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      'The Voice' Recap: One Coach Uses His Save Right Away as the Battle Rounds Begin

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      NBC

      A new episode of the long-running singing competition show marks the premiere of Battle Rounds in season 20, featuring singers going head-to-head before some of them advance to the Knockout Rounds.

      Mar 30, 2021

      AceShowbiz –
      “The Voice” returned with a new episode on Tuesday, March 29. The episode marks the premiere of Battle Rounds in season 20, featuring singers going head-to-head before some of them advanced to the Knockout Rounds. During this round, each coach was given one steal and one save.

      The first battle was between Team Kelly Clarkson’s Ryleigh Modig and Gean Garcia. The pair took the stage to sing “POV” by Ariana Grande. Coach Blake Shelton commented, “If Kelly was here I would tell her, why did you pair these two together, it’s awful, what is she doing.” Kelsea Ballerini, who stepped in for Kelly as she was sick, was having a hard time to choose one between the amazing singers. Eventually, Riley won with John Legend and Nick Jonas hitting their buttons to steal Gene. Gene chose John.

      The next singers to go head-to-head were Connor Christian and Aaron Konzelman from Team Blake. The two sang Waylon Jennings’ “Ain’t Living Long Like This”. Nick gushed over Connor’s “rasp” while he loved Aaron’s “professional qualities.” As for John, he said, “I really had a fun time listening to the whole thing.” Coach Blake commented, “Aaron, I don’t know how you manage to do anything else when you are so good at this. Connor, once you are in the zone, nobody can get you out of there.” Blake eventually announced Connor as the winner and no one unfortunately stole Aaron.

      Dana Monique and Devan Blake Jones from Team Nick then hit the stage to belt out “Stuck on U” by Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber. Blake mentioned about Dana’s “powerful” vocal. John added, “Devan, I really think you are a great vocalist, you have so much fire, my only concern is that there were a few accuracy issues when it came to the pitch. Dana, you looked natural up there, when it came to execution you were on point the whole time.” Dana won the battle. However, Devan stayed on the competition as Nick decided to save him.

        See also…

      Battling next were Team John’s Christine Cain and Pia Renee who sang Brandy’s song “Baby”. “I feel like I just watched a sass off. Both of you look amazing, you look like I have it together, I am ready to go, and I think as a woman in music it is important to know yourself like that and I see that in both of you as well and that is really amazing,” Kelsea gushed. Meanwhile, Blake said, “Christine, you are such a good singer but at times I felt like you were so laid back and it goes to Pia and she explodes with these vocal moments that really hit the mark. For that reason, I think I would go with Pia.” The winner of the battle was Pia and no one stole Christine.

      Team Nick’s Jose Figueroa Jr. and Awari were then up next, singing “You Say” by Lauren Daigle. “This is genuinely a tough decision Nick Jonas. I feel like your voice Jose was a little more fluid and a little more effortless. Awari I love how strong and solid your voice is. Nick, I might very slightly edge towards Awari and I’m not even sure about that, it’s very close,” John commented. Nick also called the duet “phenomenal.” Eventually, Nick picked Jose as the winner of the battle. Awari was sent home as nobody hit their buttons.

      The final battle that night was between Ethan Lively and Avery Robinson as they sang “Just Got Started Lovin’ You” by James Otto. “I felt like it was inviting, the performance. This song did have that low note and I felt like Ethan has that robust low tone. It is amazing to me that Ethan is only seventeen. I think at this moment, Ethan did a little bit better, but this song played to his strengths,” John raved. “Ethan, you made Nick half the man, you made him jealous. Avery, you came in high demand, you had all four coaches want you. I say you come alive up there,” Blake added. After a tough decision, Ethan was named as the winner. As Avery was available to steal, Kelsea stole Avery on behalf of Kelly.

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      CBS Shuts Down Report That Sharon Osbourne Received $10M for Leaving 'The Talk'

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      CBS/Monty Brinton

      The network announced Sharon’s departure in a statement on Friday, March 26, two weeks after the 68-year-old British was involved in a heated argument about race with black co-host Sheryl Underwood.

      Mar 30, 2021

      AceShowbiz –
      CBS has responded to a report claiming that CBS gave Sharon Osbourne up to $10 million ahead of her exit from “The Talk”. According to Page Six, a source spilled that Sharon “is walking away with a $5 to $10 million minimum payout and was able to spin that it was her decision [to leave the show].”

      Another source, meanwhile, added that the wife of Ozzy Osbourne would be speaking out about her exit “when she is ready.” The informant continued, “She has been on that show for 11 years and knows all the secrets.”

      CBS, however, has denied the claims. “False, inaccurate or untrue. Take your pick,” a CBS spokesperson said.

      The network announced Sharon’s departure in a statement which was released on Friday, March 26, two weeks after the 68-year-old British was involved in a heated argument about race with black co-host Sheryl Underwood. “Sharon Osbourne has decided to leave ‘The Talk’. The events of the March 10 broadcast were upsetting to everyone involved, including the audience watching at home,” the statement read.

