The Friday Link for 6/19/26

Hi all! 

I have not done my favorite SNL skits from the past year, so here we go.

Disclaimer as always:  These are just my opinion, and by all means, feel free to completely disagree with me! 

#10 - Passing Notes. I do like it when the cast breaks, and no one gets the cast breaking more than Ryan Gosling. It also helps that one of the best cast members for breaking, Ashley Padilla, makes the skit better with her attempts to get control back while clearly unable to control herself. 

SNL did set this up by changing all the notes from rehersal. 

Gosling and Padilla will make another showing on this list.

#9 - The Gentlemen's Code. Connor Storrie had a gem with this riff on Victorian manlihood. As always, Keenan steals the spotlight! 

#8 - K Pop Demon Hunters. I thought the best miusical moment of the season was when Bad Bunny himself hosted and they had a fun skit featuring the singers from the movie.  That skit ended up finishing really strong! 

#7 - ICE Meeting Cold Open. Pete Davidson returns to play Tom Homan having to come into Minneapolis and try to fix the ICE nightmare that unfolded in Minnesota. The line 'we invaded Minnesota to distract from the Epstein Files but had to release the Epstein Files to get Minneapolis off the front page' is one of the most honest statements about the Trump Administration.

#6 - Weekend Update: Tucker Carlson.  Hands down the best impression on the show this year was Jeremy Culhane's Tucker Carlson.

#5 - Mom Confession. The most relatable skit of the year, as a family member comes to realize that her vote for Trump might have been a mistake, but doesn't want to give the rest of her family the satisfaction they desire from admitting she was wrong. 

#4 - Hormuz Jeff.  Will Ferrell was perfect as the only guy willing to run the Strait of Hormuz! 

 

#3 - NYC Mayoral Debate. Miles Teller is one of the best hosts they've had recently and his return featured a great skit about a debate in the insanely disfunctional Mayors race in NYC. Keenan once again is outstanding at the debate moderator.

#2 - MAHAspital! A filmed bit from when Harry Styles was host, mocking the insanity of RFK Jr.'s health care advice. 

#1 - Cyclops.  Ryan Gosling manages to get not only Ashley Padilla, but also Veronika Slowikowska to break as three clueless Cylopsi (?) must answer a riddle. Not as good as the Beavis and Butthead sketch from last season, but close. 

That's it for this week.

Please make sure to stay up to date on all of your vaccinations! 

Have a great weekend!

The Friday Link for 6/12/26

Hi everyone.

One year ago on Sunday, Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were assassinated in their home, and MN Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot, all by the same deranged man.

Speaker Hortman was a really good leader. And an absolutely wonderful person.

I'm very sad about this anniversary.  I'll make sure to light a candle for them this weekend.

For this Friday Link, I want it to be about making you smile in tough times.

I do enjoy Conan O'Brien's Podcast, 'Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend.' He has a really good rapport with certain guests, like Patton Oswalt, and here is a great bit of them talking about all the flaws of old Hollywood.

While looking at this clip, I was recommended a classic bit from Conan where he, Colbert, and Stewart have an all-out brawl over who can take credit for creating Mike Huckabee.  It's a great watch, but how about Huckabee in possibly the last time he was at all pleasant to watch or hear!

Finally tonight, Hot Ones always has some of the best reactions. Jennifer Lawrence and Shaq are always all-time gold. Here are 100 quality reactions to Hot Ones! 

That's it for tonight.  Have a nice weekend, and light a candle for Melissa and Mark this weekend. 

Please stay up to date on all of your vaccinations.

The Friday Link for 6/5/26

Hi all.

We start with sad news as Anthony Head passed away. The recognizable actor died of complications from pneumonia. He didn't do the most movies or television, but what he did was stunningly memorable. 

Most recently, people remember him as the bad guy Rupert in the all-time classic TV Show Ted Lasso. A great actor makes a great villain, and Head knew how to play this role perfectly. 

Here is the iconic darts scene with Ted.

And of course, we can't forget where most of us saw Anthony, his most iconic role, as Giles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There is an observation someone made once about acting: the more ridiculous the premise of the plot, the better the actor you need to make the story believable.  Tennages fighting vampires and yet the show hummed along. Sarah Michelle Gellar was awesome, but Anthony Head was the anchor that made that show work. 

And we can't forget the coffee ads! His first big break was the Taster Choice ads, and people forget how popular these ads were.  I remember him getting A LOT of press about these ads. 

Finally, tonight Jordan Klepper from The Daily Show went to New Orleans to talk to people about the 250th anniversary of the country, and how to celebrate it in a time of vicious divide. 

That's it for this week. Have a wonderful weekend, and please make sure to stay up to date on all of your vaccinations! 

I want you to be healthy!