‘Saturday Night Live’ Teases the Oscars For Hiring a Crisis Team: ‘It’s Not Going To Happen Again’

the 2023 Oscars -- it's impossible not to think back on last year's Academy Awards, which honored plenty of impressive achievements in film, but was overshadowed by the now-infamous incident in which Will Smith stormed the stage to hit Chris Rock in the face over a joke Rock made about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.The moment was the most jaw-dropping awards show incident since the Best Picture mixup of 2017, with many in the room wondering if it was a staged bit, before the uncomfortable silence stretched into realization. Later in the show, the awkward tension was compounded by the fact that Smith won the Oscar for Best Actor — for his title role in the Williams' sister biopic, — and took the stage once again, this time with a mix of joy and tearful apology.As Chris Rock prepares for his history-making live Netflix special,, it's expected that he'll address the incident at length for the first time publicly, as part of the standup set. So, if you need a refresher, here's a look at how «The Slap» went down, and everything that's happened since:The Slap Heard Round Hollywood happened at the 94th Academy Awards, which were held on March 27, 2022, at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre and was hosted by the trio of Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes.Rock took the stage midway through the ceremony to present the Oscar for Best Documentary, when he made a joke about Smith's wife.

Katie Reul editor Jay Weston, producer of films like “Lady Sings the Blues” and “Buddy Buddy,” died of natural causes Feb. 28 at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, Calif. He was 93. Weston first met Billie Holiday at the Newport Jazz Festival — a chance encounter that would ultimately lead to Weston producing a biopic about her starring Diana Ross in 1972. “Lady Sings the Blues” marked Ross’ feature debut and went on to score five Academy Award nominations, including best actress for Ross and original screenplay. “I read the book and I said to [Holiday’s] agent, ‘I want to make a movie out of it,’” Weston said in a 2011 interview with the Los Angeles Business Journal, referring to the jazz singer’s autobiography. “He said, ‘Give me $5,000, and I’ll think about it.’ So I gave him $5,000, and it took 13 years and many $5,000 payments to keep the rights because everybody wanted it.”

Will Smith, 54, slapped 94th Academy Awards host Chris Rock, 58, after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair — which Smith took as a jab at his 51-year-old wife’s struggle with alopecia. The tone-deaf comment inspired the actor to hustle up to the Los Angeles Dolby Theatre stage and smack Rock in the face.“It’s still shocking that that happened,” the late-night talk show host told People.

Comedian Wanda Sykes remembers Will Smith’s Oscars slap of Chris Rock well, and she thinks even Troy Kotsur, the deaf actor who won Best Supporting Actor for “CODA” last year, heard it.But did she really need to go there with it?The actress, who hosted last year’s ceremony, appeared on the 100th episode of the Sherri Shepherd Show Friday to discuss her comedy career, retirement and more. Shepherd asked her about Rock’s live comedy special coming out Saturday on Netflix.“We love Chris Rock. You have a close relationship with Chris, but are you happy that this special is coming out?” Shepherd asked Sykes.

Catherize Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas keep things exciting on the golf course.  The "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" star admitted he has to take off his pants and "whip it out" if he loses to his wife. "The rules are I have to whip it out if I don’t hit it past the ladies’ tees, which I manage most of the time," Douglas confessed to The Guardian. "But there have been times when we’re playing alone and [I] have to give her a little show because we are competitive.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Cate Blanchett recently had her way with Mahler’s fifth on screen, but she really digs her dancing heels into Sparks’ 26th — a song from the duo’s 26th album, that is — with the brand new music video for the record’s title track, “The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte.” Blanchett seems to be caught up in her own dance symphony as, rocking a yellow suit and bright red headphones, she alternately hoofs and sulks her way through the spirited track, in which tears and overcaffeination make for a natural brew. Ron and Russell Mael told Variety how a chance meeting with Blanchett at a film festival led to shooting the video in Los Angeles just two weeks ago. (The currently Oscar-nominated “Tar” star corroborated details of their surprise collaboration in a separate interview.) The brothers also talked about the pleasures of bringing the “Latte” album to the public after drawing in new fans with the recent “Sparks Brothers” and “Annette” films, and what it means to finally be playing both the Hollywood Bowl and Royal Albert Hall this summer, 52 years after the start of their recording career.

