Reaction was positive Tuesday to Monday evening’s news that NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” had added an African-American woman to its cast.
Sasheer Zamata, 27, will become the show’s first black female cast member since Maya Rudolph left in 2007. She’s expected to make her debut Jan. 18. Here’s a sampling of reaction to the announcement:
■ Related: 'SNL' adds Sasheer Zamata as first black female cast member in 5 years
■ Tina Fey to the Hollywood Reporter: “I think Kerry Washington did such a great job on the (Nov. 2) show (in a sketch that addressed the lack of a black female on “SNL”). And you saw how great it was for Jay Pharoah to have someone playing Michelle Obama opposite (his President Barack Obama). So I feel like they registered that really quickly and they’ve acted on it really quickly.”
■ CNN anchor Don Lemon on Tom Joyner’s radio show: “It probably won’t be easy for Zamata — who, in the glaring spotlight that’s about to be trained on her, is going to have to be a whole lot funnier than she is black.”
■ “SNL” star Bobby Moynihan to the Daily Beast: “I’ve seen her perform before. She’s the greatest. We’re very, very lucky. Also, I’m just happy to have a friend around.” (Just before Moynihan made his “SNL” debut, he performed with Zamata when improv group the Upright Citizens Brigade did a show at Zamata’s college, the University of Virginia.)
Lauren's niece arrested over air rage
The genteel folk who populate those glossy and elegant Ralph Lauren magazine ads would likely be aghast.
The niece of the famed fashion designer was arraigned Tuesday in Ireland on charges of being dangerously drunk, threatening and verbally abusive on a New York-bound plane.
Jewelry designer Jenny Lauren, 41, was arrested Monday after a Delta flight from Barcelona, Spain, was forced to make an unscheduled two-hour stop at Shannon, the major airport in western Ireland, so she could be removed from the plane.
She was charged with making threats and abusive comments, exhibiting drunkenness severe enough to pose a danger to herself and others and behaving in an obnoxious and offensive fashion. A judge freed her on bail of 2,500 euros ($3,400) and ordered her to stay at a hotel in Shannon, report to a police station and surrender her passport.
Flustered director walks off stage
“Transformers” director Michael Bay says he’s embarrassed that he walked off the stage during a presentation featuring Samsung’s new curved ultra-high-definition television.
Video of the cringe-worthy incident at the International CES gadget show in Las Vegas circulated on social media sites late Monday and early Tuesday. In a statement posted online and confirmed by Bay’s production company, Bay says: “I guess live shows aren’t my thing.”
■ Related: Michael Bay melts down during CES 2014 cameo
The video shows Bay start to speak, then stop when a presenter begins to speak. Bay resumes speaking, then stops again, saying the teleprompter isn’t working correctly. Bay and the presenter then attempt to talk off-the-cuff about the 105-inch TV, but the director grows flustered, apologizes and abruptly leaves the stage.
Bay directed the first three “Transformers” movies. “Transformers 4” is due in theaters in June.
Briefly
■ Nancy Kerrigan will serve as an analyst for NBC during the Sochi Olympics, 20 years after she was the story of the 1994 Games. The network said Tuesday that the two-time figure skating medalist will contribute to skating coverage, along with doing reports for “Today” and “Access Hollywood.” She will not be doing color commentary on the competitions. NBC is also planning a long-form feature on the Detroit-based attack on Kerrigan before the Lillehammer Olympics and her rivalry with Tonya Harding.
■ Alfonso Cuaron (“Gravity”), Paul Greengrass (“Captain Phillips”), Steve McQueen (“12 Years a Slave”), David O. Russell (“American Hustle”) and Martin Scorsese (“The Wolf of Wall Street”) were nominated Tuesday as best film director of 2013 by the Directors Guild of America. The winner will be revealed Jan. 25 at the 66th annual DGA Awards in Los Angeles.
■ Britain’s Prince William has started a special 10-week course in agricultural management and is commuting by train from London to the University of Cambridge. He’s enrolled in a tailored course that’s designed to help him manage the lucrative Duchy of Cornwall estate, which he stands to inherit from his father, Prince Charles, an advocate for organic farming. The course will include one-on-one teaching and some regular classwork with other students.
■ A judge says actress Lindsay
Lohan’s mother is continuing to attend substance-abuse counseling following her September arrest on drunken-driving charges. Newsday reports that a Nassau County judge revealed at a court conference Tuesday that Dina Lohan, 51, had finished half of her 12 counseling sessions. The elder Lohan attended the conference but did not comment as she left court. She pleaded not guilty to drunken-driving charges following her arrest on a Long Island highway.
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