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'SNL' open tackles Britney Spears, Ted Cruz and Gina Carano controversies

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NBC/Will Heath(NEW YORK) — Saturday Night Live tackled controversies involving Britney Spears, Texas senator Ted Cruz, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and former The Mandalorian actress Gina Carano in this weekend’s opening sketch.

Cruz, Cuomo and Carano — played respectively by Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson and Cecily Strong — guested on a talk show hosted by Chloe Fineman as Spears, that latter of whom has been embroiled in a legal battle with her father over conservatorship of her estate.  

First up was Cruz, who drew criticism this week after it was revealed that he flew from Texas to Cancun for a family vacation, while bitter cold weather left millions of people in the state without power.

“Absolutely. I deeply regret my actions over the last couple of days, most flying United,” Cruz said.  “I’m sorry, I am pretty bad at human stuff.”

Fineman’s Spears then called out Cruz for blaming his actions on his daughters, warning, “As someone who has often blamed for other people’s problems at a young age…it could really mess up with their heads.”

Next, it was Cuomo’s turn to explain why he falsified data regarding the number of COVID-19 deaths in NYC nursing homes.

Davidson eventually said he was sorry, but balked at being lumped in with Cruz.

“I am a man, you are a clown,” he snapped.  “If you mess with me I will send you to a clown hospital and, when you die, I will not count your body.”

However, Strong’s Carano, who — according to SNL — was dropped from Disney+’s The Mandalorian for suggesting on Instagram that conservatives have it as bad as Jewish people living in Nazi Germany, refused to apologize.

“I never would have made that Nazi comparison if I had known everyone was going to be a Nazi about it,” Strong-as-Carano quipped.

By George Costantino
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ken Jennings honors Alex Trebek as he wraps 'Jeopardy!' guest hosting gig

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Jeopardy! Productions(LOS ANGELES) — Ken Jennings closed out his six-week hosting stint on Jeopardy! on Friday, where he served as the first person to keep the show running after the passing of Alex Trebek.

Before signing off one last time, Jennings took a moment to honor the beloved show host.

“That’s a wrap on my six weeks of @Jeopardy guest hosting. Thanks for watching, thanks for your patience with a tough learning curve,” the Jeopardy! champ wrote on Twitter. “And, as always, thank you Alex.”

Jennings ended his heartfelt shout out with a blue heart emoji.

While a new guest host will step in on Monday, Jennings will remain connected to the show by signing on as a consulting producer.

The 46-year-old trivia whiz teased the upcoming roster of famous faces who will step in for Trebek until a permanent replacement is found.

“Stay tuned for a carousel of surprise guest hosts, each more surprising than the last,” teased Jennings in a follow up tweet. “Collect ‘em all!”

The second guest host will be Jeapordy! and Wheel of Fortune executive producer Mike Richards, who will steer the ship until March 5.  

Katie Couric is set to take over for Richards on March 8 through March 19, where by Dr. Mehemet Oz will pick up from there, however, his shows are currently listed as “TBD”

The show previously revealed that, starting in March, each guest host will single out a charity for the show to benefit and the show will donate the cumulative winnings earned by all the contestants at the end of the host’s tenure.

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

American Idol recap: Look-a-likes and "top 5 material"

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ABC/John Fleenor(LOS ANGELES) — Another week of American Idol means another week of auditions.

Another week where the fate of singing hopefuls vying for the chance to earn the golden ticket trip to Hollywood lies in the hands of judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan.

