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A glimpse at upcoming UK DVD and Blu-ray release dates well into 2025: here’s what’s coming to disc and when.

Here, then, are a few of the upcoming dates for new movies on DVD and Blu-ray that may not yet have been officially announced. Note that all dates are for the UK.

Also: We’ve started adding affiliate links. If you click on those, we benefit, and can spend more money paying more people to write more things for this website. No pressure, just hugely obliged.

Obviously in the current climate everything is subject to change, of course…

Just released

First Time On UK Blu-ray: No Way Out (Film Stories Blu-ray #2)

First Time On UK Blu-ray: Bull Durham (Film Stories Blu-ray #3)

Scroll to the bottom of the this list for more releases over the last few weeks.

Last two weeks

10th March: Father Brown series 12

10th March: St...

Making a truly great comedy sequel is very challenging, as humor is an aspect of cinema that can be very hard to replicate. Although not every comedy sequel is an all-time disaster in the vein of Caddyshack II, Beverly Hills Cop III, Airplane II,or Zoolander 2, they often don’t do enough to differentiate themselves from their predecessors. Wayne’s Worldwas itself a surprise success, as it proved to be the best film inspired by a Saturday Night Live sketch since The Blues Brothers was released over a decade prior. While Wayne’s World was a tremendous exception of an unorthodox premise, Wayne’s World 2 is a hilariously madcap adventure that brings out the best in Mike Myers and Dana Carvey.

Bill Murray is coming to the defense of his long-time friend and fellow SNL alum John Belushi.

During a recent appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Murray slammed journalist Bob Woodward for his portrayal of Belushi in his 1984 biography “Wired,” which chronicled the life and career of “The Blues Brothers” star. Murray called Woodward’s take on Belushi “completely inaccurate,” and suspects his sources were pulled from “the outer, outer circle” of people that knew him.

“If he did this to Belushi, what he did to Nixon is probably soiled for me too. I can’t take it,” Murray said. “You could have two sources and everything like that, but the two sources that he had, if he had them for the ‘Wired’ book, were so far outside the inner circle that it was criminal, cruel.”

Murray suspects that Woodward’s takedown may have been motivated by jealousy. He pointed...

To celebrate the release of Dragnet available 3rd March on Blu-Ray, we are giving away 2 Blu-Ray copies of the film!

Dragnet is directed by Tom Mankiewicz and written by Dan Aykroyd and Alan Zweibel. Zweibel is known for producing Curb Your Enthusiasm – and won 4 Emmy’s between 1975-78.

Aykroyd plays Joe Friday, nephew of the original series star of the same name. He had always been a huge fan of the 1951 Dragnet series, giving many of his previous characters the ability to recite technical jargon in the same way that Joe Friday recites laws and police procedures; such as when Elwood describes the specifications of the “Bluesmobile” in The Blues Brothers.

Aykroyd is at his comedic best as the namesake nephew of Detective Sgt. Joe Friday. Like his uncle, he’s a blue suited, by-the-rules cop who reluctantly joins forces with his footloose partner Pep Streebek (Hanks) to rescue the...

Clue may not be one of the best mystery movies of all time, but it's certainly one of the funniest. It's based on the board game Clue, in which players try to find out who killed Mr. Boddy and end the game by identifying the murderer, the weapon, and the room in which the murder took place. Director Jonathan Lynn (who would later direct My Cousin Vinny) co-wrote the screenplay with John Landis, who also co-wrote and directed comedy classics including The Blues Brothers and Coming to America. With those two behind the script, the result is a movie that's absolutely packed with hilarious one-liners that often come out of nowhere. This may be a whodunit, but the genre is largely just an excuse to make a ton of jokes.

In the history of Saturday Night Live, was anything as secretive and anticipated as the moment this season right before Timothée Chalamet appeared onstage to sing the first of three Bob Dylan numbers? Which songs would they be? How would he sound? For me, it was all strangely familiar — a throwback to the moment when a lucky bunch of us in the SNL audience witnessed a complete-unknown music moment of its time, and from an equally unexpected source.

I can’t remember how we knew about it, but in the...

We’re celebrating 50 years of “Saturday Night Live”! All this week, we’re digging into the late-night comedy institution with new stories, including lists, essays, interviews, and more.

When “The Blues Brothers” hit theaters in 1980, it opened a Pandora’s Box that would eventually gift Hollywood films like “Wayne’s World” and curse it with abominations like “It’s Pat” and “Coneheads.” John Landis’ ultra-cool film about two brothers on a mission from God to get the band back together was bursting with Chicago blues performances, epic car chases, and enough celebrity cameos to fill a season of “Saturday Night Live.” Grossing over $100 million on a $27 million budget, it proved to many that characters who originated on Lorne Michaels’ NBC variety show were more than capable of carrying their own feature film.

