Kristen Wiig has had confirmed plans for Saturday night for the past seven years, but will her long-running reservation in New York soon be coming to an end?
Having made the transition from sketch series ensemble player to bona fide movie star with last spring’s “Bridesmaids,” speculation about Ms. Wiig’s future on “Saturday Night Live” has swirled for the past year. According to the Hollywood Reporter, a report last week even said that she and co-stars Andy Samberg and Jason Sudeikis, who also have made the transition to film, will be leaving at the end of this season.
In her interview on Alec Baldwin’s podcast “Here’s the Thing,” however, Ms. Wiig seemed much less sure of any decision.
When Mr. Baldwin asserted that she’d be leaving this year, Ms. Wiig answered, “I don’t know,” though she did acknowledge that her contract was expiring, adding, “Well, everyone has to leave.” Still, the idea of leaving the show behind left her quite sad.
“I will say that when I do leave it’s not because I’m sick of it and not because I see something better or anything like that,” she said. “It’s just that it’s time. When I do leave, it will be the hardest thing. I mean, you know. You’re there for a week and on Saturday night you’re sad because you leave these people.”
Ms. Wiig continued, talking about the helter-skelter, rushed nature of the show and the closeness it fosters between cast members.
“Being surrounded by creative people and knowing that you’re all in it together, and you’re putting on a show, you’re all pushing this huge boulder together - every Saturday you do something that you’re scared to do - I think I will miss that feeling,” she added.
But it wasn’t all looking backward when it came to the famed comedy institution; Ms. Wiig also discussed how being on the show helped her carve out her highly unique niche.
“That, I have to say, one of the greatest gifts that I’ve gotten from ’SNL’ is getting out of my comfort zone,” she offered. “I realized, and I think Lorne [Michaels] realized probably the first handful of years that I was there, most of my characters were ladies in their 40s with short hair and weird sweaters, that no one wanted at their dinner party. The good thing about being at ’SNL,’ for me creatively, is to think, ’OK, I’m comfortable enough. I really want to try something that’s not something that I normally do.’”
As for her future beyond “SNL,” Ms. Wiig spoke about “Imogene,” which she wrote and will co-star in with Annette Bening, and some more dramatic projects she wants to pursue. She’s also in talks to co-star with Ben Stiller in “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” and will co-star with Robert De Niro in “The Comedian.”
NBC News president explains edited 911 call
Last week, NBC News formally apologized for airing an edited recording of the 911 call George Zimmerman made before shooting Trayvon Martin - but did not reveal why the call had been revised. On Sunday, NBC News President Steve Capus gave Reuters a more detailed explanation, clarifying that airing the edited recording was “a mistake” rather than “a deliberate act to misrepresent the phone call,” Entertainment Weekly reports.
NBC’s “Today” show aired a version of the call that suggested Mr. Zimmerman told police, without being prompted, that Martin was black. The unedited recording reveals that Mr. Zimmerman gave this information while answering a dispatcher’s question.
Mr. Capus confirmed that a single producer was responsible for editing the call. Though various other NBC News staffers - including script editors and senior broadcast producers - heard the recording, they were not aware that it had been edited. NBC’s internal investigation of the matter concluded that the producer simply had edited the call for length - the misleading nature of that edit was inadvertent.
Sources told Reuters that the producer in question was fired on April 5. Mr. Capus did not describe the network’s disciplinary actions, though he did confirm that “several people” involved had been disciplined.
To prevent future incidents of this nature, Mr. Capus said NBC News’ broadcast standards department is working to formalize the network’s editorial safeguards. The department is holding meetings with various NBC News shows and specialized units. Mr. Capus, too, will reinforce what the network learned in its internal investigation through meetings with NBC executives.
O’Donnell, Aykroyd to visit ’Happily Divorced’
If there’s one thing that TV Land sitcoms are known for besides their old-school laughs, it’s their genius stunt casting of television favorites.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Fran Drescher’s show, “Happily Divorced,” has booked two TV greats - Rosie O’Donnell and Dan Aykroyd - to appear on separate episodes slated for the end of May.
Ms. O’Donnell will play Katie O’Grady, an old high school friend of Fran (Ms. Drescher) and Judi (Tichina Arnold) who arrives to help Fran learn a lesson about her relationship with her overbearing mother Dori (Rita Moreno). Meanwhile, Mr. Akyroyd plays a potential love interest - described as “charming and successful” - that Fran’s ex Peter (John Michael Higgins) sets up for her.
“Happily Divorced” is currently airing its second season at 10:30 p.m. Wednesdays. The season finale is set for June 6.
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