        See also…

      “As part of our review, we concluded that Sharon’s behavior toward her co-hosts during the March 10 episode did not align with our values for a respectful workplace,” the statement continued.

      CBS also denied Sharon’s claims that she was “blindsided” by producers over the confrontation in the episode. “We also did not find any evidence that CBS executives orchestrated the discussion or blindsided any of the hosts,” the statement also read. “At the same time, we acknowledge the Network and Studio teams, as well as the showrunners, are accountable for what happened during that broadcast as it was clear the co-hosts were not properly prepared by the staff for a complex and sensitive discussion involving race.”

      “During this week’s hiatus, we are coordinating workshops, listening sessions and training about equity, inclusion and cultural awareness for the hosts, producers and crew. Going forward, we are identifying plans to enhance the producing staff and producing procedures to better serve the hosts, the production and, ultimately, our viewers,” the statement concluded.

      Sharon received backlash after she defended Piers Morgan who said that he didn’t believe Meghan Markle’s claims, including her racism experience in the royal family. “I am with you. I stand by you,” she tweeted at the time. “People forget that you’re paid for your opinion and that you’re just speaking your truth.”

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      Sean Bean Talks About Derailing ‘Snowpiercer’

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      In an interview, the actor discussed Monday’s Season 2 finale, his character’s Trumpian qualities and whether he would be up for a “Game of Thrones” prequel.This interview includes spoilers for Monday’s season finale of “Snowpiercer.”As Ned Stark, the initial, if short-lived protagonist of HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” Sean Bean was the first actor to utter that show’s signature phrase: “Winter is coming.”In his latest series, TNT’s “Snowpiercer,” winter has arrived — the Big Freeze, a cataclysmic temperature collapse that has disabled the Earth and forced a few thousand survivors to seek shelter aboard a train that hurtles perpetually around the icy planet. (The premise is taken from a series of graphic novels by Jacque Lob, Jean-Marc Rochette and Benjamin Legrand, as well as from Bong Joon Ho’s film adaptation.) Now, though, the story’s ice age might be ending; the Earth might warming enough to support life again. Once more, though, the biggest obstacle to this healing is humanity itself.Bean’s character, Wilford, was little more than an idea in Season 1, a Wizard of Oz-like figure who had been installed in the minds of the passengers as the world’s savior. This lie was kept alive for years by the train’s designer and engineer, Melanie (Jennifer Connelly), who created Wilford out of old voice recordings that she edited into new speeches. But in Season 2, Wilford himself showed up, determined to take charge. This Wilford was more of a cruel Joffrey than an honorable Ned Stark, ready to kill and humiliate his subjects and engineer problems only that he could fix, and thus receive godlike worship in return.Wilford’s gaslighting manipulations and abuses were an unsettling study of cultlike leaders, indoctrination, propaganda and authoritarianism. After a year of lockdown, the real-life parallels were sometimes too claustrophobic — and too relevant — to be seen as pure escapism.In Monday’s Season 2 finale, Wilford once again attempted to sabotage humanity’s best hope, this time in the form of Melanie, who had ventured outside the train to gather data about Earth’s possible warming. (“See ya!” he shouted as the train rumbled by.) In the end, though, it was Wilford himself who was left stranded, the engine cut loose by a few passengers. Come Season 3, which is being filmed now in Vancouver, these two factions will have to reach a truce in order for “Snowpiercer” — the train and the show — to move forward.During a phone call from Vancouver, Bean discussed diving into his fiendish role, why Wilford enjoys a good blood bath and whether the actor would be willing to do a “Game of Thrones” prequel. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.When Alex (Rowan Blanchard) slashed your throat in the finale, I thought you might die. But then I remembered reading that you had stopped taking roles in which your character would be killed off. Is that still the case?[Chuckles.] It was a bit worrying, actually! I forgive you for thinking it might be the end. I think everyone expects me to die at some point in this series. That’s what I do.I worked on a film recently called “Possessor,” and I was supposed to die in that. I asked them: “Why don’t you just badly injure me instead? You can put me in a wheelchair.” They said OK. So by the end of the film, I’ve got brain damage, but at least I’m alive. I’m not really that bothered by dying if there is a justifiable reason for it, but I don’t want to keep dying all the time. And it kind of gives the game away if you see me and you think, “How long is this guy going to last?” So when I do survive, it’s a bit of a surprise!Wilford does a lot of surprising things. He would rather sabotage humanity’s best chances of survival than deal with his own petty jealousy. Wouldn’t it be more advantageous just to steal the credit for Melanie’s discoveries?Yeah, I wonder about that. What does he actually want to achieve? There’s got to be an ultimate goal. But he doesn’t want anybody else to make decisions. I’m sure he’d like someplace safe to live, someplace more temperate. But if he can’t discover it himself, he would very happily sweep aside whoever did. He wants to be the one to say: “I found this myself. I’m colonizing it. It’s going to be named after