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This time last week Donald Trump was maybe going to get indicted on criminal charges. How time flies. Now he’s actually indicted, making him the first former U.S. president to whom that has ever happened. And there was no way the latest p wouldn’t grant that the Cold Open.

James Austin Johnson busted out his famed 45 impersonation, this time to beg his sometimes cash-strapped supporters to give him even money than they have already so he can pay for his legal defense. Failing that, he could use the scratch to buy “commissary food” in the slammer.

“Well, folks, it happened, I got indicted, or as I spell it, indicated,” Johnson’s Trump declared. “Frankly, it’s time that I come clean and admit that I broke the law and go quietly to prison. April fools!”

He added, “Make no mistake, what the radical left is doing is worse than any crime I have ever committed, and I’ve committed a lot — close to 34.”

But Trump didn’t simply beg for money. Instead he announced he was following up on his not-quite-hit single with the J6 Prison Choir by releasing more terrible music. It’s an album of covers entitled Now That’s What I Call My Legal Defense Fund, aka Trump Popz.

“What a deal — just 30 classic covers, all horrible,” he said.

And so Johnson’s Trump sang brutal versions of “Hard to Handle,” a duet with Don King (Kenan Thompson) of “Islands in the Stream,” a duet with Afroman (Devon Walker) of “Because I Got High,” and a duet of “Boy’s a Liar” with Jr. (Mikey Day).

At one point he mentioned how news of the indictment has affected his home life.

“Me and the first lady Melania are in high spirits,” said Johnson’s Trump. “Since the news of my possible imprisonment I’ve never seen Melania happier. She’s the most beautiful woman in the world, second only perhaps to many younger, hotter women. Also, just to set the record straight, I didn’t even sleep with Stormy Daniels, but in many ways I did. And isn’t it ironic that the first time I actually pay someone, they try to send me to jail. That’s why you don’t pay people, folks. You never pay people.”

You can watch the sketch in the video above.

Every single week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.

10: TIE. Swarm (Amazon Prime series)

This show would probably still be closer to the top of the list, had it released on a weekly basis rather than the entire season at once. That’s both a good and a bad thing, ultimately, because people binged the full season hard. Donald Glover has another buzzed-about show on his hands, and the timing is right, given that Atlanta recently ended on FX. With Swarm, Billie Eilish has also now begun her acting career, and yet another Culkin brother is making headlines for salacious scenes, so thank goodness for the golden age of TV.

10: TIE. Murder Mystery 2 (Netflix film)

You know the drill here. Adam Sandler keeps cranking out the Netflix movies, and everyone appears to acknowledge that these are not lofty fare, and that’s alright. Yet people keep tuning in because everyone loves The Sandman. It’s not rocket science to understand why even when Sandler misses, he cannot miss. In addition, Jennifer Aniston is back for another round of the movie franchise that tells you exactly what it’s about, and you can’t be mad at that one. After all, we don’t have to take everything seriously.

9. The Mandalorian (Disney+ series)

Baby Yoda/Grogu is taking a breather this week from dominating the airwaves, but never put Baby in the corner. Likewise, Pedro Pascal has already pulled off lead roles in two juggernauts this year, so expect this show to come roaring back in social media discussions before season’s end. After all, out of all the Star Wars and Marvel Studio shows so far, this one has consistently gathered the most streaming volume and accolades at the same time. No small feat.

8. Rabbit Hole (Paramount+ series)

Kiefer Sutherland is back on TV like he never left in what may become a Dad Show, which translates into long-term big numbers. The fledgling Paramount+ streaming service is steadily building up a library of non-Yellowstone/Taylor Sheridan content (either existing or in the works), and that means that the 24 audience will be along for the ride. Thank goodness that Kiefer has moved on from tackling Christmas trees because that kind of action really hurts.

7. Power Book II: Ghost (Starz series)

Not to be outdone by the aforementioned TV king’s (Taylor Sheridan) vast assembling of many Paramount shows, 50 Cent’s own cinematic universe continues while moving past the original Power to add even more drama. That includes an accidental killing and a car accident, all with Tariq St. Patrick attempting to mop up life and leave the game. However, he will soon end up back in business, which will complete his plans to regain trust and his family. Betrayal and a R.I.C.O. investigation will do that, unfortunately.

6. Ted Lasso (Apple TV+ series)

Positivity is back on TV, y’all, and with all of the grittiness and darkness elsewhere, it’s a damn fine thing to relax and enjoy an impossibly chipper protagonist. This will almost certainly be the final season of this hit series, and from there, perhaps we’ll see a spinoff? One can only hope, but if you’re bummed that AFC Richmond will soon take a bow, rest assured that certain members of the cast are quite torn up about it, too.

