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INSIDE THIS ISSUE Horoscopes....................................................... 2 Now Streaming................................................. 2 Puzzles............................................................. 4

Steve McQueen is ‘Bullitt’ in classic police thriller

Misinformation overload: Political thriller ‘Zero Day’ questions role of truth

Pitch perfect: Relive the 2024 MLS season during all-new ‘Onside’ docuseries

TV Schedules..................................................... 5 Top 10.............................................................. 6 Home Video...................................................... 7 Comics..............................................................8

February 15 – February 21, 2025

Live from New York: ‘SNL’ celebrates half century of late-night comedy BY DANA SIMPSON From baby boomers to Generation Z, if you grew up in or currently live in North America, chances are you have at least heard of “Saturday Night Live.” First airing on NBC as “NBC’s Saturday Night” in October 1975, the sketch comedy darling changed its name to “Saturday Night Live” following the 1976 cancelation of rival variety series “Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell” on ABC. Roll on 50 years to 2025, and the iconic improvisational comedy series celebrates half a century of laughs with a weekend-long celebration on NBC. Beginning with its regularly scheduled late-night episode on Saturday, Feb. 15, the festivities reach a pinnacle on Sunday, Feb. 16, during a three-hour prime-time special featuring musical guests, celebrity appearances and returning cast members. Both events can also be streamed on Peacock. While the 50th anniversary special was officially announced this past fall, NBC’s press team has done a fabulous job of keeping the scheduled programming a surprise for its viewers. As of writing, no specifics have been released as to who will be hosting (or if indeed any one person is), which musicians will perform or who from the 50-years-worth of cast will return to star again. That said, if the show’s 40th anniversary is any indication of what’s to come this February, fans of the series

are in for a laugh-laden treat. When “SNL” reached its 40th anniversary celebration in February 2015, it gave audiences one of the series’ most highly regarded performances in popstar Miley Cyrus’ rendition of Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.” Backed by a full band that included “SNL” cast member Fred Armisen (“Portlandia”) on tambourine, the performance helped to solidify Cyrus as a legitimate musician as she shifted her image away from that of a young Disney Channel star. There to witness the groundbreaking performance was a crowd packed with celebs including 50 Shades franchise star Dakota Johnson, pop icon Taylor Swift (“Cruel Summer”), singer/actor Justin Timberlake (“Friends with Benefits,” 2011), Star Wars film franchise creator George Lucas and Hollywood royal Steven Spielberg (“Jurassic Park,” 1993), among others. Ten years later, the list of celebrities attending “SNL50,” as it has come to be called, will likely look a bit different, but there is no doubt that the event will be one for the books. With a current series cast that counts Chloe Fineman (“Search Party”), Ego Nwodim (“Mr. Throwback”), Sarah Sherman (“Nimona,” 2023), Bowen Yang (“Wicked,” 2024), James Austin Johnson (“A Complete Unknown,” 2024), Andrew Dismukes (“The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy”), Mikey Day (“Is It Cake?”),

Heidi Gardner (“Shrinking”), Michael Longfellow (“Good Burger 2,” 2023), Devon Walker (“Everything’s Trash”) and Marcello Hernandez (“The Improvisor,” 2022) among its main cast members, alongside the series’ longest-running cast member Kenan Thompson (“Kenan & Kel”), the comedy keeps coming half a century after the show’s inception. Of course, a part of what makes “SNL” such a success is the nurturing guidance of its creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels. Also well-known for his involvement in “30 Rock” and “The Kids in the Hall,” and for writing the 1986 cult-classic buddy comedy “Three Amigos!,” Canadian-born Michaels has been a part of “SNL’s” magic from the very beginning, leading the variety series to 103 Emmy wins to date and more than 300 nominations. Now 80, Michaels is starting to give thought to who will take up the mantle when he steps down. “We’re doing the 50th anniversary show in February of ‘25,” Michaels told Entertainment Weekly on the red carpet at the 2023 Emmy Awards. “I will definitely be there for that, and definitely be there until that, and sometime before that we’ll figure out what we’re gonna do.” Don’t miss what may well be the funniest weekend of 2025 when “Saturday Night Live” celebrates 50 years laughs, live on NBC and Peacock.

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