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Sports

USWNT vs. Wales: Lineup, How to Watch & Start Time | Send-off Match presented by Visa – U.S. Soccer

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  1. USWNT vs. Wales: Lineup, How to Watch & Start Time | Send-off Match presented by Visa U.S. Soccer
  2. It’s showtime – Rhiannon Roberts wants Wales to prove themselves in USA send-off Yahoo Eurosport UK
  3. How to Watch United States vs. Wales: Stream Women’s International Friendly Live, TV Channel Sports Illustrated
  4. USWNT vs. Wales: How to Watch, Match Preview, Start Time & TV Channels | Send-Off Match presented by Visa U.S. Soccer
  5. USA vs. Japan, 2022 Friendly: Predictions, starting lineup, what to watch for Stars and Stripes FC
  6. View Full Coverage on Google News

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Entertainment

‘SNL’ Starts Generational Shift With Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson & Kyle Mooney Sendoff In Season Finale – Deadline

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Saturday Night Live bid farewell to four veteran cast members tonight, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson and Kyle Mooney. McKinnon, Bryant and Davidson, who have all become household names since SNL launched their careers, all got individual sendoffs with some of their most popular recurring skits. Mooney, who has spent most of his time on the show as a valuable but underrated performer, made an understated — yet dramatic — exit.

Overall, the episode, hosted by Natasha Lyonne, was a throwback to a time when longtime SNL cast members used to receive proper sendoffs in the season finale capping their runs. The last big one came during the 2012 season finale, with host and musical guest Mick Jagger. It said goodbye to Jason Sudeikis, Andy Samberg and Kristen Wiig who had completed seven-year tenures. The episode famously ended with Jagger leading a dancing sendoff for Wiig to the Rolling Stones’ “She’s a Rainbow” and “Ruby Tuesday.”

McKinnon, Bryant, Davidson and Mooney are leading members of the SNL generation that succeeded Sudeikis, Samberg and Wiig. McKinnon has been on the show for 11 seasons (tonight marked her 211th episode, more than any woman in SNL history), Bryant has been on for 10, Mooney for 9, Davidson for 8. In addition to the quartet, there are several other very popular cast members who have been on the show for eight seasons or more, including Michael Che, Colin Jost, Cecily Strong as well as SNL institution Kenan Thompson.

The pandemic likely delayed the overdue cast turnover, with only veteran Beck Bennett leaving last summer and the show’s troupe ballooning to a record 21 members this season. With McKinnon, Bryant, Davidson and Mooney’s exits, the generational change on the show has been set in motion.

The SNL Season 47 finale set the tone for the farewell with the Cold Open, which revisited one of the show’s most popular recurring sketches of the last decade, “Close Encounter,” which has included Kate McKinnon in one of her most popular characters on the show, Cecily Strong and Aidy Bryant. It ended with McKinnon’s character, Coleen Rafferty, boarding a space ship to leave Earth permanently.

“Well, Earth. I love you, thanks for letting me stay awhile,” McKinnon, as Rafferty said, fighting tears, before adding, “Live From New York, It’s Saturday Night Live.”

Weekend Update featured both Pete Davidson and Bryant.

Not surprisingly Davidson, who first made his mark on SNL with his segments on Weekend Update, returned to the fake newscast for his final appearance as a cast member. He ended it with a heartfelt message of gratitude to the show and its boss, Lorne Michaels.

“I appreciate Saturday Night Live always having my back,” he said. “Thank you, Larne, for never giving up on me or judging me, even when everyone else was and for believing in me and allowing me to have a place that I could call home, with memories that will last a lifetime. So thank you guys.”

In another Weekend Update skit, Bryant and Bowen Yang reprised their flamboyant Trend Forecasters characters. The bit ended with Bryant announcing that “My best guys kissing me” is in, leading to Yang and Weekend Update co-anchor Michael Che giving her a kiss and a shoutout, along with a coquet of flowers.

Mooney, who got to reprise one of his most popular characters, Baby Yoda, last week, was not acknowledged in his final full sketch, a 9 to 5 parody, which also featured SNL alum Fred Armisen. But it ended with Mooney and Armisen’s characters making a dramatic exit by jumping off the window and were last seen flying down an office building.

In the night’s final skit, McKinnon and Bryant, who have done a slew of zany commercial sketches, including the popular HomeGoods holiday spot and an Apple Picking ad, delivered one last collaboration, an ad for Gray Adult Pigtails. Appropriately, it featured a cameo by Mooney. (You can watch departing cast members’ final sketches as well as their last curtain call below.)

