The musician performed on the long-running US comedy show last night (January 30), bringing tracks from his latest album ‘Tickets To My Downfall’ to the programme.
At the end of the night, the cast, Kelly and guest host John Krasinski gathered on the stage for the end credits. After hugging The Office actor, the musician went to pick up SNL star and friend Pete Davidson but fell, taking both of them off the stage.
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Moments later, both of the men reappeared on screen and, seemingly not having learnt their lesson, Davidson put Kelly over his shoulder. Watch footage of the moment below now.
“I remember when I was a kid watching [SNL] every weekend with my aunt and my dad, since they aren’t here to see this moment, I’m going to perform the song I wrote for them on the show,” the musician tweeted earlier this week. “Hopefully, I’ll feel them there.”
It followed the release of his self-written and directed “pop-punk musical” Downfalls High – a 50-minute film that he recently compared to Pink Floyd’s The Wall. In a four-star review, NME said of the project: “In a world of content for content’s sake – films have often been used by artists try and extend the lifespan of an album – Downfalls High feels driven by purpose.”
There’s a reason Samantha Jones is a PR tour de force and not a chanteuse. Then again, if she cared what every bitch watching SNL thought about her, she’d never leave the house. During this weekend’s Saturday Night Live, television’s most popular shows took a cue from Nicole Kidman’s The Undoing opening credits tune and imagined the lyrics to a host of popular show’s theme songs, including The Mandalorian, The Crown, Queen’s Gambit, and (of course) HBO MAx’s upcoming Sex and the City revival And Just Like That…
While the show itself won’t feature any Kim Cattrall, Chloe Fineman’s version of the Sex and the City star knows exactly what the new show will be missing. “Sex And The City without Samantha/Doesn’t that sound fun?,” Fineman’s Cattrall croons. “It’s Sex and the City without the sex?/Hope you enjoy the city.” Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out we already know what iconic Kim Cattrall song should serve as the new show’s theme. Hopefully she’ll go for it.
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Entertainment
While there are other meaningful matches on every WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view card, the Royal Rumble matches themselves are the true highlight of the annual event. In 2021, both the men's and women's side featured impressive performances that saw the winners last nearly a full hour before securing their shot at a world title at WrestleMania.
On the women's side, Bianca Belair battled from the No. 3 spot, outlasting 29 other women before last eliminating Rhea Ripley. While Belair represents the new blood on the WWE roster, the men's side was won by a legend when Edge last eliminated Randy Orton to secure his title shot. Edge's win was the second time he had won a Royal Rumble match, this effort coming 11 years to the day after his previous victory.
Those two matches will be the lasting memories from the 2021 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view, but the card was filled with entertaining and satisfying action from top to bottom.
CBS Sports was with you the whole way through the event, providing results and grades as the action went down. Read on for everything you need to know coming out of the Royal Rumble and scroll further for highlights from the show.
2021 WWE Royal Rumble results, grades
Women's Tag Team Championship -- Charlotte Flair & Asuka (c) vs. Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler (Kickoff Show): Flair and Asuka got things off to a good start, with Flair handling Baszler before Asuka took the fight to Jax. Baszler and Jax eventually took over by isolating Asuka and wearing her down while an anxious Flair paced on the ring apron. Flair eventually got the hot tag and ran through Baszler before hitting a double Natural Selection and scoring a near fall. Ric Flair's music hit, leading to a distraction that almost allowed Baszler to score a roll-up on Charlotte. Lacey Evans then interrupted from ringside, including pulling Charlotte's arms out while she was in the Figure Eight. Ric handed Evans something to load her fist and hit the Women's Right when Charlotte locked in the hold again, setting up Jax to pin Charlotte after a leg drop for the win to capture the titles. The match was fine, but the ending was entirely predictable and the tag titles continue to be more prop than valuable asset. Jax & Baszler def. Flair & Asuka (c) via pinfall to win the titles -- Grade: B-
WWE Championship -- Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Goldberg: McIntyre hit Goldberg with the Glasgow Kiss dropped him with a spear before the match started, taking the action outside where Goldberg threw him into the ring steps before spearing him through the barricade. McIntyre eventually made his way back into the ring for the bell to ring, starting the match. McIntyre hit a Claymore seconds later, but Goldberg kicked out. Goldberg followed with two more spears for his own near fall. McIntyre again kicked out after a Jackhammer. McIntyre hit another Claymore, scoring the pin and retaining the title. After the match, Goldberg nodded, told McIntyre "You passed the test," and the two shared a handshake and hug. The match was short, as expected, and followed the "Goldberg Formula," for better or worse. For a match nobody really wanted to see, it was as inoffensive as possible, if unspectacular. McIntyre (c) def. Goldberg via pinfall to retain the title -- Grade: C+
SmackDown Women's Championship -- Sasha Banks (c) vs. Carmella: Banks was one step ahead early, but interference from Reginald allowed Carmella to take over the action outside put Banks on the defensive. Carmella continued to blast away at Banks with elbows and forearms and Banks began grabbing at her knee after hitting a meteora, allowing Carmella to continue running the match. Carmella threw Banks from the ring, where she was caught by Reginald. After Banks hit a huricanrana on Reginald, he was ejected from ringside, but Carmella hit Banks -- and the floor -- face-first on a suicide dive. Banks started rolling but Carmella countered a frog splash by getting her knees up and then locked in the Code of Silence to nearly force a submission. Moments later, it was Banks who got the submission with the Banks Statement, retaining her title. Carmella is a limited worker in some ways, but when she is working heel against a very good wrestler like Banks, she can more than hold her own playing into nastier offensive tendencies. Not everything here was smooth, but Banks is so good and Carmella good enough that there was plenty to like. Banks (c) def. Carmella via submission to retain the title -- Grade: B
Women's Royal Rumble: Bayley and Naomi started as No. 1 and 2, respectively. There were no eliminations before Bayley had to deal with her rival in No. 3 entrant Bianca Belair. After coming out at No. 4, Billie Kay settled in at the announce table rather than enter the ring before the first NXT entrant of the night, Shotzi Blackheart. Contestants continued to pile up as no eliminations were scored until Shayna Baszler dumped Blackheart for the first elimination of the match. Former superstar Jillian Hall was the first true surprise entrant of the night, forming an alliance with Kay to form "Billie and Jilly." Victoria also made her return, entering the match at No. 10. Participants continued to pile up in the ring with eliminations hard to come by before Hall was finally the second woman out, followed by Kay and the match settled into a more familiar rhythm after Rhea Ripley entered the match and she and Baszler began to clear out the ring.
