Latest news with #GoldenSlumbers


Irish Daily Star
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Star
Paul McCartney admits to 'stealing' lyrics for classic Beatles song
Paul McCartney, who recently revealed his favorite Beatles track , has shed light on the unexpected roots of the iconic Beatles tune Golden Slumbers. Featured on The Beatles' Abbey Road album, the song has been reimagined by various artists, including Neil Diamond and Mumford & Sons. While the melody is well-known to fans, many were taken aback to learn that the lyrics originated from a Victorian song named Cradle Song. In an episode of his podcast Paul McCartney: A Life In Lyrics, Paul - who admitted to being outraged after a fan theory emerged on a classic Beatles track - delved into the creation of the song. "That chorus that I've used as a chorus, literally, is the lyrics to an old Victorian song," McCartney, who will be played by a hit Irish actor in the upcoming Beatles biopic , said. Read More Related Articles Donald Trump branded 'disgrace' after being caught on phone at Pope's funeral Read More Related Articles Donald Trump loses the plot as he compares tariff flip-flop to running through a wall When queried if this was what's referred to as sampling, Paul's response was more forthright. He candidly responded, "Well, it's called stealing." The Beatles are still hugely popular (Image: Roger Viollet via Getty Images) He attempted to rationalize the appropriation by confessing his inability to read music. "I don't read music," Paul conceded, reports the Mirror US . "I didn't know what the melody that went with this was. [I] put my own melody to it and just took these words." He further elaborated on the track in The Beatles' 1995 Anthology documentary. Paul remarked: "I can't read music and I couldn't remember the old tune." He added: "So I started just playing my tune to it... I liked the words so I kept that, and it fitted with another bit of song I had." That other piece was the popular number Carry That Weight. The lyrics for Golden Slumbers were adapted from a composition by playwright Thomas Dekker from his play Patient Grissil. The narrative revolves around a humble woman who weds a wealthy marquess. For all the latest news straight to your inbox, sign up for our FREE newsletters here . The story takes a sinister turn as Grissil is subjected to psychological torment by her husband, including the traumatic experience of having their baby taken away. The child is eventually returned, and in an attempt to soothe its wails, Janiculo, Grissil's father, sings the gentle lullaby. While Paul did draw inspiration from Dekker's song, there are noticeable differences in the lyrics. Dekker's original version features the line "Golden slumbers kiss," whereas Paul's rendition reads, "Golden slumbers fill." Furthermore, Paul injected his own creativity into the song, adding lines such as, "Once there was a way to get back homeward/Once there was a way to get back home." For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here .
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Saturday Night Live' celebrates 50 years with comedy, music and show's many, many famous friends
Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter duetted on Simon's 'Homeward Bound' to open the show, five-decade 'Saturday Night Live' luminary Steve Martin delivered the monologue, and Paul McCartney gave an epic closing to a 50th anniversary special celebrating the sketch institution that was overflowing with famous former cast members, superstar hosts and legendary guests. The 83-year-old Simon has been essential to 'SNL' since its earliest episodes in 1975, and told the 25-year-old pop sensation of the moment Carpenter that he first performed 'Homeward Bound' on 'SNL' in 1976. 'I was not born then,' Carpenter said, getting a laugh. 'And neither were my parents,' she added, getting a bigger laugh. McCartney closed with the rarely performed song cycle from the Beatles' 'Abbey Road,' 'Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End,' with its wistful ending, 'the love you take, is equal to the love you make.' Lil Wayne and Miley Cyrus were among the night's other musical guests, though the show's musical legacy also had its own night with a Radio City Music Hall concert on Friday. 'SNL50: The Anniversary Celebration' aired live from New York, of course, on NBC and Peacock. The pop culture juggernaut has launched the careers of generations of comedians including Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell, who all appeared in early sketches. And the evening included epic cameos that included Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson and Keith Richards. Martin, one of the shows most prolific hosts and guests since the first season in 1975, tried to keep it current in the monologue even on a backward-looking night. Martin said when the show's creator Lorne Michaels only told him he'd be doing the monologue, 'I was actually vacationing on a friend's boat down on the Gulf of Steve Martin.' He was joined by former 'SNL' luminaries and frequent hosts Martin Short and John Mulaney, who looked at the star-studded crowd full of former hosts in the same Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza that has been the show's longtime home. 