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Kim Kardashian returns to SNL with an unexpected twist (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Kim Kardashian made a grand return to the ‘Saturday Night Live’ stage for its star-studded 50th anniversary special, stealing the spotlight in more ways than one.

During the opening sketch, Kardashian took part in a hilarious reunion of the Maharelle sisters alongside Kristen Wiig, Scarlett Johansson, Ana Gasteyer, and Will Ferrell. As Ferrell’s character, Robert Goulet, considered choosing a wife, Wiig’s quirky Dooneese character turned the moment into comedy gold, using Kardashian’s backside as a drum in a playful and unexpected bit, much to the delight of the audience.

Scarlett Johansson, Kim Kardashian, Ana Gasteyer, and Kristen Wiig all return as “The Maharelle Sisters” in the first SNL sketch of the night pic.twitter.com/gDwXLh8f7w

— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) February 17, 2025

Out of 50 years of casts, hosts and skits on Saturday Night Live SNL...

“Saturday Night Live” celebrated its 50th anniversary with a three-and-a-half-hour Sunday night primetime special, because there were too many stars to fit into 90 minutes.

Lorne Michaels’ sketch comedy institution has been part of the fabric of American culture for so long that it can be easy to take for granted how unique its run has been. “SNL50: The Anniversary Special” served as a star-studded reminder of how singular the show is — how long it’s been relevant, how many stars it has produced and how many catchphrases it has embedded into the collective vocabulary. The special was a cavalcade of sketches, celebrity guests and “SNL” history that celebrated the past while keeping an eye on the present.

Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter opened the show with a rendition of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound,” which Simon performed on the show with Paul McCartney in 1976.. Then 16-time host Steve Martin got to do the monologue,...

Saturday Night Live is celebrating a milestone birthday… and a whole bunch of big names showed up for the party.

In honor of the sketch comedy institution’s 50th season, NBC aired a live three-hour event on Sunday — titled SNL50: The Anniversary Special — with dozens of cast members, hosts and musical guests from decades past returning to Studio 8H for a night of comedy, music and mayhem.

More from TVLine<em>SNL50: The Homecoming Concert</em>: Every Revived Character, Every Musical Guest and Every Song Performed — Grade It!<em>SNL</em>: 25 Times a Celebrity Confronted Their Impression on Air — WatchWait, Paradise's [Spoiler] Is Actually Alive?...

Kristen Wiig revived her classic “Saturday Night Live” character Dooneese on the show’s 50th anniversary special on Sunday night.

Wiig appeared during the first sketch of the evening, “The Lawrence Welk Show,” alongside Fred Armisen as Lawrence Welk; Will Ferrell as singer and actor Robert Goulet; and Scarlett Johansson, Kim Kardashian and Ana Gasteyer as her fellow Maharelle sisters — Janice, Holly and Margaret, respectively.

Ferrell, who rode a Vespa with a sidecar onto the stage, began performing a song and scatting, causing the audience to roar with laughter.

“Oh my god. Did they put LSD in my Caesar salad, or do I see three beautiful ladies hitchhiking my way?” Ferrell asked, as he made his way over to Johansson, Kardashian and Gasteyer, who sang the Maharelle sister’s introduction song. The show then cut to Wiig as Dooneese, sitting in the Vespa’s sidecar and honking the horn with...

Harper Steele is taking credit for being the first person to incorporate a real drug into an episode of “Saturday Night Live.” The former writer and star of “Will & Harper” sat down with Seth Meyers to talk about how she crossed that live TV taboo.

The sketch happened during Season 26 of the NBC show, which was hosted by Lucy Liu with Jay-Z as the musical guest back in December 2000. Steele wrote a sketch that involved Will Ferrell’s stiff lounge singer Robert Goulet promoting a “rap-and-roll” album with Jay-Z. Throughout the bit, the rapper and two other men repeatedly take drags from a joint. After the sketch was performed during dress rehearsal, Jay-Z asked Steele to see him, a meeting she called “terrifying.”

“I get there between dress and air, and Jay-Z goes, ‘Can we get a real joint?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, you’re Jay-Z. Of course you can,...

Bittersweet news for the yet-to-be-announced Best Original Song nominees at this year’s Oscars: The 2025 ceremony will do away with live performances from each contender.

In a letter sent to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ full membership on Wednesday (obtained by The Hollywood Reporter), the Academy stated its plans to “move away from live performances” for the Best Original Song category on this year’s broadcast, instead emphasizing the songwriters behind the nominated tunes.

More from TVLineShifting Gears Enlists Nancy Travis for Last Man Standing Reunion With Tim AllenHigh Potential Renewed for Season 2Abbott Elementary Lands Early...

