Latest news with #LastWeekTonight
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘SNL's' 50th season takes on 9-time-champ ‘Last Week Tonight' for the Best Scripted Variety Series Emmy
When Last Week Tonight With John Oliver switched Emmy categories from Variety Talk Series to Scripted Variety Series, it put an end to Saturday Night Live's six-year winning streak. Last Week Tonight, which has claimed nine consecutive program trophies, is now hoping to take home No. 10 this year. But SNL's milestone 50th season should prove to be a worthy competitor. First things first: there are six submissions this year for Best Scripted Variety Series, which means there will only be two nominees. Television Academy members who vote on this category are instructed to watch an episode of each contender (a requirement that is not present in the other program races), and then vote "yes" or "no" for whether they think each one is worthy of a nomination. The two entries that receive the highest amount of support will receive bids, as long as they are both over 70 percent approval, according to the Emmys rulebook. More from GoldDerby 'Arcane,' returning from a 3-year hiatus, leads early Best Animated Program Emmy odds The 10 most Lynchian items at the David Lynch auction - and how much they sold for Best Drama Writing Emmy predictions: 'The Pitt' takes a risk by submitting 3 episodes Here's the fine print for what, exactly, constitutes inclusion in this relatively new Emmy category: A Scripted Variety Series is defined as a variety program that is primarily scripted, or loosely scripted improv, and consisting of discrete scenes, satire, musical numbers, monologues, comedy stand-ups, sketches, etc. Scripted Variety may occasionally feature unscripted elements, but the main intent of the series is scripted or performed entertainment. Last Week Tonight has the best chance of winning Best Scripted Variety Series this year, per Gold Derby's Emmy predictions. In Season 12, the John Oliver-hosted program skewered important topics like Elon Musk's influence on Donald Trump's presidency, online content moderation, tipping, ICE detention centers, sports betting, the use of tasers by police, and discrimination against trans women in sports. A 10th victory would put Last Week Tonight just one shy of the all-time record-holder, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, which won 11. SNL celebrated its golden anniversary on NBC with a season full of returning cast members and special guest stars, including Maya Rudolph as Vice President Kamala Harris, Jim Gaffigan as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Andy Samberg as second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, Dana Carvey as President Joe Biden, and Mike Myers as Musk. Notable guest hosts during Saturday Night Live's 50th season were Ariana Grande, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Timothée Chalamet, Lady Gaga, and Scarlett Johansson. (Note that the two primetime specials, SNL50: The Anniversary Special and SNL50: The Homecoming Concert, are competing in the separate category of Best Live Variety Special.) The other four contenders competing in Best Scripted Variety Series are Fantasmas, which focuses on Julio Torres' search for a golden oyster earring; Studio C, the 20-year-old family-oriented sketch show; After Midnight, the late night quiz spoof hosted by Taylor Tomlinson; and It's Florida, Man, the series that reimagines weird stories from the sunshine state. Gold Derby's Emmy odds are based on the combined forecasts of more than 4,100 people (and counting), including experts we've polled from major media outlets, editors who cover awards year-round for this website, and the mass of users who make up our biggest predictions bloc. Track the Emmy predictions by exploring all of our charts and graphs, and sound off in our TV forum. PREDICTED NOMINEES 1. Last Week Tonight With John Oliver — 11/20 2. Saturday Night Live — 2/1 POTENTIAL SPOILERS 3. Fantasmas — 100/1 4. Studio C — 100/1 LONGSHOTS 5. After Midnight — 100/1 6. It's Florida, Man — 100/1 SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions Best of GoldDerby Everything to know about 'The Pitt' Season 2 Adam Brody, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and the best of our Emmy Comedy Actor interviews Kristen Bell, Tina Fey, Bridget Everett, and the best of our Emmy Comedy Actress interviews Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘The Daily Show' leads Best Talk Series Emmy odds amid outrage over the low number of available slots
Now this is something to talk about. There's outrage in Hollywood over the expected number of nomination slots for the Best Talk Series Emmy. With only 13 submissions this year, the category is dropping from four nominees to a historic low of three. In this era of Peak TV, that simply doesn't seem like enough representation. More from GoldDerby Everything to know about 'The Pitt' Season 2 'Awards Magnet': New Emmy predictions - including those cutthroat lead categories 'Hope for the best, prepare for the worst': 'Overcompensating' breakout Wally Baram on making her acting debut, defiling prop toilet In 2023, buoyed by industry complaints that Last Week Tonight With John Oliver kept winning the talk-show category despite not exactly being one, the Television Academy reimagined the variety races as Best Talk Series and Best Scripted Variety Series. The former is for programs that rely on unscripted moments such as interviewing guests, while the latter is for variety fare, essentially scripted from start to finish. That solved the John Oliver problem, but it also limited the number of submissions for each category. Last year, there were 14 entries for Best Talk Series, which yielded four nominees, and in the years prior there were almost always five nominees (there were 19 submissions in 2023 and 2022, 20 submissions in 2021, and 24 submissions in 2020). Reigning champion The Daily Show, which now rotates hosts among Jon Stewart, Ronny Chieng, Jordan Klepper, Michael Kosta, and Desi Lydic, is currently out front. In 