I was at Fantastic Fest (google it) this year. One of the surprise films was Apocalypto, and Mel was there to give a Q&A afterwards.

If you remember, it was reported in the popular press as "Mel blasts the Iraq war." It wasn't really like that, he dropped a one-liner comparing Iraq to human sacrifice. The total Q&A time was about half an hour so really it was insignificant in the scheme of things.

What bothered me was that I really enjoyed the film, until the Q&A. Mel's insights about his own film were fatuous and shallow. Essentially, he said he had an idea for a chase film, a wrote a movie around it.

At any rate, it was a good film.

Jennifer Aniston has got to quit blaming Hollywood and examine her own shortcomings. Movies like Austin Powers, 40 Year Old Virgin and Anchorman came about because the principal actors - Mike Meyers, Steve Carell and Will Ferrell, respectively - wrote the movies themselves. That's where the label "comic genius" comes from. And Jennifer Anniston ain't it. She should shut up and respect the talents of her male counterparts instead of bemoaning her roles. And she should be grateful people like Jim Carey, Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn take her along for the ride. Ride those coattails while you can, Jen!

Jennifer Aniston should become a producer in more than name only. She has the money and juice to get things done. Salma Hayek and Sandra Bullock don't wait for anyone. The are real producers. Make the work, Jen. No one is going to do it for you.

if jennifer aniston were king we'd all be watching zach braff play chandler on 'friends' so that we could really just talk about periods and shoes all days

Diane Sawyer had to be tough with Mel Gibson. After raking Clay Aiken over the coals for merely refusing to confirm or deny that he's gay, she would have looked absolutely ridiculous if she'd gone soft on Mel.

If she wants to be funny, she should try coming up with a funny idea. Oh she doesn't get any? That's because she's not funny, I've seen her in funny movies and she's not funny, Kathy Griffin is funny, Tina Fey is funny. Plus Veronica Corningstone on Rob Burgundy was a pretty funny part, if she wants to do a funny picture with her as the star or co-lead, find someone to write stuff for you. Like there aren't plenty of struggling screenwriters who wouldn't give their left arm to have an A-list star ask them to write a picture.

No heterosexual man in the history of the world has ever refused to confirm or deny his sexual orientation. I didn't see Clay Aiken raked over the coals by Sawyer, I saw a misguided performer make a big deal over a simple question that everybody already knows the answer to, anyway. Honestly or not, at least Mel Gibson answers Sawyer's questions and "Are you an anti-Semite?" is a hell of a question to have to answer. "Are you gay?" is a question that wouldn't have to be asked if Aiken wouldn't keep not answering it.

Tonight is the debut of "30 Rock," and I'm tempted to watch, but I'm afraid I'm more tempted not to even turn it on.

The temptation to watch is borne out of my respect and admiration for Tina Fey. Being head writer at SNL for so many years must truly have been a trial by fire (the show has always been a more difficult experience for females than for males), and her success is a testament to her abilities. While we've certainly found whole episodes of the show under her guidance to have been execrable, we've found others delightful -- and the "Weekend Update" segments frequently worth watching.

But what tempts us not to even turn it on? Tracy Morgan. On Saturday Night Live, we felt insulted by Morgan because it was apparent that he, far moreso than other cast members, could not be bothered to memorize his lines. Even in those rare shows where he had only two or three lines, he would read them off the teleprompter artlessly and carelessly. This contempt for his art even extended to learning the names of his own characters: he frequently, even in mid-sketch, would seem unable to decide whether he was playing "Brian Fellowe" or "Brian Fellowes."

In the seven years that Morgan was a regular cast member of SNL, my wife and I have come to see him as a performer who steadfastly refuses to earn his money. If a performer can't be bothered to learn a line or two, I'm not sure why I'm supposed to be bothered to watch him.

Are you nuts?! That woman oversaw what was arguably the worst collection of years SNL ever had. Now that she's GONE the show has started to slowly improve. No, she was awful, and when the show was funny - which it rarely was - it was in spite of her not because of her.

One more thing - she and Fallon sucked massive dick on "Weekend Update." Ackroyd and Curtin they were NOT.

I recently worked on a project that had me sifting through all thirty years of SNL, and I feel fairly strongly that Weekend Update, and the show in general, was far worse in the early and mid-80s than in the past seven years. In fact, some of those years were so wretched that Lorne Michaels refused to allow them into syndication (when's the last time you saw a rerun with Charles Rocket delivering the news?). And, rewatching some of the oldest shows, I realized I'd been looking at the show with rose-colored glasses. If you don't believe this, go to snl.jt.org, click on the "seasons," and then on individual episodes.

I tend to agree with you about Jimmy Fallon; he and Horatio Sanz (who is also gone from the show as of this season) were dreadful, never making it through a skit without breaking character, which, I guess, was supposed to be charming and "real," but which eventually became infuriating. And his delivery on the news was unremarkable, to say the least. But there have been far worse Weekend Update teams than Fey and Pohler, and far worse years.

--Josh