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“I felt like I couldn’t do well in that situation,” Ben Stiller told Howard Stern about his short tenure as a Saturday Night Live featured player. Stiller didn’t stick around long enough to get the promotion to full cast member, but he’s not the only talented comedy star to leave the show without making it to the A-team.

Here are five more SNL featured players who got the boot before they graduated to the main cast…

1 Tim Robinson Play

The star of breakout sketch-comedy hit I Think You Should Leave got a few moments to shine on Saturday Night Live, but not enough to earn him a return ticket to the show. In an unusual move, Robinson moved from acting on SNL to join the writers’ room, making him the first and only SNL performer to become a writer after originally being cast solely as a performer.

What’s the deal with observational humor? I know! It’s not observant, and it’s not humor!

Ever since Seinfeld took over the TV comedy industry in the early 1990s, every second-rate stand-up has kept a bad Jerry-Seinfeld-style set in their back pocket that barely gets a swift exhale when they test it out on an audience. While Seinfeld and Larry David made massive fortunes finding the funny in everyday circumstances, the popularization of Seinfeld’s sense of humor led to an epidemic of tedious, trivial comedy trotted out as if it was somehow hip and idiosyncratic for a comic to base their entire routine around whichever national TV commercials were making the rounds that week.

Legendary TV writer and former Saturday Night Live staffer Robert Smigel took note of this tired trend, and when Seinfeld himself hosted the show on April 18, 1992, Smigel had Seinfeld do a Seinfeld impression...

Right now is a scary time to be living in America, as the country is just days away from an election that will decide the next president: Will it be the current vice president, or the anthropomorphic hemorrhoid who retroactively ruined Home Alone 2? Stay tuned.

At this crucial moment in history, the Fourth Estate is more important than ever. But since cable news is a dumpster fire, and major newspapers seem to be ethically-kneecapped by their billionaire owners, we will instead have to rely on the journalistic integrity of a rubber hand puppet.

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog (who as you may not be aware is secretly controlled by a human being named Robert Smigel) has been providing on-site election coverage for The Daily Show this year. Most recently, Triumph popped by Madison Square Garden to interview Trump supporters eagerly lining up for the city’s most toxic open mic night.

"Jack and Jill" is Al Pacino's lowest-rated film, sitting at a measly 3% on Rotten Tomatoes. The Tomatometer consensus reads "impossible to recommend on any level whatsoever." Jennie Punter of Globe and Mail calls the movie "cruel and creepy, not funny." Mary F. Pols from Time magazine wrote, "More than 24 hours has passed since I watched the new Adam Sandler movie 'Jack and Jill' and I am still dead inside." The movie's only achievement is winning all 12 of its Razzie nominations, including Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Actor, Worst Actress (with Adam Sandler winning for both), and Worst Screenplay.

Adam Sandler plays both Jack, an advertising executive, and his twin sister Jill, who is the worst of Jewish stereotypes: an obnoxious, neurotic, and whiny nag. The "humor" is ugly and mean: the cross-dressing invites countless transphobic jokes about her masculine appearance, and there are fatphobic jokes about her...

You could make a damn fine Saturday Night Live cast out of funny people who never made it out of the writers’ room. That group reads like a cast of comedy all-stars, united by the fact that nearly all of them had a miserable time on the show.

Here are five famous comics you might not have realized wrote for SNL...

1 Zach Galifianakis

The Hangover star and eventual SNL host lasted two weeks as a writer in 2000 before deciding he wasn’t cut out for the sketch grind. The concepts he pitched all landed with a thud, including an idea he had for a Britney Spears-hosted show.

Galifianakis (and America) noticed that young Spears “showed her belly button a lot,” he told Rob Lowe on his Literally podcast. That prompted an idea in which Will Ferrell would play a security guard stationed inside Spears’ navel, courtesy of the magic of green screen.

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William Shatner played the beloved Captain Kirk in the "Star Trek" franchise on and off for nearly 30 years, but he wasn't always comfortable with the role. The shows and films themselves were fine; the issue was that he didn't quite know how to handle the fandom. He was bewildered by all the dressing up and the seemingly-obsessive questions fans asked him; at one point, fans attempted to tear off his clothes as he was walking out of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, and at another point someone tried to shoot him at a fan event in Germany.

Simply put: by 1986, Shatner was getting sick of the Trekkies, so when he hosted "Saturday Night Live" that year he decided to let them have it. He played himself in a sketch at a "Star Trek" convention where he snapped at the fans, telling them, "Get a life!

Sean Combs continues to make headlines, not only for his crimes against humanity but for his real and fictional cameos on TV shows ranging from South Park to All That to MADtv.

Satirist Robert Smigel also got in some punches on Saturday Night Live, featuring Combs in a TV Funhouse cartoon called Diddy Kiddies.

