MON SIX

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Key points

• Will Forte tells EW he got "very little sleep" as he prepared to revive MacGruber for Glen Powell's Saturday Night Live hosting gig.

• The comedian first played the character as an SNL cast member, then for a film and TV series.

• "It really was like the old days," says the actor, who's currently partnering with Teva to promote awareness for Huntington's disease.

Will Fortemakes writing MacGruber sound as stressful as, well,beingMacGruber.

TheLast Man on Earthstar tellsEntertainment Weeklyabout the whirlwind saga that led to his signatureSaturday Night Livecharacter's return while promoting his Huntington's disease awareness campaign with Teva.

Forte says thatGlen Powellwas instrumental in getting MacGruber back on the air when theRunning Manactor hostedSNLin November.

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"It came pretty late in the game," Forte says of the sketch. "I know Glen a little bit through friends and so he had reached out. My friend put us in touch 'cause he was coming to host for the first time and just had a couple questions about what the week was gonna be like. So we had a nice chat about that. And he said he had a MacGruber idea."

Forte explains that he was working on the second season of Netflix'sThe Four Seasonswith fellowSNLalum Tina Fey in Beacon, N.Y., when conversations transpired about reviving MacGruber for Powell's episode.

"I was like, 'Okay, I don't think I could even do it if they wanted me to,'" he remembers. "But I didn't know what they had in mind. I thought, 'Oh, maybe they just want MacGruber to come walk out in the monologue' or something like that."

The comedian knew he was in for something more involved when he heard that theSNLteam wanted "a traditional MacGruber," which ultimately ended up being a six-minute sketch in which the title hero (Forte) tries to evade questions from his allies (played by Powell and cast memberChloe Fineman) about his presence in the Epstein files.

"So me and my buddy John Solomon and Jorma Taccone — the original MacGruber team — we just started working and stayed up super late," Forte remembers. "It was really like old times, 'cause in those oldSNLwriting days, you are so sleep deprived. So it felt like home."

Forte says that jugglingSNL,Four Seasons, and his Huntington's awareness campaign was no easy feat.

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"It was a couple nights of getting very little sleep and having to try to write in the cracks ofFour Seasonsstuff, and then go act in someFour Seasonsscenes and then run into the computer and writing, and then going into the city, staying up til 3 to write, and then waking up at 6 to shoot MacGruber and then shooting it, and then going right up to Beacon again to do this night shoot," he remembers.

Esther Kuhn/NBC

"And then I had to come back down on Saturday for this Huntington's awareness campaign with Teva. We were shooting something that Saturday, and that's the day you're editing it," he continues. "And then as soon as the Teva shoot was over, I raced over to 30 Rock and tried to edit it. So, man, it really was like the old days."

The comedian reflects on how the new MacGruber experience compared to his originalSNLrun. "Back then, when all you're doing is focusing onSNL, you're always thinking like, 'Oh man, if we could have only had even 30 more minutes!'" he says. "But this was tough 'cause it was also all three of us — me, Jorma, and John — spread out all over the place. John was in California in Lone Pine with very bad reception.Jorma had been in an accidentwhere he fell off a ladder. So he was still on pain pills every once in a while. But we did it! It was really fun."

Forte, anSNLcast member from 2002-2010, first played the character on a Jan. 20, 2007 episode of the legendary sketch show. A spoof of 1980s adventure seriesMacGyver,MacGruber recurred nearly a dozen times during the actor's run on the show, and again when he hosted in 2022. The fan-favorite character launched aless successful feature filmand, later, aneight-episode series on Peacock.

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Forte partnered with Teva to raise awareness for Huntington's disease after his brother-in-law, Douglas, was diagnosed with the condition, an inherited disorder in which nerve cells in the brain decay over time, affecting movement, cognitive ability, and mental health.

"More people have Huntington's than have ALS, but everybody knows ALS, so that's why we're trying to get the word out about it," Forte explains. "We're trying to get some support and a bigger community going to support the people who have Huntington's, and to teach the people who don't have it about it."

