings in both female and male fans--and the same can be said of Aniston herself. It was a good match, and the two ladies had a fabulous rapport.

There was even mutual "You're so sexy!" girl-bonding, and Aniston got in the perfect zingers about Handler's self-confessed vodka addiction. And Handler's not above laughing at herself--hard.



So, if you missed it, be sure to check out the vid above. And tune in for Chelsea Lately weeknights at 11/10c. (She repeats later at night if you don't want to give up your Daily Show fix.)



PHOTOS: Jennifer Aniston, Chelsea Handler, Chelsea Lately screencaps c2009 Borderline Amazing Productions, E! Entertainment Television.

How Will Jay Leno's Move Affect Primetime TV?

Jay Leno chats with President Obama on The Tonight Show, 3/19/2009.

With the cancellation of Life, we've already seen one of the consequences of NBCs decision to add Jay Leno to primetime TV. Once the fall season starts, Leno will take over the 10/9c slot, effectively removing all adult dramas from NBCs line-up--or moving them to an earlier timeslot. As if kids don't get enough violence on TV, we're making sure the more graphic shows get on the air earlier so they can catch them before bedtime.

It's a money-saving venture for NBC. Last year Entertainment Weekly reported that Leno will be getting $30+ million a year, whereas a scripted drama generally costs at least double. So Leno will be producing twice as many new episodes of primetime TV for half the price of a scripted show.

EW seemed to think this will be a good thing for the other networks--and subsequently us, as well. After all, there is now less competition at 10/9c, so the dramas on the other stations may rack up bigger numbers and not get canceled after four episodes. One can only hope.

Conan O'Brien, who takes the reins of The Tonight Show this year, can't be all that pleased. After all, if a new movie's coming out on Friday, will the actors want to be seen with Leno on primetime, or with the former late late night guy at midnight? There's bound to be some friction there.

And is this really a great move for NBC viewers? Do we need hours and hours of late night talk shows? If they keep cutting scripted shows from the networks, who will there be left to interview?