Peter Yarrow, a five-time Grammy winner who co-founded the hitmaking folk-pop trio Peter, Paul & Mary and co-wrote its memorable “Puff the Magic Dragon,” died Tuesday of bladder cancer at his New York City home. He was 86.

His daughter Bethany announced the news via reps. “Our fearless dragon is tired and has entered the last chapter of his magnificent life,” she wrote. “The world knows Peter Yarrow the iconic folk activist, but the human being behind the legend is every bit as generous, creative, passionate, playful, and wise as his lyrics suggest.” Read a statement from bandmate Paul Stookey below.

Born on May 31, 1938, in Brooklyn, Yarrow teamed with Stookey and Mary Travers as Peter, Paul and Mary and rode the folk-pop tsunami of the early 1960s. The group scored six Top 10 singles that culminated with their sole chart-topper, the young John Denver-penned “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” in 1969.

The trio...

HGTV’s Home Town stars, Erin and Ben Napier have a long history together. But she says she still recalls the smell of him from 20 years ago. Erin Napier describes a special moment in their past that has stuck with her through the years.

Memories To Last A Lifetime

HGTV Home Town fans can look forward to seeing Ben and Erin Napier return to screens. They will be back on December 29 with all new episodes. But while they wait, Erin shared a sweet tribute to her now husband, Ben Napier, that made a lasting impression on her 20 years ago.

Ben and Erin Napier – Instagram

She shares that he made her heart skip a beat. Then, she even details how he smelled as they hit a major milestone. Erin Napier walks fans through memory lane with a beautiful story of young love.

Erin Napier Tells The Story Of Their Love

On Erin Napier’s Instagram page,...

Richard D. James, the Emmy-winning production designer who worked on all but one of the 14 seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager, has died. He was 88.

James died Nov. 11 of complications from an infection at Ut Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, his longtime friend Tom Sanden told The Hollywood Reporter.

For the big screen, the Texas native was art director on Bill Forsyth’s Local Hero (1983), starring Burt Lancaster and Peter Riegert; on Mike Nichols’ Silkwood (1983), starring Meryl Streep, Cher and Kurt Russell; and on Kevin Reynolds’ The Beast of War, starring George Dzundza, Jason Patric and Steven Bauer.

James joined the syndicated Next Generation for its second season (1988-89) and remained through its conclusion in 1994. He then segued to Upn’s Voyager, working on that series for its entire seven-season run (1995-2001).

James received his Emmy (shared with longtime collaborator Jim Mees) in 1990 for his...

Warning! This article contains Spoilers for Beetlejuice 2 (2024)!The primary conflict for Winona Ryders Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice revolves around her strained relationship with her teenage daughter, Astrid, but one of their biggest points of contention could have easily been resolved by Delia. Over 36 years after the original movie, Ryder, Catherine OHara, and Michael Keaton return in Beetlejuice 2s cast as the Deetz family returns to their haunted Winter River house for the funeral of Lydias father, Charles Deetz. When the movie kicks off, tensions are already high among the Deetz family, with Lydias teenage daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) resenting her and denying her ghost-seeing ability.

Though Lydia built a famous television career around her gift to communicate with ghosts, which originated with the deceased Maitlands in Winter River, Astrid never believed the ability was real until she met Jeremys ghost in Beetlejuice 2. Before developing the ability herself,...

With the release of Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, it may be a good idea to watch (or re-watch) the original to get ready for the sequel.

Released in 1988, Beetlejuice has been a fan-favorite for generations with more people gravitating to the work of director Tim Burton and the performances from Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara and, of course, Michael Keaton as “The Ghost with the Most.”

At a Glance: How to Watch Beetlejuice Online

Stream online Max watch 'beetlejuice' on max

Keep reading below for more details on where to stream Beetlejuice online and when the sequel is expected to be available online.

Where to Stream Beetlejuice Online

Beetlejuice in 4K Ultra HD is available to watch on Max, or to buy digitally on sale for $7.99 (reg. $14.99), or rent for $3.79 on Prime Video. The movie is also available on Apple TV.

watch 'beetlejuice' on Prime...

Netflix's engrossing new buddy road-trip documentary, Will & Harper, features comedy duo Will Ferrell and Harper Steele as they motor across America to celebrate Steele's transition from male to female. The two icons of American comedy have shared a friendship and highly successful working relationship for close to 30 years, from their first encounter at Saturday Night Live to their partnership as founder and Creative Director respectively of web production company Funny or Die.

Will & Harper marks Ferrell and Steele's fourth, and first non-fiction, film collaboration. Most famously, they co-wrote the gloriously off-beat movie Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga in 2020, and it was less than two years later that the then-Andrew Steele notified Ferrell by email about the decision to fully transition to Harper. That revelation led them to Will & Harper, ostensibly a project that would throw the two friends together for a 3000-mile trip across...