Ric Flair's music hit -- with Charlotte already in the ring -- though Ric was only there to escort Lacey Evans to the ring, wearing the same robe as Charlotte wore earlier in the night. Charlotte and Evans battled immediately before an angry Flair turned her attention back to the rest of the participants. Mickie James also made her return, coming in at No. 19. Another return came at No. 21 with Alicia Fox, but R-Truth's music hit right after and he announced he was at the wrong Royal Rumble before being pursued by 24/7 title seekers, only to be pinned by Fox to win her the 24/7 belt.
Ripley continued to impress, scoring several eliminations. Belair also continued hanging around despite her No. 2 entry into the match. In the near-elimination spot, Naomi was thrown from the ring but landed on her back with her feet in the air, she then used Belair to climb her way back into the ring. Alexa Bliss entered at No. 27 and as she was preparing to transform as in recent weeks, Ripley eliminated her from behind. Nia Jax entered and she and Baszler went on a run of eliminations to thin the field late before brawling with each other and Jax eventually eliminated Baszler and was the eliminated by Lana before Natalya entered in the No. 30 spot to complete the field.
The final four in the match came down to Natalya, Belair, Flair and Ripley. Belair eliminated Natalya first and then Ripley and Belair teamed up to knock Flair from the match, leaving Ripley and Belair as the final two women in the match. The two battled back and forth in an extended segment with several near eliminations before Belair managed to knock Ripley from the ring with a clothesline to win the match. This was a bit of a rocky match at parts, many of the bigger issues being matters of production than in-ring, though some stretches dragged a bit. Belair is a great choice to win and coming down to Belair and Ripley showed how bright the future of the women's division is for WWE going forward. Belair also set a record for longest entry in a women's Rumble match. Bianca Belair won the women's Royal Rumble in 56:49 -- Grade: B
1
Bayley
Blackheart (Baszler)
2
Naomi
Hall (Kay)
3
Bianca Belair
Kay (Morgan)
4
Billie Kay
Storm (Ripley)
5
Shotzi Blackheart
Victoria (Baszler 2)
6
Shayna Baszler
Garrett (Ripley 2)
7
Toni Storm
Riott (Bayley)
8
Jillian Hall
Morgan (Royce)
9
Ruby Riott
Brooke (Ripley 3)
10
Victoria
Royce (Flair)
11
Peyton Royce
Wilson (Baszler 3)
12
Santana Garrett
Bayley (Belair)
13
Liv Morgan
Fox (Rose)
14
Rhea Ripley
James (Evans)
15
Charlotte Flair
Kai (Ripley 4)
16
Dana Brooke
Rose (Ripley 5)
17
Torrie Wilson
Cross (Carmella)
18
Lacey Evans
Carmella (Ripley 6)
19
Mickie James
Bliss (Ripley 7)
20
Nikki Cross
Evans (Baszler 4)
21
Alicia Fox
Moon (Jax)
22
Mandy Rose
Naomi (Jax 2)
23
Dakota Kai
Tamina (Jax 3)
24
Carmella
Baszler (Jax 4)
25
Tamina
Jax (Lana)
26
Lana
Lana (Natalya)
27
Alexa Bliss
Natalya (Belair 2)
28
Ember Moon
Flair (Belair 3)
29
Nia Jax
Ripley (Belair 4)
30
Natalya
Winner: Belair (56:49)
Men's Royal Rumble: No. 1 entrant Edge attacked No. 2 entrant Randy Orton before Orton even made it to the ring. They continued to brawl around ringside until Sami Zayn entered at No. 3 and took out the leg of Edge, helping Orton work him over. Mustafa Ali joined in on the attack at No. 4, with Edge facing increasingly long odds until Jeff Hardy entered to help even things up.The first elimination came when Dolph Ziggler entered the match and immediately eliminated Jeff Hardy. Carlito was the first surprise entrant, coming into the match at No. 8. Orton was shown being helped to the back by officials, limping after the attack of Edge. Damien Priest was the first NXT star to make his way into the match, coming in at No. 14 and making his first appearance in a Royal Rumble. The Miz destroyed Bad Bunny's DJ booth on his way to the ring, leading Bunny to walk to the ring, distracting Miz and John Morrison and allowing Priest to eliminate both. Bunny then hit a crossbody from the top rope to the outside on Miz and Morrison. Daniel Bryan, one of the favorites coming into the match, made his entrance at No. 17. Kane returned at No. 18, chokeslamming many of the current entrants and eliminating Dolph Ziggler and Ricochet before being tossed by Priest.
