Fly, Eagles Fly | Pop Recap #28

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! I may not be a huge sports fan, but I’m always here for the food, the commercials, and most importantly—Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s halftime performance.

I don’t really consider myself to be someone who has just one favorite team, so depending on the day, I could say I’m a Commanders fan or a Ravens fan or an Eagles fan. But I do love the city of Philly, I look great in hunter green and a family member of mine played for the Eagles in the 90s so…Fly, Eagles Fly! I also just don’t like the idea of the same team winning three years in a row…Anyways! Fan Fave has all the Super Bowl content you will want over on Instagram, so follow along and let’s get into this week’s biggest pop culture moments.

🗞️ Making Headlines

Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary special is set to take place next Sunday, airing at 8PM on NBC. A new teaser has revealed what stars we can expect to see. Adam Driver, Ayo Edebiri, Bad Bunny, Dave Chappelle, John Mulaney, Kim Kardashian, Martin Short, Miley Cyrus, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Pedro Pascal, Peyton Manning, Quinta Brunson, Robert De Niro, Sabrina Carpenter, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Martin, Tom Hanks and Woody Harrelson are all set to appear in celebration of the sketch comedy show’s legacy.

Marvel Studios has released the trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. The film will be in theaters starting July 25.

Sabrina Carpenter has announced a deluxe version of her album Short n’ Sweet, featuring a new remix of “Please Please Please” featuring Dolly Parton. Its set to release on February 14.

Chappell Roan won Best New Artist at the Grammys, and in her speech, she called for record labels to pay rising artists a livable wage and to provide health insurance. But some music execs are criticizing her remarks. Here’s what you need to know.

This Week in Pop Culture History:

One year ago, Beyoncé broke the internet on Super Bowl Sunday with a commercial teasing Cowboy Carter in a commercial, and later dropping its first two singles,'TEXAS HOLD ‘EM' and '16 CARRIAGES.' Now, one year later, the project has won multiple Grammys, including Album of the Year, and tickets to the Cowboy Carter tour go on sale this week.

In this edition...

• 🎥 On Screen

• 🎭 On Stage

• 🎵 In Music

• 💗 Pick of the Week

🎥 On Screen

• A trailer for Jurassic World Rebirth has been released, starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali. The newest installment of the dinosaur franchise is set to premiere on July 2.

• The Weeknd’s psychodrama, Hurry Up Tomorrow, also stars Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan. Lionsgate has released the first trailer for the film releasing on May 16.

• A spin-off of Victorious starring Daniella Monet as Trina Vega is in the works at Nickelodeon. In the series, Trina will return to Hollywood Arts as a teacher.

🎭 On Stage

• Ilana Glazer and Clark Gregg are among those joining George Clooney in Goodnight, and Good Luck on Broadway. Performances being March 12 at the Winter Garden Theater.

• Tituss Burgess is stepping into the role of Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary! on Broadway starting March 18.

🎵 In Music

• Elton John and Brandi Carlile have announced a collaboration album. Who Believes in Angels? releases on April 4.

• Blackpink is teasing a 2025 world tour. The girl group last hit the road in 2022, before taking a brief break for each member to pursue solo projects. More details are expected to come soon.

💗 Pick of the Week

Saturday Night Live is celebrating its 50th anniversary big, with plenty of behind-the-scenes content and deep dives into sketch comedy show’s iconic moments. Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music is the latest edition, exploring the massive role of music in the show’s legacy. The documentary is directed by Questlove and Oz Rodriguez, and features interviews from various former cast and crew members alongside as a wide variety of musical guests, including Miley Cyrus, Bad Bunny, Justin Timberlake, Paul Simon, Mick Jagger, Kacey Musgraves, Jack White, Elvis Costello, Billie Eilish, Dave Grohl and Dua Lipa.

What’s great about this documentary is that it doesn’t just focus on the 900+ musical guests that have performed on the Studio 8H stage. Instead, it explores all aspects of music on the show, from The Lonely Island’s viral songs to the art of musical impressions, often discussed by former cast member Eddie Murphy who did numerous notable impressions throughout his tenure on the show. The film also highlights lesser-known aspects of SNL’s music history, like the grueling double-duty schedule (for hosts who also perform) and the process of booking rising stars, like Adele and Dua Lipa, who exploded in popularity after their SNL debut. It also doesn’t shy away from the controversies, revisiting infamous moments like Ashlee Simpson’s 2004 lip-syncing fail, Sinéad O’Connor’s protest against the Catholic Church in 1992, and Kanye West’s off-script rant in 2018.

Whether you’re a fan of SNL or not, I highly recommend checking out this documentary as the stories in it are just so cool to hear. As a younger viewer of the show, I definitely learned a lot, especially in segments focusing on milestone moments, like the history of hip hop music on the show.

But if you watch nothing else, you must check out the epic intro montage, which Questlove says took a year to make. It’s the perfect mashup of 50 years of musical entertainment on the show. It’s truly electrifying to watch.

Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music is currently streaming on Peacock.

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xx Kat