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Most of 2016’s Steve Rogers: Captain America #1 plays like a standard adventure starring the Sentinel of Liberty. In between flashbacks to Steve’s childhood in 1926 New York, we see Cap and his allies on a rescue mission and eventually battle classic villain Baron Zemo. However, the final splash page, after Cap has defeated Zemo […]

The post The Divisive Captain America Comic That Defined Sam Wilson as Cap appeared first on Den of Geek.

Once someone becomes a part of the Saturday Night Live family, it takes a lot to get excommunicated.

The most infamous example of a creative not being invited back to NBC’s long-running comedic institution is, of course, Sinéad O’Connor. In a 1992 episode of SNL, the Irish singer, songwriter, and activist concluded a cover of Bob Marley’s “War” by tearing a photograph of then-Pope John Paul II to pieces. Though O’Connor’s stated intention of protesting the Catholic Church’s history of physical, sexual and emotional abuse of young parishioners was well reasoned, it was perhaps too ahead of its time. She would go on to be condemned by many organizations and was ultimately banned from ever returning to SNL.

Following O’Connor’s death in 2023, SNL began to soften its stance towards her controversial performance. The ultimate mea culpa arrived on February 16, 2025, during the show’s sprawling, three-hour-long broadcast SNL50: The Anniversary Special, in which Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard covered O’Connor’s classic “Nothing Compares 2 U.” While that was perhaps the biggest moment of reconciliation in SNL50, there was another, far stranger, example of a banished performer getting a shout near the end of the special.

Adrien Brody was on top of the world back in May 2003 when he hosted Saturday Night Live for the first and only time. Having just won a Best Actor Oscar for his remarkable turn in The Pianist two months prior, Brody was ready and game for anything SNL could throw his way. Unfortunately, he was too ready and too game as the committed SNL creator Lorne Michaels’ cardinal sin: he went off script.

When the time came to introduce musical guest Sean Paul – usually a simple, perfunctory task for the host – Brody elected to spice things up a bit. He took the stage in a dreadlocked wig and vamped extensively in an offensive Jamaican patois about…people named Sean? And said “respeck mah neck” a couple of times? It was at least a little bit racist, a lot of bit incomprehensible, and most damningly for the live show, completely unplanned.

In recent interviews to promote The Brutalist (for which he will likely win another Oscar), Brody has pushed back against the characterization that he was banned from SNL, telling Vulture that “I think Lorne wasn’t happy with me embellishing a bit, but they allowed me to.” Ban or no ban, Brody joined the ranks of folks like O’Connor who were pointedly never invited back to Studio 8H.

Of course, important dates like anniversaries have a way of healing old wounds. Because, while Brody didn’t receive as touching a shoutout as O’Connor did in SNL50, his inexplicable Rastaman improv did make an appearance in a hilarious compilation. Introduced by Tom Hanks, SNL50: The Anniversary Special took some time out for a special “In Memorium” segment of canceled SNL characters and moments that were no longer appropriate for the modern world.

The reasoning for many of these canceled artifacts were clear from “ethnic stereotypes” to “body shaming” to “sexual harassment.” Adrien Brody’s rasta moment, however, was accompanied by a simple “woah.” All these years later, there seems no better way to describe whatever it was that was than “woah.”

The post SNL50 Referenced Saturday Night Live’s Strangest Hosting Controversy appeared first on Den of Geek.

“Tell me, O Muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after he made movies about Batman and Oppie.” That’s been the cry of every movie fan since Christopher Nolan announced that his next movie would be an adaptation of epic Homeric poem The Odyssey. Surprisingly, we don’t have to rely on secrets […]

The post Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey First Look Is More Classic Hollywood Than Homer appeared first on Den of Geek.

Once someone becomes a part of the Saturday Night Live family, it takes a lot to get excommunicated.

The most infamous example of a creative not being invited back to NBC’s long-running comedic institution is, of course, Sinéad O’Connor. In a 1992 episode of SNL, the Irish singer, songwriter, and activist concluded a cover of Bob Marley’s “War” by tearing a photograph of then-Pope John Paul II to pieces. Though O’Connor’s stated intention of protesting the Catholic Church’s history of physical, sexual and emotional abuse of young parishioners was well reasoned, it was perhaps too ahead of its time. She would go on to be condemned by many organizations and was ultimately banned from ever returning to SNL.

Following O’Connor’s death in 2023, SNL began to soften its stance towards her controversial performance. The ultimate mea culpa arrived on February 16, 2025, during the show’s sprawling, three-hour-long broadcast SNL50: The Anniversary Special, in which Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard covered O’Connor’s classic “Nothing Compares 2 U.” While that was perhaps the biggest moment of reconciliation in SNL50, there was another, far stranger, example of a banished performer getting a shout near the end of the special.