Bobby Lashley made a big entrance, running through Dominik Mysterio and Priest, eliminating both before a big showdown with Big E that saw both men brawl and exchange counters before the surprise entrance of The Hurricane, who was quickly tossed by Lashley and Big E. With Edge still in the match, Christian entered the match at No. 24. Christian helped Riddle, Bryan and Big E eliminate Lashley. Big E was eliminated from the match when Omos reached into the ring and pulled him to the floor. Omos also eliminated Rey Mysterio, giving some big help to AJ Styles.
Seth Rollins made his return at No. 29, his first match since Survivor Series, after which he took time off to be with Becky Lynch for the birth of their child. Braun Strowman was the final entrant into the match. Strowman went on a run of eliminations, bringing the final six to Rollins, Riddle, Edge, Christian, Bryan and Strowman -- although Orton had not actually been eliminated when he was taken to the back. Rollins eliminated Bryan after hiding out on the outside of the ring and then eliminated Riddle to bring the match down to Strowman, Rollins, Edge and Christian. Edge and Christian worked together to eliminate Strowman and Edge eliminated Rollins, seemingly winning the match, but Orton ran back into the match and hit an RKO. Orton's attempt to eliminate Edge backfired, however, as Edge reversed and tossed Orton to the floor, winning the Rumble from the No. 1 spot, lasting more than 58 minutes to win his second Royal Rumble. This dragged far less than the women's Royal Rumble earlier and didn't feel like it relied on as many gimmicky surprise entrants, though there were some. Edge was an interesting choice and told a great story as he's taking one more ride to WrestleMania and a shot at a world championship. Edge wins the Men's Royal Rumble match. Edge won the men's Royal Rumble -- Grade: A-
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Entertainment
Robin Wright needed an escape from newfound horrors plaguing society, so she found herself directing a new movie about human kindness.
“I wanted to make a movie at that time because there was so much pain in our country. … Just the ugliness that was going on in the world with, you know, the explosion of Twitter,” 54-year-old Wright said during a Sundance Film Festival Cinema Café talk on Sunday with Rebecca Hall.
“Everybody was a judge and there was so much bullying going on. I thought about the effect that had on children, and how that’s changing, psychologically, our cellular makeup. All this darkness and meanness.”
Wright ended up directing “Land,” which tells the story of Edee (also played by Wright) who goes off the grid in nature to deal with her grief after a tragedy and realizes she needs other people for support.
“You need human connection and kindness to pull you through adversity,” the former “House of Cards” star explained.
When Wright wasn’t busy starring in and directing her new movie, which will be released on Feb. 12, she passed the time during the pandemic watching old movies on Criterion Channel.
Meghan Markle's name was removed from her and Prince Harry's son Archie Harrison's birth certificate, but she was not the one who chose to make the edit, despite a recent report, her rep says.
On Saturday, Jan. 30, The Sun claimed that she had "taken the unprecedented action of removing" her first and middle names, Rachel Meghan, from the document so that it included just her title, "Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex," under the "mother" category. On Sunday, Jan. 31, a spokesperson for Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex disputed the report.
"The change of name on public documents in 2019 was dictated by The Palace, as confirmed by documents from senior Palace officials," the spokesperson said in a statement to E! News. "This was not requested by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex nor by The Duke of Sussex."
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the matter when reached by E! News.
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Entertainment
'The sheeple are mad': The Real Housewives of Orange County's Kelly Dodd defends attendance at crowded restaurant as she says she and her friends have been vaccinated
Reality star, 45, at center of controversy amid pandemic
On Saturday, she and friends were seen on a jovial maskless outing at a Newport Beach, California restaurant
Attendees joked about the virus at one point and mockingly toasted to 'super-spreaders'
She was let go by Positive Beverage over her behavior
She said she and her friends 'all got the vaccine and ... don't have' the virus
Fans of the show have called for her firing amid a pileup of incidents
The Real Housewives of Orange County's Kelly Dodd defended her attendance at a crowded restaurant over the weekend amid the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that she and her friends have been vaccinated.
'The sheeple are mad,' the 45-year-old reality star said after she caught flak Saturday amid a pileup of controversies for her words and actions amid the coronavirus pandemic, losing a corporate sponsor and garnering calls for her dismissal from the Bravo show.
'I'm not a superspreader because there's nothing to spread,' Dodd said on Instagram Stories, 'because we all got the vaccine and we don't have it, so there's nothing to spread about superspreaders.'
The latest: The Real Housewives of Orange County's Kelly Dodd, 45, defended her attendance at a crowded restaurant over the weekend amid the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that she and her friends have been vaccinated
On Saturday, she was seen with her husband Rick Leventhal, 61, and friends on a jovial maskless outing at a Newport Beach, California restaurant, with attendees joking about the virus at one point and mockingly toasting to 'super-spreaders.'