'I see some of the most difficult people I have ever met in my entire life,' Mulaney said. 'Over the course of 50 years, 894 people have hosted 'Saturday Night Live,' and it amazes me that only two of them have committed murder.' Later, on the night's 'Weekend Update,' anchor Colin Jost said there are so many former hosts and musical guests that wanted to see the show that many had to be seated in a neighboring studio and some had to watch 'from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn' as a photo of Sean 'Diddy' Combs appeared. Martin took a jab at the always-difficult-to-wrangle Bill Murray in his monologue. 'We wanted to make sure that Bill would be here tonight,' Martin said, 'so we didn't invite him.' Murray appeared on 'Weekend Update' to rank the show's anchors since they began with Chevy Chase. He poked at the whiteness of the group by first ranking its Black anchors, a list of just one, current co-anchor Michael Che. The extravaganza came after months of celebrations of 'Saturday Night Live,' which premiered Oct. 11, 1975, with an original cast that included John Belushi, Chase and Gilda Radner. It's become appointment television over the years as the show has skewered presidents, politics and pop culture. 'It is a honor and a thrill to be hosting weekend update for the 50th and if it was up to our president final season of SNL,' Jost said. The show had its typical ending, with all involved looking exhilarated and exhausted on the studio stage. This night it was so crowded with luminaries it looked like it might break. Led by Short, they all applauded in tribute to Michaels, who created the show and has run it for 45 of its 50 years. Alec Baldwin, the show's most frequent host with 17 stints, appeared to introduce an evening of commercial parodies, seven months after his trial was halted and an involuntary manslaughter charge was dropped in the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Aubrey Plaza made one of her first public appearances since the January death of her husband when she introduced Cyrus and Howard's performance. The 87-year-old Nicholson was once a constant in the front rows of the Oscars and Los Angeles Laker games, but is rarely seen out anymore. He introduced his 'Anger Management' co-star Adam Sandler, who sang in his signature style about the show's history. He gave a roll-call of cast members, giving special attention to several who have died, including his friends Chris Farley and MacDonald along with Radner, Jan Hooks and Phil Hartman. It ended with, 'six years of our boy Farley, five of our buddy Norm.' The show didn't have a formal 'in memoriam' section, though it pretended to when 10-time host Tom Hanks came out somberly to mourn 'SNL characters and sketches that have aged horribly.' A montage began with the late Belushi's 'Samurai' character. The word 'Yikes' appeared on screen in a sketch that included Mike Myers and a young Macaulay Culkin in a bathtub. A 'body shaming' label appeared over the beloved sketch of Farley and the late Patrick Swayze as Chippendale's dancers, and 'slut shaming' appeared over one of the show's earliest, catchphrases, Dan Aykroyd saying 'Jane, you ignorant slut' to Jane Curtin. The current-day Aykroyd was a notable absence. The oldest former cast member, 88-year-old Garrett Morris, appeared to introduce a film that showed the whole original cast. 'I had no idea y'all that I would be required to do so many reunion shows,' he said. The first sketch featured a mash-up of former cast members and hosts. Fred Armisen hosted a 'Lawrence Welk Show' that featured Ferrell as Robert Goulet. Former hosts Kim Kardashian and Scarlett Johansson — Jost's wife — gave an updated version of the elegant singing Maharelle Sisters with former cast members Ana Gasteyer and Wiig, who provided the traditional punchline 'And I'm Dooneese' with a balding head and creepy, tiny doll arms. It was followed by 'Black Jeopardy,' hosted by the show's longest running (and still current) cast member, Kenan Thompson, who called the game show the only one 'where every single viewer fully understood Kendrick's halftime performance.' It showcased many of the show's most prominent Black cast members through the years including Tracy Morgan and Murphy, doing a Morgan impression. 'Big Dog gonna make some big money!' Murphy-as-Morgan shouted. Streep walked on as the mother of McKinnon's constant alien abductee Miss Rafferty, with the same spread legs and vulgar manner. Streep's fellow all-time-great actor Robert De Niro paired with Rachel Dratch in a 'Debbie Downer' sketch with its traditional trombone accompaniment. Former cast member Amy Poehler and former lead writer Tina Fey, who partnered as 'Weekend Update' anchors, led a Q-and-A with audience questions. Ryan Reynolds stood, and they asked him how it's going. 'Great, why?' he said defensively. 'What have you heard?' Reynolds and wife Blake Lively, sitting next to him, have been locked in a heated legal and media battle with her 'It Ends With Us' director and co-star Justin Baldoni. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Adam Driver, Cher, Bad Bunny, Peyton Manning and Richards were also featured in the bit. Poehler also paired with Rudolph for a revival of their mock talk show 'Bronx Beat,' that featured Mike Myers as his mother-in-law-inspired, Streisand-loving character 'Linda Richman.' 'Look at you, both of you, you look like buttah,' Myers said. ___ For more coverage of the 50th anniversary of 'Saturday Night Live,' visit: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