While the entire finale served as a sendoff for the four departing cast members, there was no mention of their exit during the traditional curtain call which featured a Mooney giving an emotional McKinnon a hug (photo above).

The high-profile cast departures came after Michaels recently admitted that he was expecting this year to be a “year of change” for the show. It’s not a surprise given that this season featured 21 stars and eight cast members that were entering their eighth season and beyond.

Davidson has been on SNL since 2014 as one of its youngest ever cast members. He has become one of the show’s breakout stars in recent years, co-writing and starring in The King of Staten Island and co-creating and starring in Bupkis, which recently landed a straight-to-series order at Peacock. The latter is exec produced by Lorne Michaels, who Davidson will continue to have a relationship with.

He has largely been absent this season, appearing in only a handful of episodes as he films features including The Home.

Photo Gallery: Actors Who’ve Hosted ‘Saturday Night Live’ The Most

McKinnon has been on the show since 2012 and was promoted to repertory player in season 39 in 2013, becoming one of the show’s MVPs and winning two Emmys.

There had been persistent rumors over the last few years that she may be leaving, but she has stayed on, albeit not as regularly as she’d been in the past. McKinnon recently took some time off the show to film Tiger King scripted series Joe vs. Carole for Peacock, where she played Carole Baskin.

Bryant joined the show in 2012 and was upped in her second season. She has played characters such as Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Ted Cruz. Similarly, she has come and gone recently, starring in three seasons of the Michaels-exec produced Shrill for Hulu.

Mooney, meanwhile, who recently played Johnny Depp in last week’s episode, has been with the show since 2013 and was upped to repertory player at the start of the 41st season.

Here are McKinnon, Bryant, Davidson and Mooney’s last SNL skits:







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Entertainment

‘Picard’ Season 3 Showrunner On TNG Sendoff, More Starships, Worf’s Makeup, And Other Star Trek Cameos – TrekMovie.com

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On Tuesday morning Paramount+ shocked the Star Trek community with the news that season three of Star Trek: Picard will feature the return of the main series cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. And for the rest of the day showrunner Terry Matalas joined in on the buzz on social media, including providing some insights into the upcoming season.

Matalas on keeping this labor of love a secret, promises Starships “galore”

Season two executive producer and co-showrunner Terry Matalas will be the sole showrunner for the third and final season of Picard. Since the announcement, he has been showing an unbridled enthusiasm for the season which wrapped production last month. He started off by talking about how he has kept this secret for almost a year. Many were surprised this announcement came before season two wrapped up, but Matalas explained that the team didn’t know how much longer their luck would hold out keeping something this big under wraps.

Matalas also made clear that season three of Picard is what he would do with a Star Trek show given free reign.

Production designer Dave Blass also confirmed that this TNG reunion on season three was something made possible by Matalas.

Matalas also made clear that this news was not about cameos, and season three would be a “proper send off to the TNG crew, and it has been a “labor of love for so long.” He also promised, “Federation starships galore.”

Worf is Worf

Klingons haven’t been been featured in Star Trek: Picard and so when a fan asked if Worf would look more like the Discovery-style Klingons, Matalas simply assured with “Worf looks like Worf.”

He also followed up by saying “Worf sounds like Worf.” and that he is “NOT merry.”

When pressed for details on where season three finds Worf on his arc following the events of Deep Space Nine and Nemesis, Matalas wouldn’t offer details except to say he worked closely with Michael Dorn on where they thought he would be after the Dominion War. Of course, Dorn has some very specific ideas about where things went for Worf after Nemesis.

The showrunner also indicated there would be some examination of how the Federation coped following the Dominion War.

Jeri welcomes the new players

With Matalas making clear the TNG cast are not just cameos for season three and how the season will be a “sendoff” for them, it remains to be revealed how the upcoming season will treat the other characters on the show. The only indication so far was a tweet (also retweeted by Matalas) from Jeri Ryan (Seven) about the TNG cast announcement with the actress saying “look who came to play for season 3!”

We are not ready for Beverly and the rest

One of the returning cast is Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher, who hasn’t appeared on Picard and has only obliquely been mentioned. Responding to a fan, the showrunner promised we are “not ready” for what they have in store for Beverly in season three.

For her part, McFadden responded to the news (as reported by TrekMovie) by expressing her love for Matalas for making it happen and saying it was “Cool to make” and hoping it will be “gigantically cool to watch.”