In theory, that was true. With “SNL” exploding in popularity and Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi wading into movie stardom,...

A comedy movie starring and written by multiple Saturday Night Live cast members has suddenly become a streaming success over a year after its release. Since its debut in 1975, NBC's long-running sketch comedy show has served as the springboard for 11 feature-length films based on some of the show's most popular sketches and characters, which have seen mixed success. Their first foray into film came in 1980 with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi's The Blues Brothers, which earned over $115 million at the box office against its $27 million budget.

The success of Wayne's World in 1992, starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, encouraged Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michael to produce more film adaptations featuring popular characters. He brought back 1970s characters for Coneheads in 1993, followed by It's Pat, Stuart Saves His Family, A Night at the Roxbury, Superstar, and The Ladies Man. However, most of these movies struggled both critically and commercially,...

Quick Links What is They Came Together About? They Came Together Has Countless Cameos Fans Were Wrong About They Came Together

With Saturday Night Live's 50th season well underway, many fans are revisiting movies, TV shows, and digital content made by SNL cast members and alums. There are, of course, the films personally produced by Lorne Michaels and SNL, such as The Blues Brothers, Wayne's World, and most recently, 2010's MacGruber, but the impact of SNL alumni extends far beyond this shortlist. NBC's longest-running sketch comedy show has produced some bonafide stars that have a stranglehold on the industry. The talent ranges from Will Ferrell to Adam Sandler to Eddie Murphy all the way to the oft-forgotten Academy Award-winning Robert Downey Jr., but the less famous cast members often still go on to have amazing careers. Whether they go on to star in sitcoms, Broadway shows, or films,...

Reader, you have been lied to! Film history is littered with unfairly maligned classics, whether critics were too eager to review the making of rather than the finished product, or they suffered from underwhelming ad campaigns or general disinterest. Let’s revise our takes on some of these films from wrongheaded to the correct opinion.

What’s the greatest chase scene in American movies? One could easily make a convincing argument for the lengthy action sequence that anchors Buster Keaton’s “The General,” or for the kinetic urban set pieces of “Bullitt” and “The French Connection.” Movies like “Duel,” “The Driver,” and “Speed” are essentially feature-length chases broken up by occasional dialogue sequences, and for sheer scale, the final act of “The Blues Brothers” is tough to beat.

One movie that doesn’t get mentioned in this company but should is Ron Shelton’s 2003 action-comedy “Hollywood Homicide,” a film that...

Putting aside the terrible sequel, the ridiculous video game tie-in and the awkward fan conventions, the original 1980 film The Blues Brothers is still very good, mostly thanks to the performances from true music legends like Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Cab Calloway.

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Plus, there’s that iconic car chase through an Illinois shopping mall, which, admittedly, is a lot less fun to watch if you know that the mall in question was being used by a school until Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi trashed the place and didn’t bother to clean their mess up.

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Interestingly, the version of the movie that we’ve all seen is a lot different than how it was originally conceived.

According to director John Landis, The Blues Brothers was going to be an epic “roadshow movie with an intermission.” But when he screened the lone 70mm print of the nearly three-hour cut...

George Folsey Jr., a famous film editor and director known for his work on classic comedies like “Animal House” and “Coming to America,” has died at 84. His son, Ryan Foley, who is also a film editor, told everyone that he had died.

Over more than fifty years, Folsey Jr. had a very successful career in Hollywood. People knew him best for working with director John Landis for a long time. Major hits like “The Kentucky Fried Movie” (1977), “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978), and “The Blues Brothers” (1980) were produced as a result of their collaboration, which started with Landis’s 1973 film “Schlock.” During the 1970s and 1980s, they helped shape American humor.

Editing Michael Jackson’s groundbreaking “Thriller” music video in 1983 was one of Folsey Jr.’s most important jobs. This famous song not only changed the way music videos looked, but it also became an important part of the culture. His...

George Folsey Jr, the veteran film editor and producer who worked closely with John Landis on movies including Animal House, The Blues Brothers, Coming to America and the ill-fated Twilight Zone: The Movie as well as the iconic music video for Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” has died. He was 85.

The news was confirmed Wednesday by his son, fellow editor Ryan Folsey, on social media.

Folsey Jr was the son of George Folsey, the 13-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer whose credits included Meet Me In St. Louis, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Executive Suite and The Balcony.

