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Tina Fey and Amy Poehler announced Monday (Feb. 13) that they are headed out on their first joint comedy tour.
The besties broke the news to Rolling Stone. Produced by Live Nation, Tina Fey & Amy Poehler: Restless Leg Tour will start its four-city run April 28 at Washington, D.C.’s DAR Constitution Hall before heading to Chicago, Boston and Atlantic City through June 10.
In a bicoastal video, recorded with the 30 Rock star in New York City and the Parks and Recreation lead in Los Angeles, the two pals shared just how excited they are to be hitting the road together. “It’s gonna be an evening of comedy, conversation, improv, maybe a little slow-dancing between us… we don’t know yet! But it’s gonna be awesome,” Fey promised while Poehler added, “We cannot wait to see you. I cannot wait to see you in person, buddy! And yeah, let’s do it!”
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday (Feb. 17) at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster, though a presale begins two days prior on Wednesday, also at 10 a.m., using the code “RESTLESS.”
The Restless Leg Tour will be the first time the two Saturday Night Live legends have appeared together on stage since they last hosted the Golden Globes together back in Feb. 2021. That ceremony marked the fourth time they had MC’d the now-embattled awards show following a three-year stint in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Most recently, Poehler popped back into SNL late last month to support her former Parks and Rec co-star Aubrey Plaza for the one-time NBC page’s hosting debut. Fey’s latest projects include Only Murders in the Building, Girls5eva and the upcoming Netflix series Mulligan.
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State Farm’s “like a good neighbor” tagline got the SNL treatment last weekend when host Michael B. Jordan put on the signature red polo shirt and took over a family.
In the sketch, Michael B. Jordan shows up when a set of parents were looking to file a claim after their daughter clogged a toilet with her stuffed animals.
Mikey Day plays the confused dad who comes home to discover that Jake from State Farm really was “here for you 24/7” in fact, playing with his kids. Jake also takes the kids and their mom, played by Heidi Gardner, to church on Sunday morning — sparking a fight between the couple.
As Jake continues to take over the family, teaching the little girl piano and playing catch with the son, Day’s character becomes more and more perplexed. He even looks up rates of other insurance when Jake shows up in the shadows, whispering that it won’t help because State Farm matches rates. Jake then taunts Day with a sinister voice saying, “Save more when you bundle home and auto.”
Left with nothing, Day mourns losing his family to handsome insurance pitchman Jake, drunkenly singing “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there,” as he plans to jump off a bridge. “He took everything,” he roars.
The whole sketch takes another turn when it’s revealed that the entire scene is a commercial for Liberty Mutual insurance.
The hilarious sketch isn’t the first time Jake from State Farm has been the subject of satire. In a commercial during Super Bowl LV, the company hired Drake to don the red shirt as “Drake from State Farm.”
The actor who plays Jake is actually Kevin Miles from Chicago, in 2021 he told Forbes about his experience with the notoriety that comes with the role.
“They never say Kevin, which is okay (laughs). They’ll say ‘Jake.’ Even on-set, they just say ‘Hey Jake!’ and I just answer. It definitely started with the mask a little bit. I’d walk my dog and people would be like Hey, you’re ‘Jake from State Farm.’ They could still tell! One time I was at the store and I had my glasses on with a hat, deep incognito mode. Someone was just like Man, your voice is just so recognizable. That felt cool and weird.”
As for Michael B. Jordan, he will make his directorial debut with Creed III in theaters March 3, 2023.
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Photo: Rich Polk / Getty
Comedian Larry Wilmore will host this year’s Podcast Academy Awards, known as the Ambies.
The awards show will take place March 7 in Las Vegas at the International Theater, with the ceremony and awards pre-show being livestreamed on Twitch beginning at 4:30 p.m. PT.
Wilmore is currently the host of Black on the Air, a show on The Ringer Podcast Network that has featured guests like Kerry Washington, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Regina Hall, B.J. Novak, Wanda Sykes and Judd Apatow, among others. He is the co-creator of Insecure, with Issa Rae, and Grown-ish, with Kenya Barris.
“Larry’s prolific body of work and unique humor spans the stage, screen and podcasting. To say that we are lucky to have him host this year’s Ambies is an understatement,” said Donald Albright, chairperson of The Podcast Academy and CEO of Tenderfoot TV. “He’s an icon in his own right. We cannot wait to see — and hear — what he will bring to the ceremony.”
At the 2022 Ambie Awards, the podcast 9/12 (Pineapple Street Studios, Amazon Music and Wondery) took home the top prize for podcast of the year. Other winners included Rosamund Pike for her performance in QCode’s Edith and former NPR host Sam Sanders for his work as a host on It’s Been a Minute. The ceremony was hosted at the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles.