Nahar Net
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Nahar Net
'Saturday Night Live' celebrates 50 years with comedy, music and show's friends
by Naharnet Newsdesk 17 February 2025, 13:06 Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter duetted on Simon's "Homeward Bound" to open the show, five-decade "Saturday Night Live" luminary Steve Martin delivered the monologue, and Paul McCartney gave an epic closing to a 50th anniversary special celebrating the sketch institution that was overflowing with famous former cast members, superstar hosts and legendary guests. The 83-year-old Simon has been essential to "SNL" since its earliest episodes in 1975, and told the 25-year-old pop sensation of the moment Carpenter that he first performed "Homeward Bound" on "SNL" in 1976. "I was not born then," Carpenter said, getting a laugh. "And neither were my parents," she added, getting a bigger laugh. McCartney closed with the rarely performed song cycle from the Beatles' "Abbey Road," "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End," with its wistful ending, "the love you take, is equal to the love you make." Lil Wayne and Miley Cyrus were among the night's other musical guests, though the show's musical legacy also had its own night with a Radio City Music Hall concert on Friday. "SNL50: The Anniversary Celebration" aired live from New York, of course, on NBC and Peacock. The pop culture juggernaut has launched the careers of generations of comedians including Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell, who all appeared in early sketches. And the evening included epic cameos that included Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson and Keith Richards. Steve Martin's opening sets tone for 'SNL50,' 'Update' keeps it rolling Martin, one of the shows most prolific hosts and guests since the first season in 1975, tried to keep it current in the monologue even on a backward-looking night. Martin said when the show's creator Lorne Michaels only told him he'd be doing the monologue, "I was actually vacationing on a friend's boat down on the Gulf of Steve Martin." He was joined by former "SNL" luminaries and frequent hosts Martin Short and John Mulaney, who looked at the star-studded crowd full of former hosts in the same Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza that has been the show's longtime home. "I see some of the most difficult people I have ever met in my entire life," Mulaney said. "Over the course of 50 years, 894 people have hosted 'Saturday Night Live,' and it amazes me that only two of them have committed murder." Later, on the night's "Weekend Update," anchor Colin Jost said there are so many former hosts and musical guests that wanted to see the show that many had to be seated in a neighboring studio and some had to watch "from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn" as a photo of Sean "Diddy" Combs appeared. Martin took a jab at the always-difficult-to-wrangle Bill Murray in his monologue. "We wanted to make sure that Bill would be here tonight," Martin said, "so we didn't invite him." Murray appeared on "Weekend Update" to rank the show's anchors since they began with Chevy Chase. He poked at the whiteness of the group by first ranking its Black anchors, a list of just one, current co-anchor Michael Che. The extravaganza came after months of celebrations of "Saturday Night Live," which premiered Oct. 11, 1975, with an original cast that included John Belushi, Chase and Gilda Radner. It's become appointment television over the years as the show has skewered presidents, politics and pop culture. "It is a honor and a thrill to be hosting weekend update for the 50th and if it was up to our president final season of SNL," Jost said. The show had its typical ending, with all involved looking exhilarated and exhausted on the studio stage. This night it was so crowded with luminaries it looked like it might break. Led by Short, they all applauded in tribute to Michaels, who created the show and has run it for 45 of its 50 years. Cameos and memorials Alec Baldwin, the show's most frequent host with 17 stints, appeared to introduce an evening of commercial parodies, seven months after his trial was halted and an involuntary manslaughter charge was dropped in the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Aubrey Plaza made one of her first public appearances since the January death of her husband when she introduced Cyrus and Howard's performance. The 87-year-old Nicholson was once a constant in the front rows of the Oscars and Los Angeles Laker games, but is rarely seen out anymore. He introduced his "Anger Management" co-star Adam Sandler, who sang in his signature style about the show's history. He gave a roll-call of cast members, giving special attention to several who have died, including his friends Chris Farley and MacDonald along with Radner, Jan Hooks and Phil Hartman. It ended with, "six years of our boy Farley, five of our buddy Norm." The show didn't have a formal "in memoriam" section, though it pretended to when 10-time host Tom Hanks came out somberly to mourn "SNL characters and sketches that have aged horribly." A montage began with the late Belushi's "Samurai" character. The word "Yikes" appeared on screen in a sketch that included Mike Myers and a young Macaulay Culkin in a bathtub. A "body shaming" label appeared over the beloved sketch of Farley and the late Patrick Swayze as Chippendale's dancers, and "slut shaming" appeared over one of the show's earliest, catchphrases, Dan Aykroyd saying "Jane, you ignorant slut" to Jane Curtin. The current-day Aykroyd was a notable absence. The oldest former cast member, 88-year-old Garrett Morris, appeared to introduce a film that showed the whole original cast. "I had no idea y'all that I would be required to do so many reunion shows," he said. Sketches and bits jam-packed with former cast and hosts The first sketch featured a mash-up of former cast members and hosts. Fred Armisen hosted a "Lawrence Welk Show" that featured Ferrell as Robert Goulet. Former hosts Kim Kardashian and Scarlett Johansson — Jost's wife — gave an updated version of the elegant singing Maharelle Sisters with former cast members Ana Gasteyer and Wiig, who provided the traditional punchline "And I'm Dooneese" with a balding head and creepy, tiny doll arms. It was followed by "Black Jeopardy," hosted by the show's longest running (and still current) cast member, Kenan Thompson, who called the game show the only one "where every single viewer fully understood Kendrick's halftime performance." It showcased many of the show's most prominent Black cast members through the years including Tracy Morgan and Murphy, doing a Morgan impression. "Big Dog gonna make some big money!" Murphy-as-Morgan shouted. Streep walked on as the mother of McKinnon's constant alien abductee Miss Rafferty, with the same spread legs and vulgar manner. Streep's fellow all-time-great actor Robert De Niro paired with Rachel Dratch in a "Debbie Downer" sketch with its traditional trombone accompaniment. Former cast member Amy Poehler and former lead writer Tina Fey, who partnered as "Weekend Update" anchors, led a Q-and-A with audience questions. Ryan Reynolds stood, and they asked him how it's going. "Great, why?" he said defensively. "What have you heard?" Reynolds and wife Blake Lively, sitting next to him, have been locked in a heated legal and media battle with her "It Ends With Us" director and co-star Justin Baldoni. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Adam Driver, Cher, Bad Bunny, Peyton Manning and Richards were also featured in the bit. Poehler also paired with Rudolph for a revival of their mock talk show "Bronx Beat," that featured Mike Myers as his mother-in-law-inspired, Streisand-loving character "Linda Richman." "Look at you, both of you, you look like buttah," Myers said.

Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Detroit's NBC affiliate WDIV cuts short 'SNL' 50th anniversary show, blames technical issue
History repeated itself, sort of, on Saturday night, for Detroit's WDIV-TV and "Saturday Night Live." The Motor City's NBC affiliate, which didn't broadcast the first episode of the landmark comedy sketch show in 1975 (or the following two seasons), was airing the big "Saturday Night Live" 50th anniversary special when it cut away from the live show after a commercial break at around 11:15 p.m. The only problem was the special wasn't over. Detroit area viewers tuned in to Local 4 didn't get to see the concluding musical performance by Paul McCartney, who sang the epic medley of "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight" and "The End" from the Beatles' 1969 "Abbey Road" album. They also missed the onstage goodbye where Martin Short delivered the remarks as a horde of past cast members crowded the stage — and original cast members including Laraine Newman and Jane Curtain held up a photo of metro Detroit's own Gilda Radner, one of the greats from the 1975 cast. While all of that was happening, Local 4 was delivering its delayed 11 p.m. newscast. WDIV (Channel 4) delivered an on-air apology citing technical difficulties before the newscast ended citing technical difficulties and also posted one on X (former Twitter). It said, "A note to followers: We sincerely apologize for the technical issue that resulted in cutting off the the end of #SNL 50 tonight. You can watch the full episode on Peacock." WDIV general manager Bob Ellis told the Free