Assorted ramblings from the world of entertainment:

• Eight films are scheduled for the Youngstown Summer Movie Series, which was announced this week.

It includes a mix of recent box office hits, and a few titles that will have a nostalgic tug for kids of the ’90s.

The lineup is:

June 22 – “Minecraft” (2025)

June 29 – “Men in Black” (1997)

July 6 – “Superman” (2025)

July 13 – “Good Burger” (1997)

July 20 – “How to Train Your Dragon” (2025 live action version)

July 27 – “Free Willy” (1993)

August 3 – “Frankenweenie” (2012)

August 10 – “Lilo & Stitch” (2025 live actionersion)

For local-ish connections, much of the 2025 version of “Superman” was shot in Northeast Ohio with various locations in Cleveland playing Metropolis. And several of the props Warren native John Zabrucky donated to the Trumbull County Historical Society for the Museum of Science Fiction and Fantasy Arts can be seen in “Men in Black,” including the egg chairs, the universal translator and some of the futuristic weaponry.

All movies start at 9 p.m. and will be shown on the front lawn of the Covelli Centre, 229 E. Front St. If it rains, the screening will be moved to the following night. Those attending are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs.

Concessions will be provided by the Youngstown Rayen Early College National Honor Society, who will be selling snacks and refreshments each week. throughout the series.

The outdoor movie series is funded with support from community sponsors, including The City of Youngstown, Wean Park, JAC Management Group, Appleridge Productions and Penguin City Brewing Co.

• The film series will have folks gathering outside the Covelli Centre, which has had no trouble attracting visitors inside since the start of 2026.

The arena had its third straight sold-out show last weekend with the April 3 concert by contemporary Christian act Third Day. The Professional Bull Riding Velocity Tour and comedian Bert Kreischer also filled the venue.

According to JAC Management, the Covelli Centre has attracted more than 50,000 visitors in the last month, including 25,000 athletes, families and fans over two weekends for the Ohio Athletic Conference Wrestling Championships.

• As someone who’s been watching “Saturday Night Live” since it started in 1975, it’s been fun to get a double dose of the show in recent weeks with the debut of “Saturday Night Live UK.”

The British edition feels very familiar but also has that new-car smell to it. The structure is identical — a political sketch to start, a guest host who does an opening monologue, a musical act that performs two songs, a “Weekend Update” in the middle and a mix of filmed bits and sketches performed live in front of an audience slotted around those tentpoles. Even the set for the opening monologue is similar.

But the freshness is most evident in “Weekend Update.” Colin Jost and Michael Che have been doing “Weekend Update” in the states longer than anyone in the show’s history. It’s nice to see a different take on this “SNL” staple since the first episode, and anchors Ania Magliano and Paddy Young have delivered some one-liners that had a real sting to them.

There are references this non-Anglophile doesn’t get and occasionally the character accents are so thick that I miss a few words of the dialogue, but the three episodes so far have been more entertaining than at least half of the U.S. shows in the current season.

The musical acts — Wet Leg, Wolf Alice and Kasabian — definitely have been a step up from most of the U.S. ones.

“SNL UK” is available in the U.S. on Sunday evenings via Peacock, and five more episodes are scheduled.

However, this double dose may be short-lived. Ratings have declined significantly since the debut. I have no idea what constitutes acceptable ratings in England, but it’s not on a trajectory that indicates long-term success. It can’t be an inexpensive show to produce — large cast, live band, a fair number of filmed bits that require paying crew members during the week.

But if it doesn’t last, maybe the OG version can import Magliano and Young.

Andy Gray is the entertainment editor of Ticket. Write to him at agray@tribtoday.com