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Folsey Jr was an assistant producer on Twilight Zone: The Movie, on which a helicopter crashed during the filming of Landis’ segment of the anthology film in July 1982 in Santa Clarita, CA. The crash, later found by the National Transportation Safety Board to have...

George Folsey Jr., the longtime producer and film editor for director John Landis, has died at the age of 85, according to his family.

The son of 13-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer George J. Folsey, whose credits included “Meet Me in St. Louis” and “Forbidden Planet,” Folsey Jr. got his start in editing at Kabc in Los Angeles, where he edited documentaries and news reports for broadcast in the 1960s.

He then moved into cinema by learning the trade at MGM, where his father had worked, alongside “Grand Prix” Oscar-winning editor Henry Berman. His first feature film project was Alexander Singer’s “Glass Houses,” a 1972 film in which Folsey was editor, cinematographer and producer.

A year later, Folsey was hired to edit John Landis’ debut feature film “Schlock,” a sendup of “King Kong” in which an ape man chased out of his cave wanders into a Southern California neighborhood and develops an unrequited crush on a teen girl.

George Folsey Jr., the veteran film editor behind classic films such as “Coming to America” and “Animal House,” died Dec. 29. He was 84.

Variety learned the news from Folsey Jr.’s son Ryan Folsey, who is also an editor. Folsey Jr. was the son of cinematographer George J. Folsey.

Folsey Jr. collaborated frequently with director John Landis. Over the course of his five-decade career, he went on to edit or co-edit a total of six of Landis’s films which included “Schlock,” “The Blues Brothers” and “Coming to America.”

Furthermore, Folsey Jr. worked with the “Burke and Hare” filmmaker as a second unit director on “Trading Places,” “Into the Night” and “Three Amigos.”

Some of his other editing credits include the “Michael Jackson: Thriller” music video, “Hot Tub Time Machine,” “Clarity,” “Wolf Mountain,” “Just Swipe,” “Summer Rain,” “Despair,” “Freeloaders,” “Chain of Command” and “My Sister.”

In addition to his work as an editor,...

George Folsey Jr., the film editor and producer who collaborated with director John Landis on such films as Animal House, The Blues Brothers, Coming to America and An American Werewolf in London, has died. He was 85.

Folsey died Sunday in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia, his son, fellow film editor Ryan Folsey (Cabin Fever, Renfield), told The Hollywood Reporter.

His father was George J. Folsey, the famed 13-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer whose credits included The Cocoanuts (1929), Animal Crackers (1930), Thousands Cheer (1944), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), The Clock (1945), Green Dolphin Street (1947), Adam’s Rib (1949), Million Dollar Mermaid (1953), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) and Forbidden Planet (1956).

George Folsey Jr. also edited Shawn Levy’s Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) and The Pink Panther (2006) and Eli Roth’s Hostel (2005) and Hostel: Part II (2007).

After cutting Landis’ directorial debut, Schlock (1973), Folsey edited the Landis-helmed The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), Animal House (1978), The Blues Brothers (1980) and Coming to America (1988), which he also produced.

When John Belushi died from a drug overdose in 1982 at age 33, he left behind a brief yet indelible body of work that continues to influence generations to this day. On Saturday Night Live and in movies like National Lampoon's Animal House and The Blues Brothers, Belushi was like a comedic Tasmanian devil, tearing through a scene with a ferocity and unpredictability that was riveting to watch. So it's shocking to see him restrain that energy in what turned out to be his final film, the 1981 dark comedy Neighbors. Directed by John G. Avildsen (Oscar-winner for Rocky), it's a live-action cartoon that could easily spin out of control were it not for Belushi's surprisingly grounded performance, which shows the full range of talent he could have explored were it not for his untimely death.

Along with the first movie in the animated franchise, there are plenty of movies like Sing 2 that capture the same magic that makes the family-friendly sequel such a gem. Much like its predecessor, Sing 2 is a jukebox musical and features a satirical look at the entertainment industry. This time around, Buster Moon and his friends are organizing another big show to impress a media mogul, which also includes convincing a reclusive rock star to come out of retirement and join them on stage.

The movie is an entertaining bit of fun for all ages, continuing the winning combination of popular music and adorable animal characters. While it has its own charm, there are some other great movies that share similarities fans may find interesting. Whether it is the celebration of underdogs showcasing their talents, the excitement of putting on a big show, or other animated movies with a musical energy,...