Forte offers his perspective on supporting the Huntington's community. "The more you can be there to support your loved ones who are going through it and create a big community around them, the better," he says. "And to talk about it. Just talk about it. The more you talk about it, the better. 'cause It's easy to just get scared about, 'Oh, am I gonna say the right thing? What do I say?' But saying anything is better than saying nothing."

You can learn more about Forte's family's experience with Huntington's disease on theHonestlyHD website.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

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NEED TO KNOW

• Billie Holiday was one of the most influential singers of the 20th century, with hits including "God Bless the Child" and "Lover Man"

• Billy Crystal's uncle Milt Gabler was a record producer who launched the label Commodore Records in the 1930s

• The four episodes of the docuseries Black & Jewish America: An Interwoven History premieres on PBS between Feb. 3 and Feb. 24

Billie Crystalis known for comedic movies like 1989'sWhen Harry Met Sally...and 1991'sCity Slickers, and for hosting the Academy Awards nine times, making him second only to 19-time Oscar host Bob Hope. But the Emmy-winning Hollywood legend also has an unexpected major tie to Black history.

His uncle Milt Gabler produced one of jazz legend Billie Holiday's seminal singles: "Strange Fruit" — a protest song that became a musical cornerstone of the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the 20th century. It's one of many examples of the divine connection between Black and Jewish Americans.

The four-episode PBS docuseriesBlack & Jewish America: An Interwoven History, which premiered on Feb. 3 with the first episode, explores the histories of Black people and Jewish people in the United States and how those histories have diverged and intersected over the course of centuries.

"By the 1930s, the rise of facism in Europe drew Black and Jewish Americans even closer, as Nazi propaganda borrowed pages from the Jim Crow playbook," the docuseries' host and executive producer Henry Louis Gates Jr. says at the beginning of episode 2, "Strange Fruit." He adds, "After the Holocaust, there was a heightened awareness of their shared suffering as well as a growing recognition of their differences."

Jewish people were at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement alongside Black Americans, and many of popular music's mid-century classics were collaborations between Black and Jewish talent. For example, the greatest hits by the Black vocal group The Coasters, including "Yakety Yak" and "Poison Ivy," were written by the Jewish songwriting team Jerome Leiber and Michael Stoller.

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Then there was Atlantic Records legend Jerry Wexler, who produced landmark classics for Ray Charles ("What'd I Say"),Aretha Franklin("Respect") and Wilson Pickett ("Mustang Sally"). AndDionne Warwickmade her mark in the '60s with a string of hits written by the Jewish songwriting duo Burt Bacharach and Hal David, which Carole King and her husband Gerry Goffin helped craft classics by the Shirelles ("Will You Love Me Tomorrow"), Little Eva ("The Loco-Motion") and Franklin ("[You Make Me Feel Like] A Natural Woman").

Decades earlier, Holiday and Gabler made history with "Strange Fruit." As the documentary explains in a clip shared exclusively with PEOPLE, Gabler first heard "Strange Fruit" when Holiday herself sang it in Gabler's family store, in hopes that Milk would produce a recording of it.

"According to him, she sang it in the store a cappella," Crystal, 77, says of his uncle and Holiday in the clip. "And he said to me, 'I just cried like a baby. I said, We gotta record this thing. I don't care if we make a buck.' "

Murray Korman/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Gabler recorded "Strange Fruit" on his Commodore record label after pretty much every other label turned it down.

"A White Jewish producer, and the greatest Black jazz singer of all-time, and an all-Black band, working together to produce art," Crystal adds. "Isn't that the metaphor for what we should be and where we should be at? Why can't the world be like this?"

Abel Meeropol, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, was working as a school teacher in New York City when he wrote "Strange Fruit" as a poem, and he published it in 1937. He was inspired by aphotothat showed the lynching of two Black teenagers in Indiana in 1930, and he later set his poem to music.

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Holiday performed it as both a mournful hymn and a political lamentation about the harsh realities of life in the Jim Crow South during the first part of the 20th century. "Southern trees bear a strange fruit, blood on the leaves and blood at the root, black body swinging in the Southern breeze, strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees," she sings in the first verse.