“All five of us met at an orgy,” Harper Steele deadpans while gesturing to the core team behind “Will & Harper,” the new Netflix documentary about a consequential road trip she took with Bff Will Ferrell after coming out as a trans woman. And Ferrell, his eyes sparking with punchlines to come, seizes the opportunity to build on the bit.

“We didn’t remember that we had met until much later,” he says. “We’re like, wait — Acapulco?” At that, Ferrell scrunches up his face like one of those suburban dads he’s so famous for playing on-screen and lowers his voice as if something embarrassing had slowly dawned on him.

They’re joking about the sex party, of course, but the group behind “Will & Harper” does boast a tangled network of connections that extend back through the decades, one that includes marriages, longtime friendships and artistic partnerships. It...

Warning! This article contains major Spoilers for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice!After Adam and Barbaras ghosts vacated the Winter River house, Beetlejuice 2s big death twist reveals the couple has new deceased replacements. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis led Tim Burtons 1988 Beetlejuice movie as recently deceased couple Adam and Barbara Maitland, who were forced to spend the first 125 years of their afterlife in their Winter River house after dying in a tragic car accident. The movie then saw the pair attempt to scare away their houses new residents, Beetlejuices Deetz family, by recruiting Michael Keatons mischievous bio-exorcist. However, the Maitlands are nowhere to be found in the 2024 sequel.

While the Maitlands and Deetzes learned to live harmoniously together in Beetlejuices original ending, the sequel reveals that Adam and Barbara found a loophole in the afterlifes rules and were able to move on from the house. This left Beetlejuice 2 without any dead...

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If you are getting excited to see the latest legacy comedy horror sequel film, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice which is making a name for itself by earning millions and millions of dollars, and you haven’t watched the original movie. In that case, this article is for you. Directed by the legendary Tim Burton from a screenplay co-written by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren, the beloved comedy horror film is climbing the streaming charts as people revisit the Burton film before heading out to watch the sequel in theaters.

The 1988 film follows the story of the ghosts of a married couple Adam and Barbara as they continue to live in their home but when new people move into their house they fail to get them to leave. Adam and Barbara reluctantly call upon the miscreant Betelgeuse, so that he can...

Includes Spoilers for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice!

Tim Burtons Beetlejuice 2 brings several original figures back from the dead after 36 years, though there are still some great living and deceased Beetlejuice characters who didn't return. The highly-anticipated sequel to Tim Burtons 1988 horror-comedy classic Beetlejuice has been met with acclaim from critics and audiences, using the original movie as a launch-off point and adding to it faithfully. The Beetlejuice 2 ending is arguably even zanier and more comedic than that of the original, really allowing the whacky horror world to run wild.

The returning cast and characters in Beetlejuice 2 are Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice, Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz, and Catherine OHara as Delia Deetz, with Jeffrey Jones' absence being explained by his character's death. Additionally, Beetlejuice 2s cast features Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe, Justin Theroux, and Monica Bellucci in new roles. Still, there are several characters missing from Beetlejuice 2 that...

Well, it’s only taken thirty-six years, but we’re finally, Finally getting a sequel to Beetlejuice, with Tim Burton and Michael Keaton returning for Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice (read our review here). With the sequel bound to introduce a new generation to the Tim Burton classic, now’s the perfect time to look back at the movie and figure out why it stands the test of time. So, here are 10 Reasons Why Beetlejuice Is Still The Ghost With the Most!

10. A Timeless Tale:

There’s a reason why Beetlejuice still resonates all these decades following its initial release. From the time we mere mortals realize that our time on earth is limited, we become preoccupied with the afterlife. Beetlejuice tackles the theme with unusual aplomb, imagining the afterlife as just another stop in our soul’s journey to its final resting place, with our heroes, Alec Baldwin’s Adam and Geena Davis’s Barbara,...

Warning! This article contains Spoilers for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice!In addition to revealing the fates of a few other surprise characters, Beetlejuice 2 confirms that one of the original movies supporting figures didnt die actually during their 1988 bout with Betelgeuse. Tim Burtons 2024 sequel sees Beetlejuices Deetz family return to Winter River after the tragic death of patriarch Charles, who died being eaten by a shark after his plane crashed into the ocean. At the funeral and wake, Charles wife Delia (Catherine OHara) and daughter Lydia (Winona Ryder) reunite with some familiar faces from the original movie.

Alongside the Deetzes and Michael Keatons Betelgeuse, only one supporting character from the 1988 horror-comedy returns in Beetlejuice 2s cast. This happens to be Little Jane Butterfield, the now grown-up realtor daughter of the Maitlands and Deetzes former realtor, Jane Butterfield. The sequel doesnt bring back the Deetzes friends Otho (actor Glenn Shadix passed away in 2010), Dick Cavetts Bernard,...