5. John Wick (Summit Entertainment film streaming on Peacock)

If you haven’t seen the fourth installment yet of this Keanu Reeves-starring masterpiece of a franchise, you should probably get there before someone spoils you. And trust us, there’s a massive spoiler to the end of the quartet, as it were. A fifth film could be on the way, but before you consider that possibility, you might want to refresh yourself on what made John Wick so angry in the first place. Of course, you remember that it’s his dog. Yet you’ll want to revisit the fury (and be mad at Alfie Allen for what his character did), and then rewatch the second movie for the hall of mirrors scene and more. Last but not least, enjoy the busting glass boxes of John Wick: Chapter III. Alright, you’re ready for the fourth one now. Godspeed.

4. Yellowjackets (Showtime series streaming on Paramount+)

This show goes back to the woods while embracing darkness, and get ready because things get gory pretty damn fast this year. Shauna, Jackie, Misty, and Taissa are all back and as troubling (and in some cases, troubled) as ever, and “Antler Queen” Lottie has already made her presence known again. Additionally, this week (SPOILER ALERT) hits a musical high note for the second season thus far, but be prepared to lose your appetite.

3. Creed III (MGM film on Amazon Prime)

Michael B. Jordan steps up to direct the ninth movie of the Rocky franchise and comes out swinging even without Sylvester Stallone on board. This installment can be viewed as running parallel to Rocky III with some Rocky V in the mix. Jonathan Majors is a new face for these films, but his character is a blast from the past for Adonis Creed, and of course, there’s a lot of money riding on this rivalry. So much for retirement, Adonis! Tessa Thompson also returns as Adonis’ wife (thank goodness), and this movie isn’t a groundbreaker for the franchise, but it does set up Jordan’s future as a director.

2. The Night Agent (Netflix series)

In this day and age, Netflix is much more hesitant to grant speedy show renewals, so it says a lot that this brand spanking-new series received a greenlight for more, one week after debuting. The show’s based upon the bestselling Matthew Quirk book, and clearly, the streaming audience cannot get enough of spy thrillers, especially if there’s some romance involved. Leading man Gabriel Basso will be back for the second season after that fateful phone call set this whole ride in motion.

1. Succession (HBO series streaming on HBO Max)

The Roy kids are making a bold move, as this show’s final season premiere proved. As well, a pairing came to an end while a disgusting one took its place. We’re all going to miss this f*cked up family in a few months, so let’s embrace the dynamics while they’re still freshly available to us. And when there’s a spare moment, Cousin Greg and Gerri can hopefully launch their own company together and take over the world.

LA’s Paleyfest highlights some of the hottest TV shows of the season while delivering prominent stars within panels. Paramount Network’s Yellowstone, which is inarguably the toast of TV these days, nabbed a Saturday night slot for the festival, yet the event did not go down as advertised. In fact, what did happen will not stop eyebrows from raising while people recall a disputed Deadline report that floated a Kevin Costner departure from the franchise’s flagship series. And of course, people will wonder if there are more changes afoot with some Taylor Sheridan shows, or if drama is to blame.

Granted, there has been absolutely no concrete confirmation of the Costner drama. In fact, his lawyer pushed back at a portion of the Deadline report that claimed that he only wanted to spend a week shooting the back half of the fifth season. Yes, that part of the report did sound “off,” but something went amiss with the scheduling and execution of this weekend’s event. As we’ll discuss further below, tweets like this one surfaced as a result.

What went wrong? As shown on the Paleyfest website (and in the below screencap), both Taylor Sheridan and Kevin Costner were listed as part of a large panel scheduled to appear onstage.

Neither of them appeared at the event. Nor did Wes Bentley or several other listed principal cast members. Given that this occurred on April 1, one could wonder if this was an ill-advised prank, but as Deadline even notes in their headline, this was “No April Fool’s Joke.”

Variety‘s Emily Longeretta reported from the event, where she tweeted that “[p]ress / fans were not alerted” to the apparent change of plans. As well, it doesn’t seem that the group was busy filming because the panel provided “[n]o update for part 2 of #Yellowstone season 5. The cast has not yet started filming or been given a start date.”