With future seasons of Sylvester Stallone's popular crime drama Tulsa King confirmed, a show in which he plays the head of a mafia family, we can't help but be reminded of one of the actor's earlier portrayals of a gangster. By 1991, Sylvester Stallone had already starred in five Rocky movies and three Rambo flicks, cementing himself as a bona fide action star who seemed most at home on screen when he was hitting something — or rather, someone. This is part of the reason why it was so shocking when his next project was as the lead role in Oscar, a comedy from one of the great filmmakers of the genre, director John Landis.

What Happened to 'Oscar?'

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Oscar is a 1991 comedy film directed by John Landis, starring Sylvester Stallone as Angelo "Snaps" Provolone,...

Film critic Gene Siskel thought that Jack Nicholson’s second directing effort, the comedy-western Goin’ South, was just okay, giving the film two and a half stars out of four. There was at least one way it could have been better, he said. “The film could use more of John Belushi, the Animal House star, wasted here in a walk-on as a fat Mexican deputy sheriff.”

There was someone else who believed Belushi could use more screen time: John Belushi. And he would have had more scenes if he could have behaved properly. But things were goin’ south right after Belushi signed on to the project for five weeks of work at $5,000 a week. “What the hell does John Belushi want to do this for?” wondered Nicholson, according to Daniel De Visé’s The Blues Brothers.

Good question. Belushi was a mess when he arrived in Mexico for filming. Producers...

Star Wars movies have frequently been major box office successes, with a few exceptions, but shockingly, Star Wars’ best movie didn’t hit number one at the box office for an entire month after it was released. Star Wars movies and TV shows haven’t always been well-received. Shows like The Acolyte have proven to be extremely controversial and have been subject to significant backlash, and The Acolyte’s cancelation made it clear that this has a tangible effect on the franchise.

Even so, Star Wars movies tend to draw viewers to the theater, and box office numbers don’t always directly translate to how popular the movie ended up being over time. The Star Wars movie box office rankings reveal that Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a now highly criticized Star Wars movie, was the second highest grossing in the entire franchise. Despite the complexity of box office numbers,...

With its ’70s-era production details and sprawling age-spanning ensemble, Saturday Night has high hopes for the Oscars this year. But if the Jason Reitman period piece manages to win one, it will achieve something that the cast it depicts never could.

Though Saturday Night Live has racked up a record-breaking 103 Emmys and churned out generational talent with regularity over its 50 seasons, only six among its more than 150 castmembers have ever been nominated for an Oscar (five if you don’t include one-episode-and-done player Laurie Metcalf).

Its only winner? Robert Downey Jr., just this past March for Oppenheimer. And his 1985-86 SNL stint is a career footnote.

“I don’t think it’s conscious,” says Turner Classic Movies host Dave Karger, an Oscar prognosticator and author of 50 Oscar Nights, “but there might be something going on. There’s obviously a disconnect between SNL and [film] awards.”

Comedy stars can struggle with the Academy,...

There are few programs in American history that were as foundational in the development of modern comedy films as Saturday Night Live, which, in its first iteration, saw the emergence of stars like Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, and Jim Henson. However, there isnt another performer that encapsulated the tone and spirit of the Saturday Night Live generation like John Belushi, who briefly became one of the biggest stars in the world thanks to his hilarious performances in Caddyshack and The Blues Brothers. While he seemed poised to have a career that could last decades, Belushi tragically died of a drug overdose in 1982. However, one of Belushis last roles was the charming romantic comedy Continental Divide.

These days, its pretty commonplace for directors to make cameo appearances in their own movies, but whats sometimes more interesting is when they opt to show up in other filmmakers' releases. This represents a level of respect and collaboration between different artists and highlights that even in the cutthroat world of Hollywood filmmaking, plenty of directors are on friendly enough terms with one another to pop up in each other's films. While these are often brief cameo appearances, directors have occasionally gained more significant secondary roles in their competitors' films.

Some of the greatest directors of all time have taken a break from their busy schedules on set to portray characters in other auteurs' works. This can be a thrilling change of pace, as directors normally associated with one genre have a surprise appearance in something thats the total opposite of the work theyve become known for. From Tim Burton...

Is it hot in here, or is it just the recently announced re-release of three classic sexploitation films from nudie maverick Russ Meyer?

With a legacy rivaling Roger Corman’s, Meyer burst onto the film scene in the 1960s, establishing himself as a B-movie maestro with a penchant for big action and even bigger…well…you know. He would eventually garner wide acclaim for cheeky comedies like “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” and “Beneath the Valley of the Dolls,” the latter of which was scripted by renowned film critic Roger Ebert. However, as a fierce independent, Meyer maintained ownership of all his films until his death in 2004, making it difficult to produce physical copies for wide distribution.