Adrien Brody was on top of the world back in May 2003 when he hosted Saturday Night Live for the first and only time. Having just won a Best Actor Oscar for his remarkable turn in The Pianist two months prior, Brody was ready and game for anything SNL could throw his way. Unfortunately, he was too ready and too game as the committed SNL creator Lorne Michaels’ cardinal sin: he went off script.

When the time came to introduce musical guest Sean Paul – usually a simple, perfunctory task for the host – Brody elected to spice things up a bit. He took the stage in a dreadlocked wig and vamped extensively in an offensive Jamaican patois about…people named Sean? And said “respeck mah neck” a couple of times? It was at least a little bit racist, a lot of bit incomprehensible, and most damningly for the live show, completely unplanned.

In recent interviews to promote The Brutalist (for which he will likely win another Oscar), Brody has pushed back against the characterization that he was banned from SNL, telling Vulture that “I think Lorne wasn’t happy with me embellishing a bit, but they allowed me to.” Ban or no ban, Brody joined the ranks of folks like O’Connor who were pointedly never invited back to Studio 8H.

Of course, important dates like anniversaries have a way of healing old wounds. Because, while Brody didn’t receive as touching a shoutout as O’Connor did in SNL50, his inexplicable Rastaman improv did make an appearance in a hilarious compilation. Introduced by Tom Hanks, SNL50: The Anniversary Special took some time out for a special “In Memorium” segment of canceled SNL characters and moments that were no longer appropriate for the modern world.

The reasoning for many of these canceled artifacts were clear from “ethnic stereotypes” to “body shaming” to “sexual harassment.” Adrien Brody’s rasta moment, however, was accompanied by a simple “woah.” All these years later, there seems no better way to describe whatever it was that was than “woah.”

The post SNL50 Referenced Saturday Night Live’s Strangest Hosting Controversy appeared first on Den of Geek.

This article contains spoilers for the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Fox-Verse too. When Captain America throws his mighty shield, people show up in theaters. At least, that’s the takeaway from the box office for the opening weekend of Captain America: Brave New World. Anthony Mackie‘s inaugural outing as the Sentinel of Liberty has met […]

The post Marvel Movies Ranked From Worst to Best (Including Captain America Brave New World) appeared first on Den of Geek.

Once someone becomes a part of the Saturday Night Live family, it takes a lot to get excommunicated.

The most infamous example of a creative not being invited back to NBC’s long-running comedic institution is, of course, Sinéad O’Connor. In a 1992 episode of SNL, the Irish singer, songwriter, and activist concluded a cover of Bob Marley’s “War” by tearing a photograph of then-Pope John Paul II to pieces. Though O’Connor’s stated intention of protesting the Catholic Church’s history of physical, sexual and emotional abuse of young parishioners was well reasoned, it was perhaps too ahead of its time. She would go on to be condemned by many organizations and was ultimately banned from ever returning to SNL.

Following O’Connor’s death in 2023, SNL began to soften its stance towards her controversial performance. The ultimate mea culpa arrived on February 16, 2025, during the show’s sprawling, three-hour-long broadcast SNL50: The Anniversary Special, in which Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard covered O’Connor’s classic “Nothing Compares 2 U.” While that was perhaps the biggest moment of reconciliation in SNL50, there was another, far stranger, example of a banished performer getting a shout near the end of the special.

Adrien Brody was on top of the world back in May 2003 when he hosted Saturday Night Live for the first and only time. Having just won a Best Actor Oscar for his remarkable turn in The Pianist two months prior, Brody was ready and game for anything SNL could throw his way. Unfortunately, he was too ready and too game as the committed SNL creator Lorne Michaels’ cardinal sin: he went off script.

When the time came to introduce musical guest Sean Paul – usually a simple, perfunctory task for the host – Brody elected to spice things up a bit. He took the stage in a dreadlocked wig and vamped extensively in an offensive Jamaican patois about…people named Sean? And said “respeck mah neck” a couple of times? It was at least a little bit racist, a lot of bit incomprehensible, and most damningly for the live show, completely unplanned.

In recent interviews to promote The Brutalist (for which he will likely win another Oscar), Brody has pushed back against the characterization that he was banned from SNL, telling Vulture that “I think Lorne wasn’t happy with me embellishing a bit, but they allowed me to.” Ban or no ban, Brody joined the ranks of folks like O’Connor who were pointedly never invited back to Studio 8H.

