Jack Antonoff Realizes Bleachers Is a ‘Gross’ Name in ‘SNL’ Promo With Ariana DeBose, Bowen Yang

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The first new Saturday Night Live of 2022 has Jack Antonoff rethinking everything. The Bleachers leader — who is subbing in for this week’s original musical guest, Roddy Ricch, when the rapper had to drop out due to COVID-19 exposure — appears in the promo for the Jan. 15, episode and a simple question from cast member Bowen Yang has him questioning his life choices.

“Hi, I’m Ariana DeBose. I’m hosting SNL this week with musical guest Bleachers,” says the West Side Story star and this week’s host, DeBose.

“Such a fun name,” adds Yang. “Bleachers. Like, ‘Hey, let’s go make out under the bleachers!’”

“Ooh yeah!” DeBose seconds.

“Nobody does that,” a defensive Antonoff says, his arms crossed.

“Yes they do,” DeBose corrects him.

“That’s disgusting,” Antonoff tells her, looking offstage for confirmation that people are still engaging in football field makeout sessions. “Guys, we gotta change the name. It’s a gross name.”

The promo also had DeBose and Yang wishing each other a belated happy new year, with the actress gushing over breakout star Bowen’s fresh platinum blond hairdo. “Bowen, I love that new hair,” she tells him.

“Well, you know what they say: New year, new me,” Yang responds.

“What else is new Bowen doing? Is new Bowen going to the gym?” Antonoff wonders.

“No,” Yang says sheepishly. Making healthier choices? Nope. Dry January? Oh hell no.

“So it’s mostly the hair?” DeBose wonders.

“Yes, it’s just the hair,” Yang admits.

After getting tapped to sub in for Ricch, Bleachers shared the flyer for this week’s episode on their Instagram page, poking fun at the title of their latest album, Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night. “The hardest attempt to date of taking the sadness out of saturday night,” the caption read. “bleachers are the first musical guest of 2022 on @nbcsnl !!”

Watch the promo below.

FROM THE BLEACHERS: Attendance clerk – Key position in this elementary school’s success

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R. Paul Johnson, of Commerce, Texas, a retired professor at Texas A&M-Commerce and a beloved father, grandfather, and husband to Norma Johnson for 64 years, died on Jan. 10. He was 90 years old. The cause of death was heart failure. Paul was born April 26, 1931, in Durant, Oklahoma, the …

From the Bleachers: Playoff Pandemonium

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From the Bleachers: Playoff Pandemonium

With the NFL playoffs beginning Saturday, Baily Deeter predicts that the Green Bay Packers will defeat the Buffalo Bills in this year’s Super Bowl.

by Baily Deeter |

by Sophie Bailey / The Dartmouth Senior Staff

It’s been two years since I wrote my first edition of “From the Bleachers” about a changing of the guard in the NFL during the 2020 playoffs.

In that piece, I told tales of an exciting new era in the NFL, one in which fading dynasties like those of the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks made way for new blood, like Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs. I discussed the possibility of players who were then seniors in college, just like I am now, becoming NFL superstars. I discussed my all-time terrible Super Bowl pick, where both my AFC and NFC champion lost their first playoff game… in the Wild Card Round.

Two years later, much has changed, but an exciting new era in the NFL is certainly well under way. Kansas City has one Super Bowl championship and two Super Bowl appearances to its name in the last two years, as Patrick Mahomes aims to make his case in the GOAT conversation — too soon? Joe Burrow was a senior in college who still watched SpongeBob regularly — just like me if I had a national championship ring. He now leads the Cincinnati Bengals to the playoffs for the first time in six years, hoping to bring home the franchise’s first playoff win since 1990, six years before Burrow was born.

The 2021 NFL season has been tremendous so far, and parity is higher than it’s been in a long time. For all the hate the NFL got for adding a 17th game and expanding the playoffs to seven teams per conference, both decisions have proven to be entertaining as ever. I can’t remember a more enjoyable final day of the regular season than this past Sunday. Week 18 brought hilarious upsets (apologies to Indianapolis), miraculous comebacks (sorry to the four Los Angeles Rams fans), and a poorly managed prisoner’s dilemma in a game that almost sent both teams to the playoffs on a tie (sorry to the three Los Angeles Chargers fans).

We now look ahead to Super Wild Card Weekend, which consists of six games instead of four, and the first-ever Monday Night Football game in the playoffs (how did no one think of this sooner?). Burrow, Jalen Hurts, Kyler Murray, Derek Carr (finally) and Mac Jones will make their playoff debuts. Trey Lance may, too, based on evidence that the San Francisco 49ers’ general manager wanted to leave Jimmy Garoppolo on Broadway for the weekend after a devastating loss to the Tennessee Titans a few weeks ago. Rookie quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Justin Fields will have to wait their turn.