2024, the long-running political gabfest welcomed back Stewart, who originally hosted from 1999 to 2015, to give his comedic take on the presidential election. He still hosts every Monday night, and he recently extended his contract through the end of 2025. A favorite of the TV Academy, Stewart has won a whopping 23 Emmys in his career, from 61 total nominations. "The only bad thing I can say about him is that he's very lazy and will only work one day a week," Lydic recently told Gold Derby in jest. "But that's great for all of us. We get to cover his shifts for the rest of the week." The Late Show With Stephen Colbert is in the runner-up position. The CBS program has been nominated every year since 2017, and before that, Colbert was up 10 different times as a producer for his satire program The Colbert Report, which took home the top trophy in 2013 and 2014. The last time a conventional talk show (i.e., those that start with a monologue and include desk bits and carefree celebrity interviews) claimed this Emmy was in 2002 for Late Show With David Letterman, so it's a fair assumption that voters have moved on from the format. Disney/Randy Holmes Also looking safe for a nomination is Jimmy Kimmel Live, in third place. ABC's perennial late-night program has enjoyed a run of 13 nominations in a row for Best Talk Series (2012-24), but it hasn't won an Emmy in any category since 2010 (for its costumes). Kimmel frequently goes viral with his take-downs of President Donald Trump and those in his cabinet. The entertainer has three Emmys to his name, but none for his talk show; he won for hosting the 2024 Oscars and for producing two installments of Live in Front of a Studio Audience in 2019 and 2020. With only three slots in Best Talk Series, many great shows will be left out in the cold, including freshman Netflix entry Everybody's Live With John Mulaney, chicken wing talker Hot Ones, and the 11-year-old Late Night With Seth Meyers. Seth Meyers, who has been on the Emmy campaign trail in recent weeks, told Gold Derby, "I can't believe I'm still doing this, but there's literally nothing else I'd rather be doing." Gold Derby's Emmy odds are based on the combined forecasts of more than 3,500 people (and counting), including experts we've polled from major media outlets, editors who cover awards year-round for this website, and the mass of users who make up our biggest predictions bloc. Track the Emmy predictions by exploring all of our charts and graphs, and sound off in our TV forum. PREDICTED NOMINEES 1. The Daily Show — 9/10 2. The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — 18/5 3. Jimmy Kimmel Live — 13/2 POTENTIAL SPOILERS 4. Everybody's Live With John Mulaney — 12/1 5. Hot Ones — 37/1 6. Late Night With Seth Meyers — 75/1 7. Have I Got News for You — 100/1 8. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — 100/1 LONGSHOTS 9. Very Important People — 100/1 10. Hart to Heart — 100/1 11. Real Time With Bill Maher — 100/1 12. Midnight Snack with Julie Chan — 100/1 13. Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen — 100/1 SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions Best of GoldDerby Everything to know about 'The Pitt' Season 2 Adam Brody, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and the best of our Emmy Comedy Actor interviews Kristen Bell, Tina Fey, Bridget Everett, and the best of our Emmy Comedy Actress interviews Click here to read the full article.
NZ Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Government hotline for overzealous road-cone use an overzealous embarrassment
Speed warnings still dominate our billboards – despite the reversal of lowered speed limits on many highway corridors. Photo / Mark Story No doubt talk-show host John Oliver has us in his crosshairs. The entertaining frontman of America's Last Week Tonight, known for his running gag on New Zealand's quirks (famously, our Bird of the Year competition in 2023), has described us as 'an endless well of joy'. Our Government's new
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
John Oliver Exposes 'Absolute Disgrace' Government System That Makes 'No F**king Sense'
'Last Week Tonight' host John Oliver on Sunday delivered a scathing takedown of America's juvenile justice system, which he slammed as an 'absolute disgrace' for the way it locks up children at rates far higher than other nations ― and then treats them atrociously after doing so. Oliver acknowledged that some of the tens of thousands of children who are put behind bars each year have created serious crimes. But many, he noted, are locked up for minor offenses, like truancy or breaking curfew. In one shocking case, Oliver recalled, a six-year-old was reportedly arrested for picking a tulip from a yard. Part of the problem, said Oliver, is how the system is shrouded in secrecy and therefore there's a lack of accountability. The juvenile justice process is like a game of Plinko because factors beyond a child's control — like which judge they face — can lead to wildly different outcomes, he said, while youth detention facilities — which are in some cases rebranded as academies, state schools or youth centers — are often prisons in all but name. The entire system makes 'no fucking sense,' he railed. Oliver urged a radical rethink of how youth offenders are dealt with. Children 'deserve safety, respect, protection and a chance to grow beyond their mistakes,' he added. Watch here: Fascism Expert Shares Big Fear That Prompted Her To Leave Trump's America MSNBC Unpacks The 1 Constant In The 10 Chaotic Years Since Trump's Escalator Ride MAGA Boxer Ryan Garcia Punches Back At Trump: 'I Can't Stay Silent…'
The Guardian
09-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
John Oliver on the unregulated business of med spas: ‘People are going to get hurt'
