Pophistory: music, movies, history, and life.
This weekend, Saturday Night Live took the idea of going back in time from The Carrie Diaries and applied it to the HBO series The Sopranos. Check out what happens when we see the cast from The Sopranos during their high school years in The Sopranos Diaries.
What TV characters would you like to see in high school? Leave your two cents in the comments.
After the news came out that director Peter Jackson was splitting The Hobbit into three films, I was among those who were skeptical. Saturday Night Live this week perfectly captured that skepticism by imagining if the director were to split the film into even more parts. Check out the funny video. {June 2014 Update: Unfortunately, the video is no longer available for embedding, but for now you may watch the SNL video for “More Hobbit” on Yahoo.}
As for me, after seeing The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), I was glad that Jackson made the choice he did. Perhaps I will grow weary of the story by the end of the trilogy, which I did to some extent with Lord of the Rings. But those like me who enjoy the world he has created probably will not mind the fact you get to spend a little more time in Middle Earth. So if you have not yet seen The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, you might want to check it out.
What did you think of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
Last night on NBC’s The Voice, the show opened with the contestants backing up the coaches — Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, CeeLo Green and Christina Aguilera — singing Leonard Cohen‘s “Hallelujah” in a tribute to those killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
The coaches, contestants, host Carson Daily, and Social Media Correspondent Christina Milian held up signs with the names of the 26 children and adults killed at the school as well as a card for Nancy Lanza, the mother of the mentally ill shooter (although it appears they opted not to hold up a card for the young Adam Lanza who also killed himself).
I am usually not a fan of the way people pull out “Hallelujah” as a tribute to those who have died. For example, I have seen awards shows use the famous Jeff Buckley recording to accompany a video of artists who passed away. The beautiful song is often overused, and despite the title and biblical references in the lyrics, the meaning of the song is not really as religious as many think, touching on love, obsession, and sex. Leonard Cohen has stated that the song “explains that many kinds of hallelujahs do exist, and all the perfect and broken hallelujahs have equal value.”
That said, The Voice rendition and their selection of which verses to sing was appropriate and one of the few times the song has been used so effectively in tribute. So as much as I don’t want to admit it, it is a beautiful tribute on what has become one of my favorite music competition shows. Check it out.
As Saturday Night Live did this weekend after its children’s choir “Silent Night” tribute opening, after the opening, The Voice went back to the usual show.
What do you think of the tribute on The Voice? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
Although there had been speculation that Kristen Wiig would be leaving Saturday Night Live at the end of this season, up until last night’s season finale, there had been no official announcement. Watching the episode, one might have noticed that there were a number of sketches where Wiig performed some of her regular characters. But it was not until the very end, when host Mick Jagger addressed a graduating class and noted one very special person was going off to be a nun, where viewers slowly began to realize that the payoff was not a big laugh but an emotional goodbye to a beloved cast member. Check it out. [Update May 2015: Unfortunately, the official NBC video that was posted here is no longer available, so below is a video about the Wiig farewell.]
Especially when Lorne Michaels came on for a brief dance, we knew it was a goodbye. There are rumors that Andy Samberg and Jason Sudeikis may be leaving the show too, but those are just rumors at this point (although perhaps Samberg’s goodbye was a sequel to “Lazy Sunday”).
As for Wiig, the music of “She’s a Rainbow” and “Ruby Tuesday” were quite appropriate. How cool is it to get sent off with Rolling Stones songs with Mick Jagger right there? The show has big shoes to fill now that we no longer will see Wiig every Saturday night like we have for the last seven years. But considering Wiig’s big hit with Bridesmaids and that she has a number of projects in the works, we still will be seeing a lot of her. So, it is not goodbye, it is “see you later.”
What was your favorite Kristen Wiig Saturday Night Live character? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)
Last night, Jonah Hill hosted Saturday Night Live, lending his comedy chops to some of this season’s funnier segments. One of the funny bits was his send up of himself and Hollywood egos. Hill, who received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the excellent serious film, Moneyball (2011), lets a camera crew follow him on the SNL set to illustrate that the nomination has not gone to his head.
The behind-the-scenes clip starts at the 1:45 mark, but you might also watch his monologue that introduces the clip starting from the beginning (well, except for a short commercial NBC makes you watch; if you are at work, turn down your speakers first). The video segment includes a funny exchange with Oscar-nominated screenwriter Kristen Wiig, and if you stay to the end, you will see two-time Oscar-winner Tom Hanks appear on the stage with his awards, “The Kick-Ass Twins.” [2014 Update: Unfortunately, the NBC video no longer works. FYI, If you are looking for Jonah Hill’s more recent appearance on SNL in January 2014, check out this link, which works as of today.]
If your sense of humor prefers someone getting hit in the groin, the NBC website has a digital short from the show of Hill repeatedly getting hit by a tennis ball.
What did you think of Jonah Hill’s performance on Saturday Night Live this week? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)