Dodd claimed she was 'getting a lot of hate for being at a restaurant we're allowed to be at' after California partially lifted dining restrictions amid the ongoing pandemic.
Positive Beverage has cut its ties with Dodd amid the blowback of Saturday's incident, Entertainment Tonight reported Sunday.
'Our core values of wellness, community, diversity and inclusion should be reflected by our brand and anyone associated with it,' Positive Beverage's Zach Muchnick said in a statement. 'It has become clear over the past few months that Kelly's controversial views and opinions have distracted from our primary objectives, so effective today, we are no longer affiliated with Kelly Dodd-Leventhal.'
Defense: Dodd said on Instagram Stories, 'I'm not a superspreader because there's nothing to spread, because we all got the vaccine and we don't have it, so there's nothing to spread about superspreaders'
Blowback: Positive Beverage has cut its ties with Dodd amid the blowback of Saturday's incident
Dodd seemed to take her firing from Positive Beverage in stride
Dodd seemed to take it in stride, saying on Twitter, 'I'm glad I could help put Positive Beverage on the map and wish them well. I'm also really excited about my next venture in the beauty industry, which is my real passion. Stay tuned!'
Dodd on Friday said she was secure in her spot on RHOC, saying she was 'not fired' from the series, implying one-time costar Vicki Gunvalson was behind the rumors.
Dodd made headlines in connection with the virus last April after saying on social media that she believed that the pandemic was 'Gods way of thinning the herd' as she argued with an Instagram user who called her out after taking a cross-country flight.
After a user wrote to Dodd, 'If non-essential workers keep traveling back and forth like you, it will last longer,' the reality star replied, 'Do you know how many people died from the H1N1, the swine flu or SARS? It’s 25% get your facts straight you are only hearing numbers not the reality! It’s God’s way of thinning the herd!'
Dodd made headlines in connection with the virus last April after saying on social media that she believed that the pandemic was 'Gods way of thinning the herd'
Dodd claimed she was 'getting a lot of hate for being at a restaurant we're allowed to be at' after California partially lifted dining restrictions amid the ongoing pandemic
She subsequently apologized for the remarks, clarifying how she meant the comment to land.
'When I wrote that it’s "God’s way of thinning the herd," that’s not what I meant,' Dodd said on Instagram Stories. 'What I meant was, "Do these pandemics happen because it’s God’s way?" I’m not God. I’m not insensitive.
'I feel bad for all the families that have lost loved ones, and I do think we should all stay at home and protect everybody. That’s not what I meant, and I want to apologize to anyone who got offended, OK? I’m sorry.'
A number of fans on Twitter called for Dodd's firing from the show
She apologized again last month appearing on Watch What Happens Live, saying of her past controversy: 'It was insensitive and I apologize if I hurt or offended anybody.'
As of Sunday, on a global level, 2,226,935 people have died amid more than 102,922,990 positive diagnoses worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. The death total for COVID-19 in the U.S. was at 441,282 people, with 26,178,803 total positive diagnoses.
In Dodd's home state of California, the state Department of Public Health reported that 481 coronavirus deaths were recorded Sunday, as the state's death toll has surpassed 40,000.
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Entertainment
John Krasinski sent a sweet message to his daughters Hazel, 6 and Violet, 4, while hosting the first Saturday Night Liveepisode of the year.
The actor appeared on the Jan. 30 episode of SNL, alongside performer Machine Gun Kelly. John, who married Emily Blunt in 2010, wore a black sweater with H and V embroidered in the top left corner that had some fans speculating about the meaning behind the letters. His stylist Ilaria Urbinati, who also works with stars like Rami Malek, Donald Glover and Tom Hiddleston, explained the adorable reason behind the sweater on Instagram.
She wrote, "John wanted to have his daughters' initials monogrammed on his shirt for SNL goodnight looks - styled by yours truly in @boglioliofficial with @missoni pants."
Fans loved the proud dad's nod to his kids.
One wrote in the comments section of the post, "That's the sweetest thing ever!"
Another added, "Omg the shirt detail is so cute."
A third posted, "An incredibly cool look for John."
"Our core values of wellness, community, diversity and inclusion should be reflected by our brand and anyone associated with it," Zach Muchnick, Positive Beverage Head of Brand, said in a statement on Instagram. "It has become clear over the past few months that Kelly's controversial views and opinions have distracted from our primary objectives, so effective today, we are no longer affiliated with Kelly Dodd-Leventhal."
CEO Shannon Argyros added in her own statement, "We welcome all people -- however they are and whatever they are passionate about -- to Positive Beverage. But there must always be an underlying layer of respect. Unfortunately, we feel Kelly's stance is no longer congruent with our core values. We appreciate her contributions during our affiliation, and she will always be a part of Positive Beverage's history, but we do not align with her opinions or global views while we uphold our own values."
Dodd, 45, who has had a partnership with Positive Beverage for the last two years and even bought a stake in the company in February 2019, reacted to the news on Twitter.
I’m glad I could help put Positive Beverage on the map and wish them well. I’m also really excited about my next venture in the beauty industry, which is my real passion. Stay tuned!
"I'm glad I could help put Positive Beverage on the map and wish them well," she wrote on Sunday. "I'm also really excited about my next venture in the beauty industry, which is my real passion. Stay tuned!"