Diddy Kiddies are three multi-ethnic middle-schoolers “solving mysteries, doing the bad thing, they out there going for the brass ring.” What mystery are the Kiddies trying to solve this week? They’re trying to get to the bottom of what exactly Diddy does for a living.

He doesn’t contribute much to his music videos, creative efforts that feature an all-star team of 2006 celebrities with Diddy popping in for a few frames. “Any clues to what I do?” he asks the kids. “Am I rapping?”

Diddy’s mouth opens and some words come out, but it doesn’t really qualify.

“The X-Presidents! Struck by a hurricane-powered dose of radiation while appearing at a celebrity golf tournament, our four former presidents are charged with powers and strengths, rendering them all the more extraordinary! Gerald Ford! Ronald Reagan! Jimmy Carter! George Bush! Pitting their arsenal of phenomenal powers against Earth and interplanetary foes alike, the fabulous foursome for right against might. X-Presidents!”

This was America’s introduction to Robert Smigel’s recurring Saturday Night Live cartoon X-Presidents, which was part of the animated TV Funhouse segments that ran on the show from 1996 until 2008. After the first Ambiguously Gay Duo cartoon and a few segments of Fun with Real Audio, TV Funhouse’s eighth cartoon was X-Presidents, a superhero parody starring America’s then roster of living ex-presidents who were imbued with non-specific superpowers.

The X-Presidents ran for a total of nine segments, with their final adventure taking place during the 2004 presidential election,...

Once upon a time in late night television, it was customary for talk shows to fill up their couches as the evening's episode progressed. The first guest would do their segment and then move down a spot on the adjacent couch, making room for the next guest to yap with Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett or whoever. What with the barnacle presence of sidekick Ed McMahon, Carson's couch could get especially crowded some nights. Sometimes this got tense (like the time Burt Reynolds inexplicably went after "Double Dare" host Mark Summers on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno"); sometimes it was chaotic comedy bliss (which is what happens when you ask Carson to rein in the irrepressible duo of Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters); and sometimes it was just plain surreal.

This tradition started to fade out of fashion in the 1980s when "Late Night with David Letterman" introduced its one-guest-at-a-time approach.

Exclusive: Leland Douglas, the screenwriter behind the David Gordon Green comedy Nutcrackers, has signed with Thruline Entertainment for management.

Marking Ben Stiller’s first star vehicle in a few years, Nutcrackers has him playing the work-obsessed Mike, who must reluctantly travel to rural Ohio to look after his four rambunctious nephews after their parents die in a car accident. What begins as a three-day trip to find foster care turns into weeks of farm-life mayhem – and the realization that he doesn’t need to find them a home, they’ve found one for him.

The film is coming off of its premiere as the opening film of the Toronto Film Festival, where it sold to Hulu for eight figures, in the first splashy deal of the fest. Also starring Linda Cardellini, Edi Patterson, Tim Heidecker and Toby Hussles, pic is produced by Rivulet’s Rob Paris and Mike Witherill, and Rough House’s Nate Meyer.

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on Wbgr-fm on August 22nd, reviewing the new film “Between the Temples,” featuring Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane. In theaters beginning August 23rd.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Jason Schwartzman is Benjamin, a Jewish cantor at his temple that had recently lost his novelist wife, who had passed away, and as a result of that event has lost his singing voice. He re-connects in a surprising way with his once-influential grade school music teacher, Carla (Carol Kane), who at the same time – even in her older age – happens to want to complete her Bat Mitzvah, and Benjamin happens to tutor candidates. In their journey together with the religious texts, they find a deeper connection. The “temple” on the other side also has Benjamin leaning into a connection with twentysomething Gabby (Madeline Weinstein), daughter of Rabbi Bruce (Robert Smigel). Everyone is...

Two very different indies circling a cantor and slasher debut in moderate to wide release along with a handful of limited openings from Close Your Eyes to Paradise Is Burning on this late summer weekend with the fall festival season about to kick off.

Sony Pictures Classics launches Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane-starring Between The Temples on 576 screens. Directed by Nathan Silver, written by Silver and C. Mason Wells with Schwartzman as a cantor losing his voice, and maybe his faith. His world turns upside down when his grade school music teacher (Kane) re-enters his life as his new adult Bat Mitzvah student. SPC acquired the thoughtful comedy out of Sundance. Also stars Robert Smigel (Leo), Madeline Weinstein (Beach Rats), and Matthew Shear (Mistress America). It played Sundance and Berlin to strong reviews (sits at 87% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes) and made its New York debut at Tribeca.

Veteran...

Jason Schwartzman as Ben and Carol Kane as Carla, in Nathan Silver’s dark humor yet sweet Jewish comedy Between The Temples. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Jason Schwartzman plays a cantor who has lost his singing voice, his wife and maybe even hope, whose life is changed when his grade-school music teacher, played by Carol Kane, becomes his adult bat mitzvah student, in Nathan Silver’s offbeat, darkly funny but sweet Jewish comedy Between The Temples.