Beetlejuice 2 promises answers to long-standing mysteries, so there's hope the fates of original characters Maxie and Sarah Dean will be confirmed. Beetlejuice's potential return as a murderer could add stakes and consequences for the character. Director Tim Burton's involvement and a mix of returning and new cast members have fans eagerly anticipating Beetlejuice 2's release in 2024.

There are plenty of mysteries I hope Beetlejuice 2 solves, but there's one in particular surrounding the fates of two original characters that have been bugging me for years. As someone borderline obsessed with Tim Burton's original 1988 movie, I was ecstatic to learn a sequel was actually happening. Sure, there's always a concern that it won't live up to the expectations set by the first movie, but with Burton's involvement and Beetlejuice 2's characters comprised of returning and intriguingly new cast members, I'm all in.

With Michael Keaton...

Jerry Herman’s musical “Hello, Dolly!” dominated the 18th Tony Awards which took place at the New York Hilton on May 24, 1964. “Hello, Dolly!” entered the ceremony with 11 nominations and walked out with ten awards including best musical, best actress for Carol Channing, original score for Herman and for Gower Champion’s choreography and direction.

Other musicals in contention for multiple awards that year were “High Spirits,” based on Noel Coward’s classic comedy “Blithe Spirit,” “Funny Girl,” which transformed Barbra Streisand into a Broadway superstar, and “110 in the Shade,” based on the straight play “The Rainmaker.”

Bert Lahr, best known as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz,” won lead actor in a musical for “Foxy,” based on Ben Jonson’s “Volpone.” The musical was not a hit closed after 72 performances. Also nominated in the category was Bob Fosse for a short-lived revival of Rodgers and Hart’s “Pal Joey.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood's soundtrack authentically captures 1969 with top hits and historic radio clips from Khj. The iconic music in the film complements scenes, enhancing the mood and energy of key moments throughout the movie. Quentin Tarantino's attention to detail in selecting songs and incorporating them into scenes transports audiences back to 1969 Hollywood.

The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood soundtrack tracklist is a great collection of music from the era that director Quentin Tarantino uses to transport audiences to 1969 Hollywood. As an ode to that bygone era, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood impeccably recreates its setting with costumes, styling, and set dressing that accurately captures Los Angeles in the late 1960s. The music is similarly on point, reflecting the tastes of the time and infusing each moment with an energy to match any given scene's mood.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood's soundtrack...

After years of rumors and speculation, Liam Neeson’s Naked Gun reboot looks like it is finally heading into production. Set to be directed by The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer, and written by Dan Gregor and Doug Man, fans expect a lot from this reboot. While many have tried (and failed) to update the franchise, and it’s hard to imagine anyone stepping into Leslie Nielsen’s iconic shoes at Lt. Frank Drebin, it’s pretty interesting that the team pairing on this is the same one that teamed on Disney’s much better than expected reboot of Chip n’ Dale’s Rescue Rangers. All involved are really funny, so if anyone could make this work, it’s them. With a release date tentatively set for July 18th, 2025, here’s everything we know about the Naked Gun reboot.

Liam Neeson will be the star.

While some may wonder why Liam Neeson,...

It’s been more than 30 years since the first Beetlejuice terrified and tickled audiences. Now, Michael Keaton is back as the iconic bio-exorcist in the much-anticipated sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara are coming back to play Lydia and Delia Deetz again. Plus, fans will get to see some new faces in the movie. Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe, Justin Theroux, and Monica Bellucci are joining the cast to play brand new characters.

A still from Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

But fans will notice the void of two main characters: Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, who played the Maitlands (Barbara and Adam) in the original movie. However, Davis has an explanation for her and her co-star’s absence.

The Reason Behind Geena Davis’ Absence from the Beetlejuice Sequel Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin in a still from Beetlejuice

Geena Davis explained to Et Online why she’s not in the Beetlejuice sequel.

The joke that makes The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear great is relatively subtle. In fact, as a child, watching this movie over and over again, it went over my head. Only recently, after releasing the episode of Revisited dedicated to the original Naked Gun and discussing the sequels with a friend, did he clue me in on why the sequel is so funny. The whole point of the movie is that the bad guys, a conglomerate of nuclear, coal and oil industry baddies, want to prevent Richard Griffith’s Dr Meinheimer from presenting a speech to the president urging a change to the country’s oil policy. Meinheimer is kidnapped and replaced by a double to stop this speech from happening. Our hero, Leslie Nielsen’s Frank Drebin, has to save Meinheimer so he can present his speech, which he eventually does. But, the best...

The Simpsons was a global phenomenon during its Golden Age, attracting A-list actors for guest appearances. Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, and Arnold Schwarzenegger turned down a cameo on The Simpsons during its peak. The missed opportunity on The Simpsons could have helped the action stars transition into comedy roles.