Of course, important dates like anniversaries have a way of healing old wounds. Because, while Brody didn’t receive as touching a shoutout as O’Connor did in SNL50, his inexplicable Rastaman improv did make an appearance in a hilarious compilation. Introduced by Tom Hanks, SNL50: The Anniversary Special took some time out for a special “In Memorium” segment of canceled SNL characters and moments that were no longer appropriate for the modern world.

The reasoning for many of these canceled artifacts were clear from “ethnic stereotypes” to “body shaming” to “sexual harassment.” Adrien Brody’s rasta moment, however, was accompanied by a simple “woah.” All these years later, there seems no better way to describe whatever it was that was than “woah.”

The post SNL50 Referenced Saturday Night Live’s Strangest Hosting Controversy appeared first on Den of Geek.

Star Trek fans, prepare to engage! Heathside Trading has officially signed a landmark deal with Paramount Consumer Products, securing the rights to produce a stunning new range of Star Trek toys and collectibles. Under its Master Replicas brand, the company is set to deliver a lineup that includes action figures, playsets, replica phasers, communicators, tricorders, […]

The post Star Trek Master Replicas from Heathside & Paramount Boldly Go Where None Have Gone Before appeared first on Den of Geek.

Once someone becomes a part of the Saturday Night Live family, it takes a lot to get excommunicated.

The most infamous example of a creative not being invited back to NBC’s long-running comedic institution is, of course, Sinéad O’Connor. In a 1992 episode of SNL, the Irish singer, songwriter, and activist concluded a cover of Bob Marley’s “War” by tearing a photograph of then-Pope John Paul II to pieces. Though O’Connor’s stated intention of protesting the Catholic Church’s history of physical, sexual and emotional abuse of young parishioners was well reasoned, it was perhaps too ahead of its time. She would go on to be condemned by many organizations and was ultimately banned from ever returning to SNL.

Following O’Connor’s death in 2023, SNL began to soften its stance towards her controversial performance. The ultimate mea culpa arrived on February 16, 2025, during the show’s sprawling, three-hour-long broadcast SNL50: The Anniversary Special, in which Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard covered O’Connor’s classic “Nothing Compares 2 U.” While that was perhaps the biggest moment of reconciliation in SNL50, there was another, far stranger, example of a banished performer getting a shout near the end of the special.

Adrien Brody was on top of the world back in May 2003 when he hosted Saturday Night Live for the first and only time. Having just won a Best Actor Oscar for his remarkable turn in The Pianist two months prior, Brody was ready and game for anything SNL could throw his way. Unfortunately, he was too ready and too game as the committed SNL creator Lorne Michaels’ cardinal sin: he went off script.

When the time came to introduce musical guest Sean Paul – usually a simple, perfunctory task for the host – Brody elected to spice things up a bit. He took the stage in a dreadlocked wig and vamped extensively in an offensive Jamaican patois about…people named Sean? And said “respeck mah neck” a couple of times? It was at least a little bit racist, a lot of bit incomprehensible, and most damningly for the live show, completely unplanned.

In recent interviews to promote The Brutalist (for which he will likely win another Oscar), Brody has pushed back against the characterization that he was banned from SNL, telling Vulture that “I think Lorne wasn’t happy with me embellishing a bit, but they allowed me to.” Ban or no ban, Brody joined the ranks of folks like O’Connor who were pointedly never invited back to Studio 8H.

Of course, important dates like anniversaries have a way of healing old wounds. Because, while Brody didn’t receive as touching a shoutout as O’Connor did in SNL50, his inexplicable Rastaman improv did make an appearance in a hilarious compilation. Introduced by Tom Hanks, SNL50: The Anniversary Special took some time out for a special “In Memorium” segment of canceled SNL characters and moments that were no longer appropriate for the modern world.

The reasoning for many of these canceled artifacts were clear from “ethnic stereotypes” to “body shaming” to “sexual harassment.” Adrien Brody’s rasta moment, however, was accompanied by a simple “woah.” All these years later, there seems no better way to describe whatever it was that was than “woah.”

The post SNL50 Referenced Saturday Night Live’s Strangest Hosting Controversy appeared first on Den of Geek.

Daisy Ridley has never loved heights. That might be surprising for some who naively believe a Jedi cannot experience fear. But more realistically, it’s simply impressive since her new action-movie, director Martin Campbell’s Cleaner, stars Ridley as a window-cleaner… who must dangle precariously off the side of a building for much of the film’s taut […]

The post Daisy Ridley on Facing Her Real-Life Fear of Heights in Cleaner appeared first on Den of Geek.

Once someone becomes a part of the Saturday Night Live family, it takes a lot to get excommunicated.