After the sudden death of his wife, Ben Gottlieb (Jason Schwartzman) has lost his singing voice, his enjoyment of life, and even, maybe, his faith. Unable to bear living in the house he shared with his late wife Ruth, Ben now lives with his doting artist mother Meira (Caroline Aaron) and his overeager, real estate agent stepmother Judith (Dolly de Leon) in the basement of their big home. Rabbi Bruce (Robert Smigel), still...

Those who’ve followed Nathan Silver and Chris “C. Mason” Wells’ careers might find themselves bewildered in recent months. Compelling enough that their latest collaboration, Between the Temples, premiered at Sundance with at least three major figures aboard; more notable that a filmmaker long associated with smaller distribution would become a Sony Pictures Classics player; and now names are being dropped on The Tonight Show to applause. (Does Jimmy Fallon actually know Silver’s work? Let’s print the legend.)

Wells’ cinephile record (inasmuch as such a record could exist) is inveterate: currently director of distribution at Mubi, he brings decades of experience as a viewer and industry figure to Temples, one of the most sharply and distinctly written films in recent memory. We discussed Temples‘ creation over Zoom and voice memos (which you hopefully can’t distinguish), distilling a complex project into intention and inspiration.

The Film Stage: You’ve been doing other interviews?...

Nathan Silver, a director known for his character-driven stories and offbeat narratives, returns with Between the Temples, a comedy-drama that explores the intersection of faith, personal crisis, and unexpected connections.

Silver, who has previously directed films such as Thirst Street (2017) and The Great Pretender (2018), collaborates with co-writer C. Mason Wells to deliver a story that balances humour with poignant moments. The film boasts an impressive cast, including Jason Schwartzman, Carol Kane with Dolly de Leon, and Caroline Aaron, each bringing their unique talents to this masterfully executed and emotionally resonant tale.

The story centres on Ben Gottlieb, played by Jason Schwartzman, a synagogue cantor a who finds himself grappling with a crisis of faith. His life takes an unexpected turn when he is assigned to teach an adult bat mitzvah class, only to discover that one of his students is Carla O’Connor (Carol Kane), his former grade school music teacher.

Nathan Silver’s Between the Temples takes a stock story––a lonely middle-aged man finds unexpected love––and places it in an unfamiliar context. For one thing, it’s set in the upstate New York town Rhinebeck, depicted as a place where social life revolves around a bar and golf course. Cantor Ben Gottlieb (Jason Schwartzman) can barely bring himself do his job, suffering a crisis of faith following his wife’s death. He’s lost his voice, literally and figuratively. Driven to suicidal ideation, he lays down in the street at night and hopes to get run over by a truck. He visits a priest for a discussion about his shaky faith. Although he’s on friendly terms with his boss, the temple’s rabbi (Robert Smigel), and his two lesbian mothers, he drinks to cover up his sorrow.

Carla (Carol Kane) comes into his life when she decides,...

A prolific presence on the 2010s ultra-low-budget indie scene, Nathan Silver has always had a fascination with communal relations, delusions, and make-believe—themes that get a rewarding, sympathetic arrangement in the offbeat comedy Between The Temples, his first feature in six years and most accessible work to date. Jason Schwartzman stars as Ben Gottlieb,...

Chicago — Things were pretty quiet around the Auditorium Theatre in downtown Chicago on Tuesday morning — probably no surprise, given how late things went the night before. “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” kicked off a four-night run of live shows from the venue — part of the Roosevelt University campus — with an episode that didn’t get off the air until a little after 1 a.m. Central Time.

That’s perhaps why the Auditorium still seemed a bit dead around lunchtime — save one lone man sitting outside the theater and carrying two big backpacks. Either he was ready to wait for days until he could snag a ticket to the show, or he was a Roosevelt student who had picked that specific spot to sit and scroll his phone for hours.

Beyond that, pedestrians and Roosevelt students strolled past the Auditorium without giving much thought to the major late night talk...

Despite his assigned role as the resident fat guy on Saturday Night Live, Chris Farley was a lot more than just a walking, talking, cartwheeling visual gag.

In the decades since Farley died of a drug overdose on December 18, 1997, the comedy legend’s contemporaries have had plenty of time to examine Farley’s oeuvre and come to their own conclusions about what his immaculate work on SNL meant for him as an artist and as a person. During Farley’s heyday in the 1990s, the greater comedy community still had a callous sense of humor when it came to performers of Farley’s size, and SNL cast members and writers from Farley’s era have since fiercely criticized the show for placing Farley in a compulsory position as the literal butt of the joke in sketches such as the enduringly popular but currently controversial “Chippendales Audition.”

Specifically, Bob Odenkirk has...