As Variety further reported, Sheridan and the main cast “were expected” to attend but did not “due to scheduling conflicts.” The outlet detailed the oddness that transpired when four actors not listed on the schedule were the only cast members to appear, along with President of Scripted at MTV Entertainment Studios Kevin Cox:

About 30 minutes before the red carpet was supposed to begin at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, press was let in and given a tip sheet with four only cast member names on it: Josh Lucas, Wendy Moniz, Mo Brings Plenty and Dawn Olivieri. Additionally, Paramount Network development president Keith Cox was also attended, but did not speak to press on the carpet.

The original list of those who were supposed to be there included Sheridan and executive producer David Glasser, as well as the show’s stars Kevin Costner, Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, Luke Grimes, Kelsey Asbille, Wes Bentley, Gil Birmingham and Jacki Weaver. Variety was told that the cast could not attend due to scheduling conflicts.

The fan reactions on social media expressed understandable disappointment. One Twitter user reported that people were “walking out” during the panel. Another lamented the cost of $100 for a ticket.

In addition, several more Yellowstone fans (some of whom travelled substantial distances for this event) want their money back.

As noted above, whatever led to this scheduling mishap will not quell existing rumors. However, Deadline did report that during the panel, Cox fielded a question about Costner while calling him “our star, the face of our show, and the executive producer.” Cox added, “[W]e are very confident he will continue with the show.”

(Via Variety & Deadline)

April Fool’s Day jokes are generally cringeworthy on a day where everything on the Internet seems suspect. You can’t trust anyone for 24 hours, in other words, and the resulting jokes often aren’t great. Well, SNL‘s Michael Che conquered that vibe this year on the latest Weekend Update, in which he and the audience did a number on Colin Jost.

I’m not sure that Jost will be sleeping for the next week or so, given that he was so torqued up by this joke. It was marvelous. Stunning, really.

As you can see in the above video, Jost and Che took their customary turns firing off jokes with contrasting results. The former received only a smattering of lukewarm chuckles, and Che was greeted with an enthused response. After a few rounds of this and Jost (as he later revealed) wondering what the hell was going on, an audience member shouted, “You stink!”

This led to an immediate downcast gesture from Jost, after which Che finally owned up to his plot: “I told them not to laugh at you for April Fool’s.”

At which point, Jost admitted that he had been questioning whether his mic was turned on or if “I just suck.”

Che tried to move the segment on (with a Marjorie Taylor Greene/Joker joke), but Jost wasn’t ready yet. “You’re evil!” he interjected.

He wasn’t done yet. “That’s the meanest thing you’ve ever done to me… I’m covered in sweat” and “I’m shaking” peppered the rest of the segment.

Poor Colin Jost. And well done, Michael Che.

April Fool’s Day jokes are generally cringeworthy on a day where everything on the Internet seems suspect. You can’t trust anyone for 24 hours, in other words, and the resulting jokes often aren’t great. Well, SNL‘s Michael Che conquered that vibe this year on the latest Weekend Update, in which he and the audience did a number on Colin Jost.

I’m not sure that Jost will be sleeping for the next week or so, given that he was so torqued up by this joke. It was marvelous. Stunning, really.

As you can see in the above video, Jost and Che took their customary turns firing off jokes with contrasting results. The former received only a smattering of lukewarm chuckles, and Che was greeted with an enthused response. After a few rounds of this and Jost (as he later revealed) wondering what the hell was going on, an audience member shouted, “You stink!”

This led to an immediate downcast gesture from Jost, after which Che finally owned up to his plot: “I told them not to laugh at you for April Fool’s.”

At which point, Jost admitted that he had been questioning whether his mic was turned on or if “I just suck.”

Che tried to move the segment on (with a Marjorie Taylor Greene/Joker joke), but Jost wasn’t ready yet. “You’re evil!” he interjected.

He wasn’t done yet. “That’s the meanest thing you’ve ever done to me… I’m covered in sweat” and “I’m shaking” peppered the rest of the segment.

Poor Colin Jost. And well done, Michael Che.

In his second performance of the night, Lil Yachty shared “Drive Me Crazy,” a standout track from Let’s Start Here on the Saturday Night Live stage.

Once again, joined by his all-women backing band, Yachty brought out Diana Gordon, who flawlessly sang the song’s intro. Yachty, dressed in jeans, a blue-stripped button-down shirt, and a large fur trapper hat, delivered soft, soothing vocals, as he sang the song’s second verse and chorus.

This performance was more vibrant than Yachty’s first of the night, as the stage was lit up with a background of clouds in the blue sky. Yachty, Gordon, and the band all maintained their rockstar energy.