Press via email on Monday morning that that an explanation of what happened would be posted on the station's ClickOnDetroit website. Laura Varon Brown, executive director and CEO of Gilda's Club of Metro Detroit, told the Free Press via email that Radner would have been able to find the humor in the abrupt cutoff. "Gilda may have appreciated the irony of the ill-timed cutoff when Laraine Newman and Jane Curtin held up photo when Sir Paul McCartney was beautifully ending the show. I'm certain she'd have a joke about that," said Brown, also a former editor at the Free Press. Brown said she was "simply blown away by" the "SNL" special. "I have such vivid memories of Gilda Radner when SNL began. Her gift of humor and joy, just so inspiring. And now, to carry on her vision of care and understanding for families facing cancer, is a true privilege." Radner died in 1989 of ovarian cancer. Gilda's Club, which honors her legacy, provides a community of support to those whose lives are affected by cancer. The "SNL50" anniversary special was a star-studded night that featured musical performances by McCartney, Sabrina Carpenter and Paul Simon, Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard and Lil Wayne, numerous former cast members and hosts and new takes on classic skits like Debbie Downer, "Black Jeopardy" and Weekend Update. Other highlights include Carpenter appearing later, along with Pedro Pascal and Bad Buddy, in a third installment of the recurring "Domingo" sketch and Adam Sandler's sweet tribute to Lorne Michaels, which got a standing ovation. This isn't the first footnote in Detroit TV's history with "SNL." WDIV declined to air the show when it first premiere on Oct. 11, 1975. With the station's permission, the then-UHF station Channel 50 at some point picked up the first two seasons of "SNL." On that historic date of Oct. 11, 1975, Channel 4 aired the 1959 rom-com "Pillow Talk" with Doris Day and Rock Hudson in what became known as the "SNL" time slot. Follow the Detroit Free Press on Instagram (@detroitfreepress), TikTok (@detroitfreepress), YouTube (@DetroitFreePress), Twitter/X (@freep), and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook (@detroitfreepress). This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit's Local 4 cuts off the end of 'SNL' special, blames technical issue


The Hill
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hill
‘Saturday Night Live' celebrates 50 years with comedy, music and show's many, many famous friends
Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter duetted on Simon's 'Homeward Bound' to open the show, five-decade 'Saturday Night Live' luminary Steve Martin delivered the monologue, and Paul McCartney gave an epic closing to a 50th anniversary special celebrating the sketch institution that was overflowing with famous former cast members, superstar hosts and legendary guests. The 83-year-old Simon has been essential to 'SNL' since its earliest episodes in 1975, and told the 25-year-old pop sensation of the moment Carpenter that he first performed 'Homeward Bound' on 'SNL' in 1976. 'I was not born then,' Carpenter said, getting a laugh. 'And neither were my parents,' she added, getting a bigger laugh. McCartney closed with the rarely performed song cycle from the Beatles' 'Abbey Road,' 'Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End,' with its wistful ending, 'the love you take, is equal to the love you make.' Lil Wayne and Miley Cyrus were among the night's other musical guests, though the show's musical legacy also had its own night with a Radio City Music Hall concert on Friday. 'SNL50: The Anniversary Celebration' aired live from New York, of course, on NBC and Peacock. The pop culture juggernaut has launched the careers of generations of comedians including Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell, who all appeared in early sketches. And the evening included epic cameos that included Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson and Keith Richards. Steve Martin's opening sets tone for 'SNL50,' 'Update' keeps it rolling Martin, one of the shows most prolific hosts and guests since the first season in 1975, tried to keep it current in the monologue even on a backward-looking night. Martin said when the show's creator Lorne Michaels only told him he'd be doing the monologue, 'I was actually vacationing on a friend's boat down on the Gulf of Steve Martin.' He was joined by former 'SNL' luminaries and frequent hosts Martin Short and John Mulaney, who looked at the star-studded crowd full of former hosts in the same Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza that has been the show's longtime home. 'I see some of the most difficult people I have ever met in my entire life,' Mulaney said. 'Over the course of 50 years, 894 people have hosted 'Saturday Night Live,' and it amazes me that only two of them have committed murder.' Later, on the night's 'Weekend Update,' anchor Colin Jost said there are so many former hosts and musical guests that wanted to see the show that many had to be seated in a neighboring studio and some had to watch 'from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn' as a photo of Sean 'Diddy' Combs appeared. Martin took a jab at the always-difficult-to-wrangle Bill Murray in his monologue. 