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Lorne Michaels once risked having bad blood with Taylor Swift, according to a new Vulture profile published Friday (Feb. 14) ahead of Saturday Night Live‘s 50th-anniversary special this weekend.
While looking back at the series creator’s legacy with SNL, the publication uncovered one moment from 2015 when the pop superstar apparently personally called Michaels to ask that he cut a sketch poking fun at her famous girl squad. Showrunners had initially reached out to Swift to ask if she would appear in the skit, according to the magazine; in addition to declining, the 14-time Grammy winner requested that the whole thing be cut.
Michaels’ response? “Taylor, I do not negotiate with terrorists,” he apparently told her over the phone, suavely tossing a piece of popcorn into the air and catching it in his mouth.
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Billboard has reached out to Swift’s rep for comment.
That year, SNL aired two sketches about the “Karma” artist’s friend group, which became a much-talked-about pop-culture staple thanks to Swift’s star-studded “Bad Blood” music video — in which she cast several of her famous pals — and her 1989 World Tour, where she often had her squad members walk out with her onstage. In one, the show imagined a post-apocalyptic reality where Swift and her buddies had taken over the whole world. (“First it was the models, then the athletes, then it was everybody,” cast member Kenan Thompson said dramatically in the spoof. “Police, the fire department, Matt LeBlanc.”)
Another sketch found Amy Poehler and Tina Fey re-creating Swift’s “Bad Blood” music video with their own version of the “squad” — featuring their nannies, gynecologist and friend Amy Schumer instead of the Eras Tour headliner’s troupe of models and actresses.
After the skit in question aired, however, Swift made sure Michaels knew that everything was cool in the end. The Monday after that week’s show, the SNL head honcho received flowers from the singer and a note reading, “I hope there’s no bad blood,” according to Vulture.
This weekend, the famed live show will air its highly anticipated SNL50 anniversary special, featuring performances from Paul McCartney, Sabrina Carpenter, Miley Cyrus and more famous guests. In its half-century on the air, Swift has appeared on the show multiple times. In 2009, she simultaneously made her hosting and musical guest debuts, after which she returned for performances in 2017, 2019 and 2021.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Two lightweight boxers go head-to-head in “The City That Never Sleeps” on Friday (Feb. 14): Denys Berinchyk (19-0-0) battles Keyshawn Davis […]
Rosalía is set to join the cast of HBO’s hit series Euphoria for its third season, set to premiere in 2026. First reported by Deadline on Friday (Feb. 14), the Spanish singer-songwriter and producer will act alongside returning original cast members including Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney and Hunter Schafer. New cast additions also include […]
Michael Bublé pulls out all the Canadian stops to get 31-year-old Jessica Manalo on his The Voice team.
In an exclusive audition video premiering on Billboard below, the Las Vegas native tries out for season 27 of the reality competition show, putting her own spin on Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Unholy.” The reimagined version of the hit featured Manalo on acoustic guitar, without sacrificing the sultriness of the collab.
Bublé turned his chair first and Kelsea Ballerini followed shortly after, leaving Manalo with the difficult decision of choosing between the two coaches.
“I love that song, and it took me a minute to realize that you had reimagined it, then I turn around and you’re playing a guitar,” Ballerini told the contestant. “I play guitar. You’re a musician, you’re a creative, I love that you’re from Vegas — I’m feeling lucky. Women are killing it in music right now, specifically women who have these really identifiable voices and styles, and that’s what you have.”
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It was then Bublé’s turn to state his case, jokingly pleading, “Sure, you could go to Team Kelsea. You could go to this incredibly young, smart, talented, really fresh-brained woman, or you could be with a much older — what was I saying?”
“A Canadian gentleman,” fellow coach John Legend chimed in to help.
Bublé then turned the Canadian energy up a notch when Ballerini tried to offer Manalo a pair of cowboy boots to convince her to choose the country singer as her coach. Bublé whipped out a hockey jersey, and the floor turned into an ice hockey rink.
That’s not all. He completed the show by belting out the Canadian national anthem. “All of this was so expensive, and I did it because I really hope you choose me,” he told Manalo with a laugh.
Watch the full audition below, and find out who Manalo chooses on The Voice, which airs Monday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, before streaming the next day on Peacock.
With the highly anticipated SNL 50: The Homecoming Concert just a day away, NBC has added a string of A-list performers to the lineup. Cher, Dave Grohl, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Snoop Dogg, St. Vincent and Wyclef Jean will all be joining the fun at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on Friday night (Feb. 14).
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The Jimmy Fallon-hosted live homecoming concert will also feature performances by Arcade Fire, Backstreet Boys, Bad Bunny, Bonnie Raitt, Brandi Carlile, Brittany Howard, Chris Martin, David Byrne, DEVO, Eddie Vedder, Jack White, Jelly Roll, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Mumford & Sons, Post Malone, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Robyn, The B-52s, and The Roots.
Additionally, the event celebrating 50 years of Saturday Night Live will include special appearances by Ana Gasteyer, Andy Samberg, Maya Rudolph, Paul Shaffer, Tracy Morgan, Will Ferrell and more. SNL 50: The Homecoming Concert is executive produced by Lorne Michaels and Mark Ronson.