The most infamous example of a creative not being invited back to NBC’s long-running comedic institution is, of course, Sinéad O’Connor. In a 1992 episode of SNL, the Irish singer, songwriter, and activist concluded a cover of Bob Marley’s “War” by tearing a photograph of then-Pope John Paul II to pieces. Though O’Connor’s stated intention of protesting the Catholic Church’s history of physical, sexual and emotional abuse of young parishioners was well reasoned, it was perhaps too ahead of its time. She would go on to be condemned by many organizations and was ultimately banned from ever returning to SNL.

Following O’Connor’s death in 2023, SNL began to soften its stance towards her controversial performance. The ultimate mea culpa arrived on February 16, 2025, during the show’s sprawling, three-hour-long broadcast SNL50: The Anniversary Special, in which Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard covered O’Connor’s classic “Nothing Compares 2 U.” While that was perhaps the biggest moment of reconciliation in SNL50, there was another, far stranger, example of a banished performer getting a shout near the end of the special.

Adrien Brody was on top of the world back in May 2003 when he hosted Saturday Night Live for the first and only time. Having just won a Best Actor Oscar for his remarkable turn in The Pianist two months prior, Brody was ready and game for anything SNL could throw his way. Unfortunately, he was too ready and too game as the committed SNL creator Lorne Michaels’ cardinal sin: he went off script.

When the time came to introduce musical guest Sean Paul – usually a simple, perfunctory task for the host – Brody elected to spice things up a bit. He took the stage in a dreadlocked wig and vamped extensively in an offensive Jamaican patois about…people named Sean? And said “respeck mah neck” a couple of times? It was at least a little bit racist, a lot of bit incomprehensible, and most damningly for the live show, completely unplanned.

In recent interviews to promote The Brutalist (for which he will likely win another Oscar), Brody has pushed back against the characterization that he was banned from SNL, telling Vulture that “I think Lorne wasn’t happy with me embellishing a bit, but they allowed me to.” Ban or no ban, Brody joined the ranks of folks like O’Connor who were pointedly never invited back to Studio 8H.

Of course, important dates like anniversaries have a way of healing old wounds. Because, while Brody didn’t receive as touching a shoutout as O’Connor did in SNL50, his inexplicable Rastaman improv did make an appearance in a hilarious compilation. Introduced by Tom Hanks, SNL50: The Anniversary Special took some time out for a special “In Memorium” segment of canceled SNL characters and moments that were no longer appropriate for the modern world.

The reasoning for many of these canceled artifacts were clear from “ethnic stereotypes” to “body shaming” to “sexual harassment.” Adrien Brody’s rasta moment, however, was accompanied by a simple “woah.” All these years later, there seems no better way to describe whatever it was that was than “woah.”

The post SNL50 Referenced Saturday Night Live’s Strangest Hosting Controversy appeared first on Den of Geek.

As a parent of teenagers, I often worry about the ramifications of raising my kids in a world filled with influencers, social media, and extreme oversharing. Gabby Petito, who was just 22 when killed by her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, in 2021, was among the first generations to grow up watching YouTube and counting “likes” on […]

The post American Murder: Gabby Petito – The Most Important Takeaways from Netflix’s Docuseries appeared first on Den of Geek.

Once someone becomes a part of the Saturday Night Live family, it takes a lot to get excommunicated.

The most infamous example of a creative not being invited back to NBC’s long-running comedic institution is, of course, Sinéad O’Connor. In a 1992 episode of SNL, the Irish singer, songwriter, and activist concluded a cover of Bob Marley’s “War” by tearing a photograph of then-Pope John Paul II to pieces. Though O’Connor’s stated intention of protesting the Catholic Church’s history of physical, sexual and emotional abuse of young parishioners was well reasoned, it was perhaps too ahead of its time. She would go on to be condemned by many organizations and was ultimately banned from ever returning to SNL.

Following O’Connor’s death in 2023, SNL began to soften its stance towards her controversial performance. The ultimate mea culpa arrived on February 16, 2025, during the show’s sprawling, three-hour-long broadcast SNL50: The Anniversary Special, in which Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard covered O’Connor’s classic “Nothing Compares 2 U.” While that was perhaps the biggest moment of reconciliation in SNL50, there was another, far stranger, example of a banished performer getting a shout near the end of the special.

Adrien Brody was on top of the world back in May 2003 when he hosted Saturday Night Live for the first and only time. Having just won a Best Actor Oscar for his remarkable turn in The Pianist two months prior, Brody was ready and game for anything SNL could throw his way. Unfortunately, he was too ready and too game as the committed SNL creator Lorne Michaels’ cardinal sin: he went off script.