20th Television has hired former Netflix executive Jillian Longnecker as EVP and Head of Production and Showtime’s Brendan Countee as SVP and Head of Comedy Development for the studio, a part of Disney Television Studios.

Both positions had been vacant for awhile. 20th Television previous EVP Production Nissa Diederich exited in December, following a consolidation move that saw her counterpart, ABC Signature EVP Production and Post-Production Carol Turner, promoted to Head of Production for Disney Entertainment Television, overseeing production operations across Disney TV Studios, Hulu, Freeform and FX.

Reporting to Turner, Longnecker will oversee all physical production for 20th Television’s slate of drama, comedy and limited series that spans over two dozen current series and multiple pilots.

Countee succeeds Chet Dave who had been SVP and Head of Comedy Development since 2021. Dave went on a medical leave last year, and by March of this year, it became clear...

Sony Pictures has debuted a new trailer for ‘Between The Temples.’

A cantor (Jason Schwartzman) in a crisis of faith finds his world turned upside down when his grade school music teacher (Carol Kane) re-enters his life as his new adult Bat Mitzvah student.

Directed by Nathan Silver, the movie stars Jason Schwartzman, Carol Kane, Dolly de Leon, Caroline Aaron, Robert Smigel, Madeline Weinstein, and Matthew Shear.

Also in trailers – “Let’s take him home…” Trailer drops for Taika Waititi’s ‘Time Bandits’

The movie hits cinemas on August 23rd.

The post Trailer arrives for ‘Between The Temples’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Other than acute behind-the-scenes anxiety, one of Saturday Night Live’s longest-running traditions is the “Five-Timers Club,” a prestigious clique for celebrities who have hosted the show at least five times.

But it turns out it’s all a lie. Wake up sheeple!

The Five-Timers Club obviously began as a joke, part of Tom Hanks’ opening monologue during his fifth SNL appearance in 1990. The mere suggestion that hosting SNL five times was a benchmark worthy of a membership card, a luxurious robe and access to “one of the most exclusive clubs in the world” was meant to be laughable. I mean, the first sketch literally finds Jon Lovitz taking lunch orders and throwing out Ralph Nader.

According to Robert Smigel, the inspiration for the sketch, which he co-wrote for Conan O’Brien, was Hanks’ impression of Lorne Michaels waxing poetically about what it’s like to host SNL each time. “I...

Hailed as one of the most prestigious actors of the 20th century, Al Pacino has done copious blockbuster films throughout his career spanning over five decades. But who would’ve thought we’d get to see him go from playing chilling gangster roles to a comical coffee connoisseur? That’s right, nobody could’ve foreseen that plot twist.

Al Pacino in The Irishman (2019) | Netflix

Even industry juggernauts like The Godfather star aren’t immune to a few bad days at the cinemas (that’s code for flops), and his movie with Adam Sandler was one such out-of-the-pan-and-into-the-fire kind of collaboration. Save for the epic commercial that perhaps echos one of the greatest moments in cinema history.

Al Pacino’s Dunkin’ Donuts Commercial Was Peak Cinema

Adam Sandler might be a comedic genius but Jack and Jill certainly didn’t make it to the list of ‘most hilarious movies of all time.

Ahead of tonight’s anxiously awaited presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog has a clear message for the fence-sitters who may very well swing November’s election: “Shit or get off the lawn.”

It’s almost shocking that, ahead of what may turn out to be the most divisive election in American history, there even exists a room full of eight undecided voters for Triumph to poop on. After all, considering that each candidate already has one term in the Oval Office under their belts, you’d think that the results would speak for themselves and most people would know for sure whether they want the next four years to look more like 2020 or 2024.

Still, it’s a testament to the talent of The Daily Show’s production staff (and to the participants’ ignorance of Triumph’s acerbic style) that, during last night...

"Rabbi – if anyone can do it, it will be her." Sony Classics has released the official trailer for Between the Temples, an indie comedy from filmmaker Nathan Silver. This initially premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and it also played at the Berlin, Tribeca, and Provincetown Film Festivals as well. From filmmaker Nathan Silver comes a tale of a man lost in his own life, unsure of where to go or what to do next. A cantor (starring Jason Schwartzman) in a crisis of faith finds his world turned upside down when his grade school music teacher (co-starring the kooky Carol Kane) re-enters his life as his new adult Bat Mitzvah student. She is converting to Judaism and wants a quick Bat Mitzvah and he agrees to make it happen, while getting closer and closer to her in the process. The film also stars Dolly de Leon,...

Jack Black almost became a DC superhero in a film that was in development since 1997. Green Lantern was rewritten to be a more comedy-oriented superhero film in 2004 and Black was all set to star in the film. But unlike today, he did not have the huge Kung Fu Panda fanbase to back him up. The furious uproar from DC fans led to the shelving of the project and Black was disappointed at the missed opportunity.

