Timothée Chalamet Is Tangled Up in Yellow at the Oscars

I’ll admit it: I was expecting Timothée Chalamet to wear the Bob Dylan outfit of all Bob Dylan outfits to the Oscars tonight. As the final bow of his A Complete Unknown press tour, I was expecting some grand homage to the musician, who Chalamet is nominated for portraying in the Best Actor category tonight. I was thinking there would be some Wayfarers, maybe even a turtleneck and a denim jacket. You know, the works. Instead, Chalamet showed up in something so much better; the Timothée Chalamet outfit of all Timothée Chalamet outfits.

In a butter yellow suit that marks Sarah Burton’s first custom menswear moment at Givenchy, Chalamet nailed his final bow of this awards season. The cropped, double-breasted leather jacket with a notch lapel, paired with matching trousers and a silk shirt, is perhaps the best monochrome outfit of the evening — and certainly the best use of the butter yellow trend that I’ve seen in the past few months. It’s Chalamet to the very core — contemporary, pleasantly surprising.

Chalamet has had some fun fashion moments for A Complete Unknown — he’s donned everything from a blonde wig and Old Navy beanie to a leather suit and neon green button-down. But really, it wasn’t until tonight, when Chalamet stepped out of Bob Dylan’s influence, that he stepped into his own. You can’t miss him on the carpet or in the crowd. I don’t want to jinx anything, but to me, he looks like a walking Oscar statue.

Down to every detail, this look is Chalamet’s pièce de résistance. Peep the Cartier jewelry, and the hint of his gold necklace peeking out from beneath the collar of his shirt. If this is the last time we see Chalamet on a red carpet until next awards season, it’s been a good run, and as Bob Dylan would say — the times, they are a-changin’.

Lisa, Doja Cat, Raye Perform James Bond Tribute to Film Series’ Producers at Oscars

The awards show honored Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who recently handed over creative control of the franchise to Amazon MGM Studios

Agent 007 made it to the Oscars. On Sunday, Lisa, Doja Cat, and Raye performed a tribute to the James Bond franchise in celebration of the film series’ producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who received Honorary Oscars at the Governors Awards.

Halle Berry took the stage at the Oscars to introduce the tribute. Then actress Margaret Qualley, dressed in a long red gown, danced on stage with a series of James Bond lookalikes adorned in classic tuxedos.

After Qualley’s brief moment on stage, Lisa entered the center stage surrounded by backup dancers in red dresses. Wearing a contrasting black gown, Lisa sang “Live and Let Die.” The singer passed the baton to Doja Cat who performed the lyrics to “Diamonds are Forever,” dripping in a dress adorned in diamonds. Raye completed the medley tribute with her rousing rendition of “Skyfall,” belting the lyrics in an elegant black-and-white dress.

Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson — the daughter and stepson of producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, who first brought Bond to the big screen with 1962’s Dr. No and remained with the franchise until his death in 1996 — became the main producers and stewards of the Bond series beginning with 1995’s GoldenEye. They held creative control of the franchise until last week when the franchise was handed over to Amazon MGM Studios for a “joint venture” for the film franchise’s rights.

“My life has been dedicated to maintaining and building upon the extraordinary legacy that was handed to Michael and me by our father, producer Cubby Broccoli,” Barbara said in a statement via Variety in February.

Six James Bond songs have earned Best Original Song nominations and wins over the years. Adele took home an Oscar for “Skyfall” in 2013, Sam Smith won for “Writing’s on the Wall” in 2016, and most recently, Billie Eilish took home the trophy for “No Time to Die” at the 2022 awards show. Songs by Paul McCartney and Carly Simon have been nominated in the past.

Dame Shirley Bassey performed three Bond theme songs throughout her lifetime, including the iconic cover of “Diamonds Are Forever,” and she performed “Goldfinger,” which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008. (“Goldfinger” was not nominated for an Oscar, though.) Gladys Knight, Sheryl Crow, A-Ha, Jack White and Alicia Keys have lent their voices to songs for the franchise as well.

Joey Molland, Guitarist and Last Surviving Member of Badfinger, Dies at 77

Molland passed away on Saturday (March 1) while surrounded by his longtime partner, Mary, his two sons and other family members, according to a post on Badfinger’s Facebook page. While a cause of death was not specified, Molland had faced ongoing health challenges in recent years, including a recent battle with pneumonia.

“Thank you, Joey…for keeping the band’s music alive for so long and for being a friend to us all,” the Facebook post read.