The song, released as a single in 1939, sparked outrage among racists in and out of power and made Holiday a target of the U.S. government. Banned by radio stations around the country, it nonetheless sold a million copies and became the biggest hit of her career.

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Gabler went on to produce a number of landmark recordings, including Bill Haley & His Comets' "Rock Around the Clock," the song widely credited as launching rock & roll into the mainstream in 1955. Both Holiday, who died in 1959 at age 44, and Gabler were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 2000 and 1993, respectively.

The obituary that ran inThe New York Timeswhen Gabler died in 2001 at age 90 underscored his enduring bond with Holiday. "At the time of his death," it read, "there was just one photo by his bedside. It was of Billie Holiday."

"Strange Fruit," the second episode ofBlack & Jewish America: An Interwoven Historypremieres on PBS Feb. 10 at 9 p.m. ET. Episodes 3 and 4 will follow on Feb. 17 and 24, respectively, at the same time. All episodes will be available to stream on PBS.org, thePBS appand PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel.

Read the original article onPeople

Local and federal authorities said Friday they're "aware of a new message" regarding the disappearance of "Today" show co-hostSavannah Guthrie's mom,Nancy Guthrie, as the high-profile search continues.

"Investigators are actively inspecting the information provided in the message for its authenticity," the Pima County Sheriff's Department said in a post onsocial media.The FBI also posted asimilar statementon social media. It's unclear what kind of message it is.

Inanother social media post, a little after 4 p.m. local time Friday, the sheriff's department said that investigators were "conducting follow-up" at the home of Nancy Guthrie and "surrounding areas."

Two law enforcement sources told CBS News on Saturday that investigators are "developing good information" but that "nothing is imminent."

The road in front of the Guthrie home was restricted, the sheriff's department said, and late last night, what appeared to be a dark-colored SUV was towed from the home. The sources said the car was Nancy Guthrie's, and that investigators were examining it for possible fingerprints and potential other clues. Investigators also removed a camera from the roof of the home.

The FBI and the sheriff's office are continuing to canvass the neighborhood and are tracking down vehicles that were seen on surveillance cameras in the area the night Nancy Guthrie disappeared.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos spoke with CBS News correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti about the case on Friday, but was guarded about details, including how the abductor may have entered the home or if there were signs of forced entry. The sheriff's office said Saturday they had no planned briefings.

Investigators believe Nancy Guthrie is "still out there"after her family reported her missing to authorities on Sunday, after not finding her at home when she didn't show up for church that morning.

Bloodfound outside Nancy Guthrie's homehas been confirmed to be hers, local officials said this week.

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The sheriff's department has said no suspect or person of interest has been identified in the case. Authorities are treating her disappearance as a criminal matter.

The FBI also announced a$50,000 rewardfor information leading to Nancy Guthrie's recovery or the arrest and conviction of the people involved in her disappearance.

A ransom note that investigators said they're taking seriously included a deadline of 5 p.m. Thursday, said Heith Janke, the special agent in charge of the FBI's field office in Phoenix. The note demanded payment in bitcoin, and if a transfer wasn't made, then a second demand was for next Monday, Janke said.

On Wednesday night, Savannah Guthrie appeared with her brother, Camron Guthrie, and sister, Annie Guthrie, in a video saying they're "ready to talk" but that they need to know their mother is alive.

"We need to know, without a doubt, that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen. Please, reach out to us," Savannah Guthrie said.

Camron Guthrie alsomade an appeal on Thursdayon social media for their mom's return, saying, "Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you."

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ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A diver who helped recover bodies from adeadly collisionbetween a boat carrying migrants and a Greek coast guard vessel said Friday that most of the 15 people who died had suffered severe head injuries, as questions mounted over the circumstances of the incident.

A search and rescue operation was still underway Friday for potentially missing people three days after the collision off the coast of the eastern Aegean island of Chios. Fifteen people were killed and 26 injured,including 11 childrenand two coast guard officers. The total number of people on board the small speedboat remains unclear.

The large number of casualties has led to questions over how the collision occurred. Judicial authorities have launched an official inquiry.