Green Lantern (credits: DC Comics)

The project would ultimately land with Ryan Reynolds, only for fans to get one of the worst superhero movies of all time. It remains a mystery whether Jack Black could’ve played the role of the intergalactic hero better than Reynolds.

Jack Black Almost Played The Role Of DC’s Green Lantern Jack Black in a still from School of Rock | Paramount Pictures

In 1997, Kevin Smith turned down the offer...

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are one of the most talked-about couples in 2024. Before Swift and Kelce started dating, Kelce was only known as the tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. However, a lot has changed in his life since dating the billionaire pop star. His barber, Pat Regan, confirmed this in an interview. Here’s what Regan said about the changes that have occurred in Kelce’s life.

Travis Kelce’s barber explained that ‘things have changed’ for Kelce since dating Taylor Swift

Travis Kelce’s barber, Pat Regan, has been close friends with Kelce for six to seven years. Regan spoke on the Your Day Off podcast about his longstanding friendship with Kelce and what he’s noticed about Kelce’s relationship with Taylor Swift. Regan noted that getting to know Swift “as a person” has been “kind of cool,” as she doesn’t come off as...

The weekend’s Big Slick charity weekend in Kansas City was already a hot ticket for Saturday Night Live fans, given the sheer number of current and former cast members participating, but no one expected this.

On Saturday night, Robert Smigel and George Wendt led an all-star cast in staging a brand new installment of their classic SNL sketch “Bill Swerski’s Superfans.”

The new sketch saw Smigel and Wendt reprise their characters Carl Wollarski and Bob Swerski, while Jason Sudeikis stepped into the role of Todd O’Connor, originally played by the late Chris Farley. Sudeikis had three points of connection to the sketch: He’s a former SNL cast member, grew up in Kansas, and is Wendt’s nephew.

While the Superfans are best known as diehard Chicago fans, this time around they turned their focus to Kansas City’s hometown Chiefs with help from two very special guests: Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes,...

It’s the question on every Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce fan’s mind. Jason Sudeikis asked it in public.

While in character for a skit during the Big Slick Celebrity Weekend in Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday, the Ted Lasso star asked Kelce, “Hey… when are you going to make an honest woman out of her?,” referring to Swift. The question is a dated term referring to “legitimizing” a relationship with marriage.

Sudeikis, joined by actors Robert Smigel and George Wendt, also in character, as well as Kelce, sat together at a table.

Sudeikis and Smigel discussed Kelce asking Swift to foot the bill for a new stadium, which the NFL star laughingly said, “Ain’t happening,”

Then Sudeikis, in character, asked his big question.

“Hey Travis, real talk Ok, just the guys here …” he began. He then asked his “honest woman” question.

The audience cheered, but Kelce just smiled and stroked his beard.

Robert Smigel has been responsible for some of the most memorable and inspired late-night TV of the last four decades. From his long association with Saturday Night Live, to his creative partnership with Conan O’Brien, the man who gives voice to Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is a late night hall of famer if ever there was one.

In this episode of Inside Late Night, Smigel joins Mark Malkoff for a free-flowing conversation about his many years at 30 Rock, from the origins of two Steve Martin sketches that are among his proudest, to the time he says Lorne Michaels forgave him for “almost breaking” the show.

The two also discuss the evolution of the Late Night with Conan O’Brien remote, the art of the pre-show audience warm-up and how it contributed to Conan making Late Night his own, backstage tensions at SNL, and more.

Continue reading Inside Late Night...

Gal Gadot Led Heart Of Stone Becomes #2 On Netflix’s Most Watched Movies In Latter Half Of 2023. (Photo Credit – IMDb)

Netflix is one of the leading streaming platforms globally, catering to a wide variety of entertainment. Several movies find their home on the Ott platform after their theatrical release, while some are released directly there. The streaming giant has released data on films with the most views from July 1 to December 31, 2023. Gal Gadot’s Heart of Stone has beaten several other movies to grab the #2 spot, but can you guess which movie is at the top of the list?

The movie Heart of Stone featured Gal, Jamie Dornan, and Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt in leading roles. The plot revolves around an international intelligence operative who must go on a mission to protect a mysterious artificial intelligence system known as The Heart.

Heart of Stone was directed by Tom Harper. Its reported budget was $150 million,...

Spike Feresten got his start in comedy while working as a receptionist at Saturday Night Live, where he began submitting jokes to then “Weekend Update” anchor Dennis Miller. Before long, as many as five of his jokes were making it to air in a given week.

From there he was hired as a staff writer on Letterman, then Seinfeld (we have Feresten to thank for “The Soup Nazi” and “Little Kicks”), and then ABC’s legendary Dana Carvey Show, where his colleagues included Robert Smigel, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, and Louis C.K.

