by Megh Wright

Here's a brand new installment of Speakeasy featuring Paul F. Tompkins's IRL friend Andy Daly, who talks with Tompkins all about his Comedy Central series Review, juggling his career and family (he thankfully hasn't missed any of his kids' birthdays yet), his love for VH1's Behind the Music, and the "chilling darkness" of his many characters from The Andy Daly Podcast Pilot Project, which he confirms is returning for a second season soon.

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In 2015 it's a bold move to release a purely instrumental album of expertly-composed violin and horn parts. Hell, it's probably been a bold -- or rather, unprofitable -- move for at least the last decade, if not longer. Though classical and compositional works still occupy a respected place in culture, the majority of listeners … More »

by Megh Wright

Here's the latest installment of Reggie Makes Music with special guest Paul F. Tompkins, who is more than game to freestyle with Watts about doing crime, doing time, stealing pennies at 7-Eleven, suicidal thoughts, and a bunch of other stuff. Catch all the rest on Comedy Bang! Bang! on IFC tomorrow night at 11:00pm.

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There’s a line from the immortal 1996 Kids in the Hall film Brain Candy where the mega-smarmy pharmaceutical marketing guru Cisco (played by Bruce McCulloch) comes up with a tagline for a new antidepressant pill: “Gleemonex makes it feel 72 degrees in your head… all the time.”
The most recent album from Ottawa-born, L.A.-based Allie Hanlon, otherwise known as Peach Kelli Pop, has the exact same effect: after an initial spin of III, your brain will feel like a warm, sun-dappled sand dune.
III features cleaner production and sharper song structures than Hanlon’s previous two releases, and the songs are hookier, too.  She’s written odes to childhood treats and the soft moments that buoy the hearts of tuff kids: washing away your…

320 kbps | 50 MB  UL | HF | MC ** FLAC

…sins with shampoo; lovers that speak their minds; the joys of running naked into the ocean with your sweetheart. Highlights include current single “Plastic Love,” the beachiest heartbreak tune since Bleached’s “Searching Through the Past,” the surprisingly heartfelt “Princess Castle,” which pays loving homage to Super Mario Brothers and a completely faithful cover of the Sailor Moon theme song (yessss!).

Album closer “Please Come Home” embodies the best things about this record: it explores very real feelings of longing and desire with a chiming and irresistible purity. Clocking in at just barely 20 minutes, III is endlessly replayable and filled with garage-pop gems. There’s a new drug, and it’s called Peach Kelli Pop.

by Megh Wright

First it was a web series, then it was Vimeo's first original show, and now, Katja Blichfeld and Ben Sinclair's hit comedy High Maintenance is headed to HBO. According to Dave Itzkoff at The New York Times, the pay network has picked up six new episodes of High Maintenance. A premiere date hasn't been revealed yet, but could we ask for better 4/20 news than this? For more on the series, check out our interview with Blichfeld and Sinclair and complete review of the latest season.

UPDATE: HBO will also air the previous 19 episodes of High Maintenance on HBO, HBO NOW, and HBO GO later this year.

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Last summer, Andrew Field-Pickering (of D.C. boogie monsters Beautiful Swimmers) DJ'd an afternoon set under his Maxmillion Dunbar alias at PS1's annual Warm-Up series. Midway through, four NYC flex dancers (from the Flex is Kings documentary) hopped onstage to bruk-up to Dunbar's rubber band beats, their street dance maneuvers both gliding and bone-breaking, street mime shapes giving way to epileptic fits and slo-mo Mortal Kombat battles.

It's uncertain if Max D's latest track "Flex Cathedral" is a direct homage to the flex movement, but it is no doubt taken with its impossible contortions. Flex dancers can make the most jittery and agonizing of body movements look effortlessly fluid, and Dunbar has a similar sensibility at work. The extreme spacing of brittle synth strings and destabilized hi-hats (which seem to fly in from multiple directions at once like an old Joe Gibbs production) appear to have little linking them, and the sputtering snares make it almost impossible to know where each hit will land. But Dunbar stretches ligaments through the negative space and makes all of the pieces connect. Even the most broken of beats sound solid.

