Following the shocking and tragic death of Rob and Michele Reiner, the tributes poured in in a big way. Then, during one of the touching highlights of the 2026 Oscars, the filmmaker's friend and collaborator, Billy Crystal, brought out a stage full of stars to honor the Reiners. If you’re curious what inspired the veteran actor to pitch that memorable Oscars tribute for his longtime friend, Crystal credited one of his last chats he had with Reiner.

Billy Crystal and Rob Reiner had been friends ever since the City Slickers actor guest-starred on a 1976 episode of Reiner's sitcom, All in the Family. Crystal then began to work with the director in This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, and When Harry Met Sally… So, it’s clearly fitting that he’d be the one to honor his old pal at The Academy Awards.

On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the Monsters Inc. actor got real about what inspired his tribute to Reiner, and it has to do with Conan O’ Brien’s Christmas party, which happened the night before he died:

That’s truly so beautiful. After the heartbreaking news came out of Rob and Michele Reiner's deaths, celebrity tributes poured in from those who were lucky to know them. A-listers like Meg Ryan opened up about Rob Reiner in his “faith in the best of people,” and Jerry O’Connell credited his Stand By Me director for shaping his Hollywood career. Seeing many stars take to the Oscars stage to honor the great director is the perfect way to praise Reiner’s important message of a great ensemble of people having a profound effect on your life.

Billy Crystal made sure to mention on The Late Show the many great movies his friend made had stellar casts like The Princess Bride, Misery, Stand By Me, and more. The comedian made sure to explain why that was all the more reason he wanted the star-studded casts of these memorable movies to be part of the moving Oscars tribute:

What a lovely way to bring everyone together! With each person who got to be there to celebrate Rob Reiner’s impact on their lives, I’m sure the late Oscar nominee would have been incredibly touched by the tribute made by his friend.

You’re never prepared for the last conversation you have with your best friend before their passing. But in a bittersweet way, Billy Crystal used his final talk with Rob Reiner as a way to pass down the important message the filmmaker/actor had about the amazing people who shape your life. Based on Crystal’s heartwarming Oscars tribute, the world got to see the many friends Reiner made who, in turn, felt the same way about him.

As the 2026 Oscar winners were announced, the show paused for a moment to pay tribute to the people we lost in the last year. This segment included a major section devoted to Rob and Michele Reiner, who died in December 2025. During that moment, a bunch of actors who worked with the late director came out on stage to honor them. However, Corey Feldman was not one of them. Now, the Stand By Me actor has opened up about not being included in the in memorium.

For the tribute to Rob Reiner, Billy Crystal – who was in When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride and This Is Spinal Tap – gave a speech about the director, his work and his legacy. Then, after that, 17 actors who had all worked with Reiner came out on stage together to honor him and Michele. Corey Feldman was not there; however, his Stand By Me co-stars, Jerry O’Connell, Wil Wheaton and Kiefer Sutherland were. Speaking about all that, the Goonies actor told EW:

During this segment, Conan O’Brien, who was hosting the Oscars and was a close friend of Reiner, introduced the in memorium and Billy Crystal. The When Harry Met Sally star then came out and gave a speech that touched on key moments and films throughout the director’s career. He was the only person to speak on stage about Rob and Michele.

After Crystal’s speech, 17 actors came out together. This group was made up of performers who starred in This Is Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men, Misery, The American President and The Sure Thing, and you can see the full list of them below:

• Michael McKean
• Christopher Guest
• Jerry O'Connell
• Wil Wheaton
• Fred Savage
• Cary Elwes
• Mandy Patinkin
• Carol Kane
• Billy Crystal
• Meg Ryan
• Kiefer Sutherland
• Demi Moore
• Kevin Pollak
• Kathy Bates
• Annette Bening
• John Cusack
• Daphne Zuniga

Overall, the group starred in some of the best movies from the ‘80s, great films from the ‘90s, and a few of the best rom-coms ever made. So, it was lovely and overwhelming to see them all on the stage at the same time.

However, there were plenty of notable stars missing from this lineup. While we don’t know why some people weren’t there, Feldman did share his take on the whole situation. He made it clear that he was very happy it happened. But he also did feel like he wasn’t invited to “a family reunion,” as he explained:

Again, while the Stand By Me actor felt a bit left out, that’s not what he’s choosing to focus on.

Rob and Michele Reiner were tragically killed in December, and since then, tons of people who have worked with and admired them have paid tribute. Then, at the Oscars, the in memorium kicked off with this moment involving Crystal and lots of actors they had collaborated with, before it moved on to honor other greats we lost through a classic in memorium as well as two more breakout sections dedicated to the late Diane Keaton and Catherine O’Hara, which was done by Rachel McAdams, and the late Robert Redford, which Barbra Streisand came out for.

Sadly, this tribute didn’t include everyone. However, as Feldman said, it was still a lovely and moving way to pay homage to the great stars we lost in 2025.

It’s long been an understood truth that When Harry Met Sally… is one of the best romantic comedies of all time. Written by the late Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner, whose death we’re still trying to process, this legendary rom-com starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan is a lot of things to a lot of people. A go-to friends-to-lovers story, a classic ‘80s movie that gave birth to some of the most quotable lines of all time, a great fall film, and the list goes on. However, I’d like to add another descriptor: an iconic New Year’s Eve movie.

I know, I know, When Harry Met Sally… takes place over the course of a decade, has summer scenes, fall moments, Christmas, and just about everything else, but at the end of the day, this is an NYE movie for a number of reasons. Hear me out…

The Movie’s Climatic Moment Takes Place At A New Year’s Eve Party

From Harry Burns and Sally Albright’s first meeting to the classic “I’ll have what she’s having” scene to those adorable interviews with elderly couples, there are just too many wonderful moments. All of those take place throughout the year (or years, really), but the big scene, the one where Harry and Sally finally get together and share a passionate kiss, happens on… You guessed it, New Year’s Eve.

Everything about the final few minutes of the movie is just perfect. What starts as Harry walking through Washington Square Park (the spot where they first went their separate ways upon arriving in NYC) while looking sad and lonely, turns into a confrontation and perhaps the best back-and-forth interaction of all time:

• Sally Albright: I'm sorry, Harry. I know it's New Year's Eve. I know you're feeling lonely, but you just can't show up here, tell me you love me and expect that to make everything all right. It doesn't work this way.
• Harry Burns: I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes, and I love that you are the last person I wanna talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.

However, When Harry Met Sally… isn’t a great NYE movie simply because of its final scene…

New Year’s Eve Is About Remembering The Past While Looking Toward The Future

It’s not just the climactic New Year’s Eve scene. If anything, the holiday is about looking back on cherished moments from the past year while looking toward the future, and that’s pretty much what this movie is about. Though there were as many bad times (and awkward moments) as there were good times over the course of the 10 years they’ve known each other, they simply can’t let go. Instead, they take what they’ve learned and experienced and use it to get to a better tomorrow, one where they are finally together. However, they still can’t agree on the meaning of “Auld Lang Syne.”

Before I go, I would also like to just add that a local movie house is playing When Harry Met Sally over the holidays. Can you guess when it’s playing? If you guessed New Year’s Eve, you would be right…

Both the Hollywood community and moviegoers in general are still reeling from the shocking deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele. The pair were killed in an apparent homicide, shortly after Rob and his son Nick Reiner (the prime suspect) argued at a party. Details are till trickling out, and while some people can't believe that Nick was arrested, celebrities like Billy Crystal are reportedly rallying around their other children.

Information about the alleged homicide has been consistently coming out, including reports Nick Reiner left behind a bloody hotel room. But what's been happening with the family Rob and Michele left behind? People is reporting that those kids Jake and Romy are being cared for by their parents' Hollywood friends, as an anonymous source claimed:

One can only imagine the grief and complicated feelings that Rob and Michele Reiner's kids are feeling after their parents violent deaths. And the news that their brother was arrested for the homicide makes things all the more complicated. So the fact that they've got folks in their corner is sure to be a relief to the many fans who are following this story as it unfolds.

Rob Reiner gave a positive update about Nick just months before his death, which is another reason why the grizzly nature of the alleged murder is so shocking. One can only imagine how their surviving children are feeling, but apparently they're getting a ton of support from the loved ones the Reiner left behind. As the same source claimed:

In addition to folks like Billy Crystal and Albert Brooks, Rob Reiner is also survived by his daughter Tracy from his previous marriage to Penny Marshall. That's yet another person who Jake and Romy can seemingly lean on during this impossible time. Regarding how those two siblings are doing, that source allegedly close to the family said:

While the tragedy of these deaths is unimaginable, it's definitely heartening to hear just how much love is around the Reiner family. What's more, sweet stories about the late couple are also coming out as a result, including Rob Reiner accidentally buying his friend Norman Lear's home.

Tributes to Rob and Michel Reiner started rolling in shortly after their deaths, showing how loved the were in life. Fans have also been re-watching the director/actor's work on TV and film, showing the legacy he left behind. Hopefully that will be a comfort to the Reiners' loved ones during this time.

There’s a long list of actors who almost starred in classic ‘90s movies, and I recently found out that Billy Crystal is one of them. When I was stumbling around the internet recently, I discovered that the man who famously voiced Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc., almost appeared in one of the best Pixar movies several years earlier. And no, I’m not talking about A Bug’s Life. Instead, it’s all the way back to the start of the company’s awesome run.

In the early ‘90s, Crystal was offered one of the two leading roles in Toy Story, but it wasn’t the role of Woody the Sheriff that was almost played by the When Harry Met Sally or City Slickers star. Allow me to explain one of the biggest and craziest what-ifs in Hollywood (or at least voice-acting) history.

Billy Crystal Was Offered The Role Of Buzz Lightyear, But His Agents Told Him To Turn It Down

So, what’s the story with Billy Crystal turning down an offer to play Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story? During a November 2024 appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Crystal was asked about the story floating around about him not taking the role, and the self-proclaimed “dope” didn’t disappoint with his hilarious and honest response:

Crystal reluctantly took his team’s advice and decided to pass on the project. A few years later, the movie came out and became one of the best movies of 1995 as well as a revolutionary animated film. But, this is just part of the story. In fact, what came in the years that followed makes this story even more legendary.

When He Joined Monsters, Inc., Crystal Learned Of A Toy Story Screen Test Involving When Harry Met Sally

A couple of years after the release of Toy Story, Crystal received a call the film's director, John Lasseter, who wanted to have a meeting. As the actor revealed during his interview with Norton, Lasseter brought with him a figurine of Mike Wazowski and asked him if he wanted to lead the then-upcoming Pixar film, Monsters Inc. Not wanting to make the same mistake twice, Crystal immediately said yes. This wasn’t the only thing that happened that day…

Turns out, Pixar made a screen test of sorts for Buzz Lightyear years earlier that showed an early version of the character acting out the famous wagon wheel meltdown scene from the all-time great romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally. Joking, Crystal said if he had seen that footage all those years ago, he would have done the movie without question.

The Comedian Has Said Giving The Part To Tim Allen Was The Best Decision, And I Have To Agree

As cool as it would have been to hear Billy Crystal voice Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story cast 30 years ago, I have to admit that it’s hard to imagine anyone doing a better job than Tim Allen. And I’m not alone, as Crystal told Yahoo! Entertainment in November 2021 that he didn’t think he was the right voice for the role and that the Home Improvement star’s great and resounding voice added a lot to the character.

If Buzz was supposed to be a neurotic, nervous, and temperamental space ranger, it would be one thing, but the character’s full-of-himself demeanor and go-get-em attitude wouldn’t have been as effective with Crystal instead of Allen.

While it’s not certain if we’ll ever see another Monsters, Inc., we at least have the upcoming Toy Story 5 to look forward to, at least when it comes to Buzz Lightyear. In the meantime, you can watch both franchises and other great animated movies with a Disney+ subscription.

Andy Samberg has been a Saturday Night Live icon for years, and he absolutely crushed it while being heavily featured during the SNL 50 broadcast. Specifically, the former Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor starred in a sketch about SNL cast members all having anxiety, which Samberg has been candid about experiencing as a cast member, and it's gone viral. After the broadcast, he reunited with some of the biggest names in the show’s history and got a chance to chat with Billy Crystal. So, Samberg took the opportunity to ask about Crystal’s experience with anxiety during his time on the show, and he offered interesting insight.

After the historic television event on the 2025 TV schedule, Andy Samberg and the rest of The Lonely Island recapped their night on The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast. Samberg mentioned chatting with Billy Crystal after his “Anxiety” sketch, which is quickly becoming one of the best SNL digital shorts. He asked the comedian if he ever felt the nerves during his brief stint as a cast member, explaining:

The SNL work environment is famously intense, especially considering the stressful production schedule and writing traditions that involve pulling all-nighters in the days leading up to the show. The situation has been known to give cast members anxiety, and many have opened up about their mental health during their time on the show.

For example, Bill Hader has been very vocal about his anxiety while starring on SNL, and the experience was relatable enough to result in a whole sketch about the live-TV stress.

However, not many of the older cast members have talked about it, and Seth Meyers was curious if other people experienced this as well. He said:

Upon reflection, Samberg realized that the pressures he and his fellow cast members had during their tenures were very different from what Crystal went through in the '80s.

The Palm Springs actor explained that the When Harry Met Sally star was a part of one of the best single-season SNL casts, but it was mostly made up of established comedians at the time, who had careers outside the show. As a result, there probably wasn’t as much pressure. He explained:

This was a stark difference from what modern SNL looks like, where the cast is made up mostly of unknown comic minds hoping that the NBC sketch show will be their big break. Their airtime and ability to stay on the show is contingent on how many sketches they are in, the virality of their characters, and their ability to write sketches that end up making the show. It is incredibly tense, and naturally results in some mental health challenges.

Even with anxious cast members, SNL still manages to be funny and relevant every week. The 50th anniversary special might be over, but the show still has plenty of exciting hosts and musical guests for the 50th season to get excited about, so make sure to check out SNL on Saturday at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. You can also revisit the anniversary broadcast and past seasons with a Peacock subscription.

There are so many reasons why When Harry Met Sally… is one of the best rom-coms of all time. Not only do you get to see the A+ chemistry of Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, but it’s a perfect movie to see best friends becoming lovers and an excuse to visit Katz’s Deli, which is a famous place due to the movie’s popular fake orgasm scene. Crystal admits that fans of the Bob Reiner-directed flick still throw the film’s quotes at him, but there’s one line he’s still surprised to get and it’s not what you think.

Written by the late Nora Ephron, the Meg Ryan rom-com had some of the funniest quotes that were both witty and natural. You can’t forget lines like “They don’t make Sunday [days-of-the-week underpants]…because of God,” or “I drove him away. And I'm gonna be forty...someday!” Apparently, the male lead of When Harry Met Sally…, Billy Crystal, can’t forget either as he told People fans love to send the film’s quotes his way after 35 years. But, there’s one particular quote the New York City native still gets. And no, it’s not from the iconic Katz Deli scene. It’s “Baby fish mouth:”

While everyone loves to point out the well-known fake orgasm scene, it’s a delight to know that fans love When Harry Met Sally...’s Pictionary scene. In this hilarious moment, the entire group gets together to play the charades-inspired word-guessing game. As Sally tries to draw “Baby talk,” Harry’s friend, Jess, shouts, “Baby fish mouth!” which humorously makes absolutely no sense. But that’s what was so memorable about this scene because it’s very relatable to desperately shoot nonsensical answers to ensure a win even if your guess is a long shot. With a T-shirt out in the open “sweeping the nation,” maybe this underrated phrase can go viral in today’s generation.

But of course, Billy Crystal’s much-quoted line that’s sent his way is “I’ll have what she’s having.” This was when Harry and Sally were having lunch at Katz Deli and Sally was trying to prove that women can fake an orgasm with an uproarious demonstration out in the open. This leads to an older woman listening in the background, played by Rob Reiner’s mother, to deliver the quotable line we all know. While Crystal admitted that particular line isn’t his favorite to hear when he’s having a bad day, he still told People how touched he was that fans still resonate with that scene:

You better believe that fans are all over “I’ll have what she’s having.” Back in 2013, a flashmob recreated the Katz Deli scene on location with twenty other improv actors added to the mix to create fake sex sounds. Keira Knightley also did a parody of the When Harry Met Sally… scene for Vanity Fair’s montage of classic movie recreations. Most recently, Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan reunited to fake another orgasm for a Super Bowl LIX commercial to advertise how good Hellman’s mayonnaise is. A surprise cameo of Sydney Sweeney had the lucky actress be the one to deliver the legendary line. It proves the impact of the New York-set rom-com still hasn’t escaped the minds and hearts of fans and its cast.

It may be surprising to Billy Crystal that fans quote "baby fish mouth" to him, but it goes to show that "I'll have what she's having" isn't the only unforgettable line of When Harry Met Sally... As the Oscar-nominated movie was funny from beginning to end, scenes other than the Katz Deli moment deserve to be shown some love too. You can watch every funny quotable line in the 1989 rom-com available on your Paramount+ subscription.

The 2025 TV schedule will soon mark Super Bowl LIX, and with that annual event comes a number of commercials. Set to show up in an ad are Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, who are also joined by Sydney Sweeney. Ryan and Crystal are reuniting years after starring in one of the best romantic comedies ever, When Harry Met Sally..., and the ad revisits their iconic characters in a Katz Deli scene. Now, the veteran actors explain why they returned to stun another room full of deli patrons.

Of course, before hearing the actors' comments, you need to feast your eyes on the commercial itself, in all its nostalgic glory. Not only does it aptly pay homage to Rob Reiner's beloved 1989 film, but it also shows that his two lead actors still have that spark of chemistry. Check out how the stars faked another orgasm:

Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan spoke to CNN about somewhat continuing the friend-to-lovers story established in their classic film. The actor and comedian, who previously reminisced at Katz's Deli, has long spoken about how important When Harry Met Sally... still is to him. During the interview, the You’ve Got Mail star revealed that her desire to join the ad stemmed from it being a confirmation to fans (and to her and Crystal) that their characters, Sally Albright and Harry Burns, are still good after all these years:

As a fan, I’m with the Sleepless in Seattle actress. Even if this opportunity to revisit the characters comes with a side of Hellmann’s Mayo, I’ll take it. After 35 years of viewers watching the movie, it’s a nice homage and a lovely peek into Harry and Sally's lives today. It’s good to know that all involved believe that not much has changed for the two and that the two leads are still close. (On that note, Ryan even recently roasting Crystal over the infamous orgasm scene.)

And we have to mention that quick Sydney Sweeney cameo paired with the famous, "I'll have what she's having," line.

Sydney Sweeney's presence, while unexpected, doesn't hurt. It also makes sense why she was tapped, since she’s been making waves with rom-coms more recently. Although, I personally would’ve liked to have seen Billie Lourd, the daughter of late WHMS alum Carrie Fisher, in the spot to give the reunion that little extra special touch.

Billy Crystal went on to agree with his colleague's sentiments about reuniting. He also opened up about how their relationship was on set years ago and how it compares today:

I think Billy Crystal may be hitting on the fact that few likely expected a reunion to arrive via a Hellmann's mayo commercial for the Super Bowl, but why not? It seems like both performers were pleased to jump at the chance to get back into these prolific characters. And, as one of the many When Harry Met Sally lovers, I'm glad they agreed -- and brought Sydney Sweeney along for the ride. The commercial is super sweet and serves as a reminder of why fans fell in love with the titular couple in the first place.

The commercial will be one of the many to air amid Super Bowl LIX, which you can watch on Sunday February 9th on CBS or stream with a Paramount+ subscription.

The best Saturday Night Live stars made an impact on the classic sketch comedy series, not just because of their ability to be funny but, more importantly, their ability to act. These comedy icons would go on to prove their versatility by challenging themselves in more serious roles on both the big and small screen, going on to earn widespread praise for their craft. Here, we show our appreciation for these dramatic performances by very funny people, including some that earned these SNL stars Oscar nominations.

Kristen Wiig (The Skeleton Twins)

This one technically counts as a twofer because the eponymous siblings in the 2014 twin movie, The Skeleton Twins, are played by SNL veterans Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader. Wiig has never given a more absorbing performance than in this movie that gets honest about mental illness as Maggie Dean, who is forced to put her own mental health struggles at bay to care for her gay, suicidal brother, Milo.

Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer)

Robert Downey Jr. is already better known for his dramatic roles (and playing Iron Man in the Marvel movies) than his brief SNL stint. However, many agree that his career best so far is his portrayal of Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan's Best Picture Oscar winner, 2023's Oppenheimer, which was his third Academy Award-nominated performance and the first to earn him the gold.

Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird)

Laurie Metcalf is one of the better examples of an actor with a largely forgotten SNL stint, considering she only made a couple of appearances on the show during Season 6. She is far better known for playing Jackie on Roseanne and The Conners and for her heartbreaking, Oscar-nominated performance in Greta Gerwig's acclaimed 2017 dramedy, Lady Bird, as the mother of the angsty titular role.

Will Ferrell (Stranger Than Fiction)

Director Marc Forster’s 2006 film, Stranger Than Fiction, is still, essentially, a comedy but an undeniably dark one, as it follows an IRS agent named Harold Crick, who can hear the author of his life story foretelling his impending death. The role was one of the first to prove that a goofy actor like Will Ferrell had dramatic chops and his tender performance, one of the strongest of his career, would earn him a Golden Globe nomination.

Will Forte (Nebraska)

Perhaps the best thing outside of SNL to star Will Forte (in addition to the MacGruber movie and his prematurely canceled TV show The Last Man on Earth) is director Alexander Payne's Nebraska. The comedian shows a new rare side of himself in the Oscar-nominated 2013 as a David Grant, who agrees to travel cross-country with his estranged father, Woody (Bruce Dern), to claim a potentially non-existent prize of $1 million.

Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)

While Eddie Murphy scored a radio hit in 1985 with "Party All the Time," the moment that truly convinced the world that he was a musically talented SNL star was his performance in Dreamgirls. He received an Academy Award nomination for playing troubled R&B singer, James “Thunder” Early in the acclaimed 2006 musical.

Abby Elliott (The Bear)

Creator Christopher Storer's acclaimed FX original, The Bear, is often billed as a comedy, especially around awards season. However, real fans of the culinary series know that it is truly one of the most emotionally grasping shows of its time and Abby Elliott (daughter of fellow SNL vet Chris Elliott) has contributed to some of its strongest moments as Natalie "Sugar" Berzatto.

Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems)

While he is still beloved for comedies like Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison, both critics and audiences agree that one of Adam Sandler's best movies is the intense 2019 thriller Uncut Gems. Many believed he deserved an Oscar nomination for his performance in the acclaimed A24 movie from Josh and Benny Safdie as self-destructive Manhattan jeweler Howard Rattner.

Sarah Silverman (I Smile Back)

It was not until years after her one-season stint on SNL that Sarah Silverman became one of the biggest names in comedy with her sharp stand-up and roles in popular funny movies. However, she had never received wider and stronger critical acclaim before playing vastly against type in the 2015 drama I Smile Back as a troubled woman struggling to hide her depression and self-destructive tendencies from her husband and young children.

Bill Murray (Lost In Translation)

Many would call Bill Murray (who was part of SNL's Not Ready for Primetime Players) losing Best Actor for one of the best movies of the 2000s, Lost in Translation, at the 2004 Academy Awards one of the biggest Oscar blunders in history. His performance in writer and director Sofia Coppola’s sophomore effort as a lonely veteran actor striking up an unlikely bond with a young woman (played by Scarlett Johansson) in Tokyo is a masterclass in raw honesty and charm.

Chris Rock (Fargo)

No one was more surprised to see Noah Hawley offer Chris Rock one of the lead roles in the fourth season of his hit anthology TV show, Fargo, than the former SNL star himself. Rock – who went on to play a cop in a Saw movie called Spiral and starred in the Oscar-nominated biopic, Rustin – really turned heads with his commanding performance as Loy Cannon, who leads his 1950s-ear, Kansas City crime family with an iron fist.

Bill Hader (Barry)

When he created Barry with Alec Berg, Bill Hader knew people would think the idea of him playing a contract killer who falls in love with acting is pretty funny. That must have motivated the former SNL favorite to prove that he could bring himself to some disturbingly bleak places with his two-time Emmy-winning performance in the title role of the hit HBO series.

Kate McKinnon (Bombshell)

We genuinely believe that one of the most essential reasons why Bombshell is one of Kate McKinnon's best movies is the dynamic SNL star's performance. Her role as Fox News employee Jess Carr – a composite character based on real people involved with the real-life events that inspired the 2019 docudrama – could be written off as comic relief but she does show some real gravitas in its more somber moments.

Dan Aykroyd (Driving Miss Daisy)

Some of Dan Aykroyd's most notable cinematic efforts are actually movies based on SNL characters, namely The Blues Brothers and Coneheads. However, he would earn praise and an Academy Award nomination for his moving turn as Boolie Werthan in 1989’s beloved period drama, Driving Miss Daisy.

Andy Samberg (Lee)

When appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Andy Samberg acknowledged that a movie like Lee – the 2024 biopic about World War II photographer Lee Miller, played by Kate Winslet – is unlike anything the Lonely Island member has done before. However, not only is the SNL vet a dead ringer for Miller's colleague, David Scherman, but he excels in his emotionally heavy portrayal of the man.

Maya Rudolph (Away We Go)

Director Sam Mendes' Away We Go is a sweet, tender-hearted dramedy about a couple (played by John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph) traveling the country in search of a worthy home for their soon-to-be-born child. Carrying most of the emotional weight in the film is Rudolph, resulting in one of her most wonderfully down-to-earth performances from one of SNL's goofiest female performers.

Molly Shannon (A Good Person)

Writer and director Zach Braff's A Good Person – following a young woman (played by Florence Pugh) and her post-accident road to recovery with help from her would-be father-in-law (played by Morgan Freeman) – is led to by heavy-hitting Oscar darlings. Yet, some say the heart and soul of the 2023 dramedy is Molly Shannon's performance as the mother of Pugh's character, for which she gives her most acclaimed, heartfelt dramatic performance yet.

Jay Pharoah (Unsane)

Jay Pharoah only departed from SNL a couple of years breaking into dramatic acting with director Steven Soderbergh's Unsane. The comedian and talented impressionist is electrifying in the mind-bending psychological thriller as a mental hospital patient who befriends Sawyer (Claire Foy), who claims she has been admitted against her will.

Jenny Slate (Obvious Child)

Arguably the most memorable moment from Jenny Slate's one-season SNL stint is when she accidentally dropped the F-bomb during her first show (which she confirmed had nothing to do with her exit, by the way). Years after her time at Studio 8H, the comedian amazed critics with her beautiful and heartbreaking performance in the 2014 romantic dramedy Obvious Child, in which she plays a stand-up comic dealing with an unplanned pregnancy.

Casey Wilson (Gone Girl)

Some might say that a sign of a great actor is the ability to convey all that an audience needs to know just in one's silent expressions. For proof, see Casey Wilson's performance as Amy Dunne's "friend" Noelle Hawthorne in David Fincher's Gone Girl, in which you rarely, if ever, hear her speak but are thoroughly captivated by her body language.

Anthony Michael Hall (The Dead Zone)

In 1984, the same year that Anthony Michael Hall became a teen idol with roles in hilarious, high school movies The Breakfast Club and Weird Science, he became the youngest SNL cast member, coming on at just 17 years old. Years later, he fully reinvented himself as a serious actor as the star of USA's series adaptation of Stephen King's The Dead Zone, in which he plays a man who wakes from a coma with the ability to see the future.

Christopher Guest (The Long Riders)

Christopher Guest joined the SNL cast in 1984, around the same time his career as the most trusted mockumentarian began as one of the writers and stars of This is Spinal Tap. He had shown Hollywood his more serious side years earlier by starring in The Long Riders – a fact-based Western noted for casting real-life siblings as real-life outlaw siblings, such as Guest and his brother, Nicholas, as Charley and Robert Ford.

Jane Curtin (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)

After SNL, Jane Curtin went on to play many great comedic roles – such as her two-time Emmy-winning role on Kate & Allie and an acclaimed stint on 3rd Rock from the Sun – but did not have quite many opportunities to show her more serious side. That would change in 2018 when the one-time "Weekend Update" anchor starred in the biopic Can You Ever Forgive Me? as Marjorie, who works as the agent for author Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy).

Michael McKean (Better Call Saul)

Interestingly, Michael McKean was already an established comedy actor and had even hosted SNL before he joined as a cast member in the early 1990s. However, his reputation as a dramatic actor was never fully realized before his Emmy-nominated turn on Vince Gilligan's Breaking Bad prequel series Better Call Saul as Chuck, the delusional older brother of Jimmy McGill (former SNL writer Bob Odenkirk).

Joan Cusack (Arlington Road)

Joan Cusack became the first SNL star to earn two Academy Award nominations but both were for comedic roles, namely from 1988's Working Girl and In & Out from 1997. One might argue she deserved similar recognition for her work in 1999's Arlington Road as Cheryl Lang, who, along with her husband (played by Tim Robbins), is suspected of domestic terrorism by their neighbor, a professor (played by Jeff Bridges).

Billy Crystal (Before)

With the exception of, perhaps, the tearjerker ending of When Harry Met Sally..., it is hard to imagine Billy Crystal in a role that doesn't require him to be his signature goofy self. Thus, the comedic genius shocked audiences when he served as the star and showrunner of Apple TV+'s dark thriller Before, in which he plays a widowed child psychiatrist whose newest patient exhibits signs of psychopathy.

Janeane Garofalo (Cop Land)

Janeane Garofalo's time at SNL is largely forgotten but, luckily, did not affect her reputation as one of the smartest and most dynamic comedic actors in the 1990s. She further proved her versatility in 1997 as Deputy Sheriff Cindy Betts in James Mangold's acclaimed crime thriller, Cop Land.

