Latest news with #SoulMan
New York Times
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
With ‘The Studio,' Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg Grow Up. Sort of.
Amoeba Records, on Hollywood Boulevard, isn't the best place for someone of Seth Rogen's visibility to shop hassle-free. Located just blocks from the Chinese Theater, right by Dr. Phil's and Dr. Oz's stars on the Walk of Fame, there may be few places worse. But when Rogen wasn't being interrupted by his admiring bro-fans, who were legion — one wore toe shoes and a Lil Dicky shirt; another cried — Amoeba was, however, a perfect place to dig through hundreds of vinyl soundtracks. It was the Tuesday before the Oscars, and we were there with Rogen's longtime creative partner, Evan Goldberg, to browse records and talk about their latest creation: 'The Studio,' an ambitious, celebrity-stuffed industry satire for Apple TV+ that premiered on Wednesday. Rogen had been tasked by his wife to stock more jazz — appropriate given the new show's jazzy score and improvisational feel, shot mostly in long single takes. But as Goldberg and Rogen, who have been friends since they were teenagers, noted, their taste in music had really been formed by their love for movies. So we found ourselves first among the soundtracks, where highlights included a reissue of 'The Three Amigos' — 'One of my favorite movies of all time,' Rogen said — and two copies of the soundtrack for 'Soul Man,' the 1986 comedy about a young white guy who pretends to be Black in order to get a Harvard scholarship. (Different times, as they say.) 'Dude, I was just telling some people at work about this yesterday!' Goldberg said. 'It has a good soundtrack,' Rogen ventured. Then, as if speaking with one mind, simultaneously: 'Is it racist to buy it?' 'Is it racist to own this?' It was, in retrospect, a layered moment: In their hands, Goldberg and Rogen, who for decades have tested the boundaries of mainstream comedy, held a veritable object lesson on what not to do. By comparison, these two men and their early brand of sweet-but-raunchy stoner comedy had managed to evolve and survive the vicissitudes of time, taste and social attitude, even as not every joke — nor every career among their cohort — survived with them. In many ways, 'The Studio,' in which Rogen plays the beleaguered head of a fictional major studio, speaks to their evolution. They are no longer the young Canadian outsiders; they're powerful producers in their 40s with the ability to make and break dreams themselves. You just might not guess that from the shorts and sneakers or their other big joint venture: a high-end cannabis accessories company. (Rogen remains one of Hollywood's most famous weed connoisseurs.) Staring down at the 'Soul Man' soundtrack, Goldberg took a more determined tone. 'We should get it,' he said. 'How much is it?' 'It's only $4,' Rogen said. 'We've got to get the 'Soul Man' soundtrack.' Goldberg nodded. 'Just so people ask, 'What is that?'' he said. 'Oh, I'll tell you what that [expletive] is …' Thus was the allegory of the 'Soul Man' soundtrack completed: Buying it felt a little dumb, a little risky, but also hilarious. They snatched it up with glee. GOLDBERG HAS IT GOOD. He gets to avoid a lot of the public-facing obligations that come with being Rogen. He openly cherishes the freedom. Rogen recently did a podcast interview in which the host said, ''I would be jealous if I was Evan.'' When Rogen relayed this at the record store, Goldberg said: 'Then you need therapy, my friend.' The many (many) celebrities in 'The Studio,' most playing versions of themselves, have so far helped insulate him from much of the buzz surrounding this latest endeavor, too, even as he and Rogen created the series and directed all 10 episodes. (Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory and Frida Perez are also creators.) The premiere alone includes Steve Buscemi, Bryan Cranston, Paul Dano, Martin Scorsese and Charlize Theron. The main cast includes Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn, Catherine O'Hara and Chase Sui Wonders. 'There's so many famous actors in it that nobody wants to talk to me, and it's the best,' Goldberg said. 'I'm, like, the ninth person people want to talk to' — a luxury given that his and Rogen's fingerprints have been among the most visible on American film comedy for almost 20 years. Relatively speaking, it wasn't that long ago that Rogen and Goldberg were high schoolers in Vancouver, British Columbia, already hard at work on the script based on their lives that would become 'Superbad.' Their careers took off fast. At 16, Rogen was cast in an open audition for the critically beloved NBC comedy 'Freaks and Geeks.' The show was canceled after one season, but Judd Apatow, an executive producer, took a liking to Rogen and helped get him writing, producing and acting gigs while Goldberg stayed in Canada for college. Soon Goldberg joined Rogen in Los Angeles, where they landed writing jobs on Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Da Ali G Show.' Apatow liked Goldberg, too. 