While many A-list actors would kill for a cameo on The Simpsons even now, three of Hollywood’s biggest action stars missed out on this opportunity at the height of the show’s Golden Age. The Simpsons is still a big deal. In its 35th season, the series commands an audience of millions, has aired more episodes than any other American prime-time scripted series, and has firmly secured a place in television history. However, it is sometimes hard to clarify just how huge The Simpsons once was. At the height of the show’s success, The Simpsons was a global pop culture phenomenon.

Liam Neeson’s Frank Drebin may have found his foil in the upcoming reboot of The Naked Gun, as reports have come out that former Bond villain Mads Mikkelsen may be close to signing on.

As reported by Daniel Richtman, “Mads Mikkelsen is in talks to play the villain Cane.” While no details have come out about Cane and Mikkelsen has not officially inked a deal for the upcoming Naked Gun installment, I would personally love to see him take on the role.

If confirmed, Mads Mikkelsen will join Ricardo Montalbán’s Victor Ludwig from the first Naked Gun, Robert Goulet’s Quentin Hapsburg from The Smell of Fear and Fred Ward’s Rocco Dillon from The Final Insult. Considering that lineup, we would absolutely welcome Mads Mikkelsen to the list of heels trying to outsmart (well…) Frank Drebin. And hey, let’s keep tradition and get “Weird Al” Yankovic...

Eddie Merrins, the gentlemanly golf pro at the Bel-Air Country Club who taught the game to the likes of Bing Crosby, Ringo Starr, George C. Scott, Dean Martin, Celine Dion and Jack Nicholson, has died. He was 91.

Merrins died Wednesday after a long illness, according to UCLA, where he coached for 14 years. His son Michael had launched a GoFundMe campaign this year to help the family with expenses.

Nicknamed “The Little Pro,” the 5-foot-7 Mississippi native played on the PGA Tour before serving as Bel-Air’s head pro from 1962 until he was asked to step aside in 2003. However, he remained a beloved fixture at the fabled club as pro emeritus in a jacket/sweater, tie and white driving cap.

Remarkably, Bel Air, which opened in 1925, has had only three head pros: Joe Novak, Merrins and now Dave Podas.

Inducted into the PGA Hall of Fame in 2009, Merrins arranged for Jack Nicklaus to meet Tiger Woods,...

Revivals have been a mainstay of Broadway for decades. But it wasn’t until the 31st ceremony in 1977 that the Tony Awards added a new category honoring these productions. The nominees for the inaugural prize were “Guys and Dolls,” “The Cherry Orchard” and “The Three Penny Opera” with “Porgy and Bess” taking the honors. Other winners over the years included “The Pirates of Penzance,” “Anything Goes,” “Death of a Salesman,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Gypsy.”

In 1994, the category was divided into best revival of a musical with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel” winning the award and “An Inspector Calls” taking home the best revival of a play honor.

This year’s nominees in both categories celebrate the work of Stephen Sondheim, Henrik Ibsen and three landmark black playwrights: August Wilson, Suzan-Lori Parks and Lorraine Hansberry. Here’s a closer look at this year’s contenders.

Best Revival of a Musical

“Into the Woods”

“Company,...

There is a scene late in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice where Michael Keaton emerges from beneath the floor of a Connecticut farmhouse with batwings attached to his ears and a carousel riding around his forehead. Even as a child, I knew it was spectacular. With a disarmingly crass accent and pallid makeup design in the shade of rot, Keaton’s titular Beetlejuice (or “Beatleguese” as it’s actually spelled within the film) is nothing if not the most amusing of carnival hucksters. He promises rides and surprises to his marks, which include Robert Goulet, and even sprinkles in some twinkling neon lights. It’s all a distraction, of course. Some razzle dazzle as he goes in for the kill—literally as he uses inflatable arms to send Goulet and his onscreen wife through the ceiling and into the afterlife.

To this day, I’ve wondered if their ghosts might be...

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Bee–ah, that was a close one! A massive success upon release, Beetlejuice went through a strange and unusual production that saw multiple rewrites and firings, not to mention the dodging of some seriously questionable casting choices. But through the terrific performances by its cast and creative skirting around a small budget, the movie became one of the best horror-comedies ever, worthy of a sequel that has been in development hell for over three decades.

So let’s open up the handbook for the recently deceased and shake, shake, shake senora because it’s showtime! Let’s to find out…Wtf Happened to this movie?!

Following the massive success of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, which pulled in $40 million on a $7 million budget, Tim Burton had his pick of what his next project would be. One thing he knew, it wouldn’t be talking horse movie Hot to Trot.

What’s a Camelot without a little magic?