Severin Films is changing that. Partnering with the Russ Meyer Charitable Trust, they are now set to release new editions of “Vixen!,” “Supervixens,” and “Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens” on DVD, Blu-ray, and Uhd.

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...

I remember the day -- March 4, 1994 -- when I learned that John Candy, big of heart and large of funny bone, had died from an apparent heart attack at age 43. I was a movie critic and a film writer in the Life section of USA Today, distracted by the Winter Olympics TV coverage of Nancy Kerrigan’s silver medal comeback. But the minute I heard that one of the warmest and funniest actors around had passed away, I poured myself immediately into writing his appreciation.

As someone who grew up in Buffalo, I was lucky to have early access to “Sctv,” the Canadian sketch-comedy counterpart to “Saturday Night Live,” long before the series was picked up by NBC. I was cued into the genius of Candy and his clowning cohorts Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas as they inhabited sundry out-sized characters who...

It’s the late great Carrie Fisher’s birthday, as the Star Wars icon and prolific writer would have turned 68 today. Fisher is obviously best known for playing Princess Leia, but her long list of acting credits also includes the “Mystery Woman” from The Blues Brothers, Marie from When Harry Met Sally and “Bianca Burnette,” the washed-up actress who accuses George Lucas of sexual misconduct in Scream 3.

Less high up on Fisher’s list of accomplishments is the 1981 comedy Under the Rainbow, a notorious turd about the making of The Wizard of Oz, also starring Chevy Chase. Inspired by possibly apocryphal stories involving the hotel hosting the “drunken” Munchkin actors, Under the Rainbow also threw in a wacky espionage plot line about Nazi spies, which is why Hitler gets heil-ed in the balls just five minutes into the movie.

It seems that the only positive aspect of starring in...

If you’re anything like me, when you saw the title for Max Barbakow’s new comedy “Brothers,” you thought, “Finally! A movie about brothers!”

I kid, I kid. But it’s not like there’s ever been any shortage of films about fraternal love and/or hatred: “Step Brothers,” “The Blues Brothers,” “The Sisters Brothers,” “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” “East of Eden,” “Fred Claus.” You know, the giants. Max Barbakow’s first feature, the hilarious “Palm Springs,” injected new vitality into the rom-com genre and the time loop drama at the same time. Could he also make a formulaic buddy comedy about two criminal siblings on a road trip seem special?

The answer is … a little, but let’s not go nuts. That, apparently, was the job of Barbakow’s cast. But we’ll get to that. First we have to introduce you to Peter Dinklage and Josh Brolin...

Ask nearly anyone to describe Mr. T. and you’ve got the same description: the mohawk, the gold jewelry, the tank top, the muscles…It’s so distinct that it must be planned. And it is. But we bet you couldn’t tell us the significance of any of it: what the mohawk and chains symbolize, what the “T” really means deep down. And we bet you couldn’t tell us Mr. T.’s real name if your mama’s life depended on it. Is it for Tender? Or Tough? Maybe a little of both, depending on if he’s spitting motivational phrases or ready to whoop some butt at the club.

But rest assured, every move of Mr. T.’s – ever since being discovered by Sylvester Stallone – has been calculated, whose presence and aura – despite being tied to one specific moment in time – remains unforgettable. And yet, we know so little about the man.

This article contains discussion of addiction.

2024 has been a really huge year for "Saturday Night Live," the sketch comedy institution that operates out of Studio 8 in New York City's famous 30 Rockefeller Center. With the show entering its 50th season during its September premiere -- which brought Emmy-winning "Hacks" star Jean Smart on board as a host -- and a major election this year providing plenty of material week after week, more eyes are on Lorne Michaels' 90-minute late-night show than ever. Not only that, but Jason Reitman's film "Saturday Night," which focuses on the show's humble beginnings and its messy, chaotic 1975 premiere, releases on October 11 (the anniversary of the "Saturday Night Live" series premiere). 

It feels like Michaels and company are pulling out all the stops this fall to celebrate the show -- John Mulaney (one of the most popular hosts in recent memory) will star in an upcoming episode,...

It was no small feat to get “Saturday Night Live” off the ground at NBC, and as a result, the cast of “Saturday Night” is pretty huge. In many cases, the actors also look eerily similar to the people they’re playing.

Hitting theaters everywhere on Oct. 11 after a limited theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles, Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night” tells the story of the 90 minutes right before the first-ever episode of “SNL.” It’s chaotic and at the time, even Lorne Michaels couldn’t explain what the show was going to be.