me.” He’ll use any means to achieve that.Bean, who was famously killed off early in “Game of Thrones,” now has a reputation for playing characters who die. “That’s what I do,” he said.Helen Sloan/HBOHis willingness to sacrifice everyone else for his short-term gains reminded me of how some politicians responded in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.Leaders in America got the nod that the pandemic was going to happen and sold their shares. People with prior knowledge preferred to make a profit first. It is a despicable reaction.I wonder if that was a political move, right at the beginning, to put all the blame on China. I guess the origins of it don’t matter anymore, but I do wonder about this slandering of different countries for political reasons. In the midst of all this, they’re still being political, which is astounding.Was there any aspect of Donald Trump that affected your portrayal of Wilford?He’s an easy target. [Laughs.] If I’m honest, I used to enjoy watching Donald Trump. I found him highly entertaining and rather funny. I didn’t trust him. I didn’t like much of his policies, or what he believed in. But he talked like a regular guy, and that kind of brought you in. He also could just dismiss someone very quickly and start laughing about it. I couldn’t help but notice that and apply a little of that attitude in Wilford.Trump liked to use the rhetoric and the platitudes that a lot of American presidents use, including Joe Biden: “We’re all in this fight together” or “Loyalty is rewarded.” It sounds a little more sinister coming from Wilford, but it’s the same kind of message — it sounds grand, but it doesn’t actually mean anything. Wilford’s a good orator. He likes the sound of his own voice, and he likes dressing up to address an audience. That’s why he’s successful — he’s attractive, charming and witty. But that just masks the savagery, barbarism and cruelty.But there are other monsters out there, present-day and past, who are more fitting comparisons for Wilford. I don’t think Bill Gates is a particularly attractive character — he’s certainly a man who relishes control, and I’m a bit wary of that kind of guy. Jeff Bezos, various others, they’ve got so many billions, but they’re still trying to get more. It’s not even the money. They really want to be influential in the world and put forward their ideas. They want to continue trying to get to the top, whatever the top may be. That’s Wilford. He just wants to be top dog and have ultimate power over life and death.Wilford is not exactly anti-science, but he seems only interested in certain kinds of science.He’s like Dr. Frankenstein, with the capability of creating monsters. He spent a lot of time researching how to suffer extreme cold conditions, and that’s been demonstrated with Icy Bob (Andre Tricoteux) and now Josie (Katie McGuinness). He’s just experimenting. That’s another aspect of Wilford, meddling with people’s lives, treating them like animals. That’s where he spends a lot of his time, pursuing things that wouldn’t be allowed in normal society.Like his bath ritual, joining people in the tub and convincing them to slit their own wrists?It’s like a game. Kevin (Tom Lipinski) is lulled into a trance-like state, because he thinks so much of Wilford. He loves him. And Wilford convinces Kevin: “Get in the bath, sit in the bath. And I’ll talk about what you did and how it was wrong. Here’s a razor blade!” [Laughs.] It’s kind of his mantra: “Here’s a way to make it go away. You don’t have to worry. Everything’s fine.”He did that with Miss Audrey (Lena Hall), too. He doesn’t care about people. He does care about Miss Audrey, in that he has a fanciful, romantic vision of her, kind of twisted and lustful. But apart from that, humans are just like ants to him.Were there any scenes you found hard to wrap your mind around?The mango sex scene was a difficult scene for me and Lena Hall. That took it to a new level of weirdness. We were making it up as we went along. I was putting the mango between her legs, she was putting it between mine, and it became a sensual encounter, in a warped and tasty way.The way this season ends, the uncoupled train and engine will have to be reconnected. What does that mean for Wilford’s reign?Maybe we’ll get to see him in a more reasonable light. There are moments where he has to bargain with people, comply with some of their demands and try to be diplomatic. He’s in such a dire situation, so he does have to work with Layton (Daveed Diggs). This might give the audience the impression that Wilford’s folding, but there’s always an ulterior motive — it’s never simple. That’s how cunning he is, how good he is at scheming.HBO is developing several “Game of Thrones” prequels, one of which would be about Robert’s Rebellion.Is that King Robert Baratheon? I keep hearing about so many different remakes. I mean, there’s a “Lord of the Rings” series coming, too. I might be too old to play Ned Stark again. That’s the trouble, isn’t it? It depends on how far you go back, doesn’t it? I’d love to reprise the role. Maybe they could do that thing they did with Robert De Niro in “The Irishman,” do a few alterations! [Laughs.] I don’t see why not. More

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      'RHOA': Porsha Williams and Marlo Hampton Involved in Tense Moment Over Kenya Moore

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      Bravo

      In the Sunday, March 28 episode of the long-running Bravo reality show, Porsha confronts her friend Marlo’s newfound friendship with co-star Kenya Moore.

      Mar 29, 2021

      AceShowbiz –
      “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Porsha Williams and Marlo Hampton had a moment in the Sunday, March 28 episode of the Bravo reality show. In the new outing, Porsha confronted Marlo’s newfound friendship with co-star Kenya Moore.

