Amy Poehler pushing her new baby boy, Archie, in a stroller ... John Leguizamo riding his bike down the street ... Kirsten Johnston talking on her cell phone ... Nicole Kidman outside the premiere of Australia, just after Hugh Jackman made his arrival ... Kelly Ripa and husband Mark Consuelos unveiling Cartier's holiday windows ... James Taylor arriving at his hotel, followed by Faith Hill and Tim McGraw ... and Katie Holmes walking down the street with Suri.
If you had "feminist Web series" for the win in your What's Next For Amy Poehler? brackets, congratulations. After ditching Saturday Night Live for maternity leave and months of lingering attachments to a rumored Office spinoff, Poehler will officially be back onscreen in less than two weeks with her online effort Smart Girls at the Party.Kind of like The View, but skewing much younger, funnier and less dramatically hormonal, Smart Girls was announced in September as Poehler's paean to "girls who have unique talents and interests." ON Networks originally planned an October launch, later a casualty of Poehler's maternity leave that has since been pushed back to Nov. 17. Expect the last of special guest Tina Fey's Sarah Palin sketches to appear here as well, casting the Alaska governor as a heartening symbol of what American girls can accomplish with even the most modest flute and firearms skills. Until then, the trailer is below. Click to view
Now that Amy Poehler has had her baby and is gone from Saturday Night Live for good, the show is down to two lone ladies. There's Kristen Wiig, the brilliant if overworked performer behind the Target Lady and the wonderful Suze Orman impression, and then... well, then there's Casey Wilson. Poor Ms. Wilson has been given little to do since debuting on the show last season. Is she not making friends with the writers? Is she just not that funny? I mean, there have been some bright spots. Her brief Rachael Ray impression (video below, warning: bad quality) was amusing. So was that kind of bizarre paraplegic stripper skit she had early last season. But other than that... Well, it's mostly been the straight woman to Wiig's or the boys' wacky! characters. Maybe now that Poehler is gone, she'll get a chance to shine, thus getting more comfortable. Right now she just seems a bit stilted, a bit awkward. She's trying too hard. She needs to rein it in from the stage to fit the television. Also, she cowrote the upcoming Kate Hudson movie Bride Wars, which we're sorta counting as a knock against her (except, you know, good job selling a script, Casey. Hope you bought something nice.) But! She has a nice face and gave the wicked Sarah Palin a big ol' hug at the curtain call a coupla weeks back, so maybe she's a nice person, too. Now let her be funny! I mean, she got on the show, right? That must mean something! Though, Finesse Mitchell and Jim Breuer got on the show at various points, too. And we all know how well that worked out. It looks like it's now or never, Casey. Go buy the writers a round of drinks. Does anyone know her from her UCB days? Was she funny then?
♦ Angelina Jolie is either "burning up with jealousy" over Brad Pitt's flirtatious relationship with co-star Diane Kruger, or she's completely happy and getting ready for her next adoption in the next few weeks, depending on which tabloid you pick up. [Star, OK!]
♦ Elisabeth Hasselbeck gets more death threats than any other host on the View, news that probably won't surprise you. [P6]
♦ Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer spent last weekend at a romantic spa in Arizona. [Star]
♦ Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen appeared at a book signing yesterday, but they did not permit fans to talk to them. [P6]
♦ Page Six follows up on the news from three weeks ago and reports Ivanka Trump is converting to Judaism for Jared Kushner. She's attending synagogue regularly, too. [P6]
While it is a joyous event that comedians Amy Poehler and Will Arnett delivered their first child, Archibald, over the weekend, we recognize that this development has some downsides, too (though perhaps not the ones implied by the above "circle of child life and death" feature that is currently gracing the front page of Yahoo!). For starters, this marks Poehler's end on Saturday Night Live, as the new mother will be segueing to her still-untitled NBC sitcom after some well-deserved maternity leave. Just as devastating: Poehler's unplanned absence from this week's live taping of SNL forced the audience to sit through a third, hastily scheduled Coldplay performance. Still, at least Poehler ducked out before she had to take part in the painful Barack Obama skit that Lorne Michaels pointlessly lured Maya Rudolph back for. Take a look, after the jump:Click to view
♦ Amy Poehler and husband Will Arnett became parents for the first time on Saturday when Amy gave birth to a son, Archie. [Us]
