Kate McKinnon Impersonates Ellen on "Ellen"!

We've previously posted about how much we love Kate McKinnon's impression of Ellen Degeneres on Saturday Night Live.  (You can watch the full sketch here.)  Well last week the two Ellens finally came face to face when Kate McKinnon was a guest on Ellen's show.  At first she came out as her self and talked to Ellen about what a huge honor it is to meet her and chatted about her audition for Saturday Night Live:

Then Ellen handed her a duplicate set of her clothes so she could come back in character as Ellen. The two Ellens then had some fun together in their chairs before getting up to dance around the set:

Lastly, as a web-exclusive bonus clip, here's the real Ellen and Kate McKinnon's Ellen hanging out with Ellen's wife Portia de Rossi (of Arrested Development fame) after the show:  

Final 3 SNL Hosts of the Season!

The final three SNL hosts of the season have just been announced, and we could not be more excited!  Closing out SNL's 38th season will be:

5/4 Zach Galifianakis (with musical guest Of Monsters and Men)

After successfully hosting twice before, Zach Galifianakis (I hope I'm pronouncing that right) will return as SNL host for his third time next Saturday! Zach is one of our all-time favorite hosts, so we're very excited to see him back.  While Zach is great in sketches, it is his monologues that have really become quite legendary.  From one-liners at the piano to lip-syncing "Tomorrow" in a red dress, anything goes in a Galifianakis monologue.  Check out his first two monologues below.  (If you enjoy them, you should really check out his DVD "Live at the Purple Onion", which as he points out below, is "selling like whatever the opposite of hot cakes is."  We own the DVD and it is quite hilarious).    Can't wait to see what he does this time!

5/11 Kristen Wiig (with musical guest Vampire Weekend)

After departing the SNL cast at the end of last season, Kristen Wiig will make her much anticipated return to the show as a first-time host!  (She did have a brief cameo earlier this season in the Martin Short episode, but that doesn't really count.)  Kristen is one if the most beloved SNL cast members of the past decade, so we're really looking forward to seeing her back on the show.  She will undoubtedly bring back some of her classic characters with her, but which ones will it be? And will she bring along her good pal John Hamm for a cameo?  We'll find out soon enough!  Below are a few of our favorite Kristen Wiig characters that we're hoping show up when she hosts:

Getting Excited for the End of The Office

Today is April 16 (well it was when I started writing this, it's now technically April 17).  In exactly 1 month from today yesterday, on May 16, The Office will air its final episode ever.  Only 4 episodes remain (the last 2 are both hour-long episodes), and we could not be more excited to see how the 9-season long series will come to an end.  The storylines in the episodes lately have been really great, and we've been eagerly awaiting each new episode, while simultaneously dreading how much closer we are to never seeing new episodes again.

Since Michael Scott left the series at the end of Season 7, his presence has been sorely missed on the show.  But what was also bothersome was that after being such a major part of The Office for almost seven years, he was hardly ever mentioned on the show after his departure.  When watching new episodes, it was almost as if Michael Scott had never existed.  Fortunately, as the show is coming to an end, though Steve Carell will reportedly not be returning to the show to reprise Michael Scott, the writers have been writing in some Michael references to show that he's not forgotten.  In a great throw-back to classic Office (particularly the Pilot episode), in the recent episode "Moving On", Pam interviews for a new job in Philadelphia, and her potential new manager is quite reminiscent of her former boss (there's more after the Toby/Nellie scene):

(Fun Fact: Bob Odenkirk, who plays the Michael Scott-esque boss, actually was considered for the role of Michael Scott when the show was first getting cast back in 2005!)

Another exciting aspect of these final episodes of The Office is that we're finally starting to see this documentary come together. Earlier this season we actually met some of the documentary crew, and in the episode "Promos", the Dunder Mifflin employees actually watch a promo for the documentary that they star in!  (And for the first time since he left the show in season 7, Michael Scott actually appears on-screen!)

And to further build our excitement for the end of The Office, John Krasinski (Jim) has produced a 10-episode web series entitled "The Office Farewells" which features various actors who have appeared on The Office looking back and talking about what The Office has meant to them.  So far only the first installment is available, and it features none other than the great Will Ferrell reminiscing about his classic Office role of Deangelo Vickers:

Only four episodes left!  Can't wait to see how it all ends!

Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy

Last weekend Melissa McCarthy returned to host SNL , and although she did a good job (though not as great as her first time hosting), our favorite part of the show was the return of Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy!  While we don't always love Vanessa Bayer's characters, ,this one is one of our favorites currently on the show.  The accent is hilarious, but what really makes it great is the facial expressions.  Vanessa, a 31 year old woman, really becomes this 13 year old boy.  I love Jacob's goofy smile after he tells each corny joke, and how quickly he goes back to his serious speech.  He also has great chemistry with Seth, who really seems to be amused by Jacob.  So far, Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy has appeared twice at the Weekend Update desk.  Here's his appearance from last weekend's show talking about Passover, followed by his appearance last December talking about Chanukah:

While Seth always introduces Jacob as a "recent Bar Mitzvah Boy", did you know that we've actually seen Jacob's Bar Mitzvah?  Before Jacob became a recurring Weekend Update character, he starred in a sketch which featured many musical impressions of popular celebrities singing Jewish parodies at his Bar Mitzvah. The sketch aired back in 2011 and features host Gwyneth Paltrow as Taylor Swift and musical guest Cee Lo Green as himself:

Hopefully we'll see some more of Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy soon! Although there aren't really many Jewish holidays coming up.  Maybe Jacob can explain to everyone the story of Shavuot?