      It took place when the ladies attended a dancing class in New Orleans. “Well, since this seems like a nice, healing space, I feel like we should talk,” Porsha told Marlo after she pulled her aside following the class. “I feel like your movement has changed being a friend to me.”

      Marlo responded, “It’s been like an elephant in the room and I feel it’s different because of Kenya.” To that, Porsha replied, “This whole thing with Kenya if you want to bring it up. You had your showroom, I didn’t know when the showroom was opening. I knew that you were having it because you had told me about it.”

        See also…

      Defending herself, Marlo explained to Porsha, “I didn’t invite anyone to it. She called and asked could she come.” Porsha then replied, “I would love to support my friends, but that opportunity wasn’t there. And then now you’ve been here this whole weekend, you have not called my phone, nothing.”

      That didn’t sit well with Marlo as she said to Porsha, “I am a friend to you and I feel like you don’t trust me being friends with someone who you do not f**k with. Let’s keep it one hundred. I wasn’t here for Kenya at all when y’all was doing playdates.” She referred to when Porsha and Kenya had baby playdates last year, way before the Strippergate this season.

      “Wasn’t I hating on her [then]? You was, ‘No, she’s so sweet,’ ” Marlo said. She then tried to explain why she chose to make up with Kenya earlier this season. However, Porsha insisted, “And as soon as ya’ll met up, that’s when your energy changed.” Clapping back, Marlo said, “I feel like that’s when you changed.”

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      What’s on TV This Week: ‘Extinction — The Facts’ and ‘Hysterical’

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      A sobering nature program with David Attenborough airs on PBS. And FX debuts a documentary about women in comedy.Between network, cable and streaming, the modern television landscape is a vast one. Here are some of the shows, specials and movies coming to TV this week, March 29-April 4. Details and times are subject to change.MondayINDEPENDENT LENS: ’TIL KINGDOM COME (2021) 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). The filmmaker and journalist Maya Zinshtein looks at the unusual relationship between American evangelical Christians and Israeli Jews in this documentary. Zinshtein follows Yael Eckstein, the president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and the Kentucky pastors William Bingham III and his son Boyd Bingham IV, exploring why many evangelical Christians in America actively support Israeli Jews, and why their help is courted by some. Zinshtein has a “patient, observant approach,” Devika Girish wrote in her review for The New York Times. The director, Girish added, “catches her subjects in moments of damning irony: Eckstein smiles awkwardly whenever the End Times are mentioned by her evangelical allies; the Binghams encourage their poverty-stricken congregation to send their spare change to the Holy Land.”RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS 9 p.m. on National Geographic. The actor Anthony Mackie has been tearing through bad guys this month in the new Marvel TV series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” That show presumably has a far more robust on-set catering setup than “Running Wild With Bear Grylls” does, so Mackie was being a good sport when he signed up for Monday night’s sixth-season premiere of Grylls’s wilderness survival series. In the episode, Mackie joins Grylls for an expedition into one of the world’s great mountain ranges: the Dolomites in northeastern Italy.TuesdayA scene from “The Last Cruise.”HBOTHE LAST CRUISE (2021) 9 p.m. on HBO. You may not have heard of this documentary’s cinematographers, but you’ve probably heard about them. They’re people who were onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship when it became a coronavirus hot spot early last year. “The Last Cruise” revisits the outbreak and the ensuing full-ship lockdown using footage shot on board by passengers and crew members.REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955) 9:45 p.m. on TCM. See Natalie Wood at three stages of her career on Tuesday night, when TCM airs “Rebel Without a Cause” sandwiched by “The Green Promise” (1949, airing at 8 p.m.) and “Inside Daisy Clover” (1965, at 11:45 p.m.). The iconic role here is the one in “Rebel,” in which Wood, James Dean and Sal Mineo play a trio of teens whom Bosley Crowther, pulling no punches in his 1955 review for The Times, described as “young people neglected by their parents or given no understanding and moral support by fathers and mothers who are themselves unable to achieve balance and security in their homes.”WednesdayEXTINCTION — THE FACTS 8 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). The prototypical English nature series host David Attenborough presents this sobering look at humans’ role in speeding the extinction of species across the globe, and how human activities affect the prevalence of pandemic diseases. Attenborough, 94, begins the program by looking straight into the camera, addressing the audience directly. “Over the course of my life, I’ve encountered some of the world’s most remarkable species of animals,” he says. “Only now do I realize just how lucky I’ve been — many of these wonders seem set to disappear forever.”ThursdayTRUE GRIT (2010) 7:05 p.m. on HBO. Jeff Bridges stars in this Coen brothers remake of a 1960s western. Bridges plays Rooster Cogburn, a growling U.S. marshal who is hired by a young girl (Hailee Steinfeld) to hunt down the outlaw (Josh Brolin) who killed her father. That mission leads them to cross paths with a Texas Ranger (Matt Damon) whose self-importance, like much else here, is played for laughs.FridayIliza Shlesinger in “Hysterical.”FXHYSTERICAL (2021) 9 p.m. on FX. Margaret Cho, Lisa Lampanelli, Kathy Griffin, Nikki Glaser, Fortune Feimster and Iliza Shlesinger are among the several generations of comics interviewed in this documentary, which looks at the experiences of women in the industry. The comedians talk about how they got their start, the women they looked up to as beginners, the stereotypes and sexist expectations they overcame in clubs, and what drove them to do comedy in the first place. Says Shlesinger: “I’m offering up myself, in an effort to find myself, hoping that in doing so you will also find yourself.”SaturdayCAROL (2015) 9:45 p.m. on TCM. Few films from this century make more sense to air on Turner Classic Movies — a channel known for vintage Hollywood titles — than “Carol,” the director Todd Haynes’s adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel, “The Price of Salt.” Haynes both meticulously recreates the story’s midcentury setting and, thanks in large part to the screenwriter Phyllis Nagy’s reworking of the story, subverts it. Like the book, the film hinges on a romance between a young woman in New York, Therese (Rooney Mara), and an older housewife in the suburbs, Carol (Cate Blanchett). But while the novel specifically follows Therese, the film shifts between the two women’s perspectives. In his review for The New York Times, A.O. Scott called that decision “radical.” At once “ardent and analytical, cerebral and swooning, ‘Carol’ is a study in human magnetism, in the physics and optics of eros,” he wrote. “With sparse dialogue and restrained drama, the film is a symphony of angles and glances, of colors and shadows.”Danielle Brooks in “Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia.”LifetimeROBIN ROBERTS PRESENTS: MAHALIA 8 p.m. on Lifetime. The actress and singer Danielle Brooks (“Orange Is the New Black”) plays the gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in this biopic, which dramatizes Jackson’s growth into a star singer and a symbol in the civil rights movement. Brooks, who was nominated for a Tony Award for “The Color Purple” in 2016, is joined by several other Broadway performers — including the Tony-nominated actress Joaquina Kalukango, who was also in “The Color Purple.”Sunday27TH ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS 9 p.m. on TBS and TNT. Nominees for the top honors at this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards include many of the films and performers that are in the running for the Oscars, which are less than a month away. “Minari” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” might have the most to gain — both are in the running forbest picture at the Oscars, and the ensembles of both movies are up for the best cast honor at Sunday night’s SAG awards. A win for either film would create momentum going into the Academy Awards. More