♦ Madonna is in "meltdown mode," and asked her assistant to gather all the items she received from Guy Ritchie so she can "bury them." Guy, meanwhile, has reportedly said the couple's marriage began to disintegrate when she started planning their sex life around her workout schedule. [MSNBC, Daily Mail]
♦ Jennifer Hudson is offering a $100,000 reward for the return of her nephew, who went missing on Friday when her mother and brother were fatally shot. [People, Access Hollywood]
♦ Lindsay Lohan doesn't want people thinking she's a lesbian just because she's dating a girl. [NYDN]
As Maya Rudolph fan clubs weather another couple hours of suspense before her return to Saturday Night Live, TMZ is reporting that Amy Poehler just had a baby boy and will miss tonight's Jon Hamm-hosted spectacular. Hold your breath that she went with the name we suggested: Winston Jammer Poehler. I know, right? In some cultures (don't be insensitive) the birth of a child is best marked by four Amy Poehler sketches to rule them all. And if last week was your swan song at SNL, you earned it, Amy.Who can forget Amy's magnificent satire of her own coming unborn! It's just good to know Steve Holt will have a brother. And think of Will Arnett! When he was on the set of Let's Go To Prison, could he have imagined he'd be able to afford to see this day? It was so real when all the ladies were in the show's open that time. Dratch and Rudolph and Wiig and Poehler! Who could ask for anything more? Lastly, who can forget Amy's poignant run in the legendary sketch troupe Upright Citizens Brigade. This sketch changed the way I view life in general, and Amy 's performance as Charna McMadison is what holds it together. Her acting here in multiple roles is Gilda Radner-worthy. Click to view Then there's Amy's classic Dakota Fanning series. How confusing are these vignettes going to be for young Winston Jammer to absorb? It Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby [TMZ]
Saturday Night Live just aired its second Thursday political special, and it was a marked improvement on last week's middling debut — why, even the presidential debate skit was sort of funny! For our money, though, the extended Weekend Update was the show's crown jewel, and that segment's MVP was Kristen Wiig as the confused Republican who notoriously asserted that Obama was an Arab at a recent rally. Though hilarious enough on its own, Wiig's halting impression also reminded us of Chester from Sifl & Olly, and that's never a bad thing. The entire segment, after the jump:Click to view
Okay, this is about a day late, but what the hell, it's still funny. On Thursday, Saturday Night Live aired a special 30-minute midweek episode. Why? I dunno. But the highlight was Thursday's version of Weekend Update, in which anchors Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers discuss AIG's gala executive retreat in another installment of "Really?!" Clip after the jump. Click to view
In honor of Saturday Night Live alum Molly Shannon, whose poorly-received sitcom Kath & Kim premieres tonight on NBC, we thought it was time to pay tribute to the women who've made the biggest mark on SNL over the years. Whether it's Tina Fey, whose profile has surged since her Sarah Palin guest appearances, or an underrated player like Jan Hooks who shines in late-night SNL reruns, we have a soft spot for the women who've succeeded despite being greatly outnumbered in SNL's heavily male cast and writing room.Sadly, our list cut off at eight, so the valuable, deadpan Jane Curtain and the acidic Nora Dunn were among the SNL casualties. Other alumnae — like Sarah Silverman and Janeane Garofalo — have had career success despite their ignoble stints on the variety show, and were therefore left out. Enjoy the clip above, then make a passionate case for the ignored Julia Sweeney down below. [SNL]
The Tina Fey-as-Sarah Palin phenomenon has officially found its absurdist zenith in France (where else), where the daily paper Le Soleil recently printed a photograph of last week's Palin/Couric SNL sketch to accompany a story about Palin's "hesitant, troubled and clumsy" press-handling skills. The minor controversy that ensued had photo source Agence France-Presse scrambling to defend itself Thursday, insisting it had accurately identified Fey and Amy Poehler in the SNL still and that the caption goof was the paper's fault. But really — does it even matter?Frankly, we've never appreciated a French newspaper more than we love Le Soleil at this moment. Sure, SNL can corner the Palin impression market, but it takes a special kind of postmodern zeal to own such willful ignorance of arguably the most famous female politician going right now. We can hardly wait for the next "accident" attributing mythic, messianic public-speaking genius to Democratic presidential contender Fred Armisen. If it hasn't been published already.