Chevy Chase (Law & Order)

Chevy Chase's bread and butter on and off SNL was playing smarmy jerks. However, he really upped the ante in 2006 for his guest star appearance on Law & Order as an anti-Semitic murder suspect.

Tina Fey (A Haunting In Venice)

In addition to being the Agatha Christie surrogate in Kenneth Branagh's third Agatha Christie adaptation, you could call Tina Fey's clever writer Ariadne Oliver the comic relief of A Haunting in Venice. However, the former SNL star and one-time head writer plays the role in the 2023 mystery thriller with an earnestness that is perfectly suitable for its story and tone.

Jim Belushi (The Principal)

Jim Belushi's stint at SNL was unavoidably a constant source of comparison to his older brother, John Belushi. Luckily, he went on to have a relatively successful run with more dramatic roles, such as a man who takes a job at an anarchic high school in 1987's The Principal.

Rob Riggle (12 Strong)

Rob Riggle's brief time at SNL led to a stint on The Daily Show and scene-stealing turns in comedies like Stepbrothers and 21 Jump Street but his best role might be from 2018's 12 Strong. As he told Stephen Colbert on Late Show, he was uniquely qualified to star in the fact-based military drama, not only because he is a former U.S. Marine but because the person he is portraying, Lt. Colonel Bowers, is his actual former boss.

Randy Quaid (The Last Detail)

One of the few people to become an Academy Award nominee before becoming an SNL cast member is Randy Quaid. He earned the honor from his performance in 1973's The Last Detail as a dishonorable discharged Naval officer who is shown one last good time by his superiors (played by Jack Nicholson and Otis Young) before facing jail time.

When Harry Met Sally is largely considered to be one of the best romantic comedies of all time, and yet I had never seen it before. I’ve seen just about every other Nora Ephron-penned film, but I was always hesitant to check it out in case I wound up hating it. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case, and I absolutely adored the Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal-led flick. In fact, I loved it so much that it made me realize how desperate I am for more slow-burn, friends-to-lovers-style romantic comedies.

The 1989 film begins in 1977 when college graduates Sally Albright (Ryan) and Harry Burns (Crystal) decide to carpool up to New York City to start their adult lives despite only having one mutual friend. The car ride is tumultuous, to say the least, and the two parted ways without exchanging any contact information. Five years later, their paths cross when they wind up on the same flight, but once again, they separate without sharing information.

When their paths cross again five years later, Harry and Sally are both single for the first time in years and decide to try to be friends. They spend an entire year dancing around each other before they sleep together, complicating their relationship. In the original ending, Harry and Sally don't end up together, but thankfully, director Rob Reiner changed it, and instead, the pair end up confessing their love for each other at a New Year's Eve party.

In today’s movie climate, a film covering 10 years is largely unheard of, especially in the romantic comedy genre. If you look at any of the top rom-coms from the last five years, you’ll find that most of them take place over a few days or weeks at most, thrusting the leads into epic, fast-moving relationships with flashy set pieces and high stakes. Slow-burn, friends-to-lovers stories are seen more in television shows like Netflix’s One Day or even Abbott Elementary, thanks to Janine and Gregory’s relationship.

While it makes sense for this time of romance trope to be explored in television shows where there is more time to explore these types of relationships, the classic status of When Harry Met Sally and its ability to continue to move new audiences, like me, is proof that people do want more slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romances.

In my opinion, they’re way more believable than the “love-at-first-sight” style movies that have been dominating the genre for quite some time. I always have a hard time believing two strangers could fall in love in an instant, so movies that set up characters as friends first always work better for me. Plus, there’s just so much more tension when two characters are engaged in a will-they, won’t-they type of relationship, especially when it spans a decade.

Sure, it can be frustrating watching two people dance around each other when it’s clear that they’re made for each other, but it’s the fun kind of frustrating. And it makes the pay-off when they finally get together so much more worth it.

If it was up to me, more romantic-comedy writers would study everything When Harry Met Sally did right and implement it in their own films. Since movies take so long to make, we probably won’t see a resurgence of slow-burn, friends-to-lovers movies in the 2025 releases, but there is always 2026!

Unfortunately, When Harry Met Sally isn’t streaming anywhere, but it is available to rent on Apple TV and Prime Video. And if you’re really interested in seeing if slow-burn romances are better than love-at-first-sight ones, consider checking out Ephron and Ryan’s other film, Sleepless in Seattle -- which I watched for the first time last year.

Fans of comedy history know that Saturday Night Live is no stranger to behind-the-scenes drama and unexpected twists, especially in its early years. However, Jason Reitman’s latest film Saturday Night brought a new perspective on the first episode of the legendary sketch show. The 2024 movie takes place in the 90 minutes before the first episode aired, and shows a young Billy Crystal being cut from the broadcast a mere minutes before air time. Now, the iconic actor is sharing what actually happened on that influential night in 1975.

What Saturday Night Showed Of Billy Crystal’s Experience On The First SNL Episode

In the movie, Crystal is played by Broadway actor Nicholas Podany, who shows what the performer was up to in the hour before the broadcast. Crystal was an up-and-coming stand-up in his 20s, with great physical comedy instincts. He is seen rehearsing a sketch that took place on an African safari, and potato chips were used to imitate the crunch sound of his footsteps. Ultimately, Crystal was not able to get his sketch down to the runtime Lorne Michaels (played by Gabriel LaBelle) is hoping for, and the young comic was cut from the broadcast.

Saturday Night showcases a spot-on performance by Podany, who transforms into the When Harry Met Sally… actor. He sounds just like Crystal and dresses exactly like the performer did in the 1970s. He embodies his quick wit, and also delivers quite an emotional performance, as he is one of the few people that didn’t get a happy ending in the film. While every SNL performer gets their due, there is something so special about this storyline, especially considering the massive success Billy Crystal had in TV and film in the years following this rejection.

What Actually Happened To Billy Crystal Before The First Episode of SNL

Crystal recently sat down on Late Night with Seth Meyers to talk to the titular host about his new miniseries, Before. Meyers also asked the City Slickers star about his experience working on SNL before it aired, and eventually being cut from the broadcast. Crystal confirmed that this did actually happen, and at the time it felt like a career ender because the hype around SNL was so big. He explained:

This story is pretty close to what was portrayed in Saturday Night. Yes, Billy Crystal was cut for time on the first episode of SNL because he couldn’t shorten his piece. However, the actor was cut early in the evening, around 8:00 pm, which was three and a half hours before SNL went to air. This differs slightly from the timeline portrayed in the movie.

Adjusting this for drama is understandable and the tighter timeline emphasizes the pressure and “last minute” feel of the show. Also, if the movie kept things true to life, Crystal wouldn’t even be in the film, which would rob the audience of a great storyline, especially considering the star that Crystal became in the aftermath.

You can see this storyline and more perspectives on this fateful 1975 evening in Saturday Night which is now available to rent on Amazon. Fans of Billy Crystal can also see him in his latest project, Before, which is currently streaming with an AppleTV+ subscription. Also, he along with many other SNL alum will be at the 50th Anniversary special, which will air on February 16, 2025 on NBC, and will also be available with a Peacock subscription.

One of the most memorable musical acts on Saturday Night Live was The Blues Brothers, which were actually Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. Of course, they are not the only great SNL cast members who have surprised audiences with their musical talents. See for yourself by taking a look at this list of comedic geniuses who can also sing, dance, and play instruments.

Fred Armisen

Fred Armisen has demonstrated his skills with multiple musical instruments on SNL on various occasions, from playing guitar as Prince, drums as Fericito, or piano as Joshua Rainhorn. Outside of Studio 8H, he would perform on his other great sketch comedy TV show, Portlandia, and even served as Seth Meyers' bandleader on Late Night for a while.

Maya Rudolph

Arguably the single funniest SNL sketch led by Maya Rudolph sees her demonstrate her amazing pipes as a woman who overdoes it a little bit with her World Series National Anthem performance. The daughter of famous soul singer Minnie Riperton and composer Richard Rudolph also made a great Beyoncé on the "Prince Show" sketches and, speaking of the late artist, she is part of a cover band called Princess. She even started in music before SNL when she was a keyboardist and backing vocalist for the '90s band The Rentals.

John Belushi

Not only did John Belushi perform with Dan Aykroyd as The Blues Brothers on the Studio 8H stage but the duo also had a record deal, a hit concert tour, and led one of the best SNL movies ever as Jake and Elwood Blues. The late comedian also performed a striking impersonation of Joe Cocker, including once with the "Feelin' Alright" singer himself.

Melissa Villaseñor

One of Melissa Villaseñor's most impressive impersonations on SNL was a spot-on Dolly Parton but she had been matching the vocals of artists like Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears during her earlier stand-up days. Since her SNL exit in 2022, she has continued to demonstrate her singing talent, such as with her collaboration with Wolves of Glendale for the song "Life's Better in Spanish" in 2024.

Dana Carvey

Dana Carvey debuted his character Derek Stevens in an SNL sketch featuring a ridiculous song called, "The Lady I Know," which is concluded with the repeated lyric, "Chopping broccoli." Then and any other time he would appear as the vapid pop star, Carvey would actually play the song on piano, which he would also incorporate into his early stand-up and demonstrated in his audition for the show.

Jimmy Fallon

Before becoming a "Weekend Update" co-host, Jimmy Fallon had a recurring segment with acoustic parodies of hit songs commenting on various topics. He would go on to incorporate his musical talents into his career as a late-night talk show host and has since released a few musical comedy albums.

Eddie Murphy

After his skillful impersonations of artists like Stevie Wonder and James Brown helped save SNL in the 1980s, Eddie Murphy would later prove that his musical prowess was not limited to comedic imitations. He scored a hit single later that decade with "Party All the Time" and became an Oscar-nominated SNL alum with his performance in the 2006 musical, Dreamgirls.

Andy Samberg

Golden Globe-winning former SNL star Andy Samberg is also known as a member of the comedy hip-hop trio The Lonely Island, alongside Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer. Many of the best SNL Digital Shorts, which the group was in charge of, are their music videos, such as "Lazy Sunday" and "I'm On a Boat."

Adam Sandler

Adam Sandler would perform music often on "Weekend Update," whether it was as himself debuting original tunes like "The Hanukkah Song" or as Opera Man, recalling the week's biggest headlines in melody. The Uncut Gems actor continued to make music a part of his career with movies like The Wedding Singer and the musical grown-up animated movie, Eight Crazy Nights, as well as in his stand-up routines.

Dan Aykroyd

If Dan Aykroyd had not introduced John Belushi to the blues, The Blues Brothers would have never taken the Studio 8H stage and experienced the success they had. Outside his performances as Elwood Blues, the Ghostbusters actor also participated in the chorus for the iconic 1985 recording of "We Are the World."

Martin Short

Martin Short's most notable musical contributions to SNL happened after his one-season stint at Studio 8H when he would return as a host. However, the comedian has numerous musical accomplishments outside the show, from his Tony Award-winning performance in Neil Simon's Little Me to an insult-filled duet he and Steve Martin performed while on tour.

Kate McKinnon

While known better for her hilarious physicality and characterizations, Kate McKinnon has had a number of chances to show off her pipes on SNL. For instance, she had host Ariana DeBose in awe when she joined the future Oscar winner for a medley of songs from West Side Story.

Christopher Guest

During his sole season on SNL, Christopher Guest could be seen playing guitarist Nigel Tunfel in one of the best movies about music, the 1984 mockumentary This is Spinal Tap. The fictional English heavy metal group would reunite for subsequent performances and album recordings, namely 1992's Break Like the Wind and 2009's Back from the Dead.

Taran Killam

Very rarely did Taran Killam, who was also a MADtv cast member for a little bit, have much opportunity to sing on SNL. However, he took many opportunities to carry a tune on Broadway, performing in shows like Hamilton and Spamalot.

Ana Gasteyer

Only a singer as talented as Ana Gasteyer could impress Celine Dion with her impersonation of the French-Canadian diva enough to be invited to join her in concert. The SNL star, also known for performing with Will Ferrell as married music teachers, The Culps, has performed on Broadway as well, such as when she played Elphaba in a Chicago production of Wicked.

Kenan Thompson

Many recurring characters played by Kenan Thompson – one of the longest-running SNL cast members – are musically inclined, such as What Up with That? host Diondre Cole. The former All That and Kenan & Kel star for co-writing an R&B parody song called, "Come Back, Barack," which he also performed with Chris Redd and host Chance the Rapper.

Harry Shearer

Harry Shearer, who was on SNL from 1979 to 1980 and once more from 1984 to 1985, has demonstrated his musical talent in movies like This is Spinal Tap and A Mighty Wind. The Simpsons star has also co-written a satirical stage musical called J. Edgar! The Musical and released five solo musical comedy albums.

Garrett Morris

Before he became a Not Ready for Primetime Player, Garrett Morris was a Julliard-trained singer who performed with Harry Belafonte and did various Broadway shows. He utilized these talents in various memorable moments on SNL, such as when he performed a particularly risqué tune as an inmate auditioning for a prison theatre program.

Robert Downey Jr.

Perhaps if Robert Downey Jr. was given a chance to show off his vocal range during his short SNL tenure, he could have lasted a little bit longer. The Oscar winner and Marvel movie star recorded an acclaimed rendition of Joni Mitchell's "River" for a holiday album called Ally McBeal: A Very Ally Christmas and released a studio album in 2004 called The Futurist.

Paul Shaffer

There is really no surprise that Paul Shaffer is musically talented, given his tenure as part of Studio 8H's house band and The Blues Brothers Band and as the bandleader for David Letterman's late-night TV career. What might be surprising to some – despite making history as the show's first F-bomb dropper in an infamous SNL moment – is that he was actually part of the cast during Season 5.

Pete Davidson

Given his popularity, Pete Davidson could probably release a hit album, having debuted some surprisingly good rhymes on SNL and impressed fans with his viral parody of Barbie's "I'm Just Ken," called "I'm Just Pete." The comedian once had the opportunity to perform his favorite song, "Gangster's Paradise," with the legendary rapper who crafted the song, Coolio, for a Comedy Central event.

Jim Belushi

Years after John Belushi's death, Dan Aykroyd teamed up with John's younger brother for an album called Have Love, Will Travel. Jim Belushi would also perform with a more recent iteration of The Blues Brothers Band as "Zee Blues" and he also composed and performed the theme song for his sitcom, According to Jim.

Christine Ebersole

Somehow, SNL never really figured out what to do with Christine Ebersole, whose one-season stint is much forgotten. Luckily, she would still achieve much notoriety for her Tony Award-winning performances in Broadway musicals 42nd Street and Grey Gardens.

Cecily Strong

Before Cecily Strong left SNL in 2022, she had demonstrated her singing talent as one of the main stars of Apple TV+'s musical fantasy comedy series, Schmigadoon! Thus, audiences knew to expect some special when she ended her Studio 8H tenure singing "Blue Christmas" with host and Elvis star Austin Butler.

Chloe Troast

It is a shame that Chloe Troast only lasted one season on SNL because she has one of the strongest singing voices of almost anybody to join the cast. She wowed audiences with songs she performed as a woman posing as a young orphan named Cassidy and as Mama Cass in fake footage from the recording of "Make Your Own Kind of Music."

Michael McKean

Before he joined the cast, Michael McKean appeared on SNL as Spinal Tap's David St. Hubbins and, when he hosted in 1984, was joined by Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest for a special musical performance as their other fictional band, The Folksmen. Speaking of, when The Folksmen reunited for the 2003 mockumentary A Mighty Wind, McKean won a Grammy for its title song, and another track from the film, "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow," earned him an Oscar nomination.

Will Ferrell

Probably Will Ferrell's most famous musically inclined character is Marty Culp but we also know from a certain legendary SNL sketch that he can play the cowbell like no one else. The actor also did all of his own singing in the final act of StepBrothers.

Chevy Chase

There is a great cold open from the first season of SNL in 1976 starring Chevy Chase as future president Ronald Reagan, who tries to prove that the conservative politician and actor could still be "hip" by playing keyboard in a jazz band. The comedian actually plays the keys pretty sloppily in the sketch but that is by design, as he is a very talented piano player in real life. While in college, Chase played drums in a band called The Leather Canary, alongside his college friends Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, a band that would go on to become Steely Dan.

Billy Crystal

Despite blessing SNL with many "mahvelous" memories as a host and brief cast member, none of Billy Crystal's most memorable moments from Studio 8H are particularly musical in nature. However, there are plenty of memorable musical moments throughout his career, such as when he hosted the Oscars and honored the Best Picture nominees with parody renditions of popular songs or when he and John Goodman performed "If I Didn't Have You" for the Monsters Inc. soundtrack.

Phil Hartman

The late Phil Hartman had a million-dollar voice that he put to grand use throughout his time at SNL and in other notable credits from his career but not for anything related to music. However, at the end of his very last show, he participated in a The Sound of Music parody, singing the final "Good night" lyric in such a genuine and endearing fashion.

Jason Sudeikis

During his seven years as an SNL cast member, very rarely did Jason Sudeikis make any musical contributions in a sketch, save when he played possessive '80s pop star "Ocean Billy" in a Worst of Soul Train DVD ad or one-half of Bon Jovi rip-off band, Jon Bovi. He has since gotten more use out of his musical talent on an annual basis by hosting a charity event called Thundergong.

Nasim Pedrad

We heard Nasim Pedrad's singing voice in a few SNL sketches, such as a music video for a song about getting busy with your significant other in your childhood bedroom while staying with family for the holidays. It is a wonder why she never got her own song in Disney's 2019 live-action remake of Aladdin.

Over on Apple TV+, there’s a steady stream of satisfying dramas starring one-time movie stars who are gravitating toward stronger screenplays in both limited-series and developing shows. Cate Blanchett is confronting a dark secret from her past in director Alfonso Cuaron’s Disclaimer. Rebecca Ferguson has traded the spice of the Dune franchise for the sci-fi thriller Silo, now entering its second season. And audience members have been patiently awaiting the return of Severance, which even director Ben Stiller thinks has been off the air for way too long. That show will be back in January 2025.

Apple TV+ also has offered several talents an opportunity to show off new sides, as when Tom Holland toplined the mental-health drama The Crowded Room, or Chris Evans traded Captain America’s shield for the legal procedural Defending Jacob. To that group, we can add longtime comedian Billy Crystal, and his supernatural, psychological mystery drama Before, which premiered on October 25. In the show, Crystal plays a child psychologist and a recent widower named Eli, who is drawn into a web of confusion when a troubled child (Jacobi Jupe) arrives on his doorstep. It seems the two might be connected in a past life, but we’re only three episodes in, so there is a lot of mystery to be unraveled.

One thing that isn’t a mystery, though, is why Billy Crystal – a noted New York Yankees baseball fan – is using a Mets pen in a crucial moment in the show. As you will see in Before Episode 4, Eli needs the young Noah (Jupe) to draw something. The boy has visions, and Eli thinks they are key to what is going on. When he needs Noah to draw, he hands him a New York Mets pen. The camera lingers on it, so it’s very intentional. When I got the chance to interview Crystal on behalf of Before, I had to bring this up. And even though he’s an executive producer on the series, he swears he has nothing to do with the decision! Crystal told CinemaBlend:

Billy Crystal and I got the chance to speak before the Major League Baseball playoffs had concluded, so he didn’t yet know that the Yankees would lose to the Dodgers in the World Series. He was still pulling for a Subway Series between the Yankees and their cross-town rivals, the Mets.

What I find very funny is that Crystal mentioned this brand confusion happening once before in his career, and that’s when he had enormous success as the star of City Slickers. As he points out, this character proudly wore a Mets hat in those movies, and it sounds like Crystal caught a lot of flack for that. It was fun to gently rib him for the Mets inclusion in Before, one more time.

Before is just warming up, and will deliver new episodes through December 20, so make sure that your Apple TV+ subscription is up to date, and dig into the mystery before things really take off.

Some actors excel in dramas, others in action flicks; but there are also others whose best work happens to be in some of the best romantic comedies of all time. Nothing against Hugh Grant, Meg Ryan, or Colin Firth’s more dramatic or action-oriented work, but let’s be real for a second and admit that Four Weddings and a Funeral, When Harry Met Sally, and Bridget Jones’s Diary, as well as their other work in the genre, is why they’re so beloved.

That said, here are 32 actors whose best roles are rom-coms…

Hugh Grant

With movies like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Love Actually, and Bridget Jones’s Diary to his name (and many, many more), it’s no wonder Hugh Grant’s name comes up rather frequently when discussing the best rom-coms ever made. Sure, his work in Paddington 2 and Remains of the Day is great, but the man knows how to anchor a romantic comedy with that signature charm and wit.

Renée Zellweger

Sure, Renée Zellweger won her two Oscars in dramas – Cold Mountain and Judy – but that doesn’t mean those were her best roles. Again, they were both great, but don’t hold a candle to her work as the titular character in Bridget Jones’s Diary or her star-making performance in Jerry Maguire. More than 20 years after first playing those iconic characters, Zellweger’s work is still received with heaps of praise.

Julia Roberts

One of the queens of the ‘90s rom-com, Julia Roberts bookended the final decade of the 20th century with legendary performances in Pretty Woman and Notting Hill. Those roles, which should be revisited annually if we’re being honest, helped pave the way for Roberts’ stellar career.

Meg Ryan

It’s impossible to put together a list of Meg Ryan’s best movies and not include the likes of When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and You’ve Got Mail, to name a few. The rom-com mainstay, who shared the screen with Tom Hanks, Billy Crystal, and Kevin Kline over the years, has given us unforgettable moments and more beloved characters than just about anyone.

Cameron Diaz

My Best Friend’s Wedding, There’s Something About Mary, The Holiday, The Sweetest Thing, and countless other romantic comedies made Cameron Diaz one of the biggest stars of the past 30 years. The actress has shown off her more dramatic roles in everything from Any Given Sunday and Being John Malkovich, but her performances in those rom-coms can’t be touched.

Drew Barrymore

Long before Drew Barrymore became one of the premier names in the world of daytime talk shows, she held it down in the rom-com circuit. Fever Pitch, Never Been Kissed, 50 First Dates, and The Wedding Singer are just some of Barrymore’s best romantic comedies. And while she does have a killer scene in the opening minutes of Scream, these are her most memorable performances.

Colin Firth

As much as we love watching Colin Firth play Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice, his more modern take on the character in Bridget Jones’s Diary is the stuff of legend. Firth, a tremendous dramatic actor in his own right, has been a staple of the romantic comedy over the years thanks in part to those Bridget Jones movies, Mamma Mia!, and Love Actually. However, don’t let this take away from the greatness of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or The King’s Speech.

Billy Crystal

When Harry Met Sally is one of the first movies to come to mind whenever the topic of hilarious Billy Crystal movies comes up. Filled with some of the funniest lines (and others filled with heartbreak and emotion), Crystal’s work in the rom-com genre is absolutely fantastic, be it movies like America’s Sweethearts or Forget Paris. And The Princess Bride sort of counts, right?

Cary Grant

Few Hollywood leading men have a resume as great as Cary Grant, an actor who appeared in dozens of romantic comedies over the years. Charade, The Philadelphia Story, Holiday, and so many others have long cemented Grant’s place in the annuls of rom-com history, and those hilarious and heartfelt performances are still cherished many years after his death.

Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin was the king of the silent film and an actor who could do anything from drama to slapstick to romantic comedy better than just about every single one of his contemporaries. Chaplin’s 1931 rom-com, City Lights, helped define the genre and has been a benchmark for nearly 100 years.

Nia Long

Nia Long has so many great movies to her name, including Friday, Boyz n the Hood, Big Momma’s House, and Soul Food. This also includes some all-time great romantic comedies from the ‘90s like Love Jones, The Best Man, and Hav Plenty. Though her name doesn’t come up as much as it should, Long is still in a league of her own.

Diane Keaton

Diane Keaton won an Oscar for her titular in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, but the talented actress has several other iconic rom-coms to her name. Something’s Gotta Give, Manhattan, The Family Stone, and Baby Boom all show off the incredible skill and nuance of this once-in-a-generation actress. And this is coming from someone who thinks The Godfather is one of the top five movies of all time.

Audrey Hepburn

Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Charade, Sabrina, Roman Holiday, and My Fair Lady are all some of the funniest movies of the 20th century, and all happen to feature the unmatched talent of Audrey Hepburn in iconic roles. The late actress had a great number of dramatic roles over the years, but her charm and charisma seen in these rom-coms made her one of the all-time greats.

Constance Wu

Constance Wu has all kinds of great film and TV roles on her resume, but for some, she’ll always be remembered for her portrayal of Rachel Chu in Crazy Rich Asians. The massively popular romantic comedy about a Chinese-American NYU professor learning her boyfriend is a member of the richest and most powerful family in Singapore still hits more than a half-decade after its release.

Richard Gere

Though Richard Gere has killed it in dramas like An Officer and a Gentleman and musicals like Chicago, those performances don’t hold a candle to, at least culturally, to his role as Edward Lewis in Pretty Woman. Gere and co-star Julia Roberts would rekindle that spark less than a decade later with another great rom-com, Runaway Bride.

Reese Witherspoon

The Importance of Being Earnest, Sweeet Home Alabama, and Legally Blonde all allowed Reese Witherspoon to show off comedic skills in romantic comedies, and those roles remain some of her best. Sure, she won an Oscar for Walk the Line, but there’s no touching Elle Woods.

Henry Golding

Henry Golding had already had some success by the time he was cast as the uber-wealthy Nick Young in Crazy Rich Asians, but his performance in the 2018 romantic comedy sent him to the next level. He’s found success in movies like The Gentlemen and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare since then, but his rom-com performance is still his best.

Eva Mendes

Eva Mendes has long killed it in comedies, romance movies, and romantic comedies. Take Hitch for example. The 2005 rom-com starring Will Smith as a professional “date doctor” who meets his match in Mendes’ character was so much fun and allowed the actress to show off all of her skills in a fun and meaningful way.

Sandra Bullock

While You Were Sleeping, Hope Floats, The Proposal, and Two Weeks Notice are just a few of Sandra Bullock’s all-time great romantic comedies. The Academy Award-winning actress has long been one of the best to attempt the genre, and she’ll have a long-lasting legacy because of those strong, vulnerable, and incredibly relatable characters.

Michael Ealy

Over the years, Michael Ealy has put together a crazy good filmography, one that is filled with medical dramas and thrillers, action flicks and comedies, etc. But let’s not forget all the great work he’s done in the world of romantic comedies. Kissing Jessica Stein, Think Like a Man, and About Last Night have all shown what the talented actor is working with.

Adam Sandler

Though not the prototypical romantic lead, there are so many great Adam Sandler rom-coms out there. From The Wedding Singer to Punch-Drunk Love and 50 First Dates to Spanglish there’s so much variety and fun to be had with his stellar filmography.

Jennifer Garner

13 Going on 30, anyone? Jennifer Garner became one of the queens of the rom-com with the release of her 2004 comedy about a young girl who is transformed into a 30-year-old magazine editor and undergoes a massive transformation (both physically and emotionally). She’s also appeared in other great comedies of the era like Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and Love, Simon, to name a few.

Woody Allen

Woody Allen’s monologue in the opening minutes of Manhattan is honestly one of the best cinematic moments of the ‘70s and features some of Allen’s best writing. That’s saying something considering the writer-director-actor has been a part of so many great rom-coms over the years. Annie Hall, Midnight in Paris, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and Hannah and her Sisters have made us laugh, cry, and feel everything in between over the past 50-plus years.

Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway’s name doesn’t come up in the rom-com discussion as much as it should, which is a shame considering the Oscar-winning actress has killed it in movies like The Princess Diaries, Ella Enchanted, Love & Other Drugs, and so many others. Yeah, she was great in Interstellar and Les Misérables, but there’s no denying her performances in these romantic comedies.

Morris Chestnut

Okay, Morris Chestnut was AMAZING in Boyz n the Hood with his portrayal of Ricky Baker, but the man has become a legend in the rom-com game over the past few decades. Two Can Play That Game, The Best Man, The Brothers, The Perfect Holiday, Breakin’ All the Rules are all classics, thanks in no small part to Chestnut’s performances.

Rachel McAdams

Rachel McAdams’ career has been full of swirling tales of romance like The Notebook, The Vow, and Disobedience, but some of her best work has been in romantic comedies. Wedding Crashers and Midnight in Paris quickly come to mind, but her best performance can be found in About Time, an incredibly emotional and hilarious story of love, loss, and second chances.

John Cusack

Look at the best John Cusack movies and you’ll see iconic rom-coms like High Fidelity, Say Anything, Serendipity, Better Off Dead, and America’s Sweethearts. The vulnerability and likeability of the Hollywood star have made those movies, and the beloved characters he plays in each of them, such gems over the years.

Kate Hudson

Kate Hudson is amazing when it comes to roles in romantic comedies, and few could come close to her batting average in the early-to-mid 2000s. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, My Best Friend’s Girl, Something Borrowed, and A Little Bit of Heaven all come to mind in this regard.

Taye Diggs

Taye Diggs has done it all, but he’s excelled tremendously in the rom-com world. Movies like The Wood, The Best Man, Brown Sugar, and How Stella Got Her Groove Back have shown just how charming and funny the classically trained actor can be.

Ben Stiller

Though an unlikely leading man in the realm of romantic comedies, Ben Still has long excelled in the genre. Over the years, we’ve had sensational comedies like There’s Something About Mary, Along Came Polly, Keeping the Faith, and even Reality Bites that have allowed the comedian-actor-writer-director to show off what he’s working with, and it’s been great all along.

Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston will always be remembered for her portrayal of Rachel Green on Friends, but let’s not forget that she has also been a longtime staple of the romantic comedy genre. The Break-up, Wanderlust, Just Go With It, The Switch, Rumor Has It, and several others have been perfect movies for Aniston to show off her skills.