Aaron Sorkin works up an answer to that question in the new Lincoln Center Theater production of the 1960 Lerner & Loewe musical, and the result is an adaptation that seems at every turn to be pleading its case for its own relevance. Where the West Wing creator conjured a real sort of writerly sorcery in 2018 with his transformation of the beloved property To Kill A Mockingbird into a new, relevant and thrilling stage work, his efforts this time around often seem strained in their attempts to drag Camelot into the 21st Century.

In its way, Camelot, at least as we’ve come to know it until now, is, in its stodgy and fitful way, a musical as emblematic of the 1960s as the more obvious generation-defining theatrical statements of the era (“Gimme a head with hair!”). Camelot, with its “might for right” social...

“Agent Elvis,” the hand-drawn adult animated Netflix series from Sony Pictures Animation and directed by Fletcher Moules (“Entergalactic”), re-imagines Elvis Presley as a super cool spy in a wild, gory, drugged-out alternate reality. It crosses “Archer” with “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” putting the King square in the crosshairs of everyone from the Manson Family and Howard Hughes to Richard Nixon and Timothy Leary — all while retaining recognizable signposts from Presley’s life, from concert specials to his hatred of Robert Goulet.

There’s also an array of hilarious cameos, including Stanley Kubrick shooting a staged moon landing — guess who ends up in the space suit? — and a young George Lucas getting inspiration for the lightsaber from Hughes’ radioactive urine stream weapon. “Agent Elvis” is so meta that Baz Luhrmann even voices the director of Presley’s final film “Change of Habit.”

In fact, the Quentin Tarantino-like vibe...

The best thing about Netflix’s Agent Elvis, which posits Elvis Presley as a spy within a covert government program, isn’t Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey voicing the rock ‘n’ roll icon. He just sounds like himself, which is funny enough and saves him the trouble of Austin Butler-esque permanent burn-in.

The highlight isn’t the animation, though the Sony Pictures Animation and Titmouse team deliver ample comic book-flavored pizzazz.

It will surprise regular readers that my favorite thing in Agent Elvis isn’t even that Elvis is accompanied by a debauched, sociopathic chimpanzee sidekick — not that I’m complaining that a debauched, sociopathic chimpanzee plays a major role in Agent Elvis.

No, the best thing about Netflix’s Agent Elvis is that no matter how outlandish and ridiculous it is, it’s all true. Ok, fine. It isn’t All true. Probably most of it isn’t true,...

We’re now about halfway through the 2022-2023 Broadway season, and there are currently seven productions of musicals set to open this spring. Could we be seeing any of them contend at this year’s Tony Awards? Below, find the plot description of each musical as well as the awards history of its author, cast, creative team, and the opening and (where applicable) closing dates.

“Bad Cinderella” (previews begin February 17; opens March 23)

In this loose adaptation of the classic fairy tale, the fields are idyllic, the prince is charming, and the townsfolk are ravishing in the beautiful kingdom of Belleville. One stubborn peasant stands in the way of absolute perfection: Cinderella. To those in Belleville, the damsel is the distress.

This musical features a book by Oscar winner Emerald Fennell, music by six-time Tony winner Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyrics by Tony winner David Zippel. The production previously premiered in...

For the season 5 season finale, Writer/Director/Producer Adam McKay returns to the podcast to discuss movies from his favorite year of cinema… 1987.

The Movies That Made Me will return with Season 6 in January. Happy Holidays! Thank you for listening!

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Tin Men (1987)

Billy Jack (1971)

The Menu (2022)

Boyz N The Hood (1991) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

Menace II Society (1991)

Straight Out Of Brooklyn (1991)

Do The Right Thing (1989) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

School Daze (1988)

The Swarm (1978) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

The Squeeze (1987)

Squeeze Play (1979) – Lloyd Kaufman’s trailer commentary

Diner (1982)

Robocop (1987) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray reviews

The Evil Dead (1983) – Fede Alvarez’s trailer commentary

Evil Dead II (1987) – Mike Mendez’s trailer commentary, Alex Kirschenbaum’s review

Broadcast News (1987)

Raising Arizona (1987)

The Princess Bride (1987) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

This Is Spinal Tap (1984) – John Landis’s...

Aaron Sorkin has found his Broadway follow-up to To Kill A Mockingbird: The West Wing creator will pen a new book for the classic Lerner & Loewe musical Camelot.

The Lincoln Center Theater revival of the 1960 musical will reunite Sorkin and Mockingbird director Bartlett Sher, with previews set to begin at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater on Thursday, November 3, with an opening night of Thursday, December 8. Casting and design team will be announced later.

In announcing the project today, Lincoln Center Theater described “a new version of the classic tale” and said the musical will be “reimagined for the 21st century.” Sorkin’s new book will be based on the original by Alan Jay Lerner.

Camelot, based on T.H. White’s 1958 novel The Once and Future King, features an original score by Lerner and Frederick Loewe, including now-classic songs “If Ever I Would Leave You,” “What Do the Simple Folk Do?...

