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LIVE FROM CHICAGO, It’s Saturday Night Live: The Experience

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The Museum of Broadcast Communications in collaboration with Universal Brand Development, Saturday Night Live, Broadway Video Enterprises and Premier Exhibitions Inc. announced today that it will bring Chicagoans behind the scenes of America’s most iconic, comedic television show with Saturday Night Live: The Experience. Opening Oct. 21, 2017, this 12,000 square foot experience is designed to chronicle the history of NBC’s iconic franchise while taking visitors through its notoriously hectic weekly schedule. Ten immersive galleries bring visitors into the office of executive producer Lorne Michaels, the writers room, control room and more, highlighted
by more than 500 authentic artifacts, including iconic costumes, original sets, props and scripts. The experience concludes with a full-scale replica recreation of SNL’s longtime home in New York,
Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center.

“We are thrilled to have the Museum of Broadcast Communications chosen as the next home of Saturday Night Live: The Experience,” said Larry Wert, Chairman of the Museum of Broadcast Communications. “It is a perfect fit for Chicago since countless actors and writers cut their comedic chops here before being discovered by SNL, and we are going to have a lot of fun with this. Saturday Night Live has never been hotter and we are excited to add this to the historic significance of the museum.”

Following the debut success in New York City, Chicago will mark the second stop of the national tour of Saturday Night Live: The Experience. Ahead of its Oct. 21 opening, here’s a sample of what visitors to Museum of Broadcast Communications will see…

● Begin your immersive journey through SNL history in creator and executive producer Lorne
Michaels’ office. As you proceed through a priceless and unique collection of sets, props, video,
photographs and multimedia presentations, you quickly realize that you’re seeing the history of the
show unfold in parallel with the creative process for writing and performing an episode of the
show.

● The experience will highlight Chicago’s connection to Saturday Night Live with sets and costumes
such as: the Wayne’s World set, Bill Murray’s lounge singer jacket, Matt Foley’s suit, the Killer
Bees’ costume and Gilda Radner’s shoes.

● Coneheads? Check. Land shark? Check. King Tut costume? Goat Boy prosthetics? Church Lady
costume? Mister Robinson’s cardigan sweater? Check, check, check and check.

● There are unique show props such as Dan Aykroyd’s Bass-o-Matic blender, Tina Fey’s Brownie
Husband, and Justin Timberlake’s Dick in a Box.

● There are full-scale sets that include the Celebrity Jeopardy game set, the Church Lady set,
Weekend

Update desk and the show’s iconic main stage.

The recently completed 42nd season of NBC’s Saturday Night Live was the show’s most watched in 23 years, with the average of 11.1 million viewers for original episodes. A late-night franchise like no other, Saturday Night Live has received a total of 240 Emmy Award nominations – the most of any other show in the history of television.

The highly anticipated 43rd season begins Sept. 30 with guest host Ryan Gosling and musical guest
Jay-Z.

Saturday Night Live: The Experience is produced by Premier Exhibitions Inc., the foremost presenter of quality exhibitions throughout the world, including Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, Tutankhamun: and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, BODIES…The Exhibition, Extreme Dinosaurs and more.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Museum of Broadcast Communications to connect visitors with
the backstory of the show and offer them the opportunity to relive the most laughable moments and
sketches,” said Mark Lach, Creative Director of Premier Exhibitions. “Saturday Night Live: The
Experience goes even further to give people a sense of what it’s like to be part of the creative
team, and the frenetic schedule and pace involved with each weekly episode. It can look so
effortless on TV, but this exhibition illustrates that a lot of hard work and preparation
undoubtedly goes into each and every laugh.”

Throughout the exhibition run, ticketed special events such as “Conversations in Comedy” will bring
in actors,
writers, set and costume designers to speak about their experiences on Saturday Night Live.

Conagra Brands is the presenting sponsor of Saturday Night Live: The Experience. “We’re proud to
support the
Museum of Broadcast Communications in bringing Saturday Night Live: The Experience to the people of
Chicago,” said Robert Rizzo, senior director, community investment, Conagra Brands. “Our
partnership with the Museum will provide visitors an innovative look at one of the most iconic
entertainment platforms of all- time. SNL has deep roots in our hometown city, and we look forward
to saying, ‘Live from Chicago, it’s Saturday Night Live: The Experience!’”

Hilton Chicago, Palmer House – a Hilton Hotel and The Drake – a Hilton Hotel are the official hotel
partners of Saturday Night Live: The Experience and are planning exclusive, interactive SNL-themed
packages, offerings and installations for guests.
Additional partners include Chicago-based companies: Blue Plate Catering, Cinespace, Custom
Companies and Fresh Wave.

The Museum of Broadcast Communications is located at 360 N. State Street at the corner of State and
Kinzie.

Tickets: (On sale Friday, September 8, 2017)
Adults – $25 Seniors – $20
Teen/Student (with College ID) – $20 Children under 12 are free.

Hours:
Tuesday to Saturday – 10AM to 5PM Wednesday – 10AM to 8PM
Sunday – 12PM to 5PM Monday – Closed

Please visit www.snltheexperience.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

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The Double: Ghostly vengeance upon you! 

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After the daughter of county magistrate is betrayed by those she trusted the most, she takes on a new identity and returns to the capital to mete out her own brand of justice!  

Quite a bit is said about Jiang Li, the daughter of the Minister of the Central Secretariat, and how she suffered at the Temple her father sent her to after a blowout at home, with not a single person coming to visit her, or send any kind of letter, in more than ten years. But I think the banked rage of Xue Fang Fei, our heroine who takes Jiang Li’s place, is also entirely worth exploring. And so, prepare your best drugged tea for the Spoilers about to follow! 

We begin more or less, on a stormy night with a hole dug in the ground, a garbled confession that mentions a woman in power who could crush them both like ants apparently and a knockout shot via shovel, all at the hands of her own beloved husband Shen Yurong, that culminates in the death of Xue Fang Fei (Jinyan Wu). Except, she didn’t die. Betrayed by the one person she gave up like everything for, Xue Fang Fei escapes and washes up on the shore, to be found by Jiang Li and her faithful friend and servant Tong’er (Ai Mi). 

Jiang Li (also Jinyan Wu), despite being the neglected daughter of the Minister of the Central Secretariat Chancellor Jiang (Su Ke), or perhaps because her stepmother is one jealous horrific hag but we’ll get to that later, is not well treated at all at the Temple. And when that mistreatment finally manages to culminate in her actual death, it provides an opportunity for the newly-resurrected Xue Fang Fei. The new Jiang Li wins the loyalty of her lifelong friend Tong’er, the silence of the Abbess of the Temple, and the attention of a very powerful man, Duke Su, all in the space of like a few days. She even gets the silent approval of the ghost of the real Jiang Li, and willingly takes on the mission of her spirit – to avenge the real Jiang Li, to set right the things in her life that were wrong, that lead to her accidental death far from home, alone with none of her blood family to save her. Since this is a Chinese show, we know that is a mountainous burden to take on. 

First, we have to get out of the Temple. And the arrival of Duke Su (Wang Xing Yue) and his men, investigating a salt smuggling scandal along with other sordid things the Temple is accused of, is the perfect vehicle to do it, even if Jiang Li has to get arrested for it. Then we have to get back to the household of her father, the Minister of the Central Secretariat or Chancellor Jiang, and the hell of stepmother Ji Shu Ran and stepsister Jiang Ruo Yao’s bickering, backbiting both hidden and blatant, with only the impotent Grandma as a friend. Oh, and also, to get embroiled in palace drama, royal guard investigations, a pretty forbidden romance with a certain very stoic-seeming commander, and mete out plans, and justice, of her very own. 

The show does an excellent job at showcasing strong women in various forms of power, exercising it in very different ways, and more often than not, the pain and suffering they deliberately cause to those around them. That’s not to say that they each don’t have their reasons, justifiable or not, but the power they wield is often only tolerated if not outright ignored by the men around them. The new Jiang Li defies these conventions, with a mind like a steel trap and the sheer fortitude to power through whatever the current test is – a qin performance that leaves her fingers bleeding and her audience weeping; whether or not she allergy-poisoned her stepsister, come on; allegations from the Emperor himself – Jiang Li makes careful, detailed plans, and carries them out with the patience and cunning of a spider, calm and deadly. 

