It’s no secret that working at Saturday Night Live is really hard. From the pressure of performing live and delivering a new show every week to waiting and waiting to see if you get on to the next season, there are tons of reasons why it causes anxiety. Now, Conan O’Brien has opened up about that, how it was worse years ago, and how Adam Sandler helped change the vibe to make work more fun.
This conversation came up when Conan O’Brien was talking to Andy Samberg about how stressful SNL 50was and the digital short he made for it about anxiety (which you can stream with a Peacock subscription). It’s a topic that cast members aren’t afraid to talk about, and many have gotten candid about just how stressful and grueling the gig is.
Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, the podcast’s host got real about the anxiety he experienced while working on one of the best sketch comedy shows of all time, explaining:
Brooklyn Nine-Nine star asked if that generation was the last to face the really “intense and gritty” energy, and he confirmed that it was, which is how Adam Sandler comes into all this. O’Brien said:
I was in that state of mind, and I think, you know, [Robert] Smigel and [Bob] Odenkirk and Greg Daniels were like, ‘It’s life or death.’ And it feels like that’s kind of how everyone feels. And this guy named Adam Sandler showed up one day and he’s like, he kept talking about ‘Let’s go get a milkshake.’
During their chat, O’Brien also confirmed Samberg’s assumption about the NBC show being more “competitive and grimy” during that time. However, things started to change when the Happy Gilmore star showed up, as he joked:
He was like, ‘This is so much fun to be at SNL. Oh, I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it. Yippee!’ And he had that, ‘I’m going to do Opera Man. I’m going to do this. I’m going to do that. This is great, guys!’
There’s no question, Adam Sandler is an SNL legend who made a huge impact in the five seasons he was there. That’s evident in his sketches; however, this story from Conan also illustrates how his positive attitude played into it too. Ultimately, it at least helped the former writer realize that working at this show could be a good time. And while talking about how his colleague had fun on the NBC series and his own movies, he explained:
This is a possibility? You can like this?
Overall, I think two things can be true at the same time. You can love the work, and it can be extremely hard. That’s a mentality that’s seemingly been maintained on SNL since day one. Samberg noted that too in this episode, as he explained that while he adored working on the show, the intensity of it didn’t make it sustainable long-term.
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Saturday Night Live truly is a beast of a production, and working on it is no easy feat. However, it can also be a grand ol’ time, which is what Adam Sandler made it. And it seems like he helped change things for the better for the folks who followed in his footsteps.
The Final Reckoning may have wrapped the Mission: Impossible franchise with its 2025 movies release, but not before the movies produced a slew of iconic scenes in which Tom Cruise hung onto the sides of moving planes, avoided lasers, scaled the Burj Khalifa, chased and got chased on motorcycles and so much more. Amidst these, the Burj Khalifa scene has always been a standout for me personally, and I just found out it was basically written on the fly by Christopher McQuarrie himself.
That Burj Khalifa Scene Was Not Fully Scripted When Ghost Protocol Went Into Production
Paramount’s CinemaCon rundown earlier this year, Cruise apparently talked about McQ showing up on the set of Ghost Protocol while they were trying to figure out the particularly challenging scene, one he called a bit of a “Rubrik’s cube.” Christopher McQuarrie wasn’t helming the movie, Brad Bird was, and he wasn’t credited as a writer on the film, either, but Cruise brought him on board without even getting a greenlight first.
At this point in the film I’d already shot most of the action but I knew I did not have the structural foundation yet. … You’re constantly challenging your story… Films aren’t just on the page, they’re a living, breathing thing. You just have to constantly stay on top of and discover. So we’re a good way though filming and I called McQ and I said, ‘Hey please you gotta come help me.’
Though he would later basically become synonymous with the franchise, then-director Brad Bird and co-star Simon Pegg apparently didn’t even know who McQuarrie was during his first trip to the set. Yet, Cruise knew the famous scene where he was expected to climb the Burj Khalifa wearing only a pair of gloves was not working and he knew McQ could write them out of this pickle. As he told crowds at the event:
well-reviewed The Final Reckoning, which Tom Cruise confirmed marks the final outing in the franchise as a whole.