Badfinger, originally known as the Iveys, was one of the first bands signed by The Beatles’ Apple Records. Molland joined the group in 1969, after the recording of their debut album, Maybe Tomorrow, which featured the Paul McCartney-written hit “Come and Get It.” The song reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970.

Molland’s first album with Badfinger was No Dice (1970), co-produced by Beatles road manager Mal Evans. The set featured two of the band’s most iconic tracks: “No Matter What” and “Without You.” The latter became a hit after being covered by Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey.

Badfinger’s main lineup of Molland (guitarist), Pete Ham (singer/guitarist), Tom Evans (bassist) and Mike Gibbins (drummer) recorded five albums together through 1974, producing hit singles like “Day After Day” and “Baby Blue,” both co-produced by George Harrison. “Baby Blue” was notably featured in the closing scene of the final episode of Breaking Bad in 2013.

After the death of Ham, who died by suicide in 1975, Molland and Evans (minus Gibbins) reunited to revive Badfinger, with the guitarist taking on a larger role in songwriting and vocals for the albums Airwaves (1979) and Say No More (1981).

Outside of his work with Badfinger, Molland contributed to Harrison’s All Things Must Pass and The Concert for Bangladesh albums, and played guitar on John Lennon’s 1971 classic “Jealous Guy” and Imagine’s “I Don’t Wanna Be a Soldier.”

Throughout his career, Molland recorded music both as a solo artist and as a member of the band Natural Gas. In the early 1980s, he formed his own version of Badfinger, known as Joey Molland’s Badfinger, and continued to tour with the act until the summer of 2024.

Molland was the last surviving member of Badfinger’s core lineup, following the deaths of Ham, Evans (who also died by suicide in 1983) and Gibbins, who passed away from natural causes in 2005.

Kieran Culkin wins best supporting actor Oscar for A Real Pain

Culkin plays Benji in Jesse Eisenberg’s comedy drama, the charismatic yet troubled cousin of Eisenberg’s David, who accompanies him on a tour of their Jewish heritage in Poland.

In a typically relaxed and irreverent acceptance speech, Culkin thanked Robert Downey Jr for presenting him with the award, and shouted out his Succession co-star, saying he thought he was “fucking great” in The Apprentice.

He went on to thank his agent of 30 years, as well as Eisenberg, calling him “a genius”, as well as his mother and stepfather “for trying to raise me. You’re really good people and you gave it your best shot.”

He finished by recalling how, when accepting an Emmy last year, he said on the podium that his wife, Jazz Charton, had said she would give him a third child if he won.

On the way back to their car that night, said Culkin, she’d said that if he won an Oscar, she’d give him a fourth child. “I held my hand out and she shook it,” he continued, calling Charton “the love of my life … ye of little faith”.

“No pressure,” he concluded, “but let’s get cracking on those kids.”

In his five-star review of the A Real Pain, the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw praised the “superb comic moments which [Culkin] conjures from serious situations”.

Culkin, the brother of Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin, rose to fame as the star of quirky comedy Igby Goes Down more than 20 years ago. He gained international acclaim as the immature Roman Roy in the hit TV show Succession, for which he won numerous awards, including a Golden Globe, Emmy and Screen Actors Guild award.

The 97th Academy Awards are taking place in Hollywood.

Halle Berry honors James Bond producers, legacy after Amazon takeover…

The Academy honored the beloved film franchise at Sunday night’s ceremony following the news that Amazon MGM Studios gained creative control over the movies from producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.

The tribute came from former Bond girl Halle Berry. She starred in the 2022 flick “Die Another Day.”

Berry, 58, stepped out on the stage in her mirrored Christian Siriano gown.

“I had the great pleasure of working with Barbara and Michael on ‘Die Another Day,’” the actress said. “And let me tell you, they don’t just produce ‘Bond’ movies, they were the heart and soul of this franchise for decades.

“Every generation does have its Bond, ya know. The world revolves, it evolves, and so does he,” she continued. “But that signature mix of danger, style and intrigue? Well, now, that’s timeless.”

Several performers then hit the stage to perform songs from the franchise, including Blackpink’s Lisa, Doja Cat and Margaret Qualley.

There have been 25 James Bond movies since 1962. The titular character has been portrayed by seven actors: Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.