Roger Pasquier hunts for coins on NYC sidewalks and keeps track of how much he finds. He discovered an odd consequence of everyone having a smartphone: people don't pick up change on the sidewalk anymore.

From 1987 to 2006, he averaged about fifty-eight dollars a year. Then Apple introduced the iPhone, and millions of potential competitors started to stare at their screens rather than at the sidewalks. Since 2007, Pasquier has averaged just over ninety-five dollars a year.

I know, I know, that's anecdotal and correlation != causation and whatever, but that's an interesting theory.

Tags: iPhone   money   NYC   Roger Pasquier   telephony

Behold, the world's greatest kitchen utensil, the Nessie Ladle.

Tags: cooking   food

So much drum & bass is obsessed with vaguely sci-fi ideas of future. You know—the regulated churn of machinery, the shine of chrome, the dystopian hell that sur..

by Megh Wright

Great news, Forte fans: The Last Man on Earth has survived its first season and just landed a renewal from Fox. THR reports that the network has ordered another 13-episode season of the Chris Miller and Phil Lord-directed series starring Forte, Kristen Schaal, January Jones, and Mel Rodriguez. "We knew we had something special with The Last Man on Earth," Fox exec David Madden said in a statement. "It’s one of those rare shows that continues to add depth and dimension to its unique premise, week after week. We are so thrilled that this incredibly bold, original and inventive series has been embraced by both fans and critics, and we cannot wait to see where the creative genius and inspired vision of Will, Phil and Chris take us in season two." For more on The Last Man on Earth, check out our interview with Forte from last month.

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From the AV Club, a publication by The Onion, a list of the 100 best films of the decade (so far). Good to see Her, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Tree of Life, and Upstream Color on there, among others.

Tags: best of   best of 2010s   lists   movies

by Megh Wright

A new Tig Notaro documentary premieres on Showtime next week, and the pay network recently released the first trailer. Titled Knock Knock, It's Tig Notaro, the documentary follows Notaro on her 2013 standup tour in fans' homes and backyards with Jon Dore. Knock Knock airs on Showtime Friday, April 17th at 9:00pm.

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Moving away from cassettes to good old wax, you might expect Black Opal to be the more club-oriented arm of Opal Tapes, but so far the young imprint has mostly ..

In Alaska, people search for the cost of a gallon of milk. In Alabama and Florida, people search for the cost of abortions. In other states, vasectomies, facelifts, and taxis are popular searches. The map was compiled using the autocomplete results for "how much does a * cost"... for each of the 50 states. (via mr)

Tags: Google   maps   search

In explaining why it takes him so long to put out records, Laurie Osborne, AKA Appleblim, has described himself as a "tinkerer." If you were looking for someone..

Earlier today, the young Vegas disco-pop phenom Shamir Baily shared the giddy, propulsive new track “Call It Off.” And now, the video has gone up online as part of the YouTube Music Awards’ strategy of carpet-bombing us all with great videos at this exact moment. In director Philip Hodges‘ clip, Shamir, on some sort of […]

by Megh Wright

Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig are headed to Lifetime. According to THR, the pair recently found time in their busy schedules to secretly film a two-hour Lifetime movie called A Deadly Adoption. The movie centers on "a successful couple who house and care for a pregnant woman (Jessica Lowndes) with the hopes of adopting her unborn child — then things quickly go awry." Ferrell and Adam McKay's Gary Sanchez Productions is behind the film, and The Spoils of Babylon's Andrew Steele wrote the script. Apparently Ferrell is "a huge fan" of Lifetime movies, and A Deadly Adoption is an intentionally campy sendup of the genre to celebrate the network's 25 years of TV movies. It's expected to debut early this summer.

UPDATE: According to Entertainment Weekly, Ferrell and Wiig have now scrapped the film due to the news leaking to the press. "We are deeply disappointed that our planned top secret project was made public," he told EW in a statement. "Kristen and I have decided it is in the best interest for everyone to forego the project entirely, and we thank Lifetime and all the people who were ready to help us make this film." But, as EW points out, Lifetime could still air the movie anyway: "The only leverage Ferrell has is Lifetime not wanting to piss him off. But what difference does it make if they piss off Ferrell? He will never work again with Lifetime." Lifetime has not yet released an official statement on the news.