Dodd's split from Positive Beverage comes after the reality star made comments about the coronavirus pandemic during her recent outings with friends. In several videos on her Instagram Story over the weekend, Dodd shared scenes of her and large groups of friends out for dinner and drinks in Newport Beach, California.
Positive Beverage/Instagram
When she started receiving messages from fans concerned about dining protocols COVID-19, Dodd and her friends made comments about being "allowed" to be at the restaurant and how they should be able to "live normal lives."
"I'm not a super spreader because there is nothing to spread," Dodd later said in a separate video, claiming that she and her friends "all got the [COVID-19] vaccine."
A rep for Bravo told PEOPLE that Dodd "has not gotten the vaccine."
Currently, California is only in Phase 1B of vaccine rollout — meaning people over the age of 65 qualify for the vaccinations, as well as anyone who works in education, childcare, emergency services, and food and agriculture.
In another video posted on Saturday, Dodd and her friends likened COVID-19 restrictions to that of living in Russia.
This isn't the first time Dodd has said questionable claims about the ongoing pandemic, which has claimed the lives of over 439,000 Americans. In December, the mom of one appeared on an episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen to express her remorse over saying that COVID-19 was "God's way of thinning the herd."
"At the time, it was a question — like, 'Why are all these people dying? ... Why [do] pandemics happen like this? Is it God's way of thinning the herd?' " said Dodd about the comment she made back in April on Instagram. "It was a stupid thing for me to say. It was insensitive and I apologize if I hurt or offended anybody, 'cause that wasn't really my intention. I got freaked out about it and in hindsight, it was the stupidest thing I've ever said."
"At first," the Bravo star added, she was "misinformed" about the virus, saying, "You guys have to realize this was back in January when this happened and I was misinformed."
"I'm claustrophobic and I can't stand wearing a mask — and now I understand the science behind it and I am ready, willing and able to wear a mask," she said. "And I know it's important, because I don't want to get sick and I don't want to get others sick. I'm just a human being; I make mistakes."
The reality star's estranged mother, Bobbi Meza, contracted the virus in November and was hospitalized.
As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
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Entertainment
Tom Brady wasn’t safe from ridicule on “Saturday Night Live” this week. During a cold open called “What Still Works,” a character played by Kate McKinnon interviews guests on a quest to find out what parts of the country are still functioning properly.
She rules out government, the stock market, social media and the coronavirus vaccine rollout (via an appearance by O.J. Simpson) before calling the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, played by John Krasinksi, to the stage.
She immediately tries to set up Brady as the antidote to the rest of her guests. He’s in his 10th Super Bowl despite being 43-years-old. He joined a Buccaneers franchise that has historically struggled and its fortunes changed. He’s expected to win — and he wins. Tom Brady still works.
Brady admits to McKinnon that, despite all this, few people root for him. And she says she’d be rooting for Brady because he’s “the only damn thing this country can still rely on.”
But, of course, there’s a hitch.
“And it’s not like you’re a weird Trump guy or anything, right?” McKinnon asks.
“Thanks for having me,” Krasinski says before bolting.
You can watch the bit at 6:21 in the video below.
Oof.
Brady’s relationship with Trump took center stage in 2015 when he was spotted with a “Make America Great Again” hat in his locker. When asked if Brady hoped Trump would be president, he showed support for Trump in his election against Hillary Clinton.
“I hope so. It would be great. There would be a putting green on the White House lawn, I’m sure of that,” Brady told reporters.
“Then the whole political aspect came, and I think I got brought into a lot of those things because it was so polarizing around the election time. It was uncomfortable for me, because you can’t — and not that I would undo a friendship — but the political support is so different than support of a friend,” Brady said in an interview with Howard Stern on SiriusXM in April 2020.
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“Saturday Night Live” steered clear of the Biden administration in its first episode since the inauguration — and the omission didn’t go unnoticed by some viewers.
The sketch show didn’t feature portrayals of either President Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday night, choosing instead to poke fun at controversial Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and the GameStop saga.
“Why does SNL not do ANY sketches about Biden???” one person gripped on Twitter.
Another viewer wrote: “Disappointed I expected a stronger and funnier episode. Given Trump leaving, Biden inauguration and it was the first episode of the new year ?”
The show consistently drew on Alec Baldwin’s impression of former President Donald Trump during his term and also spoofed Joe Biden during the 2020 election.
However, after a month-long break, some were surprised not to see a Biden impression on screen.
“I really wanted SNL to cover Biden’s Inauguration…,” one viewer wrote.
Lorraine Ali, the Los Angeles Times’ TV critic, noted that it felt like SNL “suddenly seems lost” without Trump and that the show “struggled to find its footing.”
Sunday AM Final: If you’re looking for any exciting financial action to come out of the movie business, it’s not at the box office, but rather the stock exchange, especially in last week’s boom for No. 1 exhibitor AMC.
The continued closure of movie theaters during Covid-19, with only 45% of all 5.8K US and Canada movie theaters opened, yielded Warner Bros. Denzel Washington-Rami Malek thriller The Little Things this past weekend, which only opened to $4.8M at 2,171 theaters, the best for an R-rated movie and older guy fare during the pandemic. Worldwide, The Little Things made $7.6M, with money from 20 markets, including Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and United Artists Emirates.
