
Questlove says upcoming ‘SNL' special is ‘love letter' to show's 50 years of musical performances
NBC's celebration of 'Saturday Night Live's' 50-year history will continues this week with a new 3-hour documentary titled 'Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music.'
Nearly 1,000 artists have performed on the Studio 8H stage since 'SNL' debuted on October 11, 1975, according to the show, with the first being funk and soul musician Billy Preston.
'I remember when we come on the air, we're following Watergate, the last helicopter out of Vietnam, the city is broke, the church is being questioned and so everything seemed to be, if not crumbling, at least open to question,' the show's creator Lorne Michael said in a trailer for the doc, speaking of the series' debut.
At that moment in time, Michaels added, 'we just came on and did a show that we would want to see and music was a big part of that.'
According to an official synopsis, 'Ladies & Gentleman' will look back at the hundreds of performers who've taken the stage at 'SNL' and will reveal 'untold stories behind the culture-defining, groundbreaking, and news-making musical performances, sketches, and cameos of the past 50 years.'
'Ladies & Gentlemen' was co-produced by Oz Rodriguez and Roots drummer and Oscar-winning filmmaker Questlove, who wrote in an Instagram post over the weekend that 'every second of this doc is a love letter of sorts.'
The doc will feature commentary from artists including Miley Cyrus, Mick Jagger, Dave Grohl, Billie Eilish and Paul Simon, among others, plus actors who've graced the 'SNL' stage like Maya Rudolph, Eddie Murphy, Bill Hader and more.
'SNL's' 50th anniversary will culminate with a special on February 16, airing on NBC.
'Ladies & Gentleman… 50 Years of SNL Music' will air on NBC on Monday at 8 p.m. EDT/PDT.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Boston Globe
21 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
This weekend, the Nantucket Book Festival draws readers and literary luminaries to the island
Advertisement 'There are so many lived experiences in our authors this year,' said Tim Ehrenberg, the foundation's president. Most authors will be accompanied in conversation by a counterpart, ranging from colleagues to friends to new acquaintances. Literary panels and free online workshops are also woven throughout the program. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Thursday's programming kicks off at 10 a.m. with a conversation between 'Jackie' author Starting at 8 p.m., guests can mingle with several visiting authors during an after-hours event called Authors in Bars, hosted at Breeze Bar in the Nantucket Hotel. Advertisement Friday begins with Pulitzer Prize-winning author '[It] matters to be able to present diversified points of view,' says Haft. 'With everything that you read, you become more, and that can't be taken from you — the information, the perspective, the culture, walking in another's shoes, walking into another world that you would never have known." Saturday's programming will include a conversation between journalist and presidential chronicler Bob Woodward and Linda Henry about his 2024 book, 'War,' and his long career in investigative reporting at The Washington Post. More events that day feature Nantucket authors, author and poet Ocean Vuong, writer and political podcaster Molly Jong-Fast, and human-rights activist the Tharon Dunn Scholarship Award, followed by a discussion with Newbery Medal-winning children's authors Carl Hiaasen and Jason Reynolds. The final half-day of sessions on Sunday includes Patrick Radden Keefe speaking to his career, comprising 'investigations into power, corruption, and hidden histories,' according to the festival site. Advertisement 'Every year we pinch ourselves,' Haft said. 'We've woven this world together ... and it's an inspiring experience. Our passion goes beyond the days of the festival, it is our ongoing work with our island children ... so it's just a big world of words that we feel are powerfully important.' The full festival itinerary and author reading schedule can be found at . Haley Clough can be reached at


CNN
27 minutes ago
- CNN
Sara Sidner Reports in 'The Simril(l)s: A Family in Black and White' for The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper
June 10th, 2025 EPISODE PREMIERES SUNDAY, JUNE 15 AT 8PM ET/PT NEW YORK, NY – (June 10, 2024) – The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper , a five-time Emmy® Award-winning CNN Original, returns with a powerful portrait of a multi-racial Southern family that confronts and explores its painful shared history— and comes together in spite of it. 'The Simril(l)s: A Family in Black and White' with CNN Anchor/Senior National Correspondent Sara Sidner premieres Sunday, June 15 at 8pm ET/PT on CNN. In York County, South Carolina, two halves of the Simril(l) family exist: the white side, descended from slave holders, and the Black side, descended from people enslaved on the Simril plantation. The two were segregated for over a century— unaware of their shared background— until Spenser Simrill began reaching out to others with the same last name 11 years ago, in the hopes of learning more about his family's clouded history. What he and his newfound relatives uncovered was a complicated legacy built around slavery, Reconstruction Era racial terrorism, and the unbelievable villains and heroes at the center of it. As they prepare for their 2025 reunion celebration, Spenser Simrill and Michael Simril continue their search to unearth more of the Simril(l) story. They investigate their ancestors' violent run-ins with Klansmen in the county, as well as their family's 1871 migration to Liberia in pursuit of economic prosperity. Together, the Simril(l)s of today consider how their blended families can share resources moving forward, enrich each other's lives, and serve as a blueprint for racial healing. 'The Simril(l) lineage is full of remarkable characters who were unafraid to challenge power at fraught times in our nation's history,' said Sidner. 'I was so taken not only with their story, but also their ability to embrace it with such grace and dignity. As we look to the Juneteenth holiday, I see this family as a model for how we can all reckon with our pasts to forge a better, more united future.' The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper is a collection of unique and immersive single subject, one-hour episodes from CNN's Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning longform storytelling team showcasing character-driven stories, special interviews, and investigative deep dives featuring reporting from CNN's anchors and correspondents . The series is executive produced by Susan Chun. The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper will stream live for pay TV subscribers via , CNN connected TV and mobile apps on Sunday, March 30. 