It’s wild to think about Mission: Impossible stunts not being carefully crafted at the start, but even since the Brad Bird era, a lot was being done on the fly. The scene worked, and Cruise told crowds his newfound pal would later do punch up scripts for other movies, including infamously World War Z, but also other Tom Cruise flicks Edge of Tomorrow and Top Gun: Maverick.
The two clearly work well as a duo, with Cruise admitting sometimes he pushes McQuarrie to make M:I changes too, and with Ethan Hunt getting a mostly happy ending, I’m interested to see where their partnership goes next.
Spoilers for Season 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty are ahead! You can catch new episodes every Wednesday on Prime Video.
The third and final season of The Summer I Turned Pretty is now airing for those with an Amazon Prime subscription, and even though we’re just four episodes in, there has been a lot to talk about. One of the biggest points of conversation revolves around if Belly and Jeremiah were really on a break during his trip to Cabo, a la Friends. The love triangle between Conrad, Belly, and Jeremiah is always a hot topic, and Team Conrad and Team Jeremiah have been debating this situation specifically since the books came out. And now, Belly actress Lola Tung and the books’ author Jenny Han have shared their takes.
they were on a break.
This situation has caused a huge stir online, especially in recent weeks since the season premiered on the 2025 TV schedule, and fans aren’t the only ones putting in their two cents. Tung, who plays the aforementioned Belly Conklin, told The Spill Podcastwhat she thinks, and she’s siding with her character:
I don’t think they were on a break. I don’t think there was enough of a conversation. But again, what happened, whether or not they were on a break, it was still hurtful, and I think Jeremiah knows that.
I certainly agree that there wasn’t enough communication. The reason for the break or not break in the first place was that Belly got upset Jeremiah didn’t tell her that he was going to Cabo not just with the fraternities, but with the sororities. He then got upset that she was upset and, in the heat of the moment, broke things off.
It’s a case of miscommunication, and Han, who wrote The Summer I Turned Pretty books that the series is based on and serves as the showrunner on the series, shared a similar take:
I think that Jeremiah did think that they were broken up. I think she didn’t. But even if they were broken up, I think it would be very hurtful if your partner of several years and someone that you’ve known your whole life, then hooked up with somebody else like a few days after broke up, that’s still isn’t great.
Both Han and Tung make good points, and I am right there with them. While they were technically broken up, Jeremiah still went and hooked up with somebody else just days after their supposed breakup. Then, he returned home and gave Belly a gift like it never even happened. She had to hear it from someone else accidentally that he had hooked up with a girl in Cabo. At this point, Belly just needs a break from everything.
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In my own opinion, it wasn’t technically cheating since they were broken up, but again, Belly doesn’t think they were actually broken up, and Jeremiah thinks they were. Regardless, he still got with someone days after their fight, then kept it a secret, and that is a pretty awful thing to do. It just proves that communication is the biggest part of the relationship, and Season 3 has definitely been showing how important it is.
The scales have tipped on The Summer I Turned Pretty, and as a Team Conrad girl who has also read the books, I cannot be more excited for what’s to come. Even though I’m worried about how the final season will go, especially since Han has previously said the ending is different from the book, there will probably still be a whole lot more to look forward to…as long as there isn’t more miscommunication.
Grieving Mother Fever Dream Horror ‘Lilly Lives Alone’ Official Trailer
by Alex Billington August 1, 2025 Source: YouTube
“Unfolds like a series of distant memories asking to be dissected by the viewer.” But does that make for a good film? Dark Sky Films has debuted the official trailer for an indie horror film titled Lilly Lives Alone, marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Martin Melnick. It’s set to arrive to watch in August this summer including on VOD right away. Ten years after her daughter’s tragic death, Lilly’s world is tearing apart so she hides in a corner of her town. The traumatic ghosts of her past are waking up and tonight she must face the depths of her manic madness and a haunting she won’t soon forget. The film stars Shannon Beeby as the titular Lilly, with Jeffrey Combs, Ryan Jonze, Erin Way, & Karla Mason. This initially premiered at the 2024 Brookyln Horror Film Festival last year, though reviews aren’t great – and it doesn’t look like there’s much to see in this anyway. Yet another horror about grief without anything unique to offer.