Patrick Dempsey

From Can’t Buy Me Love to Made of Honor and everything in between, Patrick Dempsey has been a tour de force in the world of romantic comedies. He’s done great work on TV and in big-screen dramas over the years, but he particularly excels in the rom-com genre.

When a performer says goodbye to the Saturday Night Live cast, it does not necessarily mean forever. Often, the sketch comedy TV show will invite an esteemed alum to appear in an episode either as a special guest or as a headliner, sometimes resulting in a hall-of-fame hosting gig. The following are some of our favorite times a former SNL star made a grand impression when they came back to Studio 8H.

Eddie Murphy

After leaving SNL in 1984, Eddie Murphy came back to host (actually his second time, having hosted while still on the cast in 1982) for an episode later that year, on which he debuted, arguably, his best SNL sketch, "White Like Me." After being honored at the 40th anniversary special, the Academy Award nominee came back to host a third time, resulting in one of the most acclaimed episodes of Season 45.

Ben Stiller

You might have forgotten that Ben Stiller was a cast member since he only lasted four episodes in 1989, which he acknowledged when he first came back to host in 1998 after becoming a bigger name in comedy. He would return to host again 2011 in, followed by a series of recurring appearances as Donald Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, in 2018.

Norm Macdonald

Famously, Norm Macdonald was fired from the SNL cast in 1998 for, as the NBC executives at the time claimed, not being funny. Just a year and a half later, he came back to host an episode, during which he joked in his monologue that he had not gotten any funnier but the show had gotten "really bad" since his exit.

Robert Downey Jr.

Before becoming one of the most beloved A-list actors in Hollywood, Robert Downey Jr. was one of the most heavily criticized cast members from one of the most heavily criticized seasons of SNL from 1985 to 1986. He only came back to host once in 1996, during which he proved was the supremely talented performer we know and love and, eventually, became the first former SNL cast member to win an Oscar for Oppenheimer in 2024.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Julia Louis-Dreyfus would not become a comedy icon until after her three-year stint at Studio 8H from 1982 to 1985 when she joined the Seinfeld cast as Elaine Benes. In 2006, fresh off her Emmy win for The New Adventures of Old Christine, she became the first female former SNL cast member to return as a host, which she would follow with two more gigs.

Jimmy Fallon

After a successful six years at SNL from 1998 to 2004, Jimmy Fallon would return for three hosting gigs and countless cameos. Each time the late-night TV host comes back to Studio 8H tends to be a celebrated affair, especially because there is a good chance that his friend, Justin Timberlake, will show up to participate in a new edition of "The Barry Gibb Talk Show" or some other sketch.

John Mulaney

While he was never part of the SNL cast, John Mulaney would perform a few funny segments on "Weekend Update" during his five years on the writing staff. He would later become one of the biggest names in stand-up comedy and such a beloved host that he joined the Five-Timers Club within only four years.

Dan Aykroyd

Sometimes, for a cast veteran, the key to a memorable hosting gig is to wait an exceptionally long time to come back as an SNL host, much like Dan Aykroyd did. The legendary, Canadian-American comedy star, known for sketches like “The Coneheads” and “Super Bass-o-Matic ‘76” from his tenure as a Not Ready for Primetime Player, headlined an episode in 2003, more than two decades after leaving the show.

Sarah Silverman

Sarah Silverman is actually one of several SNL cast members who only lasted one season but still ended up becoming a huge success in the end. Two decades after she was let go from the series, the acclaimed comedian hosted a funny episode from Season 40.

Martin Short

It is hard to believe that a performer like Martin Short was only an SNL cast member for one season but he has, luckily, continued to demonstrate his dynamic comedic talents through memorable hosting gigs. His first hosting gig from 1986 was shared with his Three Amigos co-stars, Chevy Chase and Steve Martin – the latter of which he would co-host with again in 2022.

Adam Sandler

Surprisingly, despite making a couple of cameos over the years, Adam Sandler would not host SNL until 2019, which resulted in an instant favorite episode in which he sang two memorable songs. The former "SNL Bad Boy's" first tune (including a Chris Rock appearance) was during his monologue and discussed how he was fired after four seasons in 1995 and the other was a tribute to Chris Farley.

Kate McKinnon

After 10 wonderful years at SNL, the great Kate McKinnon would return a year and a half later to host the last episode of 2023, which proved to be a very successful episode, and not just because it featured cameos by Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and her Barbie director, Greta Gerwig. Also, in Season 49, she would also come back for one more appearance as alien abduction victim Colleen Rafferty to make host Ryan Gosling laugh uncontrollably once again.

Chevy Chase

Only two weeks after his final episode as an SNL cast member, Chevy Chase made a hilarious, self-mocking cameo in the cold open as himself, performing music for tips outside of 30 Rock. He would continue to return for more cameos and eventually became the first host to join the Five-Timers Club before the idea of it had been suggested by Tom Hanks.

Billy Crystal

In a unique twist on this topic, Billy Crystal was actually meant to appear on the very first episode of SNL in 1975 but was ultimately cut for time, as depicted in the 2024 movie Saturday Night. As his notoriety increased, the comedian was asked to host twice in 1984 before being hired later that year as a cast member, during which he lit up the screen with his impersonation of Fernando Lamas and other notable characters.

Tina Fey

Having served as both "Weekend Update" host and head writer near the end of her nine-year tenure, Tina Fey was a true SNL MVP but some of her most memorable moments on the show occurred after her 2006 exit. Prior to her Five-Timers Club induction, the 30 Rock creator and star made numerous appearances as Sarah Palin that earned rave reviews.

Dana Carvey

A key element to SNL's new golden era from 1986 to 1993 was Dana Carvey and his wonderful talent for impressions, which he would continue to lend to Studio 8H in the years since his exit. The Wayne's World star is one of the most frequent returning cast members, especially in Season 50 as President Joe Biden.

David Spade

Many of David Spade's funniest quotes originate from his six years on SNL in the early-to-mid-1990s. His blunt, sarcastic, and sometimes unapologetically brutal delivery of mockery at other celebrities' expense would serve him well in his hosting gigs – the first of which included a cold open featuring Brad Pitt as his therapist.

Kristen Wiig

The final episode of SNL's 37th Season was the final episode for a few notable cast members but it ended with a grand send-off purely dedicated to Kristen Wiig's esteemed seven years, which included some hilarious quotes. It was not long before the Oscar nominee was asked to bring back her famous characters as a host and her Season 49 episode saw her induction into the Five-Timers Club.

Chris Farley

After becoming one of SNL's most esteemed icons during his five-season run and proving to be a box office draw with movies like Tommy Boy, Chris Farley was at the height of his fame when he came back to host two years after leaving. However, his October 1997 episode is now remembered more somberly because, only two months later, he would pass away from a drug overdose at the age of 33.

Maya Rudolph

Maya Rudolph proved herself as an all-time great during her seven years on SNL in the 2000s. She would return for multiple hosting gigs and an innumerable amount of special guest appearances, most notably as her Emmy-winning portrayal of Kamala Harris.

Pete Davidson

For his clever "Weekend Update" commentaries, fascinating personal life, and title as the youngest SNL cast member on record, Pete Davidson was one of the series' most talked about performers when he left at the end of Season 47. He was initially meant to return as a host for the following season but, due to the Writers' Strike, he instead returned for the Season 49 premiere, which featured a viral pre-filmed bit poking fun at his post-SNL career inspired by Barbie's "I'm Just Ken."

Tracy Morgan

Impersonations of the likes of Al Sharpton and Oprah Winfrey and hilarious original characters like Brian Fellow and Astronaut Jones made Tracy Morgan a force to be reckoned with during his seven years on SNL. As a result, each of the 30 Rock cast member's returns to the Studio 8H stage as a host or guest have been warm celebrations of his best moments as a cast member.

Paul Shaffer

Starting off as a member of Studio 8H's house band, Paul Shaffer later made history as the first person to drop the F-bomb on SNL during his 1979-1980 stint on the cast. Of course, he bounced back from the incident without issue and would make cameos on the show and host an episode from 1987 after being David Letterman's bandleader greatly increased his notoriety.

Damon Wayans

One of the most infamous SNL cast firings is that of Damon Wayans, who changed the nature of a character on the fly in the middle of a broadcast in 1986. The comedian would find even greater success as a member of the In Living Color cast and, in 1995, was asked to come back as a host.

Phil Hartman

It is easy to understand why some argue that Phil Hartman is the greatest SNL cast member of all time and why, just two years after his exit, he was asked to host twice in 1996. We have no doubt we would have seen more of the Emmy winner gracing the Studio 8H stage again if not for his untimely murder in 1998 at the age of 49.

Chris Rock

The first "Bad Boy of SNL" to return as a host was Chris Rock in 1996, which was three years after his departure. At that point, the comedian had found decent subsequent success by making appearances on the show's biggest competitor at the time, In Living Color.

Jason Sudeikis

While he would make several post-exit guest appearances, Jason Sudeikis' first time hosting in 2021 was eight years after he left the show, which was actually a year later than he had intended. The gig was a big moment, given his Emmy-winning success on Ted Lasso at the time and his heartfelt opening monologue celebrating his time as a writer-turned-cast member.

Will Ferrell

Despite a hiccup or two in his early days on the cast, Will Ferrell became one of the most beloved SNL cast members of the 90s and early 2000s. His many appearances since, including five hosting gigs, have resulted in some of the show's most celebrated moments in recent years.

Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler's impeccable skills of impersonation and arsenal of uproarious characters made her seven years on SNL a one-of-a-kind era. Her many notable appearances since include co-hosting with her friend and one-time "Weekend Update" co-anchor Tina Fey in 2015 and making cameoing as Leslie Knope alongside her fellow former Parks and Recreation cast member, Aubrey Plaza, in 2023.

Darrell Hammond

One of the all-time longest-standing SNL cast members is Darrell Hammond with 14 seasons but his time at Studio 8H would not stop there after all. In addition to making special appearances – most notably in "Celebrity Jeopardy!" sketches as Sean Connery – the actor would succeed Don Pardo as the show's announcer when Pardo passed away in 2014.

Molly Shannon

Three-time Emmy nominee Molly Shannon is the driving force behind one of the most iconic SNL characters to earn their own movie, Mary Katherine Gallagher. The misfit Catholic high school student is just one character she has brought back for her numerous appearances on the show since leaving in 2001, including two hosting gigs.

Bill Murray

After Chevy Chase left in 1976, stepping in to join the Not Ready for Primetime Players was Bill Murray, who hilariously acknowledged his struggle to make an impression on SNL early on in a famous sketch. Of course, the Oscar nominee would quickly achieve wild notoriety in the 1980s, which made his subsequent five hosting gigs and additional cameos much-celebrated occasions.

October is almost over, but there’s still plenty more great stuff to watch. The next episode of Agatha All Along is upcoming on Disney+ but it’s not the only thing worth your time on the platform. There’s always more new on Netflix than you can possibly keep track of, but there’s one item you absolutely won’t want to miss.

There’s so much good content on the best streaming services this week that we couldn’t even include it all here. You’ve got to be especially interesting to make the cut for this list. Here’s what we’re going to be checking out this week.

New TV

Star Trek: Lower Decks - October 24 (Paramount+)

A Paramount+ subscription is an absolute necessity if you’re a Star Trek fan. While Discovery is over and the next season of Strange New World is still some time off, Star Trek fans will be able to enjoy the laughs that come with the final season of Star Trek: Lower Decks, the hilarious animated series is promising even more fun cameos and wild adventures.

Simone Biles Rising (Season 2) - October 25 (Netflix)

The 2024 Summer Olympics may be over but Simone Biles is still one of the most popular athletes in the world. Earlier this year we got the first season of Simone Biles Rising, which followed her experience four years ago, and her return to competitive gymnastics. The new season will follow Biles and her incredible success during the recent Paris games.

Before October 25 (Apple TV+)

Before is the sort of creepy psychological thriller that many are probably looking for in the days before Halloween. However, one thing they probably aren’t looking for is a creepy lead performance from Billy Crystal. A rare dramatic turn for the actor isn’t just serious, it’s disturbing.

New Movies

Trap - October 25 (Max)

M. Night Shyamalan movies often make for great spooky season viewing so fans of the accomplished director will want to have their Max subscription ready to go this week. Trap, Shyamalan’s newest film, debuts on Max October 25. The film stars Josh Hartnett as a serial killer who must try to avoid capture while attending a concert with his daughter.

Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - October 25 (Disney+ And Hulu)

If you’re a music fan you need a Disney+ subscription. Just last week the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was live-streamed on the platform, and now one of its members, Bruce Springsteen, has a new documentary film, that will arrive this week on both Disney+ and Hulu. It will follow Bruce and his band and give fans a look behind the scenes of the most recent world tour.

Next week includes Halloween itself and several streaming platforms are saving some special content for the holiday. Then November will get started, which means there’ll be plenty to watch as most streaming platforms see an influx of new content.

SPOILER WARNING: The following article gives away several pivotal moments from Saturday Night, so proceed with caution if you have not yet seen the dramedy.

As a lifelong fan of Saturday Night Live, I had a feeling that Saturday Night would be one of my favorite 2024 movies, and I was correct. However, there were also several moments throughout Jason Reitman’s dramatization of the first SNL episode when I found myself wondering, How much of this is real?

As it turns out, while there are many embellished details in Reitman and Gil Kenan’s screenplay, there is a fair amount of truth behind the 90-minute whirlwind of backstage chaos that is Saturday Night. Take a look at these facts from the history of the groundbreaking sketch comedy TV show to learn what is real and what is merely based on reality in the biopic.

John Belushi's Bee Costume Protest

To die-hard SNL fans, it is no secret John Belushi (portrayed by Matt Wood) indeed hated dressing up as a bee for the show, which was then called NBC’s Saturday Night. However, one-time Studio 8H bandmate Paul Schaffer recalls in his book We'll Be Here For The Rest of Our Lives: A Swingin' Showbiz Saga that the costume eventually led to the creation of the Blues Brothers. Belushi and Dan Aykroyd debuted as Jake and Elwood while dressed as the insects before later donning their signature look and eventually inspiring one of the best moves based on SNL characters in 1980.

Lorne Michaels Almost Hosted Weekend Update

Showtime is just minutes away when Saturday Night creator Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) passes the responsibility of hosting “Weekend Update” to Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), who would retain the gig until he left SNL not long after completing one season. In 2014, Michaels told Deadline he was the original host, but Chase was ultimately selected much earlier and, in fact, before he was added to the cast, having originally been hired as a writer.

NBC's Tonight Show Back-Up Plan

The film sees Saturday Night under the threat of being replaced with a rerun of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (which is what NBC normally played during Saturday’s 11:30 p.m. timeslot at the time) if it does not make it to air. As mentioned in the acclaimed book Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests, it was actually Michaels himself who pushed for a backup plan, asking executives to have a movie ready in case things did not go according to plan.

Romance Between SNL Cast Members

It is implied in Saturday Night that Laraine Newman (played by Emily Fairn) was romantically linked to Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O’Brien), who later played her father in the “Coneheads” sketches. The SNL stars did share a fling, as Newman recalled in her memoir May You Live in Interesting Times, but, as the film also subtly hints, Aykroyd had an additional affair with producer Rosie Shuster (played by Rachel Sennott). That juicy detail comes from the firsthand testimony of Paula Davis (an assistant from those days), according to the Los Angeles Times.

Hiring Alan Zweibel

A Saturday Night moment I was especially skeptical of is when Michaels stops by a comedy club, meets Alan Zweibel (Silicon Valley cast member Josh Brener), and hires him on the spot with roughly 30 minutes to spare. While the Emmy winner was not added to the SNL writing staff so soon before the premiere, Zweibel (as he shared with Variety) did make a living writing for stand-up comedians prior. In fact, the joke he hands Chevy Chase to read on “Update” in the film is the joke that got him hired and was actually used in the segment.

The Writers Bullying Jim Henson

In addition to playing Andy Kaufman, Succession cast member Nicholas Braun also portrays Jim Henson, who discusses with Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris (no relation) that the writers rebelled against his Muppet-starring segment, “The Land of Gorch,” by hanging Big Bird outside his dressing room door. Alan Zweibel recalled in Live from New York that the writers did hate “writing for felt,” as then-head writer Michael O’Donahue famously proclaimed. In fact, while Tommy Dewey’s portrayal of O’Donahue sarcastically apologizes about Big Bird on the writers’ behalf, Zweibel claims it was him who performed that very "lynching" using a Venetian blinds pull string in the writers’ room.

Cutting Billy Crystal's Segment

Before Billy Crystal spoke some of his best quotes as an SNL cast member in the ‘80s, he was scheduled to appear on the first episode. However, he was ultimately cut, just as Saturday Night depicts with Nicholas Podany delivering a pitch-perfect impersonation of the then-up-and-coming comedian. As he recalled in Live from New York, Crystal was initially upset he could not perform his safari-inspired bit, while fellow comedian Valri Bromfield (Corine Britti) was allowed a few minutes to show her material.

Laying Bricks On The SNL Stage

According to Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad’s Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live, the bricks that made up Studio 8H’s “home base” arrive a day before the premiere and had to be laid overnight – a detail that Jason Reitman told ScreenRant largely inspired his approach to making the film. While home base was not single-handedly constructed within an hour of the premiere broadcast, much of the set still was. So the image of production designer Akira “Leo” Yoshimura (who once made Chris Pine laugh in a Star Trek sketch, and is played here by Abraham Hsu) is a semi-accurate reflection of the painstaking work done that night.

John Belushi's Late Contract Signing

John Belushi causes trouble in Saturday Night in a number of ways, including waiting until the last minute to sign his contract with the show. According to Live From New York, while not depicted exactly as it happened, this is one of the film’s more accurate details. Bernie Brillstein, Lorne Michaels’ manager at the time, said in the book that he had to agree to be Belushi's manager in order to get him to sign the contract literally five minutes before air.

George Carlin's Alexander The Great Sketch Refusal

The premiere of Saturday Night Live was hosted by George Carlin – whom you will notice, if you watch the episode with a Peacock subscription, does not appear in any sketches. Saturday Night explains that he was set to play Alexander the Great in one segment until it was dropped when the comedian (played by Matthew Rhys) decided, between the dress rehearsal and the live broadcast, that he did not want to do it. Despite some clear dramatic exaggeration in the film, that is exactly what happened, as recalled in Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live.

Milton Berle Flashing Chevy Chase

While Milton Berle was not even at Studio 8H the night of the SNL premiere, there is some truth to the scene when the comedy legend (played by Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons) whips out his member in front of Chevy Chase. Alan Zweibel claimed in Live From New York that on the night of Berle’s 1979 hosting gig, he made a joke about the comedian's size and he responded by exposing himself to him on the spot right as Gilda Radner walked in.

Well, it looks like even when this film is stretching the truth, it is not too far off from it either. In some cases, this sort of approach results in the most fun kind of biopic and I believe that the critically acclaimed Saturday Night is a lively example of that.

Much like an episode of Saturday Night Live, the film Saturday Night is filled with an overwhelming number of characters and chaotic energy. I mean that in a complimentary way, because it was incredible seeing a wonderful cast of young actors playing comedy legends like John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Garrett Morris and more. However, after seeing Jason Reitman’s film on the 2024 movie schedule, I need to shine the very specific spotlight on Nicholas Podany’s excellent performance as Billy Crystal.

The Entire Cast Of Saturday Night Is Great, Because They Capture The Essence Of Their Characters

The excellent Saturday Night ensemble was praised by critics when the film initially came out, and they truly are the highlight of the film. Notably, the leads were excellent. Despite doing basically no prep, Dylan O’Brien’s Dan Aykroyd was perfect, down to the voice. Matt Wood got John Belushi’s energy so right. And Gabriel LaBelle led the ship as a young Lorne Michaels with ease.

Without feeling like these actors were doing heightened impersonations of their characters, they managed to find the essence of them and play them so well. That was Jason Reitman’s goal too. He told Variety that his cast's “homework” was to not do prep because he wanted the ensemble to “capture one piece of essence of the character” they were playing not just try to imitate them.

Well, this worked. These actors managed to work together seamlessly and play out a historic night in television history in such a memorable way.

This of course included the supporting cast who played alongside the Not Ready for Prime Time Players too -- including Andrew Barth Feldman’s Neil Levy, Cooper Hoffman’s Dick Ebersol, Nicholas Braun’s Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson, and, of course, Nicholas Podany’s stellar take on Billy Crystal.

Nicholas Podany Captures Billy Crystal Perfectly

When you grow up watching wonderful animated movies like Monsters Inc. and the greatest rom-com When Harry Met Sally, you recognize Billy Crystal’s voice anywhere. Or at least, I do. It’s so distinct, he speaks so fast and his quick wit is absolutely astonishing and wholly unique. So, for Nicholas Podany to capture that energy so well was miraculous.

Honestly, he stole the show for me. Seeing him act like a young Billy Crystal (who you can see in the SNL monologue from 1984 below) who was just trying to make it was so interesting and wildly entertaining.

In the film (and in real life) Crystal was one of two stand-up comedians who was supposed to perform during SNL’s premiere. Sadly, his routine was too long and cut for time. According to EW, this all happened in the day leading up to the show not minutes before, but in the movie, he’s on set basically the whole time.

Podany managed to recreate the quick and distinct way the comedian talks perfectly. The way he moved around the set and did the comedian’s bits were so funny and reminiscent of the legend to the point that sometimes I thought it was actually Crystal.

However, it also didn’t feel like he was doing an impression or playing a caricature. He was simply playing a character, and that kind of balancing act is a real impressive feat.

Between the mix of knowing exactly where Crystal ended up in real life – a comedy legend known for his work on stage and screen – and the frenetic energy of him trying to stand up for himself and his moment was fantastic.

Obviously, I know he ends up making it (despite not being in this SNL episode). However, watching the movie, I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see if he made the show and if he got the moment he’d been working so far for.

That’s thanks to Podany’s performance, as he played out the rollercoaster of anxious emotions that came with being taken out of the program.

Overall, Nicholas Podany should be praised alongside his brilliant castmates in Saturday Night, because he was iconic as he played the icon who is Billy Crystal.

To go see the young actor as the comedic legend who was almost on the first episode of what would become one of the best sketch comedy shows, you can catch Saturday Night in theaters now.

If you are watching the crowd during a Knicks or Lakers home game, odds are you'll see some A-listers sitting courtside. Over the years that list has included big-name actors like Billy Crystal and Jack Nicholson, in fact, they've even attended them together. Now, the When Harry Met Sally actor has opened up about sitting next to The Shining actor at a game in 2004 and the kiss they ended up sharing during it.

The Monsters Inc. star stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! where he and the titular host exchanged funny stories, and chatted about Crystal’s upcoming Apple TV+ series, Before. The comedian also revealed he is being honored by The Basketball Hall of Fame for being a superfan of the sport, as his support for the LA Clippers has been undying. While explaining that, he also recalled one particular night in 2004, when the Clippers were playing the Lakers, the favorite team of Nicholson. The Chinatown actor asked Crystal to attend with him, and the comic actor couldn’t have been happier. He said:

Not many people would turn down the opportunity to hang out with one of the biggest movie stars of all time, especially one with such a distinctive personality as Jack Nicholson.

So, Crystal went to the game with the actor, and they started chatting. It didn’t take long for the two to be spotted enjoying the game together, and apparently, the cameraman thought it would be hilarious to have the two familiar faces exchange a smooch for the crowd. The City Slickers actor recalled:

Kimmel then showed a hilarious picture from the moment where the chaste kiss was caught on camera. While Nicholson may have turned down the urging at first, he clearly understood it was all in good fun and smooched the comedian.

Jack Nicholson has kissed many actors over the years in the Batman star’s endless list of fantastic films. Admittedly, they were mostly women, but during this game, he understood the humor of the moment. It’s a great story, but probably not what the Oscar winner was expecting when he asked Billy Crystal to accompany him to the game.

This is exactly the kind of Hollywood exchange fans love to see at Lakers’ games. Crystal and Nicholson are both courtside fixtures, and seeing them together must’ve been truly something. I totally see why the cameraman couldn’t resist creating a hilarious moment between the two actors.

They haven’t been seen together courtside in a while, but hopefully, they make an appearance again and reprise their kiss-cam chemistry. They both have had great on-screen connections in some of the best rom-coms with actresses like Meryl Streep and Meg Ryan, but this unforgettable sports moment also features some electric (and funny) chemistry.

Jack Nicholson has since retired from acting, but you can see Billy Crystal in his latest series, Before, when it premieres on the 2024 TV schedule on October 25 with an AppleTV+ subscription.

If you know me, you know I love animation. I’ve always been a fan, from the latest animated movies coming out as part of the 2024 movie schedule to classics that I could rewatch again and again. I also love animation on television, something that I grew up on and have come to appreciate even more. But there are just some characters voiced by actors that I genuinely could not imagine another actor voicing them – and today, we’ll be going over them. 

Robin Williams As Genie (Aladdin)

This is the obvious answer. Robin Williams as the Genie in Aladdin was honestly one of Robin Williams' best roles, and he wasn’t even on screen. He was able to give so much energy, wit, and fun to a character that was drawn, and it almost made you feel like Genie was a friend rather than some random side character.

Tim Allen As Buzz (Toy Story Franchise)

Toy Story is hands down one of the best Pixar films, and a big reason for this is the natural partnership between Buzz and Woody. Of course, I had to put Tim Allen as Buzz here. I’m pretty sure we can barely think of Buzz in any other way aside from Allen doing it, even if Chris Evans did give it his all in the Lightyear cast. 

Dante Basco As Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

“Hello, Zuko here,” is a line that has lived in my brain since I was literally a child and will forever be there. Dante Basco as Zuko is iconic. Not only is Basco basically the biggest Avatar: The Last Airbender fan out there, but he’s also voiced not one but two characters in the ATLA universe. However, he, like Zuko, can’t be beaten, and we will always love him voicing one of the best redemption arcs on television. 

Bryce Papenbrook As Eren Yeager (Attack On Titan)

Let me preface this by saying that yes, I know the primary voice roles for anime are the Japanese voice actors but have you ever heard an English dub actor who is just so good that it makes it almost impossible to watch it in Japanese? That’s Bryce Papenbrook with Eren Yeager in Attack on Titan. As one of my favorite anime, I started this series listening to Papenbrook, and I ended it with him, too, when I watched the finale again with the dub. He does Eren so well, and it’s hard to picture anyone else but him. 

Eddie Murphy As Mushu (Mulan)

Eddie Murphy is one of those actors where it feels like he plays himself in his voice roles, and he, as Mushu, is certainly one of them. I cannot tell you how often I quote this character. “Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!” I mean, only Murphy could have that kind of delivery. 

Tara Strong As Timmy Turner (The Fairly Oddparents)

There are some voice actors out there who ultimately defined my childhood, and Tara Strong is one of them. I could put so many of her characters on here from multiple different TV shows, but I think the best one has to be Timmy Turner from The Fairly Oddparents. I couldn’t imagine Timmy having a distinct voice, and Strong brought so much character to his iconic kid. 

Seth MacFarlane As Stewie Griffin (Family Guy)

Family Guy has cemented itself as a show that just won’t stop, and the voice actors have pretty much stayed the same since the beginning. One that hasn’t changed is Stewie Griffin, who is voiced by the creator of the show, Seth MacFarlane, and obviously, he has to be here. I’m pretty sure Stewie is probably the most iconic character from the show, and it’s because of MacFarlane’s delivery and his hilarious lines. 

Tom Hanks As Woody (Toy Story Franchise)

Come on. You knew Tom Hanks would be here. Hanks is like the grandfather of our generation when it comes to voice roles, and his role as Woody will live on in our memories long after we’re all gone and Toy Story becomes a certified classic (if it isn’t already). Hanks is just that good, and I will listen to him voice Woody over and over again. 

Ellen DeGeneres As Dory (Finding Nemo)

Ellen DeGeneres isn’t exactly known for her movies, as she was mainly a daytime talk show host for many, many years, but her voice acting as Dory in Finding Nemo is top-notch. Dory wound up becoming just as big as the clown fishes that we followed in the movie and became a loveable character that children all around the world flocked to, and that’s because of DeGeneres and her voice skills. 

Jay Baruchel As Hiccup (How To Train Your Dragon)

Even though there’s a live-action How To Train Your Dragon set to release, you can’t beat the animated movies, and of course, Jay Baruchel is voicing Hiccup, the main character. Honestly, I think Hiccup would have been really tough to nail if the voice actor wasn’t right. Baruchel had to find the delicate balance between a surprisingly brave warrior and a kind of wimpy teenager and build on that for three movies straight – and he rocks it. 

Eddie Murphy As Donkey (Shrek)

Eddie Murphy as Donkey is everything. Look at me. Look at me and tell me you can picture someone else as Donkey because I surely can’t. This talking animal has cemented itself into pop culture with hilarious lines, memes, and so much more, and it’s because of Murphy’s delivery. Now I’m gonna go and make some waffles. 

Kaiji Tang As Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Kaiji Tang is an example of an English dub actor in anime who knocks it out of the park. I honestly love any version of Jujutsu Kaisen, and Season 2 was one of my favorite anime of 2023, but let me tell you, Tang, as Gojo, made it so much better. His line delivery is just phenomenal – it’s no wonder the character is, like, the anime community’s crush. With that smooth voice, it’d be hard not to crush on him.

Trey Parker As Eric Cartman (South Park)

There are so many outrageous episodes in South Park that make you squirm, and you want to know who’s behind most of them. Eric Cartman, because he’s a menace to society – so, of course, one of the creators is the voice behind him. Trey Parker is a naturally funny person, so he as Eric Cartman makes sense – only he could think of the most ridiculous and awful lines to say for a literal fourth-grader. 

Billy Crystal As Mike Wazowski (Monsters Inc.)