Evaggelos Kirithras, a diver who participated in the recovery of the bodies that night, told The Associated Press that when he arrived on the scene, he saw 12 bodies lying inside a semisubmerged inflatable speedboat. The vessel had not capsized, he said.

"Most of them had head injuries. I can't describe how bad the head injuries were," Kirithras said, comparing the injuries to the impact of hitting a wall. The diver said he has participated in other rescue and recovery operations with the coast guard in the past, "but this was the first time I've seen such force."

A report prepared by four coroners who examined the bodies indicated they had suffered severe injuries, Greek media said. The report has not been made public.

The exact circumstances of the collision remain unclear. In an initial statement, the coast guard said its patrol boat had come across the speedboat making its way toward Chios without navigation lights. It said the speedboat ignored sound and light signals to stop, and suddenly changed direction, colliding with the patrol boat and capsizing.

Photos released by the coast guard showed signs of abrasion on the patrol boat's right side. The coast guard's account couldn't be independently verified.

"The pursuit, the collision, the injuries testify to a very violent incident," said Kostas Arvanitis, a left-wing member of the European Parliament, demanding the publication of any footage from cameras on board the patrol vessel.

But authorities have said the camera on board had not been recording at the time.

Speaking in parliament Friday, Maritime Affairs Minister Vassilis Kikilias, under whose jurisdiction the coast guard lies, said the decision to not switch on the camera had been taken by the vessel's captain because the migrant boat was already nearby and the long-range thermal imaging camera would not have worked properly.

"As I have been informed… the (camera's) function is infrared and long-distance, so even if it had been switched on, it would not have had clear recordings of the collision event," Kikilias said, and repeated that any judicial and administrative investigation into the incident was welcome.

All but one of the surviving passengers on board the roughly 8-meter (26-foot) speedboat have been identified as Afghans, while one Moroccan national among the injured has been arrested on suspicion of migrant smuggling.

Greece is a major entry point into the European Union for people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.Fatal accidents are a common occurrence. Many undertake the short but often perilous crossing from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands in the eastern Aegean. But increased patrols and allegations ofpushbacks— summary deportations without allowing for asylum applications — by Greek authorities have reduced crossing attempts.

Kantouris reported from Thessaloniki, Greece

More than five dozen winter adventurers had an experience recently that likely wasn't on their agenda.

A gondola malfunction left nearly 70 skiers stuck in midair for hours at aNew Yorkski resort. The incident occurred Wednesday morning at Gore Mountain in North Creek.

Resort officialssaid the gondola stopped due to a mechanical alignment issue that triggered a safety sensor — bringing the lift to an automatic stop, Olympic Regional Development Authority and Gore Mountain said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

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A standard evacuation was immediately launched — with trained mountain operations and ski patrol teams assisting passengers.

Some 67 guests were riding in roughly 20 cabins at the time.

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ll were returned to the ground without injuries, the department noted.

The call for assistance was made shortly after 9 a.m. The evacuation was completed before 2 p.m., leaving skiers stranded for nearly five hours, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.

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The gondola returned to normal operations Thursday morning, Gore Mountain said.

"Thanks to the hard work of our crew, the Northwoods Gondola has been repaired, all safety checks completed, and the lift returned to service this morning," the resort said.

"We are grateful to our guests for their patience and cooperation."

Officials said some of the responding forest rangers had completed gondola evacuation training at Gore Mountain last fall, helping crews safely carry out the rescue.

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"Safety remains our top priority, and our teams are fully trained and experienced in managing situations like this," Olympic Regional Development Authority said.

The incident also drew attention online, with some users onsocial mediareacting to the evacuation as it unfolded.

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One user emphasized that he or she had no issues with keeping plans for skiing at Gore Mountain following the incident, though the person mentioned avoiding the gondola.

Others commented on the experience of being stranded at some height, noting that gondola cabins may feelsafer than open chairliftsin similar situations.

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"Had it been a chair lift, that would have beenvery cold," one user commented.

Gore Mountain in New York is one of the "most popular alpine skiing and snowboarding destinations in the Adirondacks, with an even mix of trails across levels and plenty of gorgeous glades, including the longest gladed trail in the Northeast," according to theVisit the Adirondackswebsite.