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      'SNL' Cast Member Bowen Yang Addresses Anti-Asian Hate Crimes

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      NBC/Will Heath

      During the ‘Weekend Update’ segment, the first Chinese-American cast member on the series shares about a helpful mantra for himself which is a Mandarin cheer ‘Jiayou’ that roughly translates to ‘Fuel up.’

      Mar 29, 2021

      AceShowbiz –
      “Saturday Night Live” cast member Bowen Yang talked about something that really hit home in the new episode of the NBC comedy show. During the “Weekend Update” segment in the Saturday, March 27 episode, the first Chinese-American cast member on the series addressed anti-Asian hate crime that recently rises in the United States.

      In the segment, Yang shared about a helpful mantra for himself which was a Mandarin cheer “Jiayou” that roughly translates to “Fuel up.” The comedian said, “I don’t know what’s helpful to say to everyone, but that’s what I say to myself. Fuel up. Do more. It’s the Year of the Metal Ox, which basically means a car. So everyone get in, buckle up, it’s no pee breaks. We ride at dawn, grandmas!”

      The “Nora from Queens” actor referred to the 75-year-old Asian American woman named Xiao Zhen Xie. Earlier this month, Xie was punched by a white man in San Francisco, California, but then she used a wooden board to fight back. The suspect, Steve Jenkins, who attacked 83-year-old Ngoc Pham, was arrested at the scene.

        See also…

      The attack arrived just one day after Robert Aaron Long killed eight people at three Atlanta-area massage parlors. Of the victims, six were women of Asian descent.

      Back to the show, Yang still attempted to bring laughter as he joked, “Six ways you can check in on your AAPI friends and tell them they’re so hot.”

      “Weekend Update” host Colin Jost then asked Yang if those tips were going to help Asian Americans. To that, Yang responded, “Maybe. I don’t know, Colin… What can I say to help how insanely bad things are?” The 30-year-old went on to say, “If someone’s personality is ‘punch an Asian grandma,’ it’s not a dialogue. I have an Asian grandma, you want to punch her. There ain’t no common ground, mama.”

      “Look, I’m just a comedian, I don’t have the answers. But I’m not just looking for them online, I’m looking around me,” he added. “The GoFundMe for Xiao Zhen Xie, the grandmother who fought back against her attacker, raised $900,000, which she immediately gave back to the community. That’s where we are as Asians. Come meet us there.”