'Always very kind and sweet,' as Apatow described him later by phone — 'you know, shocked by what Hollywood was.' Under Apatow's wing, the two friends took writing and producing jobs as Rogen honed his acting. At the same time, Apatow was helping them develop 'Superbad.' 'They spent years trying to figure out how to improve the script while looking for somebody to make the script,' Apatow said. 'They were relentless.' Then everything seemed to happen at once. 'Knocked Up,' starring Rogen (with Katherine Heigl) and executive produced by him and Goldberg, debuted in June 2007 and grossed over $200 million. 'Superbad' followed in August and grossed nearly as much. As important, the young Canadians had been able to make 'Superbad' 'exactly as they wanted to make it,' Apatow noted — no small feat for 20-somethings at a studio. 'It is 100 percent what they envisioned.' In person, Goldberg and Rogen are an entertaining pair — 'different, but not opposites,' as David Gordon Green, who directed their film 'Pineapple Express,' described them later by phone. Physically, Goldberg is balder and leaner; Rogen is hirsute and softer. Goldberg was more reserved, Rogen more boisterous. They seemed many times to share a brain, though, constantly riffing and often landing on the same punchlines. This harmony is one reason journalists rarely want to write about their partnership, they said. 'The problem is we don't hate each other,' Goldberg said. (Rogen: 'Exactly.') 'We don't have any beef, so it fundamentally is a little boring.' (Rogen: 'Fundamentally uninteresting.') Collaborators confirm that they do present an uncommonly harmonious front on set. There is little arguing, no good-cop-bad-cop. 'They have a sort of telekinesis, I think, and they trust each other,' said Wonders, who plays a cutthroat junior executive in 'The Studio.' Barinholtz, who plays the studio's No. 2, put it this way: 'They really make each other laugh, which is really important.' He added, 'That just makes us around them more excited.' Green, who himself regularly collaborates with longtime friends (including Danny McBride, who was in 'Pineapple Express'), recognized in Goldberg and Rogen the qualities needed to sustain a decades-long creative partnership. He described situations in which he and Rogen would be trying to crack a scene, and Goldberg would simply walk up quietly with a Post-it note, hand it to them and walk away. 'They know when to challenge each other, push each other,' Green said. 'And when to back off and when to support each other.' Outside Amoeba, as we toted our new LPs to our cars, we passed a ragged group of boomers sitting on the sidewalk. At first glance, they seemed homeless; it turned out they were lining up early for a Rick Springfield concert. They clocked Rogen immediately. One of the men flagged down Rogen for a selfie. Then he chased down Rogen for a better selfie. Rogen was as gracious as a person could be for someone who had already done this about 10 times that morning. Goldberg withdrew to a quiet remove, in what seems to be his default position at such times: pleasantly detached, mildly amused and visibly relieved to be the mostly invisible partner. UNSURPRISINGLY, 'THE STUDIO' is as much a love letter as satire. Since Goldberg and Rogen were in their mid-20s, they have worked mostly inside the studio system, which, for all the jibes it weathers in the show, has been very kind to them. A running gag in 'The Studio' has Rogen's character, Matt, a devoted cinephile, struggling to make a Kool-Aid Man movie without completely losing his soul. (How many of Matt's fears reflect Rogen's own? 'I'd say all of them,' Rogen said.) But Goldberg and Rogen insist they aren't so much skewering the industry as writing what they know. 'The truth is, they probably would make a Kool-Aid movie,' Rogen said later that week at the headquarters of their production company, Point Grey Pictures. Inside sat a framed still from a 'Simpsons' episode Goldberg and Rogen wrote ('Homer the Whopper'). The restrooms were labeled 'washrooms.' The conference room smelled like weed. 'We thank God we're in a position where we don't have to make the Kool-Aid movie,' Rogen added. 'But the funny thing about studio executives is they do. And that is something that just became entertaining to us.' Hunger for the types of comedies Goldberg and Rogen made in their youth has fluctuated over time; they have thrived by adapting. Exhibit A is Point Grey. The company's portfolio is diverse, claiming dozens of successful movies and TV shows, not all of them straightforward comedies. Many embrace other genres, like the Amazon anti-superhero series 'The Boys,' the Hulu docudrama 'Pam & Tommy' and the Peacock true-crime docuseries 'Paul T. Goldman.' In 2023, they made 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,' their most significant foray into a pre-existing franchise. 'Fifteen years ago, we would've made an R-rated high school movie,' Rogen said. 