"Winter activities include downhill, cross-country skiing,snowboarding and snowshoeing. Special events range from non-competitive family-oriented fun to regional and Northeastern ski races."

The site also notes that "Gore has an incredible gondola ride that warms guests while offering stunning views of the snowy slopes before it's time to zip down again."

Original article source:Nearly 70 skiers stranded in midair for hours after gondola malfunctions at popular resort

LONDON —Keir Starmeris facing what could be the most precarious moment of his time as Britain's prime minister, as the global scandal surroundingJeffrey Epsteinenvelops his government.

Weakened by record-low approval ratings, policy U-turns and cost-of-living pressures, and with support bleeding to far-right challengers, Starmer's leadership was already under heavy strain, but analysts say the latest revelations could further undermine his authority and raise serious questions about his judgment.

Peter Mandelson, a longtime political grandee, is facing a police investigation over his ties to the late Epstein, including allegations he shared sensitive information with the convicted sex offender while serving as a Cabinet minister nearly two decades ago.

Starmer said last week that he knew about Mandelson's relationship with Epstein when he nominated him as ambassador to the United States in December 2024, but that Mandelson had "lied repeatedly" about the extent of his past contact with the disgraced financier.

Starmer apologized to victims for "believing Mandelson's lies" and said the former minister had "betrayed our country" in his dealings with Epstein.

Police searched Mandelson's two homes on Friday. The searches were "related to an ongoing investigation into misconduct in public office offences," a Metropolitan Police statement said. No arrests were made, and in line with British policing convention, Mandelson was not named in the statement.

The scandal has turned up the pressure on Starmer as the controversy unsettles his party and threatens to shatter his already fragile promise of a steady, scandal-free government. A little over 18 months since hisLabour government won a landslide victory, analysts say Starmer is now fighting for his political future.

"It seems yet another example of Starmer's lack of political judgment and poor decision-making," Peter Dorey, a professor of politics at Cardiff University, told NBC News. "His most serious yet."

Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenochhas called Starmer's position "untenable," while the centrist Liberal Democrats have called for a confidence vote to test the support of Starmer's Labour lawmakers, some of whom have questioned whether he can remain in office.

A small number of Labour MPs, largely existing critics of Starmer, have called on him to go. Neil Duncan-Jordan told the BBC on Friday that a "reset" requires "changing who's in charge," while Rachael Maskell told the broadcaster it was "inevitable" he would have to quit.

Mandelson was dismissedas the U.K.'s ambassador to the United States in September after revelations about his friendship with Epstein emerged. Last Sunday, he stepped down from the party afterthe latest release of filesby the U.S. Department of Justice.

But documents continue to reveal the full extent of Mandelson's relationship with Epstein, showing a man who lobbied his own government while alerting Epstein to key upcoming decisions.

"Trying hard to amend," Mandelson, then serving as the business secretary, wrote to Epstein in December 2009 about a planned tax on bankers' bonuses, according to the released documents. "Treasury digging in but I am on [the] case."

He also appears to have leaked an internal economics briefing about assets the government believed it could sell. Mandelson forwarded it to Epstein with the added line: "Interesting note that's gone to the PM."

Mandelson has previously deniedknowledge of Epstein's crimesand denied any wrongdoing connected to him. In a statement last week he repeated an apology "to the women and girls whose voices should have been heard long before now." His representatives did not respond to a request for further comment.

Starmer has promised to release files relating to Mandelson's appointment as U.S. ambassador, which he says will prove Mandelson lied about the full extent of his friendship with Epstein when he was being vetted for the role.

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But critics say Starmer's decision to push on with Mandelson's appointment, with even partial knowledge about his relationship with Epstein, raises serious questions about his decision-making.

"Either Starmer failed to have Mandelson fully 'vetted' before appointing him, or Starmer knew of Mandelson's former association with Epstein, but appointed him anyway," said Dorey. "Either would constitute a serious error of judgment by Starmer."

The saga has proved particularly bruising given Starmer's promise of steady, scandal-free government after numerous corruption scandals dogged the previous Conservative government.