When making this list, I thought about putting maybe John Goodman as Sully, but then I really thought about it and realized that Mike is actually low-key more iconic. Mike, in general, is a great character with a good backstory and a hilarious sense of humor, but you want to know why he’s so funny? It’s because of Billy Crystal—I can almost feel him through Mike. Mike is Billy, Billy is Mike. 

Shameik Moore As Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse)

Miles Morales proved anyone can wear the mask in Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse, a film that became a huge hit and spawned a sequel and another movie coming out soon enough. However, a big reason why Miles is such a great character is because of the voice behind him, Shameik Moore. Since the first film, Moore has brought humility to Miles, but also that kind of smooth swagger that we know only he could have. He’s excellent, and I can’t wait to hear more from him. 

Tom Kenny As Spongebob (SpongeBob SquarePants)

How could I not include Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants from the SpongeBob SquarePants series here? This man is my childhood. Sure, there are impressionists out there who believe they can impersonate SpongeBob, but no one can do it like Tom Kenny, and I stand by that. 

Kaley Cuoco As Harley Quinn (Harley Quinn)

There have been multiple people who have voiced Harley Quinn in Batman TV shows and animated movies, but I’m sorry. Kaley Cuoco takes the cake, and I want her to be the animated version of Harley Quinn from now on. Her take on Harley in the TV show Harley Quinn is hilarious, on-brand, and unforgettable, and if you haven’t had the chance to watch her voice the heck out of his classic DC villain/antihero, then you have to. 

Mike Myers As Shrek (Shrek)

Obviously, I had to put Mike Myers on this list. While I do think Donkey is a little more iconic, Mike Myers as Shrek is pretty much the same as butter and toast, or Oreos and milk, or popcorn and movies—you get my gist. Myers as Shrek is pretty much the standard for celebrities voicing animated characters, and he’s quite hard to beat. 

Dakota Fanning As Coraline (Coraline)

Coraline is one of the best stop-motion films out there, and surprisingly, no matter how creepy it might be to others, it’s a comfort film for me. And, of course, I can’t imagine anyone else voicing Coraline other than Dakota Fanning. She was so young at the time but still brought so much sass and wonder to the character, and it made me love Coraline for the explorer she was. 

Dan Castellaneta As Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)

Oh, you know he would be here. The Simpsons is hands down the most iconic TV series of all time and has been around since the 1980s. Dan Castellaneta has voiced the patriarch of the Simpsons family since the very beginning and has cemented himself in television just as much as the rest of the cast. But you can’t get more iconic than Homer freaking Simpson. 

Christy Carlson Romano As Kim Possible (Kim Possible)

Kim Possible was a show from my childhood on The Disney Channel that made me want to be a spy. It likely led to a few injuries when I jumped from trees to show how cool I was. Either way, it was mainly because of Kim and how kick-butt she was while also being a remarkable teenager, and thanks to Christy Carlson Romano’s voice acting, she was made all the better. 

Christian Bale As Howl (Howl’s Moving Castle)

Howl’s Moving Castle is one of my favourite Studio Ghibli movies, and I have to admit that for this, I do like the English dub better because, come on, you can’t beat Christian Bale as Howl! That man has a voice as smooth as butter, and you will find yourself falling for Howl so quickly because of how he voices the character. Ugh, I’m getting butterflies just thinking about it. 

Antonio Banderas As Puss (Shrek 2)

Shrek has plenty of iconic voices, but you want to know who has one of the best ones? Antonio Banderas didn’t even show up in the Shrek franchise until the second movie. But Banderas’ voice was so popular that he spawned not one but two spin-off films – the second of which featured one of the best DreamWorks Animation villains of all time, so you know he’s iconic. 

Jeff Bennett As Johnny Bravo (Johnny Bravo)

Okay, so, if we’re being honest, Johnny Bravo is actually a pretty lousy person and very misogynistic, but man, is it funny to get his butt handed to him in so many situations? It’s because of Jeff Bennett and the way he voices him. He’s just so funny in a messed-up way. I love it. 

Matthew Mercer As Levi Ackerman (Attack On Titan)

Attack on Titan is a case where I tend to lean more towards the English dub than the Japanese because of some of the voice-acting choices, and Matthew Mercer as Levi Ackerman is just *chef’s kiss.* Don’t get me wrong, the Japanese voice actor Hiroshi Kamiya does a great job, too, but when I think of Levi, I think of Matthew Mercer’s voice, and that just means I literally cannot imagine anything else.

Jack Black As Po (Kung Fu Panda)

Po the Panda is one of those characters that has become a pretty big name for DreamWorks Animation. In reality, it’s really just Jack Black behind a microphone in the sound booth voicing some of the most hilarious moments ever. Sometimes, it feels like I’m almost just watching Jack Black on screen because Po is as funny as him.

Helena Bonham Carter As Emily (The Corpse Bride)

The Corpse Bride is an excellent stop-motion animated film that certainly has a specific group of people who watch it every year (me included during Halloween). I could talk about Johnny Depp as Victor, but I have to point out Helene Bonham Carter as Emily. She voices the character so well and gives so much life to a literal corpse. It’s one of Carter’s best movies. 

Chris Rock As Marty (Madagascar)

Chris Rock as Marty makes sense. While there were only three Madagascar movies, Rock voiced the zebra in each of them and killed it every time. I could literally watch an entire spinoff film on just Marty. I want more, Marty. Please give me more hilarious lines like “Oh, sugar honey iced tea!”

Bill Fagerbakke As Patrick Star (SpongeBob SquarePants)

You can’t have SpongeBob without his best friend, and Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick Star is a match made in heaven. Since the show’s beginning, Fagerbakke has voiced the sea star, and he’s perfect for the role. Honestly, I almost want to watch him and Kenny voiceover the Super Bowl again next year because he as Patrick and them together is just perfect. 

Matthew Lillard As Shaggy (Scooby Doo)

There have been many voice actors who have come and gone to voice Shaggy, but let’s be honest here – Matthew Lillard has become Shaggy. Ever since he did the live-action version of Shaggy in the Scooby-Doo films, we’ve loved seeing him as Shaggy, and then he began doing the animated version. He’s been voicing the character (except for Velma, but we don’t talk about that), and he’s fantastic. 

Oscar Isaac As Miguel O’Hara (Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse)

Oh, Miguel. TikTok’s boyfriend of Summer 2023. The man, the myth, the legend that somehow captured my heart and reminded me that I have a thing for fictional brooding men. Either way, Oscar Isaac voices Miguel, and yes, this man is Miguel, and I will not accept any other person voicing him. 

Idina Menzel As Elsa (Frozen)

I had to put Elsa here somehow. Frozen is one of the biggest animated franchises of all time, and it’s mainly because of Elsa, her ice powers, and the incredible force of Idina Menzel’s voice. There isn’t another singer/actress on the planet that could belt like that.

While there are plenty of other animated characters we could discuss, these were just some of the first ones that came to mind—and now I feel like having an animated movie marathon. 

Barbie and Oppenheimer's big 2024 Oscars wins and snubs may have dominated the awards talk, but Jimmy Kimmel has other things on his mind when it comes to Hollywood’s biggest night. Mainly, how to host a great show that people will enjoy, and poking at the expense of his friend Matt Damon. 

In an interview with THR, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and his executive producer and wife, Molly McNearney, talked about Matt Damon, hosting the Oscars and retirement. Kimmel has hosted the ceremony four times; however, just because he has done it a bunch does not mean that it was an instant "yes" when he was asked if he would take up the mantle again.

Kimmel talked about how great it was to be able to write jokes about films that a wide audience has seen like Oppenheimer and Barbie, especially since he has a love-hate relationship with Matt Damon. He even mentioned a joke about this during the interview, “I was distracted. I just thought of Matt Damon as DunKen, like the donut,”  a reference to Barbie and the extremely popular Super Bowl ad that starred Damon alongside his buddy Ben Affleck. 

Despite tangents about Matt Damon, Kimmel got on track enough to relay some advice that he had gotten about the hosting gig from Billy Crystal, advice that may have helped him to stick with the gig once again:

McNearney was quick to point out that there is a balance when it comes to that advice. Not every joke that plays well in the room is going to play well to an audience at home. Some industry specific jokes might also go over people’s heads.

Kimmel also discussed how a host can’t build their monologue around the fear of people’s sensitivity. There are always going to be people who don’t like the jokes, but there will also be people who laugh. This was especially relevant after Jo Koy received backlash for his Golden Globes opening monologue. However, unlike Jo Koy, Kimmel acknowledged that the in-room audience of the Oscars are his friends and there is familiarity there that helps immensely. In the interview, he acknowledged the friendships he has with actors like Emily Blunt and said:

For Kimmel, the best part of the show has always been toward the middle and end when things have relaxed a little and there’s room to riff, and possibly go off script. The ability to comment on the things that had happened during the show is fun for him.

Whether or not he would host for a fifth time if asked is still up in the air for Kimmel, but as long as he keeps getting to make his friends laugh, work with his wife, and continue to make jokes at Matt Damon's expense, there's always a possible Oscars future.

The Princess Bride has a great story, sure, it's the funny lines that keep us all coming back again and again. With an all-star delivering some of the best lines ever written, by author William Goldman, who also wrote the book it's based on. It's a movie fans can watch over and over and over. It would be impossible to include every line on a list like this without just typing up the whole script, so here are just a few of our favorite quotes from The Princess Bride. In no particular order. 

My brains, his steel, and your strength against sixty men, and you think a little head-jiggle is supposed to make me happy? - Westley

After Westley (Cary Elwes) is saved by Miracle Max, he, Inigo, and Fezzick strategize on how to best storm the castle to rescue Buttercup (Robin Wright). Since Westley isn't fully recovered, Fezzick tries to encourage him by celebrating him for moving his head. Westley knows they need more than a head jiggle to win the battle. 

Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates? Morons - Vizzini

Vizzini (Wallace Shawn) is a wonderful character and a terrible man. Hired to start a war, he thinks he is much smarter than he actually is. Comparing yourself to three of the most important philosophers of Western thought is pure hubris. Of course, he would come to regret it, but not for long. 

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. - Inigo

"Inconceivable" is Vizzini's favorite word, and he never misses an opportunity to use it. It's conceivable that he's not always using it correctly, as Inigo (Mandy Patankin) points out as they stand above the cliff waiting for the unidentified pursuer to reach them.

Anybody want a peanut? - Fezzick

One of the funniest moments in the whole movie comes as Ingio, Vezzini, and Fezzick (Andre The Giant) sail away from Florin with their captive, Buttercup, in tow. Fezzick has "a great gift of rhyme" and when Vizzini says "No more rhymes and I mean it," Fezzick responds with his gem. 

Have fun stormin' da castle. - Miracle Max

The character Miracle Max provided Billy Crystal with some of the best lines of his career, including one that has probably been quoted by people more often than any other in The Princess Bride. It works for so many occasions. 

You fell victim to one of the classic blunders - the most famous of which is "never get involved in a land war in Asia" - but only slightly less well-known is this: "Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line"! - Vizzini

Vizzini is extremely confident in his abilities. So much so that he assumes the battles of wits ended before it even began when Westley, as the Dread Pirate Roberts, challenged him to the dual. We all know how that worked out for the Sicilian. HA.

You mean, you'll put down your rock and I'll put down my sword, and we'll try and kill each other like civilized people? - Westley

After Westley bests Inigo with his sword, his next challenge is taking on the giant Fezzick. Vizzini wants Fezzick to take Westley out with a rock. Fezzick, the sweetheart that he is, doesn't think that is very fair, so he challenges Westley to a fistfight that the pirate still doesn't think is very fair. 

I'm not a witch, I'm your wife. But after what you just said, I'm not even sure I want to be that any more. - Valerie

Miracle Max's wife, Valerie (Carol Kane), is as funny a character as Max himself is. This list could just be lines from the two of them, if we're honest. Still, maybe the most memorable one is after Max rudely calls her a witch, even if that's kinda what she is, it's still not polite. She lets him know, too. 

Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die. - Inigo

This, without much debate, is the most iconic line in The Princess Bride. Maybe because Inigo repeats it six times in the movie, or maybe because revenge is the character's sole motivation. It's really because it's just such a great line and, after the fifth time he utters it, when Count Rugen (Christopher Guest) tells him to "stop saying that," we're all up and cheering. 

You've been mostly-dead all day. - Fezzick

Before they storm the castle, Westley is awoken from his death and wonders what is going on and when he doesn't feel well. Fezzick explains he's only been mostly dead, not all dead. 

Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up. Buttercup is marry Humperdinck in little less than half an hour. So all we have to do is get in, break up the wedding, steal the princess, make our escape... after I kill Count Rugen. - Inigo

While Westley is out of commission a lot happens. Inigo feels like he needs to explain, but with Buttercup getting married, there isn't much time. So he sums it all up nicely for Westley and the audience. 

You ARE the Brute Squad! - Miracle Max

Miracle Max isn't really interested in helping Inigo and Fezzick and threatens to call the Prince's brut squad. Fezzick tells him he's part of the squad and after Max eyes him up and down, he decides it's best to help them. 

The man I inherited it from is not the real Dread Pirate Roberts either. His name was Cummerbund. The real Roberts has been retired 15 years and living like a king in Patagonia.' - Westley

There is just something so funny about a pirate named after a part of a tuxedo. Cummerbund is a silly name for anyone, especially a pirate. If no one will surrender to the Dread Pirate Westley, surely no one will even listen to the Dread Pirate Cummerbund! 

And YOU: friendless, brainless, helpless, hopeless! Do you want me to send you back to where you were? Unemployed, in Greenland? - Vizzini

Vizzini really has no patience for anything or anyone. Without Fezzick, whom he yells at her, his plan to start a war between Florin and Guilder wouldn't be possible. Is Vizzini going to climb the Cliffs of Insanity by himself? He needs the giant. 

There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all dead, well, with all dead there's usually only one thing you can do. Go through his pockets and look for loose change. - Miracle Max

It's a good thing that Inigo and Fezzick find Miracle Max. They don't even understand the difference between mostly dead and all dead. It's also lucky they found Westley in the Pit of Despair so quickly, otherwise they would just be going through his pockets as the credits rolled. 

Hold it, hold it. What is this? Are you trying to trick me? Is this a kissing book? - Grandson

When the grandpa (Peter Falk) comes over to read his grandson (Fred Savage) The Princess Bride, he tells him about all the exciting stuff in the book, but the unnamed grandson is still skeptical. When Westley and Buttercup kiss for the first time, the grandson has had enough and wonders just what kind of book this is.

My way's not very sportsman-like. - Fezzick

Fezzick, like Andre the Giant in real life, is just a sweet guy with a scary body. When he asks Vizzini what "his way" is in taking out the masked Westley, Vizzini tells Fezzick to hit him in the head with a rock. Fezzick, bless his heart, doesn't think highly of that idea. Fisticuffs it is! 

Mawwige is whut bwings us togevveh today. - The Impressive Clergyman

Really, the whole marriage (or Mawwige) ceremony as presented by "The Impressive Clergyman" is hilarious. It's not just the "Mawwige" line. The clergyman, played by legendary British comedian Peter Cook, struggles through the whole thing until he's forced to say "man and wife."

Ah, there you are. Inigo, I saw the Prince's stables, and there they were, four white horses. And I thought, there are four of us, if we ever find the lady. Hello lady! - Fezzick

One great example of just how thoughtful and sweet Fezzick the giant is comes at the end of the movie when he finds four horses for the team to ride – if they find the lady. Hello lady! 

Oh, my sweet Westley! What have I done? - Buttercup

Buttercup doesn't get many purely comedic moments in the movie. Her funniest line isn't really for the line itself, but for what happens immediately after it. When Buttercup pushes the masked Westley down the steep hill, only to hear him say that famous line "as you wish," she hurls herself down with him and all props to the stunt double for the way they took that hill, it's a hilarious bit of physicality as she bumps herself down the hill. 

You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles. - Miracle Max

Miracle Max is willing to help but on his own timetable. Inigo tries to explain they are in a hurry, as Buttercup is about to marry, but as Max explains, you can't rush a good miracle. And don't go swimming for a good hour, either. 

Yes, you're very smart. Shut up. - Grandpa

Peter Falk's grandfather character is very patient with his grandson, but even he has his limits. You have to figure that towards the end of the story, even he is tired and wants to wrap things up, so when the grandson says he "knew" that Buttercup wouldn't marry Humperdink, Grandpa tells him to shut up. It's one of the most underrated lines in the whole movie. 

I only dog paddle. - Fezzick

When Buttercup jumps into the water to escape her kidnappers, she doesn't count on the screeching eels. Inigo can't save her because he doesn't swim, and poor Fezzick only dog paddles. 

I wasn't nervous. Maybe I was a little bit concerned, but that's not the same thing. - Grandson

When Buttercup is in the water with the eels, the grandson is tightly clinching his blanket. This prompts the grandfather to explain that Buttercup will be fine. Keeping his cool, the grandson recovers and tells his grandfather he is actually nervous. 

EVERYBODY MOVE! - Fezzick

When Inigo and Fezzick are rushing to rescue Westley and Buttercup, they face a mob of peasants blocking their route. Luckily all it takes is one big scream to move from Fezzick to clear a path. 

Murdered by pirates is good... - Grandson

At first, the grandson is looking for any reason to like the story. A farm boy being murdered by pirates is a good start, apparently. At least it's not a kissing book. 

Humperdinck! Humperdinck! Humperdinck! - Valerie

Carol Kane matches Billy Crystal beat for beat as Miracle Max's wife Valerie. One of her best lines is all about her delivery, just repeating the prince's name over and over, driving Max crazy. It also spurs him to action. 

Am I going MAD, or did the word "think" escape your lips? You were not hired for your brains, you hippopotamic land mass. - Vizzini

No one delivers an insult like Wallace Shawn and, as Vizinni, he's full of them. Like laying into Fezzick after the giant dared to think about killing Buttercup. Fezzick is right, but Vizinni is really funny.

You surely are a meanie. - Fezzick

One line that really slips under the radar is when Fezzick tracks down a very drunk Inigo and tries to sober him up. Inigo is full of insults, and Fezzick lets him know as only he can, nicely. 

You must be that little Spanish brat I taught a lesson to all those years ago. You've been chasing me your whole life only to fail now? I think that's about the worst thing I've ever heard. How marvelous. - Count Rugen

Of all the cast members, Christopher Guest is one of the funniest writers and directors, but his role as Count Rugen is so understated (and great) that he doesn't have a lot of laugh-out-loud lines. The best exception is after he stabs Inigo, but before Inigo recovers. 

He's right on top of us. I wonder if he is using the same wind we are using. - Inigo

As the kidnappers make their way to the Cliffs of Insanity, Inigo can't help but think the mysterious boat behind them is following them. Vizinni may think it's just a local fisherman, but the audience (and Inigo) know better. 

A word, my lady. We are but poor, lost circus performers. Is there a village nearby? - Vizzini

When you have someone as diminutive as Wallace Shawn, and as huge as Andre The Giant, setting them for a line like this is just perfect. The visual is perfect, as is the setting. Everything about it, like the whole movie itself, is perfect. 

Somehow, there are people out there who are critical of The Princess Bride but after reading these quotes, which are just scratching the surface, it's hard to imagine why everyone doesn't love it. 

From being the all-time greatest Oscars host to appearing in some of the best romantic comedies of all time to headlining a beloved Pixar animated film, Billy Crystal has been all over the place for the past half-century. During that time, he’s given movie and TV audiences countless lines, quips, and zingers that have become parts of our everyday lives. Here are 32 of those hilarious quotes that we just can’t get enough of…

"When I Buy A New Book, I Read The Last Page First." - When Harry Met Sally

Harry Burns will forever be one of Billy Crystal’s most iconic characters thanks to quotes like this one from When Harry Met Sally. Though macabre in that his character reads the last line so that he knows how the story ends in the event of his death, the line tells you more about Harry than a long, drawn-out monologue.

"Well, It Just So Happens That Your Friend Here Is Only Mostly Dead." - The Princess Bride

Billy Crystal is only in The Princess Bride for a cup of coffee, but he makes the most of his brief screentime with this unforgettable performance as Miracle Max. Watching him tell Inigo Montoya and Fezzik that Westely is only “mostly dead,” before explaining the different stages of death is the gift that keeps giving.

"I Tried To Be A Man Of The People, I Had A Payphone In My Car" - Comic Relief '87 Opening

The Comic Relief specials created by Bob Zmuda raised a ton of cash while also providing some much-needed laughs. This is especially true for the opening of the 1987 special where Billy Crystal and Robin Williams played two former bigwigs who are now bums on the street corner asking for money and trading stories about how far they’ve fallen. Crystal’s line about a payphone in his car is especially hilarious and a little dark.

"But Every Time I Went To Taste The Cheese, The Thing Came Down Right On My Tongue! I’m Tellin’ Ya — After Forty, Fifty Times, I Couldn’t Even Feel The Cheese, Much Less Taste It." - Saturday Night Live

One of the best recurring sketches on Saturday Night Live in the ‘80s was the “Do You Know What I Hate?” bit featuring Billy Crystal and Christopher Guest. And while just about every sentence is funny in the various incarnations, Crystal’s Willie talking about the trouble he got into when trying to set a mousetrap is at the top of the list. The delivery, the imagery, and the expressions on his face are all on point. 

"Hi Curly, Killed Anyone Today?" - City Slickers

A lot of what makes City Slickers, one of the best '90s movies, work so well is the chemistry between Billy Crystal and eventual Oscar winner Jack Palance. The gruffness of Palance’s beloved Curly played so well against Crystal’s Mitch Robbins, especially in this classic interaction out on the cattle drive.

"That's It, I'm Out Of Ideas. We're Closed. Hot Air Balloon? Too Expensive, Giant Slingshot? Too Conspicuous. Enormous Wooden Horse? Too Greek." - Monsters, Inc.

The pairing of Billy Crystal as Mike Wazowkski and John Goodman as James P. “Sulley” Sullivan in Monsters, Inc. was a match made in comedy heaven, and the best friends and coworkers at times feel like an old married couple. This dynamic can be seen in this classic moment when Mike grows increasingly more frustrated when his ideas for the “Boo” situation don’t seem to be impressing anyone.

"You Look Marvelous!" - Saturday Night Live

Billy Crystal’s portrayal of Fernando Lamas as an over-the-top talk show host produced one of the best Saturday Night Live catchphrases, which just so happens to be one of the comedian’s funniest TV lines of all time. Dare you say, it’s “marvelous”?

"Owen, You Gotta Get It Throughout Your Thick Head: I May Be A Lot Of Things, But I'm Not A Killer" - Throw Momma From The Train

Throw Momma from the Train is one of the darkest comedies in Billy Crystal’s stellar filmography, as well as one of the funniest. The dark and sometimes disturbing tone of the film is best illustrated by this quote from Crystal’s Larry Donner to Danny DeVito’s Owen Lift when the latter tries to get the former to kill his mom.

"Come Out, Come Out, Mr. Doody, And Swim In The Swimming Pool." - Parental Guidance 

Is Parental Guidance one of the movies featuring Billy Crystal? No, not really. However, this 2012 family-friendly comedy does have a hilarious sequence where Crystal has to sing to his grandson to get him to go “number two” in a public restroom. And yeah, it’s in the form of a song.

"You Go Downstairs, You Shed A Tear, And You Say, 'It's A Shame. She Would Have Loved This Movie." - America's Sweethearts

America’s Sweethearts is one of those early 2000s rom-coms that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough, which is a shame. In the movie, Billy Crystal plays Lee Phillips, a tenacious publicist who’ll do anything to save a movie threatened by the breakup of stars Eddie Thomas (John Cusack) and Gwen Harrison (Catherine Zeta-Jones), including leaking a misleading photo that causes a media firestorm.

"Like When You Go Bowling And You Know You're In Someone Else's Shoes" - Friends

There were a lot of famous actors on Friends outside of the cast, including a random appearance by Billy Crystal and Robin Williams. In this improvised scene, Crystal and Williams have a hilarious conversation about infidelity that leads to this absurd simile that’s just too much.

"I Don't Like Heights. This Is Why I Stopped Growing At Fifth Grade." - My Giant

My Giant may not be the most well-liked Billy Crystal movie, but this 1998 comedy co-starring Romanian basketball player Gheorghe Mureșan saw the actor poke fun at his own height or lack thereof with this humourous line.

"Come On, Don't Talk Back, Mime Is Money." - This Is Spinal Tap

Hearing a mime talk is funny on its own, but hearing Billy Crystal as a mime talking is on a whole other level. And guess what, that’s exactly what happens in Rob Reiner’s hilarious mockumentary, This Is Spinal Tap, in a short yet unforgettable scene where Crystal gives another mime, played by Dana Carvey, some much-needed wisdom.

"You Rush A Miracle Man, You Get Rotten Miracles." - The Princess Bride

Miracle Max is full of great lines in his brief stint in The Princess Bride, including this one where he explains why you shouldn’t rush a miracle man. Well, unless you want a rotten miracle.

"And My Mother, Disguised As An East German Judge, Gave Me A 5.6" - When Harry Met Sally

The conversations between Billy Crystal’s Harry Burns and Meg Ryan’s Sally Albright are what make When Harry Met Sally so dang good. And one of the funniest of those chats comes partway through the movie when Harry describes a dream where he’s being judged (by his mom) on his love-making skills.

"He's A Lost Soul, He's A Dented Can, He's Behind Me, Isn't He?" - City Slickers II: The Legend Of Curly's Gold

City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold pales in comparison to its predecessor in just bout every way, but this brilliantly awkward and perfectly timed scene when Jon Lovtiz’s character is introduced early on in the movie is nothing short of golden.

"Don't You Have A Dark Side? I Know, You're Probably One Of Those Cheerful People Who Dot Their 'I's' With Little Hearts." - When Harry Met Sally

The way the words roll off of Harry Burns’ (Billy Crystal) tongue in this classic conversation with Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) in When Harry Met Sally is something that never gets old. While brash, the description is spot-on.

"Sulley, You're Not Supposed To Name It. Once You Name It, You Start Getting Attached To It." - Monsters, Inc.

The transformation experienced by Billy Crystal’s Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc. is one of the best in terms of a character letting go of their insecurities and fears to become a parent. It’s just that this quote, which comes after Mike and Sulley (John Goodman) find Boo, is before the little monster has his grant epiphany.

"What Is My Goal Here, To Make You A Happy, Well-Adjusted Gangster?” - Analyze This 

Analyze This, a movie that features a great Tony Bennett cameo, is built around the on-screen parking of Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro, which ultimately leads to some unforgettable moments. One that comes up all the time, is an interaction between Crystal’s psychiatrist character and De Niro’s mafioso that leads to one of the funniest lines in the movie.

"Amnesia Dust, You Throw A Pinch, The Kid Forgets Everything That Happened The Last Few Seconds, [Throws Dust] That's How It Works." - Tooth Fairy

Released a year or so before Dwayne Johnson found his footing in Hollywood and became one of the biggest box office draws of the century, he starred in the 2010 family-friendly comedy, Tooth Fairy. Though the movie is kind of whatever, it does have a hilarious interaction between Johnson’s character and Billy Crystal’s fairy who teaches the new recruit the power of “amnesia dust,” several times.

"For Two Years I Ran A Hollywood Studio, But You Can't Trust Those People" - Deconstructing Harry

Deconstructing Harry is one of the wildest Woody Allen movies, which is saying something, and it also features a stellar ensemble cast that includes Billy Crystal playing the devil. In this fantastical sequence where Allen’s character visits Hell, he meets the man in charge who jokes about all the jobs he’s had in the past, including a short time running a film studio.

"While You're At It, Why Don't You Give Me A Nice Paper Cut And Pour Lemon Juice On It?" - The Princess Bride

As far as character introductions go, it doesn’t get much better than Miracle Max (Billy Crystal) bringing up his past in The Princess Bride. Before we even get a chance to meet the guy obsessed with MLTs, he throws this salt, err, lemon, on the wound.

"Either God Is In The Salvage Business Or Bigfoot Took My Car!" - My Giant

Billy Crystal makes the most of his performance in My Giant, which leads to some outrageous lines sprinkled throughout Michael Lehmann’s 1998 comedy. This includes this hilarious quote that manages to include both God and Bigfoot in the same sentence.

"I Couldn't Catch A Ball. Well, It's Hard To Catch With Your Face. I Had The Word 'Spalding' Written On My Forehead 'Til I Was About Six." - Memories Of Me

What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, or at least leads to a great joke somewhere down the line. This is true for Billy Crystal’s character in the Henry Winkler-directed comedy, Memories of Me, where he talks about a sports injury that he won’t soon forget.

"Well, It's Just That You Get To Do All The Dangerous Stuff, And I Get To Parallel Park" - Running Scared

Running Scared, the 1986 buddy cop movie not to be confused with another film of the same name, features the tremendous pairing of Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines, one that leads to some hilarious moments along the way. Case in point, this interaction between the two Chicago cops best illustrates their relationship.

"What's The Matter With You? We Never Discuss Mr. Vitti's Health Outside The Family" - Analyze This

Analyze This does a great job of poking fun at iconic gangster movie lines. One scene in particular works really well when Billy Crystal’s Ben Sobel slaps a mobster and manages to reference both The Godfather and HIPPA violations.

"Well Then, Let Me Be The First To Say Farewell!" - Forget Paris

The ‘90s had all kinds of comedies with professional athletes playing themselves, but few come close to the absurdity seen in Forget Paris. The sequence that takes the cake in absurdity is the one where a dejected NBA ref Mickey Gordon (Billy Crystal) ejects Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from his farewell game. 

"Mr. Klein Died Today, Leaving A Wife, Two Children, And A Spacious Three-Bedroom Apartment With A Wood-Burning Fireplace." - When Harry Met Sally

Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) trying to rationalize why obituaries and classified ads should be on the same page in When Harry Met Sally is a moment that, like the movie itself, just gets better with age.