'And now the version of the high school movie that we are able to make for theaters currently, that is popular and people like, is 'Ninja Turtles.'' Such large-scale productions help them continue to produce indies, they said, though both were quick to note that they love the big stuff, too. They aren't snobs: They like comics; they like explosions. As James Weaver, the president of Point Grey, noted, even a movie as over-the-top as 'This Is the End' can be deeply personal. 'Even though it is an apocalypse movie where a demon with a giant penis comes in in the third act,' he said, the movie is 'at its inception about old friends and new friends.' 'The Studio' reinforces this point repeatedly, though with pointed self-awareness. 'All movies are art,' Matt tells a group of judgmental doctors in one episode. 'You don't get to pick which movies are art.' The scene serves as a kind of thesis to the show and to Goldberg and Rogen's career — particularly given that Matt is scrambling to finish the trailer for a satirical zombie movie … in which the zombie-making infection is spread by diarrhea. 'We've decided to participate in it rather than lament it too much,' Rogen said of the big shifts that have left many in Hollywood scrambling. 'To us it's not a drag. It's just like: The industry changes and evolves, and you must change and evolve.'
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stax Music Academy's teen students mark 25th anniversary, Black History Month with concert
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Memphis music studio where some of America's most recognizable songs were recorded decades ago is now a museum. But next door, trumpets blare, drums boom, and singers craft the soulful sounds of Stax Records' biggest hits. At Stax Music Academy, young musicians rehearse the unmistakable intro to 'Theme from Shaft,' the Isaac Hayes tour de force that won an Oscar in 1972 and tantalizes listeners with its pulsating bass line, crisp hi-hat and funky guitar. There's an air of professionalism among the students as their teacher hands out sheets of music and words of wisdom. 'Here we go. Read the ink that's on the paper. From the top, one, two, ready and …,' says Sam Franklin IV, the academy's music director. When they finish, Franklin says, 'Hey y'all, that was good.' Under the guidance of Franklin and other instructors, the students are practicing for three concerts in Memphis, Tennessee, on Friday to celebrate Black History Month and the academy's 25th anniversary. Created in 2000, the academy is an after-school program for teens that teaches them to sing, dance and play instruments. Some pay nothing to attend. The academy has graduated more than 4,000 students since it started in the working-class neighborhood of Soulsville, where Stax Records produced soul and R&B classics in the 1960s and 1970s. Since 2008, every high school senior has been accepted to a college or university, many on full scholarships. The academy has performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, the Kennedy Center in Washington, and in Europe and Australia. Students take pride and joy in continuing the legacy of the influential record company, where Otis Redding cut '(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay,' Sam and Dave worked on 'Soul Man,' and The Staple Singers made 'Respect Yourself.' Other mainstays of the Stax catalog include Booker T. and the MGs, Rufus and Carla Thomas, Wilson Pickett and Johnnie Taylor. Before it went bankrupt in 1975, Stax Records helped develop the raw, emotional Memphis Sound, driven by tight horn and rhythm sections, and strong-voiced singers. Some Stax songs were energetic and raucous, others smooth and sexy. Stax Records no longer churns out chart-topping music, although it still has a program for songwriters. The building has been converted into the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. The Stax Music Academy group practicing on a rainy January evening includes both Black and white players. Before the work begins, some students joke around and dance in the hallway outside the rehearsal room, which boasts a high ceiling and a whiteboard with musical notes written on it. In a separate room, vocalists clap for each other as they take turns singing for their instructors. 'It's so fun," said Tatiyana Clark, a 17-year-old singer who joined the academy in 2023. "I've been in places where we would have the same interest in music, but nothing is like the connection that I have here. Honestly, it's a different level of friendship, when you have the exact same feelings towards music, the same experiences — almost.' Stax began online Black History Month presentations in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous programs have included specific themes, with this year's being the U.S. labor movement and how it involved and affected Black people, including work training, entrepreneurship and unionization. But this year's show is a series of in-person concerts at a downtown Memphis venue where attendees will hear Sam and Dave's 'Hold On, I'm Comin'', Arthur Conley's 'Sweet Soul Music,' and 'Cause I Love You,' by the father and daughter duet of Rufus and Carla Thomas. A companion study guide includes lessons and activities highlighting key figures and events that shaped labor policies and standards. 