'We wanted to make sure that Bill would be here tonight,' Martin said, 'so we didn't invite him.' Murray appeared on 'Weekend Update' to rank the show's anchors since they began with Chevy Chase. He poked at the whiteness of the group by first ranking its Black anchors, a list of just one, current co-anchor Michael Che. The extravaganza came after months of celebrations of 'Saturday Night Live,' which premiered Oct. 11, 1975, with an original cast that included John Belushi, Chase and Gilda Radner. It's become appointment television over the years as the show has skewered presidents, politics and pop culture. 'It is a honor and a thrill to be hosting weekend update for the 50th and if it was up to our president final season of SNL,' Jost said. The show had its typical ending, with all involved looking exhilarated and exhausted on the studio stage. This night it was so crowded with luminaries it looked like it might break. Led by Short, they all applauded in tribute to Michaels, who created the show and has run it for 45 of its 50 years. Cameos and memorials Alec Baldwin, the show's most frequent host with 17 stints, appeared to introduce an evening of commercial parodies, seven months after his trial was halted and an involuntary manslaughter charge was dropped in the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Aubrey Plaza made one of her first public appearances since the January death of her husband when she introduced Cyrus and Howard's performance. The 87-year-old Nicholson was once a constant in the front rows of the Oscars and Los Angeles Laker games, but is rarely seen out anymore. He introduced his 'Anger Management' co-star Adam Sandler, who sang in his signature style about the show's history. He gave a roll-call of cast members, giving special attention to several who have died, including his friends Chris Farley and MacDonald along with Radner, Jan Hooks and Phil Hartman. It ended with, 'six years of our boy Farley, five of our buddy Norm.' The show didn't have a formal 'in memoriam' section, though it pretended to when 10-time host Tom Hanks came out somberly to mourn 'SNL characters and sketches that have aged horribly.' A montage began with the late Belushi's 'Samurai' character. The word 'Yikes' appeared on screen in a sketch that included Mike Myers and a young Macaulay Culkin in a bathtub. A 'body shaming' label appeared over the beloved sketch of Farley and the late Patrick Swayze as Chippendale's dancers, and 'slut shaming' appeared over one of the show's earliest, catchphrases, Dan Aykroyd saying 'Jane, you ignorant slut' to Jane Curtin. The current-day Aykroyd was a notable absence. The oldest former cast member, 88-year-old Garrett Morris, appeared to introduce a film that showed the whole original cast. 'I had no idea y'all that I would be required to do so many reunion shows,' he said. Sketches and bits jam-packed with former cast and hosts The first sketch featured a mash-up of former cast members and hosts. Fred Armisen hosted a 'Lawrence Welk Show' that featured Ferrell as Robert Goulet. Former hosts Kim Kardashian and Scarlett Johansson — Jost's wife — gave an updated version of the elegant singing Maharelle Sisters with former cast members Ana Gasteyer and Wiig, who provided the traditional punchline 'And I'm Dooneese' with a balding head and creepy, tiny doll arms. It was followed by 'Black Jeopardy,' hosted by the show's longest running (and still current) cast member, Kenan Thompson, who called the game show the only one 'where every single viewer fully understood Kendrick's halftime performance.' It showcased many of the show's most prominent Black cast members through the years including Tracy Morgan and Murphy, doing a Morgan impression. 'Big Dog gonna make some big money!' Murphy-as-Morgan shouted. Streep walked on as the mother of McKinnon's constant alien abductee Miss Rafferty, with the same spread legs and vulgar manner. Streep's fellow all-time-great actor Robert De Niro paired with Rachel Dratch in a 'Debbie Downer' sketch with its traditional trombone accompaniment. Former cast member Amy Poehler and former lead writer Tina Fey, who partnered as 'Weekend Update' anchors, led a Q-and-A with audience questions. Ryan Reynolds stood, and they asked him how it's going. 'Great, why?' he said defensively. 'What have you heard?' Reynolds and wife Blake Lively, sitting next to him, have been locked in a heated legal and media battle with her 'It Ends With Us' director and co-star Justin Baldoni. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Adam Driver, Cher, Bad Bunny, Peyton Manning and Richards were also featured in the bit. Poehler also paired with Rudolph for a revival of their mock talk show 'Bronx Beat,' that featured Mike Myers as his mother-in-law-inspired, Streisand-loving character 'Linda Richman.' 'Look at you, both of you, you look like buttah,' Myers said.