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      Doc Severinsen Recalls High Notes, Low Notes and Everything in Between

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      Doc Severinsen hadn’t been able to practice his trumpet in a couple of days, and by his own admission, it was making him irritable. “I’m getting a little bit antsy,” he said one afternoon earlier this month.Were he not currently conducting a video interview from the kitchen of his home in Tennessee, he said, “By now, I’d have a trumpet in my hand, and I would be pretty much doing that the rest of the day.”Instead the 93-year-old Severinsen was sharing reflections from his life and career as a trumpeter and bandleader of “The Tonight Show” while his companion, Cathy Leach, sat nearby. As he occasionally, instinctually pursed his lips to practice the embouchure he uses on his mouthpiece, he explained that he was a different man when separated from his instrument. In his reedy, rumbling voice, he said, “I don’t become the most pleasant guy to live with.”Audiences got to know Severinsen best during his 30-year run on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show,” where he served not only as its musical frontman but also as a flashily attired comic foil to its host, who became a close friend behind the scenes. Carson died in 2005, and his announcer and sidekick, Ed McMahon, died in 2009, leaving Severinsen the most prominent surviving face of that influential late-night show.Over 30 years on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon, Severinsen was both musical frontman and comic foil.Douglas C. Pizac/Associated PressNow, Severinsen is pulling back the curtain on his own life in a new documentary, “Never Too Late: The Doc Severinsen Story,” which will make its debut Friday on PBS’s “American Masters.”The film, which is directed by Kevin S. Bright and Jeff Consiglio, chronicles Severinsen’s upbringing in Arlington, Ore., where his father was the local dentist (thus earning his son, Carl, the lifelong nickname “Doc”). The documentary also explores his work as a musician, on “The Tonight Show” and off, and dives deeply into his personal life, his marriages and his family’s history with alcoholism.If the movie uncovers much that viewers didn’t know about him, Severinsen said, “I found out how much I didn’t know, too.”Severinsen spoke further about the making of “Never Too Late,” its revelations and his fulfilling, frustrating obsession with the trumpet. These are edited excerpts from that conversation.You’ve been off “The Tonight Show” now for almost as many years as you were on it. Does that experience seem distant to you now?It does. But at first — and I can’t tell you how long that went on for — I would wake up in the morning and think, Oh, God, I’ve got to get going or I’m going to be late for work. I’ve got to pick out a program of music. Oh, wait a minute — I don’t do that anymore.What keeps you occupied now?I’ve got that jealous bitch over in the corner — the trumpet. And if you don’t pick that baby up and treat it right, you’re going to have nothing but trouble.“All you know is you’ve got to pick out the right music, conduct the band and be ready to talk,” Severinsen said of his time on “The Tonight Show.”Ron Tom/NBCUniversal via Getty Images How were you persuaded to be the subject of a film about your life?Kevin Bright has had a working relationship with my eldest daughter, Nancy. They had renewed their friendship, and Kevin said: “How’s your dad? What’s he up to?” The next thing I know, Nancy’s calling me, saying, “Dad, I spoke to Kevin and he wants to do a documentary.” I laughed and said: “That’ll be the day. No thanks.”What changed your mind?Kevin knew how to handle me. One thing led to another, and all of a sudden we’re sitting in the kitchen, here in this house. I had this feeling of, Why am I doing this? What the hell is going on? Then we started talking and we never stopped.Are people surprised when they see you dressed casually, as you are today, instead of sporting some of your memorable apparel from “The Tonight Show”?The way you see me now, it’s the way I’ve always been. I’ve got a cowboy shirt on and jeans and cowboy boots. I thought I might go riding today — it turns out, that’s not going to happen, but I’ve still got the right clothes on for it.Severinsen, known for his garish outfits on “The Tonight Show,” opts for more muted attire these days.via Just Bright ProductionsSo all that eye-popping clothing you wore on the show was a kind of affectation?It was at first, yeah. It was a desperation kind of a thing. You don’t know when they’re going to talk to you or what they’re going to talk to you about. All you know is you’ve got to pick out the right music, conduct the band and be ready to talk. Because the one thing you don’t want to have happen is, you’re sitting there, [mindlessly] “Oh boy, I sure enjoyed that dinner last night,” and you hear Johnny say, “Isn’t that right, Doc?”Did Carson ever catch you off guard?One time, he asked me to hit a double high-C on trumpet. And I thought, Holy Christ. I knew I was capable of it if I had time to work on it. But somehow, from past experience, I hit that note and did a pretty doggone good job. And I thought, I’ve got to have a finish for this. So I did a take of great pain and reeling around and fell flat on the floor. I didn’t know I was going to do that! Neither did Johnny. It’s all about being in show business, I guess.Is it fair to say there was a kind of friendly one-upmanship in your on-camera relationship with Carson?Well, there was no one-upmanship because we knew who had the one-up. It was mostly me paying attention and trying to fit in. But Johnny, he was an artist. He could produce and write a script in his mind while he’s saying it.