Melissa McCarthy

The Happytime Murders is an R-rated comedic murder mystery that imagines a Los Angeles where humans and Henson-like puppets somehow coexist. It’s been in the works since 2008, with a number of people joining and then leaving as the project foundered. A year ago, Jamie Foxx was attached to star, but he left the project. Now, Melissa McCarthy is leading the project, and her Bridesmaids co-star Maya Rudolph joined up this week to help solve crime.

Emma Stone has come a long way from her La La Land character Mia’s humble barista origins: she’s now the highest-paid actress of this year, thanks mostly to last year’s Damien Chazelle film that rocketed her around the awards circuit last winter.

Rejoice, parents: you’ll soon have a new Christmas movie to add to your family’s holiday rotation. If your family was anything like my own, you probably grew tired of placating screaming nieces and nephews with the same ratty DVD copies of A Christmas Story, Elf, or Home Alone. That makes any new holiday movie  —  regardless of quality  —  a welcome change of pace. Arthur Christmas? Fine. Rise of the Guardians? It’ll do in a pinch. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale? Maybe save that one for the time in the evening when the uncles break out the adults-only eggnog. But a Melissa McCarthy Christmas comedy? That could be quite a boon for tired family members everywhere.

Last year’s Ghostbusters reboot was supposed to be the start of an entire new franchise (or perhaps even a universe of franchises) around the venerable ’80s horror comedy. Sony Pictures, which owns the rights to bust ghosts on the big screen, even created this new production company, Ghost Corps, to lead the charge on all these various efforts. There was talk of an all-male Ghostbusters to accompany the all-female team we got from director Paul Feig. And a new cartoon series was put into development as well. But since the movie opened to just so-so reviews and box office last year, developments on this front have been as quiet as Spook Central after a total protonic reversal.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Donald Trump is universally praised.

This past weekend saw perhaps the culmination of Melissa McCarthy’s SNL Sean Spicer impression, as the real “Spicey” may not by Press Secretary by fall. Perhaps an even greater sign of McCarthy capturing lightning in a bottle; behind-the-scenes reports suggest Beck Bennett was first in line for the job.

We knew Melissa McCarthy scooting around town meant SNL had it in for Sean Spicer, and boy, did they deliver. Watch the biggest “Spicey” sketch yet, as the beleaguered press secretary takes to the streets of New York City to seek out Donald Trump himself.

Long before Sean Spicer started hiding in the bushes to escape the press, SNL fans knew Melissa McCarthy’s return would be brutal. Ol’ Spicey’s already in the spotlight for SNL’s penultimate Season 42 promo, as McCarthy dances through Studio 8H.

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, because you almost certainly haven’t — think The Heat, but instead of tough cookie Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy teams with a street-smart puppet to bust criminal scum. Step aside, Anomalisa, a new puppet comedy has arrived to freak out audiences and challenge the boundaries of what can be considered marketable for a mass audience.

SNL declared its final hosts of the season earlier than usual, tying the announcements of Jimmy Fallon, Chris Pine, Melissa McCarthy and Dwayne Johnson to its live coast-to-coast debut. Now, the final shows have Katy Perry and others among the musical guests, assuming the Writers Guild strike doesn’t shutter the season early.