Latest news with #GildaRadner
Wall Street Journal
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
‘Gene & Gilda' Review: Love in the Limelight
New York Celebrity marriages often end unhappily, usually with a flurry of tabloid headlines and a phalanx of expensive lawyers. But the union of Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner concluded more tragically, with her death from cancer at age 42.
Toronto Star
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Mike Myers performs at Second City Toronto for first time in more than 30 years
On May 12, Gilda's Toronto, a cancer support charity named in honour of beloved comedian Gilda Radner, hosted 'It's Always Something: Open Mike,' featuring Mike Myers and Colin Mochrie. This event marked Myers's first performance at The Second City Toronto in more than 30 years. Proceeds from the evening went to help people living with cancer by providing individualized, no-cost social, emotional, mental and practical support programs.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The 12 Best SNL Sketches in 50 Years of Saturday Night Live
Here are the 12 best SNL sketches in the 50 years of Saturday Night Live. Obviously, these things are subjective. So if you think we missed one, let us know in the comments. And now, the best SNL sketches, in our estimation, ever. Related Headlines The 12 Strangest Movies We've Ever Seen The 12 Most Captivating Prison Movies We've Ever Seen Why We Spent Our Wedding Fund Making Our Horror Movie, Sight Unseen Early Saturday Night Live sketches often felt seat-of-your pants and tended to lag at times as everyone tried to find the same pace. Not this one: A typical morning in the life of a Greek diner that refuses to adapt, it has a simple, recognizable hook and sweet slice-of-life simplicity. The rhythm is as pleasing as a morning routine. SNL is sometimes known for big characters, but almost everyone in this sketch plays it straight and real, which adds to its charm. Gilda Radner is especially good as the one customer who seems to understand the place, and Bill Murray gets the funniest moment with his panicked nodding, using only a single word. The sketch is a little more poignant when you know that star John Belushi's immigrant dad operated a struggling restaurant when Belushi was growing up in Wheaton, Illinois. Key line: "Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger, four Pepsi, two chip." The great Margot Kidder, playing a bank vice president on a business trip, receives a visit from a profoundly Midwestern, profoundly decent, assuredly unsexy sex worker: Fred Garvin, male prostitute. Dan Aykroyd brings big dad energy to the role of a kindly, folksy gigolo, and Kidder is a perfect straightwoman. The setup is absurd, but everyone plays it with endearing vulnerability. Like many Aykroyd characters, Fred Garvin would provide the template for many played-straight ridiculous characters to come. This one doesn't always turn up on lists of the best SNL sketches, but it should. It also gets referenced throughout the terrific new movie Saturday Night, in which Aykroyd is played, impressively, by Dylan O'Brien. Key line: "Ma'am, you're dealing here with with a fully qualified male strumpet." A high-flying, edgy satire of breathless coverage of President Reagan's attempted assassination in 1981. This sketch is the clear highlight of the years after the departure of the original Not Ready for Primetime Players. Eddie Murphy is brilliant not only as Buckwheat, but also as the man who shot him, John David Stutts. It also foreshadowed decades of round-the-clock news coverage with just as little self-awareness as Joe Piscopo's take on Ted Koppel. Key line: "It's good to see you all. Hi! I killed Buckwheat." With maybe the simplest concept of any Saturday Night Live sketch, this piece by legendary writer Jim Downey (above) — who also stars as an eager-to-please service representative — masterfully ridicules seemingly sincere corporate ad campaigns. The execution of a very basic idea is perfect. Key line: "We will give you the change, equal to... the amount of money that you want change for." A sketch where everyone else plays it straight so Chris Farley can give it 2,000 percent as Barney, a young man determined to be a Chippendales dancer. Some — including the brilliant former SNL writer Bob Odenkirk — believe that the sketch was cruel to Farley. But listen to his many friends in interviews on Dana Carvey and David Spade's Fly on the Wall podcast and you'll hear that Farley was very much on board with the premise of the sketch — and no one has ever been more committed to a sketch. The sketch works not because of the jokes about Farley's weight, but because of how sweetly and sincerely everyone plays the situation. Watch here. Key line: "I wish I could just flip a coin and be done with it, but we can't. We're Chippendales." Everyone else — from Julia Sweeney to Phil Hartman to David Spade to Christina Applegate — just tries not to hold it together as Matt Foley, played by Chris Farley at his best, absolutely takes over. The original Matt Foley sketch was a carryover from Farley's time working with writer-performer Bob Odenkirk at Chicago's Second City. By the time it came to SNL, it