"You And The Wife Retire To Fort Lauderdale, You Start Eating Dinner At Two, Lunch Around Ten, Breakfast The Night Before" - City Slickers

Mitch Robbins (Billy Crystal) walking a group of elementary school students through the sad series of events that awaits them in old age at the beginning of City Slickers is so good. Sure, it’s depressing, but that’s what makes it so much fun.

"Dodgeball Was The Best, Oh Yeah. I Was The Fastest One Out There. Of Course I Was The Ball." - Monsters, Inc.

Mike Wazowski is the king of self-deprecating humor in Monsters, Inc. and one of the best examples of this comes when the not-so-large and not-so-scary creature talks about being the ball in dodgeball as a kid. Ouch!

"You Should Knock First Because There's Some Kind Of Weird Bear In There." - The Comedians

The Comedians, a short-lived FX comedy starring Billy Crystal and Josh Gad, didn’t get too much love when it was released in 2015, but that doesn’t mean the show wasn’t funny, because it was. There’s one scene where Crystal’s character invites Gad’s character over for dinner and tries to warn him about a series of disasters waiting to happen, including a bear. Yes, a real, “kind of weird” bear.

"I'm On Vacation, Ahhhh!" - City Slickers

City Slickers saw Billy Crystal perform a tremendous amount of physical comedy, especially when the cattle drive starts. This is where this hilarious and hilariously painful quote comes into play.

It’s safe to say that Billy Crystal has given audiences some of the most outrageous, unforgettable, and hilarious quotes over the years. And who knows what could have been if he had been on SNL for more than one season?

Hosting the Academy Awards is a tough gig, and it’s not for the faint of heart. However, these ten Oscar hosts stand out as some of the best to emcee one of the biggest nights in Hollywood. Spanning back over 90 years, many have hosted the iconic award show, but these are the top ten of the bunch.

10. Jimmy Kimmel

Hosting in 2017, 2018, 2023 and 2024, Jimmy Kimmel has proved himself as a formidable frontman for The Oscars. While the late-night host has called hosting “a fucking nightmare,” there’s no denying that he’s good at it, and he knows how to handle all the ups and downs of this ceremony. I mean, he is the man who had to deal with the La La Land and Moonlight fiasco. Now, Kimmel is hosting for the fourth time, emceeing the night for the 2024 Oscar nominees, and I’m sure this consistent king will kill it.  

9.  Jon Stewart 

While Jon Stewart hosted The Daily Show for 16 years (and recently came back to lead the Comedy Central hit), he also took a spin at hosting the Oscars in 2006 and 2008. During his first year leading the ceremony, they did a skethc where multiple of the hosts mentioned on this list turned down the job, and eventually they landed on Stewart.

Well, I’m happy they did, because he used his satirical humor, which is typically used to poke fun at politics, to make the Academy Awards audience laugh. Then he was asked back in 2008, where he used his talents to address the ‘08 writers’ strike in a funny, yet hard-hitting way while honoring that year's winners.

8. Chris Rock

Long before Will Smith slapped Chris Rock and that took over the internet, the stand-up comedian hosted the Academy Awards, and his work was met with love. Hosting in 2005 and 2016 – where he took on the #OscarsSoWhite controversy with lots of jokes and gusto – the actor brought his signature confident comedic style to the biggest stage in movies, calling out the people in Hollywood who hold the power while also making the crowd and viewers laugh.

7.  Steve Martin

We’re all aware of the fact that Steve Martin is one of the best to ever host Saturday Night Live. It turns out those skills are transferable, because he was also a fabulous Oscars host in 2001, 2003 and 2010 (when he co-hosted with Alec Baldwin). Beloved for his silly goofy movies and TV shows, Martin brought that energy to the Oscars stage as he helped lead the evening and make fun of the night’s nominees. 

6. Johnny Carson

Johnny Carson is undoubtedly one of, if not the best late-night host ever. However, he’s also a formidable Oscar host, unsurprisingly. The longtime host of The Tonight Show led the Academy Awards five times – in 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1984. Poking fun at the nominated movies and himself, Carson brought the charm we knew and loved from late-night, and he used it to emcee the ceremony mastefully.

5. Hugh Jackman

What else is there to say, he “is Hugh Jackman,” and he brought all his charm, wit, good looks and dancing shoes to the 2009 Oscars. Best known at the time for being Wolverine, Jackman reminded everyone that he’s also a wickedly talented song-and-dance man, and his homemade opening number (which featured Anne Hathaway!) was super fun, bubbly and very memorable. 

It’s also worth noting that this gig helped Jackman land The Greatest Showman, which is one of Jackman's most beloved movies. 

4.  Ellen DeGeneres 

While Ellen DeGeneres hosted The Oscars for the first time in 2007, she cemented herself as one of the best when she led the ceremony in 2014. Along with a solid monologue and great quips, the big reason why the former talk show host is known as a great Academy Awards host is because of that epic Oscars selfie she orchestrated that broke the internet. 

3. Bob Hope

The first televised Academy Awards aired in 1953, and it was hosted by comedy legend Bob Hope, who had emceed the evening six other times before that. To this day he holds the record for hosting the most, as he’s helmed the show a whopping 19 times (radio: 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1954 and 1956, and televised: 1953, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1975 and 1978). 

Throughout his run hosting the Oscars, Hope shared the job with other legends, including Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis, Jack Lemmon and more. He also led the show by himself 14 times. It can be argued that he set the precedent for what is expected from an Academy Awards host, and let’s just say he set the bar very high. 

2. Whoopi Goldberg

Hosting The Oscars four times in 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2002, Whoopi Goldberg won over audiences with her charm and wicked sense of humor. Along with some of Goldberg’s best movies making a splash at the ceremony – like The Color Purple and Ghost – the actress and comedian also made her mark by hosting. The Academy Award winner is remembered for her over-the-top outfits, like the Moulin Rouge! outfit she wore in 2002 or the Queen Elizabeth I costume from 1999, and that mixed with her incredibly smart comedic style made her a great choice for the hosting job. 

1. Billy Crystal

Billy Crystal hosted the Oscars nine times (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2004 and 2012), and there’s a reason he was asked back over and over again. 

For example, in 1997, he interacted with Yoda, and in 1998, he entered on the Titanic, and then proceeded to introduce the night’s nominees through song. The year 2000 brought a bit about looking back at 100 years of film, and 2004’s ceremony featured parodies of movies like Something’s Gotta Give and Seabiscuit. 

All this is to say that Billy Crystal’s best moments hosting the Oscars are some of the best overall, and that’s why he is number one on our list.

Overall, there have been so many legends to lead us through the Academy Awards, and from Billy Crystal to Whoopi Goldberg to Jimmy Kimmel and more, they all deserve their flowers. 

What is it that makes a Saturday Night Live character worthy of becoming the star of their own recurring sketch? Is it the way they dress or style their hair, the general ridiculous nature of their given situation, or is it their manner of speaking? We would actually say that much credit goes to that last example of criteria, based on the many great SNL character catchphrases we have compiled below.

“Well, Isn't That Special?” - The Church Lady

The chameleonic Dana Carvey has portrayed many recurring characters, but perhaps his single funniest SNL sketch is “Church Chat,” in which he plays Enid “The Church Lady” Strict. The deeply religious TV host has returned to Studio 8H several times and the secret to her enduring success is her hilariously sarcastic delivery of her signature line with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, That's The Ticket" - Tommy Flanagan

The phrase, “That’s the ticket,” is not exactly unique to Jon Lovitz’s Tommy Flanagan — the president of Pathological Liars Anonymous (or so he claims). However, it became imbedded in the SNL character’s legacy by the way it accompanies his most amusing fibs.

"We Are Two Wild And Crazy Guys!” - The Festrunk Brothers

Legendary Not Ready For Primetime Player Dan Aykroyd and Steve Martin — arguably the greatest SNL host of all time — make up the swinging Czechoslovakian duo called the Festrunk Brothers. Of course, most people might know them better as the “Two Wild and Crazy Guys” from their vigorous mantra.

"New York's Hottest Club Is..." - Stefon

“Weekend Update” hosts just want Stefon (Bill Hader as the wild character he and John Mulaney created) to talk about the best family-friendly activities in New York. Instead, he would start his spiel by announcing the city’s new popular after hours joint, and it would only get funnier from there.

"We're Not Worthy!" - Wayne And Garth

Wayne Campbell (“Wayne’s World” creator Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) have come into contact with several celebrities (both on their cable access program and in their classic SNL spin-off movies). But, rarely have they been able to keep their cool around them, resorting to dropping to their knees, bowing, and declaring their undeserving presence.

"... I Live In A Van Down By The River!" - Matt Foley

The definitive performance by, arguably, the definitive ‘90s-era SNL cast member, Chris Farley, is his gut-busting portrayal of Matt Foley. In addition to being one of the most iconic divorced TV characters, the ill-advised motivational speaker’s most recognizable trait is his unfavorable place of residence (“a van down by the river”), which he reminds people of any chance he gets.

"Oooh, It's A Lady!" - Leon "The Ladies Man" Phelps

The most iconic character played by Tim Meadows (one of SNL’s longest-running cast members) is Leon Phelps, who would receive calls from men and women alike during his live romantic advice program. However, he always made it clear that he especially enjoyed attention from the opposite gender, which is exactly why they called him “The Ladies Man.”

"Cheeburger, Cheeburger, Cheeburger" - Pete Dionisopoulos

When Don Novello created the beloved SNL sketch from Season 3, “The Olympia Restaurant,” he might not have realized that simply repeating the word “cheeseburger” would create such an impact. Yet, John Belushi’s distinct pronunciation of it as the cafe’s Greek manager, Pete Dionisopoulos, served up a decadent comedy feast. 

"I’m Good Enough, I’m Strong Enough And Doggone It, People Like Me" - Stuart Smalley

Easily one of the most wholesome SNL characters ever conceived is Stuart Smalley, played by longtime series veteran and former U.S. senator Al Franken. He would begin each episode of his talk show, Daily Affirmations, with this personal affirmation that, perhaps, we should all be starting our days with.

"I'm Verklempt" - Linda Richman (Coffee Talk)

For various reasons — be it her strained relationship with her daughter or Barbra Streisand’s latest Oscar “snub” — Linda Richman often found herself overcome with emotion as host of “Coffee Talk.” By referring to these episodes as her being “verklempt,” the catchphrase became one of Mike Myers’ funniest quotes and never failed to get the audience howling.

"... Makin' Copies!" - Richard Laymer

Office worker Richard Laymer (Rob Schneider) is better known as “the Richmeister,” in reference to his tendency give his colleagues similar-sounding nicknames. This was typically followed by Rich acknowledging they were “makin’ copies” with the machine that just happened to be near his desk, much to their chagrin.

"We Want To Pump You Up!" - Hans And Franz

Austrian fitness “experts” Hans (Dana Carvey) and Franz (Kevin Nealon) had a pretty apt slogan for their program, Pumping Up, stating that they “want to pump [clap] you up!” However, we would discover that they failed to earn the respect of their famous bodybuilder cousin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, when he appeared in one of the most jaw-dropping SNL cameos as himself.

"Party On..." - Wayne And Garth

It was always a party on Wayne’s World, as co-hosts Wayne and Garth often reminded  audiences with this endearing, celebratory greeting. Of course, this phrase is also associated with another famous duo from the same era: Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter’s titular dudes from the Bill and Ted movies.

"I’m Chevy Chase And You’re Not" - Chevy Chase (Weekend Update)

We can sum up Chevy Chase’s signature style of charming smugness and dry wit in just six words. It is with this same phrase that the future Community cast member began nearly every “Weekend Update” segment he hosted during his short, but memorable run on SNL in the 1970s.

"... But I Love Him" - Jodi Deitz (Bronx Beat)

The talk show Bronx Beat was, essentially, an excuse for New York housewives Betty Caruso (Amy Poehler) and Jodi Deitz (Maya Rudolph) to voice their boisterous, and sometimes condemning, opinions on various subjects — with Jodi’s husband being a frequent topic. However, her complaint over her spouse’s moronic tendencies was always accompanied with a tearful affirmation that he still made her happy.

"Give Me A Break" - Ed Grimley

It’s hard to believe that a legend like Martin Short was only on SNL for one season, especially with his impressive assortment of characters like Ed Grimley. The pop-culture obsessed, erratic man-child — borrowed from the actor’s SCTV days — had a few different catchphrases, but his delivery of and situational choices for using “Give me a break” made it a classic.

"It Just Goes To Show Ya, It's Always Somethin'. If It's Not One Thing, It's Another" - Roseanne Roseannadanna

One of the most iconic “Weekend Update” guest characters was Roseanne Roseannadanna, who ended each of her nauseating appearances declaring that, “It’s always somethin’.” The phrase would serve as the title for the late, great Gilda Radner’s memoir, in which she reveals she borrowed it from her own late father’s favorite expression. 

"Superstar!" - Mary Katherine Gallagher

While her intentions may have been hard to interpret at face value, Mary Katherine Gallagher’s commitment to becoming a “superstar” was made clear in the way she exclaimed the phrase with an irresistible gusto. As such, Superstar became the name of a 1999 movie that put Molly Shannon’s quirky Catholic school student in the cinematic spotlight.

"Would You Like To Touch My Monkey?” - Dieter (Sprockets)

West German talk show host Dieter (Mike Myers) is another one of those characters who had many iconic catchphrases at his disposal, with the most famous being “Would you like to touch my monkey?” While it initially sounds a bit suggestive, he is genuinely curious if the guests on his show, Sprockets, would be interested in petting his pet, Klaus.

"Oh No!" - Mr. Bill

Few SNL bits are more traumatic than the short films starring Mr. Bill. The meek, indefensible clay figure could never do anything to prevent the painful situations he found himself in, but to exclaim, “Oh no!” right before they occurred.

"Bring It On Down To ...-Ville!" - Dancing Mascot

Nearly every one of Five-Timers Club member Justin Timberlake’s SNL gigs see him dressed in a ridiculous outfit, performing spoofs of hit songs to promote a local business — such as Omeletteville or Wrappingville — and upstage the competition on the same sidewalk. The pop star and actor even referenced the recurring sketch and its signature quote during a “Weekend Update” appearance when he imagines a non-existent Thanksgiving episode in which we would have brought it on down “Turkeyville.”

"Talk Amongst Yourselves. I'll Give You A Topic..." - Linda Richman (Coffee Talk)

When in need of a moment to compose herself after becoming “verklempt,” Linda Richman always avoided leaving her Coffee Talk audience empty-handed by offering them a conversation piece to pass the time. Examples of her given discussion topics include “Rhode Island is neither a road, nor is it an island” and “Ralph Fiennes is spelled neither rafe nor fines” among many others.

"Buh-Bye" - Flight Attendants

One of the funniest David Spade quotes comes courtesy of a flight attendant who wastes no time letting passengers know he does not want to be there. The character and his iconic “Buh-bye” debuted in a Season 19 SNL sketch also starring Helen Hunt as his equally rude colleague.

"Oh. Well, That’s Different. Nevermind!" - Emily Litella

As the elderly Emily Litella, Gilda Radner appeared on “Weekend Update” numerous times to present an opposing viewpoint to an editorialized topic, only to be informed that her supposed hearing problems led her to dish on something entirely different from the intended subject. Some of the most classic examples include “violins on television” instead of “violence on television” or questioning why the Supreme Court made a decision on a “deaf penalty” when, in fact, it was a decision on the “death penalty."

"What're YOUUUU Doin' Herrre?" - Stuart (The Californians)

The key as to why a sketch as simple as “The Californians” has stood the test of time is Fred Armisen’s preposterously over-the-top West Coast accent when portraying Stuart, especially when asking why certain acquaintances are in his house. Apparently, as Bill Hader shared with Seth Meyers on Late Night, he and Kristen Wiig did not know Armisen would pronounced “What’re you doing here?” so cartoonishly, causing the sketch to not go quite as planned with their uncontrollable laughter.

"You Look Marvelous" - Fernando Lamas

The peak highlight of Billy Crystal’s brief SNL stint was his portrayal of Fernando Lamas as a talk show host who often gushed over how “mahvelous” his guests looked. The Argentinian actor’s son, Lorenzo Lamas, even said that his father actually loved the impression.

"It's Reno Time!" - Janet Reno

For as long as Janet Reno served the U.S. Attorney General, Will Ferrell played her for years as the misplaced host of a teen-centered musical program called “Janet Reno’s Dance Party.” On the final edition of the sketch, the real politician herself crashed through a brick wall to shout out her SNL doppelgängers catchphrase.

"... Is That Bad To Do Do Do...?" - Junice Merill

No character portrayed by Academy Award-nominated SNL star Kristen Wiig is really known for having any definitive catchphrases, but Junice Merill does have her own “catch-lyric.” When she and her sisters appear on The Lawrence Welk Show, she takes one moment of their performance to confess something grotesque and possibly illegal before asking if it is “bad” in song.

"Delta Delta Delta! Can I Help Ya, Help Ya, Help Ya?" - Delta Delta Delta Sorority Sisters

One of the youngest SNL cast members (being 23 at the time) is Melanie Hutsell, whose most famous character was a sorority pledge named Di. She and her fellow sisters (played by Siobhan Fallon and Beth Cahill) would answer the sorority house phone in this most hilariously upbeat way.

"I Got A Fever And The Only Prescription Is More Cowbell!" - Bruce Dickinson

One of the most iconic SNL sketches prominently featuring an A-list host is a faux clip of Blue Öyster Cult recording “Don’t Fear the Reaper” under the supervision of Christopher Walken as Bruce Dickinson. His likening of Gene Frenkle’s (Will Ferrell) cowbell as a cure for his metaphorical illness in this one-off sketch may not exactly count as a catchphrase, but is undeniably one of the most celebrated lines in the series’ history. In fact, Walken claims it “ruined” his life with how often people quote it at him.

"Don't Look At My Bum" - Simon

Mike Myers stars in a recurring sketch as a young British boy named Simon, who likes to show the audience his drawing from a bathtub. In many instances, as he would turn around to reach for another example of his artwork, the child felt compelled to remind his viewers not to stare at his “bum.”

"That's What Your Mother Said Last Night" - Sean Connery (Celebrity Jeopardy!)

For no discernible reason, Darrell Hammond’s Sean Connery was more interested in spending the entirety of his appearances in SNL’s best Celebrity Jeopardy! sketches taunting Will Ferrell’s Alex Trebek than winning the game. Most of his insults involved the host’s mother, whom he jokingly claimed to have a relationship with.

These SNL catchphrases prove that, sometimes, it is not what you say, but how you say it. These characters said it hilariously.

Nearly a decade after the world bid farewell to the comedic genius Robin Williams, millions of fans, friends, and family still feel the void left by his absence. In a moving tribute during the 46th annual Kennedy Center Honors, Whoopi Goldberg emotionally honored her longtime friend and fellow comedian/actor, Billy Crystal. The poignant moment saw both Goldberg and the City Slickers actor holding back tears as she paid homage to the late great actor, funny man, and their mutual friend.

In the video shared on CBS's official TikTok (embedded below), the 68-year-old co-host of The View takes center stage to honor the star of one of the greatest 80s movies, When Harry Meets Sally, as he was one of the night's distinguished honorees. Emotions soared as the Oscar-winning actress, visibly moved, started reflecting on the trio's shared history, poignantly acknowledging the absence of their dear friend:

In this heartfelt video, the star of Sister Act gestures towards the space beside her, which serves as a poignant reminder of where the Genie voice actor should have stood. Delivering a heartfelt speech directed at the 75-year-old Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, while holding back tears, draws the crowd's attention to the trio's incompleteness, stating:

Turning her focus back to the honoree, the Ghost star takes a moment to regain her composure. With sincerity in her voice, she continues:

Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, and Robin Williams share a distinctive and rich history. Beyond their individual talents as comedians who’ve been great in dramatic roles, Crystal and Williams worked together on various projects over the years. Notable among these collaborations are their roles in Father's Day (1997) and Deconstructing Harry (1997), along with an iconic guest appearance in a Friends episode. Goldberg rounded out the comedic trio who annually cohosted the Comic Relief charity specials in the 1980s and ‘90s and a one-off in 2006 benefitting the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Additionally, when Goldberg received the Mark Twain Prize in 2001, the funny men were present to honor their fellow comedian.

Ahead of the Kennedy Center Honors unfolding, Billy Crystal took a moment to reflect on the absence of his dear friend. The star of Throw Momma From The Train (one of Crystal's most underrated and best movies) expressed a profound sense of loss, acknowledging the void left by the Mrs. Doubtfire star's passing. He said:

The Analyze This actor's sentiments before the ceremony echoed the heartfelt tribute he paid to Robin Williams at the Emmy Awards shortly after the comedian's passing in August 2014. At that time, he praised Williams for his comedic brilliance and for being an extraordinary friend, describing him as the "brightest star in the comedy galaxy" and highlighting his enduring impact on the lives of those who knew him.

It's apparent that even a decade after his untimely death, the World’s Best Dad star’s absence is still felt by those who knew him best. What remains comforting though, is that Whoopi Goldberg and others continue to honor his memory in sweet ways. If you want to revisit some of the best Robin Williams movies, I suggest some of his dark comedies most don’t talk about, including Death to Smoochy. Of course, you can’t go wrong revisiting his work as everyone's favorite wise-cracking Genie in Aladdin, which is available to stream with a Disney+ subscription.

It's the setting of cinema's most infamous (fake) orgasm scene, but When Harry Met Sally star Billy Crystal shockingly hasn't been back to New York's iconic Katz's Deli since filming the acclaimed romantic comedy all the way back in 1989. That is, until now. Crystal not only returned to the landmark location but, while doing so, he shared other memories, including how he managed to confuse co-star Meg Ryan while they were on set. 

To celebrate the comedian-actor's recent Kennedy Center honor — bestowed by the United States National Cultural Center to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture — the actor sat down with CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King at Katz's to discuss his decades-spanning career, including the making of that beloved rom-com. 

During the chat, the Emmy winner recounted how he first met longtime friend and collaborator Rob Reiner while appearing on All in the Family; the filmmaker would, of course, go on to direct classic Billy Crystal movies like The Princess Bride and, yes, When Harry Met Sally. When speaking of man who directed him and Meg Ryan at the noted deli, Crystal said:

Billy Crystal is, of course, referencing the movie's gloriously silly "there is too much pepper on my paprikash" scene, featuring his Harry Burns and Meg Ryan's Sally Albright doing goofy voices while visiting a museum. The actor also detailed to Gayle King how his improvised use of that goofy voice initially confused his famous leading lady:

I think a number of us probably would've reacted in the same manner had we been in the lead actress' shoes, though you can't argue with the final product. Many interesting tidbits have been revealed about the Rob Reiner-directed movie in the 34 years since When Harry Met Sally first hit theaters. That includes the fact that it was initially supposed to have a super depressing ending and that Meg Ryan helped come up with the famous "I'll have what she's having scene."

Upon revisiting the setting of the movie's most memorable moment—the Lower East Side deli even has a sign indicating exactly where Harry and Sally sat in the film—Billy Crystal weighed in the enduring love for the fake orgasm scene: 

The actor added that the movie has become "more important" to him as the decades have passed, with new generations being charmed by the relatability of Harry and Sally's story. As he puts it, he and Meg Ryan "represent" the newer generations of people that fall in and out of love all the time. That's a sweet sentiment, and it's wonderful that he was not only able to return to the iconic Katz's Deli but also that he still holds this classic film in such high regard.

And in case you want to revisit the charming romance for yourself — or see it for the very first time — you can watch Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally with a Paramount+ subscription. 

Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal’s When Harry Met Sally… came out 34 years ago, and we still can’t stop talking about it and that famous fake orgasm scene. In one of the most memorable moments of the friends-to-lovers rom-com, Sally demonstrates to Harry at Katz’s Deli how easy it is for a woman to fake an orgasm, leading a female customer to hilariously tell the waiter, “I’ll have what she’s having.” While looking back at what online daters call one the best romantic comedies of all time, the 62-year-old actress roasted Crystal over their iconic scene in a LOL moment.

You can argue that the orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally… was a pivotal moment in cinema for breaking the taboos of female pleasure. The “I’ll have what she’s having” quote was also a hilarious touch that made the scene laugh-out-loud hilarious. Hollywood Life reported that the film’s lead Meg Ryan was at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C. amusingly roasting her male lead co-star and one of the night's honorees, crediting him for helping to make this scene a success. She said:

While Meg Ryan gave it her all with loud moans and table-thumping in public, Billy Crystal also played a vital (and funny) role in the scene. The Princess Bride actor was a real natural just sitting there with a straight face while watching his co-star’s performance from across the table. The disbelief on his face as well as annoyance at watching his friend successfully prove how simple it is for women to feign pleasure during sex is incredible. 

I think the point proven in this scene is what makes this Rotten Tomatoes-favored movie so memorable. Sally is constantly proving Harry wrong about his theories about women and opposite-sex friendships. It shows what an impact two people can have on each other.

Believe it or not, the conception of the orgasm scene wasn't just through the comedic stylings of director Rob Reiner and writer Nora Ephron. Meg Ryan helped come up with her famous moment when Reiner told her they wanted to show how women feel during sex compared to just their male counterparts. With actions being louder than words, the Rom-Com Queen had the idea of reenacting how women feel instead of just talking about it in the scene. 

The fact that she’s doing this at a restaurant in front of everyone with no shame proves her point to Harry, and it shows women everywhere they shouldn’t be ashamed when discussing the subject. Another little touch Ryan put in there was taking a bite of the coleslaw after her exaggerated presentation as if it were nothing. It’s moments like these, and Billy Crystal's reaction, that prove the rom-com is comedy gold.

According to Meg Ryan’s roast, only Billy Crystal can make a scene about a woman faking an orgasm so easy to accomplish in When Harry Met Sally... However, these two had chemistry that was off the charts, and they were an excellent comedy duo for a reason. 

Take a look at our best romantic comedies list if you’re in the mood for some love and laughter. You can also make sure to look at our 2023 movie releases before the month of December is over to plan your next trip to the cinema.

Danny DeVito and Billy Crystal are such comedic legends that you really can’t tell whether they’re kidding or not. So when whispers about a sequel to the underrated ‘80s comedy Throw Momma From The Train started to form, some may have been suitably skeptical. Well, this time the skeptics are wrong, as that’s exactly what’s in the works between Crystal and DeVito. 

During an interview with GQ, the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia legend spoke about the collaborators to whom he’s been talking as of late. With a couple of re-teamings being discussed, Danny DeVito said,

The 1987 comedy Throw Momma From The Train, which DeVito also directed, is a comedic riff of Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers On A Train that plays out between DeVito's Owen and Billy Crystal’s Larry. Murder, friendship, and confidence boosting all follow as the gents try to carry out the titular act with a hilarious lack of success. 

Of course, as you read above, Danny DeVito is no stranger to the legacyquel. And, as he’s bittersweetly reminded us, there was supposed to be a Twins sequel in the works that just never happened. Despite Arnold Schwarzenegger’s promising update from last year, it appears that Twins 2 is no longer happening. 

This makes you wonder where Billy Crystal stands on this whole subject, as a Throw Momma From The Train sequel would need both men to really shine. That’s where Entertainment Weekly comes in, as they reached out to Crystal’s representatives for an official response. If you're trying your hardest not to get too hyped, the following isn't going to help:

Billy Crystal seems to be making the rounds with friends as of late, as seen in Crystal’s recent hangout with Robert De Niro. So maybe this promising update on Throw Papa From The Train is something for which we should all be keeping our ears and eyes open. Though now that we've been reminded of how Triplets almost happened with Tracy Morgan, perhaps we'll just save our excitement until the next update.

Whether this potential Danny DeVito/Billy Crystal legacyquel happens, it'll never take away the charms of Throw Momma From The Train. Especially when, as of the time of this writing, the movie is available with a Max subscription. In the meantime, we'll leave you with this rather interesting thought thanks to the working title for this project: which Papa is being thrown off the train?

It is no secret to anyone who has ever watched the hit sketch comedy series that the Saturday Night Live cast changes every year. In fact, there are some SNL actors who do not last any longer than one season. While some one-season-wonders have since fallen into obscurity, there are plenty of others who may have already been well-known to begin with or went on to become bigger than anyone could have imagined, as you can see from this list below. 

Nancy Carell 

The 1995-1996 season of SNL saw the debut of a Second City improv grad then named Nancy Walls, who — according to Vulture — was best known for impersonating the likes of Diane Sawyer, Sharon Stone, and Martha Stewart. Years after her sole season on SNL, Nancy would return to Studio 8H to appear in the opening monologue for a Season 38 episode hosted by her now husband, Steve Carell.

Chevy Chase

As one of SNL’s most famous former cast members, it’s easily forgotten that Chevy Chase was on for just one year (the series’ first) due to his then-girlfriend’s reluctance to move closer to set, according to the book, Live From New York: The Complete Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live. After Bill Murray replaced him, Chase had a successful movie career, became a Five-Timer’s Club member, and starred in the Community cast for several seasons.

Billy Crystal

Billy Crystal was an established name when he joined SNL in 1984 and was even supposed to be the very first show’s final act before his managers pulled him out, feeling the time slot was disrespectful, according to Live From New York. The comedian’s brief run — before going on to star in hit movies like rom-com classic When Harry Met Sally… — was a memorable one, especially for his recurring portrayal of Fernando Lamas.

Joan Cusack

John Cusack is an actor who has never hosted SNL, but his sister, Joan Cusack, was actually a cast member during the disastrous 11th season from 1985-1986, which — as she revealed on Terry Gross’ Fresh Air podcast — was a miserable experience. Luckily, her subsequent career after she and the rest of that year’s cast got fired has gone very well, including two Academy Award nominations (for Working Girl and In & Out), sharing the screen with her siblings on occasion, etc. 