The 007 franchise has won six Oscars over the years, including Best Original Song for Adele’s “Skyfall” in 2013, Sam Smith’s “Writing’s on the Wall” from “Spectre” in 2016, and Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell’s “No Time to Die” in 2022.

None of the James Bond movies have ever been nominated for Best Picture.

Broccoli and Wilson got the rights to the franchise from their late father, Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, in 1995.

In November, the step-siblings received Honorary Oscars at the 2024 Governors Awards.

Before the event, the duo called casting a new James Bond in the wake of Craig’s exit from the franchise “a big decision.”

“Every time we cast a new actor, the films change. It’s the excitement of a new Bond, a new direction,” said Wilson. “Every one of these people who took on the role offered something new and different.”

Last week, the siblings announced they would be taking a step back from the franchise — Wilson to “focus on art and charitable projects” and Broccoli to focus on “other projects.” The duo will still be co-owners of the Bond franchise, per Variety.

The deal reportedly cost Amazon approximately $1 billion, according to Deadline.

The news has been met with a flurry of criticism. The Post’s entertainment critic Johnny Oleksinski predicted that Amazon will produce “forgettable Bond television series and spin-off films,” calling the deal “the death of an iconic brand.”

Two former 007s have weighed in on the deal.

“My respect, admiration and love for Barbara and Michael remain constant and undiminished,” Craig, 57, said in a statement to Variety. “I wish Michael a long, relaxing (and well-deserved) retirement, and whatever ventures Barbara goes on to do, I know they will be spectacular and I hope I can be part of them.”

Ariana Grande changed out of her ‘lampshade’ dress to honor Dorothy for Oscars performance, and thank goodness she did

Grande’s tear-inducing Oscars opening made up for any red carpet losses.

Ariana Grande fans are losing their minds over her opening performance at the Academy Awards, not least because it allowed her to change out of *that* red carpet dress.

In case you missed it, the pop star and actress turned heads with her Schiaparelli dress during the pre-awards festivities at this year’s Oscars, but not in the way she might’ve hoped. The sculpted frock featured an outurned corset that allowed the tulle skirt to cascade to the floor, which for some fans was instantly reminiscent of a lampshade.

“It’s giving lampshade,” one onlooker wrote of Grande, with another noting that while the actress “will look stunning in just about anything,” the dress nonetheless “looked like a lampshade let’s not kid ourselves.” Thankfully, any goodwill lost from Grande’s red carpet dress was quickly recuperated moments later, when she appeared on stage to open the Oscars ceremony with a duet with Cynthia Erivo.

The stars, who are both nominated for their respective roles in Wicked, delivered a goosebumps-inducing rendition of The Wizard of Oz classics. For her part, Grande busted out a performance of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”, while Erivo sang “Home”, which is lifted from The Wiz — another Broadway rendition of The Wizard of Oz. The pair finished off the tribute opening with a joint performance of “Defying Gravity,” which had been escapable from this writer’s brain for basically the last three months.

While Grande’s unmatched vocals caught the most attention, that was not to be outdone by her dress, which channelled major Dorothy vibes in a seeming ode to the character’s ruby slippers. Hammering the tribute home, the back of Grande’s dress even featured a slipper sculpture, sending our collective excitement about Wicked: For Good into the stratosphere. “Ariana Grande changed out of her lampshade and into Dorothy’s left slipper,” one fan surmised, with another adding that the singer” sounds so ethereal.”

Another quipped that Grande “defines elegance,” with a fourth declaring it “a stunning performance.” Sadly, “Defying Gravity” was not nominated for Best Original Song (since it was lifted from Wicked’s broadway show and so is not technically “original”), but it did score a whopping 10 nominations across multiple categories. At the time of writing, Wicked already collected a win for Paul Tazewell for Best Costume Design, making Oscars history as the first time a Black man has received the award. It also won the award for Best Production Design, with Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales accepting the honor.

Grande was up for Best Supporting Actress alongside Monica Barbaro, Felicity Jones, Erzsébet Tóth, Isabella Rossellini, Zoe Saldaña. Saldaña, who was the frontrunner, unsurprisingly came out on top for Emilia Pérez. In the other acting categories, it was Kieran Culkin who collected the Best Supporting Actor gong for A Real Pain — which is coincidentally the three words I used to describe the moments after Grande exited the Oscars stage. Thankfully, we’ll see her again when Wicked: For Good hits cinemas in November of this year.