The shows villains are mostly women, come to think of it, with Elder Princess Wanning being at the foremost of the pack, she likes torturing her playtoys, and some time ago she decided Shen Yurong was going to be one of them. Which actually kicked off this whole mess, of conspiracies and deaths and cover-ups, all because Xue Fang Fei’s ex husband has no balls whatsoever. Or perhaps he’s the Empires biggest hidden masochist, who knows. Even Shen Yurong’s actual attempts at true villainy towards the end were poorly planned, badly executed, and almost lackluster, despite his purported desperation to win for once. 

Whereas, the smiling tyranny of Ji Shu Ran back at the Prime Ministers household, using her children as weapons against Jiang Li, the love and hey guilt of her father to gently nudge him the “right” way towards getting Jiang Li out of the house by means fair or foul, is all to be expected. Her stepmother had been doing very bad things since Jiang Li was a very little girl, and the hidden knowledge of one of those atrocities in particular, is what led to tiny Jiang Li being maligned, punished, and sent away to the Temple. So of course taking care of the wicked stepmother, or rather, allowing her to fall into the self-same trap of her own making from so long ago, is high on the list of stuff in Jiang Li’s life that needs addressing. 

The best male performance inevitably come from the lead love interest, Duke Su Xiao Heng, though his two main men, Lu Ji and Wen Ji, come as a close and often comedic second, and the emotions invoked from Jiang Li’s fathers acceptance  of her return run the whole gamut of spectrum – especially when her father finally reveals that yes, he knew that the Jiang Li that returned wasn’t the one he originally left, that Xue Fang Fei managed to take vengeance for his beloved daughter and in doing so, finally actually become her, once and for all. 

It’s long and complicated and fraught with excitement and danger, featuring an absolutely ruthless female lead who lets nothing not even family ghosts stand in her way, and a perfect story to enjoy the 2024 spooky season to! Cheer on The Double on Netflix now! 

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Movie

‘Speak No Evil’: Chop-chop-CHOP

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A struggling couple with their young daughter are invited to spend an idyllic weekend at a newly made friend’s country house, that hides a whole bunch of nasty secrets! 

Normally, a review consists of a few paragraphs of expounding on the movie and then the ranted opinion itself, closing with a recommendation as to whether or not Moxie recommends going to see said film. Speak No Evil is a very weird exception, for there is very little in the way of plot to follow, and the would-be horror devolves into cheap scares and dumbassery for us to laugh at. When the theater audience has cat-callers hooting and calling out the protagonist dad figure of the film and there is no censure from anyone else, you’re doing something wrong. But, let’s attempt a dive anyway! 

So Ben (Scoot McNairy) and Louise (Mackenzie Davis) Dalton are struggling, with life, with career and money trouble of course, and perhaps most importantly but less often spoken of, with each-other. Whilst trying to hide it all from their sensitive bunny-stricken daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) too, of course. They somehow took a vacation runaway of sorts to Tuscany of all places, where they stay in a villa with a few other vacationers, bonding over the one annoying couple no-one else likes with new friends Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Fraciosi) and their apparently nonverbal kid Anthony or Ant (Dan Hough). Later, after a reminder postcard with the extended offer of a weekend stay at their country home is again extended to the Daltons, the two parental units decide it would be a good idea to run away some more and off they go, with Agnes and Hoppy in tow! 

It’s amazing that the Dalton parents know so little about Paddy and Ciara and still decide to spend a weekend with them at their run-down country house. And just as soon as they do finally find the place, Paddy goes from the amiable fellow-dad to sympathize and bro-mance with, to an opinionated antagonistic competitor, who has to have his way about absolutely everything. It begins with the named goose he cooked for their first dinner there, despite being well aware Louise is vegan, and escalates to trying to instigate Ben into being more manly and take-charge, to serious disagreements in the way Paddy tries to raise his not-quite-mute kid, and finally the Dalton parents begin to realize perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea. 