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by Megh Wright

Nasim Pedrad might star in her very own Fox comedy. THR reports that Pedrad has signed a talent holding and development deal at the network with the goal of creating, writing, and starring in her own show. "Nasim’s an undeniable creative force in front of the camera and a brilliant writer/producer behind the camera," Fox exec Jonnie Davis said on the news. "We’ve long admired her work on SNL and Mulaney and we think she’ll be hugely valuable to us on the comedy side." In the meantime, Nasim already has a recurring role in the works on the upcoming Fox horror-comedy Scream Queens from Glee co-creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan.

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From Amanda McCall, a selection of Ben & Jerry's flavors featuring women.

McCall made these because Ben & Jerry's hasn't done such a good job highlighting women with their products:

Over the past three decades, Ben & Jerry's has created over twenty flavors honoring various famous people, and only two of those people have been female: Tiny Fey's character on 30 Rock ("Liz Lemon's Greek Frozen Yogurt", released in 2013 ) and Olympic snowboarder Hannah Teter ("Hannah Teter's Maple Blondie", released briefly in 2009).

There are currently no female flavors of Ben & Jerry's ice cream (even Tina Fey would agree that, while "Greek frozen yogurt" is certainly a healthy ice cream alternative, it is not the same as ice cream), despite the fact that women consume significantly more ice cream than men do.

The best thing about the Butter Pecancé Knowles flavor is that butter pecan ice cream is actually the singer's favorite flavor.

"I love my butter pecan ice cream," she says, "but I also love to work out. We all have our issues. Mine is arms and legs, keeping them tight and toned. It takes work, believe me."

Ben & Jerry's! Let's make this happen! (via @amateurgourmet)

Tags: Amanda McCall   Ben and Jerry's   Beyonce   feminism   food   ice cream

When Refused reunited for a tour in 2012, it seemed to be a one-time thing. Then they fired guitarist Jon Brännström last year, which suggested the seminal Swedish hardcore band had more plans in store. As Brooklyn Vegan points out, the band has revealed some of those plans in the form of an intercontinental tour. Pitchfork also points to rumors that Refused are working on a new album. Check out the dates below, and see photos from their last tour here, here, and here.

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by Brad Becker-Parton

Oscar Best Foreign Language film nominee Wild Tales, directed by Argentine filmmaker Damián Szifron, is an anthology of six short films tackling the topic of revenge. The shorts, beginning with a short pre-credit sequence that sets the tone of sadistic retribution that carries throughout the film, each follow a structure of a seemingly normal situation going as far awry as you could possibly imagine. The craziness is triggered by violence, anger, retaliation, and personal slights big and small that turn situations on their heads and drive them to the most absurd realistic conclusion. The pieces end up bloody, gory, tragic, explosive, but always in the service of a laugh. It is a fantastically unique way to go about creating a comedy and a way that goes often unseen in American filmmaking.

Dark comedies use sadness to make mundane light moments in life have extra comedic value and campy horror films use comedy only for shock value. Wild Tales certainly has its share of shocks, but in addition to be visually shocking (at certain points), they are also dramatically shocking. We are surprised at the narrative turn the stories take and how quickly the devolve into total madness. Because of the layout of the project — six shorts each with the same structure — after the first two establish that structure the response becomes a question of how Szifron will pull off the big shock-laugh this time around and the tension that builds knowing that it will all be going to hell makes for little moments that can play to big laughs.

In addition to being about revenge, Wild Tales is also a story of class, and Szifron takes joy in the rich and powerful social elite getting their comeuppance from an ignored or outright disrespected lower class. Szifron’s clear judgement makes it easy to laugh at the characters being put through the sadistic ringer he forces them into. When a wronged waitress and line-cook with a past realize that their only patron is a local notorious mob boss, you want to call their bluff when the rat poison appears. When the Audi-driving businessman flips off a redneck from the safety of his car as he passes on a country road, of course you laugh when a flat tire a few miles down the road leads the a confrontation that ends in brutal death. By the time you realize that these small, seemingly consequence-free acts of class warfare that lead off each piece will eventually pay off with the ultimate consequence, you cringe as the inciting incident is played through.

