The Slide Came Out, and Then So Did the Other Air Force One
An emergency slide deployed from the Qatari-gifted 747 now flying as Air Force One, on the side of the plane the president does not use.
Jack Beckett·Sep 9, 2026
The Junk Drawer
Things we wrote that do not belong anywhere else, and could not throw out
Charlotte Mercury Review: SNL's Cold Open and Weekend Update Outshine an Otherwise Flat Night
A sharp, slow-journalism review of SNL's Nov. 1 episode: an inventive cold open and witty Weekend Update carry a lackluster night.
Jack Beckett·Nov 3, 2025
SNL Episode 3: Sabrina Carpenter's Pop-First Play Pays Off With One NSFW Jolt
SNL's Oct. 18 episode put pop over politics: a "Domingo" cold open, tight staging, a brief mic glitch, and "Nobody's Son" with an uncensored lyric on many feeds.
Jack Beckett·Oct 20, 2025
SNL at 50: Amy Poehler Lifts an Uneven Anniversary Show
SNL's 50th-birthday show was fine. Amy Poehler was better. One killer fake-ad and a buzzy Update reunion kept a wobbly night upright.
Jack Beckett·Oct 13, 2025
SNL Season 51 Premiere Review: Dialogue Over Spectacle, A Better Show
SNL's Season 51 premiere cut the noise and let the lines breathe, with clean endings, character heat, and two sharp Doja Cat performances that punctuated rather than paused.
Jack Beckett·Sep 12, 2025