In a recent interview with Billboard, Yachty revealed that he initially felt anxious about sharing his earlier music with the world. But since making a pivot to psychedelic rock sounds with Let’s Start Here, he feels a lot more confident.

“I was always kind of nervous to put out music, but now I’m on some other sh*t,” Yachty says. “It was a lot of self-assessing and being very real about not being happy with where I was musically, knowing I’m better than where I am. Because the sh*t I was making did not add up to the sh*t I listened to.”

You can watch the performance of “Drive Me Crazy” above.

Lil Yachty is maintaining his momentum after having dropped his critically-acclaimed fourth album, Let’s Start Here back in January. Tonight (April 1), Yachty made his debut on the Saturday Night Live stage, where he performed, “The Black Seminole,’ the opening track from the album.

During the performance, Yachty maintained an air of mystery, wearing dark sunglasses and a hoodie. The stage was lit with blue and black lighting, and filled with plants and greenery. In the background was a flashing moon surrounded by a rainbow. Yachty was accompanied by an all-women backing band, for which he had posted a call for auditions back in January.

In an interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe, he elaborated on why he wanted to assemble an all-women band.

“I just feel like women don’t get as much respect as men when it comes to the music industry,” said Yachty. “So I was like, ‘These songs are pretty badass, and I want to show women playing them.”

Midway through the performance, the beat transitioned to a smooth, vocal interlude, performed by Diana Gordon, who delivered smooth, impeccable sounds, dressed in an elegant ivory gown.

You can check out the performance of “The Black Seminole” above.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens pinned the Usos to claim the WWE Undisputed Tag Team championship at WrestleMania 39 from SoFi Stadium, capping off the first night of the biggest weekend in wrestling with a title change.

The rivalry involving Zayn, Owens, and the Bloodline follows a near year-long integration of Zayn into the Bloodline, aligning with Jimmy and Jey Uso, alongside Solo Sikoa and Roman Reigns. Over the year, Zayn was forced to constantly prove his allegiance to the Bloodline, eventually gaining the approval of Jey by helping his team defeat Owens and Co. at War Games. After John Cena returned to team with Owens and defeat Reigns and Zayn, Reigns began to lose patience with Zayn, leading to their fallout at the Royal Rumble over Zayn’s refusal to clobber Owens with a chair. After Reigns defeated Zayn at the Elimination Chamber, Zayn’s relationship with the Usos played out over the coming weeks, with Jey turning his back on Sami and Owens eventually returning to his former best friend’s aid.

At Saturday’s show, Zayn opened the match, taking a beating from the Usos. Zayn found an opening and made his way to Owens for the hot tag. Owens let loose with a slew of outside attacks before the Usos found an advantage with top rope moves of their own. Zayn dropped Jey with a brainbuster on the apron, Owens hit a swanton dive on the inside to Jimmy, then Zayn hit an Uso splash for the two count on Jimmy.

The Usos laid out Zayn with tandem super kicks, before knocking Owens out of the ring with a super kick to him as well. After beating down Zayn on the inside, the Usos picked up Owens and slammed him through the announce table at ringside. The Usos landed the 1-D on Zayn, which he kicked out of at two.

Jey yelled at Zayn in the corner, said he thought he was his brother, and tossed forearm strikes. He then landed the Helluva Kick in the corner, when Zayn turned around and hit an exploder suplex into the corner. Zayn crawled to the corner to tag Owens in. Owens hit a pop-up powerbomb on each of the Usos, Zayn hit a Helluva Kick on Jimmy, and Owens nailed a stunner on Jey for the two count. The four men got to their feet and laid into one another before the Usos hit tandem super kicks. Jimmy and Jey then hit a stereo Uso splash on Owens for the two count.

Zayn got the hot tag from Owents, hit the Helluva Kick on Jey, then hit him with another Helluva Kick. While Owens took care of Jimmy, Zayn hit a third Helluva Kick for the pinball and win.

WWE has done a pretty good job over the years getting prominent non-wrestlers involved in the weekend’s festivities at WrestleMania. This sometimes includes folks stepping into the squared circle, whether it be for a match or as a way to add some gravitas to the biggest event on the WWE calendar every year.

On Saturday night, Pat McAfee appeared on the WrestleMania card for the second year in a row, although his bout at WrestleMania 39 was not previously announced. McAfee surprised the crowd by showing up before the main event to challenge The Miz, who is hosting ‘Mania this year, to a match.