In many mainstream American comedies, the humor and drama is usually derailed two-thirds into the film as the director attempts to ground and humanize his characters. The moment you start to feel a Judd Apatow film is starting to run a little long is the moment it pauses to ask you to empathize with his man-child leads. Szifron has no time for empathy and in this type of comedy that's all the better. He puts his characters in a fishbowl and sets the lens to them, allowing the viewer to consider their actions through his judgment of these deeply deplorable people. It is a similar to the type of filmmaking Armando Ianucci (In the Loop, Veep) employs, where he doesn’t worry about making a likable character for the audience to cling to but rather, makes his worldview very clear and uses that as the audience access point.

Szifron also takes advantage of a short film form that can be referred to as the “punchline short,” where the entire run of the short is a set up for a punchline that is usually the final beat of the film. Often times, the title even serves as a set up for what you know will eventually pay off. For example, in one of my favorite short films Gregory Go Boom by Janicza Bravo starring Michael Cera, the at first cryptic title of the short pays off as you learn more and realize what will ultimately be the final shot of the film. This is a storytelling device unique to short form content and Szifron plays with it in the feature theatrical exposition format in that the viewer eventually comes to understand a punchline is coming, so he is forced to subvert expectations of when or how.

It is also why the least successful shorts are buried in the middle of the run of show, because once the format is established, Szifron creates a higher degree of difficulty each time which is not always met. However, the establishing of the form also allows for smaller beats earlier in the piece to pay off in the later shorts in the series because the viewer comes to understand the types of consequences to come. Ultimately, Wild Tales is a fascinating study in comedic form and content. While the ultimately audience reaction goal is laughter, as it would be in any broad, raunchy comedy, the road Szifron takes to get there is unique, unexpected and original to his voice and worldview.

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Jamie xx's "Loud Places," the first single from his first-ever solo album In Colour, teams the xx's production mastermind with his bandmate Romy Madley Croft for a soft, murmuring, beautiful house track. And in its brand-new video, from directors Simon Halsall and Jean-Baptiste Fugger, the two bandmates skateboard across a nighttime London cityscape. It's as sweetly instinctive as the song itself. Madley Croft, it happens, sings on two tracks from In Colour, and fellow xx member Oliver Sims shows up on another. One track has appearances from Atlanta rap livewire Young Thug and Jamaican dancehall star Popcaan, and that one should be fascinating. That's the album cover above. Below, check out the "Loud Places" video and the album's tracklist.

The British singer-songwriter Laura Marling is 25 years old and already five albums into her career, and all of them are worth hearing. Her latest effort is Short Movie, a sprawling breakup album that shows an impressive stylistic range. We’ve heard a handful of songs from the intense, intimate LP: the title track, “False Hope,” […]

by Erik Voss

One of the bigger frustrations for those of us following SNL's 40th season is that, despite the show's ongoing ups and downs, this current version of SNL is one we want to get behind. Kate McKinnon, Taran Killam, and Cecily Strong are as fun to watch and dominant in sketches as previous eras' stars were (regardless how rosey nostalgia has tinted alums like Kristen Wiig and Andy Samberg), and the video segments are as sharply executed as they've ever been. What SNL has been lacking are an overall confidence in its assets and a consistent understanding of how to deploy them effectively.

The stronger episodes this season have featured east cast member putting his or her best foot forward. For example, JK Simmons' episode last month showcased Vanessa Bayer in a darkly nuanced commercial parody, Kate McKinnon as a skittish Ingrid Bergman, Bobby Moynihan as a dancing pushpin, and Taran Killam and Cecily Strong holding down Weekend Update with fan-favorite bits — a well-balanced use of each of their skill sets. By comparison, Dakota Johnson's recent episode seemed much more muddled, with the cast sweating through occasionally amusing but largely unmemorable setups — Cecily as Cathy Anne, Kyle as a Fifty Shades-obsessed child, Aidy with her arms in casts (again), Kenan as a Trekkie doctor — while the pre-taped videos stole the show. That's not to say producers can't afford to mix things up, but with fans still making up their minds on SNL in 2015, we need to see a cast that's comfortable in its own skin.