was at its full frenetic brilliance. It's also a sketch with heart — we end up sympathizing with everyone involved. Key line: "He's been down in the basement drinking coffee for about the last four hours so he should be ready to go." Another sketch you probably won't fall on many lists of the best SNL sketches, but this is the perfect mix of stupid and smart. Chris Parnell plays it straight as a father concerned with his financial future. It's also perfectly timed at less than 90 seconds, which makes us love it even more. Watch here. Key line: "A lot of investments companies rushed onto the internet. But Dillon-Edwards took their time." Passions run high in August 1976 as The Blue Oyster Cult records their hit song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" under the watchful eye of rock legend Bruce Dickinson (Christopher Walken). Also, let's save you a Google: Gene Frenkle, the percussionist played by Will Ferrell, is not a real person. This one turns up on almost every list of the best SNL sketches for a reason. Lots of reasons, actually. Key line: "I got a fever. And the only prescription is more cowbell." Debbie Downer (Rachel Dratch, always outstanding) proves that she can even ruin breakfast at Disney World. It's a flawlessly written sketch that only gets funnier as everyone involved understandably falls apart with laughter. At one point, host Lindsay Lohan has no choice but to flee the sketch altogether. We're not fans of people breaking on camera, but this one is the gold standard of breaking on camera. Every Debbie Downer sketch on SNL is great, but this is our favorite. It's one of the best SNL sketches and best SNL moments. Key line: "It's official: I can't have children." A brutal jab at men who marry much younger women, "Meet Your Second Wife" is a very dark, very funny sketch with a solid premise and plenty of perfect small jokes packed in throughout. The unstoppable Tina Fey and Amy Poehler anchor a basically perfect, sharp-elbowed sketch. Bobby Moynihan and Aidy Bryant especially stand out with subtle, skillfull turns. Fey and Poehler are responsible for many of the best SNL sketches and performances, but this one's our favorite. Key line: "Actually it's seven." A lovingly detailed, laughs-in-the-specifics sketch that suggests maybe isn't America isn't so racially divided, after all. Exquisitely acted by everyone — Kenan Thompson (pictured), the longest-serving SNL castmember ever, is superb. But Tom Hanks is especially surprising as a MAGA-hat wearing conspiracy theorist who comes off as a pretty good guy. This is one of those best SNL sketches where you catch sharp new insights every time you watch. Watch here. Key line: "What is: I don't think so. That's how they get ya." Saturday Night Live has done multiple sketches in which a local news anchors get caught up in a very curious detail seemingly irrelevant to the major breaking story they're covering. This is the best. Newscasters Beck Bennett and Cecily Strong – as well as reporter on the scene Kenan Thompson — are ostensibly covering a Tampa sinkhole, but also can't understand why a local shopper played by Margot Robbie is married to a regular-guy Matt Schatt (Mikey Day). One of the best SNL sketches of recent times and all time, this one is a perfectly written and acted game of change-the-subject. Key line: "So... you two are married to each other." If you enjoyed this list of the best SNL sketches, you might also like these 12 Wild Stories From Behind the Scenes of Saturday Night Live. Also: We understand these things are subjective. So again, please share your own list of the best SNL sketches in the comments. All images from NBC's Saturday Night Live. Related Headlines The 12 Strangest Movies We've Ever Seen The 12 Most Captivating Prison Movies We've Ever Seen Why We Spent Our Wedding Fund Making Our Horror Movie, Sight Unseen
New York Post
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Sarah Sherman ‘started hysterically sobbing' after her ‘SNL' checks were sent to late comedy icon's estate
Sarah Sherman is recounting a heartbreaking moment. The 'Saturday Night Live' star, 32, recently revealed a cosmic connection she had to the late Gilda Radner, who appeared on the sketch comedy show from 1975 to 1980, before her 1989 death from ovarian cancer at age 42. 'I got a giant envelope in the mail,' Sherman recounted on Vulture's 'Good One' podcast last week, 'with a handwritten letter that was like, 'Hey, I'm Gilda Radner's brother. Weird thing happened where I've been receiving all of your residuals checks for the past few months.'' Advertisement 8 Sarah Sherman at The Television Academy in 2025. Todd Williamson/NBC via Getty Images 8 Gilda Radner during Season 3 of 'SNL.' NBCUniversal via Getty Images Sherman broke down after receiving the message from the beloved comic's sibling. Advertisement 'I started, like, hysterically sobbing, obviously,' she confessed. 'Because I'm like, 'Okay, God's speaking to me right now.' The fact that my SAG residuals checks had been sent to Gilda Radner's estate?' Sherman immediately told 'SNL' creator Lorne Michaels. 8 Gilda Radner attends the 'Saturday Night Live' New York City Premiere on December 12, 1977. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images 'I texted Lorne [and] I was like, 'Oh my God, my checks have been sent to Gilder Radner's estate! Isn't this like a crazy coincidence?'' the actress explained. ''I feel like this is like a miracle or like I feel like this is a spirit is talking.'' Advertisement 'Obviously, that's a schizophrenic text message,' she quipped. But Michaels, 80, simply replied: 'That's sweet.' Radner was the first person to be hired for Season 1 of 'Saturday Night Live' alongside Garrett Morris, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Chevy Chase and Laraine Newman. 8 Sarah Sherman performs onstage during the 2025 Night of Too Many Stars in NYC. Getty Images for Night of Too Many Stars Advertisement 8 Gilda Radner, Chevy Chase, rehearse a 'Weekend Update' sketch with Emily Litella. The fallen star was on air for five seasons, bringing fan-favorite characters to life, such as Lisa Loopner of 'The Nerds,' Roseanne Roseannadanna and Baba Wawa — her Barbara Walters parody, Radner took home an Emmy for her work on 'SNL' in 1978. Sherman, meanwhile, joined the NBC series during Season 47 in October 2021. The 'You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah' actress came under fire in April for her 'White Lotus' parody that left Aimee Lou Wood feeling hurt. 8 Gilda Radner as Roseanne Roseannadanna. NBCUniversal via Getty Images Despite the backlash, Sherman explained her perspective on the sketch. 'I was excited to play her because she's so iconic, her character is so iconic,' Sherman told Vanity Fair in May, 'and I f–king obviously never meant to hurt anyone's feelings. Never in a million years did I get into comedy to make anyone upset. I feel terrible that anyone would feel bad.' Advertisement The April 12 episode poked fun at Donald Trump and his tariffs, using the characters from the third season of the HBO series to act out a family scene. Wood, 31, took to social media after the skit to call out Sherman's take on her character, Chelsea. 8 Sarah Sherman as Bannessa. Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images The comedian insisted that she wasn't trying to be mean about the 'Sex Education' alum. 'The show is in constant dialogue with culture as it's happening, and it happens really fast,' Sherman admitted. 'You have to be vigilant, you know what I mean?' Advertisement 'There are a lot of things out of your control,' she continued. 'You're playing a lot of different parts, you're doing a lot of different roles that you're not in control of. A lot of the process of the show has been, to me — how am I answering this? Staying vigilant but also being a part of the show — that is your job.' 8 Sarah Sherman during the 'White Lotus' sketch on Saturday, April 12, 2025. Holland Rainwater/NBC via Getty Images During her chat with the magazine, Sherman also touched on how being a part of 'SNL' has made her better at her craft. 'I came into the show as if everyone was like, 'She's crazy,'' she reminisced, 'and I did all this crazy stuff. It's like, oh, crazy doesn't go that long of a way. The show is an hour and a half. It can't be crazy the whole time. So the show has supported me to move in places that make me understand comedy better.'
Miami Herald
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
‘SNL' Star Thought a Beloved Comedy Icon's ‘Spirit' Was ‘Talking' to Her
With over 50 years on the air, Saturday Night Live isn't just a television show, it's an institution that has brought us some of the biggest names in comedy, many of whom credit their predecessors for introducing them to the genre. And for women in comedy, one SNL alum in particular gets mentioned quite a bit: the sweet and charming Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer less than a decade after leaving the show. But her legacy has continued, from her fellow founding cast members' homage to her at the end of the SNL50 Anniversary Special, where they held up a framed photo of Radner to the camera, to a current SNL star's conviction that Radner is cheering her on from the beyond. Sarah Sherman recently told Vulture's Good One podcast that after joining the show, she "got a giant envelope in the mail" that contained a handwritten letter from a member of Radner's family. Sherman shared that the letter said, "Hey, I'm Gilda Radner's brother. Weird thing happened where I've been receiving all of your residuals checks for the past few months…by the way, you're really great on the show," prompting an emotional reaction from the actress. "I started hysterically sobbing, obviously, because I'm like, 'okay, God's speaking to me right now.' The fact that my SAG residuals checks, shout out union, my SAG residuals checks have been sent to Gilda Radner's estate," she continued. "I texted Lorne, I was like, 'Oh my God, my checks have been sent to Gilda Radner's estate. Isn't this, like, a crazy coincidence? I feel like this is like a miracle or like, I feel like this is a spirit talking,'" Sherman said she wrote to SNL chief Lorne Michaels. As for Michaels' response? "Lorne was like, 'That's sweet.'" Next: Why a Request From Taylor Swift Was Once Turned Down By 'SNL's Lorne Michaels: 'I Don't Negotiate With Terrorists' Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