Oh, we also might see her in A24’s Jennifer Lawrence-starring murder mystery based on The Real Housewives, which is a sentence I’ll never tire of reading. In the meantime, I’m off to rewatch Grande and Erivo’s Oscars opening performance and see whether there’s any more tears left to cry in my tear ducts.

‘No Other Land’ wins Oscar for best documentary

LOS ANGELES — “No Other Land,” the story of Palestinian activists fighting to protect their communities from demolition by the Israeli military, won the Oscar for best documentary on Sunday.

The collaboration between Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers follows activist Basel Adra as he risks arrest to document the destruction of his hometown at the southern edge of the West Bank, which Israeli soldiers are tearing down to use as a military training zone. Adra’s pleas fall on deaf ears until he befriends a Jewish Israeli journalist who helps him amplify his story.

“We made this film as Palestinians and Israelis because, together, our voices are stronger,” said Israeli journalist and filmmaker Yuval Abraham. He used his acceptance speech to call out his country’s government for what he called “the atrocious destruction of Gaza and its people.” And he urged Hamas to release all Israeli hostages.

“No Other Land” came into the night a top contender after a successful run on the film festival circuit. It did not, however, find a U.S. distributor after being picked up for distribution in 24 countries. For the Oscar, it beat out “Porcelain War,” “Sugarcane,” “Black Box Diaries” and “Soundtrack to a Coup d’État.”

The documentary was filmed over four years between 2019 and 2023, wrapping production days before Hamas launched its deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that started the war in Gaza.

In the film, Abraham embeds in a community fighting displacement, but he faces some pushback from Palestinians who point out his privileges as an Israeli citizen. Adra says he is unable to leave the West Bank and is treated like a criminal, while Abraham can come and go freely.

“When I look at Basel, I see my brother, but we are unequal,” Abraham said on stage. “We live in a regime where I am free under civilian law and Basel is under military laws that destroy his life. There is a different path, a political solution without ethnic supremacy, with national rights for both of our people.”

United States foreign policy under President Donald Trump is “helping to block this path,” he said.

The film is heavily reliant on camcorder footage from Adra’s personal archive. He captures Israeli soldiers bulldozing the village school and filling water wells with cement to prevent people from rebuilding.

Residents of the small, rugged region of Masafer Yatta band together after Adra films an Israeli soldier shooting a local man who is protesting the demolition of his home. The man becomes paralyzed, and his mother struggles to take care of him while living in a cave.

“About two months ago, I became a father,” Adra said Sunday. “My hope to my daughter (is) that she will not have to live the same life I’m living now, always fearing settlers, violence, home demolitions and forcible displacements. We call on the world to take serious actions.”

Lisa, Doja Cat and Raye Sing Iconic James Bond Songs, Margaret Qualley Shows Off Dance Moves in Oscars’ 007 Tribute

Doja Cat, Lisa and Raye teamed up for a tribute to 007’s legacy over the last 60 years at this year’s Academy Awards, not long after the shocking news that Amazon MGM is gaining creative control of the James Bond franchise.

The medley of Bond themes began with Margaret Qualley dancing to the Bond theme, as Lisa descended from the ceiling to sing Wings’ “Live and Let Live,” the theme from the 1973 film of the same name. While women in red dresses danced with men in tuxes, Lisa stretched her arms towards the sky, passing the baton to Doja Cat to give a glittery rendition of Shirley Bassey’s “Diamonds Are Forever” from the 1971 Bond flick. Raye rounded out the performance with a cover of Adele’s “Skyfall,” dressed in a black-and-white dress and accompanied by an orchestra.

Halle Berry, who starred as Jinx in 2002’s “Die Another Day,” introduced the performance with a tribute to Bond and the many men who have played him. “That signature mix of danger, style and intrigue? Well, that’s timeless,” she said, teeing up the medley.

Bond films have had a presence at the Oscars before, with 1964’s “Goldfinger” winning for sound effects, 1965’s “Thunderbolt” winning for special visual effects and 2012’s “Skyfall” tying with “Zero Dark Thirty” for sound editing. More recently, “Skyfall,” “Spectre” and “No Time to Die” all won for their theme songs, sang by the likes of Adele, Sam Smith and Billie Eilish.

After the superspy was first introduced by journalist and novelist Ian Fleming in the 1953 book “Casino Royale,” Bond made his first on-screen appearance in 1962’s “Dr. No.” To date, 007 has been the subject of 25 films. Over the years, Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig have all played the titular role.