Will Smith makes a triumphant awards show return at the 14th Annual AAFCA Awards at the Beverly Wiltshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on Wednesday (March 1) in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Katie Reul editor Sara Waisglass, Jonathan Kite and Thomas Lennon will star in an upcoming holiday feature from DeVan Clan Productions, entitled “Needle Little Christmas.” The Christmas tale centers around kindred spirits Maddie, Elizabeth and Trevor. When Maddie passes away before the holiday season in a sudden accident, she is given a second chance at life to convince Elizabeth and Trevor that magic exists. The one problem? To do so, Maddie’s spirit is transferred into her family’s Christmas tree. Lennon will portray Perry, an invasive neighbor with Grinch-like reservations about getting into the Christmas cheer. Maddie must thwart off Perry while reminding her family and friends of the power of love before the last needle of the tree drops, thereby erasing her from existence.

Sparks have shared the title track for their new album ‘The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte’.The Los Angeles duo – comprising brothers Ron and Russell Mael – also announced that the song, which you can listen to below, will come with a video featuring actress Cate Blanchett at 5pm GMT tomorrow (March 3) here.They said via press release: “We met Cate Blanchett in Paris at the César Awards last year, little knowing that a year later, one of the great actors of our time (and a splendid person!) would graciously consent to lending her bootie-shaking skills to the first video from our new album, ‘The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte’. Dreams really do come true.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Brendan Fraser’s massive popularity has revitalized the 54-year-old actor’s career. It has brought him to his first-ever Oscar nomination for best actor for his towering performance in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale.” For this week’s video episode of the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, we sat down with Brendan Fraser to discuss the “The Brenaissance” and what the past year has meant to him. We also played a game called “Who’s Babe Is It Anyway?” — where Fraser guesses which of his former co-stars said a particular line. How well do you think he did? Watch the full video above. The podcast, with added guest Cate Blanchett, the Oscar-nominated actress of “Tár,” will be released on Friday.

live performances during the telecast. (Among the performers: David Byrne, Son Lux and Stephanie Hsu and Rihanna.) The list of presenters released Thursday also included Emily Blunt, Jonathan Majors, Questlove, Glenn Close, Ariana DeBose, Jennifer Connelly, Samuel L.

“Sorry I’m a few minutes late, I’m just trying to situate my lap dog,” apologizes Brendan Fraser from his upstate New York home. “Isn’t it funny in this age of Zoom, we can’t pretend we’re not at home anymore,” he laughs.

Academy Awards prepares to celebrate its 95th year, the prestigious awards show isn't without its fair share of controversy.Long before the headline-making slap between Will Smith and Chris Rock during the 2022 broadcast, there have been numerous scandals and controversies to come out of the Oscars.From reading out the wrong winner to cringe-worthy hosts and unwanted onstage PDA, ET is looking back at the most controversial moments in Oscars history:Will Smith's Oscars SlapIn arguably the biggest scandal to ever come out of the awards show, Will Smith took to the stage and slapped presenter Chris Rock across the face after Rock made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith's, shaved head during the 2022 broadcast. Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia.

Adam Sandler will become the 24th recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center Concert Hall.The star-studded affair will feature appearances from key Sandler collaborators like Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Chris Rock, Conan O’Brien and Steve Buscemi.Rather than relax after his major achievement, the “Hustle” star will continue to hustle.Sandler, 56, just announced that he’s extending his ongoing ‘Adam Sandler Live Tour’ with seven additional arena shows from April 13-21.“One more week of fun? Let’s do it!” the funnyman shared on Instagram.Over the course of the week of fun, Sandler will be stopping into Newark’s Prudential Center on April 13 and Buffalo’s KeyBank Center on April 16.And for those who can’t wait to see the “Billy Madison” and “Uncut Gems” star live this April, we’re happy to report you can scoop up tickets as early as today.Although inventory isn’t available on Ticketmaster until Friday, March 3, fans who want to ensure they have tickets ahead of time can purchase on sites like Vivid Seats before tickets are officially on sale.Vivid Seats is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.They have a 100% buyer guarantee that states your transaction will be safe and secure and will be delivered before the event.A complete calendar including all upcoming tour dates, venues and links to buy tickets can be found below.All shows are for ages 16 and up.As noted earlier, Sandler is being awarded with the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.Best of all, tickets are available to the one-night-only celebration of all things Sandler.At the time of publication, tickets can be grabbed for $309