Perhaps that explains why I found last weekend's Chris Hemsworth episode so satisfying, despite a number of dud sketches on par with other weeks. A little Aussie swagger was just what SNL needed right now, with Kate, Taran, Cecily, and hell, even the Weekend Update guys, proving they can walk tall in a season too many have prematurely tuned out of.

Hillary Clinton Cold Open. As the 2016 election approaches, the privilege of playing Hillary Clinton has apparently fallen to Kate McKinnon (Vanessa Bayer has also capably handled the role in the past), and not since Ellen Degeneres has Kate embodied an icon with such joy and gusto. As she defended her use of a personal email account — Checkers-speeching her loveless emails to her husband and coyly calculating her presidential aspirations ("If I'm running… who knows? I am.") — I was struck by how much Kate's take on Hillary reminded me of Will Ferrell's George W. Bush, or even Amy Poehler's Hillary: less concerned with mirroring the tone and cadence (as Jay Pharoah does with Barack Obama) than with simply capturing an aspect of their personality and making it funny. Kate's Hillary Clinton is the first impression of a serious presidential contender in the past decade that I actually hope to see more of on SNL.

Monologue. Chris Hemsworth's monologue more or less got the job done, presenting the Thor star and his brothers Liam and Luke as hunky Australians, with Kenan joining them as Callum Hemsworth: "Lotta beefcake up here, ladies!" Not exactly cutting-edge comedy, but it's a step forward from the catcalling pander of Channing Tatum's home base striptease. As a host, Hemsworth followed the template set by other handsome action stars, like Tatum, and Chris Pratt earlier this season: embracing all things physical and showing a sense of humor about his good looks… even if some viewers may be doing more ogling than laughing.

American Express Ad. The show wisely tackled Chris Hemsworth's looks early on with this parody of the American Express ad (featuring Mindy Kaling recalling her unlikely success in showbusiness), with this version tracking Hemsworth's relatively easy and obstacle-free rise to fame: "I bounced around Hollywood for days. And then someone stopped me in the street and said, 'You gotta be Thor! Come with me!'" Even for those not familiar with the ad, this video came across both funny and functional, characterizing Hemsworth as a guy not afraid to joke about how much easier beautiful people have it.

Brother 2 Brother. SNL cut deep with less-attractive twins and average-looking comedians everywhere with this parody of a Disney Channel sitcom (in the vein of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody), featuring Taran Killam and Chris Hemsworth as teenage "twins" Matty and Marky who swap places… a charade abruptly ended by a teacher cruelly pointing out each of Taran's physical shortcomings to his counterpart: "His chest just goes out, it just takes up more room in the room, ya know?" While normally a sketch like this would explore the twin comparison in various beats, I actually appreciated that the script stayed as a simplified flat-joke in the classroom, forcing Taran to endure the endless torture. Best of the Night.

Empire Promo. FOX's Empire has become enough of a breakout hit to earn itself an SNL parody (with a cast diverse enough to do it justice), featuring Chris Hemsworth as a milquetoast office assistant designed to appeal to white America. While Kenan and Shasheer's antics as Lucious and Cookie might appeal to fans of the series, the sketch's racial satire didn't quite land, with Hemsworth not plain and white enough (Chip seemed like a role resident-white-guy Mike O'Brien would have been better suited for), and the beats of the parody stealing too much focus.

Spaceship. It wouldn't be SNL without at least one totally bonkers premise in the lineup, and while it seems like a reasonable enough formula for comedy to see Chris Hemsworth and the cast play straight on the bridge of a spaceship while their captain — a live chicken — roams about, clucking, it's also one of those stunts that makes some people wonder what the fuck Lorne was thinking. Luckily, in the tradition of animal sketches like "Mark Wahlberg Talks to Animals" and "Dr. Dave & Buggles" earlier this season, this one seemed just silly enough to work, with Hemsworth nearly breaking as the chicken turned away from his face, and a fittingly absurd microwave rotisserie chicken gag to close things out: (Beeeeeep) "She's done."

The Iggy Azalea Show. It's hard for me to not immediately tune out of these talk shows that mock music stars – even "The Miley Cyrus Show" and "Waking Up with Kimye" got old fast — so despite Kate McKinnon's amusing transitions between Iggy Azalea's wide-eyed Aussie and hard-core rapper personas, it was difficult to justify this as anything more than an excuse to force a dreadlocked Chris Hemsworth to proclaim "Bang Bang Boomerang!"

Weekend Update. While I've been reluctant to credit them much this season, Colin Jost and Michael Che finally won me over with their confidence, hitting an impressive stride while piling onto Dr. Ben Carson's homophobic remarks. Jost even flubbed a line – reading "36 inches" instead of "3.6 inches" in a setup about penis size that was intended to show Che's jokes sound different with Jost reads them – but still recovered admirably, earning laughs by ad-libbing "A guy can dream!" and finishing out the joke with the crowd on his side. Leslie Jones returned to the desk with her powerhouse energy to discuss the challenges of dating in New York, which turned into a rant against urban life in the winter – "These avenues are killing a bitch! I've been on Fifth Avenue for 10 hours! When's it gonna be Sixth?" — that landed about as well as any inside-NYC jokes do on the show. (SNL has always been a show by New Yorkers for New Yorkers; some of the bits just won't hit as hard with the millions of us who, thankfully, have never inhaled rat feces dust in the subway.) Cecily closed out the segment with the return of her Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started A Conversation With At A Party (VI), whom we haven't seen since the season premiere, with her always-enjoyable takes on Kardastrophies and HMOs ("Um, how about just calling them gay people?"), and tricking Che into winking at her: "Congratulations. That's assault."

Avengers. Dressing Chris Hemsworth in his Thor costume was a given for this episode — I just wish the writers could have done so in a more complete premise than seeing each of the Avengers celebrating with bystanders in downtown New York, Ghostbusters-style, making 2012's Jeremy Renner Avengers parody look actually decent. Considering the superheroes are already excessive showboats in the movies, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop here — the focus was more on Thor victory dancing than on the city being in ruins — so I had to settle for Pete as a dazed Bruce Banner saying, "I think I ate a guy."

Movie Set. If the rumors that this would be Kenan Thompson's final season prove to be true, it's not surprising to see his one-off character bits sneak into the lineup in the back half (re: "Star Trek Doctor," "Parole Board"). Here, he played the director on the set of a dramatic film coaching his actors to deliver lines ala The Jeffersons, with hammy, over-the-top reactions: "DYING?!?" As far as mission-impossible film set sketches go, this one isn't one for the books, with neither Kenan's character work nor the nods to the classic sitcom strong enough to carry this sketch for 4+ minutes.

Reality House. This parody of reality TV tropes framed roommates casually chatting about dinner as the kind of high-stakes drama you would see on Intervention, The Bachelor, or Survivor. Like most Good Neighbor sketches, the video committed hard to its genre, sometimes bypassing substantial laughs, but made up for it with weird little winks — the canned confession-cam soundbites, the big stupid nods during the choosing ceremony, Taran's literal wink at the camera as the host. For better or worse, you can always count on Good Neighbor bringing something offbeat and interesting to the mix.

Pornstar Commercial VIII. At this point, Vanessa Bayer and Cecily Strong's dummy ex-pornstars Brookie and "Supposed to be dead so shh…," should have sold enough luxury goods to put their banging days well behind them. But eighth time was a charm, with the two once again redefining the 12:50am decency standards with quips about "the sultan of brown eye" and "Something died in me!" Of course, hearing the two of them say Dolkee and Gababba over and over would have been funny enough for me.

Additional Thoughts:

• It takes a certain amount of confidence to do what Taran did in "Brother 2 Brother," considering so many of Cecily's lines clearly targeted his actual physical appearance. While it wasn't quite the "guy putting it all out there" moment that Chris Farley gave in the "Chippendales" sketch, I loved seeing this cast reach this level of comfort with each other. Between this and Colin Jost's sarcastic "good transition" ad-lib to Leslie Jones during Weekend Update, it appears these folks are starting to loosen up.
• Best: "Brother 2 Brother." Worst: "The Iggy Azalea Show." Worth It For The Jokes: "Hillary Clinton Cold Open," "Weekend Update." You'll See It Online: "American Express Ad," "Empire Promo."
• I'm not sure if this was an intentional decision or merely coincidence, but in my TV market, the Mindy Kaling American Express ad aired at the top of the first commercial break, immediately following the Chris Hemsworth parody of it. Having not seen the real ad before, this caused some momentary confusion as to why Mindy Kaling was appearing in the second beat of an SNL runner, and why it wasn't funny. I suppose this is how our parents felt when SNL first pulled its fake commercial trickery in 1975.
• Cecily Strong and Kate McKinnon were the MVPs of screen time this episode, while Aidy Bryant and Vanessa Bayer both made the most of their sole appearances in "Brother 2 Brother" and "Pornstar Commercial."
• Did anyone make anything out of Kenan's odd pronunciation of The Jeffersons? I may be reading into things, but it seemed like he was trying to crack up his scene partners. Between that and the camera cutting away early, the moment definitely threw off the pacing early on in the sketch.
• Anyone who follows Leslie Jones on Twitter probably noticed the heated exchange she got into with haters on Sunday, calling them out for tweeting some nasty things about her appearance, followed by retweeting dozens of positive comments from fans. In an age when social media feedback to SNL is especially hostile, Leslie Jones has probably faced more unfair attacks than any new cast member has ever received.
• Hillary Clinton's romantic anniversary e-mail to Bill Clinton, brought to you by (who else?) writers Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider: "Dear Sir or Madam. Congratulations on your continued marital success. I would like to schedule a sit-down at your earliest convenience. Regards, The Office of Hillary Clinton."

The show hasn't announced who will host next, but I'll see you next new episode, whenever it happens!

Erik Voss is a writer and performer living in Los Angeles. He performs at the iO Theater on the house teams Wheelhouse and It Doesn't Have to Be This Way.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY “Decision-making power over the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama…resides in the central government of China” – A Chinese Communist party official. China is fighting with the Dalai Lama over who gets to be reincarnated as the next Dalai Lama. Decisions, decisions.

FERGUSON.

THE STORY Two officers were shot in front of the Ferguson, MO police department early this morning. WHAT HAPPENED? Protesters had gathered there yesterday, after Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson announced his resignation. Witnesses say the demonstrations were mostly calm, with some arrests, before the shots were fired. The officers were taken to the hospital, and are described as being in serious condition. No suspects have been named. GIVE ME SOME BACKGROUND. The police chief is the latest in a string of city officials to step down after the Justice Department released a scathing report last week on racial bias within the Ferguson police department. The Justice Department’s investigation came after unarmed black teen Michael Brown was shot and killed by white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson last August. The shooting set off protests nationwide and ignited a debate about race and the use of excessive force in local police departments. theSKIMM After months of unrest in Ferguson, two officers have been shot and are in serious condition.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOUR FRIEND HAS TO BE TAKEN HOME FROM THE BAR… Seriously?  The Department of Homeland Security is looking into reports that two Secret Service agents allegedly drove into a White House security barrier last week. They had reportedly been drinking at a late-night party, and apparently thought it was the opportune time to check in on the boss’s house. One of the agents is a top member of President Obama’s security detail. So…great. This comes as the Secret Service is trying to recover from a few minor security lapses that have badly damaged its reputation. A new Secret Service director was appointed last month to help overhaul the agency. A for effort. Skimm This

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOUR FAVORITE SONG COMES ON DURING A WORKOUT CLASS… Game changer. The Iraqi military’s been listening to a different tune too this week, as it’s been gaining ground against ISIS in an Iraqi town. Last week, Iraq launched a major offensive in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s hometown, which is close to Iraq’s capital. Yesterday, Iraqi forces said ‘mine’ by raising their flags on strategic sites. Also yesterday, ISIS set off at least 13 car bombs in a nearby city. So the fight is far from over. Iraq hasn’t made these gains alone – it’s had help from its Shiite friends from Iran who want to see the Sunni-led ISIS go down. Iran’s involvement has raised some concerns. The Shiite-led Iraq already has a history of alienating its Sunni population, which in part actually led to the rise of ISIS. Many worry Iran’s Shiite influence will do nothing to unify the country.

