Category: Entertainment

The combination of host Ariana Grande, musical guest Cher and departing cast member Bowen Yang proved to be a ratings winner for Saturday Night Live.

According to Variety, the Dec. 20 installment of the show, which also marked Yang’s final appearance, drew 5.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched episode in over a year. The last episode to attract a larger audience  aired in November of 2024, when John Mulaney hosted and brought in 6.8 million viewers.

In general, Ariana Grande hosting alongside a female Rock & Roll Hall of Famer as the musical guest seems to be a great combination for SNL. Prior to Mulaney’s episode, Grande’s October 2024 hosting stint with a performance by Stevie Nicks was the show’s most-watched episode since 2021.

During the Dec. 20 episode, Grande and Cher appeared in Yang’s farewell sketch, in which he played a Delta airport lounge employee on his final shift. Grande portrayed his wife, while Cher played his boss. The trio sang “Please Come Home for Christmas,” and an emotional Yang concluded the sketch by saying, “I just feel so lucky that I ever got to work here.”

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians has added three new actors to its cast. Holt McCallany joins the ensemble of the Disney+ series in season 3 as Atlas. He will appear in a recurring guest role as the pivotal villain and the third season’s primary antagonist. Also joining the cast are David Costabile as Dr. Thorn and Jesse L. Martin as Annabeth’s father, Frederick Chase …

The film The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender will no longer get a theatrical release. Instead, Deadline reports the animated feature will make its debut on Paramount+. The film, which was directed by Lauren Montgomery with Steve Ahn and William Mata, previously had the release date of Oct. 9, 2026. Its voice cast includes Taika Waititi, Geraldine Viswanathan, Dee Bradley Baker, Freida Pinto and Ke Huy Quan …

Two classic characters from the original Star Trek series will make their first appearances in the finale of the fifth and final season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Variety reports the characters Hikaru Sulu and Leonard “Bones” McCoy will appear in the episode, played by actors Kai Murakami and Thomas Jane …

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