'It's all about the message for me,' said Johnathan Cole, an 18-year-old singer and songwriter. 'It feels good because with the world going crazy right now, everybody just needs a little bit of love, happiness and music. That's what Stax Music Academy has always been about: love, music, creativity." When the labor and civil rights movements were striving for racial equality and social justice, Booker T. and the MGs churned out 'Green Onions' and other toe-tapping instrumental songs, with Black men at organ and drums — Booker T. Jones and Al Jackson Jr. — and white players on lead and bass guitar — Steve Cropper and Donald 'Duck' Dunn. 'I would describe Stax as 'change,'" said Johnathan McKinnie, a 16-year-old piano and organ player. "It drastically changed how music was formed … It was definitely an advocate for civil rights.' In the vocalists' rehearsal room, the group is perfecting Eddie Floyd's song about luck and love, 'Knock on Wood." "It's like thunder, and lightning, the way you love me is frightening … better knock, knock, knock on wood,' three vocalists sing in harmony. 'Breathe. You're not breathing,'' one instructor tells a student, who smiles and nods. The exchange exemplifies the spirit of cooperation and dedication that permeates the academy. Pasley Thompson, a 17-year-old singer and songwriter, calls the academy "an escape from the every day.' 'Being able to be in a space with people that get you on a creative level, and on a personal level, because we're around each other all the time, it's a really great feeling to have,' she said. Adrian Sainz, The Associated Press
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stax Music Academy's teen students mark 25th anniversary, Black History Month with concert
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Memphis music studio where some of America's most recognizable songs were recorded decades ago is now a museum. But next door, trumpets blare, drums boom, and singers craft the soulful sounds of Stax Records' biggest hits. At Stax Music Academy, young musicians rehearse the unmistakable intro to 'Theme from Shaft,' the Isaac Hayes tour de force that won an Oscar in 1972 and tantalizes listeners with its pulsating bass line, crisp hi-hat and funky guitar. There's an air of professionalism among the students as their teacher hands out sheets of music and words of wisdom. 'Here we go. Read the ink that's on the paper. From the top, one, two, ready and …,' says Sam Franklin IV, the academy's music director. When they finish, Franklin says, 'Hey y'all, that was good.' See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Under the guidance of Franklin and other instructors, the students are practicing for three concerts in Memphis, Tennessee, on Friday to celebrate Black History Month and the academy's 25th anniversary. Created in 2000, the academy is an after-school program for teens that teaches them to sing, dance and play instruments. Some pay nothing to attend. The academy has graduated more than 4,000 students since it started in the working-class neighborhood of Soulsville, where Stax Records produced soul and R&B classics in the 1960s and 1970s. Since 2008, every high school senior has been accepted to a college or university, many on full scholarships. The academy has performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, the Kennedy Center in Washington, and in Europe and Australia. Students take pride and joy in continuing the legacy of the influential record company, where Otis Redding cut '(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay,' Sam and Dave worked on 'Soul Man,' and The Staple Singers made 'Respect Yourself.' Other mainstays of the Stax catalog include Booker T. and the MGs, Rufus and Carla Thomas, Wilson Pickett and Johnnie Taylor. Before it went bankrupt in 1975, Stax Records helped develop the raw, emotional Memphis Sound, driven by tight horn and rhythm sections, and strong-voiced singers. Some Stax songs were energetic and raucous, others smooth and sexy. Stax Records no longer churns out chart-topping music, although it still has a program for songwriters. The building has been converted into the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. The Stax Music Academy group practicing on a rainy January evening includes both Black and white players. Before the work begins, some students joke around and dance in the hallway outside the rehearsal room, which boasts a high ceiling and a whiteboard with musical notes written on it. In a separate room, vocalists clap for each other as they take turns singing for their instructors. 