The Hollywood Reporter is a sponsor of The Podcast Academy alongside Wondery, Sonoro, Audible, The Podcast Show, Stitcher, PRX, Tenderfoot TV, Castbox, Loeb & Loeb and Paramount.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
It’s been over two weeks since Kevin McCarthy was (finally) elected speaker of the house after the longest contest to a speaker election in more than 150 years — and Internet sensation Randy Rainbow isn’t quite ready to move on from that bit of news.
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On Monday (Jan. 23), Rainbow posted his latest parody video “Speaker of the House,” in which the star lampoons the embattled GOP leader for his repeated failures to get elected — and the concessions he had to make to finally get the job done.
Starting off as many of Rainbow’s parodies do, the video opens with Rainbow conducting a fake interview with the leader, introducing him as “barely elected Speaker of the House, Kevin McF—head.” As the comedian begins to simultaneously question and roast McCarthy (including drinking from a mug with a piece of paper reading “you’re a dumba–” taped to it), the music begins to kick in, leading us to another song from the viral star.
Performing to the tune of “Master of the House” from the seminal Broadway musical Les Miserables, Rainbow holds nothing back when referring to McCarthy as a “slimy, climby man-boy” and a “power-hungry whore,” while making sure to rub the politician’s nose in his recent pyrrhic victory. “Speaker of the house/ Cunning little chap/ Covetous, conservative and full of crap,” he sings. “Thirsty as a fish/ Quick to compromise/ Only took the motherf—er 15 tries.”
But Rainbow’s barbs are not only reserved for McCarthy — the singer also takes time to go after some of McCarthy’s opponents, his allies and other much-discussed members of the GOP. “[Lauren] Boebert doesn’t even know what state she’s from/ Marjorie [Taylor Green]’s a mess/ Matt [Gaetz]’s a ticking bomb/ [George] Santos says he’s Ariana Grande’s mom,” he sings.
Finally bringing the song to its exacerbated conclusion, Rainbow delivers a final “toast” to McCarthy: “Girl, I give you one more week/ Everybody lift a cheek to the speaker of the house.”
The video comes just ahead of the 2023 Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, where Rainbow’s debut studio album A Little Brains, A Little Talent is nominated for best comedy album against huge competitors like Dave Chappelle, Patton Oswalt, Jim Gaffigan and Louis C.K.
Check out Randy Rainbow’s full video for “Speaker of the House” above.
It’s Aubrey Plaza is finally making her debut on Saturday Night Live, and she wants to make sure she’s perfect.
In a new promo for this weekend’s episode of the long-running comedy sketch show, the White Lotus star appeared alongside SNL cast member Chloe Fineman to reveal that she’s more than ready to grace the stage at studio 8H.
“I’m excited,” Plaza tells Fineman in the promo. “And oh my God, I love your impressions. Drew Barrymore is my favorite.”
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Plaza then launches into a dramatic impression of Marcia Gay Harden in the 2000 film Pollock, which did not impress the SNL star. Trying to be polite, Fineman asked Plaza if she could do an impression that’s “a little more fun.”
At the suggestion, the 38-year-old begins crying on cue and slapping herself in the face in an impersonation of Annette Bening in American Beauty, which startles Fineman. “Why are you like this?” she asks Plaza, who replies, “Because I’m insane, and I’ve been waiting to do this show since I was 12 years old,” before leaning in for a kiss. A janitor at the studio spots the two women making out, but ignores it and continues to do his job.
Saturday will mark Plaza’s hosting debut on SNL, but not for a lack of trying — she previously was an intern on the show and revealed during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that she did a “preliminary first-round showcase,” but didn’t make it to an audition with creator-producer Lorne Michaels.
Sam Smith will be Saturday’s musical guest. Watch the new promo in the video above.
Leslie Jones took over The Daily Show as guest host on Tuesday night (Jan. 17), and she took some time to share her characteristically hilarious thoughts on the new Martin Luther King Jr. statue in Boston.
The statue, which was inspired by a photo of the legendary civil rights leader hugging his wife after he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, features the couple’s arms embracing without their heads — which sparked criticism as some believe that it accidentally ended up looking quite erotic.
Jones wasted no time getting right to the point. “Has anyone in here ever been eaten out?” she asked the audience, who promptly broke out into cheers and laughter. “I’m serious! Has anyone in here ever participated in the munchy, munch, munch, munch? Because they are celebrating you in Boston right now.”
The comedian then turned to the camera with a message for the white viewers at home. “White people, you don’t need to be saying sh– about this statue. Do you understand? Black hands only. You need to sit your a– in the back of the bus for this one. You need to honor this statue. This is our civil rights icon going down on his wife.”