2022 Oscars.The 54-year-old appeared Wednesday at the African American Film Critics Association Awards in Los Angeles, where he received the Beacon Award for his role in the recent AppleTV+ film “Emancipation.”The actor — who has largely been banished from Hollywood in the wake of his assault on Rock — didn’t address the scandal as he took to the microphone. Instead, Smith focused on his role in “Emancipation,” a historical drama in which he plays a runaway slave in 1860s Louisiana. “’Emancipation’ was the most individual difficult film of my entire career,” Smith declared.

Chris Rock is finally talking about the slap.

Will Smith is speaking at award ceremonies again. The 54-year-old actor attended the 14th annual African American Film Critics Association Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on Wednesday night and took the podium to say a few words. The speech marked the Oscar winner’s first in-person acceptance at an awards show since he slappedChris Rock onstage at the 2022 Academy Awards.Smith accepted the Beacon Award with Emancipation director Antoine Fuqua. His co-star, Charmaine Bingwa, and AAFCA cofounder Gil L.

Will Smith made his first in-person speech tonight at an awards ceremony since the 2022 Oscars incident with Chris Rock.

The slap heard round the world is about to get its first complete take from Chris Rock, who will finally talk about the infamous Oscars incident with Will Smith.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last week, you’ve probably heard about Tommy Fury beating Jake Paul in the much-anticipated fight. When the date for the rescheduled boxing match was first set, many speculated that it could be called off once again due to Molly-Mae Hague giving birth to their daughter just weeks before the big night.

The Mummy.The star of the 1999 remake of the original 1931 action adventure film has described in new detail the incident, which caused him to momentarily pass out after being “choked” accidentally.He told The Kelly Clarkson Show this week when asked about the time when he “almost died” on set in Morocco: “Nearly…well, I was choked out accidentally.”“There’s a hanging sequence,” Fraser continued, rising to his feet off the chat show sofa. “I was standing on my toes like this with the rope and you only got so far to go.

Chris Rock is ready to let loose on Will Smith during his live global Netflix standup special this Saturday after months of honing jokes about his infamous Oscar slap, according to reports.  The special this Saturday comes nearly a year after Smith walked onstage at the Academy Awards while Rock was presenting and smacked him across the face.  The "Spiral" star has mostly stayed mum on the attack except for jokes he has been trying out on stand-up audiences in his "Ego Death World Tour." In July, Rock joked he was slapped by "Suge Smith," comparing Smith to the former Death Row Records co-founder, Marion "Suge" Knight. Knight is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence after pleading no contest to voluntary manslaughter in 2018 following a fatal confrontation in Los Angeles in 2015.

Netflix special called “Selective Outrage.” When it airs Saturday at 10 p.m. ET., Rock will reportedly speak out about the night Smith smacked him onstage at the Oscars.A source told Page Six that “the comedian is waiting to spill his humorous take on it” in his major stand-up show. He’s already been testing the waters.

Everything Everywhere All At Once,” the trippy and moving arthouse film that was a big theatrical hit last summer, won the top prizes at both, all but guaranteeing that it will take home the Academy Award for Best Picture on March 12 at the Dolby Theatre.Momentum for what once was its closest rivals — “The Fabelmans,” “The Banshees of Inisherin” and, to a lesser extent, “Top Gun: Maverick” — is dead. There is no conceivable path to victory for any of those movies.

Cate Blanchett is a conscious fashion queen.Following Blanchett's appearance at the 2023 SAG Awards on Sunday night, her stylist, Elizabeth Stewart, took to Instagram to share an interesting tidbit about the custom black Giorgio Armani Privé number — she's worn it before!Blanchett previously wore the lace gown at the 2014 Golden Globes and at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. Sunday's take on the dress incorporated lace into a black sequin bodice, adding a fitted skirt and sleeves cut along the lace pattern, giving the gown an edgy, updated feel.

Fashionably resourceful! Cate Blanchett has given the term rewear a new meaning.