'It's so fun," said Tatiyana Clark, a 17-year-old singer who joined the academy in 2023. "I've been in places where we would have the same interest in music, but nothing is like the connection that I have here. Honestly, it's a different level of friendship, when you have the exact same feelings towards music, the same experiences — almost.' Stax began online Black History Month presentations in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous programs have included specific themes, with this year's being the U.S. labor movement and how it involved and affected Black people, including work training, entrepreneurship and unionization. But this year's show is a series of in-person concerts at a downtown Memphis venue where attendees will hear Sam and Dave's 'Hold On, I'm Comin'', Arthur Conley's 'Sweet Soul Music,' and 'Cause I Love You,' by the father and daughter duet of Rufus and Carla Thomas. A companion study guide includes lessons and activities highlighting key figures and events that shaped labor policies and standards. 'It's all about the message for me,' said Johnathan Cole, an 18-year-old singer and songwriter. 'It feels good because with the world going crazy right now, everybody just needs a little bit of love, happiness and music. That's what Stax Music Academy has always been about: love, music, creativity." When the labor and civil rights movements were striving for racial equality and social justice, Booker T. and the MGs churned out 'Green Onions' and other toe-tapping instrumental songs, with Black men at organ and drums — Booker T. Jones and Al Jackson Jr. — and white players on lead and bass guitar — Steve Cropper and Donald 'Duck' Dunn. 'I would describe Stax as 'change,'" said Johnathan McKinnie, a 16-year-old piano and organ player. "It drastically changed how music was formed … It was definitely an advocate for civil rights.' In the vocalists' rehearsal room, the group is perfecting Eddie Floyd's song about luck and love, 'Knock on Wood." "It's like thunder, and lightning, the way you love me is frightening … better knock, knock, knock on wood,' three vocalists sing in harmony. 'Breathe. You're not breathing,'' one instructor tells a student, who smiles and nods. The exchange exemplifies the spirit of cooperation and dedication that permeates the academy. Pasley Thompson, a 17-year-old singer and songwriter, calls the academy "an escape from the every day.' 'Being able to be in a space with people that get you on a creative level, and on a personal level, because we're around each other all the time, it's a really great feeling to have,' she said.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jimmy Fallon is a ‘Soul Man' (and very out of breath!) during ‘SNL50: The Homecoming Concert'
Jimmy Fallon opened the SNL50: The Homecoming Concert on Friday night with a live rendition of 'Soul Man,' the song made famous by the Blues Brothers, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, who starred in the first several seasons of Saturday Night Live. 'We are coming to you live from Radio City Music Hall, and I am out of breath!' Fallon shouted to the crowd of A-listers. 'Where you're seated is based on how much Lorne [Michaels] loves you,' he joked. 'I was so honored when the assistant to Lorne's assistant asked me to host tonight.' The current Tonight Show host was chosen to emcee this iconic event because 'it's awards season, which means I've got nothing going on right now.' Just like SNL, Fallon turned 50 this year, and they both 'peaked around 25,' he deadpanned. Fallon originally starred on SNL from 1998 to 2004. Fallon instructed the cameras to turn around and show the audience members, all of whom had a special connection to Saturday Night Live, a television staple since 1975. The Roots accompanied Fallon during his 'Soul Man' performance, which is fitting since they're by his side every night on The Tonight Show. SEE How to watch and stream 'SNL50: The Anniversary Special' This live celebration of five decades of SNL music streamed Feb. 14 on Peacock. Dozens of music stars and cast members from the show's history were in attendance, including Arcade Fire, Backstreet Boys, Bad Bunny, Bonnie Raitt, Brandi Carlile, Brittany Howard, Cher, Chris Martin, Dave Grohl, David Byrne, DEVO, Eddie Vedder, Jack White, Jelly Roll, Lady Gaga, Lauryn Hill, Miley Cyrus, Mumford & Sons, Post Malone, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Robyn, Snoop Dogg, St. Vincent, the B-52s, and Wyclef Jean. This homecoming concert is not to be confused with SNL50: The Anniversary Special, which airs Feb. 16 on NBC and Peacock and focuses instead on sketch comedy. Dozens of A-listers will be in attendance for that event at Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, including Adam Sandler, Amy Poehler, Andy Samberg, Adam Driver, and Ayo Edebiri … and that's just the As! SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions Best of GoldDerby The 25 best 'SNL' sketches of the past 25 years How to watch and stream 'SNL50: The Anniversary Special' Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy, Tina Fey among 23 former cast members added to the 'SNL50' anniversary special Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘SNL50: The Homecoming Concert' Review: Peacock Special Kicks Off Late Night GOAT's Anniversary in Style