It’s often the children in these stories who provide the horrific reveal of what the villain, or villains, have been up to, and Speak No Evil is no different in this regard. Little Dan Hough gives a striking and ghastly performance as Ant, chop-chop-chopping his way through a silent explanation of what actually happened to his poor tongue. The brilliant way Agnes gets her parents alone to inform them of Ant’s new information is one of the few bright, smart spots of the entire movie. And after the Daltons have finally understood the true nightmare of their situation and their very real need to escape, the film basically degenerates into a kind of reverse home invasion horror flick, as the Daltons try to hide amidst the country house of our baddies trying to hunt them down! 

None of it is enough. No reason was ever given as to why Paddy the purported former doctor is like this, why he needs to OCD his trophies to the point of an incriminating evidence locker, why Ant was the one to finally find the courage to fight back, why the hell Ben is such a freaking milquetoast of a human one can’t even consider him the head of the Dalton family, why Louise is still putting up with all this nonsense over the safety of her beloved daughter, and why hasn’t the authorities or the families of other victims kicked up any kind of ruckus by now? Why is the neighboring handyman type Mike (Kris Hitchen) in league with our villainous couple to the point where he takes to hunting the Daltons with shotgun in tow, too? The film is apparently a remake of a 2022 Danish film of the same name, and we have to ask, why did anyone think the film market needed such a thing? Well, whatever. 

Cover your mouth to keep from yelling common-sense advice to the deplorably naïve characters on the screen and catch Speak No Evil in theaters now! 

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Events

And The Emmy Goes To

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Here’s a full list of last night’s Primetime Emmy Awards winners.

Outstanding comedy series

WINNER: “Hacks”

“Abbott Elementary”

“The Bear”

“Curb Your Enthusiasm”

“Only Murders in the Building”

“Palm Royale”

“Reservation Dogs”

“What We Do in the Shadows”

Outstanding drama series

WINNER: “Shōgun”

“The Crown”

“Fallout”

“The Gilded Age”

“The Morning Show”

“Mr. & Mrs. Smith”

“Slow Horses”

“3 Body Problem”

Outstanding lead actress in a drama series

WINNER: Anna Sawai, “Shōgun”

Jennifer Aniston, “The Morning Show”

Carrie Coon, “The Gilded Age”

Maya Erskine, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”

Imelda Staunton, “The Crown”

Reese Witherspoon, “The Morning Show”

Outstanding lead actor in a drama series

WINNER: Hiroyuki Sanada, “Shōgun”

Idris Elba, “Hijack”

Donald Glover, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”

Walton Goggins, “Fallout”

Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses”

Dominic West, “The Crown”

Outstanding limited or anthology series

WINNER: “Baby Reindeer”

“Fargo”

“Lessons in Chemistry”

“Ripley”

“True Detective: Night Country”

Outstanding lead actress in a limited anthology series or movie

WINNER: Jodie Foster, “True Detective: Night Country”

Brie Larson, “Lessons in Chemistry”

Juno Temple, “Fargo”

Sofia Vergara, “Griselda”

Naomi Watts, “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans”

Outstanding lead actor in a limited anthology series or movie

WINNER: Richard Gadd, “Baby Reindeer”

Matt Bomer, “Fellow Travelers”

Jon Hamm, “Fargo”

Tom Hollander, “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans”

Andrew Scott, “Ripley”

Best directing for a drama

WINNER: Frederick E.O. Toye, “Shо̄gun”

Stephen Daldry, “The Crown”

Mimi Leder, “The Morning Show”

Hiro Murai, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” “First Date”

Saul Metzstein, “Slow Horses”

Salli Richardson-Whitfield, “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty”

Governors award

WINNER: Greg Berlanti

Best directing for a comedy series

WINNER: Christopher Storer, “The Bear”

Randall Einhorn, “Abbott Elementary”

Ramy Youssef, “The Bear”

Guy Ritchie, “The Gentlemen”

Lucia Aniello, “Hacks”

Mary Lou Belli, “The Ms. Pat Show”

