The five remaining late-night hosts reunited in person. PLUS: A new ‘Westworld’ movie is in the works, the wait for ‘Ahsoka’ gets longer, and is Conan O’Brien really Oscars host for life?
Sarah Sherman and Matt Damon on SNL, Local Style Potato Chips Hot Dog Flavored, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver and Seth Meyers on The Late Show. / NBC, Snackology
Includes access to Snackology, Popculturology and The Cold Open.
Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, John Oliver, Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert on The Late Show. / CBS
Colbert assembles Strike Force Five as Late Show finale looms
By the time next week’s Friday newsletter hits your inbox, The Late Show will be no more. With the landmark late-night franchise in its final episodes, Stephen Colbert assembled Strike Force Five, bringing together the remaining five hosts of late-night network TV shows.
Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, John Oliver and Jimmy Fallon first came together as Strike Force Five to host an excellent podcast during the dual writers/actors strikes in 2023. The podcast was a milestone moment for an industry that had once been plagued by feuds between Jay Leno and David Letterman and, well, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien. (Read more)
Conan O’Brien hosting the 98th Oscars. / AMPAS
Conan O’Brien to return as Oscars host
Maybe Conan O’Brien really is “Oscars Host For Life.” What seemed like a joke at the end of this year’s Oscars ceremony took another step toward reality when the Academy announced that O’Brien will return to host the 99th Oscars in March 2027.
“We are thrilled to be working again with Conan, [Raj Kapoor], [Katy Mullan], [Jeff Ross] and [Mike Sweeney] for the 99th Oscars,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor said in the Academy’s statement. “They are an incredible team and have produced such captivating, entertaining and heartfelt shows over the last two years. We are so grateful for their ongoing partnership as we honor our global film community — and we look forward to Conan superbly leading the celebration with his brilliance and humor.” (Read more)
The Devil Wears Prada 2 fights off Mortal Kombat II
A lot of predictions had Mortal Kombat II possibly taking the No. 1 spot this weekend, but The Devil Wears Prada 2 held on. The sequel’s $43 million second weekend was enough to hold on to the top spot at the box office.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 has outgrossed its predecessor’s entire gross, both domestically and worldwide. The original Devil Wears Prada settled at $127.4 million (the sequel is at $144.8 million) and $326.1 million worldwide (the sequel is at $433.2 million). (Read more)
Local Style Potato Chips. / Snackology
Local Style brings iconic Chicago flavors to potato chips
This is not your traditional Snackology review. The reviews in this newsletter are usually about a new food or a returning favorite that’s back on the market. For this edition of Snackology, we’re diving into several bags of Local Style Potato Chips.
The brand of kettle-cooked chips launched last April, founded by Laura Gardner as a “love letter to Chicago.” Local Style Potato Chips currently come in five flavors: Classic Salted, Deep Dish Pizza, Chicago Hot Dog, Italian Beef and Hot Giardiniera.
“Whenever I traveled to new countries, I noticed that locals enjoyed their city’s signature flavors on potato chips — Kobe beef chips in Japan, spicy grilled squid chips in Vietnam — and as a visitor, I loved tasting them,” Gardner told theChicago Sun-Times when Local Style launched last year. “It made me wonder: Why don’t we have that experience back home?” (Read more)
Goldfish x Pokémon crackers. / Snackology
Let’s go, Pikachu ... Goldfish crackers!
There’s a good chance that many Snackology readers have a core memory of picking up their Game Boy, firing up either Pokémon Red or Pokémon Blue and being faced with one of the toughest decisions of their lives: Charmander, Bulbasaur or Squirtle?
I never faced that decision.
My first Pokémon game was Pokémon Yellow, which meant that as I played on my translucent purple Game Boy Color, Pikachu was my predestined starter Pokémon.
No matter which of those four Pokémon launched your journey to become a trainer, Goldfish has you covered. In honor of the franchise’s 30th anniversary, limited-edition bags of Goldfish x Pokémon crackersfeaturing Charmander, Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Pikachu are hitting stores this month. (Read more)
Colin Jost, Matt Damon and Aziz Ansari on SNL. / NBC
Matt Damon returns to SNL, brings Brett Kavanaugh with him
We’ve almost reached the end of Season 51 of SNL. We still have to wait — checks Matt Damon’s notes — nine weeks until The Odyssey hits theaters, but Damon returned to host SNL for his third time this weekend.
Despite this being only Damon’s third time hosting the show, I don’t think there was ever any doubt whether he’d nail the episode. You know you’re part of SNL’s in-crowd when you can pop up during the cold open as a character you’ve previously cameoed as, a move Damon proved when he brought his Brett Kavanaugh portrayal back.
I appreciate a host like Damon. He’s not going to blow the roof off an episode like Ryan Gosling. And he’s not going to turn in a technical clinic like Adam Driver. But he’s going to bring a gravitas that gives the entire episode the feeling that everything is OK. (Read more)
Chloe Fineman, Sarah Sherman and Will Ferrell. / NBC
‘Get off the stage!’ Will Ferrell is back to host SNL for the 6th time
Will Ferrell’s “get off the shed!” sketches are one of the SNL running gags that my wife and I cite the most in our home. Try shouting “get off the stairs!” with increasing volume to a four-year-old who is once again playing on the stairs.
I love that for Ferrell’s promo, SNL brought back the bit ... even if it may have led to some undesired consequences ... (Read more)
Impression pro Chloe Fineman makes a Rundown selection
Well, this is a surprise. Since launching The Rundown in March, NBC has been dropping a new episode of the digital series every Wednesday when there wasn’t an SNL episode to promote. Just a few hours ago, we got a promo for Will Ferrell’s episodethis weekend, which also featured Sarah Sherman and Chloe Fineman.
And now we have a new episode of The Rundown where Fineman picks the all-time impression sketch for a perfect episode of SNL. (Read more)
The Omnicosm is written and produced by Bill Kuchman. Copyediting by Tim Kuchman.
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The Omnicosm founder. Snackology, Popculturology and The Cold Open writer. A Rochester, N.Y., native now living in the Washington, D.C., area. Won’t pass up a Genny Cream Ale.
The five remaining late-night hosts reunited in person. PLUS: A new ‘Westworld’ movie is in the works, the wait for ‘Ahsoka’ gets longer, and is Conan O’Brien really Oscars host for life?
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