In the NFC, old rivalries will be renewed as the 49ers and Dallas Cowboys meet for the first time in the playoffs since the ’90s. The two franchises dominated the early days of the NFL, combining for 10 championships in the first 29 seasons of the Super Bowl era. But Joe Burrow and I don’t remember any of that — we’re more of the “What have you done for me lately?” mindset. Neither franchise has won a ring since 1994. The quest for a sixth ring starts on Sunday in the game I’m most looking forward to this weekend.

The Arizona Cardinals and Rams will renew their NFC West rivalry on Monday Night Football with the first playoff win of both Matt Stafford and Murray’s career at stake. The teams split their season series, with each team getting the upper hand on the road. The same is true of Saturday night’s Patriots-Buffalo Bills clash. The Patriots beat the Bills in December in one of the windiest games in Bills history, and Saturday night will bring similar conditions with temperatures in the single digits. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles will pick up where they left off after meeting in the playoffs in three straight years in the early 2000s. The Bengals and Las Vegas Raiders are both trying to break embarrassingly long playoff droughts. The Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to cover a 12.5-point spread in Kansas City. There’s a lot to look forward to.

While a new playoff format and new teams are in play, one thing will never change: the presence of Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. in January, and maybe February. I would be remiss if I didn’t spend some ink talking about the greatness of No. 12 in Tampa Bay. A month after I was born, Brady was drafted into the NFL. Now, he is almost my dad’s age, and he is in contention to win his eighth Super Bowl and his fifth MVP. I wasn’t sure if Brady had enough left in the tank to win a Lombardi Trophy with a new team. After watching what Brady did last season and after binge-watching Man in the Arena over winter break, I’m sold.

All of this means that making a Super Bowl pick is even harder than it was when I completely screwed it up in 2020. I’m inclined not to bet on the high-risk, high-reward teams in Wild Card weekend in fear of repeating my same mistake from 2020. But it wouldn’t be fun if there wasn’t a legitimate chance for at least one of my Super Bowl teams to be eliminated in the first round. Buffalo has the highest point differential in the AFC this season, and the Bills proved to be road warriors this season in beating the Chiefs, Patriots and nearly the Titans and Buccaneers outside of Orchard Park. Even though the Bills have a tough path ahead of them, I like Buffalo to punch their ticket to Los Angeles. Picking the Bills to make it to the Super Bowl and then lose seems like a safe enough bet.

Speaking of safe bets, I would like Green Bay to finally win a conference championship game and advance from the NFC. It’s not easy to win on the road at Lambeau Field in January, and while Tom Brady did it last season, the Bucs’ Super Bowl hangover may finally catch up to them.

So there you have it. You should watch every playoff game this weekend, and you should count on the Packers beating the Bills in the Super Bowl. I guarantee it, unless the Patriots or Chiefs beat the Bills.

‘SNL’ Recap: Ariana DeBose, Bleachers Kick Off 2022 With Songs And Swagger

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You know how sometimes people complain that Saturday Night Live, much like show business, or even like regular business, sometimes suffers from that syndrome where they’ll repeat the same thing over and over once they find something that works rather than try new ideas because they want to stick with what works? Tonight’s episode definitely felt like that. Despite having no recurring characters! Nor even multiple cast members! No Cecily Strong tonight, nor Aidy Bryant, nor Punkie Johnson nor Aristotle Athari. What they did have? Three separate sketches featuring speakers at podiums with feedback from the “audience,” and three separate sketches taking a familiar classic cultural touchstone and finding the funny in updating the references to today. Did they find the funny, though? Let’s recap!

What’s The Deal For The SNL Cold Open For Last Night (01/15/22)?

Is it weird that SNL’s President Joe Biden (James Austin Johnson) gets much wilder applause than the real Biden these days? JAJ’s Joe is certainly more fun to watch right now, especially making the case for blaming the Omicron wave of COVID-19 on how many Americans have gone to see the new Spider-Man movie in theaters! Fun fact: When I saw Spider-Man: No Way Home at my local cineplex, the only other masked person I saw in my packed theater was the person sitting next to me. So maybe the premise is valid?! At any rate. The “reporters” in the press room (Ego Nwodim, Bowen Yang, Heidi Gardner, Chris Redd, Andrew Dismukes) try to hit back with more serious questions, but only Dismukes’s “nerd” curveball about the multiverse gets a rise outta Joe and the live studio audience. And then Pete Davidson shows up to prove how much more of a celebrity he is now, as the “real” Joe Biden, complete with a meta joke about his fame and an explanation that our universe is clearly a joke that began with the Cubs winning the 2016 World Series. Oooh, that’s a deep cut.

