Several frequent hosts, including Five-Timers Club members Tom Hanks (who originated the bit back in 1990), Steve Martin, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Simon, Martin Short, and Woody Harrelson, are among the first announced guests for the three-hour, primetime show, airing Feb. 16 on NBC. Also set to appear are Adam Driver, Ayo Edebiri, Bad Bunny, Dave Chappelle, John Mulaney, Kim Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, Paul McCartney, Pedro Pascal, Peyton Manning, Quinta Brunson, Robert De Niro and Sabrina Carpenter.
On Feb. 10, NBC announced a second round of guests — namely, almost two dozen current and former cast members. They range from members of the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players — Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, and Laraine Newman — to current star Kenan Thompson, the longest-serving performer in the show’s history. Also appearing are Fred Armisen, Pete Davidson, Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Will Forte, Kate McKinnon, Seth Meyers, Tracy Morgan, Eddie Murphy, Amy Poehler, Chris Rock, Maya Rudolph, Andy Samberg, Adam Sandler, Molly Shannon, Jason Sudeikis and Kristen Wiig.
More guests will be announced in the days leading up to the special.
The live special will celebrate a half century of SNL sketches and performances and serve as the cap to a blitz of programming on NBC and Peacock about the show’s milestone. (The actual 50th anniversary of SNL’s first episode, incidentally, is on Oct. 11, 2025). Peacock is streaming a four-part docuseries about SNL and on Feb. 14 will host a live concert special featuring a host of musical acts that have appeared on the show. NBC also aired a documentary about SNL music that’s now streaming on Peacock.
Acclaimed stunt and fight coordinator Jonathan Eusebio, who has worked on action hits such as the “John Wick” franchise, “300,” and “Violent Night,” makes his directorial debut in the action comedy “Love Hurts” from Universal Pictures. Matthew Murray & Josh Stoddard, and Luke Passmore pen the film’s script, which is toplined by Oscar winners Ke Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose.
Quan portrays Marvin Gable, a realtor working in the Milwaukee suburbs, where ‘For Sale’ signs bloom. However, Gabe has a dark secret that he wants to leave behind. One seemingly normal day, Marvin receives a crimson envelope from Rose (DeBose), a former partner-in-crime whom he had left for dead and who has an axe to grind.
Marvin is unexpectedly reintroduced to a perilous environment characterized by merciless hitmen, betrayals, and chaotic open houses that can swiftly escalate into violent confrontations. The presence of his estranged brother further complicates his situation; the volatile crime lord Knuckles, portrayed by Daniel Wu, commands a formidable gang and actively seeks to capture Marvin. As the situation’s urgency escalates, Marvin is compelled to confront the decisions that have haunted him and fully reconcile with a past he has yet to address.
After winning an Oscar, I was curious about Ke Huy Quan’s first lead role, especially with his rising popularity. “Love Hurts” turned out to be the perfect project for him. Quan showcases his everyman charm and enjoys the role. Whether engaging in a fight scene, trying to sell a house, or interacting with co-workers, he embodies the kind of character that Jackie Chan would have played in the late nineties or early 2000s. One of the most enjoyable aspects of his character’s journey is that he doesn’t rely on plot armor; he takes hits just as much as he delivers them.
The supporting cast also has fun with action tropes. Ariana DeBose is more than a damsel in distress, while Marshawn Lynch and Mustafa Shakir have scene-stealing moments as hitmen. Furthermore, it’s always good to see Cam Gigandet and Daniel Wu in a genre picture.
Kudos to the director for keeping the runtime short, as a film like this could easily overstay its welcome. Additionally, some cheesy dialogue moments may earn a grimace from some moviegoers. However, the action sequences, particularly in the third act, had me rooting for our lead.
Every so often, a film requires you to shut off your brain, grab some popcorn, and enjoy the ride. “Love Hurts” is one such movie.
Final Grade: B
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By Derrick Dunn
The titular golfer played by Adam Sandler in the Netflix sequel Happy Gilmore 2 has a new support system.