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The show will take place at 8 p.m. ET, and will also stream live on Peacock for viewers at home, with fan screening events scheduled for several Regal Cinemas theaters.
Two days later, on Feb. 16, a three-hour telecast will air from Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center. The SNL50: The Anniversary Special will feature appearances by Sabrina Carpenter, Paul McCartney, Adam Driver, Ayo Edebiri, Bad Bunny, Dave Chappelle, John Mulaney, Kim Kardashian, Martin Short, Miley Cyrus, Paul Simon, Pedro Pascal, Peyton Manning, Quinta Brunson, Robert De Niro, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Martin, Tom Hanks and Woody Harrelson, with additional names to be announced.
The special will air on Sunday (Feb. 16) at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on NBC and simulcast on Peacock.
Mufasa: The Lion King is set to hit digital retailers this month, and to celebrate all the bonus content that will become available for fans to enjoy, Billboard is sharing an exclusive clip that finds two of the creative forces behind the live-action musical reminiscing on their early Lion King memories. Explore Explore See latest […]
You may not always be able to sing them at work in full voice, but over the past half century Saturday Night Live has given us some of the most hilarious, surprisingly tuneful (and often NSFW) musical shorts and original comedy tunes in TV history.
From second season cast member Bill Murray’s smarmy Nick the Lounge Singer’s groovy original Star Wars theme song to Eddie Murphy’s dead-on impersonation of soul legend James Brown and Adam Sandler’s seasonal classic “Hanukkah Song” and howling Opera Man bits, the sketches work because — as former cast member Maya Rudolph said in one of the recent anniversary specials — “when you can really sing, that’s when you’re the funniest.”
Plus, when you really, really love the music you’re spoofing, it shows, as in the legendary “More Cowbell” sketch and, of course, Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg’s ribbon-rung new jack surprise, “D–k in a Box.” Whether they’re parody songs, topical tunes or just left-field jams about crypto currency or airport sushi, the show has always found a way to balance earworm singability with LOL lyrics.
In the recent Questlove-directed Ladies & Gentleman… 50 Years of SNL Music primetime special, Rudolph — an accomplished vocalist herself, and daughter of legendary soul singer Minnie Riperton — explained that Murphy’s eerily spot-on version of Stevie Wonder was so perfectly funny, “not because he’s dressed as Stevie Wonder… it’s funny because he’s pulling off the musicality of Stevie Wonder.”
Parody songs and original musical bits have been a part of the show’s fabric since the Not-Ready-For-Primetime-Players debuted on Oct. 11, 1975 with a cast including future legends Chevy Chase, Laraine Newman, Dan Akroyd, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Gilda Radner and others. But the volume, quality and virality of the show’s for-laughs songs have rocketed to new heights over the past 20 years thanks to a string of stone cold killer tunes from the Samberg-led writing/producing trio The Lonely Island.
Their roster of must-pass-around bits are among the modern era’s most beloved, including such chart-worthy ditties as “Lazy Sunday” — the first SNL digital short to blow up on a then-nascent YouTube — to “Motherlover,” “Jizz in My Pants,” “I’m on a Boat” and “I Just Had Sex.”
The trio’s golden ear for musical comedy gold has continued to keep SNL buzzing in our ears as recent casts have added in such modern marvels as “Murder Show,” “Yolo” and “This is Not a Feminist Song,” as well as former writer and frequent guest host John Mulaney’s bonkers off-Broadway-worthy musical extravaganzas. And if you missed A Complete Unknown star Timothée Chalamet’s 2020 ode to his favorite miniature mount, “Tiny Horse,” the first time — saddle up, it’s a whole ride.
Though the list of our favorites is way longer — and you won’t find any of Belushi’s iconic Blues Brothers bits here, because they featured covers of classic blues songs, not originals — here are our 50 favorite SNL original songs/musical shorts ever, as we prepare for the all-star prime-time SNL 50 special on NBC airing this Sunday (Feb. 16).
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Kendrick Lamar and Marvel have collaborated in the past on ventures, such as the Compton native curating the Black Panther soundtrack in 2018. And now, the two parties are set to reunite for Captain America: Brave New World, which hits theaters across the U.S. on Friday (Feb. 14). Captain America star Anthony Mackie, who plays […]
The Academy Award-winning Summer of Soul was jam-packed with awesome performances from Stevie Wonder to Nina Simone. But one performance in the documentary about 1969’s Harlem Cultural Festival was singularly captivating: that of multiracial band Sly and the Family Stone in all its glorious, psychedelic soul-funk splendor. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See […]
Pusha T showed love to Kendrick Lamar for his record-breaking Super Bowl Halftime Show performance in New Orleans. King Push took to his Instagram Story on Tuesday (Feb. 11) saluting K. Dot for a job well done with his Feb. 9 rap-heavy set at the Caesars Superdome. “Mission accomplished… Congrats,” he wrote. Kendrick and Pusha […]