Is HBO Max’s “Hacks” really based on the life of comedy legend Joan Rivers, or was she just an “inspiration” for Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance?

The HBO Max dramedy series stars Smart and Hannah Einbinder as comedians on opposing sides of a generational gap, with the former playing a fading showbiz legend very much in the vein of Rivers. And one thing the two have very much in common is their love of being on stage. “This is where I belong,” Rivers, who died in 2014, once said. “Only time I’m truly, truly happy is when I’m on a stage. I am a performer. That’s my life. That is what I am. That’s it.”

The similarities don’t stop there. We’ve taken a very close look at Smart’s snarky but hilarious “Hacks” character and compared it to Rivers’ own words from the 2010 documentary...

In 1968, America was embroiled in protests over civil rights and the Vietnam War. In that tumultuous time, “The Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson turned over hosting duties for an entire week to actor and activist Harry Belafonte. His cast of guests included Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, just months before they were assassinated, during a week that’s been mostly lost in American history. Thankfully it’s now being revisited in a new Peacock documentary, executive produced by MSNBC host Joy Reid and directed by award-winning filmmaker Yoruba Richen, aptly titled “The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts The Tonight Show.”

At the time, Carson’s pioneering late night variety show had become one of the country’s most influential platforms. So the move to have Belafonte take this mainstream institution and transform it into a multicultural and political experience, introducing white America to his world of art and activism,...

There never has been (nor will there ever be) anything quite like Beetlejuice, that inimitable horror comedy concoction hailing from the demented minds of screenwriter Michael McDowell, plus writer/producer Larry Wilson and script doctor extraordinaire Warren Skaaren, filtered through the wacky gothic lens of director Tim Burton.

To celebrate Beetlejuice‘s Los Angeles return to the big screen at the Nuart Theatre at midnight tonight, December 20th, Tfh decided to take a look back at the film’s singular significance 31 years later.

As our tale unfurls, Adam and Barbara Maitland (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) are a fairly bland couple in the throes of (bland) domestic bliss. They occupy a pleasant, spacious house in the leafy suburb of Winter River, Connecticut. Adam owns a hardware store up the road, and enjoys whiling away his free time building a remarkably thorough model replica of Winter River while jamming out to Harry Belafonte songs.

Reed Farrell, who was president of AFTRA from 1989-93, has died. He was 89. “Reed was a committed unionist with a passion for union service and the betterment of his fellow members,” said SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris. “Our gratitude goes out to him for his many years of dedication to our union.”

Farrell, who died July 6, “was inspired to serve his union by the joint AFTRA and SAG commercials strike of 1979;” the guild said today. “He understood the inherent problems with the crossover in jurisdictions between the unions, allowing producers to shop contracts. At AFTRA’s 1989 convention, he encouraged the further exploration of merger.” The two unions merged in 2012.

He joined AFTRA in 1955 and SAG the following year. He worked as an actor, voice-over artist and narrator in television films, commercials and industrial films and as a writer of hundreds of TV and radio spot commercials.

Farrell gained notoriety in...

Composer-arranger Sid Ramin, a longtime associate of Leonard Bernstein who won an Oscar, an Emmy and a Grammy for his work in film, TV and theater, died of natural causes Monday (July 1) at his home in New York City. He was 100.

Ramin won a 1961 Academy Award for adapting the music of “West Side Story,” which he had originally orchestrated for composer Leonard Bernstein on Broadway in 1957 (with fellow arranger Irwin Kostal). He won a 1961 Grammy for the “West Side Story” soundtrack album, and a 1983 Daytime Emmy for music for TV’s “All My Children.”

Ramin’s musical career encompassed every aspect of show business. He started in the early days of live television, arranging for Milton Berle’s “Texaco Star Theatre” from 1948 to 1956. “There was no second take,” Ramin once reminisced about the insane pace of live TV. “What you did was on the air, good or bad.”

He began...

Steve Ross I Remember Him Well: The Songs of Alan Jay Lerner Birdland Jazz Club, NYC Monday, January 22, 2018

Lerner who?

Getting serious for a moment, this is the fact around which we will orbit: What really constitutes American culture? Literature and architecture and painting -- yes, certainly. But what particularly animates our hearts is song -- and, in particular, the living energy of the American musical theater. In that buoyant realm, there’s no greater literate master than lyricist and writer Alan Jay Lerner (1918-1986). The open-and-shut-case evidence for this assertion is his CV: On A Clear Day, Brigadoon, Gigi, Paint Your Wagon, An American In Paris (story and screen play), Camelot, and -- most famously, My Fair Lady.

Watching our black and white TV, as a child I noticed my parents (and the studio audience) were delighted by a singer I’d never heard of. I could not understand the big to-do about him.