However, even though there’s not a lot of people coming through movie theaters, including No. 1 chain AMC, that exhibitor capped off a wild week, seeing its market cap mushroom to $4.5 billion and its closing stock price up close to 300% week-over-week on Friday at $13.26. That’s after a square-off between short-selling investors and Reddit investor group buyers. The stock market was so great for AMC, its notable stakeholder Silver Lake cashed out on Friday, converting $600M in the exhibitor’s debt into equity, and then selling those shares for a handsome profit.
Little Things’ 3-day weekend reps a high point in a low-ceiling marketplace since August for older guy fare, besting Solstice Studios’ Unhinged ($4M opening), Focus Features’ Let Him Go ($4M), Open Road’s Liam Neeson movies Honest Thief and The Marksman (respectively $4.1M and $3.1M), and Universal’s News of the World ($2.25M). Warners notches its Little Things notable opening in sync with the pic’s simultaneous release on HBO Max. We’ll assess that whole experiment again in a bit as new intelligence was released this past week.
As far as the exhibition landscape goes, as newly elected US President Joe Biden seeks to get the whole nation inoculated by summer, Illinois and Chicago reopened theaters this past weekend. Boston is reopening with 25% capacity limits starting Monday. The city’s theaters haven’t had their lights on since well before mid-December. AMC Boston Common and South Dorchester will reopen on Feb. 5. Seattle will reopen some cinemas next weekend as well. According to sources, to date, close to 2K theaters have not provided a reopening date. In regards to the B.O. capital states, New York has just over 20% of all movie theaters open, while California has just above 5%.
We still have a long way to go, and with the studios delaying product, even though they’re selling a bulk upfront, I gotta think there remains a belief in the tried-and-true revenue generating theatrical window system — even if physical media is retiring, and streaming is booming. In regards to this whole controversial 2021 theatrical-simultaneous HBO Max release strategy, AT&T Boss John Stankey was on the defense during a Q4 call claiming –and it’s hard to argue this point with him– that “the data points have come in and are consistent with the assumptions,” meaning Warners was correct about how the marketplace was going to suck wind for a while, as more studios abandoned the first half of the year (that said, we await with bated breath for moviegoing to return).
There were other highlights coming away from the 31-day play of Wonder Woman 1984on fledgling streaming service HBO Max and in theaters: Q4 HBO Max subscribers doubled to 17.4M, and Nielsen reported that viewing of the Patty Jenkins-directed, Gal Gadot DC movie was a monster over the year-end holiday during the Dec. 21-27 corridor, with 2.25 billion minutes of streaming, squashing Disney+’s Soul by 35%.
However, with all these horns blaring, it remains to be seen whether AT&T is making any money off this WarnerMedia experiment. It might be a good form of marketing for the streaming service in the short term, and a means to spike subs during the pandemic by tapping inventory that’s lying around. But where’s the money? Especially on a picture-by-picture basis?
WW1984 has only grossed $152M WW off a $200M production cost, not including P&A spend. The sequel ranked third in its 6th weekend with $1.3M and a running domestic take of $39.2M. I continue to beat the drum that WarnerMedia should have segued product on a picture-by-picture basis to HBO Max in response to the pandemic, versus this knee-jerk full slate move.
As such stats came out this week, AT&T Q4 expenses including roughly $780M “from the impairment of production and other content inventory at WarnerMedia,” with $520M “resulting from the continued shutdown of theaters during the pandemic and the hybrid distribution model for our 2021 film slate,” the telecom reported.
How did Little Things do on HBO Max? We don’t know specifically, number-wise, with Andy Forssell, EVP and General Manager of HBO Max boasting, “We are absolutely thrilled by how Warner Bros.’ The Little Things is performing on HBO Max — it immediately shot up to number one, where it currently remains. Following the breakthrough success of Wonder Woman 1984, The Little Things shows the insatiable appetite our audience has for high quality, feature films.”
On CinemaScore, audiences weren’t wowed by Little Things, giving it a B-, which is lower for Washington in his action thriller genre, compared to the A received by Washington’s Equalizer 2 and A- of Equalizer, B+ from 2 Guns, and A- from Safe House. Some will try to defend that CinemaScore isn’t working with the same sized audience as they are during a normal marketplace. But an audience score is an audience score, and Comscore/Screen Engine’s PostTrak shows a lower 67% positive and a 40% recommend. Those who bought tickets where theaters were open were 55% males, close to 80% over 25, with close to 60% over 35 years old. Caucasians repped 47% of ticket buyers, African Americans 29%, Hispanic 17%, and 7% Asian/other. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes weren’t amused with Little Things at 48% Rotten, but they weren’t amused with Washington’s Equalizer pics either, part 1 and 2 getting a low 59% and 51% Rotten.
In regard to Little Things’ marketing, RelishMix noticed that Warner Bros. “used a short runway, Covid-centric-tactic, given date and day/day release pivots, tapping the studio’s social channels with a SMU Social Media Universe of 53.8M SMU cross-promoted with HBO Max social channel with the emerging 1.8M SMU — and bypassed the tradition ramp-up of new dedicated pages for the film. The Warner Bros. Facebook with 34.3M connected fans, and although only one trailer, posting is robust over the last 3 weeks, with moderate engagement for Facebook views just over 500k. But the well-boosted materials on YouTube have just crossed 20M views for owned and earned posts and reposts, which is strong. Jared Leto’s super social channels (33.1M SMU) for he and his 30 Seconds To Mars band feeds are lifting the SMU Social Media Universe to 109.5M, which is good for the drama/thriller genre.”
