Daily Rehearsal: Paul Brittain is not long for SNL

Daily Rehearsal: Paul Brittain is not long for SNL

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Brittain in character
1. And by not long, we mean not at all. Former Chicagoan Paul Brittain is no more at SNL, reports Entertainment Weekly, after a brief stint on the show in this and last season. He will not be in this weekend’s Channing Tatum-hosted fiesta. According to an unnamed source (aren’t they the best kind?), Brittain left because he “had the opportunity to pursue other projects, and he and the show parted ways amicably.” This move isn’t as shocking as it seems; Hannibal Buress did similarly, leaving his cushy job as a writer on 30 Rock because he believed so much in his stand-up (it helped that that was going well). And for those assuming that Brittain was fired, think again — SNL has a history of rather uncermoniously dumping performers, so it seems unlikely that Brittain would be fired and be able to spin it as his choice.

2. Legally Blonde has spurred some choice headlines and surprising reviews. For instance, ”‘Legally Blonde’ pretty in a pretty darn good production” (Sun-Times) and ”‘Blonde’ will, like, totally grow on you” (Tribune). It’s at the Marriott through April 1. 

3. Kathy Griffin returned to Chicago, and spoke about it. “This city is still considered to be stomping grounds for Oprah Winfrey, so she spoke of Winfrey growing into messiah status and being bored with her new Next Chapter,” writes Jerry Nunn in the Windy City Times. “Griffin appeared earlier in the day on the OWN Network for The Rosie Show so maybe the big O will be watching her next time.” Other than that,  there were many jokes about Anderson Cooper (she read his texts aloud!) and the Kardashians.

4. Felix Shuman, the founder of the Jeff Awards, died earlier this month; read a lovely obituary in the Sun-Times for him.

5. This week is the week that Keegan and Peele do press for their new show Key & Peele that premieres on Comedy Central tonight. Read this interview with them on Vulture, listen to them on Morning Edition, and see them mentioned in this New York Times article. And watch the clip below that lots of people seem to like.

Questions? Tips? Email kdries@wbez.org.