Though pundits like Time's Mark Halperin are claiming that last night's vice presidential debate left Saturday Night Live little to parody (really?), it's hard to imagine that SNL would leave its ratings on the table by ignoring what was perhaps the most-anticipated Sarah Palin event of the entire election year. Now, according to EW's Michael Ausiello, SNL does indeed plan to cover the debate, which leaves it with one problem: the moderator, Gwen Ifill, was a black woman, and SNL still has none in its cast. It's the same problem the variety show has run into when covering Michelle Obama, and just as rumors flew that Lorne Michaels had approached Maya Rudolph about that role, SNL has its sights set on a very specific Ifill impersonator who's not a member of the actual cast:
Tina Fey reprised her role as Sarah Palin on SNL this past weekend with Amy Poehler as Katie Couric. What may not have been obvious, though, was that Fey was using the actual transcript of the real Palin-Couric interview last week as her script for much of the skit, as the clip here from CNN demonstrates.
Though Tina Fey has publicly voiced a desire to stop playing Sarah Palin in November, Lorne Michaels issued the Emmy winner the comedy equivalent of a stop-loss last night, conscripting Fey for a second tour of duty as Palin on Saturday Night Live. This time around, Fey and Amy Poehler spoofed the vice-presidential candidate's bungled sit-down with Katie Couric, and though the sketch will forever live in the shadow of the instant classic original (and we would rather have seen Kristen Wiig play Couric than the hugely pregnant Poehler), there were still some worthwhile bits. Our favorite? Fey-as-Palin's talking points meltdown (at 2:50 in the video). The sketch, after the jump:Click to view
Tina Fey returned her old home at Saturday Night Live once again last night to portray mind-boggling VP candidate Sarah Palin, opposite Amy Poehler's Katie Couric. In the clip, Palin discusses her whirlwind tour of NYC and the UN, and tells Couric what to do if you stumble upon a Russian on the Alaskan border. Check it out after the jump. Click to view
♦ You probably heard the news yesterday that Clay Aiken is coming out of the closet. We thought we'd remind you again since you're undoubtedly still in a state of shock and disbelief. [P6, People]
♦ Anna Wintour took the trash out of her West Village townhouse wearing sweatpants, a t-shirt, and slippers. [R&M]
♦ Olivia Palermo's role in Whitney Port's new Hills spinoff will earn her $12,000 an episode. [P6]
♦ In response to her father's recent rants, Lindsay Lohan says her dad is out of line and "obviously needs to be on medication to control his moods." [P6]
♦ Jude Law was spotted with protestors outside the UN this week, although he was acting like "more of an observer than a protestor." [MSNBC]
♦ You'd think that for $85,000-a-month, you might shell out a few extra few bucks on a maid. Apparently not. According to the Star, there's no one cleaning up after Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's kids, and their French chateau is a complete pigsty that "looks like a war zone." [Star]
♦ Jennifer Lopez raised $127,000 for charity by competing in the Malibu triathalon. She then flew directly to New York and spent $800,000 on Marc Anthony's birthday party. [MSNBC]
♦ According to the always reliable Joe Francis, Lindsay Lohan is straight. [E!]
♦ Lindsay: Please don't discuss how you're supporting Barack in November. You're embarrassing him. [NYDN]
As one of her most indelible characters, little Kaitlin, might say: "Riiiick. I don't wanna do Saturday Night Live anymore." Actress (and BC alum!) Amy Poehler is leaving the flailing sketch show for good after the election season. Kristen Wiig (who will arguably become the show's star) and Casey Wilson now stand alone as the only women on the show. Though Wilson hasn't done much so far. Can we bring back Maya Rudolph already? Or, at least, give this Wilson girl something to do so we can figure out why she's on the show? [Us]
It's a busy week for Amy Poehler. Last Saturday, she helped SNL score its highest ratings in years and then announced yesterday that she's planning to leave the show in November. Today she celebrates her birthday: She's 37. Also celebrating: Marc Anthony is 40 (although he held his big birthday blowout on Sunday at the Bowery Hotel.) Lauren Bacall is 84. Magician David Copperfield is 52. Nick Jonas is 16. Actress Alexis Bledel is 27. Mickey Rourke is 52. The artist Christopher Wool turns 53 today. Fortune's managing editor Andy Serwer is 49. Harvard professor and author Henry Louis Gates is 58. Televangelist Robert Schuller is 82. And blue's legend B.B. King is 83.
