I started listening to this TED talks podcast that NPR puts together. It’s OK, I guess. Basically, they pick a theme, like “What’s Up, Creativity,” or “Check Out Space” and pull clips from multiple TED talks that touch upon this theme, and then the hosts will go on to do side interviews with some of the TED presenters. I say it’s OK for two reasons: one, because sometimes I would like to just hear someone’s full presentation instead of four disjointed minute surrounded by a lot of uninformative chit chat, and second, because it kind of feels like they’re trying to be RadioLab, and I love RadioLab, but we already have a RadioLab, so let’s have this be something different maybe! ANYWAYS, I was listening to this one episode last week and they were talking about the universal experience of “shame,” which exists in every culture, and how shame is the overwhelming fear of being unworthy of human connection, which I thought was a really interesting way of phrasing it. That everyone basically has, or has at least had at some point, something in their life that caused them shame, which was a moment or attribute that they felt, if discovered, would cause them to be denied human connection, that they would be considered to “alien” or “less than” to get the one thing we all need. What the doctor lady then went on to explain was that one of the major solutions/work-arounds for shame was simply being open to one’s own vulnerability, and finding strength in your weakness. Something like that. What the doctor lady did NOT explain is what happens when you do such a good job leaning into and accepting your own vulnerability that you flip your shame inside out and make an entire video about overcoming your hatred of your own asshole. WHAT THEN, DOCTOR?!

• Larry David looks different in this image from HBO’s new film Clear History. Kind of like Jon Hamm? Maybe it’s just me, but I think the face is kind of Jon Hammish. JK! I know which one is which. You can watch a teaser trailer for the movie, too! -EW
• Wack Wednesday came on Wack Monday this week — tell me about it — and you can now watch The Lonely Island’s new video for “Diaper Money”! Oh, great! -TheLonelyIsland
• Big news for your 2015 calendars: Michael Fassbender’s Assassin’s Creed, based on the video game series you have either probably watched people play or have played yourself, will be released in the summer of 2015. -/Film
• The Bling Ring made Paris Hilton cry. -NextMovie
• SPEAKING OF THE BLING RING, I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned this here before, but you can watch the entire season of Pretty Wild on Netflix Instant and I watched the whole thing and it is absolutely perfect. Please watch it. -Netflix
• Finally, we have our Celebrity Apprentice winner! Ugggh we’ve been waiting so long for this moment! -Zap2It

If it were any Saturday Night Live episode other than the season finale, during which we would say goodbye to Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, and possibly Jason Sudeikis, the fact that Ben Affleck seemed way-way nervous and way-way bad at reading cue cards, especially for a fifth-timer, would have been much more distracting. But who cares! GOODBYE, STEFON! HELLO, AMY POEHLER! WHY SO SERIOUS, KANYE, JUST KIDDING, PRETEND I DIDN’T ASK, YOU DO YOU! GOODBYE, IAN RUBBISH, I FEEL LIKE WE JUST MET! MUMBLE MUMBLE JASON SUDEIKIS MUMBLE! The evening was packed with ways to distract us from Affleck’s mediocre performance and sprinkled with sketches that would have been enjoyable even if it weren’t such a big night. Hader and Armisen’s sendoffs weren’t quite as plainly emotional as Kristen Wiig’s at the end of last season, but each were better for it — Hader’s seeing Stefon end up with his one true love, and Armisen’s seeing Armisen continue to half-live out his dream of being a musician through sketches. (Hello, J Mascis, Carrie Brownstein, Kim Gordon, Aimee Mann, and Steve Jones!) It was a good episode! Let’s look at some highlights.

On this Monday morning, as we watch Alexis Normand attempt to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at this weekend’s 2013 Memorial Cup Halifax-Portland hockey game, let us remember the moments in our life when we attempted to perform something unfamiliar in front of a crowd of thousands, and as we struggled, trying not to quit, those thousands, their eyes burning into our skin, were quick to loudly correct our missteps. Oh, you don’t have one of those times? UH, THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULD GIVE ALEXIS A BREAK! (Do not give Miguel a break though.) (MIGUEL!) (Thanks for the tip, Gideon!)

We did it. At the beginning of the week, back when we were talking about how Kristen Wiig did on Saturday Night Live (my memory is a little cloudy, but we all loved it except for the fact that we were hoping for more Gilly, correct?) (JK LOL), I thought we might never get here, but we’re here. #FRIDAY! The very beginning of what will end up being one weekend in an unending cycle of workweeks and weekends that will continue until either retirement or death. YAY! What are you going to do with yours? I’m hoping to go see Frances Ha. Who knows where the weekend will take me, but that is my hope. It looks good! Tell me what you’re going to do, and then let’s meet back here on Monday. Love you, bye!

After the jump, the five Highest Rated comments, as voted on by you, the Lowest Rated comment, the winner of the Amy’s Baking Company And Pizzeria Caption Contest, and Associate Editor’s Choice.