OK, that’s over. Now what?
NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” spent much of last season celebrating its 50th anniversary on the air. There were numerous specials, many in-show self-congratulatory moments and one original tune (“50 Years”) sung and performed by Adam Sandler that actually touched the heart.
But now Season 51 is upon us. The show returns Saturday night hosted by Scarlett Johansson (a frequent guest and the spouse of “Weekend Update” co-host Colin Jost) with musical guest Bad Bunny.
We’ll find out what the new season has in store for us, but it’s been a turbulent off-season for “Saturday Night Live.”
Most of the show-related headlines in recent weeks had to do with the departure of popular cast members, among them Heidi Gardner, Emil Wakim, Devon Walker and Michael Longfellow. This shouldn’t have made headlines because “SNL” has welcomed and bade farewell to its comedy players throughout the history of the show.
So what curiosity about “Saturday Night Live” that still exists resides in new members of the cast and whether any of them, over time, will become stars.
Bad Bunny, who was recently named the half-time entertainer for Super Bowl LX in February, will be trying to shake off what was termed a “credible death threat” in his native Puerto Rico recently.
Once “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” is shouted out on Saturday, a new season will begin with hopes high. Even if they’re not met right away, it’s a long season — and there’s always the dependable “Weekend Update” segments with Jost and Michael Che to stay up late for.
The cast of Lamb’s Players Theatre’s “Arms and the Man,” playing Oct. 1 through Nov. 16 at the Coronado Theatre. (Nate Peirson)
Theater
It’s been 10 years since the Old Globe produced George Bernard Shaw’s “Arms and the Man,” which Shaw himself subtitled “An Anti-Romantic Comedy in Three Acts.” It is that for sure, and besides casting a jaundiced eye on romance, Shaw demonstrates his complete distaste for war in this biting play set in the 19th century.
Now, Lamb’s Players Theatre in Coronado is presenting “Arms and the Man.” It’s a second go-round for Lamb’s, having produced it way back in 1982. Deborah Gilmour Smyth, who starred in that 1982 staging as the heroine, Raina, is directing this time. The new Raina is Megan Carmitchel. Fellow cast members include MJ Sieber, Manny Fernandes, Melissa Fernandes and Katie Karel, among others. Visit lambsplayers.org.
The poster for the 2025 San Diego Italian Film FeStivale. SDIFF
Film Festival
The theme of this year’s San Diego Italian Film Festival, under way and running through Oct. 11, is “Courage: The Art of Fearless Storytelling.” It’s something that all dedicated filmmakers hold dear, and we could all function more easily with a little more courage inside us, right?
SDIFF, which is marking its 19th anniversary this year, is screening feature films, documentaries and shorts, all drawn from Italian cinema at its most ambitious. Films will be shown at both the Museum of Photographic Arts at the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park (site of the festival’s culminating “feSta” gala on Oct. 11) and at the Digital Gym Cinema downtown. Visit sandiegoitalianfilmfestival.com.
British blues rocker Robin Trower will perform Tuesday at The Magnolia in El Cajon. (Robin Trower)
Rock music
There was only one Jimi Hendrix, but the guitarist who emerged after Hendrix’s death in 1970 whose sound reminded me most of him was Robin Trower. It wasn’t until after Trower left the band Procol Harum and struck out on his own that he came to true prominence, breaking big with the ’74 album “Bridge of Sighs.” It’s still in my personal collection, on both vinyl and CD.
More than 50 years after “Bridge of Sighs,” Trower is still rocking (and loudly at that). He’ll bring that raging guitar of his to the Magnolia Theater in El Cajon on Tuesday night at 7. I don’t expect him to have slowed down. magnoliasandiego.com/shows.
Comic Reggie Watts will perform Saturday at UCSD. (Reggie Watts)
Standup comedy
You’re familiar with so-called theater of the absurd? (Think “Waiting for Godot,” et al.) How about comedy of the absurd? That could well describe musician-comedian Reggie Watts who’s known for getting on stage and performing without a net, seemingly making it up as he goes.Watts, who was the bandleader on the bygone “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” will perform Saturday night at UCSD’s Epstein Family Amphitheater in an ArtPower at UCSD presentation. Multi-instrumentalist Lindsay Olsen, better known as Salami Rose Joe Louis — now that’s a name – will open the show. artpower.ucsd.edu/event/reggie-watts/.
UCTV
University of California Television invites you to enjoy this special selection of programs from throughout the University of California. Descriptions courtesy of and text written by UCTV staff:
Mona Damluji and Elisabeth Weber join moderator Bishnupriya Ghosh to discuss “From Ground Zero,” a 2024 anthology film composed of 22 short works by Palestinian directors reflecting life in Gaza amid war. Each piece, ranging from documentary and fiction to animation and experimental forms, offers intimate, often urgent perspectives on displacement, loss, resilience and daily struggle. Conceived under fire by Rashid Masharawi and produced via the Masharawi Fund for Films & Filmmakers in Gaza, the project amplifies voices in the midst of conflict. In this conversation, they reflect on how cinema from Gaza shapes a new vision, urging us to listen, witness and respond as informed viewers to a society under siege.
How has food shaped human civilization? In this sweeping talk, Stanley Chodorow, emeritus professor of history at UC San Diego, traces the evolution of food preservation, preparation, and production from ancient times to today. He explores early methods like drying and salting, the invention of ice cellars and iceboxes, and the modern impact of refrigeration and flash freezing. Chodorow examines how the domestication of animals, development of agriculture, and tools like the wheeled plow revolutionized food systems. He also highlights the rise of industrialized food, global trade, and processed products like sugar and chocolate. Concluding with insights into the health effects of dietary shifts, he reveals how technology has profoundly shaped what and how we eat.
“Reprogramming Cells to Repair the Heart”
Can damaged hearts heal themselves? Dr. Deepak Srivastava shares exciting breakthroughs in regenerative medicine that aim to do just that. His team is developing ways to get adult heart cells to divide and even reprogram scar tissue into heart-like cells, offering new hope for people with heart disease. Using tiny fat-based particles (lipid nanoparticles), they deliver helpful genes without using viruses. He also discusses a potential pill for aortic valve disease, based on discoveries about how certain gene changes affect cell behavior. And in studying Down syndrome, he’s uncovering why some babies develop heart defects. Srivastava’s work shows how understanding how the heart develops can open the door to powerful new treatments.