The prime minister "was chosen by his party and by voters because he supposedly personified probity and competence," said Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London. "After this, he can't even claim those qualities."

Mandelson was a controversial figure before his appointment as ambassador, having twice resigned from government during the last Labour administration over breaches of the ministerial code and accusations of financial misconduct.

Despite that, Mandelson was chosen for the U.K.'s most high-profile diplomatic role following Donald Trump's election in part because of "his background and his relationships with very rich people," Jamie Gaskarth, a professor of foreign policy and international relations at the Open University, told NBC News.

"It paid off initially with the friendly relations between Starmer and President Trump," he added, "but in the long term, those kind of character issues have come back to haunt him."

Olivia O'Sullivan, the U.K. director in the World Programme at Chatham House, a London-based think tank, echoed Gaskarth's comments, noting that Starmer's government had appointed somebody "they thought could handle that universe" in Mandelson.

"That has ended up kind of backfiring, really, in their faces," she added.

Despite the bruising scandal, Starmer is unlikely to be toppled immediately, according to experts, with his main potential successors all facing difficulties that may hinder a leadership challenge.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting isfacing scrutinyover his own past ties to Mandelson, while Starmer'sformer deputy Angela Rayneris still the subject of an investigation into her tax affairs. Manchester's popular Labour Mayor Andy Burnham was recently denied the opportunity to run for Parliament, making it impossible for him to challenge Starmer.

"A lot of the obvious replacements for Starmer find themselves in quite tricky positions," said Andrew Barclay, a politics lecturer at the University of Sheffield. This contributes to a "false sense of security" for the prime minister, he added.

With local elections looming in May, where Labour is widely expected to perform poorly, Starmer's possible rivals may not be keen to trigger an immediate leadership contest.

"There are several kinds of structural things that are keeping him in place right now," added Barclay, "but whether that will save his premiership in the long term, I am incredibly doubtful."

Dorey at Cardiff University agreed, saying "a lack of better alternatives" would keep him safe for now.

"Starmer is likely to remain as Labour leader and prime minister for the foreseeable future — but with his political authority and credibility seriously weakened," he said.

MILAN (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance sat with influencer and boxer Jake Paul as they watched the U.S. women's hockey team easeto a 5-0 win over Finlandat the Winter Olympics on Saturday.

Vance and his family entered during the intermission at the end of the first period, with the U.S. leading 1-0. Paul joined them shortly after. Paul'sfiancee Jutta Leerdam is a speedskaterfor the Netherlands at theMilan Cortina Games.

Vance sat with his youngest child, daughter Mirabel, on his lap. Usha Vance, wearing a sweatshirt with "USA" in big letters, clapped along to Queen's "We Will Rock You," before the second period started.

The vice president and his wife stood and clapped when the U.S. women's team scored a goal. They were back on their feet cheering a few minutes later when the U.S. women scored again.

Among those seated near Vance were 2010 Olympic figure skating gold medalist Evan Lysacek and hockey's twin sisters, Hall of Famers Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando. They were members of the U.S. gold medal-winning team at the 2018 Winter Games.

It's the second time that Vance has watched the U.S. women's team at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

He was also at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on Thursday, when the U.S.beat Czechia 5-1in its opening game of the preliminary round.

U.S. player Taylor Heise said it was "awesome" to hear that Vance and Paul were at the rink, but she wasn't aware during the game.

"I know (teammate) Abbey Murphy wants to meet Jake Paul, so we'd love to set that up," she said.

"None of us knew that they were here, actually," Heise added. "Just happy to be playing, and whoever's there gets to watch the show, because I think we're pretty good."

The U.S. players are especially familiar with Paul through his relationship with Leerdam, who competes in speedskating against U.S. hockey captain Hilary Knight's girlfriend Brittany Bowe.

"I know his fiancee, Jutta, we've watched her work out. She's phenomenal. We're excited to go and watch her and obviously we're cheering on Brit Bowe," Heise said.

Michelle L. Price and John Wawrow contributed to this report.

AP Winter Olympics:https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics