Major award shows such as the Grammys and the Oscars are right around the corner, but much of the arts and entertainment world is spending more time reacting to the new presidency of Donald Trump and his recent executive order on immigration. Here's what's new and interesting in entertainment and the arts:
Rosie O'Donnell has volunteered her services for "Saturday Night Live's" comedy takedown of President Trump and his administration.
The former co-host of "The View," who is already an outspoken critic of the president and has publicly quibbled with him in the past, says she would be willing to parody his chief strategist, Stephen Bannon , on "SNL."
"If asked, of course I would," O'Donnell told NBC News on Tuesday. She also tweeted "available - if called i will serve."
The casting, however, is not a done deal, and O'Donnell is not currently set to appear on or host the long-running NBC sketch series. The network has declined to comment about casting her on the show, and O'Donnell even deemed it "an alternate fact."
O'Donnell's announcement comes on the heels of Melissa McCarthy's aggressive portrayal of Trump's press secretary, Sean Spicer, over the weekend and after calls for O'Donnell's casting went viral on Twitter on Monday.
"[S]omeone tweeted it as an idea - after Melissa was so brilliant ... just a funny idea #truth," O'Donnell tweeted Tuesday.
She called McCarthy's take on Spicer "perfect" and also praised Alec Baldwin's portrayal of the president, which has repeatedly prompted Trump to lash out against the actor and the series.
"'SNL' knows what they are doing," said O'Donnell, who hosted the show in 1993 and 1996, spoofing actress Liza Minnelli, director Penny Marshall and manicurist-turned-mutilator Lorena Bobbitt.
Bannon, the controversial former editor of the far-right-leaning Breibart News, has been played in "SNL" skits by a Grim Reaper-clad Mikey Day. Bannon's relationship with Trump was lampooned in the latest episode's cold open as he encouraged the Donald to alienate allied nations in a series of impromptu phone calls.
O'Donnell's feud with the president sparked circa 2006. when she criticized the billionaire for refusing to fire Miss USA Tara Conner from the pageant he controls after she admitted to substance abuse. He dubbed O'Donnell a "pig" and continued to tweet about her appearance and personal life.
Trump went after her again in 2014 when NBC reinstated her as a "View" panelist and she became an unlikely topic of discussion after the August 2015 and September 2016 presidential debates, when he declared that O'Donnell was the only woman he publicly insulted.
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