But among comedy nerds, he may be most revered for hosting his own talk show, Talkshow With Spike Feresten, which aired Saturday nights on Fox from 2006-2009. The show holds the record as the Fox Network’s longest-running late-night show, and as Feresten reveals to LateNighter’s Mark Malkoff, it would have continued longer had he not made...

Have you ever stopped to marvel at the wonders human talent can achieve? Take Tom Hanks’ example, whose popularity stems from his roles in major blockbusters like Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump, and Saving Private Ryan, making him one of Hollywood’s top actors. But that is not the only thing the 67-year-old is good at; he is also a terrific voice actor and is equally adept at comedy and impersonation.

Tom Hanks in Catch Me If You Can

Since he first joined the five-timers club, he has hosted numerous episodes of Saturday Night Live in addition to making several cameos. In a sketch titled ‘The Stand-Ups’, which Hanks performed during his first Saturday Night Live hosting gig, stand-up comedians conversed backstage while using the same voices they did on stage.

In one of his former interviews, Hanks disclosed that he had given Jerry Seinfeld a call to obtain approval...

With a career that has lasted over 50 years, it’s expected that Al Pacino would have some stinkers. But nothing is worse on the resume of Pacino than 2011’s Jack and Jill – hey, at least Gigli streamed on the Criterion Channel. For his performance as himself, he earned the Worst Supporting Actor Razzie…but also gave us one of the best ads in history.

In Jack and Jill, Al Pacino is recruited by Adam Sandler’s Jack to do a commercial for the Dunkaccino, a coffee/hot chocolate blend that Dunkin’ Donuts actually discontinued last year. Although he doesn’t have a credit, much of that scene came about because of Robert Smigel, who came onboard before Pacino was even cast. As he remembered, “The Dunkaccino thing was just something I thought of while I was doing the rewrite. The whole premise was already there — that Adam worked at an...

Sony Pictures Classics announced on Wednesday that it will release Nathan Silver’s acclaimed comedy Between the Temples, starring Jason Schwartzman (Asteroid City) and Carol Kane (The Dead Don’t Die), in theaters nationwide on August 23.

The film will open against Zoë Kravitz’s debut feature Blink Twice (Amazon MGM Studios), the animated pic 200% Wolf (Viva Pictures), the remake of The Crow starring Bill Skarsgärd (Lionsgate), and the drama The Forge from Affirm Films.

Slated to make its New York debut at Tribeca in June, after playing both Sundance and Berlin to great reviews, Between the Temples follows Ben (Schwartzman), a forty-something cantor losing his voice and possibly his faith. Struggling to meet the expectations of his rabbi, congregation, and not one but two Jewish mothers (Caroline Aaron and Dolly de Leon), Ben finds his world turned upside down when his grade school music teacher re-enters his life as an adult bat mitzvah student.

Robert Smigel’s Triumph the Insult Comic Dog returned Thursday in a video that recalled his heyday at Late Night With Conan O’Brien.

Former President Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial—the one in which he’s charged with 34 felony counts surrounding an alleged hush money payment to Stormy Daniels—kicked off in Lower Manhattan with jury selection this week, and Smigel wasted no time getting the cigar-chomping puppet down on the scene.

The video finds Triumph interacting with the crowd of Trump supporters outside the courthouse — or as he puts it, “a real who’s who of who’s off their meds.”

At times, the jokes get lost among the clash of arguing bystanders, but the ten-minute video is full of Triumph’s typically cutting quips: “I think Trump’s kind of losing it. He’s even starting to slur his slurs,” he tells two Trump supporters at one point.

The key to understanding Conan O’Brien’s comedy is knowing that it comes from a point of kindness. Yes, I know in this age of comics punching down, this kind of compliment may leave you with a neon “Must Avoid!” sign flashing in your bleary eyes — but stay with me.

Here is an example. Early in the first episode of his new, four-episode Max travel show “Conan O’Brien Must Go,” Conan — who has earned the right to be referred to by his first name. See: Carson, Johnny — travels to Oslo, Norway. There, he pops in on Jarle, a Norwegian waif of a rapper that Conan had originally met on a segment of his “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast. In the podcast video, Jarle’s hair was combed and he seemed coherent. Then Conan surprises him. Jarle comes to the door, and he’s maybe 110 pounds in a long sleeve T-shirt,...

Way back in 2002, the excitement for Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones diminished somewhat. Late Night with Conan O’Brien sent Triumph the Insult Comic Dog to mock the fans lined up for the premiere, resulting in a segment in which comedian/puppeteer Robert Smigel launched nerd jokes at the assembly.

Most of the jokes were pretty obvious, including the last bit, in which a man cosplaying as Mr. Spock gained the knack for cursing and walked up and down the line with his middle finger extended. But while the perceived Star Wars vs. Star Trek rivalry has become an old toxic cliché at this point, the fact is that the two franchises don’t actually overlap very much in terms of their core missions. Trek favors optimistic philosophical inquiry and Wars emphasizes fantasy and adventure.