When the time came to introduce musical guest Sean Paul – usually a simple, perfunctory task for the host – Brody elected to spice things up a bit. He took the stage in a dreadlocked wig and vamped extensively in an offensive Jamaican patois about…people named Sean? And said “respeck mah neck” a couple of times? It was at least a little bit racist, a lot of bit incomprehensible, and most damningly for the live show, completely unplanned.

In recent interviews to promote The Brutalist (for which he will likely win another Oscar), Brody has pushed back against the characterization that he was banned from SNL, telling Vulture that “I think Lorne wasn’t happy with me embellishing a bit, but they allowed me to.” Ban or no ban, Brody joined the ranks of folks like O’Connor who were pointedly never invited back to Studio 8H.

Of course, important dates like anniversaries have a way of healing old wounds. Because, while Brody didn’t receive as touching a shoutout as O’Connor did in SNL50, his inexplicable Rastaman improv did make an appearance in a hilarious compilation. Introduced by Tom Hanks, SNL50: The Anniversary Special took some time out for a special “In Memorium” segment of canceled SNL characters and moments that were no longer appropriate for the modern world.

The reasoning for many of these canceled artifacts were clear from “ethnic stereotypes” to “body shaming” to “sexual harassment.” Adrien Brody’s rasta moment, however, was accompanied by a simple “woah.” All these years later, there seems no better way to describe whatever it was that was than “woah.”

The post SNL50 Referenced Saturday Night Live’s Strangest Hosting Controversy appeared first on Den of Geek.

If you asked a lineup of Arcane fans which character they’d like to read more about in a full-length novel, Ambessa Medarda would likely not be their first choice. She probably wouldn’t even rank in the top half of those for whom more backstory was desired. Yet here we are with C. L. Clark’s Ambessa: […]

The post Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf Sheds Light on Arcane Origins and Possible Future Storylines appeared first on Den of Geek.

Once someone becomes a part of the Saturday Night Live family, it takes a lot to get excommunicated.

The most infamous example of a creative not being invited back to NBC’s long-running comedic institution is, of course, Sinéad O’Connor. In a 1992 episode of SNL, the Irish singer, songwriter, and activist concluded a cover of Bob Marley’s “War” by tearing a photograph of then-Pope John Paul II to pieces. Though O’Connor’s stated intention of protesting the Catholic Church’s history of physical, sexual and emotional abuse of young parishioners was well reasoned, it was perhaps too ahead of its time. She would go on to be condemned by many organizations and was ultimately banned from ever returning to SNL.

Following O’Connor’s death in 2023, SNL began to soften its stance towards her controversial performance. The ultimate mea culpa arrived on February 16, 2025, during the show’s sprawling, three-hour-long broadcast SNL50: The Anniversary Special, in which Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard covered O’Connor’s classic “Nothing Compares 2 U.” While that was perhaps the biggest moment of reconciliation in SNL50, there was another, far stranger, example of a banished performer getting a shout near the end of the special.

Adrien Brody was on top of the world back in May 2003 when he hosted Saturday Night Live for the first and only time. Having just won a Best Actor Oscar for his remarkable turn in The Pianist two months prior, Brody was ready and game for anything SNL could throw his way. Unfortunately, he was too ready and too game as the committed SNL creator Lorne Michaels’ cardinal sin: he went off script.

When the time came to introduce musical guest Sean Paul – usually a simple, perfunctory task for the host – Brody elected to spice things up a bit. He took the stage in a dreadlocked wig and vamped extensively in an offensive Jamaican patois about…people named Sean? And said “respeck mah neck” a couple of times? It was at least a little bit racist, a lot of bit incomprehensible, and most damningly for the live show, completely unplanned.

In recent interviews to promote The Brutalist (for which he will likely win another Oscar), Brody has pushed back against the characterization that he was banned from SNL, telling Vulture that “I think Lorne wasn’t happy with me embellishing a bit, but they allowed me to.” Ban or no ban, Brody joined the ranks of folks like O’Connor who were pointedly never invited back to Studio 8H.

Of course, important dates like anniversaries have a way of healing old wounds. Because, while Brody didn’t receive as touching a shoutout as O’Connor did in SNL50, his inexplicable Rastaman improv did make an appearance in a hilarious compilation. Introduced by Tom Hanks, SNL50: The Anniversary Special took some time out for a special “In Memorium” segment of canceled SNL characters and moments that were no longer appropriate for the modern world.

The reasoning for many of these canceled artifacts were clear from “ethnic stereotypes” to “body shaming” to “sexual harassment.” Adrien Brody’s rasta moment, however, was accompanied by a simple “woah.” All these years later, there seems no better way to describe whatever it was that was than “woah.”