Robert Downey Jr.

Yeah, that’s right: Iron Man was an SNL regular from 1985-1986, during which he realized the “rapid-fire sketch comedy” format was not for him — as he revealed to Sam Jones on Off Camera — and was later ranked dead last on Rolling Stone’s list of the show's best cast members in 2015. Even with the evidence recorded for the world to see, the two-time Academy Award nominee’s current career makes that mostly forgotten part of his career hard to believe.

Chris Elliott

Late 2000s cast member Abby Elliott is actually a second generation SNL star, following her father, Chris Elliott’s, short tenure in the mid-1990s, despite previously having the chance to join in the mid-1980s, as he told The Daily Beast. He was already on his way to being a comedy icon by then thanks to appearances on Late Night with David Letterman and surely is now, thanks to his role as one of the funniest Schitt’s Creek characters, Roland Schitt, to name one example.

Janeane Garofalo

After making her acting debut on short-lived sketch comedy series, The Ben Stiller Show, Janeane Garofalo joined SNL from 1994 to 1995. Today, the stand-up comedian is well known for numerous movie and TV roles, including for her twice Emmy-nominated role on The Larry Sanders Show and from one of Pixar’s best movies, Ratatouille, as Colette.

Gilbert Gottfried

In 2022, we lost comedian Gilbert Gottfried, who is well known for playing Iago in Disney’s Aladdin, but not so much from SNL. Gottfried told Joe Rogan that his one year as a regular was “terrible” because he came on in 1980, right after the original cast had all left, which had viewers especially critical. 

Christopher Guest 

These days, writer, director, producer, and actor Christopher Guest is known as one of the leading “mockumentarians” for hits like Best in Show and This is Spinal Tap. He and the rest of the faux rock band actually appeared on SNL when he was cast member from 1984-1985, during which he was the anchor for “Weekend Update,” when it was being called “Saturday Night News.”

Anthony Michael Hall

Anthony Michael Hall became the youngest SNL cast member in history at just 17, according to The Independent, when he joined in 1985. Of course, by then, he was already one of Hollywood’s top teen stars, having played Chevy Chase’s son in National Lampoon’s Vacation and stole the show in hit coming-of-age ‘80s movie classics like Sixteen Candles and Weird Science (alongside Robert Downey Jr.).

David Koechner

Years before he starred alongside SNL all-star Will Ferrell in the Anchorman movies, David Koechner actually met him when they were on the show together, as he told Larry King Now guest host, Tom Green. The actor and comedian also debuted his character, Gerald “T-Bones” Tibbons, in a few sketches during his 1995-1996 stint.

Laurie Metcalf 

She is best known for her role on Roseanne (and The Conners), her Oscar nomination for Lady Bird, and playing Sheldon’s mom on The Big Bang Theory, but one of Laurie Metcalf’s earliest gigs was SNL. On Late Night with Seth Myers, she reflected on her two contributions to the show: a “Weekend Update” reporter bit and a short film opposite Catherine O’Hara.

John Milhiser

A highlight of John Milhiser’s SNL tenure was his only slightly exaggerated Jon Cryer impersonation in a few segments from Season 39. After Deadline reported that his contract was not being renewed, the comedian later appeared opposite alumni Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones in 2016’s Ghostbusters.

Randy Quaid

In addition to stealing the show from Chevy Chase in the National Lampoon’s Vacation, Randy Quaid had also earned an Oscar nomination for 1974’s The Last Detail before joining SNL. His followed the infamous 1985-1986 season by broadening Cousin Eddie’s iconography in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation cast and starring in classics like Independence Day and Brokeback Mountain.

Rob Riggle

Rob Riggle’s 2004-2005 SNL stint was his first major showbiz gig following 15 years as an active marine, as he recalled to The Daily Beast. He also revealed his time as his season’s only “new guy” caused some dysfunction, but at least it led to a successful career as a Daily Show correspondent, appearing in hit comedies like The Hangover, and hosting Holey Moley.

Tim Robinson

As Primetimer recalls, Tim Robinson joined SNL in 2012 alongside Aidy Bryant and Cecily Strong, but was the only one out of that new trio to not make it past one season. He would eventually make up for lost time pretty significantly by co-creating and starring on Netflix’s hit sketch comedy series, I Think You Should Leave.

Paul Shaffer

Paul Shaffer has an interesting SNL history, having started off as a member of the house band before becoming a cast member in 1979, at which point he became the first to drop the F-bomb during a show, according to EW. Today, we know him best as the band leader for David Letterman’s storied late night career.

Martin Short

A comedy legend of Martin Short’s stature and talent — despite not pleasing everyone, apparently — is someone you’d assume had been on there longer than one season, but, as he discussed with Howard Stern, that turned out to be the case. From 1984-1985, the Only Murders in the Building cast member played many memorable characters, including Ed Grimley, most notably.

Sarah Silverman

Getting fired from SNL in 1994 was a bit disappointing to Sarah Silverman, but — as she told Perri Nemiroff on Collider Ladies Night — that one season was a great experience that made navigating show business a little easier. The two-time Emmy winner is now one of the best-known comedians there is, having even gained an audience too young for her stand-up after voicing Vanellope in Wreck-It Ralph and Ralph Breaks the Internet.

Jenny Slate

Jenny Slate clarified to InStyle that her firing from SNL in 2010 had nothing to do with her accidental F-bomb in that season’s premiere episode, but claims she “just didn’t belong there.” Her career since — including playing Mona-Lisa Saperstein on Parks and Rec, creating and voicing the title role of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, and appearing in Best Picture Oscar winner, Everything Everywhere All At Once — has surely been a great consolation anyway.

Ben Stiller

Not quite a “one-season-wonder,” Ben Stiller explained to Howard Stern that he was on SNL for five weeks before quitting in 1989 because he preferred creating short films over performing in live sketches — much like he did with The Ben Stiller Show. After launching a phenomenal career (that included occasionally sharing the screen with his parents), he has since come back to host twice, make some cameos, and recur as Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Terry Sweeney

SNL’s first openly gay cast member (and first on “network, commercial-based television,” according to Out) was Terry Sweeney, who was a writer before being recruited for the 1985-1986 season. He went on to write for MADtv and co-created a short-lived sketch comedy called Hype and more recently appeared on American Crime Story Season 2 and Netflix’s The Politician.

Danitra Vance

While not out at the time, Danitra Vance is tied with Terry Sweeney as SNL’s first LGBTQ+ cast member, having starred alongside him during Season 11. According to Advocate, she actually resigned from the show herself and continued to write and perform sharply satirical comedy before she passed away from breast cancer in 1994.

Michaela Watkins

Michaela Watkins — best known as blogger Angie Tempura — told EW that Lorne Michaels fired her from SNL in 2009, believing she should have her own show, which eventually happened when she was cast on Hulu’s Casual and, later, The Unicorn on CBS. You may also recognize her from movies like Good Boys or from Hulu’s true crime miniseries, The Dropout, more recently.

Damon Wayans 

In the world of sketch comedy, Damon Wayans is best known for his spot among the In Living Color cast and his iconic characters like Homey D. Clown. However, prior to that, he was a featured SNL performer for 11 episodes before he was fired for — as he discussed in a Weekender interview — going off script. 

Noël Wells

College Humor and Upright Citizens Brigade vet Noël Wells was not brought back for a second season on SNL in 2014, but bounced back pretty quickly. She had a pivotal role on Netflix’s Master of None; wrote, directed, and starred in 2017’s Mr. Roosevelt, and more recently lending her voice to Star Trek: Lower Decks. 

Brooks Wheelan

In a 2014 “Celebrity Family Feud” sketch, Brooks Wheelan (as himself) assures Steve Harvey (Kenan Thompson) that he is on SNL, to which the host responds, “I doubt it." -- a playful dig at his lack of screen time during his freshman season. In July 2014, the comedian announced he would not be returning with a tweet reading, “Had a blast and loved every second of it. I'm totally honored to be able to make this next joke... FIRED FROM NEW YORK IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT!

”

Mike O'Brien 

Mike O’Brien was an SNL writer from 2009 to 2015, but also pulled double duty as a cast member from 2013-2014, during which he played Jay-Z and Oprah in a couple of short, faux biopics. Some of his more recent highlights include a Booksmart cameo and creating the short-lived NBC sitcom, AP Bio.

Aristotle Athari

One of SNL’s more recent one-season-wonders is Aristotle Athari, who was actually the show’s first Middle-Eastern male cast member and second Iranian-American cast member, according to The Dallas Morning News. Despite minimal screen time before his Season 47 exit, he did have a recurring character: indecipherable, improvisational lounge singer, Angelo.

Peter Aykroyd

A year after his brother, Ghostbusters star Dan Aykroyd, left the show, Peter Aykroyd joined as a cast member in 1980 and went on to earn an Emmy Award as a staff writer. The former Second City member, sadly, passed away at 66 in November 2021, USA Today reported. 

Jim Downey

While Jim Downey was only an SNL cast member for one year in 1980, he has been a writer for the show longer than anybody, with more than 30 seasons under his belt. He would show up on camera every so often in the later years, such as for a pair of faux ads for a bank that only gives people change, which he also wrote.

Christine Ebersole

Christine Ebersole’s distinct professionalism can be summed up in a story she shared to Broadway World from her 1981-1982 SNL stint in which she managed to sing a parodic Christmas carol on live TV with a piece of fake snow stuck in her throat. The actor is better known today for Oscar darlings like Tootsie and The Wolf of Wall Street, starring alongside fellow SNL alums Chris Farley and David Spade in Black Sheep, and starring on CBS sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola since 2019.

Not everybody needs to reach Kenan Thompson’s record to really make it in comedy, as many of these one-season SNL actors can support.

One of the most fun things to do is think about what could have been if iconic roles were played by actors different from the ones that made them famous. There were a lot of “what ifs” in the 1980s, and just as many in the ‘90s. So, here is our list of 20 actors that almost starred in classic ‘90s films. 

Will Smith – The Matrix

Imagine being presented with two scripts at around the same time. One is Wild Wild West and the other is The Matrix. That’s exactly what happened to Will Smith in 1996 and The Fresh Prince chose… poorly. In a YouTube video posted a few years ago, Smith explained that he did turn down Neo in The Matrix because he didn’t quite understand the pitch from the Wachowskis and made Wild Wild West instead. He admits it feels like a mistake now.

Brad Pitt – The Matrix

Another actor who turned down the Wachowskis and didn't play Neo in The Matrix was Brad Pitt. He has rarely talked about roles he regrets turning down, but at an event with Leonard Maltin at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2020, he admitted to Maltin that he was the first choice to play Neo, but said no. Pitt joked about it, saying, 

At least we go Keanu Reeves in the role, so it wasn't a total loss!

Julia Roberts – Sleepless In Seattle

Sometimes it comes down to timing. That’s what happened to Julia Roberts when she turned down the role of Annie in Sleepless In Seattle. Roberts was committed to another little rom-com called Pretty Woman, so it’s hard to say that she made the wrong choice! Not only did that movie make her a superstar, but even she thinks Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, one of the best on-screen couples ever, were the right combo for Sleepless, telling InStyle (via ABC), 

As she noted, everything really did work out for the best where movie history is concerned.

Molly Ringwald – Pretty Woman

Speaking of Pretty Woman, the movie was originally a much darker portrayal of prostitution in LA, and instead of Julia Robert’s million-watt smile charming audiences, it was ‘80s legend Molly Ringwald lined up to play Vivian. Ringwald didn’t like the plot, however, as she explained to The Guardian,

And, no one can blame Ringwald for following her gut.

Gwyneth Paltrow – Boogie Nights

Howard Stern is famous for getting a lot of information out of the celebrities he interviews. In 2015, he sat down with Gwyneth Paltrow and talked about some of the roles she’d passed on in her career. The most intriguing, by far, was Roller Girl in Boogie Nights, who was played by Heather Graham, of course. If you’re wondering if she passed because of the nudity, you’re correct. She told the shock jock, 

Paltrow wasn’t the only actor to pass on the script either, Leonardo DiCaprio decided to star in Titanic over Boogie Nights as well. 

Michelle Pfeiffer And Jodie Foster – Thelma & Louise

Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon are so good together as the titular Thelma & Louise it’s impossible to imagine any other actors in the roles, but they weren’t actually the first choices of the producers. After the script was finished, producer Ridley Scott signed Michelle Pfeiffer and Jodie Foster up to star as Thelma and Louise, respectively. As the story goes, it took quite a long time for Scott to decide on a director, a role he would eventually take himself, and in the meantime, Foster and Pfeiffer moved on to other projects, opening the door for Sarandon and Davis. 

Tom Cruise – The Shawshank Redemption

This is a bit of a complicated story. Frank Darabont wrote the script for The Shawshank Redemption based on a short novella by Stephen King. Darabont always had in his mind that he would also direct the film. When he sold the picture to Castle Rock, the production company had a different idea. Rob Reiner, one of the principals in Castle Rock, wanted to direct the movie and have Tom Cruise, instead of Tim Robbins, star as Andy Dufresne and in exchange, Darabont would be paid a huge flat fee for the script. Darabont, as he explained to Vanity Fair, stuck to his guns and eventually took a smaller salary and a bigger percentage of the profits. Smart move. 

Billy Crystal – Toy Story

“To infinity and beyond! With a mutton, lettuce, and tomato sandwich!” It’s safe to say the role of Buzz Lightyear would have been played very differently had the original star offered the role, Billy Crystal, taken it. Instead, turning down the part ended up being one of Crystal’s biggest career regrets. Tim Allen got the role he’s hopefully revisiting soon, almost 30 years after the first movie. Of the decision, Crystal told Yahoo!, 

Many would say that Crystal is correct, and on one else could have played Buzz better.

Nicolas Cage – Lord Of The Rings

One actor who doesn’t seem to regret missing out on a big franchise is Nicholas Cage. According to the Con Air star, he turned down the role of Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, a part made legendary by Viggo Mortensen. It doesn’t bother Cage though, as he told Newsweek about it and other roles he passed on, 

Cage is famous for his fandom, so it's good to know he doesn't regret this decision at all.

Janeane Garofalo – Fight Club

Janeane Garofalo is a Gen X icon, so it only makes sense that she would have been up for a role in a great movie (with one of the all-time great Gen X characters), Fight Club. According to Garofalo, director David Finch gave her the script and told her the part was “hers.” Unfortunately, again, according to Garofalo, Edward Norton didn’t like her for the part and lobbied for Courtney Love, who Pitt didn’t like for the role, so they settled on the outstanding Helena Bonham Carter. Norton disputes the claim, but Garofalo has stuck to her story. 

Halle Berry – Speed

It took a while for Halle Berry and Keanu Reeves to work together, finally teaming up in 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parrabellum, but it almost happened much sooner than that. As Berry was promoting that movie, she revealed that she planned to star as Annie in Speed, a role eventually filled by Sandra Bullock, of course. As Berry explained to ET,

The original script was quite different, it seems, and when she saw the final product, she felt the sting, adding "Then I see the movie and I'm like, 'Arrrrghh!'"

Michael Madson – Pulp Fiction

If the Quentin Tarantino Universe is real, then Michael Madson has a big part in it. A role he could’ve played twice. Madson played Vic Vega, a.k.a. Mr. Blonde, in Reservoir Dogs and Tarantino wanted him to reprise the part in Pulp Fiction, however, Madson turned down the opportunity, the role of Vic Vega became his brother Vincent Vega and John Travolta revitalized his career. 

Claire Danes – Titanic

It seems there are stories of almost every actress getting a shot at the role of Rose in Titanic, played in the film by Kate Winslet. While not every claim is accurate, one that certainly is, is that Claire Danes was first offered the part. The Homeland actor has no regrets about not taking the job, and had a pretty good reason why, as she explained to Dax Shephard on his podcast Armchair Expert:

Danes even spoke to Leonardo DiCaprio about it, 

The rest is history!

Drew Barrymore – Scream

You’re probably asking yourself why we included a movie that the actor actually starred in. Well, as it turns out, Drew Barrymore was originally supposed to play Sidney in Scream, whom Neve Campbell turned into a role all her own. Instead of playing the lead, Barrymore suggested they flip the script on the horror genre and cast her as a character that would die at the beginning, leaving audiences to wonder if anyone was safe. Alfred Hitchcock would have been proud. 

Samuel L. Jackson – Boogie Nights

In Season 3 of The Family Guy they make a joke about Samuel L. Jackson being in “everything” including the porn movie Brian is directing. One thing Jackson hasn’t done, is play a porn star, though he almost starred as Buck Swope, the character made famous by Don Cheadle in Boogie Nights. According to director Paul Thomas Anderson in the director’s commentary on the DVD. After getting the script from the then-unknown writer/director, Jackson passed on the project, presumably because of the content of the film, as Gwyneth Paltrow did as well. 

What Ifs…

In most movies, there are “dream” actors that producers, writers, and directors envision in a role, but ultimately are never seriously considered for various reasons. In the ‘90s, there were some seriously big names attached to what would become big roles that aren’t included on this list because it was usually just daydreaming.

Take, for example, Mel Gibson as The Dude in The Big Lebowski. That’s right, the Coen Brothers initially hoped Gibson would play the role, but the script didn’t do anything for him, so the part went to Jeff Bridges and the rest of us abide by this decision. 

How about Leonardo DiCaprio as Will Hunting in Good Will Hunting? That’s what the studio wanted, but Matt Damon says he took a page from Sylvester Stallone and stuck his guns as Stallone did with the original Rocky, and insisted he play the lead role. How’d them apples work out? 

Finally, in one of the most bizarre ideas ever, John Malkovich was approached by the studio to play Robert DeNiro’s role (Jimmy Conway) in Goodfellas. Thankfully, for everyone involved, Malkovich backed off, telling GQ,

Hollywood is filled with near-misses and who knows what kind of butterfly effect these have had on history. It’s good to know that audiences have gotten the best options, but it’s fun to think about what could have been. 

Robert De Niro is a star who is going to make headlines a lot for his performances in film. But one was probably not expecting him to make headlines recently for announcing that he just had a baby. His seventh child. At the age of 79. And yet, that’s just what happened earlier this week when De Niro was forced to correct an interviewer, who made reference to the fact that he had six children. There’s a lot that we don’t know about the situation, but it turns out one person who does know a bit is Billy Crystal.

Crystal and De Niro co-starred together in the comedy Analyze This and its sequel and the two have apparently remained friends since then as they saw each other not too long ago, just a couple of weeks before the new baby was born. Crystal told People he was thrilled for his friend, calling the baby “a beautiful thing” and saying…

A few more details have come out since De Niro revealed the new baby, including that he welcomed the new baby with his current girlfriend Tiffany Chen. Chen is a martial arts instructor from New York. She and De Niro reportedly met when Chen had a small role in 2015’s The Intern, which starred De Niro alongside Anne Hathaway, but the relationship began several years later, amidst De Niro’s divorce from Grace Hightower. 

The couple has kept their relationship very private, so it wasn’t entirely clear if they were still together but that does seem to be the case. Kim Cattrell, who co-stars with De Niro in the new movie About My Father, referenced Chen by name to Extra when discussing the new baby, seemingly confirming the child is theirs.

Billy Crystal also spoke a bit about De Niro and Chen as a couple, saying that having the baby was something they want to do together, and calling it all "wonderful." 

I can’t personally imagine how a 79-year-old man is going to handle a newborn considering I’m about half his age and my kids exhaust me as it is, but more power to Robert De Niro. The man has had seven kids over the course of the last 50 years and so clearly raising children is something that he wants to do. 

De Niro finally gave up some additional details about the new addition to his family when talking to CBS This Morning  The baby is a girl named Gia Virginia Chen-DeNiro. Births can be stressful and complicated but it certainly sounds like there were no issues here and everybody is happy and healthy. Which is good since they won’t be getting a lot of sleep over the next few months. 

The great thing about visiting Disneyland Resort is being able to experience your favorite movies and characters in new and different ways. There’s something that makes your favorite stories come to life in a more “real” way when you see characters on a theme park attraction. One lucky guest had an even more real experience when she met Monsters Inc.’s Mike Wazowski at Disneyland, but apparently had no clue.

Billy Crystal recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and told a story about a recent trip to Disneyland with his family. Crystal says he found himself in a line next to a woman who was clearly a fan of Mike Wazowski, with both her and her child decked out in Mike merch, something Crystal laments he doesn't get a share of. Crystal decided to introduce this fan to the actual Mike Wazaowski, unfortunately, it didn't quite go the way he expected. Crystal explained…

You would think that a Monsters Inc. fan meeting the voice of one of the main characters would be a big deal, but it seems the woman did not recognize Billy Crystal. Maybe he had a cold and didn’t do the greatest version of the voice. Perhaps this woman was on the younger side and doesn’t actually know Billy Crystal. While the comedian is still going strong, he’s not quite as big a name as he was when he hosted the Oscars for multiple years in a row and thus might not be instantly recognizable. Still, I would think that a fan who loves Mike enough to deck out the family in gear would recognize the man.

Of course, Billy Crystal himself has some significant skill at doing impressions, so perhaps he should consider it an honor that other people do impressions of his characters. And in some cases those impressions are good enough to be seen as actually better than the original. 

Billy Crystal voiced Mike Wazowski in the two Pixar films Monsters Inc. and Monsters University. He also returned to include the character in the Disney+ series Monsters at Work. His voice can also be heard across the street from Disneyland at Disney California Adventure as part of the Monsters Inc Mike & Sully to the Rescue attraction, a ride that replaced what was maybe the worst Disney ride ever. No word if Billy Crystal and family took a ride on that, but we have to assume they did, right? It's one thing to see the character you voiced on a screen, it's another to see them come to life in front of you, or in line with you.

It’s been a little over three weeks since the 2022 Academy Award winners were announced, but the ceremony is still being talked about. While Amy Schumer has garnered some attention for her controversial bit with Kirsten Dunst and a scrapped joke involving Alec Baldwin, the chief topic that remains on many minds is Will Smith slapping Chris Rock after the comedian joked about Jada Pinkett Smith. Billy Crystal, who goes way back with the Oscars, has given his take on both the slap itself and the Joke Rock told.

If anyone’s qualified to talk about the Oscars, it’s Billy Crystal, as the When Harry Met Sally actor has hosted the ceremony nine times, the first time in 1990 and most recently in 2012. He dropped by CNN+’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace (via Mediaite) to talk about his career, and when the eponymous host brought up Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards, Crystal had this to say about the incident itself:

On the off chance you need a refresher, ahead of presenting the Best Documentary Feature that evening, Chris Rock told a handful of jokes, including making a crack about how he looked forward to seeing Jada Pinkett Smith in G.I. Jane 2 (a reference to the actress’ bald head, which she shaved after being diagnosed with alopecia). Shortly thereafter, Will Smith came onstage and slapped Rock, and then upon getting back to his seat, he yelled “Keep my wife’s name out your fucking mouth!” twice. Rock was understandably rattled by what happened, but after a few seconds was able to get himself together and deliver the rest of his presentation. 

Later on in the ceremony, during his acceptance speech for the Best Actor Oscar, Smith apologized to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the incident, but he didn’t mention Chris Rock. Instead, Smith issued a formal public apology to the SNL vet the following day. Billy Crystal is able to see both sides of the situation. One the one hand, while he doesn’t condone what Smith did, he’s concerned about his mental state. On the other hand, he obviously didn’t want to see Rock slapped, but he also found the joke about Jada Pinkett Smith unsatisfying. As Crystal put it:

Chris Rock declined to press charges against Will Smith for the slap in the hours after the ceremony. However, on April 1, the King Richard actor resigned from the Academy after the organization initiated disciplinary proceedings against him. Then on April 8, the Academy banned Smith from attending the Oscars and any other Academy event for the next 10 years.

Billy Crystal is just one of many celebrities who’ve given their take on Will Smith slapping Chris Rock, with other recent examples include DJ Jazzy Jeff saying Smith was only human for having a “lapse in judgement,” as well Jay Leno calling out the Academy for launching an investigation since there were “so many cameras on this incident.” Along with the aforementioned consequences, two of Smith’s movies have been put on pause, so we’ll have to wait and see how the aftermath of the slap will continue to be felt.

Pixar was one of those movie studios I always gravitated towards when i was growing up, due to the fact that I loved their stories, amazing animation, and ability to make me and my parents cry. One of my favorite Pixar films has always been Monsters Inc. Whether that was because I looked like Boo as a toddler, or because I love re-watching it now as an adult, it’s always stood out to me as one of Pixar’s best films. 

But, with such a long list of stars, where are the Monsters Inc. cast members nowadays, such as John Goodman and Billy Crystal? If you’ve wondered where your favorite working duo of monsters have been, look no further than here. 

John Goodman (Sulley)

Sulley was a kind-hearted monster who took on the role of looking after Boo while trying to get her back to the human world, and he was voiced by the famous John Goodman. If you’ve heard of his name before, that shouldn’t be a shock. 

Goodman has been around in TV and movies for a long time. For a sample of his live-action work since Monsters Inc., he appeared in the autobiographical musical movie, Beyond The Sea, the comedy, Evan Almighty, the black and white feature, The Artist, the action thriller film, Patriots Day, the Charlize Theron-led film, Atomic Blonde, and more. 

Goodman has also done voice work several times, for films like The Jungle Book 2, Bee Movie, and the Disney animated feature, The Princess and the Frog. He also voiced Sully again in Monsters University. 

John Goodman has also made regular appearances on television. Currently, he stars in the HBO comedy, The Righteous Gemstones, and on The Conners as Dan Conner. He led the Amazon original series, Alpha House, and was a regular on the first season of the HBO's, Treme. Right now, reprising his Sulley with the Monsters at Work cast on Disney+. 

Billy Crystal (Mike)

As the second half of the original duo in Monsters Inc., Mike was the comedic monster to Sulley’s more relaxed one, creating hilarious moments that made both kids and parents snicker. Famed comedian and actor Billy Crystal voiced Mike, and has done plenty since his role in the famous Pixar film. 

Besides reprising the role of Mike in both Monsters University and the Disney+ original series, Monsters at Work, Crystal has appeared in both movies and television shows. In terms of film, he provided his voice for the Studio Ghibli film, Howl’s Moving Castle, appeared in Tooth Fairy, I’m Still Here, Untogether, Here Today, and many others. 

However, Crystal has also shined on TV. He starred as himself in The Comedians, appeared in three episodes of Web Therapy, and has done several documentary and guest appearances as well. Crystal also hosted the Academy Awards twice since Monsters Inc., in 2004 and 2012. 

Mary Gibbs (Boo)

I know you all love Boo from Monsters Inc., and now she’s all grown up! Mary Gibbs, who voiced Boo when she was only five years old, has stepped out of the spotlight since her voice role in the movie. Besides providing the voice of Boo in many Monsters Inc. related projects, she also provided some additional voices in the Pixar film Inside Out. 

Other than that, Gibbs is living her life happily. She has a YouTube channel called Boo All Grown Up where she talks about voice work and her life, and has said that being a part of Monsters Inc. was something that was very special to her, according to Newsweek: 

Trust me, Mary Gibbs, we believe that too. Who could ever forget your adorable voice saying, “Kitty!” 

Steve Buscemi (Randall)

Randall was certainly an annoying workplace villain in Monsters Inc., and Steve Buscemi did a great job voicing him. Besides reprising Randall in Monsters University in 2013, Buscemi is an actor who has been active in Hollywood for years, and hasn’t slowed down. 

With movies, Buscemi has appeared in a variety of them, including but not limited to the Spy Kids series, the Adam Sandler-led comedy, Grown Ups, the Netflix film, The Ridiculous 6, and the political satire, The Death of Stalin. 

Buscemi has also appeared in several television shows. He starred in the lead role in the HBO series, Boardwalk Empire, hosts the web television series, Park Bench with Steve Buscemi, and has a main role in Miracle Workers alongside Daniel Radcliffe. He's also appeared in The Sopranos, 30 Rock, and more. 

James Coburn (Henry J. Waternoose III)

Waternoose was always up to no good in Monsters Inc., and he was voiced by James Coburn. Unfortunately, Coburn passed away shortly after Monsters Inc. was released, but prior to his passing, Coburn had an impressive list of credits. He was famed for many of his westerns, such as The Magnificent Seven, Hell Is For Heroes, The Great Escape and so many more. 

His last project was The Mists of Avalon, a miniseries that he helped produce, which garnered him a Primetime Emmy nomination. 

Jennifer Tilly (Celia Mae)

Celia was an adorable, snake-headed creature who, honestly, deserved much more love from Mike in Monsters Inc. Jennifer Tilly voiced Celia in the Pixar film, and reprised her role in Monsters at Work on Disney+. 

While Celia is a bubbly monster, Jennifer Tilly is known the most for a much darker, sinister role - voicing Tiffany Valentine in the Chucky franchise, a.k.a., the bride of Chucky. She's played this part for many years, and is currently doing so in the Chucky TV series. 

Besides her impact on the horror genre, Tilly has appeared in several other films and TV shows. With movies, she had a role in Disney’s The Haunted Mansion starring Eddie Murphy, Home on the Range, Tideland, 7 Days to Vegas and more. On TV, she has been voicing Bonnie Swanson on Family Guy for two decades, played Crystal in Out of Practice, and guest starred in many shows. 

Bob Peterson (Roz)

Roz is watching you, always watching you, and this loveable yet disgusting monster was played by Bob Peterson. While you might not recognize his face, you’ll surely recognize his voice. Peterson is a Pixar animator, screenwriter, storyboard supervisor, director, and voice actor for the company.