In fact, in their decades-long history, Star Wars and Star Trek haven’t...

When Adam Sandler made his television debut as Stud Boy and the Trivia Delinquent on MTV's influential game show "Remote Control," he did not exude an all-ages appeal. He was an unassuming goofball: funny, yes, but in a dorky way that augured a career as, at best, a supporting comedic performer. If he played his cards right, he could have Gilbert Gottfried's movie and television career.

Like Gottfried, Sandler became a Not Ready for Prime Time Player on "Saturday Night Live." Unlike Gottfried, he didn't get canned after his first season. By the early 1990s, he was one of the show's breakout stars. He built on his success via a pair of platinum comedy albums ("They're All Gonna Laugh at You" and "What the Hell Happened to Me?"), and proved he could carry a movie with 1995's "Billy Madison." The critics loathed him, but teens and twentysomethings dug his unrepentantly juvenile humor.

Conan O’Brien’s tenure in late night may be over, but make no mistake: Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is still going strong.

The fan-favorite Robert Smigel puppet from Late Night with Conan O’Brien has been forging ahead with solo projects for years — including a sitcom with Jack McBrayer, appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and most recently, a performance taped in January live at the San Francisco Sketchfest.

The live show brought back Triumph’s 2020 quiz show podcast Let’s Make a Poop with Triumph roasting a panel of celebs and leading them through a game of “Poopardy!”.

The full show dropped on YouTube this week. O’Brien has already boosted the special for his hound friend via Twitter/X, and there’s a lot to love here.

Among the highlights: Triumph sings fake Weird Al songs to Weird Al, spars with Rob Schneider over his political leanings,...

Debuting in 1993, Late Night with Conan O’Brien witnessed many iconic bits and gas, but arguably the best creation to emerge from the show was Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. Puppeteered by Robert Smigel, which made its first appearance in 1997, the cigar-chomping dog is rude and crude to everyone and everything, but most importantly, he’s devastatingly funny.

From attacking Star Wars fans to Bon Jovi, it doesn’t matter who you are, Triumph roasts everyone equally, and unluckily, even the Late Night Host wasn’t immune from his insults.

Conan O’Brien Recalls Being Destroyed by Triumph

Late Night Host Conan O’Brien

Speaking with Jon Bon Jovi, who had firsthand experience of facing Triumph’s insults, Conan O’Brien looks back on being left mentally and physically scarred by the Insult Dog. During one of the episodes of the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast, the acclaimed host found...

Robert Smigel’s Triumph the Insult Comic Dog somehow found a way to add another goofy layer to “Weird Al” Yankovic’s iconic shtick. Yankovic was one of Triumph’s guests at his recent “Let’s Make a Poop!” live shows at Sf Sketchfest (now available to watch in full online), and to honor the pop parody king, Triumph asked if he could perform some of his favorite Weird Al spoofs — only he delivered some hilariously dumb, half-baked ones Yankovic definitely never wrote (though there was something about them that...

Exclusive: Christina Diamantas has been promoted to partner at Thruline Entertainment on her 15-year anniversary at the company, where she started in 2009 as an assistant and became a manager in 2015. She becomes Thruline’s ninth manager/partner.

Diamantas was based in Los Angeles before relocating to Philadelphia in 2016 and has since established a strong presence in New York. Her client list includes Valorie Curry (The Boys), Annabeth Gish (Pretty Little Liars), Giacomo Gianniotti (Wild Card), Aj Buckley (Seal Team), Dawn Olivieri (Yellowstone), Sean Giambrone (The Goldbergs), Brian Michael Smith (911: Lone Star), and writer-director Caroline Lindy (Your Monster

“Christina has been a force of nature since day one at Thruline. She is a fierce advocate for her clients and, just as importantly, for her colleagues,” said Thruline founding partner Ron West. “We are so happy to acknowledge her work and commitment in this way.”

Before joining Thruline, Diamantas worked at...

While it may have followed Seinfeld as Larry David's second major TV series, Curb Your Enthusiasm has the most unique voice of any TV series of the modern era. 

While set almost entirely in Los Angeles, Curb has a very New York-centric and Jewish sensibility. And at the center of it all is Larry David, playing a probably-not-that-exaggerated version of himself. 

The show started in October of 1999 as a one-off HBO special, meant to depict the return to stand-up comedy of Larry David, best known at that point as the co-creator of Seinfeld.

He was playing a version of Larry, who is independently wealthy yet seemingly never far from a confrontation about something small. 

It soon became a surprisingly long-running comedy series, as its final season launched in February of 2024, nearly 25 years after that special. 

View Slideshow: 33 Shows To Binge if You Love California

Curb, as the show is often called,...