The post SNL50 Referenced Saturday Night Live’s Strangest Hosting Controversy appeared first on Den of Geek.

Though the binge-watching model of television popularized in the streaming era has changed how a lot of people watch TV, there’s still nothing like sitting down to watch a show live, knowing that millions of people around the world are doing the same. Whereas people used to gather around water coolers in their offices to […]

The post The White Lotus Season 3 Ratings Reveal Appointment TV Is Alive and Well appeared first on Den of Geek.

Once someone becomes a part of the Saturday Night Live family, it takes a lot to get excommunicated.

The most infamous example of a creative not being invited back to NBC’s long-running comedic institution is, of course, Sinéad O’Connor. In a 1992 episode of SNL, the Irish singer, songwriter, and activist concluded a cover of Bob Marley’s “War” by tearing a photograph of then-Pope John Paul II to pieces. Though O’Connor’s stated intention of protesting the Catholic Church’s history of physical, sexual and emotional abuse of young parishioners was well reasoned, it was perhaps too ahead of its time. She would go on to be condemned by many organizations and was ultimately banned from ever returning to SNL.

Following O’Connor’s death in 2023, SNL began to soften its stance towards her controversial performance. The ultimate mea culpa arrived on February 16, 2025, during the show’s sprawling, three-hour-long broadcast SNL50: The Anniversary Special, in which Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard covered O’Connor’s classic “Nothing Compares 2 U.” While that was perhaps the biggest moment of reconciliation in SNL50, there was another, far stranger, example of a banished performer getting a shout near the end of the special.

Adrien Brody was on top of the world back in May 2003 when he hosted Saturday Night Live for the first and only time. Having just won a Best Actor Oscar for his remarkable turn in The Pianist two months prior, Brody was ready and game for anything SNL could throw his way. Unfortunately, he was too ready and too game as the committed SNL creator Lorne Michaels’ cardinal sin: he went off script.

When the time came to introduce musical guest Sean Paul – usually a simple, perfunctory task for the host – Brody elected to spice things up a bit. He took the stage in a dreadlocked wig and vamped extensively in an offensive Jamaican patois about…people named Sean? And said “respeck mah neck” a couple of times? It was at least a little bit racist, a lot of bit incomprehensible, and most damningly for the live show, completely unplanned.

In recent interviews to promote The Brutalist (for which he will likely win another Oscar), Brody has pushed back against the characterization that he was banned from SNL, telling Vulture that “I think Lorne wasn’t happy with me embellishing a bit, but they allowed me to.” Ban or no ban, Brody joined the ranks of folks like O’Connor who were pointedly never invited back to Studio 8H.

Of course, important dates like anniversaries have a way of healing old wounds. Because, while Brody didn’t receive as touching a shoutout as O’Connor did in SNL50, his inexplicable Rastaman improv did make an appearance in a hilarious compilation. Introduced by Tom Hanks, SNL50: The Anniversary Special took some time out for a special “In Memorium” segment of canceled SNL characters and moments that were no longer appropriate for the modern world.

The reasoning for many of these canceled artifacts were clear from “ethnic stereotypes” to “body shaming” to “sexual harassment.” Adrien Brody’s rasta moment, however, was accompanied by a simple “woah.” All these years later, there seems no better way to describe whatever it was that was than “woah.”

The post SNL50 Referenced Saturday Night Live’s Strangest Hosting Controversy appeared first on Den of Geek.

Once someone becomes a part of the Saturday Night Live family, it takes a lot to get excommunicated. The most infamous example of a creative not being invited back to NBC’s long-running comedic institution is, of course, Sinéad O’Connor. In a 1992 episode of SNL, the Irish singer, songwriter, and activist concluded a cover of […]

The post SNL50 Referenced Saturday Night Live’s Strangest Hosting Controversy appeared first on Den of Geek.

Once someone becomes a part of the Saturday Night Live family, it takes a lot to get excommunicated.

The most infamous example of a creative not being invited back to NBC’s long-running comedic institution is, of course, Sinéad O’Connor. In a 1992 episode of SNL, the Irish singer, songwriter, and activist concluded a cover of Bob Marley’s “War” by tearing a photograph of then-Pope John Paul II to pieces. Though O’Connor’s stated intention of protesting the Catholic Church’s history of physical, sexual and emotional abuse of young parishioners was well reasoned, it was perhaps too ahead of its time. She would go on to be condemned by many organizations and was ultimately banned from ever returning to SNL.