“You get out of the trumpet exactly what you put into the trumpet,” Severinsen said.via Just Bright ProductionsCarson had a behind-the-scenes reputation, even among people who worked for him, for being enigmatic or elusive. Was that your experience with him?Well, the only person who could answer that is Johnny. He knows if he’s thinking in his mind about some friend who’s passed away or a secret desire he has to do this or that, or God, I wish I’d had a hamburger for lunch. But he was an extremely bright man. He was friends with Carl Sagan, and he used to love to get together with him and talk about the universe. I’d go out with him on his boat, and we’re sitting there, looking up at night, and he’s explaining the whole damn works up there. There was a lot more to him than he ever let on.You felt you saw a side of him that he didn’t necessarily share with others?I did, and I can tell you right now, I ain’t going to talk about it. [Chuckles.] Us guys, sometimes, when we have real pain — Oh, I wish I hadn’t done that, or I wish I had done that — you don’t get the whole thing.You’re candid in the film about your history with alcoholism — how it ran in your family and how your first wife’s problems with it led to the dissolution of your marriage to her. Were you nervous about sharing this with people?No, I wasn’t nervous because it’s fact. If you’re an alcoholic, you should be one of the first ones to know. Well, I wasn’t one of the first ones to know that I was an alcoholic. My wife at that time, I’ll tell you, I feel sorry for her. I’m not angry over any of it. There I was with three little kids — I’ve got to be Dad, I’ve got to be Mom, I’ve got to be the maid. I’ve got to do it all. And then I have to go over to the police department and say to the guy at the des:, “Listen, if your patrolmen see my wife driving our car — and especially if there’s little kids in there, would you do me a favor? Would you pull her over? And if she’s been drinking at all, take the car from her, take her home and make the kids safe.”“If you don’t pick that baby up and treat it right,” Severinsen said about his trumpet, “you’re going to have nothing but trouble.”Kristine Potter for The New York TimesThere was often a lot of joking about drinking on “The Tonight Show.” Did that make it hard to maintain your sobriety?I didn’t come to work and say, “Now, Johnny, there’s something I’ve got to tell you — I’m an alcoholic, so look out now.” Quite the opposite. And about the time I was just starting out on “The Tonight Show,” I also became aware that if you’re an alcoholic, you’re probably a drug addict also. And I found out that I was. And I said, “Whoa, boy, they’re taking away all my toys.”But you’re better for it.I’ll put it to you this way, I’m alive.What drugs were you using?I don’t even want to discuss it. None of the rock-hard stuff. But close. Very close.Your third wife, Emily, is an on-camera subject in the documentary, and she speaks frankly about how your marriage to her unraveled after your time on “The Tonight Show” ended. Were you concerned about including her in the film?No, I had to trust Kevin on that. If you’re doing something that’s extremely revealing, about private matters, there’s a producer that will make that decision and you’d better figure out how you’re going to live with it. Emily, she’s a very bright person, and fair. She’s — well, I’m in a much better place.You’re happy in your life with Cathy Leach, who is a professor emeritus of trumpet at the University of Tennessee?I don’t know how to describe it. But when I pull the covers up under my chin at night and she reaches over and makes sure that I got my arms covered and I’m all settled and everything’s OK — I don’t want to get into religion, but I thank God she came into my life.Are you still discovering new things about the trumpet?Oh, yeah. But when you pick up a trumpet, don’t think it’s going to be a bouquet of roses the rest of your life. You get out of the trumpet exactly what you put into the trumpet. If you put bad timing and a bad attitude, anything negative at all into the trumpet, it comes right back to hit you in the face.Do you ever have days when you think, I can’t play that damned thing for another minute?Yes, but I don’t call it a “damned thing.” Because the trumpet has the last word. I try to remain respectful of that damned thing. More