Here are highlights from Sunday’s episode:

  • After coming into his audition dressed like Thor and screaming Viking terms, Anthony Guzman, shocked the trio of judges with his rendition of Michael Buble’s “Cry Me A River,” keeping himself in the competition a little longer. 
  • Cassie Bishop, 15, was compared to past Idol star Alejandro Aranda by Luke after her audition where she performed “Live Wire” by Mötley Crüe. 
  • Yurisbel gave the judges a workout during his audition, which saw him give his best cover of Pitbull’s “Fireball.” Although Katy said no to him receiving a golden ticket out fear people would never “trust me ever again,” his upbeat personality won over Lionel and Luke, who had a slight resemblance to the American Idol hopeful.
  • Luke wasn’t alone in the doppelgänger department, as Katy met the country version of herself in 17-year-old Hannah Everhart, who sang Johnny Cash’s “Wayfaring Stranger” and Etta James’ “At Last” into a ticket to Hollywood. 
  • Chayce Beckham’s raspy audition of “What Brings Life Also Kills” by Kolton Moore and The Clever Few had Katy calling him “top 5 material” and hailed him as “the heart of America.” The judges voted unanimously to send him through to Hollywood.
  • Although rattled with nerves, Cassandra Coleman sang “The Way It Was” by The Killers with a voice Lionel described as “angelic as it’s gonna get.” And, after showing off her skills on the piano as well, she effortlessly sang her way to the next round. 
  • 16-year-old Ace Stiles got vulnerable by sharing his story of coming out as transgender after performing his original song “Addicted.” While he didn’t make it to Hollywood, the judges left him with words of encouragement. 

American Idol returns next Sunday, February 28 at 8 p.m. ET. 

By Danielle Long
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

'Home Improvement' stars Tim Allen and Richard Karn reuniting for new DIY show

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ABC/Randy Holmes(LOS ANGELES) — Tim Allen and Richard Karn, who starred as Tim and Al Borland on the ’90s sitcom Home Improvement as hosts of the fictional show Tool Time, are joining forces again nearly 20 years after the show went off the air for the new History channel series, Assembly Required. 

The 10-episode competition show is described by Allen as a “kind of a live version of Tool Time,” according to Variety, that showcases elite craftswomen and men across the country. 

The show follows a trio of builders who compete against one another to make grandiose creations out of household objects in need of repair. Just some of the fascinating creations include a DIY jacuzzi and an all-season ice melter. 

Throughout the episode, Allen and Karn will provide insight into the items used to make these grand installations, as well as honor the creators behind them. 

Assembly Required will also feature YouTube star and DIY expert April Wilkerson. “I think the more people that get into it, the more it inspires others to get into it too. Because, I think at the root of our DNA, we all want to build and create,” she tells Variety. “I think people have the free time now to get rid of the other amenities they’re used to and put it into using their hands.”

“It is in our DNA somewhere. Whatever we screw up we can fix it,” Allen adds. 

Assembly Required debuts on February 23 at 10 p.m. ET. 

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are divorcing

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Mike Coppola/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are ending their marriage after more than six years together, a representative for the reality star confirmed to ABC News on Friday.

Kardashian, 40, and West, 43, married in 2014 and have four children together: North, 7; Saint, 5; Chicago, 3; and Psalm, 1. The couple had reportedly been living apart for some time, with West apparently spending time in Wyoming and Kardashian West staying in California.

According to E! News, Kardashian has requested joint legal and physical custody of their kids. 

Last summer, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians pleaded for “compassion and empathy” as the rapper made headlines for displaying increasingly erratic behavior during his failed presidential run. Explaining that West has bipolar disorder, Kardashian West said that she’d never discussed it publicly before because she’s always felt “very protective of our children and Kanye’s right to privacy when it comes to his health.”

“I understand Kanye is subject to criticism because he is a public figure and his actions at times can cause strong opinions and emotions,” she wrote, calling her husband a “brilliant but complicated person.”

She continued that he has the “pressures of being an artist and a Black man,” on top of the pain of losing of his mother in 2007.

“Living with bi-polar disorder does not diminish or invalidate his dreams and his creative ideas, no matter how big or unobtainable they may feel to some,” she added. “That is part of his genius and as we have all witnessed, many of his big dreams have come true.”

This was the first marriage for West and the third for Kardashian West.

By Good Morning America
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.