



“Saturday Night Live” was more reflective than festive in the final episode of its 50th season.
Scarlett Johansson, who set a record for a woman with her seventh appearance as host, used her monologue to lead most of the current cast of the NBC sketch institution in a song sung to the tune of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.”
The performance looked back on an eventful year that included an election, an epic anniversary special and a star-studded concert.
“Sing us a song, it’s your monologue, the 50th season is through,” Johansson sang, along with Bowen Yang, Ego Nwodim, Mikey Day, Heidi Gardner and others. “It’s lasting forever, we did it together, and we got to spend it with you.”
Johansson teased a guest appearance that would have been in keeping with the season’s excess of guest stars.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Billy Joel!” she shouted, before adding, “wrote this song.”
No cast departures have been announced, so no farewells were necessary, but Johansson and the cast joked in the song that Sarah Sherman would be gone.
“It’s been a great season, and Sarah is leaving, we’re all gonna miss you next year!” they sang. A stunned Sherman replied, “Wait, what? Did you guys hear something?”
Johansson’s husband, Colin Jost, is a writer on the show and anchor of the “Weekend Update” segment. Jost and co- anchor Michael Che returned to their annual season-finale tradition of writing and being forced to deliver wildly inappropriate jokes for each other.
Johansson is the subject of many of the Che-written jokes, so this year Jost compelled Che to bring her out and apologize for once comparing part of her body to “Costco roast beef.”
The 50th season brought much media discussion of who might run the show should 80-year-old creator Lorne Michaels ever step down. Some have suggested Jost might replace Michaels and Che forced Jost to address the issue with one of the jokes written for him.
“It’s SNL’s 50th season, so I want to take a moment to say something to our boss,” Jost said. “Lorne, retire, (explective)! Let me run the show.”
‘Final Destination’ tops box office: Death is not looming for the “Final Destination” franchise at the box office.
Its sixth installment, “Final Destination: Bloodlines,” drew big crowds to movie theaters this weekend and easily topped the domestic charts with $51 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. The movie earned the same internationally, adding up to a $102 million global debut.
The same enthusiasm did not meet Abel “the Weeknd” Tesfaye’s experimental thriller “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” which opened outside of the top five with an estimated $3.3 million.
“Final Destination” opened on strong reviews and viral marketing tactics. Its win revives a 25-year-old franchise that hasn’t had a new film since 2011.
May 20 birthdays: Actor David Proval is 83. Singer Cher is 79. Actor Dave Thomas is 76. Guitarist Jane Wiedlin is 67. Singer Susan Cowsill is 66. Actor Bronson Pinchot is 66. Actor Tony Goldwyn is 65. Actor Mindy Cohn is 59. Rapper Busta Rhymes is 53. Actor Matt Czuchry is 48. Actor Naturi Naughton is 41. Singer Jon Pardi is 40.