One of the biggest questions surrounding the long-running spy franchise is who will take over the lead role after Craig’s send-off in 2021’s “No Time to Die.” It remains unclear how exactly Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli stepping back as long-time producers of 007 will impact Bond’s future, as speculation about casting continues.

Doja Cat, Lisa and Raye’s performance comes a few weeks after they released the single “Born Again” ahead of Blackpink member Lisa’s album, “Alter Ego.” The Thai pop star is also currently on the third season of “The White Lotus,” playing a character named Mook who works at the resort. Lisa made her acting debut with the series.

Conan O’Brien Hilariously Pokes Fun at ‘Emilia Pérez’ Controversy in Oscars Monologue

97th Academy Awards host Conan O’Brien didn’t avoid addressing the controversy surrounding Netflix’s Emilia Pérez. During his introductory monologue, O’Brien made special note of Karla Sofía Gascón’s attendance; Gascón is the film’s star who has been slammed following resurfaced racist and xenophobic tweets. Gascón opted to skip the Oscars red carpet, but attended the event, where she is nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award. O’Brien hilariously joked at the f-bombs Gascón’s publicist likely uttered during the awards season, and as the camera focused on Gascón, O’Brien joked:

“If you are going to tweet about the Oscars, remember, my name is Jimmy Kimmel.”

Gascón made history as the first openly trans performer to earn a Best Actress nomination. She portrays Mexican drug cartel leader Juan “Manitas” Del Monte and the titular character, the identity that Juan takes after undergoing gender-affirming surgery. Unfortunately, this historic run has been overshadowed by those previous tweets made by Gascón (some of which date back to 2020), where she shared hateful rhetoric about the late George Floyd, Muslims, and critiqued the Oscars for becoming overly focused on independent and protest films, specifically calling out the Black Lives Matter movement.

There was some speculation that Gascón would not attend the Oscars, but Netflix eventually budged and paid for Gascón’s way to the ceremony (as is customary). Speaking about attending the event, Gascón previously shared:

“I’m not sure how I feel, but I’m grateful to be back. I’m grateful to all those who’ve believed in me — to Netflix, the production company and my colleagues. We can close this beautiful and difficult path that began three years ago.”

Karla Sofia Gascón’s Comments Contradict ‘Emilia Pérez’s Message Close

The backlash surrounding Gascón’s comments was quite a hit for the musical drama, which carries tones of acceptance and inclusivity. Following news of the resurfaced tweets, co-star Zoe Saldaña condemned “any negative rhetoric of racism and bigotry towards any group of people.” In her end, Gascón apologized for her posts, noting that, as someone “in a marginalized community,” she knows “this suffering all too well,” and deleted her X account.

Emilia Pérez has been slammed for much more than Gascón’s comments, too. Some LGBTQ+ groups feel that the film doesn’t do a thorough and authentic job of portraying a trans character. It has also drawn backlash for its representation of Mexican culture and there’s also the matter of a French director helming the Spanish-language film. But none of that has stopped Emilia Pérez from making waves this awards season. The genre-bending Netflix feature earned 13 Oscar nods, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress.

This marks the first time hosting for O’Brien, his opening skit, which followed a tribute to Los Angeles and musical performances by Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. This year’s Best Actress race includes top contenders Demi Moore (The Substance) and Mikey Madison (Anora), alongside Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here), Gascón, and Erivo (Wicked).

Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Emilia Perez R Crime Drama Comedy Music 3.5 /5 4/10 Release Date November 13, 2024 Runtime 130 Minutes Director Jacques Audiard Writers Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius Cast See All Karla Sofía Gascón Emilia / Manitas Zoe Saldana Rita

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Shane Gillis brings ‘SNL’ back down to Earth in post-anniversary episode

If you’re “Saturday Night Live” and you just spent multiple weeks celebrating 50 years of comedy and music with star-studded live events, how do you follow all those festivities for your first regular episode back?

“SNL” counter-intuitively brought expectations back down to sea level by inviting Shane Gillis, the once-hired-then-fired comic who hosted last year, to return. Now that the novelty of seeing the comic on the show that once shunned him (and hearing him talk about it) has worn off, it was time to see what Gillis, the star of the ill-received streaming show “Tires,” could do.

