Tag: Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 9 – Kate McKinnon

Upright Citizens Brigade alum Kate McKinnon scored ten Emmy nominations during her ten-year tenure on SNL and it’s no mystery. In the past decade and change on the show, she’s been the standout with unforgettable impressions and truly strange fictional creations.

Her collection of impersonations runs the gamut from an uncanny Ellen DeGeneres and Jane Lynch to lots of political figures including Hillary Clinton, Angela Merkel, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elizabeth Warren, Rudy Giuliani, Lindsey Graham and Jeff Sessions. McKinnon’s range is wide as she can land excellent takes on Justin Bieber, Maggie Smith, and Lisa Kudrow.

The most known non-impression work is Colleen Rafferty, a rough around the edges recent abductee in viral sketches with Cecily Strong and, most famously, Ryan Gosling. There’s Sheila Sovage, her constantly intoxicated bar patron in the uproarious Last Call bits. At the Update desk, Russian current events commentator Olya was a highlight. #8 will be up soon!

Kate McKinnon

Years on the Show: 2012-22

Oscar Watch – John Lewis: Good Trouble

CNN Films broke into the Oscar mix two years ago with two documentaries nominated – Three Identical Strangers and RBG, focused on the life and career of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. That feature has obviously played over the weekend in the wake of her death.

Their film division should have another possibiity in 2020 with John Lewis: Good Trouble. Chronicling the Civil Rights leader and Congressman’s experiences in his decades of service, Trouble premiered just two weeks before his passing in July.

Reviews were solid and respectful with some critics saying it fell a bit short of expectations. Nevertheless the Rotten Tomatoes rating is 96% and it’s easy to imagine that awards voters will wish to include this in the Documentary Feature race. I am doubtful at this point that it wins. The Netflix doc Crip Camp, which comes from Higher Ground Productions formed by Barack and Michelle Obama, is an already released strong contender. Plus we still have plenty of time for other hopefuls to emerge. My Oscar Watch posts will continue…

Oscar Watch: On the Basis of Sex

The AFI Film Festival is underway and last night’s opening feature is the Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic On the Basis of Sex with Felicity Jones in the starring role. It’s been quite a cinematic year for the Supreme Court Justice, as the documentary RBG appears well positioned to land a nod in that race at the Oscars.

So will this big screen rendering of her life follow suit? On the basis of its critical reaction, the verdict is probably in the negative. While some reviews have been positive, others are more mixed and it currently stands at 60% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Best Actress is looking crowded this year and that likely leaves Jones out. The same holds true for supporting races with Armie Hammer and Kathy Bates. The latter has received some raves, but her role is said to be not much more than a cameo.

Bottom line: RBG’s chances for awards love lies most with the documentary and not this. My Oscar Watch posts will continue…