And McFadden also said season 3 was her favorite space dream, In response to Picard writer/producer Christopher Monfette talking about what a dream it was to work with the TNG cast, and also saying they are bringing their best work, adding new layers, and promising a good villain too.

As for the return of LeVar Burton, Matalas responded to the actor’s tweet to tease how fans will find out “whatever happened to Geordi LaForge.”

Jonathan Frakes has appeared as Riker before on Star Trek: Picard and Matalas complimented the actor/director for his discretion after a fan pointed out how Frakes responded to the question about returning as Riker in his TrekMovie interview from last week.

 

Matalas didn’t have anything specific to say about Brent Spiner or Marina Sirtis, but he did retweet the actress saying “we’re baaaaaaaaack!”

Wheaton responds to questions about Wesley

One notable name not included in the announcement was Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher on TNG, first as a series regular and then as a recurring character. Wheaton is still involved with the new Trek as the host of the official Star Trek after show The Ready Room. And Wheaton responded to the news in a blog post on his website which said in part…

I have been reading the Internet, as you do, and I see a lot of my fellow nerds are as excited to see the TNG cast back together as I am.

I’ve also seen a LOT of people — like, way more than I ever would have imagined –expressing dismay that Wesley isn’t part of it.

I share some of your sadness, for my own reasons, but I choose to focus instead on how special it’s going to be to see my family back together again, and how wonderful it’s going to be to talk with them about it in the Ready Room.

His blog post also included how Wheaton imagined “what would happen if Wesley DID show up?” by writing out a scene with Picard and Traveler Wesley.

As for Matalas, he only responded to one of the questions with, “Where is he? That kooky Traveler.”

Hints at more series cameos

With so much love for TNG, some fans are wondering if the final season might see some familiar faces from other Star Trek shows. The showrunner didn’t say for sure, but used a “Maybe” GIF that indicates cameos are coming. In the past, Matalas has hinted that Deep Space Nine will see some love in season three.

Behind the scenes TNG era reunion

Production designer Dave Blass also revealed that many veterans of the Next Generation era have been working on both season two and season three of Picard.

When a fan followed that up by asking what about bringing back some TNG writers, Blass assured the fans are in good hands with Matalas and his writing team.

New episodes of Star Trek: Picard season 2 premiere on Thursdays on Paramount+ in the U.S. and on Fridays where Paramount+ is available around the world. In Canada, it airs on CTV Sci-Fi Channel on streams on Crave on Thursdays. Picard is also available on Fridays on Amazon Prime Video around the world.



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World

Angela Merkel honored by German military with punk rock sendoff

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During the “Großer Zapfenstreich,” or the Grand Tattoo ceremony — which was pared back due to the Covid-19 pandemic — members of the armed forces played a 1960s song that includes the words “I can’t acquiesce, can’t make do, I still want to win,” and the song “You Forgot The Color Film,” which was first performed by East German punk artist Nina Hagen, Reuters reported.

Merkel is due to officially step down next week after 16 years in office. She will be succeeded by Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, who is expected to be sworn in as chancellor after lawmakers give him the final green light.

In a heartfelt speech at the ceremony in Berlin, Merkel said that her time in power had “challenged” her both politically and personally.

“But at the same time, it was a deeply satisfying position,” she said.

She also thanked frontline workers for their efforts throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and applauded the country’s ability to engage in constructive pro-democratic discourse throughout the last two years.

”Our democracy lives from the capacity to engage critically with the ideas and to correct its path and it lives from balancing out the respect that we have for one another and for the interest we have for one another — based on solidarity, and trust — and also trusting in facts and trusting that wherever scientific understanding is denied and conspiracy theories are pursued and incitement to hatred is pursued. ”

Merkel also said that the pandemic has demonstrated “just how important trust in politicians, in science and in public discourse and society is. But also just how fragile those things can be.”

She concluded her speech saying that it was now down to the next government ”to find answers that challenge us,” and wished her successor the very best in leading Germany into the future.

Merkel, 67, grew up under Communism in East Germany, and trained as a scientist, earning a doctorate in quantum chemistry before making a move into politics following the fall of the Berlin Wall. She won a seat in the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, in the first election after reunification.

She has navigated Germany and Europe through multiple crises over her tenure and has been hailed as a champion of liberal values and a stalwart of democratic values by supporters.

But while Merkel is seen as a bold and accomplished crisis manager, critics say she risked alienating the conservative voter base of her own party, the CDU, by taking left-of-center positions on key topics including nuclear energy, foreign policy and immigration.

CNN’s Fred Pleitgen contributed to this report.

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