Following O’Connor’s death in 2023, SNL began to soften its stance towards her controversial performance. The ultimate mea culpa arrived on February 16, 2025, during the show’s sprawling, three-hour-long broadcast SNL50: The Anniversary Special, in which Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard covered O’Connor’s classic “Nothing Compares 2 U.” While that was perhaps the biggest moment of reconciliation in SNL50, there was another, far stranger, example of a banished performer getting a shout near the end of the special.

Adrien Brody was on top of the world back in May 2003 when he hosted Saturday Night Live for the first and only time. Having just won a Best Actor Oscar for his remarkable turn in The Pianist two months prior, Brody was ready and game for anything SNL could throw his way. Unfortunately, he was too ready and too game as the committed SNL creator Lorne Michaels’ cardinal sin: he went off script.

When the time came to introduce musical guest Sean Paul – usually a simple, perfunctory task for the host – Brody elected to spice things up a bit. He took the stage in a dreadlocked wig and vamped extensively in an offensive Jamaican patois about…people named Sean? And said “respeck mah neck” a couple of times? It was at least a little bit racist, a lot of bit incomprehensible, and most damningly for the live show, completely unplanned.

In recent interviews to promote The Brutalist (for which he will likely win another Oscar), Brody has pushed back against the characterization that he was banned from SNL, telling Vulture that “I think Lorne wasn’t happy with me embellishing a bit, but they allowed me to.” Ban or no ban, Brody joined the ranks of folks like O’Connor who were pointedly never invited back to Studio 8H.

Of course, important dates like anniversaries have a way of healing old wounds. Because, while Brody didn’t receive as touching a shoutout as O’Connor did in SNL50, his inexplicable Rastaman improv did make an appearance in a hilarious compilation. Introduced by Tom Hanks, SNL50: The Anniversary Special took some time out for a special “In Memorium” segment of canceled SNL characters and moments that were no longer appropriate for the modern world.

The reasoning for many of these canceled artifacts were clear from “ethnic stereotypes” to “body shaming” to “sexual harassment.” Adrien Brody’s rasta moment, however, was accompanied by a simple “woah.” All these years later, there seems no better way to describe whatever it was that was than “woah.”

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This article contains spoilers for The White Lotus season 3 episode 1. The first episode of The White Lotus season 3 is all about immersing viewers into creator Mike White’s version of Thailand and the vast array of new characters staying at the ominous resort. From Walton Goggins’ MVP-type start to 2025 (this man is […]

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Anybody missing Luther could do worse than tune into new Bradford-set crime drama Virdee. DCI Harry Virdee may not have quite as brilliant an intellect as DCI John Luther’s, but he operates in a similarly grey area between criminality and the law, is just as handy with his fists, and faces a villain in series one whose methods are so grotesque and lurid that they could have stepped straight out of the Idris Elba-led drama. You thought Luther‘s twins were deranged? Stay tuned.

What sets Virdee apart from Luther, aside from their differing British cultural contexts (Harry is Sikh with Indian heritage and lives in Bradford, John is a Black Londoner), are their marriages. Unlike estranged and then tragically widowed Luther, Harry is very much a team with his wife Saima, even if he keeps things from her. Their love and young son are the bedrock of both their lives, and hopefully what will keep Harry Virdee from going too far down a dark path…

Meet the Virdee characters and see where you might recognise the actors from below.

Staz Nair as Harry Virdee

DCI Hardeep “Harry” Virdee is a 39-year-old Bradford cop with conflicted loyalties to his beloved wife Saima and young son Aaron, his brother-in-law Riaz, his job, and his city. He’s the lead character in AA Dhand’s five-strong Harry Virdee book series (Streets of Darkness, Girl Zero, City of Sinners, One Way Out, The Blood Divide) and is played in this BBC One series by actor and singer Staz Nair.

TV fans will recognize British actor Nair for his roles in US dramas Game of Thrones, in which he played Dothraki general Qhono; Krypton, in which he appeared as Dax-Baron, and for his regular role in Supergirl as William Dey, and in Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon. He also appeared as Rocky in a 2016 TV version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and was formerly a member of The X Factor band Times Red.

Vikash Bhai as Riaz Hyatt

Riaz is a Bradford crime kingpin, and Harry’s brother-in-law. The two grew up together, and despite going in different directions after Riaz was sentenced to prison, the bond between them remains – unbeknownst to Harry’s wife and Riaz’s sister Saima. He’s played by Vikash Bhai, an actor familiar to fans of sci-fi series Pandora, as well as BBC thriller Crossfire, US sci-fi series Hanna, and many more. Bhai’s voice might also be recognised by listeners to Big Finish’s audio Doctor Who adventures, of which he’s recorded many.

