‘SNL’ works from home
“Saturday Night Live” tried its first “quarantine version” of the comedy show, with Tom Hanks, one of the first celebrities to disclose he had the coronavirus, Coldplay singer Chris Martin and the comedy show’s entire cast phoning in with jokes from home.
“It is good to be here, though it also very weird to be here hosting ‘Saturday Night Live’ at home,” Hanks said, speaking from his kitchen. “It is a strange time to try and be funny, but trying to be funny is ‘SNL’s’ whole thing.”
Hanks announced last month that he and wife
Rita Wilson tested positive for the virus. They recuperated while in Australia.
On the show, the Oscar winner said he had to get used to learning his temperature in degrees Celsius, where 36 was good but 38 was bad, “like Hollywood treats female actresses.”
The world’s new way of keeping in contact — Zoom meetings — was ripe for satire. The show’s “cold open” showed all cast members arrayed in an onscreen gallery familiar to many working from home.
“Live from Zoom,” Kate McKinnon said. “It’s sometime between March and August.”
With Bernie Sanders dropping out of the Democratic primary race last week, Larry David appeared from his easy chair to once again impersonate the Vermont senator. “Don’t worry about me,” he said. “It’s spring in Vermont, so soon it will be up to 40 degrees. And I finally have the time to relax and finish that heart attack from October.”
Alec Baldwin, portraying President Donald Trump, called in to the “Weekend
Update” segment, although without video since Baldwin didn’t have access to makeup. The faux president noted that “every night at 7 p.m. all of New York claps and cheers for the great job I’m doing,” a reference to the nightly tribute to medical workers.
Goodies comedian dies:
British performer Tim Brooke-Taylor, a member of comedy trio The Goodies, died Sunday after contracting the coronavirus, his agent said. He was 79. Brooke-Taylor, who broke into radio and television comedy in the 1960s alongside future Monty Python members John Cleese and Graham Chapman, went on to form The Goodies with Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie. Their TV show, which ran throughout the 1970s, developed a cult following in many countries. For more than 40 years, Brooke-Taylor was also a panelist on “I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue,”
BBC radio’s comic quiz show.
Friendless for now: The “Friends” reunion won’t be here for us as soon as expected. Production on the special has been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. The special, featuring the entire original “Friends” cast, was to be part of the May launch of the new HBO Max streaming service. No taping was done before the health crisis hit, the company said Friday. The Emmy-winning “Friends,” which ended its 10-season run in 2004, made Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer into household names.
April 13 birthdays:
Actor Paul Sorvino is 81. Musician Al Green is 74. Singer Peabo Bryson is 69. Actress-comedian Caroline Rhea is 56. Actor Ricky Schroder is 50. Actor Bokeem Woodbine is 47. Rapper Ty Dolla $ign is 38. Actress Hannah Marks is 27.