Below, you’ll find the cast of “Saturday Night” alongside what their real-life counterparts looked like back then.

Sony/Getty Images Lorne Michaels (Gabriel Labelle)

Lorne Michaels is the creator and, to this day, producer of “Saturday Night Live.” He’s played in “Saturday Night” by Gabriel Labelle, who had his breakout role in Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans.

NBC's Saturday Night Live is a staple of American television, and the best SNL seasons feature some of the funniest in small-screen history. Though it has seen many ups and downs, SNL has consistently pleased its fans even when the casts have changed over the years. Beginning in 1975, Saturday Night Live is now in its 50th season and doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. The sketch comedy show has launched the careers of myriad prolific comedians, such as Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, and more.

Not only that, but iconic characters created on SNL have often gotten their own spinoff movies. Wayne's World and Night at the Roxbury are based on SNL sketches, and the same goes for Coneheads and The Blues Brothers. Due to the fact that it is a sketch show, it is hard to judge episodes and seasons as a whole,...

Nearly from the beginning, Saturday Night Live musical guests have used the show as a vehicle to promote a new album, introduce a new style or even launch a career. The last thing the artists want is goofy cast members joining in, turning a sizzling musical spot into a ridiculous sketch.

At least, that’s usually how it works. Over the years, pop and rock acts have occasionally invited cast members to join in the fun — here are five times when comedy and music came together on SNL…

1 Chevy Chase and Carly Simon @maximumrocknsoul

When Simon recorded her hit, “You’re So Vain,” she persuaded Mick Jagger to sing uncredited backup vocals. Not a lot of radio listeners knew Jagger was singing, but they would have found out when Jagger agreed to back Simon during an early Saturday Night Live appearance.

Instead, it was Chase donning an apricot scarf and...

Even if the first season had been its only season, “Saturday Night Live” still would have earned a place in TV history. The series’ original cast, know as “The Not Ready for Prime-Time Players,” launched the careers of John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Garrett Morris, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman. In the almost 50 years since, “SNL” has jumpstarted the careers of many of the greatest comedians of each generation, including Bill Murray (who joined in Season 2), Dana Carvey, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, Kristen Wiig, and Tina Fey – just to name a few – and led to films based on sketches from the series, such as “The Blues Brothers” (1980) and “Wayne’s World” (1992).

SEEEddie Murphy movies: 13 greatest films ranked worst to best

In 1975, Lorne Michaels (with Dick Ebersol and Herb Schlosser) created a variety sketch series that focused on satirical and high-concept comedy sketches performed live by young unknown comedians,...

Even if the first season had been its only season, “Saturday Night Live” still would have earned a place in TV history. The series’ original cast, know as “The Not Ready for Prime-Time Players,” launched the careers of John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Garrett Morris, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman. In the almost 50 years since, “SNL” has jumpstarted the careers of many of the greatest comedians of each generation, including Bill Murray (who joined in Season 2), Dana Carvey, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, Kristen Wiig, and Tina Fey – just to name a few – and led to films based on sketches from the series, such as “The Blues Brothers” (1980) and “Wayne’s World” (1992).

In 1975, Lorne Michaels (with Dick Ebersol and Herb Schlosser) created a variety sketch series that focused on satirical and high-concept comedy sketches performed live by young unknown comedians, as well as live musical performances,...

Frank Oz’s illustrious career will be celebrated by the Museum of the Moving Image with screening series “The Magic of Oz: A Frank Oz Retrospective.”

All 15 films Oz directed will screen, ranging from “Little Shop of Horrors” to “The Muppets Take Manhattan” to “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and “Bowfinger.” Oz’s acting roles in “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Inside Out,” plus his character creations for “Sesame Street” and “The Muppet Show,” will also be part of the lineup. The series will take place from October 4 to November 30.

“Frank Oz has been a revered and adored artist for generations, yet I’d argue he’s under-appreciated for his filmmaking, which he’s dedicated the past 40 years to,” curator of film Eric Hynes said.

“From the beginning he defied expectations, starting with his now-classic homage to the Hollywood studio musical and B-movie creature feature, ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ and continuing through...

Dan Aykroyd has starred in a number of movies featuring some pretty iconic props, and it turns out that he actually kept one of them. Weirdly, he didn’t take home Ray Stantz’s proton pack from Ghostbusters, or his latex Coneheads scalp, or even the black leather bondage ensemble from Exit to Eden. But he did drive away with one of the cars from The Blues Brothers.