He has worked on several films, including co-directing Up, and writing for Up and Finding Nemo. As an actor, he voiced Mr. Ray in Finding Nemo and Finding Dory, Dug in Up (a role he reprised for the Disney+ original show, Dug Days), and provided several additional voices for many of the Pixar films. He also directed and wrote for Forky Asks a Question. 

John Ratzenberger (Yeti)

Be careful, you don’t want to get banished! The Yeti was a symbol of what can happen to a monster at Monsters Inc., and was played by John Ratzenberger, a role he reprised in both Monsters University (at the tail end of the film) and Monsters at Work. 

Ratzenberger is a name that should sound very familiar to Disney and Pixar followers. Ratzenberger has offered his voice to several iconic characters in Pixar films, such as Hamm in the Toy Story franchise, Mack in Cars, The Underminer in The Incredibles franchise, and many, many more. He appeared in the first 22 Pixar films. 

Besides that, he’s also had a prominent career in both film and television. He had a voice role in Spirited Away, The Village Barbershop, Planes, and others. On television, Ratzenberger appeared in 8 Simple Rules, hosted Made in America, had a role in Legit, and appeared in Just Roll with It, along with several guest roles. Don’t be surprised if he appears in another Pixar film soon.

Frank Oz (Jeff Fungus)

I mean, how can you now know who Frank Oz is if you’re into voice-actors? Jeff Fungus was a bit of a minor character in Monsters Inc., but he was played by the iconic Frank Oz, who is known for voicing probably one of the most famous characters in cinema history - Yoda from the Star Wars series, in several films and TV shows. 

Besides Star Wars, Frank Oz has done plenty in film and TV. He had a minor voice role in Inside Out, voiced a robot in Zathura, appeared on screen in one of the best recent mystery movies, Knives Out, and many others. Oz is also a puppeteer, and has not only used his talents for Yoda, but for several The Muppets projects, including Muppets Tonight. His latest television credit was voicing Yoda in Star Wars Rebels.

Daniel Gerson (Needleman And Smitty)

As the two little workermen in Monsters Inc., Needleman and Smitty offered some great comedic moments, as voiced by Daniel Gerson. Gerson primarily worked as a screenwriter for Pixar, working on the screenplays for both Monsters Inc. and Monsters University, as well as the Disney feature, Big Hero 6, and contributed to many other Disney/Pixar films like Zooptopia, Cars and more. 

He also lent his voice to a minor role as the Desk Sargent in Big Hero 6. Gerson sadly passed away in 2016 due to brain cancer, while working on Cars 3. 

Steve Susskind (Jerry Slugworth)

The best announcer Monsters Inc. had. Jerry Slugworth was voiced by Steve Susskind. He had voice roles in movies like The Emperor's New Groove, Osmosis Jones, The Iron Giant ,and more prior to Monsters Inc. 

He also appeared in television shows like Married…with Children, NewsRadio, Seinfeld, Frasier, The Tick. Susskind passed away in 2005, with his last credit being Dog Gone Love. 

Bonnie Hunt (Ms. Flint)

Another great coach for scarers, Ms. Flint was voiced by Bonnie Hunt. Hunt has appeared in many films such as Cheaper by the Dozen, the Tom Cruise films Jerry Maguire and Rain Main, the Tom Hanks-led, The Green Mile, and more. 

She’s also done voice work for A Bug’s Life, voiced Sally in the Cars series, and has voiced Dolly in the Toy Story series since 2011. She also voiced Bonnie Hopps, the mother of the protagonist in Zootopia. With TV, she appeared in her own television series, Life with Bonnie, produced and hosted The Bonnie Hunt Show, had a recurring voice role in Sofia the First, and reprised the role of Ms. Flint in Monsters at Work. 

Jeff Pidgeon (Thaddeus “Phlegm” Bile)

Thaddeus Bile, otherwise known as Phlegm, was voiced by Jeff Pidgeon, another employee of Pixar. He primarily works as a screenwriter, animator, and a storyboard artist, but provides his voice for some of their movies as well. 

He voiced roles in the Toy Story series, such as those famous green Aliens, as well as provided additional voices for WALL-E. He also voiced Mr. Spell on Forky Asks a Question on Disney+, and voiced Fly on Dug Days. 

Laraine Newman (Ms. Nesbit)

Last up is Ms. Nesbit, voiced by Laraine Newman. In film, she appeared in The Sum of All Fears, Ready or Knot, and The Late Bloomer. 

On television, she had a role in 7th Heaven, According to Jim, Comedy Bang! Bang!, and several guest appearances in many shows. 

Goodness, with so many amazing creators and actors on this project, it’s no wonder Monsters Inc. was such a success. Now, if I could just see Boo all grown up in animation, that would be fantastic.

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With six Emmys, a Tony Award, a Mark Twain Prize, and several adoring fans around the world, Billy Crystal is one of Hollywood's most famous and celebrated comedians, and he has produced decades of great film and television throughout the years. Whether you know him best for his starring roles in When Harry Met Sally and City Slickers, his scene-stealing supporting turns in The Princess Bride and This is Spinal Tap, or his voice-only performances in Monsters Inc. and Monsters University, Crystal has delighted audiences, both young and old, for generations, and that tradition now continues with Disney+'s Monsters at Work, where he reprises his role as Mike Wazowski.

If you love the veteran comedian, here are the Billy Crystal movies and shows that you should stream.

Monsters At Work (Disney+)

A streaming series that explores what happens when the employees of Monsters Inc. get their energy from children's laughs rather than their screams.

Why It's Worth Watching If You Love Billy Crystal: Though it borrows more from the aesthetics of workplace sitcoms than the two films that built this monster-filled world, Monsters at Work is an amusing, appealing addition to the Pixar canon, providing the award-winning animation studio with a chance to try their hand at weekly television. It's not as screamingly funny, particularly as the early episodes follow the mold of other sitcoms (animated or otherwise) in this vein, but it does give viewers plenty of ample opportunities to spend time in this inventive world. This time around, Billy Crystal and John Goodman take on supporting roles as Mike and Sulley, respectively, but their vocal performances remain as entertaining as ever (even if you can hear their ages creeping through). If you love the original Monsters Inc. and its 2013 prequel, you'll have a good time with this new sequel series.

Stream Monsters At Work on Disney+.

When Harry Met Sally (HBO Max)

Two close pals (Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan) wonder if they can become more intimate without ruining their friendship.

Why It's Worth Watching If You Love Billy Crystal: If there's a perfect romantic comedy, Rob Reiner's exceptionally charming When Harry Met Sally might very well be it. From Nora Ephron's sharp-as-a-tack screenplay to Reiner's warm-hearted direction to the delightful interplay between Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, this fun, smart, believable dynamic is benefitted from being emotionally honest, intellectually stimulating, and enjoyable comfort food. Thus, this years-spanning rom-com is a delectable treat with a lasting taste, leaving you immensely satisfied by its renewable pleasures. It's also, quite likely, Crystal's greatest starring role, capturing his comedic and dramatic prowess with an attentive eye and a beating heart. He fits into this part splendidly, and his chemistry with Ryan is tremendously winsome and touching. There are few movies capable of capturing all these great qualities in one wonderful package. When Harry Met Sally is always a welcome addition to date night.

Stream When Harry Met Sally on HBO Max.

Rent When Harry Met Sally on Amazon.

Throw Momma From The Train (Amazon Prime/PlutoTV)

An author struggling with writer's block (Billy Crystal) forms a wicked bond with his student (Danny DeVito) to get rid of the women who ruin their lives.

Why It's Worth Watching If You Love Billy Crystal: Though it wouldn't have the same ruthless confidence of his latter directorial features, including The War of the Roses and Matilda, Danny DeVito's punchy feature directorial debut, Throw Momma From the Train, was a clever, crudely entertaining dark comedy, one that elevated greatly by the sharp buddy chemistry shared between Billy Crystal and DeVito, along with a towering Oscar-nominated supporting turn from the late Anne Ramsey. Though it often favors a broad approach that lacks the sharp precision of DeVito's follow-up films, he knows how to follow the funny. While Crystal's mostly in straight-man-mode here, he's able to get some wryly funny moments throughout this vengeful lark and plays a good foil to his scheming co-star/director. It's not a runaway smash, but it's a fun time.

Stream Throw Momma From The Train on Amazon Prime and PlutoTV.

Buy Throw Momma From The Train on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Standing Up, Falling Down (Starz/Hoopla)

A struggling stand-up comedian (Ben Schwartz) forms an unlikely companionship with a lonely, alcoholic dermatologist (Billy Crystal).

Why It's Worth Watching If You Love Billy Crystal: While the script might not venture far outside of conventions, Matt Ratner's Standing Up, Falling Down is a warm, wistful surprise, one that's elevated by sharp performances from Ben Schwartz and Billy Crystal and the mismatched chemistry they share. In fact, Crystal, as an alcoholic dermatologist with no sense of direction in his twilight years, gives one of his finest performances in years — maybe even one of his best ever. His carefully measured, emotionally searching sadsack is a welcome refrain from the quick-to-please actor, showing us a performer who hasn't gotten enough opportunities of late to showcase his versatile talents. For all its familiar story beats (and low-budget limitations), this returning-to-the-nest oddball couple romp is witty and wistful enough to win you over. It's also just refreshing to see something so uniquely patient, delicate, and rewarding from Crystal again.

Stream Standing Up, Falling Down on Starz and Hoopla.

Rent Standing Up, Falling Down on Amazon.

Soap (Tubi)

A night-time parody of daytime soap operas.

Why It's Worth Watching If You Love Billy Crystal: Playing the part of Jodie Dallas, the openly gay son of Cathryn Damon's Mary Campbell, Billy Crystal found early success in the ensemble of ABC's well-liked spoof series, Soap. Though it received mixed reviews and controversy upon its debut, Soap has since been lauded as one of the funniest shows on television, and while Crystal's role wasn't central, it gave him exposure at an early age. Particularly as the show made its way into syndication, it was easier for Crystal to expand his fanbase and win audiences over with his charm and wit. While soap operas aren't as commonplace as they once were, the show has remained a conversation starter for how it depicts a number of taboo (or once-taboo) topics in a lighthearted fashion. If you love Crystal, it's a fun show to go back and revisit. That said, the latter seasons are harder to find.

Stream Soap Seasons 1 and 2 on Tubi.

Buy Soap Seasons 1 and 2 on Amazon.

The Princess Bride (Disney+)

A fairytale adventure about a beautiful young woman (Robin Wright) and her one true love (Cary Elwes), told as a bedtime story by a kindly grandfather (Peter Falk).

Why It's Worth Watching If You Love Billy Crystal: There are few movies more quoted and beloved than The Princess Bride. With its swashbuckling mix of fantasy, romance, comedy, and adventure, this spellbinding fairy tale story has something for everyone to enjoy, finding a way to make familiar storytelling tropes feel fresh and innovative again. It also has one of the finest comedy casts in ages. Along with Cary Elwes and Robin Wright playing our central lovers, the star-studded ensemble includes Mandy Patinkin, Peter Falk, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn, Chris Sarandon, Peter Cook, Andre the Giant, Carol Kane, and Billy Crystal. Regarding the latter, Crystal provides a memorable, make-up-heavy cameo as Miracle Max, an old, cantankerous, wise-cracking healer who lives in the woods. He's in the movie for less than 10 minutes but he's uproariously, side-splittingly funny — perhaps even quite literally.

Stream The Princess Bride on Disney+.

Rent The Princess Bride on Amazon.

This Is Spinal Tap (HBO Max)

A behind-the-scenes mockumentary following Spinal Tap, one of England's loudest bands, during their eventful, ill-fated tour.

Why It's Worth Watching If You Love Billy Crystal: Providing a brief cameo in the ironic role of a wisecracking mute, Billy Crystal received one of his earliest screen credits as Morty the Mime in Rob Reiner's endlessly quotable rock mockumentary, This Is Spinal Tap. Compared to the main cast, Crystal doesn't get more than a couple of scenes to shine. But even from an early age, it was clear that his quick timing and sharp comedic delivery were always precise and gut-bustlingly funny. Fittingly enough, Crystal only ever needed a few words to crack a smile, and this role — while not the one he'll be remembered for, even if it's one of his best movies — gave us an early indication of what the A-list comedy star would achieve later in his career. Because, frankly speaking, it's rare for a mime to inspire a lot of chatter.

Stream This Is Spinal Tap on HBO Max.

Buy This is Spinal Tap on Amazon.

Monsters Inc. And Monsters University (Disney+)

Two Pixar movies centered around the misadventures of Sulley (John Goodman) and Mike (Billy Crystal), two top-ranking employees at Monsters Inc., an energy-producing factory that generates power by scaring human children.

Why It's Worth Watching If You Love Billy Crystal: Even without the magic of computer animation, Billy Crystal is quite an animated character. Therefore, it was a given that he would give a great performance with only his vocal cords. Sure enough, Crystal gives life to one of his most famous and lovable characters as Mike Wazowski, a one-eyed, brown-horned, green-skinned, loud-mouthed monster who's the loyal co-worker, best friend, and roommate of James P. "Sully" Sullivan (voiced by John Goodman). Through his crackling wit and crooning voice, Crystal is a big ball of energy in both Monsters Inc. and its charming prequel, Monsters University. As buoyant and bouncy as can be, Crystal is at his best when he can riff and rattle. That's certainly the case here.

Stream Monsters Inc. on Disney+ and Monsters University on Disney+.

Rent Monsters Inc. on Amazon and rent Monsters University on Amazon.

61* (HBO Max)

In 1961, New York Yankees' Roger Maris (Barry Pepper) and Mickey Mantle (Thomas Jane) race to break Babe Ruth's 1927 single-season home run record.

Why It's Worth Watching If You Love Billy Crystal: Admittedly, Billy Crystal's directorial filmography can leave something to be desired. His ambitious debut, Mr. Saturday Night, didn't quite stick the landing, and his sophomore film, Forget Paris, also received mixed notices. Sadly, Crystal's latest feature, this year's Here Today, is deeply felt but also maudlin, fussy, and forgettable, lacking the precision of its emotionally-yearning intentions. Only HBO's 61*, Crystal's third film, found widespread critical acclaim. The baseball period drama is very sentimental, perhaps overly so, but it's aided nicely by its two lead performances from Barry Pepper and Thomas Jane as the legendary Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle, respectively. In the only film where he stayed strictly behind the camera, Crystal made a conventional-but-charming look back at a similar era for America's favorite past-time, and he tells this tale with warm affection and a sharp eye for performances.

Stream 61 on HBO Max.

Rent 61 on Amazon.

City Slickers (HBO Max)

Unhappy middle-aged New York yuppies (Billy Crystal, Bruno Kirby, Daniel Stern) venture to a southwest cattle drive to reclaim their waning youth.

Why It's Worth Watching If You Love Billy Crystal: Though it doesn't always find a proper balance between its midlife dramatics and its slap-happy comedy, it's easy to see why City Slickers was such a celebrated hit in the early '90s. Boosted nicely by the chatty chemistry shared between our three adventure-seeking leads, played by Billy Crystal, Bruno Kirby, and Daniel Stern, and spacious enough to let us soak in the wide majesty of the western plains between the yuks, this concept-heavy, character-focused comedy is something that probably wouldn't be made today, which makes it easy to appreciate its nostalgic yearning on an extra level. It's also benefitted greatly by Jack Palance's tough-nut, Oscar-winning supporting turn. Though Crystal feels oddly dialed back here, perhaps to communicate his general sense of displacement in life, he scores a few easy laughs throughout this rough-riding but easy-to-please studio dramedy.

Stream City Slickers on HBO Max.

Buy City Slickers on Amazon.

Monsters at Work premieres a new episode every week on Disney+.

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Monstropolis is back! Monsters at Work, the highly anticipated sequel to Monsters, Inc. has hit Disney+ with a bunch of our old favorites, as well as some new monster faces! While sadly this world doesn't include Boo from the original movie, longtime BFFs Mike Wazowski and Sully are, of course, back, voiced as always by Billy Crystal and John Goodman, respectively. The series also introduces us to Tylor Tuskmon, voiced by Ben Feldman, a new employee at Monsters, Inc. Old or new, the entire Monsters at Work voice cast boast impressive resumes, which isn't surprising for a Pixar project.

While Monsters University served as a prequel to the beloved (by most) 2001 movie, Monsters at Work is a true sequel, with the Monsters, Inc. company making a huge switch from scaring to laughing. Recent Monsters U graduate Tylor Tuskmon was at the top of his class as a Scarer and is shocked by the company's new direction when he shows up for his first day of work. Tylor had dreamed of working with his idol, Sulley, but instead he's assigned to be a mechanic with MIFT, the Monsters, Inc. Facilities Team. So who's new and who's back in the world of Monsters Inc.? Let's take a look at the voices behind the monsters of Monsters at Work.

Ben Feldman (Tylor Tuskmon)

Leading the cast of new characters in Monsters at Work is Ben Feldman as recent Scare major Tylor Tuskmon, who arrives at Monsters, Inc. just as the company shifts from scaring to laughing. Feldman is fresh off a longtime gig as Jonah Simms on Superstore and is also known for his recurring roles on AMC's Mad Men, Drop Dead Diva and Silicon Valley. He was also the voice of Chris and others on Big Hero 6: The Series.

Mindy Kaling (Val Little)

Val Little is Tylor's best friend, voiced by the beloved Mindy Kaling. Kaling came into fame as Kelly Kapoor on The Office and has since starred in her own TV series, The Mindy Project, co-created Netflix's quirky teen drama Never Have I Ever and is writing the script for Legally Blonde 3. Her voice roles include Disgust in Inside Out and Taffyta Muttonfudge in Wreck-It Ralph.

Billy Crystal (Mike Wazowski)

Billy Crystal returns as Monster, Inc. star Mike Wazowski, who finds himself in a new position of power in Monsters at Work. Crystal is Hollywood royalty, not only starring in iconic roles like Mitch in City Slickers, NBA referee Mickey in Forget Paris and the lead in When Harry Met Sally with Meg Ryan, but also honoring his peers as a nine-time Academy Awards host.

John Goodman (Sulley)

The Scarer that started it all, Sulley, is back for Monsters at Work, voiced as always by John Goodman. Goodman is known on the screen for his iconic role as Dan Conner on Roseanne and The Conners. He took over the presidency as a guest star on The West Wing, but he did not roll on Shabbos as Walter in The Big Lebowski. Goodman has done quite a bit of voice work as well, including films like The Emperor's New Groove, The Jungle Book 2, Bee Movie and The Princess and the Frog.

Henry Winkler (Fritz)

Henry Winkler plays Fritz, Tylor's boss. Winkler, classically known as The Fonz from Happy Days, has lent his voice as Mall Santa on an episode of Bob's Burgers, as well as on shows like DuckTales, Bubble Guppies and Bojack Horseman. Outside of the animated world, Winkler is known for his award-winning portrayal of Gene Cousineau in Barry and as the hilariously inept family lawyer Barry Zuckerkorn on Arrested Development.

Lucas Neff (Duncan)

Lucas Neff, likely best known as Jimmy Chance from Raising Hope, will provide the voice for the four-eyed monster Duncan, assistant supervisor at MIFT. He also starred as Caleb on the CBS sitcom Carol's Second Act and as David Poland in the Lifetime series American Princess. As for voice acting, you may recognize Neff as Noodle Burger Boy from Big Hero 6: The Series.

Alanna Ubach (Cutter)

The crab-like monster Cutter is a MIFT mechanic voiced by Alanna Ubach. You might know Ubach best as Serena in Legally Blonde, or Jo from Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce, but along with her work in movies like The Brady Bunch Movie, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit and Waiting, Ubach has been lending her voice to roles for a long time. From Puppy Dog Pals and El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, to Academy Award-winning films like Rango and Coco.

Bonnie Hunt (Ms. Flint)

Bonnie Hunt is back as Ms. Flint, who is now in charge of training Jokesters, as Monsters, Inc. changes its tone from scary to funny. Hunt is known for movies including Jerry Maguire, Beethoven and Jumanji opposite Robin Williams, to name a few, but is also a long-time member of the Pixar world, voicing Sally and Dolly in the Cars and Toy Story franchises, respectively, as well as Rosie in A Bug's Life and Bonnie Hopps in Zootopia.

Jennifer Tilly (Celia)

Some of her resume isn't super family friendly, like the Child's Play franchise and Jim Carrey's Liar, Liar, but that's okay with us, as Jennifer Tilly is a mainstay in the Monsters, Inc. universe as Mike's devoted girlfriend Celia, who is the new Laugh Floor Supervisor. Tilly's distinctive voice can also be found on Family Guy, where she plays Bonnie Swanson, and on guest spots in Hey Arnold! and The Simpsons.

Bob Peterson (Roze/Roz)

Bob Peterson, who voices the grumpy slug-like twins Roze and Roz in Monsters at Work, has worked at Pixar since 1994. From making us cry as co-director of Up (as well as the voice of Dug), to co-writing Finding Nemo and Cars 3 to being an animator on Toy Story, Peterson has done it all and also usually provides additional voices to the projects.

Aisha Tyler (Millie Tuskmon)

As Monsters at Work introduces our new hero Tylor Tuskmon, we also get his mother, Millie, voiced by Aisha Tyler. Tyler's voice acting is iconic in the adult animation world for her role as Lana Kane on Archer, as well as Sextina Aquafina on Bojack Horseman. Outside of animation, she is currently the host of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and is also known for her roles as Tara Lewis on Criminal Minds and Charlie on Friends.

Stephen Stanton (Needleman and Smitty)

Two returning characters who will see a new voice are Needleman and Smitty. Stephen Stanton is inheriting the voice roles of the custodial duo from Daniel Gerson, who died in 2016. Stanton can also currently be found voicing Admiral Tarkin on Star Wars: The Bad Batch. The prominent voice actor has also been multiple characters in Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, Sleepy in Disney's Snow White-inspired series The 7D, and Fred Dukes and Blob in Wolverine and the X-Men. He's done voice work for Archer, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Parks and Recreation.

Alfred Molina (Professor Knight)

Alfred Molina is back as Professor Knight, the Scaring professor from the Monsters, Inc. prequel, Monsters University. A renowned actor in the theater as well as film and television, Molina's resume includes movies such as Rango, Ralph Breaks the Internet and Frozen II. He'll reprise the character of Doctor Octopus in the upcoming film Spider-Man: No Way Home. His TV voice credits include Gravity Falls, Infinity Train, Harley Quinn, Solar Opposites, Rick and Morty... The list goes on and on.

Curtis Armstrong (Mr. Crummyham)

Mr. Crummyham is voiced by Curtis Armstrong, well-known as Booger from the Revenge of the Nerds movies. He's more recently been seen as Megatron on Supernatural and heard as Ezekiel the Cockroach on Doom Patrol. Armstrong's voice work also includes a recurring role on American Dad! and guest spots on The Loud House and Tangled: The Series.

John Ratzenberger (Yeti)

The intimidating but friendly Yeti from Monsters, Inc. returns, voiced by the most famous voice at Pixar. John Ratzenberger's claim to fame used to be Cliff from Cheers, but for this generation, Ratzenberger is Hamm from Toy Story, Underminer in The Incredibles, Juan Ortodoncia in Coco, Mack from Cars, Mustafa in Ratatouille, P.T. Flea in A Bug's Life, and just so many more, including a special cameo in Soul.

Gabriel Iglesias (Gary)

Comedian Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias is back as Mike Wazowski's nemesis Gary. Iglesias was a contestant on Last Comic Standing, and now has his own Netflix comedy Mr. Iglesias. He is known for numerous voice roles including on UglyDolls, Coco and The Nut Job. The Magic Mike actor also will be featured in the upcoming Space Jam: A New Legacy.

With such high-quality voice actors, who include some of film and televisions true legends, it's so exciting to have more stories coming out of Monstropolis. It's been eight years since Monsters University, so fans are definitely ready for more. And who knows? The characters are so beloved that more series and sequels are always a possibility! The first two episodes of the 10-episode season of Monsters at Work are streaming now on Disney+, with new episodes coming every Wednesday. Check out our full list of upcoming Disney movies, and stay up to date with what to watch with our 2021 Summer TV schedule.

Billy Crystal’s Here Today is the kind of movie that you really want to like. In addition to the fact that it’s been 20 years since we’ve seen Crystal direct (his last effort being the excellent 2001 HBO baseball drama 61*), the multitalented filmmaker/actor remains as charming as ever in front of the camera, and he finds a wonderful new on-screen partner in Tiffany Haddish – with whom he shares some sweet chemistry. What’s unfortunate is how much heavy lifting that desire ultimately has to do. As funny and emotional as it can be in its best moments, the material at times feels tonally confused, and due to rote plotting that is overstuffed with the familiar, it never digs deep enough to make you walk away with more than an appreciation for its characters and its basic messaging about family and memory.

Giving the star a perfect chance to be basically play an extension of his charming and clever self, Here Today features Billy Crystal as lauded comedy veteran Charlie Berns. After a decades-long and award-winning career, Charlie works as a senior writer on a sketch series called This Just In, plays regular tennis games with his architect son (Penn Badgley), and tries to be the best grandfather he can be despite having a cold relationship with his daughter (Laura Benanti). What none of his colleagues or family members know, however, is that he has been diagnosed with dementia, which means that he is not only slowly losing his memories, but also that he occasionally forgets where he is and the people he is talking to.

Where things take a twist for Charlie is when he encounters Emma Payge (Tiffany Haddish), a young woman who has no idea who he is, but winds up having lunch with him because of an auctioned meet-and-greet that was won by her ex-boyfriend. A shellfish-related incident results in Emma needing to be rushed to the emergency room, and while for a moment the protagonist writes it off simply as a strange encounter, that notion is thrown out the window when she becomes insistent that he let her pay him back for the hospital bills (say what you will about America’s horrible healthcare system, at the very least it continues to be a great conflict-generator in movies and television).

Enjoying the new presence in his life, Charlie starts to get close with Emma – though doing so gives her the opportunity to peek behind the curtain of his life and learn the truth about what he’s dealing with. While this is distressful for him at first, it also means that she can try and help him, specifically with a book that he wants to write about his late wife, Carrie (Louisa Krause), before all of his memories of her fade away.

While Here Today shows a lot of promise in its story, it doesn't quite work as well as it should.

Co-written by Billy Crystal and Alan Zweibel (and based on Zweibel’s short story “The Prize”), Here Today is a tremendously earnest film in that it clearly possesses an ambition to give audiences a greater understanding of what life can be like for individuals dealing with similar conditions, and the empathy with which it’s made is a wonderful thing. It’s a sweet movie that never feels saccharine or manipulative… but it is also hampered by the fact that it is remarkably simple and exactly what you think it is.

As delightful as Charlie and Emma are together, their unexpected friendship doesn’t exactly expand on the trope, and instead just plays out all of the beats you’d expect from the generation gap setup (from the awkward question of romantic entanglement, to the question of whether or not she should put her own ambitions on hold for him). And if you’re already predicting some kind of hidden tragedy and guilt involving his late wife, then you are right on the money.

The real knife twist, though, are all of the interesting avenues that Here Today sets up but then never journeys down. Early in the film, Charlie remarks that he first became a writer because when he was younger he liked taking the truth and turning it into something more interesting – and while that seems like it would be a fascinating thing to dovetail with a story about memory loss, nothing ultimately comes of it. Later there is a scene where the head writer of This Just In (Max Gordon Moore) is put in a position to defend Charlie’s place on the staff given his legendary history, and while you think it’s going to lead to some kind of behind-the-scenes professional conflict, the movie instead winds up veering in a totally different and more confusing direction involving an on-camera eruption.

Here Today's tone doesn't always quite click with the story being told.

While I won’t specifically detail what happens in that eruption for spoiler reasons, it’s a scene in Here Today that also highlights another significant issue, which is the movie’s occasionally disjointed tone. The movie does, for the most part, know when to play things light and when to play things dark, but there are moments where it mixes up its signals, and it’s hard to tell what it’s going for. The teased outburst is the most significant example, but the same could also be said about a scene where Charlie is on a stage for a Q&A with Barry Levinson, Sharon Stone, and Kevin Kline (all playing themselves) and he begins to forget their names. The problem never gets so bad as to undermine the overall tenor of the film, but it does make it spotty.

Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish make a sweet pair and a charismatic duo.

With Charlie Berns having a personality and comedic background akin to Billy Crystal’s, Here Today doesn’t exactly provide a vessel for a big, showy performance from the star (save for the occasional vacant, middle-distance stare), and Tiffany Haddish is very clearly cast to be her brash, vivacious self – but just because the material doesn’t quite challenge the actors doesn’t detract from it, and the duo have fun, natural chemistry that lends verisimilitude to their friendship. The cynical part of your brain may tell you that these two individuals wouldn’t spend time together, but Crystal and Haddish click with their very different styles, but clear knowledge of funny. Their banter is the highlight of the movie, as their voices mesh well, and while the dialogue does at times seem hampered by the aimed-for PG-13 rating, the film gets its laughs without cursing or going blue.

The greatest worry going into a movie like Here Today is the concern that the sweetness and the heartfelt drama will leave audiences in diabetic coma, and that’s a line that the film walks well thanks to its dynamic stars and sharp comedic sensibilities (nearly half a century into his professional acting career, Billy Crystal’s timing remains as impeccable as ever). The movie is also let down by its messy script that falls short of making the full impact that it is clearly going for. It’s cute and passable, but also a movie that you won’t be able to identify from its title alone in a year’s time.

Up until the last few years, having a host at the Oscars was a longtime tradition. Over the years, countless stars have taken on the job and have brought their own spin to the storied awards show. It’s unclear how the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science will proceed in the coming years and some have questioned whether a host is still necessary. Thought that hasn’t stopped some people from throwing their hats in the ring for the position, and that includes Aubrey Plaza, who has even dubbed herself “this generation’s Billy Crystal.”