After more roaring cheers, Jones continued, “OK, black people. What the f— are we going to do? We got to talk about this, because you know it’s messed up when black people and the Proud Boys hate the same statue.”
To conclude, Jones compared the statue to other famous ones, such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, noting that people probably didn’t love them at first. “Maybe it’s a matter of time,” she joked about the newly unveiled MLK statue. “In time, we will see the statue for what it truly is. Martin Luther King going down on his wife. I can’t unsee it!”
Jones will guest-host three episodes of The Daily Show this week, followed by fellow comedians Wanda Sykes, D.L. Hughley, Chelsea Handler and Sarah Silverman with weekly stints through Feb. 16. Following the exit of host Trevor Noah, the show will keep up this guest-hosting rotation until the fall.
Watch the full clip below.
The Golden Globes returned to live TV on Jan. 10 after spending 2022 banished from the realm of broadcast awards shows. The Globes, which is widely seen as the show that kicks off awards season in Hollywood and is a reliably star-studded affair to boot, was effectively boycotted by networks, stars and studios due to what many saw as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s lack of diversity and its insufficient response to those who urged the organization, which conducts the Globes, to make meaningful internal changes.
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As the evening’s host, Jerrod Carmichael tackled the elephant in the room with unblinking candor. “I’ll tell you what – I’m here ‘cause I’m Black,” he said, noting that the HFPA had “no Black members until George Floyd died.”
Of receiving the call to host the 2023 broadcast, Carmichael said producer Stephen Hill rang him while he was making herbal tea. “One minute you’re making mint tea at home. The next you’re invited to be the Black face of an embattled white organization,” he deadpanned. “Life really comes at you fast.”
Seeking guidance before agreeing to host, Carmichael said he consulted with “the home girl Avery, [who] for the sake of this monologue represents every Black person in America.” Her response was simple: it’s about the money. When the comedian told her the HFPA was doling out $500,000 for him to do the gig, she replied, “put on a good suit and take that white people money.” Seems like the beginning of salary transparency for Globes hosts, at the very least.
Plus, as he put it, the gig came with strong job security. Describing his refusal to have a one-on-one meeting with the president of the org, Helen Hoehne, despite her insistence, he joked, “They haven’t had a Black host in 79 years, and they’re gonna fire the first one? I’m unfire-able.”
Concluding his monologue, Carmichael said the real reason he took the gig was to host a show full of artists he admired. And when he wrapped, it appeared as if the entire room shared a long, slow exhale.
Kevin Hart is getting real about the dangers of fame.
The A-list comedian sat opposite mindfulness and lifestyle guru Jay Shetty for the newest episode of his podcast, On Purpose With Jay Shetty, and the two talked about an array of subjects including Hart’s relationship with his late father, building generational wealth and how Dave Chappelle’s example often inspired him and Chris Rock to step up their stand-up game.
Hart also spent a chunk of time sharing his perspective on the cult of celebrity. “The biggest drug. It’s not cocaine, it’s not heroin, it’s fame. Anything you want, everything you want, it’s a thing,” explained Hart. “And if you can’t handle this thing, the consequences attached are severe. Do you know you? And are you OK with you? If you are not, it’ll break you.”
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It’s like a monster, he continued.
“My monsters have been masked in disguise in various different ways but I’ve been able to pinpoint them throughout the years because some of those monsters got stronger … developed. You’re talking about the world of an ego. The idea of who you think you are versus what you are or the idea of expectations and needs as to what you feel you need and what you have to have,” Hart told Shetty, who will soon release his new book, 8 Rules of Love — How to Find it, Keep it, and Let it Go, from Simon & Schuster on Jan. 31. “That’s a monster that’s feeding that engine of, well, now that I’m making money, this is what I should have, this is how I should look, this is how I’m supposed to be. That’s a monster that you’re feeding because ultimately you’re buying in.”
The conversation also saw Hart open up about his relationship to Chappelle and Rock, specifically how the former would set a standard on the stand-up stage that would force the others to rethink their sets.
“Dave Chappelle has made me and Chris Rock feel stupid at times when it comes to our choice and material. We have watched Dave in our earlier stages of just working on our set. We would spend time at The Cellar and one would come and we would all go and Dave would go up and me and Chris had just went up and we were happy about our material,” he explained. “There’s been times where we have looked at each other and we balled our papers up and said, ‘We gotta start over, we gotta start over.’ Not because of jealousy or envy. Because we challenge each other. We want the best for not only each other, but for ourselves.”
All three have achieved massive success and Hart said he’s now focused on leaving a piece of the pie for his children. “We just got a shot at something different. We got a shot at generational wealth. We got a shot at changing the ‘trajectory’ within our culture of opportunity. We got a shot to make this normal. Once again, I’m looking past me. I’m looking at the bigger piece to the plan.”
To hear Hart’s full comments on complacency, the best memory from his childhood and why being a multi-hyphenate is the way to go, see the full episode below.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
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Comedian Chris Rock will be making comedy history as his next special with Netflix will be streamed live to a global audience.
According to a press release from the streaming platform, the new special, Chris Rock: Selective Outrage, will air on March 4th, 2023. The new stand-up special will take place in Baltimore, Maryland, airing at 10 P.M. ET/ 7 P.M. PT. It will also be the first comedy event to be streamed live across the globe to Netflix viewers. The venue for the special has not been announced, and there is no word on when tickets for the show will be available.
“Chris Rock is one of the most iconic and important comedic voices of our generation,” said Robbie Praw, Netflix Vice President of Stand-up and Comedy Formats in a statement issued last month. “We’re thrilled the entire world will be able to experience a live Chris Rock comedy event and be a part of Netflix history. This will be an unforgettable moment and we’re so honored that Chris is carrying this torch.” The special follows up Netflix’s ambitious path to being at the forefront of live comedy. Their Netflix is a Joke: The Festival was a massive event that featured over 330 comedians performing at 35 venues across Los Angeles, California in the spring of 2022. This also included the first-ever stand-up comedy show done at Dodger Stadium.
For Rock, whose first stand-up special Tambourine premiered on Netflix in 2018, it marks a return to Baltimore almost a year after appearing in the city in April 2022. The 57-year-old has been active on the road in the wake of the infamous moment at the Oscars earlier this year where he was slapped onstage by actor Will Smith. The situation occurred after Rock had made a joke about the hair of Jada Pinkett-Smith, the actor’s wife during a segment before presenting an award. It was later reiterated to the press that Pinkett-Smith suffers from alopecia, a disease that inflicts hair loss. Smith has apologized for his actions.
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Adam Sandler is set to receive the 2023 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on March 19, 2023 in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall in Washington, D.C.
Sandler, who was a cast member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live from 1991 to 1995, is the seventh former cast member of that long-running show to receive the honor, a sign of its profound influence on American comedy. He follows Billy Crystal, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. In addition, Lorne Michaels, who created the show, received the honor in 2004.
“Adam Sandler has entertained audiences for over three decades with his films, music, and his tenure as a fan favorite cast member on SNL,” Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter said in a statement. “Adam has created characters that have made us laugh, cry, and cry from laughing. I am looking forward to a laughter-filled evening like no other as we celebrate his career at a ceremony that is sure to bring together the best in comedy.”
Over the past 30 years, Sandler has enjoyed success as a comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician. His films, including Grown Ups, Big Daddy, The Longest Yard and The Waterboy, have grossed more than $3 billion worldwide.
Sandler’s work has been recognized with nine People’s Choice Awards, five MTV Movie Awards and 10 Kids Choice Awards. He has also been nominated for a Golden Globe Award, four Emmy Awards and three Grammy Awards.
Sandler has also made his mark on the Billboard charts. His first two comedy albums, They’re All Gonna Laugh at You! and What the Hell Happened to Me? each logged more than a year on the Billboard 200. Three of his albums – What the Hell Happened to Me?, What’s Your Name? and Stan and Judy’s Kid – have made the top 20 on that chart. His “The Chanukah Song” has been a holiday perennial since its release in 1995.
Previous recipients of the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize are Richard Pryor (1998), Jonathan Winters (1999), Carl Reiner (2000), Whoopi Goldberg (2001), Bob Newhart (2002), Lily Tomlin (2003), Lorne Michaels (2004), Steve Martin (2005), Neil Simon (2006), Billy Crystal (2007), George Carlin (2008), Bill Cosby (2009; rescinded in 2018), Tina Fey (2010), Will Ferrell (2011), Ellen DeGeneres (2012), Carol Burnett (2013), Jay Leno (2014), Eddie Murphy (2015), Bill Murray (2016), David Letterman (2017), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (2018), Dave Chappelle (2019) and Jon Stewart (2022).
The event was created by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Bob Kaminsky, Peter Kaminsky, Mark Krantz and John Schreiber. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is the nation’s busiest performing arts facility. It hosts more than 2,000 performances for audiences totaling nearly 2 million annually.
Sponsorship packages for the Mark Twain Prize gala performance, which start at $1,300 and include a pre-performance reception, gala performance tickets, and a post-performance celebration, are on sale now and can be reserved online or through the Development Office by emailing mtp@kennedy-center.org. Information about limited sales of performance-only tickets will be made available at a later date.
Performance tickets will be available at the Kennedy Center Box Office, online at kennedy-center.org, and via phone through Instant Charge, (202) 467-4600; toll-free at (800) 444-1324. For all other ticket-related customer service inquires, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.