This Week Hide the children because this episode gets a bit naughty with acclaimed writer and director Ben Rimalower Patti Issues, Bad With Money. The gents discuss Patti LuPone as a gateway drug, Ben's Top 5 Divas, the joy of ranking cast albums, the best auditions ever seen, what was Ben's most controversial Playbill article, what it's like to have Patti in the audience, Into The Light returns, a lengthy discussion about length, what shows need to come back, a case for why The Wiz movie is better than The Wiz stage play, and Rob does Robert Goulet in Fiddler.

I grew up on Broadway musicals. Once upon a time when going to see a show on Broadway didn’t cost you your mortgage plus the life of your first-born, my mom and dad were avid theatergoers. They saw the original production of South Pacific with Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza, the original production of Camelot with Richard Burton and Julie Andrews and Robert Goulet, and the original production of The King and I with Gertrude Lawrence and a then little-known Yul Brynner.

When they were still dating they went into town to see Oklahoma! Over the years they saw Carousel, and Brigadoon, and Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews in My Fair Lady, and Zero Mostel in Fiddler on the Roof, and Carol Channing in Hello, Dolly!, and the original West Side Story with Carol Lawrence and Larry Kert. My father fell asleep at Cats and my mother said she...

Well, well, well kids! Season 9 of RuPaul’s Drag Race is off and running on all cylinders and I must admit I have had a rad bromance with the show from the start.

So what did we (and by we I mean me — this is just my take, people) think of the season 9 queens? You know the final decision as to who goes and who stays is up to the highest court in the land — Mama Ru! Let’s start from the very beginning, that’s always a good place to start.

Peppermint: Now you’d think with a name like Peppermint,...

Warning: The following gives details from Friday’s episode of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” Be sure to watch before proceeding.

“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” may have won an Emmy for its choreography last season, but this year one of its original songs ought to be a contender.

On Friday’s episode, a distraught Rebecca (Rachel Bloom) caught up to her erstwhile boyfriend Greg (Santino Fontana), who had recently admitted he was an alcoholic and was heading to a new life of recovery and higher education in Atlanta. The couple had had a tumultuous relationship full of intense chemistry but very little trust or comfort. Ultimately, Greg decided that together they were a toxic combination and crooned the following love song, which also served as his farewell. Here’s the first verse:

Read More: ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ Video: Greg and Josh Sing ‘We Tapped That Ass’

I love you, yes, and I’ll confess

the thought of staying is so enticing.

This week's number is hands down the weirdest entry in Judy's filmography. It doesn't fit neatly into Judy's biography or star image; it really appears to be one of those things that happened because the timing was right. In 1962, Warner Bros released a Upa animated feature called Gay Purr-ee. It's a movie about Parisian cats that feels like An American in Paris meets The Aristocats as played by the Looney Tunes. In a bit of early celebrity stunt casting Upa cast two big voices for its dimunitive feline leads: Judy Garland and Robert Goulet. 

The Movie: Gay Purr-ee (WB, 1962)

The Songwriters: Harold Arlen (music) & E.Y. Yarburg (lyrics)

The Cast: Judy Garland, Robert Goulet, Red Buttons, Hermione Gingold, Paul Frees, Mel Blanc, directed by Abe Levitow.

The Story: Gay Purr-ee really needs to be seen to be believed. Done in the limited-animation style of Upa, the movie sets...

Today in 1993, the second Broadway revival of Camelot opened at the George Gershwin Theatre, where it ran for 56 performances. Camelot is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner book and lyrics and Frederick Loewe music. It is based on the King Arthur legend as adapted from the T. H. White tetralogy novel The Once and Future King. The original 1960 production, directed by Moss Hart and orchestrated by Robert Russell Bennett and Philip J. Lang, ran on Broadway for 873 performances, winning four Tony Awards and spawning several revivals, foreign productions and a 1967 film version. The 1993 cast starred Robert Goulet, Steve Blanchard, and Patricia Kies.

Today in 1957, Brigadoon opened at the Adelphi Theatre, where it ran for 47 performances. Brigadoon is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. Songs from the musical, such as 'Almost Like Being in Love' have become standards. The story involves two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every hundred years. Tommy, one of the tourists, falls in love with Fiona, a young woman from Brigadoon. The original production opened on Broadway in 1947 and ran for 581 performances. A 1954 film version starred Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse. A 1966 television version starred Robert Goulet and Peter Falk.

Today in 1947, Brigadoon opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre, where it ran for 581 performances. Brigadoon is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. It tells the story of a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every hundred years, though to the villagers, the passing of each century seems no longer than one night. Brigadoon then received a West End production opening in 1949 that ran for 685 performances, and many revivals followed. A 1954 film version starred Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse. A 1966 television version starred Robert Goulet and Peter Falk.