Despite WarnerMedia’s newfound love affair with streaming, RelishMix points out, “On the WBPictures Instagram, they want to send a clear message of where you can see the film on the big screen.”
Top markets for Little Things were 1. Dallas-Ft. Worth, 2. Phoenix, 3. Houston, 4. Greater New York Metro area (NJ, CT, and Long Island/Upstate NY theaters), 5. Chicago, 6. Atlanta, 7. Denver, 8. Salt Lake City, 9. Tampa, 10. Orlando.
The pic’s 10 locations this past weekend were: 1. Harkins Estrella Falls Phoenix, 2. West Wind Sacramento Drive-In, 3. AMC Disney Springs Orlando, 4. Santikos Casa Blanca San Antonio, 5. iPic River Oaks District Houston, 6. Santikos Palladium San Antonio, 7. West Wind Solano Twin Drive-In (Concord, CA), 8. West Wind Capitol Drive-In (San Jose, CA), 9. Cinemark North Canton (Ohio), 10. AMC Thoroughbred Nashville.
Meanwhile, some clapping here for Universal, which continues to see its DreamWorks Animation Croods: A New Agecontinually stay afloat at the weekend box office, even though it’s on PVOD. It just shows that families in those parts of the nation where theaters are open prefer to head to the cinemas for a diversion. The feature is +2% in weekend 10 in the No. 2 spot with $1.84M, and a running domestic $43.9M, with foreign shooting past $100M for a $144.4M WW take. On the recent DEG year-end report, Universal estimated the 18 films it has put out on PVOD in the past 10 months have brought in more than $500 million in revenue in a $30 billion home entertainment 2020, +21% from 2019.
Comscore shows as of this AM, the weekend box office earning $13.1M, +52% from last weekend, but greatly off 84% from the same weekend in 2020. The first month of 2021 has only grossed $70.5M at the domestic box office, off 92% from the $906.6M that 2020 racked up pre-pandemic. Yikes.
The top 10 chart for Jan. 29-31:
Top 10 chart:
1.) The Little Things (WB) 2,171 theaters, 3-day: $4.8M/Wk 1
2.) Croods: A New Age (Uni) 1,901 theaters (+25), 3-day: $1.84M (+2%)/Total: $43.9M/Wk 10
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Looks like the next edition of Now That’s What I Call Music is going to be a must-have for TV fans.
In a riff of the popular NOW music franchise, SNL delivered its own version entitled, Now That’s What I Call Theme Songs Sung by Stars, allowing myriad series leads (or facsimile thereof) to perform original lyrics to some of TV’s most classic tracks (watch the full clip below).
The short began with Chloe Fineman giving us her best Nicole Kidman, as she crooned The Undoing‘s opening tune, “Dream a Little Dream of Me.” (“Did you notice my coat?” she asks.) From there we were served new renditions of the songs from Bridgerton (by way of Lady Whistledown aka Julie Andrews), The Mandalorian, The Queen’s Gambit, Succession and more, as Cecily Strong, Kate McKinnon, Beck Bennett, Melissa Villaseñor, Pete Davidson, Kyle Mooney, Alex Moffat and all stepped in to exercise their vocal talents.
But in the clip’s final hurrah, first-time host John Krasinski sang the “long-lost lyrics” to The Office‘s theme song, which began with a whole lot of “Scrantons.” He then did Dunder Mifflin proud, singing alongside the actual opening credits, which basically turned into a narration of the accompanying video (“That’s a calculator!”).
That wasn’t the night’s only fun tidbit for Office fans. In Krasinski’s opening monologue, he was consistently interrupted by “Office fans” Kenan Thompson, Moffat, Davidson and Ego Nwodim, who neglected to ask any real questions but rather used it as a chance to repeatedly call the actor “Jim.” The bit culminated in a kiss between “Jim and Pam,” with SNL‘s own Pete Davidson subbing in for Jenna Fischer. (Watch that full monologue here.)
What was your favorite skit from SNL‘s return? Grade the episode in the poll below, then tell us your thoughts in the comments!
In the segment called “What Still Works?” Kate McKinnon reviewed some aspects of society — like government, the economy, sports and the vaccine rollout — to see if they “still work.” Her first guest was Rep. Greene (Cicely Strong), who like the real representative from Georgia, began spouting conspiracy theories about the Parkland school shooting and wildfire-causing “Jewish space lasers.”
“And when your colleagues found out all about this hateful and psychotic things you said, what did they do?” McKinnon asked.
“I was promoted to the education committee,” Strong’s Greene said.
After realizing that government no longer worked, McKinnon next reviewed the stock market with Pete Davidson’s new majority shareholder of GameStop “Derrick Boner,” who helped establish that the stock market was also no longer working.
Next was social media — Alex Moffat’s Mark Zuckerberg and Mikey Day’s Jack Dorsey — and then vaccine rollout, where McKinnon wondered how a nation that has only vaccinated a small percentage of its population managed to have one available for O.J. Simpson (Kenan Thompson).