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Martin Melnick’s horror Lilly Lives Alone, from YouTube:
After the death of her child, Lilly (Shannon Beeby) runs away to hide in a lonely corner of her small town. Living alone, she struggles to cope with the traumatic memories of her own upbringing. Ten years after her daughter’s death, the fabric of Lilly’s world is tearing apart. The ghosts of her past are waking up and tonight she must face the depths of her manic madness and a haunting she won’t soon forget.Lilly Lives Alone is written and directed by the indie genre filmmaker Martin Melnick, making his feature directorial debut after many other short films previously; he also works as a colorist on indie films. Produced by Sarah Johnston. This first premiered at the 2024 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival last year. Dark Sky Films debuts Melnick’s Lilly Lives Alone film in select US theaters + on VOD starting August 22nd, 2025. Look scary?
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Sex and the City is one of HBO shows that got the world talking, and Michael Patrick King’s beloved comedy series is still a vital part of the pop culture landscape decades later. Its spinoff And Just Like That just wrapped its third season for those with a HBO Max subscription, but it was recently announced the show was ending. Luckily there is some good news to this situation.
I’ve been enjoying Season 3 of And Just Like That, which seemingly ended its narrative last night. But today HBO Max’s Instagram posted a message from King about the show’s future… or lack thereof. You can read it below:
cameo by Kim Cattrall? We can only hope.
The Sex and the City follow-up has had an interesting life on TV, going viral a number of times throughout its three-season run. Some fans hate watched And Just Like That, taking umbrage with newcomer Che Diaz, as well as the treatment of favorites like Steve and Harry. But the show was clearly popular regardless, which is why I’m surprised its run is ending after just three seasons.
Fans like myself love the characters of the Sex and the City universe, which is where that passion comes from. Case in point: I begged for Carrie and Aidan to break up… which I was finally given in Episode 9. Episode 10, which was seemingly the finale, saw her finally hook up with Duncan, and there were also some big cliffhangers such as Brady getting someone pregnant and Giuseppe moving in with Anthony.
(Image credit: HBO Max)
And Just Like That ending after Season 3 is disappointing news, but I’m thrilled that we’ll be getting two more episodes. The tenth ep of the season “Better Than Sex” moved a bunch of plot points forward, but it didn’t feel like a series finale. So we’ll have to wait and see how Sarah Jessica Parker and the gang end things when that two-part finale comes to our homes.
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And Just Like That‘s third season is streaming now as part of the 2025 TV release schedule, and Sex and the City can also be re-watched on HBO Max.
If you feel like you’ve seen everything the best streaming services have to offer, buckle up, because you haven’t. August is kicking off with a variety of new streaming releases on the 2025 TV schedule, which means you can spend the weekend exploring new worlds like 18th-century Hawaii, a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and even Oxford. In other words, you can watch the premieres of Anthony Mackie’s Twisted Metal Season 2, Jason Momoa’s Chief of War, and the new Netflix romance My Oxford Year.
So, as we try to figure out what to watch first, here’s what the critics are saying about these new projects.
(Image credit: Peacock)
2023 was seriously the best year for video game adaptations with hits like The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Last of Us. But, we can’t leave out Peacock’s adaptation of Twisted Metal, which is about an amnesic milkman who’s sent to deliver a mysterious package across the post-apocalyptic Wasteland. It rocked back then, and now it’s back to rock harder with Season 2.
Roger Ebert noted that it felt like everything went up a notch, sure to provide greater satisfaction for longtime fans and new ones:
While the first season often seemed afraid to get weird, the writers embrace their insanity this time around, mixing playful humor into the carnage. Thinking about it after a dozen episodes, there’s not exactly a wealth of character details or narrative twists, but everyone simply seems to be having more fun this year, and that can be infectious. If the first season felt like an obligation to ride a wave of video game adaptations, the second feels like an honest effort to satisfy both fans of the games and those who never played them. The result is a season that finds its tone in ways that the first never did.
Based on Brian Tallerico’s claims of Season 2 having “more action, personality, character development, and effective humor,” these are the ingredients that make a perfect sequel worth watching.