What could be a better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than to honor the music of 'Saturday Night Live'? It might not be the first thing that springs to mind on what's supposed to be a romantic weekend for lovers of all kinds, but 'SNL' and its multiple 50th-anniversary specials have a way of taking over the weekend. Tonight's party: 'SNL50: The Homecoming Concert,' a star-studded concert extravaganza equipped with many of the musical guests that have performed on the famed stage of Studio 8H for the past five decades. Kicking the festivities off on Peacock's live special direct from New York City's Radio City Music Hall was the master of ceremonies and longtime 30 Rockefeller Plaza resident and 'SNL' alum, Jimmy Fallon. Opening the show by singing the Blues Brothers classic cover, 'Soul Man,' Fallon was flanked by backup dancers dressed in their best Blues Brothers-inspired tuxes to a sold-out crowd. A crowd that included frequent 'SNL' hosts and pop-in guests Paul Rudd, Kenan Thompson, Adam Sandler, Amy Schumer, Meryl Streep, Martin Short, Pedro Pascal, Miles Teller, Tom Hanks and Jerry Seinfeld, to name a few. Jokes were flying early in the 3-hour telecast as Fallon quipped that where all of the A-list celebrities in attendance were sitting was primarily 'based on how much Lorne loves you,' a slight nod to 'SNL' creator and man of the moment, Lorne Michaels. Michaels' name was dropped a significant amount throughout the special by presenters and musical performers alike as love turned into the theme of the evening. So much so that one could be forgiven for creating a drinking game every time his name was mentioned. Lorne Michaels created and has produced the long-running sketch comedy show since its 1975 debut (with the exception of a few years in the middle) and has sustained a reputation for being a kingmaker in the comedy space. Evidenced by Michaels' influence on introducing now-famous musical acts as part of the formula that's made 'Saturday Night Live' a must-watch event every weekend, Radio City Music Hall was filled to the brim Friday with spectacular performances from past and present artists. The likes of Ms. Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, Cher, the Backstreet Boys, Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard, Bad Bunny, Eddie Vedder and a weed-smoking Snoop Dogg took to the stage to honor an American institution. Country singer Jelly Roll entertained the audience with a homage to Johnny Cash, while Tracy Morgan delighted everyone by bringing The B-52's to the stage to sing a rendition of 'Love Shack,' a song they once performed live on the show in 1990. The concert threaded many current and former 'SNL' cast members into the program, as Bowen Yang and Sarah Sherman came out to sing and dance with The B-52's. Actor Bill Murray introduced fellow 'SNL' alums Ana Gasteyer, Maya Rudolph and a pregnant Cecily Strong to sing 'You're All I Need to Get By.' Kate McKinnon joked that she was only sent on stage to bring out fellow lesbian Brandi Carlile, who unsurprisingly lifted the live audience to their feet. The real MVP award of the evening went to The Roots, Fallon's house band on 'The Tonight Show.' With Questlove at the helm, The Roots played alongside most of the musical acts that took the stage, proving their ability to cover five decades' worth of music in the span of three hours. Their talent was briefly upstaged by a raucous performance of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' led by Post Malone and the remaining members of the band Nirvana. Simply put, 'SNL50: The Homecoming Concert' was a genuinely excellent way to spend Valentine's evening celebrating the many ways music has made late night television exciting. Of course, many of those who performed, including Lady Gaga and Mumford and Sons, will be promoting new tours this year, and the show's executive producer, Mark Ronson, clearly had a hand in securing the talent seen on the stage. But to kick off the 50th anniversary celebration of a pop culture phenomenon like 'Saturday Night Live,' one must bring out the big guns. But it wasn't just big bands and those with record labels that took the stage to perform. Some of the night's highlights came when 'SNL50: The Homecoming Concert' paid tribute to sketches from 'Saturday Night Live' history that incorporated music into its format. Andy Samberg was joined by none other than Lady Gaga as the two sang 'Dick in a Box,' Samberg's Emmy-winning song popularized in The Lonely Island videos that once brought the sketch show into the YouTube era. Ana Gasteyer and Will Ferrell reprised their sketch as music teachers performing modern songs…this time incorporating Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us' as an acknowledgment of recent events from both the Grammys and the Super Bowl. It brought the house down. 'SNL50: The Homecoming Concert' is streaming on Peacock. The post 'SNL50: The Homecoming Concert' Review: Peacock Special Kicks Off Late Night GOAT's Anniversary in Style appeared first on TheWrap.