Jimmy Fallon to Take Over The Tonight Show! And Seth Meyers Taking Over Late Night?

After weeks of speculation, it was finally confirmed that Jimmy Fallon will be the next host of The Tonight Show!  He will take over the position from Jay Leno in February around the time of the 2014 Winter Olympics.  Before the news was officially confirmed on Wednesday, Jimmy and Jay had a little fun with the rumors on Monday night's show:

Then on Wednesday  after the news broke, Jimmy could finally talk about it openly with his viewers.  He seemed truly gracious and excited about his new role:

As FalPals, we're of course very excited that Jimmy was given the prestigious job of hosting the legendary television institution that is The Tonight Show.  However, we are also a bit concerned. It's hard to forget what happened to Conan O'Brien, who like Jimmy, was given The Tonight Show after successfully hosting Late Night, only to be fired due to low ratings after a few short months.  While we're optimistic that it will work out better for Jimmy, since his comedy is a bit more broad than Conan's (and Jay Leno is now 5 years older and less likely to try to take the show back), The Tonight Show is more heavily scrutinized than Late Night, where Jimmy was free to do whatever he wanted.  Hopefully Jimmy's comedy translates to 11:30, and he'll host The Tonight Show for many years to come!

Jimmy taking over The Tonight Show also yields the question of who will take over as the new host of Late Night.  While no official host has been named yet, according to various reports online, SNL's Seth Meyers is in final talks for the job and is widely expected to accept the position.  This makes a lot of sense because like Jimmy, Seth has succeeded on SNL (both were Weekend Update anchors) and with Lorne Michaels serving as Executive Producers of both shows, it would be a very easy transition.  If Seth does end up taking the job, we will of course be sad to see him leave SNL, but he has been on the show for almost 12 years, so its certainly understandable that he'd want to move on to something else, and he certainly seems suitable for the role of Late Night host.  While he mainly serves as Weekend Update anchor on SNL, he's also the show's head writer, which means he would have a lot of great ideas for for material on his own show.  And though he hasn't appeared in many non-Weekend Update sketches lately, in his earlier years he frequently did many impressions (John Kerry, Anderson Cooper) and characters (The Needlers, David Zinger), which will come in handy for doing all sorts of topical bits.  But of course what matters most is how he does behind a desk talking to guests.  And as evidenced by his many appearances on Late Night, he's very funny and comfortable when talking on light night shows.  Here'a a clip of him talking to Jimmy Fallon on Late Night.  This aired the night of Hurricane Sandy and there was no one in the audience:

And if Seth is looking for a sidekick, we can think of no one better than his own brother Josh Meyers. Josh, who starred on SNL's competitor sketch series MADtv, has often appeared on Late Night with his brother Seth to play the Sibling Game.  The two clearly have great chemistry.

So will Seth take over Late Night from Jimmy?  Hopefully we'll find out soon! If he does, looks like we'll be watching 2 hours of TV every night!

Melissa McCarthy and Vince Vaughn Return to SNL!

The next SNL hosts have been announced, and it looks like we'll have two funny people returning to host for their second times!

4/6 Melissa McCarthy (with musical guest Phoenix)

After a 3 week hiatus, SNL returns with host Melissa McCarthy!  Melissa was one of the best hosts of last season, so we're very excited to see her return to the show.  She seemed very comfortable on the show, really getting into each of the crazy characters that she portrayed in her hilarious episode.  She's also not afraid to get down and dirty, as evidenced by the "Taste Test" sketch posted below.  Her hosting also raises the question of whether Kristen Wiig will return to reunite with her former Bridesmaids co-star.  While Kristen made a brief cameo in the Martin Short hosted episode, it would be great to see her and Melissa together again for a whole sketch, as they have great chemistry together as evidenced by Melissa's monologue last season.  Check out Melissa's monologue with Kristen Wiig and the hilarious "Taste Test" sketch from Melisa's first time hosting, followed by a preview for this Saturday's show!

4/13 Vince Vaughn (with musical guest Miguel)

After Melissa McCarthy it will be Vince Vaughn's turn to host.  Vaughn will be returning to SNL for the first time in 15 years since first hosting back in 1998.  While we haven't seen many of Vaughn's more recent films, we did enjoy some of his earlier movies (Wedding Crashers, Dodgeball, etc.) so we know he's a funny guy.  It should be interesting to see him back on SNL after so long.  Perhaps one of his fellow "Frat Pack" members like Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, or Owen Wilson will make an appearance?  We'll soon find out!  Below, check out some sketches from his first time hosting.  First, Vaughn stars opposite in Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon in "Dog Show", and then Vaughn, Tracy Morgan, and Tim Meadows appear in "Pimp Chat".  

And here's a promo for the show!

Too Much Tuna!

In honor of April Fool's Day, we thought we'd share with you a clip from our favorite prank show - Too Much Tuna!  The hilarious bit from Kroll Show stars Nick Kroll and SNL writer John Mulaney as two old pranksters pranking their subject with, well, take a look...