Aysha Kala as Saima Hyatt

Saima Hyatt is a nurse, mother of young son Aaron, married to Harry, and the sister of drug kingpin Riaz – not that she knows that her brother’s operating an organised crime group out of his cash-and-carry warehouse. Clever and independent, Saima is a proud Muslim of Pakistani heritage who’s not prepared to compromise her faith to placate her bigoted father-in-law. She’s played by screen and stage actor Aysha Kala, seen recently in Apple TV+ crime drama Criminal Record and known previously on TV for ITV’s Indian Summers, as well as recent National Theatre roles in The Motive and the Cue, and The Father and the Assassin.

Kulvinder Ghir as Ranjit Virdee

Ranjit is Harry’s father, though he hasn’t seen him – or met his grandson Aaron – for eight years by the time that Virdee begins. An Indian Sikh who holds a strong prejudice against Pakistani Muslims, he disowned his son when he married Saima, and refuses to acknowledge him to this day. He’s played by Kulvinder Ghir, a very familiar face on British TV for his time as a castmember on beloved comedy series Goodness Gracious Me, as well as Beecham House, Still Open All Hours, and recently, Apple TV+ sci-fi Foundation.

Tomi May as Enzo Tobin

Enzo is Riaz’s right-hand man in Bradford West, and the one who gets his hands dirty when violence is called for in the fight against Vasil Sharma’s rival gang. Line of Duty fans will recognise actor Tomi May as having played Miroslav Minkovicz, a member of the organised crime group being hunted by AC-12’s police officers. May has also appeared in Killing Eve, The Trouble With Maggie Cole, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Headhunters and an episode of the videogame-to-TV adaptation Halo.

Danyal Ismail as DS Khalil Amin

No TV crime drama would be complete without a new DS for our lead to show the ropes and explain things to (and by extension, also to us) along the way. In Virdee, that’s Khalil, a new recruit to Harry’s Bradford team. Khalil quickly understood that his new boss who “doesn’t do desks” also doesn’t quite follow the rules, and the question is, will he support or report Harry for it? This is Ismail’s fourth crime drama TV role, following parts in ITV’s Vera, Madonald & Dobbs and Ridley.

Elizabeth Berrington as DS Clare Conway

DS Conway is Harry’s police colleague (and are we sure that she’s only a DS as she’s credited? She acts more like DCI Virdee’s boss). She’s a supporting character about whom little is known, and she’s played by Elizabeth Berrington. Where have you seen Elizabeth Berrington before? Everywhere. From The Office to Waterloo Road to Stella to The Responder to Good Omens, via basically every British TV show made in the last 20 years, Berrington’s been in it.

Elaine Tan as Rebecca Armitage

Rebecca Armitage is part of the UK Crime Agency, a fictional organisation in Virdee‘s world. The UKCA is called in to take over a high-profile investigation into a ritualistic killer. She’s played by Elaine Tan, who recently appeared in ITV thriller Red Eye and Sky sci-fi drama The Lazarus Project, and before that Tom Clancy‘s Jack Ryan, Acquitted and multiple episodes of British soap EastEnders in the role of Li Chong.

Nicola Burley as Sophie Brodenham

Sophie is a mystery at the start of Virdee, but is soon established as Riaz’s confidante. Her backstory will be unravelled as the series approaches its finale. She’s played by Nichola Burley, who was recently in ITVX crime drama Protection, as well as playing Brenda in BBC true-crime drama The Gold, appearing in Netflix fantasy thriller Behind her Eyes, and many more.

Ramon Tikaram as Jai Pawa

No spoilers here for anybody who hasn’t yet binged all episodes of Virdee series one. Jai Pawa is a powerful figure from Virdee’s past who returns to Bradford set on vengeance. He’s played by another very familiar face on British TV: Ramon Tikaram, seen recently in Netflix fantasy KAOS, but also Brassic, Pennyworth, multiple Doctor Who audio adventures, Stella, EastEnders, and many others, including, of course, for the role of Ferdy in 1990s favourite This Life.

ALSO APPEARING

– The Lazarus Project and Waterloo Road‘s Nina Singh as Harry’s niece Tara Virdee-Duggal.

– We Are Lady Parts, Mary Poppins Returns and theatre actor Sudha Bhuchar as Harry’s mother Jyoti Virdee

– Gangs of London and The Gentlemen‘s Andi Jashy as Vasil Sharla, the leader of a rival drug operation going up against Bradford West.

– Newcomer Charlie Mann as Paul King, a local Bradford thief.

All episodes of Virdee are streaming now on BBC iPlayer.

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