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Slow Burn “SNL” Last Night Dunks on Variety’s “Actors on Actors,” Also Unveils Ashley Padilla as Hottest New Star in Years

By Roger Friedman

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Last night’s “Saturday Night Live” was a slow burn show.

It took some time to ramp up from mildly low energy to some curiously funny sketches.

One highlight: that Ashley Padilla is the new Kate McKinnon, taking over the show very quickly. Wow. She’s setting records for being featured in sketches.

The funniest sketch of the night was a filmed bit, a parody of Variety magazine’s “Actors on Actors.” (See below.) This involves two actors in the various awards races who interview each other with the invisible help of Joe Franklin.

It’s not like “SNL” hasn’t struck gold since McKinnon. Sarah Sherman and Bowen Yang are terrific. But Padilla is fast out of the gate.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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