WHAT TO SAY WHEN SOMETHING IN YOUR KITCHEN KEEPS BEEPING EVERY FEW MINUTES… Wish that would go away. Hillary Clinton knows the feeling. Yesterday, the Associated Press sued the State Department to force the release of emails Clinton sent while serving as US sec. of state. The AP says it’s doing this after years of asking nicely to get access to these archives. Refresher: while in office, Clinton exclusively used a personal email address that was managed through a private email server at her NY home. Critics say this gave her a little bit too much control over which emails would be made public, and which would be filed under ‘Mine.’ The AP news comes after Clinton gave a rare press conference earlier this week to try to end the controversy. It didn’t work.

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU HAVE A HEADACHE AND YOUR CO-WORKER GIVES YOU AN ASPIRIN… With or without metal? In 2010, parents around the US tossed out their Children’s Tylenol when they learned the medicine might include pieces of metal. Oops. Yesterday, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson  pleaded guilty to a federal charge that it sold the contaminated medicine. To which everyone else said ‘hope your No More Tears shampoo stops working.’  The subsidiary kept selling the medicine for a year after finding out that metal pieces were winding up in bottles including Infants’ Tylenol and Children’s Motrin. The subsidiary agreed to pay $25 million to settle the case. Luckily, no one was injured while the bad medicine was on the shelves. This isn’t the first time Tylenol has had the word “contaminated” associated with it. Skimm This

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU REALLY WANT TO PLAY YOUR “HARRY POTTER EROTICA” CARD BUT YOU HAVE TO LEAVE… We can have a rematch online later.

THING TO KNOW #Meerkat: As seen on your Twitter feed. A new app that lets people live stream to the social network. Your friend in tech is freaking out. You are not.

SKIMM LIFE Yesterday, you shared good. Real good. Thank you. Prizes coming for those who saw their names (er, unique referral ID) in lights. Reminder: this is your unique link *|REFERURL|* to share theSkimm.

SKIMM BIRTHDAYS * indicates Skimm’bassador. Cheers.  *Chase Delano (New York, NY); *Elizabeth Bacharach (Lewisburg, PA); *Lauren Siegel (Athens, GA); *Tess Ramirez (New York, NY); *Kristin Springer (Columbus, OH); *Sara Bozich (Harrisburg, PA);  *Melissa Anderson (Minneapolis, MN); *Melissa Anderson (Hopkins, MN); *Sasha Lal (New York, NY); *Tracy Smith (Atlanta, GA); *Kylie Easlon (Dallas, TX); *Kristen Rucker (Schererville, IN); Kristine Keller (New York, NY); Paige O’Brien (Darien, CT); Brooke Harwell (Nashville, TN); Nadine Levyfield (Los Angeles, CA); Hillary Coughlin (Austin, TX); Julia Briley (Gainesville, FL); Vanessa Couvrey (San Francisco, CA); Lauren Sullivan (Boston, MA); Hershel Dorman (West Bloomfield, MI); Natalie Telson (New York, NY); Courtney Regan (Yonkers, NY); Pearl Dorman (West Bloomfield, MI); Jennifer Schoelwer (Washington, D.C.); Carlina Paull-Baird (Ann Arbor, MI)

LA garage-pop project Peach Kelli Pop has an insanely catchy, lo-fi sound with an edge just below its surface. On their forthcoming third album, III, the band continues to offer their version of the 25-cent gumball that tastes sweet at first but gets tougher after its initial flavor wares off. Lead single “Plastic Love” is […]

Ryan Adams and Natalie Prass have been teaming up quite a bit during their European tour, but Adams just took it to a new level. Prass missed her flight to tonight’s show in Copenhagen thanks to some kind of conflict with Scandinavian Airlines, so Adams put on a dress and performed Prass’ songs in character […]

by Megh Wright

It looks like Hannibal Buress has finally landed his own Comedy Central series after all. According to The Wrap, Comedy Central has picked up eight episodes of a weekly half-hour series called Why? With Hannibal Buress, which will follow Buress "as he addresses major cultural issues through stand-up, filmed segments, man-on-the-street interviews and interviews with in-studio guests." The show is slated to debut this July, nearly a year and a half after Buress put his dreams out into the world by saying Comedy Central had ordered his last pilot Unemployable to series a little too soon.

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