How Did The SNL Guest Host Ariana DeBose Do?

Ariana DeBose, by far the best performer in Steven Spielberg’s update of West Side Story, eased into her guest-hosting role, thanks to Kate McKinnon showing up in the monologue to perform a duet medley from the iconic musical.

The show never forced DeBose to do anything too outlandish, really, and she proved game for what they did throw at her. From the woman who showed up to watch an NBA game only to have to play for the Sacramento Kings when the whole team got COVID (the “NBA on TNT” sketch’s funniest sight and sound gag was boosting Bowen Yang up high to play Yao MIng in the TNT studio) to anything else.

Davidson and Sarah Sherman sure seemed like they had a lot of fun with this sketch as owners of a formal emporium, where high-school girls can rent anything they need for the prom, including the couple’s nerdy son, Donovan (Dismukes). DeBose bore witness to this in her testimonial!

Both DeBose and Chris Redd looked like they had that much fun introducing New York City’s newest mayor, Eric Adams, to the rest of America. For us here in NYC, it’s felt like a long couple of weeks already in the Adams era, but Redd’s SWAGGER carries the sketch and makes us feel like maybe we should be enjoying this change of pace to city life?

McKinnon showed up alongside DeBose two other times this episode. First, in a Sound of Music parody where McKinnon as Maria introduces DeBose as the new governess who has her own very modern takes on relating “Do-Re-Mi” to the kids.

Then DeBose and McKinnon played scholars at a Cornell lecture about the Greek poet Sappho interpreting her ancient lyrics from Lesbos into much more contemporary lesbian tropes such as moving in together very early in the relationship.

How Relevant Was The Musical Guest Bleachers?

Well, Jack Antonoff filled in as a mid-week replacement substitute for Roddy Ricch, whose entourage or some such came with the COVID, so, yeah, relevant! Antonoff’s pop-rock band, Bleachers, did put out new music during the pandemic when Antonoff wasn’t busy producing Taylor Swift’s Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated pandemic albums, so there’s that, too. Their first song, “How Dare You Want More,” definitely gave off some Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band vibes. And look, that’s his dad behind him on guitar, too!?

Speaking of Springsteen, Bruce actually appears on the recorded single version of Bleachers second song of the night, “Chinatown,” which also includes the lyric, “taking the sadness out of Saturday night.” Timely!

Which Sketch Will We Be Sharing: “Urkel Reboot”

With Peacock rebooting Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as a gritty reboot, it certainly felt on the nose for a new look at Family Matters with a dark turn by Urkel, right? Right?! Chris Redd is great in the role, and Kenan Thompson as the Winslow patriarch definitely works. And yet. I couldn’t help but remember that I’ve already seen at least two other takes on Urkel in sketch comedy TV from the past decade…both from Key & Peele, as well as from Friends of the People. So this felt nice. Just not a nice surprise.

Who Stopped By Weekend Update?

Only time for one guest to visit the Update desk? Well, it’s gotta be Elmo (Chloe Fineman) to elaborate on the viral videos revealing a feud between the Muppet and a pet rock named Rocco? I don’t know. I mean, I guess. Do you get your kicks watching Michael Che interact with an actual rock?

What Sketch Filled The “10-to-1” Slot?

At 12:56 a.m. Eastern, we’re suddenly in the kitchen of a Longhorn Steakhouse in Texarkana on New Year’s Eve. The time-and-date relevance doesn’t seem to matter so much as the place does, as DeBose and JAJ are chastised by their restaurant manager (Heidi Gardner) who keeps confusing them by saying “lurr” at the end of every sentence. Only to be upstaged by even more confusing accents by a mustachioed Dismukes who’s going for something French-ish, and Alex Moffat with his own durr-de-doo two cents. Not the wildest or craziest premise. But. You know. It’s SNL in 2022.

Who Was The Episode’s MVP?

Two different takes on an MVP for the episode. For DeBose, the obvious answer was Kate McKinnon, who clearly came to play as DeBose’s wingwoman. For sheer stage time, the answer was Andrew Dismukes, who’s getting asked to take on more of a central role in this record-settingly large cast. Will they both be as front and center next week, though?

Look who’s coming back next week….Will Forte!

Sean L. McCarthy works the comedy beat for his own digital newspaper, The Comic’s Comic; before that, for actual newspapers. Based in NYC but will travel anywhere for the scoop: Ice cream or news. He also tweets @thecomicscomic and podcasts half-hour episodes with comedians revealing origin stories: The Comic’s Comic Presents Last Things First.