After Snoop Dogg made it official, McAfee started to open up a can of whoop ass on Miz, who tried to leave. It was at this point that Miz decided to go up to San Francisco 49ers tight end and noted gigantic wrestling fan George Kittle, who is sitting ringside. Kittle booed, so Miz shoved him, which led to Kittle taking off his jacket and getting into it with the well-documented fan of the Cleveland Browns.

McAfee would go on to win the match, which one can only assume doubles as one of the very best moment of Kittle’s life.

After San Diego State advanced to the national final with a buzzer-beating win over Florida Atlantic, the UConn Huskies and Miami Hurricanes faced off in the Final Four nightcap in Houston. UConn rolled through its previous opponents, including a demolition of Arkansas and a comfortable win over Gonzaga in the West Regional, and the Huskies were facing a similarly hot Miami team. Only one team continued its strong tournament showing, though, and the Huskies were able to establish and maintain a solid lead from wire to wire in a 72-59 victory.

The start of the game was near-perfect for UConn, with the Huskies leading 9-0 in a hurry. UConn wing Jordan Hawkins, who missed Friday’s practice with illness, began the evening with a three-pointer and the Huskies made a trio of triples while Miami missed its first five shots.

Things got even worse from there for Miami, as the Hurricanes began the game by missing 11 of their first 12 shots. For a team heavily reliant on perimeter creation and shot-making, that was a difficult blow to withstand, and Miami trailed by double figures less than seven minutes into the game.

Miami did settle in from there with help from the offensive glass. The Hurricanes snagged six offensive rebounds in the first 11 minutes, managing to stay in contact, and Miami also forced six early turnovers on defense. That helped Miami to a 12-3 run that erased the early double-digit deficit and tied the game.

UConn asserted itself from there, however, as the Huskies scored the next eight points. Big man Adama Sanogo was dominant in the early going, scoring 12 points, grabbing five rebounds, and rejecting a shot with authority within his first 12 minutes of on-court action.

The Huskies closed the first half with authority, finishing off an 18-5 run with a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Alex Karaban.

Miami entered the Final Four red-hot from a shooting standpoint, making 52.5 percent of shots and 39.3 percent of three-point attempts in wins over Indiana, Houston, and Texas. In the first half, the Hurricanes shot only 25 percent from the field, putting up 0.73 points per possession in the process. Given that offensive ineptitude, Miami might have been fortunate to trail by only 13 points, but it was a considerable hole against a potent UConn squad.

Then, the Huskies opened things up even more to begin the second half with a 9-2 run. That included five second-chance points from UConn and, in a hurry, the favorites led by 20 points.

Miami was in desperate need of a spark and it finally arrived in the form of a 7-0 run. The Hurricanes generated back-to-back steals, leading to run-outs, and the Hurricanes were able to climb back within a 49-37 margin with more than 14 minutes on the clock.

The Hurricanes continued to build what became a 15-3 run. A three-pointer by Isaiah Wong cut UConn’s lead to single-digits for the first time in the half, and Miami’s offense had officially come alive.

Almost on cue, UConn punched back with seven straight points. The Huskies continued to dominate the rim and, with another three-pointer from Hawkins also in the mix, UConn pushed the advantage back to 60-45 with fewer than nine minutes remaining.

Miami had chances to cut into the margin, including a pair of possessions in which the Hurricanes had the ball down only 10 points. Those trips finished without denting the scoreboard, however, and the door started to close on a comeback bid. A dunk by Andre Jackson felt like a dagger with 3:36 to play, as it gave the Huskies a 14-point edge and prompted an immediate timeout from Miami.

A final spurt never came for the Hurricanes, and UConn wrapped up its fifth consecutive double-digit win in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Huskies were led by Sanogo, who finished with 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds and two blocks. Hawkins was also tremendous, especially when accounting for his illness, and UConn’s offensive rebounding and force were key to keeping the Hurricanes at bay.

On the Miami side, the shotmaking simply wasn’t there in a spot where it had to be for Jim Larranaga’s team. The Hurricanes got some shots to fall in the second half but, on the whole, Miami shot just 32.3 percent from field. Even with solid three-point shooting and work on the offensive glass, Miami’s lack of success near the rim, coupled with defensive struggles, was too much to overcome.

UConn’s victory sets up a Monday night showdown with San Diego State, as the Huskies will attempt to finish off a tournament run that would be surprising for a typical No. 4 seed but is not for this particular No. 4 seed. The Huskies will enter as betting favorites to cut down the nets and, given the team’s recent play, San Diego State will need to have its A-game to pull off the upset.