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Sam Smith stunned onstage for a moving performance of “Gloria” during Saturday Night Live, and the four-time Grammy winner surprised fans when Sharon Stone joined them for a cameo.
During the song, the Oscar-nominated actress lounged on a gold-covered couch. Surrounded by a group of darkly robed singers, Smith — who was draped in a gold sequin blazer — beautifully crooned the track while Stone slowly rose from her reclined position and gazed off into the distance.
Smith opened up about the decision to have Stone join them for the performance in a new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, airing on Thursday (Jan. 26).
“I wanted to do the hymn ‘Gloria’ that I wrote for the record, which is a wild one because I’m not even … I’m hardly singing on it,” they shared. “I sing at the end of it, but it’s a whole choir. On my tour, the stage is shaped like Aphrodite, so, like, the golden Aphrodite body. And that’s the shape of the stage. I was like, ‘How can we bring that vibe to SNL?’”
They continued, “Sharon Stone is going to be in the middle of the stage at SNL in gold as like a piece of life art. The whole performance is just the choir around her singing ‘Gloria’ to her in this golden light. Isn’t it so sick? … I was like, ‘It has to be Sharon Stone,’ and I messaged Sharon. She’s just such a powerful woman. But she’s a powerful woman, and she exudes vulnerability and beauty in a way that to me is real and authentic.”
Gloria, the follow-up to 2020’s Love Goes, features the previously released singles “Love Me More,” “Gimme” and the Kim Petras-assisted hit “Unholy,” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2022 and is nominated for best pop duo/group performance at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
Watch the full interview here at 10 a.m. PT on Thursday.
Sam Smith helped usher Saturday Night Live into 2023 with a pair of dramatic performances from their upcoming album.
For their third appearance as musical guest on the iconic NBC sketch comedy show, the U.K. singer-songwriter unleashed unforgettable live performances of chart-topper “Unholy” and the title track from their soon-to-be-released fourth album, Gloria, which is scheduled to arrive on Jan. 27 through Capitol.
Following an introduction from SNL host Aubrey Plaza, Smith opened with their smash hit “Unholy,” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2022. Donning an extravagant fluffy pink dress, Smith belted out the opening lines of the song before sneaking in Kim Petras, who is featured on the track, to assist with her verse.
Petras wasn’t the only unexpected guest during Smith’s SNL appearance. For their second performance, the singer surprised with a guest appearance from Oscar-nominated actress Sharon Stone, who lounged on a gold-covered couch while Smith delivered their recently dropped single “Gloria.” Surrounded by a group of darkly robed singers, Smith — who was draped in a gold sequin blazer — beautifully crooned the track while Stone slowly rose from her reclined position and gazed off into the distance.
Gloria, the followup to 2020’s Love Goes, features the previously-released singles “Love Me More,” “Gimme” and the Petras-assisted hit “Unholy,” which is nominated for best song at the 2023 Brit Awards.
Smith’s three studio albums all crashed the top five on the Billboard 200, with 2017’s The Thrill of It All hitting No. 1.
Watch Smith’s SNL performances below. For those without cable, the broadcast will also stream on NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans on demand access to previous SNL episodes as well.
Austin Butler brought his “casual” version of Elvis to Saturday Night Live, and SNL cast member Sarah Sherman graced the stage as “Jewish Elvis.”
Sherman’s “Jewish Elvis” was the star of Butler, Cecily Strong, and Ego Nwodim’s retirement home in a sketch Saturday night. Butler dressed like a grandma and appeared to be the performer’s biggest fan in the theater — even revealing a T-shirt under her blouse with her catch phrase, “This is a zizzaster!”
“The first night of Hanukkah, they really kick things off with a bang,” Strong says in the clip below.
“Oh my god, I’m so horny I’m gonna friggin’ explode,” exclaims Butler, who was the host of SNL for the night in an episode that featured Lizzo as musical guest.
“Oh! I’m like Niagara Falls over here,” adds Butler later in the sketch. “My chair is gonna friggin’ drown. Ruin me, Jewish Elvis!”
Butler at one point throws a pair of underwear on stage, and at another jumps on stage to kiss Sherman’s Elvis. (The actor starred as Elvis Presley himself in Baz Luhrmann’s film released this year.)
Watch the “Jewish Elvis” sketch to see how the retirement home performance ends.
Cecily Strong received a heartfelt sendoff by Elvis star Austin Butler during her final day at Saturday Night Live on Dec. 17.
The longtime SNL cast member, whose departure from the NBC comedy series was announced on earlier in the day, appeared in a sketch titled “Blue Christmas” in which she portrays a RadioShack employee who is leaving the company after 11 years.
“As some of you know, this is Cecily’s last day working at RadioShack after eight incredible years,” SNL‘s Kenan Thompson, who plays the store’s manager, tells a group of her co-workers.
Strong quickly corrects her boss, tell him she’s actually worked at the company for 11 years. “I know, and eight of them were incredible,” Thompson replies.
To celebrate her last day, Thompson announces that RadioShack has hired a “casual” Elvis Presley impersonator for the special occasion. “Unfortunately, the costume was extra and we chose not to spring for that,” he says.
Host Butler then steps out, dressed in a black leather jacket with a white T-shirt and blue jeans, to serenade strong with a worthy rendition of Presley’s holiday classic “Blue Christmas.” He’s later joined by Thompson and fellow SNL cast members Mikey Day, Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Colin Jost, Bowen Yang and others.
Watch SNL’s “Blue Christmas” sketch below, and see the full episode on Hulu here. The streaming service is currently offering a 30-day free trial, which you can sign up for here. The show is also live streamed on Peacock.
Lizzo brought some holiday cheer to Saturday Night Live on Dec. 17.
Stepping in for previously announced performers Yeah Yeah Yeahs — who canceled because the band’s guitarist Nick Zinner is still recovering from pneumonia — the pop-rap star served as the NBC sketch comedy series’ final musical guest of 2022.
For her first performance during the Austin Butler-hosted episode, Lizzo transformed the stage into her own personal bedroom while delivering “Break Up Twice,” a moody track from her latest album, Special, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in July. Dressed in a silky white nightgown, the performance began with Lizzo rising out of bed to shut off a buzzing alarm and ended with the artist belting out the song with the backing of a full band.
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Later in the show, the singer-rapper treated viewers to a cover of Stevie Wonder‘s 1967 holiday classic “Someday at Christmas,” which she released as an Amazon Music Original in November. In true holiday spirit, Lizzo donned a silver and gold dress while passionately delivering the song amid several beautifully decorated and lit Christmas trees.
“I chose to cover ‘Someday at Christmas’ not just because it’s a classic, but because it’s a reminder to us that almost 60 years later, we are still fighting for peace, compassion, and equality,” she said in a past statement. “A friendly reminder to spread love and kindness this holiday season.”
In addition to serving as the evening’s musical guest, Lizzo also made a cameo during the “Please Don’t Destroy Me” skit, where host Butler gets pitched on the idea for a plastic clothing line. “I ain’t got no planties on,” she whispers to her boyfriend Martin.
Lizzo pulled double-duty on SNL earlier this year, serving as both musical guest and host. In between hilarious sketches, the artist debuted her Special title track and performed her Hot 100 chart-topper “About Damn Time.”
Watch Lizzo’s SNL performances below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes as well.
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Cecily Strong is the latest cast member to depart NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
Strong’s final show will be Saturday night’s (Dec. 17) edition. The news was announced Saturday on SNL’s social media accounts (see below).
She joined the sketch show, executive produced by Lorne Michaels, in 2012, its 38th season. Over the years, she created such characters as “The Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started a Conversation With at a Party” and impersonated such celebrities as Kendall Jenner, Megyn Kelly and Liz Cheney.
It’s understood that the plan had been for Strong to return for only the first half of the current season. Fans had noticed her absence from the opening credits of the season premiere in October, but at the time she was appearing in The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles and thus was unable to tape SNL in New York.
Strong next stars in the second season of AppleTV+ Schmigadoon!, which is also executive produced by Michaels. She also took a hiatus from SNL while filming that series.
Strong follows on the heels of other cast members who have recently left SNL, including Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant and Pete Davidson.
Saturday night’s SNL features host Austin Butler and musical guest Lizzo.
Austin Butler tried to make a quick visit with Jimmy Fallon to get some advice before his SNL hosting gig this weekend. Instead of finding Fallon, he found an Elvis on the Shelvis in a skit for The Tonight Show.
“Who is this?” Butler — who starred in a biopic about rock ‘n’ roll icon Elvis Presley — asks in the skit, picking up the doll off the mantle.
Elvis on the Shelvis, played by Fallon, then comes to life for a musical performance.
“Well, I move around the house when I’m a-home alone/ You did what you did/ You done what you done/ Elvis on the Shelvis never tell no one,” Fallon’s Elvis sings.
“You’re going on the top of my tree,” Butler says after the Elvis on the Shelvis show.
Butler’s SNL episode with musical guest Lizzo airs Saturday (Dec. 17) on NBC.
Watch his clip with Fallon below.
Succession‘s Kieran Culkin and Only Murders in the Building‘s Selena Gomez popped into the latest episode of Saturday Night Live for a Father of the Bride reunion.
Steve Martin and Martin Short both hosted the Dec. 10 show, which saw the comedic duo reprise their iconic characters, George Banks and wedding planner Franck Eggelhoffer, respectively, in a bit that riffed on the film and franchise sequels.