John Oliver looked into the booming industry of med spas in the US on the latest Last Week Tonight. 'You're probably at least familiar with them,' he explained of the facilities, either because you've seen one pop up in your neighborhood, or you've been pushed by one of thousands of influencer videos about them.' 'Med spa' is a catch-all term for a facility that provides aesthetic procedures, both medical (lasers, Botox and IV drips) and non-medical (facials). In the age of Instagram, it's a lucrative business, with an estimated 10,000 or more med spas nationwide, generating $17bn annually. But 'while many med spas are safe and staffed by actual professionals', said Oliver, 'the rapid rise of med spas has also been accompanied a rapid rise' in stories of malpractice or procedures gone awry. That's because 'this whole industry can fall into a regulatory gray area,' as many of their procedures fall between esthetic services and traditional medical practice. 'Other services definitely fall under the practice of medicine, but no one – from practitioners, to customers, to law enforcement – acts like it,' said Oliver. There are currently no federal standards for med spas, and no legal definition for what one even is. 'And that has left the market wide open for bad actors,' Oliver explained, calling med spas the 'wild west' of medicine. 'If an industry can grow this fast and be run this loosely, people are going to get hurt,' he added. Oliver dissected the 'perfect storm' of factors for this wild west, starting with many med spas' franchising model, with all-cash businesses that can be opened anywhere. 'It's not exactly reassuring to hear a medical facility being pitched the same way you'd pitch a Subway sandwich shop,' he joked. 'I know both technically involve getting suspicious-looking goo inside you, but through vastly different delivery systems.' The regulatory frameworks also vary wildly by state. In New Jersey, only a doctor can perform laser hair removal, while anyone can in New York. In Texas, anyone can get certified to become an injector, and practice anywhere in the state. The laws are so behind the reality of med spas in Oklahoma that the state advises nurses to use their own professional judgment to determine what procedures they can provide based on the relevant laws. 'Which feels like they're one step away from just telling nurses to ask a Magic 8 Ball, 'am I allowed to give this woman chin filler?'' Oliver quipped. 'What this means is from the services they sell to the people they employ to the stuff they inject into you, med spas can be far less vigorously vetted than you may assume,' he noted. Some med spa procedures, such as facials, have scientific backing, while others – such as 'ionic foot detox bath' or 'ultraviolet blood irradiation' – do not. Some med spas also provide procedures like 'sculptsure' via devices that are FDA 'cleared'. As Oliver already covered in an episode on medical devices, FDA cleared 'doesn't really mean shit'. FDA approval means the device is both safe and backed by 'valid scientific evidence', while cleared simply means that it can be legally marketed. 'Which is barely one step above an FDA stamp declaring 'this exists!'' Oliver joked. 'Ideally, you'd have a doctor talk you through the risks and benefits of any sort of procedure on offer,' he continued, 'but that's not possible at many med spas.' While they are required to be supervised by a medical professional with 'full practice authority', that supervision can be done remotely, sometimes from professionals located hours away. Most of the staff in med spas are nurse practitioners, physician assistants and registered nurses. 'Nothing against people who hold those jobs – they can be extremely skilled,' Oliver noted. 'But their training on the procedures done in med spas can be thin at best,' as there are very few dermatology programs for non-doctors. Oliver cited one service that claimed to allow someone to inject Botox after just a day of training, 'which really does not feel like enough training to shoot a paralyzing neurotoxin into someone's face'. Especially one that could have deadly side-effects, as was the case with one central Texas woman who had a seizure after being injected with Botox by someone with non-medical certification; the med spa's protocol for emergencies was to call their supervising physician, a pediatrician located a three-hour drive away. 'A lot of the protections you associate with medical offices just don't apply to med spas,' Oliver summarized. 'Oversight can be incredibly lax,' as most states don't even require that med spas register their existence. In sum, Oliver said, med spas can cut corners both on their staffing and the contents of their injectables, and the market is rife with counterfeits. He referenced the story of one influencer who went to a med spa for B12 shots, got upsold 'fat dissolving' injectables, and ended up in the hospital for four months with a necrotizing, antibiotic-resistant skin infection. Her lawsuit against the practitioner, who injected her with a substance bought off Alibaba, hit a dead end, as he was unlicensed and had no malpractice insurance nor assets. 'The lack of accountability is honestly not that surprising,' said Oliver. 'If you're injured at an unlicensed med spa, there's often little to no recourse unless law enforcement takes an interest in your case.' And while it's easy to judge those that seek out the procedures, Oliver noted that 'it's both reasonable to want these services and to expect the people providing them to be licensed and adequately supervised. But far too often, they just aren't.' What can be done? 'Bare minimum, state laws and regulation should be clearly written, well publicized and enforced,' Oliver said. But 'laws can only do so much when they're ignored, and when demand is this high, and there is such a clear profit motive, there is always going to be the possibility that sketchy providers will break the rules.' He encouraged people to look up the names and credentials of any provider, get a full consultation and see the vials of any injectables before receiving them. 'And if they respond by acting defensively or won't show them to you, get the fuck out of there,' he concluded, because 'in too many places, it is far too easy to set up something that has all the appearances of medicine, but none of the protections.'