'Fentanyl in America: A Way Out' will also be available on demand beginning Monday, March 31 to pay TV subscribers via CNN connected TV and mobile apps, and Cable Operator Platforms. Past episodes of The Whole Story are available to stream on demand now on Max. The Whole Story is also available as a CNN Podcasts showcast. Visit or listen wherever you get your podcasts. ### About CNN Originals The CNN Originals group develops, produces and acquires original, long-form unscripted programming for CNN Worldwide. Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent, CNN Originals and creative development, oversees the award-winning CNN Originals portfolio that includes the following premium content brands: CNN Original Series, CNN Films, CNN Flashdocs, and the newly formed CNN Studios, an internal production studio which creates long-form programming for CNN's global platforms. Since 2012, the team has overseen and executive produced more than 60 multi-part documentary series and 70 feature-length documentary films, earning more than 110 awards and 445 nominations for the cable network, including CNN Films' first Academy Award® for Navalny . Acclaimed titles include the Peabody Award winning and 13-time Emmy® Award-winning Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown ; five time Emmy® nominee, Apollo 11 , directed by Todd Douglas Miller; Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid directed by Matt Tyrnauer; Emmy® nominated Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico ; the Emmy® Award-nominated 'Decades Series': The Sixties , The Seventies , The Eighties , The Nineties , The 2000s , and The 2010s, executive produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman; The Last Movie Stars , directed by Ethan Hawke about the lives and careers of actors and humanitarians Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman; the Emmy® Award winning Little Richard: I Am Everything , directed by Lisa Cortés; Luther Vandross: Never Too Much , directed by Dawn Porter; The Many Lives of Martha Stewart ; This is Life with Lisa Ling ; Primetime Emmy® and duPont-Columbia Award-winning, RBG , directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen; See It Loud: The History of Black Television , executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter; Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight in partnership with the BBC; the Producers Guild Award and three-time Emmy® Award-winning Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy ; BAFTA nominee and Directors Guild Award winner, Three Identical Strangers , directed by Tim Wardle; the American version of the British institution Have I Got News For You; and the five-time Emmy® Award-winning United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell ; and The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper . CNN Originals can be seen on CNN, the CNN Original Hub on Max and discovery+, the CNN Originals FAST channel, and for pay TV subscription via CNN apps and cable operator platforms. About Warner Bros. Discovery Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world's most differentiated and complete portfolio of content and brands across television, film and streaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences worldwide through its iconic brands and products including: Discovery Channel, discovery+, CNN, DC, Eurosport, HBO, HGTV, Food Network, OWN, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Magnolia Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, Max, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Film Group, Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Bros. Games, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, Discovery en Español, Hogar de, HGTV and others. For more information, please visit . Press Contacts The Whole Story Press Contacts Sara Sidner Press Contacts


Business Upturn
an hour ago
- Business Upturn
The White Lotus Season 4: Release date speculation, cast and plot details – Everything we know so far
By Aman Shukla Published on June 10, 2025, 19:00 IST Last updated June 10, 2025, 12:40 IST HBO's The White Lotus has captivated audiences with its biting social satire, luxurious settings, and shocking plot twists. After the explosive Season 3 finale set in Thailand, fans are eagerly awaiting news about The White Lotus Season 4. From potential release date to cast rumours and plot hints, here's everything we know so far about the next chapter of Mike White's Emmy-winning anthology series. When Will The White Lotus Season 4 Release? While HBO hasn't announced an official release date, the production timeline offers clues. Season 1 premiered in July 2021, Season 2 in October 2022, and Season 3 in February 2025, with delays due to the 2023 Hollywood strikes. With production eyed for 2026, and considering Season 2's nine-month turnaround from filming to release, The White Lotus Season 4 is likely to debut in late 2026 or early 2027. Fans should expect a wait of at least 18–24 months, aligning with the gap between Seasons 2 and 3. Who Will Star in The White Lotus Season 4? As an anthology series, The White Lotus typically introduces a new ensemble cast each season, with a few recurring characters. Only three characters have appeared in multiple seasons so far: Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge, Seasons 1–2), Greg Hunt (Jon Gries, Seasons 1–3), and Belinda Lindsey (Natasha Rothwell, Seasons 1 and 3). With Tanya's death in Season 2 and the resolution of Greg and Belinda's storylines in Season 3, their return seems unlikely, though Rothwell and Gries have expressed openness to reprising their roles. Mike White has teased the idea of an 'all-star season' featuring returning fan-favorite characters. Patrick Schwarzenegger (Saxon Ratliff, Season 3) recalled White joking about uniting 'all the douche guys' like Saxon, Shane Patton (Jake Lacy, Season 1), and Cameron Sullivan (Theo James, Season 2). Other potential returnees include: Sydney Sweeney (Olivia Mossbacher, Season 1) Connie Britton (Nicole Mossbacher, Season 1) Meghann Fahy (Daphne Sullivan, Season 2) Simona Tabasco (Lucia Greco, Season 2) Haley Lu Richardson (Portia, Season 2) What Will The White Lotus Season 4 Be About? While specific plot details remain under wraps, The White Lotus follows a consistent formula: a group of wealthy vacationers and resort staff navigate privilege, desire, and dark secrets, culminating in at least one death. Season 4 is expected to maintain this structure, with White hinting at a new satirical theme. He's considered exploring the art world, film industry, or a film festival setting, which could offer a lighter yet incisive commentary compared to Season 3's spiritual focus. Aman Shukla is a post-graduate in mass communication . A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication ,content writing and copy writing. Aman is currently working as journalist at