The most famous car in The Blues Brothers was, of course, the Bluesmobile, Elwood and Jake’s decommissioned Mount Prospect police car. Technically, there were several Bluesmobiles in The Blues Brothers — 13 different Dodge Monacos were used in the stunt-heavy production, but only five of them housed Aykroyd and John Belushi. They were originally California Highway Patrol cars, repainted to resemble black and white Mount Prospect vehicles.

The Blues Brothers filmmakers also bought 60 old cop cars for the destructive chase sequences. Since the...

Backstage at an Illinois festival last weekend, two children of pop culture legends were hashing out a set list. “We’ll do ‘The River’ and then ‘Good Morning Sun’ and then ‘Bones’ last,” says Ben Taylor, the rugged-looking son of James Taylor and Carly Simon. Luke Pisano — whose mother was Judy Belushi Pisano, the writer and artist once married to John Belushi — nods but cautions, “That’s all the time we’re going to have. The most time we have is four songs.”

The setting was the second Blues Brothers Con,...

Landis had numerous unmade films, with many ending up in the hands of other directors. Missed opportunities for unique and exciting projects. Landis was set to work on a Parisian horror film, a vampire romp in Vegas, a missionary comedy, and even a collaboration with horror giants. A fascinating look at Landis's potential projects that never made it to the big screen, leaving fans wondering what could have been.

Known for directing films such as The Blues Brothers, An American Werewolf in London, and many more, John Landis success cannot be overstated. That said, there were still several movies hed intended to make that never quite took off. From unmade Bond films to scrapped original stories to movies that would eventually be made by other directors, Landis reckons that for every film hes made, another 12 never got produced. Some of them sound pretty good.

Its a real shame that audiences...

Dan Aykroyd has opened up about his friend John Belushi in a new interview. Aykroyd and Belushi were a legendary duo who brought their comedic talents to the world of music with The Blues Brothers.

When Dan Aykroyd was asked about John Belushi's legacy in an interview with Rolling Stone, he said, "Well, what he will be remembered for, we cant change and thats the spectacular work that he did and the ignominious manner of his demise. So thats all there. But I think what if you have to inform people about who he was privately: He was well read, he was warm, he was funny, he was magnetic. He was a true thousand-watt aviation lamp walking around."

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Eric Gardner, Chairman and CEO of Panacea Entertainment who began his career coordinating tours for Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead before pivoting to talent management for such clients as Paul Shaffer, Donny Osmond, The Sex Pistols, as well as members of The Rolling Stones, The E Street Band and The Who, died at his home in Camarillo, California, July 19 from complications of pneumonia. He was 74.

His death was announced by Janis Gardner, his wife and Panacea Entertainment co-owner.

Born Eric Winslow Gardner on November 20, 1949, Garner’s long and notable career as a talent manager, film, television, and Las Vegas residency show producer began in 1970 when he started coordinating tours for the bands Jefferson Airplane, Kiss, and the Grateful Dead. By 1973 his company Panacea Entertainment Corp. was coordinating tours for major bands in 23 countries around the world.

In 1974 Panacea’s emphasis shifted to talent management and over the year’s...

There was no greater comedic wild man than John Belushi. A force on and off the screen, the guy stands as one of the most influential of his generation. And while we know this wasn’t always the best thing for others, his persona and charisma were unlike anything the world of entertainment had seen before. Tragically, Belushi himself would succumb to his addictions in 1982, but he still had a support system that wanted him to stick around forever, chiefly in Blues Brother-in-arms Dan Aykroyd.

Speaking with Rolling Stone, Aykroyd remembered having to find the balance of keeping Belushi without being overbearing to the point he would turn on him. “I was pretty hands on and monitoring his behavior minute to minute — and then also letting the leash out a little bit, knowing that, if I pull too hard or resisted, he would head up into the trees. He’d be gone.

A never-before-heard interview with John Belushi from 1979 offers some new insight into how the late, great Saturday Night Live star and comedy icon felt about criticisms that were leveled at the musical comedy The Blues Brothers at the time. Coming as part of the Audible audio documentary Blues Brothers: The Arc of Gratitude, and via EW, the interview was conducted by music critic Steve Bloom three years before Belushis death and finds the actor addressing the disapproval over the movie capitalizing on a genre so closely tied with African-American culture and Black artists.

In his response, Belushi largely rejects such criticisms, reasoning that the people watching me understand why I do it, and the band members do.

Its just weird, you know? Why would I do these things? The people watching me understand why I do it, and the band members do. The other people theres a certain amount of jealousy,...