Actress Kym Whitley has joined the cast of director Kyle Newacheck‘s comedy feature that is set to premiere later this year on the streamer. Filming wrapped in December on the movie that sees Sandler reprising his role as the long-driving phenom that he originated in Universal’s 1996 film Happy Gilmore.
Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, and Ben Stiller are among the performers returning from the original film, while new cast additions include Bad Bunny, Margaret Qualley, Benny Safdie, and Travis Kelce. Also reprising his role from the first movie is Dennis Dugan, who directed the original Happy Gilmore and executive produces the sequel.
Returning to produce Happy Gilmore 2 are Sandler, Tim Herlihy, Robert Simonds, and Jack Giarraputo. Sandler and Herlihy wrote the screenplay for the sequel after having penned the original script.
Whitley is known for roles on series including The Parkers, The Neighborhood, Twenties, The Upshaws, and Act Your Age, along with voice parts on The Boondocks and The Cleveland Show. She is currently in residency at Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club in Las Vegas until later this month, and she and Sherri Shepherd co-host the podcast Two Funny Mamas, which has been nominated by the NAACP Image Awards.
Sandler and Whitley previously shared the screen together for the 2020 Netflix movie Hubie Halloween, and she also appeared in Netflix’s 2023 Eddie Murphy-led comedy You People.
Whitley is represented by Innovative Artists.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
In this episode, we discuss the HUGE trade of Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat to the Golden State Warriors! We also talk about all of the other trades that happened and the ripple effect throughout the NBA!
And, since it’s almost time for us to look at the Super Bowl we look at the things that may work for a team that may win the game!
Starring comedians Rodney Perry and Daniel Dugar!
All of that and more! Watch the latest episode above!
Irv Gotti, a noted record executive, music producer, and entrepreneur best known as the founder of Murder Inc. Records, has died, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The cause of death is as yet unknown.
Rising to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Gotti played a key role in hip-hop and R&B records of the time, working with artists like Ja Rule, Ashanti, and DMX, each of whom saw massive commercial success. His signature production style blended hip-hop beats with melodic hooks, influencing a wave of rap and R&B crossover hits. Among them: the multi-platinum “Always On Time” by Ja Rule featuring Jennifer Lopez, and Ashanti’s “Foolish.”
Before launching Murder Inc., Gotti worked as an A&R at Def Jam, where he helped bring DMX, Jay-Z, and Ja Rule to the label, which was considered one of the most successful imprints of Universal Music. Under the moniker DJ Irv, he produced the song “Can I Live” from Jay-Z’s 1996 debut, Reasonable Doubt. Later called The Inc., Vanessa Carlton signed with the label and Gotti co-produced her 2007 album, Heroes and Thieves, with Rick Rubin and Third Eye Blind’s Stephan Jenkins.
Gotti’s career faced setbacks in the mid-2000s due to an FBI investigation into alleged ties with drug kingpin Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff. Though ultimately acquitted, the case damaged Murder Inc.’s reputation. In recent years, Gotti had reinvented himself, expanding into television with the creation of BET’s Tales, an anthology series blending hip-hop and storytelling.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
In this episode, we discuss the hot rumors that suggest that Kevin Durant will land back in Golden State, plus all of the other hot trades around the NBA!
Since it’s Super Bowl week, we also take a look at the upcoming game between the Philadephia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, and more!
Watch the latest episode of Box Seats featuring comedian Maurice Smith above!
In this episode, we discuss the news of the HUGE trade of Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis! Lots to discuss about THAT! Plus there’s an NBA Player under federal investigation, and we discuss the news of the outcome.
We also talk about the news that the NBA Commissioner floated to change the game, and the latest trade rumors, and more!
Watch the video above!
Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey face no shortage of peril in the first trailer for Jurassic World Rebirth.
Universal Pictures released the promo for the dinosaur-focused franchise’s new film that hits theaters July 2, 2025. Director Gareth Edwards‘ movie also stars Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono, Audrina Miranda, Philippine Velge, Bechir Sylvain, and Ed Skrein.