Katie Reul editor Ms. Pat is back for a third season of shenanigans as the Emmy-nominated comedy series “The Ms. Pat Show” continues. In celebration of Feb. 23 season premiere, series star Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams and showrunner Jordan E. Cooper sat down for a Variety TV Screening Series conversation, presented by BET+, to discuss classic sitcoms, getting “The Jeffersons” star Marla Gibbs to curse and tackling society’s ongoing obsession with Botox. “The Ms. Pat Show” is based on Williams’ personal life, drawing from the comedienne’s past as a teenage mom and ex-felon. Williams concurrently serves as a writer and producer on the series, which she developed alongside Cooper. The Season 3 premiere also marks Cooper’s directing debut and he helmed three of the nine new episodes.

A-list actress Cate Blanchett is no stranger to the red carpet, and her looks have caused quite the commotion over the years. Whilst many actors pull out a new outfit for every ceremony, Cate has shunned tradition and instead insisted on rewearing outfits from previous red carpets.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” the most nominated film at the Oscars, won the most SAG Awards ever with four. Final voting begins on Thursday, March 2, and it’s no longer a question about whether the A24 sci-fi comedy will win best picture but how many statuettes it will take home. Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman to win a lead actress film award. Seeing her emotion take hold of her was heartwarming and long overdue for an actress that should have already been nominated for “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000) and “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018). However, her speech may not have been as boisterous or memorable as we would like, especially for someone competing with Cate Blanchett, after winning BAFTA, Critics Choice and Globes for “Tár.” However, her co-star James Hong may have brought it home for Yeoh with his rousing speech during the acceptance for the cast ensemble.

“The Whale” star got emotional while accepting the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role at the 2023 SAG Awards on Sunday.“I’m smiling I’m breathing,” Fraser, 54, said. “That’s half the job.”The actor said that Ian McKellan told him that if he won and got to make an acceptance speech, he should “be good, be brief and be seated.”However, Fraser’s speech turned out to be much longer than the allotted time limit as he even mused about the SAG award itself.

Michelle Yeoh just won her first Screen Actors Guild Award on Sunday. The 60-year-old took home the trophy for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for her turn as Evelyn Quan Wang in . «SAG AFTRA, to get this from you who understands what it is to get here. Everyone one of you know the journey, the rollercoaster ride.

Brendan Fraser is looking sharp on the red carpet.

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” could continue its momentum and win in several film categories, including Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role (Ke Huy Quan) and Outstanding Performance by a Cast. The multiverse-hopping indie directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert enters the evening with the wind at its back, having taken home the top prize on Saturday at the Producers Guild Awards, indicating that the zany film is not polarizing voters as much as some feared.

The 29th annual SAG Awards are being handed out tonight in Los Angeles, and Deadline is updating the winners list live as they are announced. You can watch the ceremony via livestream here.

Katie Reul editor Woody Harrelson is under fire for referencing his controversial stance on vaccination and the COVID-19 pandemic in his opening monologue of the Feb. 25 episode of “Saturday Night Live.” The actor, who took to the stage for his fifth time as “SNL” host, proceeded to ramble off a story that all hinged around the “craziest script” he’s ever read. After several minutes of getting distracted talking about smoking weed, drinking and what kind of tree he was sitting under, the actor describes the aforementioned script. “So the movie goes like this,” Harrelson explains. “The biggest drug cartels in the world get together and buy up all the media and all the politicians and force all the people in the world to stay locked in their homes. And people can only come out if they take the cartel’s drugs and keep taking them over and over.”

Katie Reul editor Donald Trump was skewered for his recent press conference in East Palestine, Ohio during the “Saturday Night Live” cold open. Framed as fake C-Span coverage, “SNL” featured player James Austin Johnson embodied the former president as he gave an address to local residents impacted by the recent trail derailment and toxic chemical spill in the area. “I’ve been looking at your river, and it’s so shiny,” Johnson said, impersonating the politician. “I’ve never seen water more beautiful — beautiful rainbows and discoloration. It’s great. It’s wearing makeup, like Fenty beauty water.” Johnson proceeds to shoutout Rihanna for her Feb. 12 halftime show at Super Bowl LVII, commenting on her pregnancy. Regaining focus, Johnson directs blame at the man he identifies as the one true culprit.