Over 60 films came into this year’s Sundance Film Festival looking for buyers, but many of the key players on the indie film market already had movies premiering in the festival, with many of those among the most commercial and star-studded movies making their debuts.

Last year’s market was slow, especially for documentaries, but this year’s festival market was nothing but robust in 2024. We’re tracking everything that already has a home and will update this space throughout the month with every sale that comes in.

“Good One”

Section: U.S. Dramatic

Director: India Donaldson

Buyer: Metrograph Pictures

Cast: Lily Collias, James Le Gros, Danny McCarthy

Release Plans: Theatrical in Summer 2024

Buzz: India Donaldson’s “Good One” will be the first title acquired by Metrograph Pictures, as the company known for its film restorations and SVOD platform is now getting into theatrical distribution. And they picked a good one too.

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all rights worldwide to “Between the Temples,” a comedy with Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane that earned strong reviews when it debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Nathan Silver, the film follows a forty-something cantor who is at a personal and professional crossroads. That’s when his grade-school music teacher re-enters his life as an adult bat mitzvah student, prompting the pair to form an unusual connection.

In a positive notice, Variety‘s Guy Lodge wrote, “Buoyed by the unlikely chemistry between its two stars, this alternately raucous and tender ‘Harold and Maude’ riff is the warmest work to date from microbudget auteur Nathan Silver.”

“Between the Temples” will have its international debut at the upcoming Berlin International Film Festival in the Panorama section. Schwartzman’s credits include “Rushmore,” “Asteroid City” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.” Kane is the Oscar-nominated star...

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all rights worldwide to Nathan Silver’s Between The Temples starring Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane, following its buzzy world premiere at Sundance and ahead of its upcoming international debut at the Berlinale.

Billed by SPC as a comedy “exploring the complexities of belief, connection, and what it means to be a real mensch”, Between The Temples co-stars Schwartzman as is a forty-something cantor who is losing his voice and possibly his faith following the death of his wife.

As he struggles to meet the expectations of his rabbi, congregation, and not one but two Jewish mothers – played by Dolly de Leon (Triangle Of Sadness) and Caroline Aaron (The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel) – his life is turned upside down when his grade school music teacher (Kane) re-enters his life as an adult bat mitzvah student.

Robert Smigel (Leo), Madeline Weinstein (Beach Rats) and Matthew Shear (Mistress America) round out the cast.

Sony Pictures Classics has picked up the world distribution rights to Nathan Silver’s offbeat Jewish comedy Between the Temples, which bowed at Sundance.

The film sees Jason Schwartzman play Ben Gottlieb, a cantor in crisis after losing his voice and who falls for Carla Kessler, an adult bat mitzvah student (Carol Kane). However the student just happens to be his former grade school music teacher.

Ben and Carla become an odd couple in a comedy that explores the complexities of belief, connection, and what it means to be a real mensch, according to the film’s synopsis. Between the Temples is directed by Silver, who co-wrote the script with C. Mason Wells.

Sony Pictures Classics in a statement said of its pick-up: “With his distinctive and unique characters, Nathan has created a story laced with acerbic wit and humor in Between the Temples, while remaining tender throughout. Audiences everywhere...

Gutenberg! The Musical! ended its Broadway run last night, but not before recouping its initial $6.75 million investment, producers have announced.

The musical starring Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells, written by Scott Brown and Anthony King, and directed by Alex Timbers, Gutenberg! recouped its investment during a 20-week Broadway run, producers said. In its final week of performances, the musical comedy set another box office record at the James Earl Jones Theatre with a weekly gross of $1,463,226.

Gutenberg! previously set the Jones Theatre box office record the week ending December 31, 2023, when it grossed $1,280,597.

After taking their final bows last night, Gad and Rannells began recording the upcoming Original Broadway Cast Album to be released this spring on Center Stage Records and Yellow Sound Label. The album will be produced and mixed by Michael Croiter, with Marcia Goldberg, and Andrew Paradis serving as Executive Producers.

Since opening on Thursday, October 12, Gutenberg! has...

The Sundance Film Festival has wrapped in snowy Park City, and Deadline was on the ground to watch all of the key films. Here is a compilation of our reviews from the fest, which include festival award winners like Daughters, the documentary that took the Festival Favorite Award, and A Real Pain, which won the Waldo Salt Screenwriter Award for its writer-director-star Jesse Eisenberg.

Other pics include several that were scooped up by distributors, led by Steven Soderbergh’s ghost story Presence selling to Neon, A Real Pain going to Searchlight, Ghostlight to IFC Films, and Netflix’s smash $17 million deal for It’s What’s Inside.

Check out the reviews below, click on the titles to read them in full, and keep checking back as we add more.

The American Society of Magical Negroes (L-r) Justice Smith and David Alan Grier in ‘The American Society of Magical Negroes’

Section: Premieres

Director-screenwriter: Kobi Libii

Cast: Justice Smith,...