Best writing for a limited series or TV movies

WINNER: Richard Gadd, “Baby Reindeer”

Charlie Brooker, “Black Mirror”

Noah Hawley, “Fargo”

Ron Nyswaner, “Fellow Travelers”

Steven Zaillian, “Ripley”

Issa López, “True Detective: Night Country”

Best writing for a drama series

WINNER: Will Smith, “Slow Horses”

Peter Morgan and Meriel Sheibani-Clare, “The Crown”

Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet, “Fallout”

Francesca Sloane and Donald Glover, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”

Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks, “Shōgun”

Rachel Kondo, Caillin Puente, “Shōgun”

Supporting actor in a limited or anthology series

WINNER: Lamorne Morris, “Fargo”

Jonathan Bailey, “Fellow Travelers”

Robert Downey Jr., “The Sympathizer”

Tom Goodman-Hill, “Baby Reindeer”

John Hawkes, “True Detective: Night Country”

Lewis Pullman, “Lessons In Chemistry”

Treat Williams, “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans”

Best talk series

WINNER: “The Daily Show”

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

“Late Night with Seth Meyers”

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” 

Writing in a comedy series

WINNER: Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky, “Hacks”

Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary”

Joanna Calo, Christopher Storer, “The Bear”

Meredith Scardino, Sam Means, “Girls5eva”

Chris Kelly, Sarah Schneider, “The Other Two”

Directing limited series or TV movie

WINNER: Steven Zaillian, “Ripley”

Weronika Tofilska, “Baby Reindeer”

Noah Hawley, “Fargo”

Gus Van Sant, “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans“

Millicent Shelton, “Lessons in Chemistry”

Issa López, “True Detective: Night Country”

Outstanding writing for a variety special

WINNER: Alex Edelman, “Alex Edelman: Just For Us”

Jacqueline Novak, “Jacqueline Novak: Get On Your Knees”

John Early, “John Early: Now More Than Ever”

Mike Birbiglia, “Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man And The Pool”

“The Oscars”

Best scripted variety series

WINNER: “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”

“Saturday Night Live”

Supporting actress in a limited or anthology series

WINNER: Jessica Gunning, “Baby Reindeer”

Dakota Fanning, “Ripley”

Lily Gladstone, “Under The Bridge”

Aja Naomi King, “Lessons In Chemistry”

Diane Lane, “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans”

Nava Mau, “Baby Reindeer”

Kali Reis, “True Detective: Night Country”

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Outstanding reality competition program

WINNER: “The Traitors”

“The Amazing Race”

“RuPaul’s Drag Race”

“Top Chef”

“The Voice”

Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series

WINNER: Jean Smart, “Hacks”

Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”

Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”

Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building”

Maya Rudolph, “Loot”

Kristen Wiig, “Palm Royale”

Supporting actress in a drama series

WINNER: Elizabeth Debicki, “The Crown Netflix”

Christine Baranski, “The Gilded Age”

Nicole Beharie, “The Morning Show”

Greta Lee, “The Morning Show”

Lesley Manville, “The Crown”

Karen Pittman, “The Morning Show”

Holland Taylor, “The Morning Show”

Supporting actress in a comedy series

WINNER: Liza Colón-Zayas, “The Bear”

Carol Burnett, “Palm Royale”

Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”

Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary”

Sheryl Lee Ralph, “Abbott Elementary”

Meryl Streep, “Only Murders In The Building”

Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series

WINNER: Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”

Matt Berry, “What We Do in the Shadows”

Larry David, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”

Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”

Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”

D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, “Reservation Dogs”

Supporting actor in a drama series

WINNER: Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”

Tadanobu Asano, “Shōgun”

Mark Duplass, “The Morning Show”

Jon Hamm, “The Morning Show”

Takehiro Hira, “Shōgun”

Jack Lowden, “Slow Horses”

Jonathan Pryce, “The Crown”

Supporting actor in a comedy series

WINNER: Ebon Moss-Bachrach, “The Bear”

Lionel Boyce, “The Bear”

Paul W. Downs, “Hacks”

Paul Rudd, “Only Murders In The Building”

Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”

Bowen Yang, “Saturday Night Live”

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