You’re always hoping a show’s second take is willing to take risks and improve on everything that came before to keep audiences hooked. CBR’s Joshua M. Patton agrees that Season 2 brings new improvements to its characters, which helps add emotional stakes to this crazy story:
The series succeeds in allowing viewers to capture the feeling of playing the game, even those who never did. Still, it’s the characters who make the show work, because viewers understand why they make the choices they do. Without these deeply personal stakes, the fun, crazy action of the tournament itself would feel empty.
Indeed, you do need to feel for your characters to care about their fates. As the first season’s finale introduced the concept of the deadly tournament John Doe competes in, Season 2 looks to raise the stakes that the previous season presented.
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So, you better believe it’s worth tuning into it with your Peacock subscription.
(Image credit: Apple TV+)
Chief of War Is A Visual Spectacle With a Deep Dedication to Hawaiian Authenticity
Chief of War (which is streaming with an Apple TV+ subscription) takes streamers to the 18th century, where Jason Momoa plays warrior chief Ka’iana, who is rebelling against the unification of Hawaiʻi. As the Aquaman actor co-created the show and incorporated Pacific Islander representation in its cast, crew, and location, Kelly Lawler’s review for USA Today explained how much she loved the show’s use of grand storytelling scale as it shined a spotlight on key moments in Hawaiian history:
[Chief of War] brings the scale and power of Hollywood storytelling to Hawaiian history and politics, the way we’ve seen stories of American and European history for countless series and films before. And ‘War’ does this with a thrilling pace and superb performances. It’s the best kind of expensive, ambitious streaming TV: You’ll binge-watch it because you can’t look away from the spectacle.
It’s about time that Hawaiian history got a big-budget treatment in mainstream streaming. Clearly, Chief of War is a passion project for Jason Momoa, who made sure his ancestors were portrayed in a glowing light. Aramide Tinubu’s review for Variety praised the historical drama series for allowing audiences to learn about Hawaiian history they’ve never seen on screen before:
‘Chief of War’s’ nine-episode first season is vast and full of traditions hardly seen before on television. Staying true to history, the majority of the story’s dialogue is in Hawaiian, a now critically endangered Polynesian language. As a result, audiences may struggle to find their footing in the series’ initial episodes. However, those willing to truly immerse themselves in this narrative will get a bird’s-eye view of the inner conflicts and histories of the Hawaiian islands.
It’s amazing to know that Chief of War uses character-driven narratives and grand visuals to not only bring Hawaiian history to life but also deeply resonate with it. With slo-mo running scenes and a volcano erupting mid-shoot, we’re in for a remarkable ride with this show.
My Oxford Year May Be a Mixed Bag, But It Still Makes For An Entertaining Watch
The 2025 Netflix release of My Oxford Year stars Sofia Carson as Anna, who experiences a life-changing trip to Oxford after meeting a charming local there. Archi Sengupta’s review for LeisureByte explained that while she thought the rom-com film presented itself with a “generic” plot, it still had a positive takeaway that made the book adaptation worth watching:
Good performances and a beautifully shot Oxford make My Oxford Year a moving, warm watch. Although we have seen this story a few times, it’s still impactful and moving, and the romance is relatable, giving you goosebumps. All in all, a good watch.
Rom-coms do tend to follow familiar plots. But if each star can bring their A-game, you know you’re in for a good time.
Brandon Yu wrote a harsher review for The New York Times, calling the movie “joyless,” but he still liked its unpredictability thanks to its plot twist:
Adapted from the novel by Julia Whelan, ‘My Oxford Year’ may quickly fall prey to this trap, but it has the benefit of having a trick up its sleeve, switching from one genre trope to another halfway through. The halfhearted execution remains, though.
Listen, it’s normal for romance movies like this one to be a mixed bag review-wise. So, you can draw your own conclusions about My Oxford Year with a Netflix subscription.
Personally, I always find it refreshing when a rom-com flips the script. Audiences will be kept on their toes, and the emotional payoff will surely hit harder. So, I’ll for sure be checking this film out.
Based on the reviews of each new streaming release, it looks like I have a date with my couch this weekend. Season 2 of Twisted Metal is expected to take me on a wild ride. Chief of War will time-travel me to 18th-century Hawaii. Meanwhile, My Oxford Year should hit me with some romantic vibes. So, with all that considered, I think I’m going with Chief of War first since I love historical dramas and visual masterpieces.