In Jurassic World Rebirth, only a limited number of dinosaurs remain and reside in specialized biospheres, and three of these creatures hold the key to a potentially life-saving drug. Covert operations expert Zora Bennett (Johansson) attempts to secure the genetic material from the dinosaurs but ends up stranded with a civilian family on an island that holds a secret being kept from humanity for decades.
The new feature takes place five years after the events of filmmaker Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World Dominion, the franchise’s previous installment that hit theaters in June 2022 and starred Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard alongside Jurassic Park returnees Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill. The film series launched in 1993 with Steven Spielberg‘s smash Jurassic Park, based on author Michael Crichton’s 1990 science fiction novel of the same name.
Edwards (Rogue One) helmed Jurassic World Rebirth from a script by David Koepp, who worked on Jurassic Park and its 1997 sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Hailing from Amblin Entertainment, the new film is based on characters created by Crichton.
Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley, who have both been longtime figures in the Jurassic franchise, produce Jurassic World Rebirth. Spielberg, Denis L. Stewart and Jim Spencer serve as executive producers.
This latest title will hit theaters three years after the initial Jurassic World trilogy ended with the release of Dominion. Beginning with Jurassic World in 2015, each of those three movies has surpassed $1 billion at the global box office.
Watch the trailer for Jurassic World Rebirth above.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
The first trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps teases a retro-future world and an impending threat from Galactus, one of Marvel’s most famous antagonists.
Fantastic Four is one of the most anticipated Marvel movies in some time, as fans have waited years for the Kevin Feige-led studio to make a film starring Marvel’s First Family, as the team is known.
The Fantastic Four are a cornerstone of the Marvel Universe in the comics, with writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby’s 1961 Fantastic Four No. 1 launching the universe. But the property has never had its due on the big screen. It spent decades at 20th Century Fox, which made a pair of middling movies in the 2000s and a universally reviled 2015 feature. (A 1994 Roger Coreman-produced Fantastic Four was famously never released).
When Disney acquired Fox in March 2019, it received the rights to both X-Men and Fantastic Four, and in late 2020, Marvel announced that Spider-Man helmer Jon Watts would direct a Fantastic Four movie. He ultimately departed, with WandaVision’s Matt Shakman taking over as director.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing. Others stars include Julia Garner as a female Silver Surfer, Ralph Ineson as Galactus, Paul Walter Hauser, and John Malcovich.
Eric Pearson penned the current draft of the script for the film, which has a July 25 release date.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Blue Fox Entertainment has acquired worldwide rights to family sci-fi adventure Xeno, produced by Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat.
Lulu Wilson (Annabelle: Creation), Wrenn Schmidt (For All Mankind), Paul Schneider (Lars And The Real Girl), and Omari Hardwick (Power) star in the film written and directed by Matthew Loren Oates and produced by Kevin Hart, Bryan Smiley and Luke Kelly-Clyne for Hartbeat, with Shana Marie and Jesse Jensen for Tabooma.
In the completed film, a teenage girl and a terrifying alien form a powerful bond after a chance encounter in the desert, sending them on an adventure that questions the nature of good and evil. As government agents close in, the girl discovers the alien is not the extraterrestrial she expected. Compelled to protect her new friend, she uncovers a secret that could change the fate of both their worlds.
Producers worked with The Henson Company to build the film’s alien creature.
“Our team at Hartbeat is constantly focused on delivering exceptional, multi-dimensional productions to audiences everywhere, and Xeno is a perfect example of this,” said Luke Kelly-Clyne, Head of Studio at Hartbeat. “Matt’s remarkable vision, our partners at the Jim Henson Company’s Creature Shop, and the cast and crew have all culminated to seamlessly bring this unique yet timeless coming-of-age story to life and we can’t wait for it to hit the big screen.”
“Xeno weaves together stunningly designed alien creatures, deeply developed characters, and a story that will resonate with audiences everywhere,” said Blue Fox Entertainment founder James Huntsman. “Matthew delivers a movie worthy of repeat viewing. The incredible team at Tabooma and Hartbeat should be congratulated for producing this top-quality film.”
Source: Deadline