CinemaBlend’s Jeff McCobb recently caught up with Aubrey Plaza to discuss one of her newest films, Black Bear. During the interview, the Oscars came up and, when asked if she would consider hosting, Plaza responded positively, jokingly comparing herself to actor and comedian Billy Crystal:

On the surface, Aubrey Plaza’s answer may sound a bit sarcastic, but the actress would truly love to host the show. She further explained that she holds a lot of fond memories of the Academy Awards shows of the ‘90s and loved the fact that hosts really used to “put on a show”:

Aubrey Plaza is definitely one of the most unique personalities in Hollywood and has already proven that she can be an entertaining host. Earlier this year, she hosted the Independent Spirit Awards, where her signature sarcasm and dry wit were on full display. All in all, she has the chops for the gig and could carve out a place for herself in Oscars history alongside people like Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin and Billy Crystal.

Crystal has actually shared some thoughts on the Oscars going without a host for the foreseeable future. The comedian loves the show’s usual tradition of having a host and believes that when you have a lengthy ceremony like the Oscars, it helps to have a host who can mine entertainment from the unpredictable nature of the show. He makes a fair point, as Jimmy Kimmel can tell you just how unpredictable the show can be.

Hosting the Oscars may not be for everyone, but it definitely seems to be a dream job for Aubrey Plaza. Hopefully, the Academy will take notice of her interest and provide her with the opportunity to give viewers an unforgettable show.

Until then, you can catch Aubrey Plaza in Black Bear when it hits both theaters and digital on December 4.

At the 2019 Oscars ceremony, there was no host at the center of the show for the first time in 30 years. It was by mistake, considering Kevin Hart was originally hired to emcee, but in the end, the Academy was happy with how the show turned out without one. So this Sunday’s ceremony will once again go without a host, but nine-time Oscar host Billy Crystal thinks this is a problem.

The 71-year-old comedian has compared the hostless Oscars as “having a trial without witnesses.” Here’s what else he had to say about why it’s just not the same:

As Billy Crystal explains, during the long ceremony, something often something goes wrong or something funny happens, and that’s the job of a host – to take advantage of that moment and harness it into entertainment. He called some of his “best moments” as host during times when things went wrong, reminiscing about the time a 100-year-old Hal Roach was acknowledged for his impressive age.

The legendary actor was just supposed to stand up, smile and wave in the second row of the theater, but instead, he started conducting a speech… without a mic. Billy Crystal was then able to “capitalize” on the moment and make light of it by saying to the camera “it’s very fitting because he got his start in silent films.”

Without a host, a moment like that just couldn’t happen. Billy Crystal discussed his concerns about the Oscars with past host Jimmy Kimmel on his show. They talked about the infamous La La Land/Moonlight Best Picture disaster that happened the year Kimmel was emcee. If you look back at the moment, having him there as host did add a little something (perhaps needed?) during the fiasco:

Jimmy Kimmel once spoke out about not being interested in hosting again after two years doing the gig. He called it a “no win situation” and “a fucking nightmare.” Considering other comedians aren’t volunteering left and right, that seems to be the general consensus.

After the 2018 Oscars received particularly low ratings, the Academy was hellbent on making the runtime of the ceremony shorter and no host ended up shaving off 30 minutes. In 2019, viewer ratings did go up 12% and the feedback seemed to be generally positive without a host to steer.

What do you think? Are the Oscars better off with or without a host? Leave a comment and vote in our poll below!

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Upcoming streaming service Disney+ is pulling out all the stops on the TV front, with projects in the works ranging from a big-budget Star Wars series to MCU heroes getting their own time in the spotlight. One of the shows that was confirmed relatively early on was a Monsters, Inc. TV show, and now new and exciting news has emerged about it. Original voice stars Billy Crystal and John Goodman will be back, among others. Here's what you need to know.

Billy Crystal and John Goodman will reprise their roles as best buds Mike Wazowski and Sulley, respectively, for the show, called Monsters at Work. Also returning are John Ratzenberger as Yeti, Jennifer Tilly as Celia, and Bob Peterson as Roz and Roz's twin sister Roze. There are some new characters in the mix as well, with Oh My Disney reporting some big names in showbiz lending their voices.

Ben Feldman voices a talented and eager young mechanic working at MIFT (Monsters, Inc. Facilities Team) by the name of Tylor Tuskmon. He idolizes Mike and Sulley, and he wants to become a Jokester on the Laugh Floor just like them. Kelly Marie Tran is on board as Tylor's friend and confidante Val Little.

Henry Winkler will tackle the role of Fritz rather than the Fonz, the boss who is more than a little scatterbrained. Alanna Ubach is the rule-following Cutter, Stephen Stanton pulls double duty as the custodial team Smitty and Needleman, and Aisha Tyler is Millie Tuskmon, Tylor's mom.

Monsters at Work picks up six months after the events of Monsters, Inc., which should allow the folks behind the scenes to air a sort of sequel without running into the problem that led Pixar to go for a prequel with Monsters University back in 2013. The city of Monstropolis is being powered by the sounds of children's laughter. Nice!

Unfortunately for fans who have been dying to know what happens after the end of Monsters, Inc. since back in 2001, the series won't be out any time soon. It won't debut on Disney+ until 2020. The good news is that Billy Crystal took to Twitter to reveal that work is already ongoing. Take a look:

Considering the reveal that Monsters at Work picks up only six months after the events of Monsters, Inc., fans can have fun imagining the not-too-distant future following the original movie rather than trying to figure out what Boo looks like as a young adult and wondering what kind of yoga she teaches. Oh, that Billy Crystal! Hey, at least picking up after six months means that super dark theory about Sulley's future can't have come true yet!

Were there things wrong with the original movie? Well, some certainly think so, but the Disney+ series has the potential to be a lot of fun for adults who grew up watching the series as well as kids who are actually in the target demographic. Only time will tell.

Of all the crossovers happening with TV shows these days, I suppose that nothing should ever be surprising. But once you become accustomed to only watching the superhero team-ups of The CW's Arrow-verse or the public service groupings of NBC's Chicago dramas, it's harder to open the mind up for more esoteric pairings. Pairings such as the one in the video below, in which HBO's hit sci-fi thriller Westworld is visited by a pair of new hosts in the form of City Slickers' Mitch and Phil, as played by Billy Crystal and Daniel Stern. It's too good to miss.

The last time audiences got to see Billy Crystal's Mitch Robbins and Daniel Stern's Phil Berquist, it was for 1994's somewhat disappointing sequel City Slickers 2: The Legend of Curly's Gold. And it's like the past 23 years didn't even happen once Crystal and Stern are on screen together for this Funny or Die clip. The actors are just so excellent, both together and apart. Even if they do both have all of their actions already planned out.

While Funny or Die is no slouch when it comes to putting money where the funny is, who would have expected this to be such a legit crossover, thanks to the use of some of the show's sets, as well as a handful of stars. That's security whiz Ashley Stubbs there, as played by Luke Hemsworth, making Mitch slap himself for speaking the name Hemsworth. And that's indeed the morally wavering Sylvester, played by Ptolemy Slocum, finally not having to deal with Lutz and Maeve threatening him. Stick around for the end, and you'll see Angela Sarafyan poke her head in as Clementine.

Speaking of poking heads in, Clementine and Mitch go off to do the nasty, which hopefully won't automatically come to mind the next time I see the character in the actual show. We'd most certainly not be livin' the life in that situation. Although watching Mitch and Phil cuddle for warmth might make for a more harrowing sequence.

As funny as this clip is, it's also kind of depressing that Bruno Kirby isn't still around to have taken part. It probably would have been extremely dark and not worth it for the Funny or Die guys to develop a Bruno Kirby host to use in the background. He could have slapped some sense into Mitch, though.

Westworld sadly won't be back on TV for quite a while, as Season 2 isn't scheduled to show up on HBO until somewhere around the end of the universe. Or, you know, maybe just 2018. Until then, though, you can head to our midseason premiere schedule to see what else is hitting the small screen in the near future.

Good things come in twos: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Schumer, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, Boy Scouts and zombies, etc. It seems like the producers behind the Oscars are finally getting hip to this concept. After Fey and Poehler proved that two Golden Globes hosts are better than one, the Academy Awards are looking to have their own dynamic duo for the 2016 Oscars ceremony.

David Hill, a former executive of Fox, will produce the awards show with Reginald Hudlin, and he told Entertainment Weekly of this new development. And, according to the magazine, they already have a pair in mind! Though, they are not ready at the moment to reveal who. Hill said:

How I Met Your Mother star and all-around beloved human being Neil Patrick Harris hosted the 2015 Oscars, which was reviewed as one of the more weaker shows in recent memory. Previous hosts also include Ellen DeGeneres, who killed it with her pizza delivery man and Oscar selfie; Family Guy and American Dad creator Seth MacFarlane, who was royally bashed for his "We Saw Your Boobs" bits; and Billy Crystal, whose stints were largely praised but also once included a black-face sketch. So yeah, no one's perfect. Selecting two hosts instead of one isn’t a first for the Oscars, but it’s a matter of choosing the right pair. We don’t want to have another James Franco-Anne Hathaway situation on our hands.

Of course, many of us would like to see Tina Fey and Amy Poehler host every awards ceremony, but in case they are all pooped out, we have some other exceptions. As EW points out, Key and Peele (aka Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele) are obvious choices. The duo made names for themselves with their hit Comedy Central series, which recently went viral yet again for their hilarious sketch around Gremlins 2 and how that insane film came to be so insane.

Then there’s the previously mentioned Amy Schumer. She and J-Law have been making headlines thanks to Instagram pics of their jet skiing and human pyramid-building skills, as well as dancing on a piano on stage at a Billy Joel concert. Lawrence could easily be nominated for Best Actress during the ceremony, as she has yet another David O. Russell film premiering later this year, so she might not be the best person to host. But Schumer could definitely handle the responsibility. Ride Along comedian Kevin Hart also said he wants to host the 2016 Oscars, but with the producers looking for a double act, there’s no one who instantly comes to mind as being a perfect match for his brand of humor.

The 2016 Oscars will air on February 28, so there’s still some time for the producers to make their decision. Any suggestions?

We all have our own favorite romantic comedy. There’s simply been too many great ones to universally agree on one. That being said, there are a few classics that really need to appear somewhere on any competent "Best Of" list. When Harry Met Sally is one of those. Interestingly, however, it turns out a ton of the film’s most classic scenes and lines were actually written out of heartbreak and straight up platonic friendship.

Nora Ephron wrote When Harry Met Sally, but prior to the film getting remade, it was collaboratively re-written by Ephron, director Rob Reiner and lead actor Billy Crystal. At the time, Reiner’s marriage to the legendary Penny Marshall was failing, and he and Crystal hung out and talked on the phone constantly to help him cope. During that bonding time, many of the film’s most touching exchanges between Harry and Sally happened for real... between Rob and Billy.

Here's what Crystal had to say during an interview with Entertainment Weekly...

At first, Reiner was reportedly less than excited about the idea of letting Crystal basically write his own personality into newer drafts of the script, but after some back-and-forths, he decided to let the actor get personal and more importantly, to let him include all of these items and conversations that were plucked straight from their lives. That decision, along with the casting of Meg Ryan, helped to turn what could have been a marginal romantic comedy into movie magic.

Humorously enough, that Ryan casting took a little more luck than you might think. The starlet read alongside Billy Crystal for Throw Mama From The Train the year before, and Crystal fell in love with her immediately. In fact, he reportedly begged director Danny DeVito to cast her, but he ultimately decided go with someone older. To this day, Crystal wonders what may have happened if she was cast in the first film. Would Rob Reiner have been okay with still putting her in When Harry Met Sally? We’ll never know.

What do Billy Crystal and Josh Gad have in common? Quite a bit, actually. They've both graced the Broadway stage and have received Tony nominations (Crystal actually won one). They've both voiced Disney characters. They're both really funny. And now we can add that they're both returning to television, in the same comedy as it happens, which just received a series order at FX.

TVLine says Gad and Crystal will star in The Comedians, a new comedy that has received a series order from FX. The half-hour comedy is said to be a behind-the-scenes look at a late night sketch comedy show. Crystal will play the veteran comedian who's reluctantly paired with Josh Gad's character, an up-and-coming funny guy. Also among the cast are Stephanie Weir, Matt Oberg and Megan Ferguson.

The comedy is based on a Swedish series of the same name and will be executive produced by Seinfeld's Larry Charles, Burn Notice's Matt Nix and Community's Ben Wexler. Crystal will write and executive produce, while Gad will produce.

With 30 Rock off the air, TV does have an opening for a series that peeks at the inner workings of a late night comedy show. And who better to star than Crystal, whose earlier credits include Soap and Saturday Night Live, and Gad, whose rose to fame following a successful run among the original cast of The Book of Mormon on Broadway. As TVLine notes, this is Crystal's first full-time TV job since his run on SNL. Those who caught Jay Leno's last episode of The Tonight Show would've seen a lot of Crystal, who returned to the late night talk show to be one of Leno's final guests:

As for Josh Gad, this will be his second attempt at a starring role on TV, as he was the lead for his own comedy, NBC's 1600 Penn, which didn't manage to find an audience.

Both actors have a number of notable feature credits to their names, including the mentioned Disney roles. For Crystal, it's Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc. and the followup, Monsters University. For Gad, it's voicing the role of Olaf in Frozen.

As a fan of both Crystal and Gad, I can't wait to see how they gel together comedically and what kind of characters they'll be playing, beyond presumably funny guys. We'll find out next year as the series is set to air in 2015. Production is said to start later this year.

Well, folks — that’s a wrap of the Jay Leno era of The Tonight Show. Not that you could tell by the bevy of jokes made at the expense of Leno’s first adieu-bidding to the series. But unlike the last time we were at this juncture, Leno actually seemed ready, or at least, he had come to accept it. Because, as he himself said: it’s time.

The episode, naturally, took a turn for the reflective, and Leno spent much of his short opening monologue discussing those 22 years. Mainly the difference and similarities of the two, illustrated with an Anthony Weiner penis joke, some pokes at Justin Bieber, a jab at Obamacare followed by one on the GOP (always tow the middle, he does), and some hokey digitally altered clips featuring politicians. You know, Leno-y stuff.

As his guest Billy Crystal alluded to during the night, Leno is a workhorse comedian. No one, regardless of your opinions on the man, could deny that. As he reiterated several times throughout the night, Leno had no idea for what the audience (and he) were in store. First up was a video with friends giving him some advice for the future: Steve Carell chimed in about not dwelling on the past from the desk of Michael Scott, Olivia Wilde accused Leno of neglecting their love-child-to-be, Kevin Bacon painted a naked portrait of the host, and NBC Sport’s Bob Costas brought the booze. Obama made Leno the ambassador to Antarctica, while Bill Maher made efficient use of his time filming a “welcome back, Jay!” voiceover immediately after. All Matt Damon seemed to care about was finally fucking getting an invite to work on cars over at the Leno garage — of which they’ll have no shortage of work to do after Miley Cyrus dented Leno’s car.

Speaking for most of us, Mark Wahlberg declared he didn’t give a shit what Leno did, as Kevin Hart suggested a career balloon animal creation (Because of his chin, ahyuck! Nailed it, Kevin). Other Garth (not Brooks: just Dana Carvey) did his best Leno while Charlie Sheen told him to fuck NBC. Tyler Perry even showed up to dress the comedian up as White Madea and made him sing “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables. And if that wasn’t frightening enough, Martha Stewart trumped everyone with her recently horned-up schtick, suggesting a hall pass-approved affair, complete with her signature DIY twist — a bacon bikini. (See what living in Connecticut does to a person?) And to top it off, the video ended with… Larry the Cable Guy suggesting meth before Jimmy Fallon graciously offered Leno time on his iteration of The Tonight Show any time he wanted.

Afterward, Billy Crystal performed “So Long Farewell” from The Sound of Music with his Shut Your Von Trapp Family Singers. This motley crew consisted of Jack Black, Kim Kardashian, NBAer Chris Paul, Sheryl Crow, Jim Parsons, Carol Burnett (!! — who did her iconic Tarzan yell), and Oprah (!!! — who sang “if you were me, you’d buy them all a car,” which was fun).

Leno’s second guest of the evening was Garth Brooks, who came out and sang one of the host’s self-proclaimed favorite songs, “The Dance,” but not before giving a bromancey speech of his own.

“Boy this is the hard part … this is tricky,” Leno stated; he began sobbing almost immediately as his farewells began. It was all very emotional and genuinely heartfelt. Likening the show to his family, Leno was gracious thanking the unions and everyone else involved. He mentioned not just the time they all spent together, but because in his first two years as host of the show, Leno lost both his mother and his father, and soon after his brother. Quoting the most iconic host of the series, Johnny Carson to sign-off, Brooks played out the show with his biggest hit, “Friends in Low Places.”

And with that, the Jay Leno era has come to a close, and it certainly feels legitimate this time. It’s time, but he had an undeniably commercially successful run. So long, Jay.

When I place the term “reinvigorating his sex life” next to the name Billy Crystal, do you turn and run in horror as you hide your eyes from the physical atrocities, or do you want to learn more, and possibly purchase a ticket to a movie about it?

If you are a member of the latter group, then Sony Pictures has an upcoming movie for you. The studio revealed in a press release that Crystal is attached to Winter’s Discontent, a frank comedy helmed by Frank Oz. The logline sets Crystal up as “a widower who moves into a reputed active adult community in hopes of reinvigorating his sex life.” Paul Fruchbom penned Winter’s Discontent, which spent some time on the Black List.

Sight unseen, this has The Bucket List or even Crystal’s own Parental Guidance written all over it – a safe, slightly edgy comedy that will be softened for mass appeal. And yet, having Oz at the helm gives me more hope for a button-pushing comedy than we probably should expect. His directorial resume includes Little Shop of Horrors, What About Bob?, In & Out and Bowfinger -- comedies that earned a fair share of respect by being flat out funny with accessible premises. Crystal has Monsters University in the hopper, but he could use a rock-solid comedy starring himself, not his voice, and maybe Discontent will be it.

During its almost four decade history, Saturday Night Live has featured more than one hundred cast members. Some have been stars, some have been bit players and more than a dozen have been both. More often than not, new hires begin at the bottom of the barrel. They fight for screen time, play thankless, laughless roles for bigger names, and if all goes well, begin slowly generating more screen time and more sketches specifically designed to showcase their talent.

It’s a slow evolution, and it’s the reason why SNL works. For the show to change, it must have new voices. For new voices to get noticed, old voices either need to be fired or willingly depart. Often, these exits are extremely sad. They make us wonder how the show could possibly go on without such an integral face, but it always does. SNL is constantly changing, even if slowly, and for as long as it’s on the air, it will continue changing, making new stars and replacing the old ones.

Both Andy Samberg and Kristen Wiig have announced they will not return to Saturday Night Live. Common sense would tell us that’s a bad thing, but the history of the show tells us it will not be. It tells us we’re about to start appreciating a few people a whole lot more and about to start experiencing a whole new brand of comedy.

What follows is a list of the 10 most important Saturday Night Live cast departures. At the time, we were sad to see each go, but their exits were ultimately what gave rise to new favorites.

10) Kristen Wiig/ Andy Samberg (2005-2012)

Why They Were Important: More than any other cast member, Andy Samberg pushed SNL into the new media age. His Digital Shorts became hugely popular and raced around the Internet the day after. They appealed to a younger, very wide-ranging audience and brought plenty of eyeballs that likely wouldn’t have seen the show. Kristen Wiig, on the other hand, eventually became a sort of jack-of-all-trades for the show. Over the years, she appeared in more and more sketches, ultimately becoming SNL’s biggest contributor during her last few seasons.

What Happened After: We’ll find out.

9) Phil Hartman (1986-1994)

Why He Was Important: Nicknamed “The Glue”, few SNL performers have ever carried as big of a load as Phil Hartman. For years, he appeared in a majority of sketches, some which he carried and some which he did his best in supporting roles. His impression of sitting US President Bill Clinton was spot on, and many of his characters such as Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer remain beloved.

What Happened After: Darrell Hammond picked up Phil Hartman’s impression where he left off, and a grouping of cast members shouldered the sketch-to-sketch load. Within a few years, Will Ferrell was established as the show’s biggest star, and that freedom was directly related to Hartman’s absence. Sadly, the comedian was murdered by his wife in 1998, a strange end for a man who, by all accounts, was one of the more easy-going and professional ever to work on SNL.

8) Norm Macdonald (1993-1998)

Why He Was Important: Norm took over the Weekend Update chair from Kevin Nealon, and his tenure was marked by a far more aggressive and cynical tone than most of his predecessors. He repeatedly took aim at Michael Jackson for being a pedophile and bashed OJ Simpson every chance he got. Many observers, including Chevy Chase, have called his time in the chair among the funniest and well-written of all the Weekend Update stints, but many viewers found him overly hostile and mean-spirited including NBC Executive Don Ohlmeyer who demanded he be fired. He eventually got his wish.

What Happened After: For the first time, many viewers realized Saturday Night Live was no longer above censorship. For years, the show attempted to get away with as much as possible and generally operated at least somewhat apart from network standards. Norm’s firing made it clear money is sometimes more important than comedy. Colin Quinn took over Update, and Norm was later welcomed back to do his spot-on Burt Reynolds impression.

7) Will Ferrell (1995-2002)

Why He Was Important: Few cast members have ever made as big of an impact on the show their first few years as Will. A good portion of the cast departed immediately prior to his arrival. Without any large influences, other than David Spade who had a dramatically reduced role, Ferrell was able to quickly take the helm and become a fan favorite. By the time he departed in 2002, he was the highest paid cast member of all-time, and his impressions of George W. Bush, Robert Goulet and Harry Carey were among SNL’s most beloved.

What Happened After: Ferrell was gone for a portion of his final season in order to film Old School, and his absence helped ease the transition to a new generation of cast members just coming into their own. Fred Armisen and Will Forte both made their first appearances the following year, and Amy Poehler began turning into a star. The rest of the cast members benefitted from the increased screentime. Ferrell, of course, went on to huge success in Hollywood and has returned several times to make appearances/ host.

6) Christopher Guest/ Billy Crystal/ Martin Short (1984-1985)

Why They Were Important: Harry Shearer should probably be included in this list too, but since he left midseason, we’ll go ahead and leave him out. 1984 was an exceptionally important year for SNL. Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscapo had just left, and no one was quite sure if the show could last without either. Headman Dick Ebersol decided to revamp the cast, and to do so, he brought in seasoned performers Guest, Crystal, Short and Shearer and paired them alongside a few holdovers like Jim Belushi and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The season produced a few of the all-time memorable characters such as Crystal’s Fernando Lamas and Ed Grimley (who was borrowed from Short’s SCTV days) and was pretty well received by fans.

What Happened After: Guest and Short both decided the schedule was too much of a burden to continue. Unsure of what to do, Ebersol toyed with showing more taped material or even switching to a permanent rotation of hosts. Ultimately, the network decided to hire back Lorne Michaels, and he completely revamped the entire cast. The following year was largely a disaster save Jon Lovitz and Dennis Miller, but the show eventually found its legs again. Guest, Crystal and Short all became even more famous. How much their one-year stints on SNL played a role can’t possibly be known since each had found some success prior.

5) Tina Fey (1997-2006)

Why She Was Important: Tina Fey was hired as a writer in 1997. By 2000, she was the show’s first female head writer and was hosting Weekend Update alongside Jimmy Fallon. The two had an instant chemistry, and years later, Amy Poehler took over Jimmy’s chair without any issues. Her wordy writing style and clever wit affected the show’s overall tone in a very positive way, and her time in charge was looked upon very favorably by critics.

What Happened After: Seth Meyers took over for Tina Fey both as head writer and Weekend Update host. Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis and Kristen Wiig were all promoted to full cast members, and the show actually improved its ratings. Fey later made regular guest appearances as Sarah Palin, and she went on to create the award-winning 30 Rock. Because she never appeared in an overwhelming majority of sketches, the show didn’t hire any new performers, and the transition was relatively smooth.

4) Dan Aykroyd/ John Belushi (1975-1979)

Why They Were Important: Few cast members have ever been more important to the show than John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. Belushi was like an animal during sketches, doing whatever it took to get a laugh. His impression of Joe Cocker became so incredibly popular he was asked to perform it at Paul McCartney’s house. Aykroyd was a supremely skilled writer and incredibly diverse performer. Following Chevy Chase’s exit, they appeared in a bulk of sketches and were widely regarded as breakout stars.

What Happened After: Lorne Michaels promoted most of the writing staff to fulltime cast members, and nearly everyone involved got burned out, both from doing it for five seasons and from trying to replace Belushi and Aykroyd. Longtime writer and current US Senator Al Franken was originally pitched as the future producer and showrunner, but he blew his opportunity by tearing network head Fred Silverman to shreds during one of the greatest and most mean-spirited Weekend Update sketches of all-time. Eventually, everyone quit, and NBC continued on with totally new personnel.

3) Chris Farley (1990-1995)/ Adam Sandler (1991-1995)

Why They Were Important: Saturday Night Live has always been filled with its share of sophomoric comedians and sophomoric sketches. At the show’s best however, it combines the goofy with the pointed social commentaries to offer a product that balances dick jokes and Senate hearings. Chris Farley and Adam Sandler were both all-stars at finding comedy in sweatshirts and fat strippers, but neither was particularly highbrow. As their fame rose in the mid-90s, their voice began to overpower the show a bit, pushing it too far toward the dick-joke direction. Critics complained, viewership decreased, and the show was on the verge of cancellation.

What Happened After: Both Farley and Sandler were fired in 1995. The former tragically died a few years after starring in a few movies, and the latter became one of the biggest names in Hollywood. Only five cast members returned the following season, and both Will Ferrell and Darrell Hammond emerged as wonderful replacements. The humor began skewing a bit more toward the political, and the vibe became far more grown up. Farley and Sandler’s so-stupid-it’s-funny moments were definitely missed, but their shadow no longer was seen in most sketches.

2) Eddie Murphy (1980-1984)

Why He Was Important: Eddie Murphy was a star from the moment he was hired on Saturday Night Live. He was brash. He was arrogant, and he was hilarious. By the time he left the show, he was on his way to being a movie star. Along with Joe Piscopo, he was the only cast member to survive the disastrous first season without Lorne Michaels, and he later became the only one to ever host an episode while regularly performing on the show. By the end of his run, he was such a big draw, Dick Ebersol overtly stated it was the job of the writers to showcase his talents.

What Happened After: Murphy left midway through the ’83-84 season, leaving doubts as to whether the show could possibly continue. Ultimately, Ebersol decided to hire ringers like Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest and Martin Short, which reinvigorated the slumping brand for one season. The humor became perhaps a bit less edgy, but it still worked and drew a large audience. Murphy improved on his already A-list status almost immediately and churned out box office hits for years.

1) Chevy Chase (1975-1976)

Why He Was Important: SNL was a media sensation by the end of its first season. It had incredible buzz and even better credibility. As host of Weekend Update, Chevy Chase became the program’s biggest star. He also wrote many sketches for both himself and other cast members and attracted the majority of attention. With the show in its infancy, some observers briefly assumed it would morph into (basically) the Chevy Chase Show, but with a one-year contract and plenty of movie offers, he decided to bail a few episodes into the second season.

What Happened After: For the first time in Saturday Night Live’s history, it picked up the pieces and moved on. Bill Murray was hired as a replacement, and after some initial hostility from fans, he too became a huge star. Belushi and Aykroyd took on larger roles, and the women began to break out in big ways. Within a few episodes, SNL was just as good as ever, and the formula for future success was written. With departure comes opportunity, and by God, the other cast members took it.

Even though the big Best Picture winner was a French silent film with few recognizable stars, the Oscars likely got a boost in the ratings during last night's telecast, according to early numbers at Entertainment Weekly. ABC's early ratings show a 4% gain in viewership from last year, when 37.9 million people watched The King's Speech win Best Picture. That's far fewer than watched the year that Avatar was up for the top awards-- that was 41.7 million people, the best in recent years-- but we're doing a lot better than we were in 2008, when just 32 million people tuned in for the little-seen No Country For Old Men and its Oscar victory.

The jury is still out on whether last night's Oscars were a success or a failure, but the return of Billy Crystal as a host at least made it feel like the familiar, comforting Oscars many of us grew up with. We're still busy rehashing the Oscars over in our movies section, so you can catch up on the coverage by first checking out the full list of winners, then reading up on the 5 best moments of the awards, and finally what to make of Best Picture winner The Artist, and why it's not nearly as old-fashioned or "safe" a winner as you might think.

We'll be waiting to see how the rest of TV's numbers from last night shake out, but it seems safe to assume that everything pretty much paled in comparison to the Oscars. It's worth noting, though, that as much as people complain about the Oscars being boring and watching them less often, they are always more watched than the Grammys-- including this year, when the Grammys boasted their best ratings in a decade. Say what you will about the movies dying out, but they still prove their value every single year with this massive TV broadcast.

Billy Crystal has hosted the Academy Awards eight times, but, in poetic fashion, it's also been 8 years since he last did it. But it's not only from the Oscar stage that he's disappeared. With the exception of his uncredited role in 2010's Tooth Fairy, Crystal hasn't been in a live-action movie since 2002's Analyze That. For that reason, it's totally understandable why William Fichtner had to send Josh Duhamel and Megan Fox to Mongolia to hunt him down. Now, at this point I have to assume that you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, so to clarify, allow me to present the first trailer for the 84th Annual Academy Awards:

I actually liked this trailer a lot more than I expected to. Sure, it features some actors who have no business even being around an Oscar statue (*cough*Megan Fox*cough*), but it's witty and fun. I still wish that it was the Muppets who were hosting the show - can you even imagine how awesome that trailer would have been? - but this did succeed in putting a smile on my face and I'm excited to see what Crystal will do come February 26th.