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      On ‘S.N.L.’, Maya Rudolph Hosts a Unity Seder as Kamala Harris

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      The “Saturday Night Live” alumna reprised her role as Vice President Kamala Harris in a sketch that also featured Alex Moffat’s return as President Biden.This weekend, “Saturday Night Live” added one more question to the four that are customarily asked at a Passover Seder: Why wasn’t this sketch chosen as the cold open?You had to wait until just before midnight for the topical, politically themed satire that usually kicks off an “S.N.L.” broadcast — this one featuring the host, Maya Rudolph, in her recurring role as Vice President Kamala Harris. Her task? To M.C. a Passover meal intended as a call for unity.“This has been a difficult year for all of us,” Rudolph’s Harris said. “But I really do feel that we are about to see some light. And what better night to celebrate a new beginning than Passover — or as my adopted people call it, Pesach.”Rudolph explained the four questions that would be asked at this particular Seder: “How’s school? Did you eat? When are you giving me grandchildren? And what’s with the haircut?” Then she introduced the man she described as “my rock, my everything, my Semitic smokeshow, my stepbaby-daddy” — Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman, as played by Martin Short.In customary “S.N.L.” style, they were joined by various cast members playing prominent political figures, including Aidy Bryant as Senator Ted Cruz, who brought Israeli-flag cupcakes and pigs in a blanket. (“Well, we can’t have pork or bread, so thank you,” Rudolph told her.)Chloe Fineman appeared as Ella Emhoff, the second daughter, model and fashion designer. “Am I breaking your eyes?” she asked. “Good. You may think I look insane, but I assure you, I’m the most normal looking girl in Bushwick.”Kenan Thompson arrived, playing Senator Raphael Warnock, and was asked by Rudolph to make certain that Georgia remained a blue state.“That won’t be easy,” Thompson said. “They’ll do everything they can to keep Black people from voting. We wouldn’t vote on anything if they had their way. Not even ‘American Idol.’ Jennifer Hudson would have been knocked out in the first round.”The group was then joined by Alex Moffat as President Biden, a role he had played on only one previous occasion, in December. In this appearance, Moffat portrayed Biden as brimming with confidence after his first formal news conference on Thursday.“It was so easy,” Moffat said. “A lot of critics thought I wasn’t mentally prepared enough but I think I” — he paused here to look at a note card — “proved them all wrong.”Moffat then informed Rudolph that he was giving her the responsibility of handling immigration conditions. “Thank you for the opportunity,” Rudolph said dryly. “Such a fun, solvable problem.”Moffat also reintroduced his colleagues to his not entirely tamed dog Major. A few prerecorded growls played, and that was Short’s cue to wrestle gamely on the ground with a stuffed dog.Beyoncé impersonation of the weekIf you’re going to bring Maya Rudolph back to “S.N.L.”, you’d better have her play Beyoncé Knowles-Carter in preposterous circumstances. This time, that setting was “Hot Ones,” the streaming talk show in which celebrities answer questions while trying to eat spicy food.Mikey Day played the role of its host, Sean Evans, and even he seemed confused as to why Beyoncé would appear on the program. “I feel you,” Rudolph said. “I still can’t tell if this is beneath me. But my sister Solange loves this show, so I said I’d do it.”Rudolph didn’t answer many questions, but she did successfully embody an overheated Beyoncé, sweaty and with tears streaming down her face after sampling a sauce that was too hot even for her.Music video of the weekNow that more than 39 million Americans age 65 and over have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine (according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), what are they going to do with their new status?Why, rap about it boastfully, of course.As Chris Redd raps in this video, playing one such cocky vaccinated senior:Baby boomers, greatest generationGot all the money, now we got the vaccinationCrashed the economy three whole timesAnd when it comes to the vax, we’re the first in lineWeekend Update jokes of the weekOver at the Weekend Update desk, the anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che riffed on possible new White House efforts at gun control after shootings in Atlanta and Boulder.Jost began:Well, this week kind of felt like Biden on those stairs. You thought it had to get better, but then it repeatedly got worse. In the wake of the Colorado and Atlanta shootings, President Biden called for universal background checks for gun purchases. And background checks are a great start, but shouldn’t we also do current checks? Like, what are these guys up to now? How much “Call of Duty” are they playing? Have they recently DMed a girl “hey” 30 times? Or, how about this: If you want a gun, the gun store has to talk to at least five people from your life who agree it’s a good idea for you to have a gun. It’s not really that much to ask. You’ve got to list three references on an application to work at Foot Locker.“And Republicans,” he added, “please stop pretending this is a Second Amendment issue and just admit:You love guns more than people you don’t know. These are your political ads; look at them: [Here a composite image appeared of several Republican figures posing with guns] “You look like you’re running for president of ISIS. If you actually cared about the Second Amendment, you’d also care about the well-regulated militias part. And I don’t know if you noticed when they almost hung you two months ago, but our militias aren’t super well-regulated.Che picked up the riff, replying: “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just bought a gun last summer when all those white kids started talking about getting rid of the police.”He then switched gears to Biden’s news conference, saying:President Biden gave his first press conference, which lasted for over an hour. Wow, shout out to Fixodent! At the conference, President Biden was asked if he plans to run for re-election in 2024, which is probably the nicest way to ask him if he plans on being alive in three years.Weekend Update deskside segment of the weekThough Bowen Yang is often seen here playing characters like the Chinese trade minister Chen Biao, this week he appeared as himself to address recent efforts to reduce anti-Asian hate and attacks. Yang read from what he said were calls to action he had seen on Instagram, with titles like “Six ways you can check in on your A.A.P.I. friends and tell them they’re so hot,” using the abbreviation for Asian-American and Pacific Islander people, and “Call your Senators and demand that they know about the lesbian characters in Sailor Moon!”Acknowledging that he had no easy solutions to these problems, Yang asked, “What can I say to help how insanely bad things are? If someone’s personality is Punch an Asian Grandma, it’s not a dialogue. I have an Asian grandma. You want to punch her. There ain’t no common ground, mama.”All work and no play of the weekIf you’re a fan of precise parodies of Stanley Kubrick films, or you just like seeing past “S.N.L.” stars reunite with their former castmates, there’s something here for you. In this filmed segment called “The Maya-ing,” Rudolph goes wandering through Studio 8H as if it were the Overlook Hotel from “The Shining.”But no one gets his brains bashed in with a bat — it’s just a clever opportunity for Rudolph to cross paths with old pals like Tina Fey (playing the ghost of an original “S.N.L.” writer) and Rachel Dratch (as herself, in a bathtub). Enjoy your stay, Maya, forever and ever and ever. More