Not a whole lot, it turns out. Though he had plenty of opportunities to play a variety of different characters in live sketches, a commercial parody, and a “Please Don’t Destroy” video, Gillis rarely broke out of playing a low-energy version of himself. But unlike another successful comic who’s hosted twice, Nate Bargatze, Gillis doesn’t seem to favor smart and surprising material. The sketches written for him (and which he presumably helped choose) were mostly premised around sexual acts or boorish, clueless men, like the depressing, divorced father in a PBS Kids show called “Dad’s House” or an ex-boyfriend who crashes a woman’s wedding to demand an open-eyed sexual act he was promised in a coupon from her.

Gillis appeared in a sketch about a local TV news show in which the hosts get into a competition figuring out whether the subjects of crime stories are Black or white, a put-upon boyfriend taking photos of his demanding girlfriend (Heidi Gardner), a spokesperson in a commercial for antidepressants that are simply beer and cocaine, and a man who wants to know if his doctor (Emil Wakim) can still fellate himself like he did when they were kids.

Oof. The sketches weren’t all terrible; cast members including Gardner, Wakim, and the duo of Kenan Thompson and Ego Nwodim saved some of them, but nobody could really save GIllis from an episode that overall felt crude and gross.

Musical guest Tate McRae appeared in the “Please Don’t Destroy” video and performed “Sports Car” and “Dear God.” A tribute card for New York Dolls frontman David Johansen, who died this week, appeared before the close of the show. Another “SNL” tie-in commercial featured Sarah Sherman and Bowen Yang in a punk band celebrating CeraVe anti-dandruff shampoo.

This week’s cold open tackled the disastrous Oval Office meeting between President Trump (James Austin Johnson), Vice President J.D. Vance (Bowen Yang), and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky (Mikey Day). With Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Marcello Hernández) disassociating nearby, Trump and Vance sprung their “big, beautiful trap,” criticizing Zelensky’s attire (“casual ‘Star Trek’”) and berating him for not thanking the United States and not calling the U.S. leaders “handsome.” Yang had the opportunity to really lock into his Vance impression, which has evolved into something like a “Real Housewives of Potomac” hopeful. Johnson’s impression of a scattered, ornery Trump was as accurate as ever, but the big surprise was a new Elon Musk: “SNL” vet Mike Myers took over from Dana Carvey. Myers looks the part and played Musk as a giggly, hopping, hyperactive South African toddler and/or glitchy robot.

For the monologue, Gillis pushed his luck early, starting with some jokes about how hilarious Trump has been in office, and how former President Biden was also funny. “In between teleprompters, his face would go back to being dead,” Gillis joked. It didn’t get the reaction he expected, perhaps, because he followed that with, “I get it… you guys are pretty liberal here…. Now I’m gonna lose you even more.” The rest of the monologue mostly centered on something Gillis acknowledged was racist. He said white men ask women on first dates if they’ve ever had sex with a Black guy. “It’s a shameful thing to ask. It’s weird. I’ve done it. I’m not proud,” he said. The monologue, which also included a Bill Cosby “tip,” did not get any better from there.

In a sketch about a midday news show on local TV, four roundtable hosts (Gardner, Gillis, Nwodim and Thompson) start speculating on whether the criminals featured in the news stories they’re reading are Black or white. Meth ring? It’s a guy who looks like Walter White from “Breaking Bad.” Looters? Gillis’s character bets it’s Black perpetrators. Mayhem at a barbershop? Shaboozey-related story? TSA agents? The sketch escalates quickly and Nwodim and Thompson keep the sketch from derailing with their spot-on energy.

The show’s opening sketch featured Gardner and Gillis as a couple on a winery tour with his parents (Andrew Dismukes and Ashley Padilla). The young woman insists that her boyfriend take pictures of her in front of an orange tree and proceeds to humiliate him in front of his parents with her photography demands and her insistence that he not take pictures that make her look like Michael Cera. For Gardner, it’s the type of character she might otherwise play on “Weekend Update”: weird, specific and very unlikable. Her commitment to the bit makes the sketch.

Hernandez played a “Movie Guy” who actually hasn’t seen most of the Oscar-nominated movies he’s talking about, but it was Jane Wickline who charmed with her awkward dating advice in the form of romantic songs about the trolley problem, the ethical puzzle in which someone must choose between saving one person on a train track or saving five people on a separate track from a runaway trolley. Wickline pivots midway through when “Update” host Colin Jost tells her the song isn’t romantic enough, which leads to a creepy domestic detour that ends up coming right back to the trolley tracks. Wickline’s songs are always clever, but she’s also good at selling the emotional beats behind them, even when it’s as ridiculous as a love song themed to the trolley problem.