“Teachers can’t get the vaccine but you did? People with long-term lung conditions but you did?,” McKinnon asked. “So among the first 3 percent of all Americans given the vaccine was O.J. Simpson?”
“Hey, guilty was charged,” Thompson’s Simpson quipped.
To close out the segment, McKinnon welcomed the only thing that appears to be working, Tom Brady (played by SNL John Krasinski), who will return to the Super Bowl yet again next weekend, this time as quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“You still work. You’re supposed to win football games and you just keep winning football games. You might be the only thing in America that still works,” McKinnon said. “So I guess everyone must be rooting for you, right?”
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"Saturday Night Live" wasted no time diving into January’s plentiful political dramas in its first show of the year this weekend after more than a month’s holiday break.
In the show’s "Blue Georgia" sketch, cast members and guest host John Krasinski portray the usually reliably red state as a Rachel Maddow-loving, avocado toast and vegan meatloaf-serving, and solar-heated porch neck of the country.
The "politically correct" transformation follows the state's real-life election of two Democrats to the U.S. Senate in a pair of Jan. 5 runoff contests, ousting incumbent Republicans.
"Good to see a fellow Blue Stater. We’re just like y’all," a small-town Georgian waitress, played by Aidy Bryant, tells a New York tourist, played by cast member Pete Davidson, who enters the diner.
"Do you know where the men’s room is?" Davidson asks after he sits down.
"Yes, back in 2015," cast member Beck Bennett tells Davidson while playing Georgia man "Skeeter, he/him," the owner of the town’s electric truck dealership who looks a little like KFC's Colonel Sanders. "We don’t have a men’s room, but the all-gender restroom is just down the way."
Artists set up a painting of Stacey Abrams in the King Historic District on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, in Atlanta. (Associated Press)
After Davidson admits surprise the diner has an all-gender restroom, Bennett jokes that Davidson thinks all Georgians are "crazy Christian types."
"Oh no, and even if you are, it’s fine," Davidson answers. "I’m Jewish."
"I hope you know what we do to Jewish folks down here in Georgia," Bennett as Skeeter warns ominously.
"We elect them!" he laughs, referring to Sen. Jon Ossoff, the Democrat who defeated Republican Sen. David Perdue in one of the runoffs. Ossoff thus became the state’s first Jewish U.S. senator. (Also winning on Jan. 5 was Sen. Raphael Warnock, the state’s first Black U.S. senator. He defeated Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler.)
Later in the sketch, Deputy Jimmy, played by Andrew Dismukes, bursts into the diner, saying how "honored" he was that a group of Black Lives Matter activists wanted to "protest in our town!"
Then, a Floridian wearing a MAGA hat, played by Alex Moffatt, enters the diner and gets a stern reminder from Krasinski, the town’s sheriff.
"This is Stacey Abrams country," the lawman warns, referring to the high-profile Democrat who lost a race for governor of the state in 2018 and then launched Fair Fight Action, a group credited with helping Democrats win the two U.S. Senate races.
But at the end of the sketch, the one thing that hasn’t changed is the diner patrons' collective refusal to wear masks to protect themselves from the coronavirus.
"Because we’re free!" they shout.
The show also took on U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., during the cold open, did a sketch on the GameStop stock controversy and mocked the riots at the U.S. Capitol and former President Trump’s impeachment.
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That's how the NBC variety show opened its program on Saturday night, with cast member Kate McKinnon hosting a show that asked what still works in America. The first category was "government."
"Our first topic is government and already I have my doubts," McKinnon said.
Greene, who was played by Cecily Strong, came out and immediately offered McKinnon a gun.
"So Congresswoman Greene... hard to say those words together," McKinnon said. "What are some of the theories you believe in?"
Strong's Greene responded, "How much time you got?"
After hearing some of Greene's theories, McKinnon asked if she really believed those things and then asked if she's really a US representative.
"People can Google you and it'll say she's a real member of the US government?" McKinnon asked again.
"That may not be the first thing that comes up, but yes," Strong's Greene responded.
McKinnon thanked Greene for coming and said, "so government doesn't work." She then moved on to the stock market, which had a wild week thanks to Reddit, and brought on the majority shareholder of GameStop, "Derek Boner."
Boner, who was played by Pete Davidson, corrected McKinnon by saying, "first of all, it's pronounced 'stonk' market."
McKinnon then asked Davidson's Boner if the company's crazy week reflects GameStop's business.
"Uh, we sell games?" Davidson's Boner asked.
McKinnon came to the conclusion that the stock market doesn't work, either.
After going through topics such as social media and the Covid-19 vaccine rollout (both of which aren't working either, according to McKinnon), "SNL" finally found something that works in America: Tom Brady.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, who's heading back to the Super Bowl with his new team, appeared on the show played by this week's host, John Krasinski.
"You're supposed to win football games and you just keep winning football games," McKinnon said. "You might the only thing in America that still works... So I guess everyone must be rooting for you, right?"
"Almost no one," Krasinski's Brady responded.
McKinnon said she'd be rooting for him because the country can still rely on him and "it's not like you're a weird Trump guy or anything, right?"
Krasinski's Brady immediately thanked McKinnon for having him and left the stage.
McKinnon ended the segment by saying that she's been slowly losing her mind, and then belted out the show's signature catch phrase, "Live... From New York! It's Saturday night!"