Culkin returned as a grown Matty Banks, while SNL castmembers took the family’s other various roles, including Chloe Fineman impersonating Diane Keaton in her role of mother Nina Banks and Heidi Gardner as the titular bride Annie, originally played by Kimberly Williams-Paisley. Bowen Yang also starred in the sketch, appearing as Howard Weinstein, second-in-command to Short’s Eggelhoffer — a role originated by BD Wong.
Returning to 24 Maple Dr., the Banks family is gearing up for yet another wedding for Annie, who is now 52 in Father of the Bride: Part 8. The imagined sequel follows Annie “three decades and seven divorces later,” as she opens her heart to the potential of marriage yet again.
In typical fashion, Martin’s George is dragging his feet, though this time it might be easier to understand why. “Annie, what makes you think I can afford another Nancy Meyers-style wedding?” he gasped. “I’m financially drained!”
“But daddy, I’m your little girl,” Gardner’s Annie whines before Martin snaps back, “You’re 52! Your mom started driving Lyft to pay for your last wedding.”
It’s quickly revealed that a shrimp tower and performances by Nicki Minaj were included in previous weddings, ceremonies orchestrated by none other than Yang’s Weinstein and Short’s Eggelhoffer, who is still using his signature and unintelligible accent.
“That’s right, Martin Short is back as the beloved wedding planner Franck doing an accent that I think is still OK,” the sketch’s voiceover says. “Let’s all agree it’s still OK.”
Culkin and Gomez make their appearances soon after, with the Succession star’s voiceover introduction hilariously acknowledging that audiences likely forgot the actor was in the film, but that it’s OK. “Did you forget that Kieran Culkin is in this movie? So did we, and so did he. But he was, and now he’s on Succession, so good for him.”
Gomez, who crashed Martin and Short’s monologue earlier in the night, ultimately makes an appearance as Annie’s wedding performer. “How much is she gonna cost me,” Martin asks before Gomez casually responds “$1.8 million easy.”
But it’s a price Martin’s George is willing to pay for his “little girl — my menopausal little girl,” he joked.
This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.
Brandi Carlile returned to SNL as the musical guest on Saturday (Dec. 10), delivering one of her classics, 2007’s “The Story,” and her Grammy-nominated “You and Me on the Rock” featuring Lucius.
For her first performance of the night, Carlile was introduced by Martin Short, who co-hosted this weekend’s episode with Steve Martin.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Brandi Carlile,” Short announced, as Carlile launched into “The Story,” the title track from her sophomore album.
Carlile took the stage again later in the evening, introduced this time by Steve Martin and accompanied by Lucius for “You and Me on the Rock,” who were also featured on the track on Carlile’s In These Silent Days album.
She’d previously graced the SNL set in 2021, when she performed “Broken Horses” and “Right on Time.”
An excited Carlile tweeted a photo of herself holding one of Martin and Short’s SNL cue cards Saturday morning, after calling the hosts “the funniest people in the world” in a tweet following a rehearsal earlier in the week. “I’m in love,” she said.
Watch Carlile’s SNL performances below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes as well.
Steve Martin and Martin Short brought their A-game to their joint Saturday Night Live opening monologue, reading each other eulogies and surprising viewers with an appearance from their Only Murders in the Building co-star Selena Gomez.
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Before diving into each other’s eulogies, the comedians took a second to reminisce about their past SNL hosting gigs, with the Dec. 10 episode being Martin’s 16th time hosting the show and Short’s third.
“You see, we are like Harry and Meghan,” Short said, referring to Netflix’s new docuseries from the couple. “No one’s rooting for us, but you’ll tune in to watch anyway.” Martin then went on to joke about how working with Short for him is like watching the World Cup: He just can’t get into it.
When Short told Martin he adores working with him and wishes they could do it forever, Martin said Short can’t because he won’t live forever.
“It’s sad because you won’t be able to hear the wonderful things I’m going to say at your memorial,” Martin told Short. “So, I thought why wait? So, what I did was I wrote up your eulogy so you can hear it now.” Short quipped back that he did the same.
“I will always be haunted by Marty’s last words: Tesla autopilot engage,” Martin said in his eulogy for Short.
“I learned so much from Steve,” Short said. “For example, he taught me that you don’t need to restrict the urinal to just number one.”
Throughout the opening monologue, the co-stars and touring partners threw playful shade at each other.
“Even at the end, Marty had a wonderful girlfriend smart, beautiful and so realistic,” Martin said. “He was always sexually active — as long as there were batteries in the house. He was taken away from us too soon, but sadly, not before he played Jack Frost in Santa Clause 3.”
Watch the opening monologue below:
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.