Watch Season 47, Episode 10 of Saturday Night Live on Peacock

City basketball rivalry becomes an oasis of normalcy in desert of COVID circumstances

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Friday was a holiday, of sorts.

It wasn’t anything to officially celebrate. There weren’t any parades or gifts to exchange.

It was more a thrill of experiencing something that’s been missing for a while.

It was a high school gym filled to the brim with fans for basketball games.

Friday became the day when normalcy came back from its oh-too-long hiatus.

That was a parade and a gift in itself.

Picture this:Pics and flicks from North Hagerstown’s basketball doubleheader sweep of South Hagerstown

New home, new role:Teams, uniforms change but North Hagerstown’s Grantham-Medley remains her productive self

Bombs away:North Hagerstown guard Keats aims to hit opponents with his best shot

Spectators turned out at North Hagerstown in full force to see the Hubs host South Hagerstown’s Rebels in girls and boys basketball.

They were two of a few rivalry matchups for the day — and those other gyms were probably packed too — but the size of North Hagerstown’s facility made this something to savor.

In normal times, these games would seem routine. This one moved the needle because of all the protocols, postponements and precautions caused by high school sports’ biggest opponent — COVID-19.

This time, the stands were filling by 5:30 p.m. when the girls took the floor before reaching capacity for the boys tipoff at 7.

For about two years now, that hasn’t been the case.

Games have been cancelled and seasons shortened because of COVID’s full-court press, whether you believe it or not.

And when those games were played, there were rules and limitations which kept fans distant and distanced. Access was limited to a select few.

That made this night refreshing. It wasn’t quite normal yet, but it was close enough to spark some “remember whens.”

Obviously, there were reminders that we aren’t in the 2010s anymore.

It started with a request to wear a mask to enter the game and sit in the bleachers. The signs and verbal pleas were numerous, asking for cooperation to help prevent the spread of the virus.

To some, it still fell on deaf ears. As it turned out, South Hagerstown wasn’t the only group of Rebels in the building.

To each their own. There was still basketball to be watched.

The stands had pockets of partisans for both teams sprinkled around the seats. The groups were like islands in the sea of inclined seating.

At the end of the floor, there were two sets of bleachers — one each for the students of the two schools — separated by a moat-like aisle between them.

During the game, they resembled jury boxes you might see in another “court” room. With each play, one side cheered its team’s “innocence,” while the other claimed “guilt” of bending the rules.

North fans used their home-court advantage to set the stage for the rivalry matchup.

The Hubs’ backers yeah-ed and nay-ed the teams as they took the floor for warmups.

When South entered, North’s jeers drowned out the Rebel-rousers.

Quickly, North followed, receiving booming cheers to start a Hub-abaloo.

North help stage more pregame buildup by dimming the lights for a dramatic introduction of the home team’s starters.

Once the pregame histrionics ended, it was time to put the ball in play. That started the emotional tug-of-war between the two sides.

South’s boys turned down the volume of North’s excitement by grabbing the early lead on the cold-shooting Hubs. Team Rebel started getting stoked while Team Hub had its complexion turn as green as South’s uniforms.

South built a 27-20 halftime lead, leaving North’s side nervous.

The Hubs remedied their situation with quicker defense, leading to scores in transition. The seven-point deficit melted quickly as the Hubs outscored the Rebels 16-5 in the third quarter and 38-14 in the second half to pull away for a 58-41 victory.

North’s girls won in similar fashion, falling behind early and closing with explosive offense in their 66-29 win.

By and large, the fanbase displayed good behavior, but as the fortunes turned and the bravado heightened, some tempers started to flair.

A ripple of discontent appeared in the third quarter, caused by one student crossing enemy lines by taking a seat in the other side’s seating. That student was extracted.

In this theater, just saying “can’t we all just get along” didn’t work. That’s normal these days in any contest that pits two sides against each other.

Then, like many times in games of this magnitude, some chippiness spilled over onto the floor, but with no real consequences.

When it was over, the teams shook hands and went on their way. They know the rematch will be in a few weeks at South Hagerstown.

Every game has its own level of drama and tension, both on and off the floor. The same could be said for self-control.

Emotions aside — let’s mark any indiscretions as being out of practice on game etiquette — it was a big night for high school sports.

It was a reminder of what we had — and took for granted — just two short years ago.

The COVID years blindsided everyone, forcing us to change routines, habits and pleasures, again, whether you believe it or not.

Even though we are still challenged by the virus, it was reassuring to see the excitement a good, old rivalry like the North-South games create.

It’s a good sign, especially for when normalcy comes out of hiding for good.