Programming note: Hi, I’m back! If you were wondering, I was on parental leave for the month of August. On with the news…
SNL is adding FIVE new cast members this season
And Please Don’t Destroy fans really need to read this update. OK so there have been a lot of shakeups at SNL over the last 2 weeks. First the departures: 8-year cast member Heidi Gardner and 3-year cast member Devon Walker have left the show, while newbie Emil Wakim and 3-year player Michael Longfellow were fired. (Though there are rumors Gardner was fired as well.)
Then the additions: The show is adding 5 new featured players. First there’s Veronika Slowikowska - the only woman announced in the bunch. Veronika has millions of followers across TIkTok and Instagram, thanks to her viral comedy sketches and has appeared on Tires and What We Do in the Shadows.
Then you’ve got Tommy Brennan, a stand up who has performed on The Tonight Show and was named a New Face of Comedy at the Just for Laughs festival in 2023. Next is Jeremy Culhane, a sketch and improv regular on Dropout TV, who also performs at UCB in LA. Then you’ve got Kam Patterson - a nationally touring stand up, and frequent Kill Tony guest
And finally, Ben Marshall, one of the members of Please Don’t Destroy, who has been a writer and appeared in videos for 4 years already. His promotion comes with the news that Please Don’t Destroy is done making videos for the show. Martin Herlihy is staying on as a writer, while John Higgins is leaving SNL altogether. The group will continue to work together outside of the show.
If no other cast members are leaving, these 5 additions bring the cast up to 18 people. To me, that seems like a lot, so good luck to everyone find their place and getting material on the air.
Michael Jackson's daughter just went off on his new biopic
And she accused its Oscar-nominated star of lying. In case you’re not aware, a Michael Jackson biopic is coming to theaters next April. It’s been directed by Antoine Fuqua, features Jackson’s nephew Jafar as the singer, and also includes Nia Long, Miles Teller, and Oscar-nominee Colman Domingo.
And recently Domingo told People Magazine that Michael’s children support the project, “They’re very much in support of our film.” Only problem is, Jackson’s daughter Paris says, no I do not.
She posted on Instagram, “[Colman Domingo], don’t be telling people I was ‘helpful’ on the set of a movie I had 0% involvement in, lol that is so weird.” Paris explained “I read one of the first drafts of the script and gave my notes about what was dishonest [and] didn’t sit right with me, and when they didn’t address it, I moved on with my life.”
Paris went on to say that the movie is obfuscating the truth about her dad, “They’re going to make whatever they’re going to make. A big reason why I haven’t said anything up until this point is because I know a lot of you guys are gonna be happy with it. A big section of the film panders to a very specific section of my dad’s fandom that still lives in the fantasy, and they’re gonna be happy with it.”
But quote, “The narrative is being controlled and there’s a lot of inaccuracy and there’s a lot of just full-blown lies. At the end of the day, that doesn’t really fly with me. I don’t really like dishonesty. I spoke up. I wasn’t heard. I fucked off. That’s it. Y’all are gonna like the fucking movie. So just go watch it. Go enjoy it. Do whatever. Leave me out of it.” Fair enough.
Dwayne Johnson is a serious Oscar contender this year
Dwayne Johnson is known for his massive blockbuster movies, but over his 26-year movie career, he hasn't produced the most quality films and many critics have called out his poor acting abilities.
But maybe it was just a matter of context and finding the right project? As Johnson's new film The Smashing Machine, a biopic about MMA fighter Mark Kerr written and directed by Benny Safdie, just premiered at the Venice Film Festival — and it's a smash hit.
It got a 15 minute standing ovation, that made Johnson tear up/ 84% of the 19 reviews assessed by RottenTomatoes are positive and numerous outlets are hyping Johnson's Oscar chances. Variety wrote “Is Dwayne Johnson headed for the Oscars? Judging by the rapturous reaction to his performance … that seems to be the consensus out of Italy.”
Indiewire said “Johnson earns a sizable position among this year’s prize-seekers.” And multiple outlets said this is Johnson’s best acting performance ever. The Smashing Machine opens wide in theaters on October 3rd. Do you think Johnson can go the distance at the Oscars?
Movie fans are suing Amazon over one of its shadiest practices
And please let them win — for the sake of cinema, television, video games, and music. So I reported recently about how media piracy is back on the rise and one of the most popular comments on that video, with more than 30,000 likes, is “If buying isn't owing than piracy isn't stealing.”
This comment is referring to the fact that when you “buy” digital media, like a movie off Amazon, a game from Nintendo, or a song from iTunes, you don’t actually own it, you’ve basically licensed it from the seller. And there’s fine print that states the seller can revoke your ownership at any time. This could happen if that seller loses their license to sell that media , for example.
And so now consumers are banding together for a proposed class action lawsuit against Amazon to stop this “bait and switch” and to make Amazon tell the truth about this. The lawsuit starts with Lisa Reingold bought Bella and the Bulldogs — Volume 4 on Amazon in May. It cost her $20.79 but she later lost access to the title.
If the lawsuit is successful, consumers could be compensated for lost media and Amazon might potentially have to better disclose to buyers that “buying” isn’t owning.
TV review: The Paper (The Office spinoff)
Does The Paper live up to the legacy of The Office? I watched all of the new Office spinoff The Paper, so here’s the good and bad without spoilers.
Created by The US Office showrunner Greg Daniels, The Paper is set at a local newspaper in Toledo Ohio. All 10 episodes dropped on Peacock Thrsday and It features an all new cast — with one exception: Oscar Nunez plays the same character.
Here’s the headline: If you love workplace mockumentaries like The Office, Parks, Abbott, this show is a must watch. It is a wonderful new entrant in that genre, that balances the humor and the heart in similar ways as those shows, while updating for 2025.
The Paper is full of inspiring characters and delivers a heartwarming story about people trying to do good through local journalism. The ensemble is likable, interesting, and funny. As the episodes went on, I was really growing to love them.
And most importantly, there are tons of actually funny jokes and character based humor. For example, the running bit with Oscar and the documentary crew. Tim Key is fantastic and built for a cringe comedy show like this. And Barry’s character game is hilarious every time. Episode 5 was especially funny.
On the other hand, Sabrina Impacciatore’s character is very abrasive at first. And you can feel the show trying to define her — and some of the other characters. Not every aspect and every character has been fully shaded in yet.
So does it live up to the legacy of The Office? Ensemble comedies like these take some time to really settle in as the writers figure out what’s working and the audience gets to know the characters. The Office wasn’t The Office as we came to know it in the very beginning. Neither was Parks and Rec.
The Paper is just starting out so it can’t compete with the totality of those shows. But I actually think The Paper in this first season is ahead of where The Office and Parks were in their first seasons. So I think yes, it’s another great addition to this genre from the guy who popularized it on TV.
The Paper is charming, funny, and eminently watchable — just a real easy hang. And I’m so glad it’s already been renewed for a 2nd season.