A never-before-heard 1979 interview John Belushi gave to music critic Steve Bloom of the Soho Weekly News has been released for the first time as part of the Audible audio documentary “Blues Brothers: The Arc of Gratitude” (via Entertainment Weekly). The interview, conducted three years before Belushi’s death in 1982, finds the comedian pushing back against critics of The Blues Brothers, the musical group Belushi and Dan Aykroyd founded in 1978. The group became popular due to their recurring sketch appearances on “Saturday Night Live” and the 1980 film “The Blues Brothers.”

During the 1979 interview, Bloom read Belushi headlines from articles that criticized The Blues Brothers for being a group in which two white men were capitalizing off a music genre fundamentally tied to African American history and spearheaded by Black artists.

“It’s just weird, you know?” Belushi said in response to the critics. “Why would I do these things? The people...

SNL alum and one-half of The Blues Brothers, John Belushi’s widow, Judy Belushi-Pisano, has passed away at the age of 73. She was his beloved wife when he died of an accidental drug overdose in 1982. Now, she has died but what is the cause? Keep reading for more details.

John Belushi’s Widow, Judy, Dead At 73

He may have been deceased for over forty years but John Belushi has an incredible legacy. He was known for a plethora of characters on SNL as well as being on half of The Blues Brothers. In fact, he exited SNL along with Dan Aykroyd in 1978 to film the movie under the same name. Additionally, Belushi was known for National Lampoon’s Animal House. His timing solidified him as a comedic actor and icon who was unmatched. Sadly, in 1982, he was given a combination of heroin and cocaine which led to his untimely death. Belushi...

Judy Belushi Pisano, the widow of legendary comedian John Belushi who spent decades preserving and protecting his legacy, died Friday after a long battle with cancer. She was 73.

News of Pisano’s passing was reported Saturday by the Mv Times news outlet covering Martha’s Vineyard, where Pisano spent most of her later years. Her death was also confirmed on the official John Belushi Instagram account.

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Pisano was married to Belushi, the larger-than-life star of “Saturday Night Live,” “Animal House” and “The Blues Brothers,” from 1973 until his death from an overdose in 1982. The two met while in high school in Wheaton, Illinois. Pisano was there for his meteoric rise, and she endured the worst of Belushi’s infidelity and addiction struggles, yet she devoted much of her life to honoring his memory. She was a producer on...

Actor and comedian Dan Aykroyd has had a long and steady career ever since he first began doing improvisational comedy with the famed Second City troupe in both their Chicago and Toronto theaters.

Fame came to Aykoyd when he was hired for what seemed like a low expectations comedy/variety show NBC was beginning for late Saturday evenings. “Saturday Night Live” became a bit of a phenomenon launching all the original “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” (as the cast was called) into stardom. Aykroyd along with Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman and Garrett Morris suddenly found themselves among the most talked about television stars working in the business.

Aykroyd and Belushi became especially close friends during the series run and began working in films together such as “Neighbors,” “The Blues Brothers” and potentially “Ghostbusters,” but Belushi’s overdose at the age of 33 caused Bill Murray...

Columbia Pictures never wanted to make Ghostbusters. Well, to put a finer point on it, those who technically ran the studio out of New York City (then as a Coca-Cola subsidiary) wanted no part in the catching ghost business—so much so that lawyers got involved. But by the time the Manhattan executives heard about the project, the Columbia Pictures chairman out in actual Hollywood, Frank Price, had already greenlit the movie and put a seeming target on his back.

Such was the opinion of “high-concept” and special effects-driven comedies in the early 1980s.

Released 40 years ago this month, Ghostbusters has obviously outlived those early doubts. It’s a pop culture touchstone with the same kind of tenacity Slimer displays at a wedding reception buffet. There’s always room for more bustin’, whether it be by way of loving tributes to this classic of 1980s comedy, or through new attempts to expand the brand.

SNL movies peaked in the '90s with hits like Wayne's World. Recent films like MacGruber haven't fared as well financially. As studios move away from theatrical comedies, SNL stars are finding success on the small screen with TV shows. The days of SNL launching movie star careers may be fading, with actors like Pete Davidson now finding TV success.

Live from the big screen, it's the Saturday Night Live movies! In its nearly 50-year history, NBC's iconic sketch comedy series has seen several hit sketches jump to the film world. Some have seen massive success. Others have returned with less-than-stellar results (nearly every other movie).

There is no doubt that the '90s were the peak of SNL and SNL movies. From 1992 to 2000, roughly one new film was released per year. SNL took the 2000s off before returning with the 2010 film MacGruber, the most recent SNL movie to date.