SNL: Best of Jason Sudeikis

During a recent interview with David Letterman, Jason Sudeikis finally confirmed the long-running rumor that he was ending his time as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.  He was originally rumored to be leaving prior to last season, so we were pretty lucky he stuck around for last season, but we are still of course very sad to see him go. Jason joined SNL as a writer in 2003 but soon joined the cast in May 2005.  Below are some of our favorite Jason Sudeikis sketches throughout his more than 8 years as a cast member on the show (organized as a "Best Of" special):

Cold Open: Mitt Romney

During the 2012 Presidential campaign season, Jason became known for his spot-on impression of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney:

Twinkle & Stink

One of my all-time favorite SNL sketches featuring Jason and Will Forte as Twinkle and Stink, hilarious sports commentators for sporting events sponsored by feminine hygiene products:

Two A-Holes

One of Jason's first big characters was as one of the two "a-holes" in this popular sketch with Kristen Wiig:

SNL Best of Fred Armisen

When SNL returns in September for its 39th season, it will be missing 3 of its most popular and longest running cast members. We've been a little delayed in giving each cast member his proper "Best Of" farewell post, but we're gonna try to fix that during the next few days.

First up is Fred Armisen, one of our favorites, who joined the show back in 2002 and left the show this year completing 11 seasons. The great thing about Fred is he could play any race, either gender, do any accent, and always came up with crazy and original characters. Below, we provide our favorite Fred Armisen sketches during his 11 year stint on the show, organized as a "Best Of" DVD (though sadly they don't seem to be releasing SNL DVDs as often as they used to).  

Cold Open: Obama

Fred may have passed the Obama baton to Jay Pharoah last season, but to the casual viewer Fred will probably be remembered as "They guy who played Obama".  

The Californians

Fred really seems to love this sketch. While the format can be a little repetitious with each time it recurred, it was one of his most popular sketches from his later years on the show. 

Ferecito

One of Fred's earliest recurring characters was Ferecito, known for his catch phrase "Ay Dios Mio!".

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:

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?

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!

TV Star Spotlight: Jenny Slate

It seems lately that Jenny Slate, the short-lived SNL star from the 2009/2010 season, has been popping up all over our TV screen. So we thought we'd take a look back at some of our favorite Jenny Slate TV appearances (plus one viral viral video sensation)!  Check it out:

We first saw Jenny Slate on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon's recurring series 7th Floor West, a spot-on parody of The Hills.  Jenny played Jenny, an NBC page who Jimmy finds attractive and eventually hires to be his assistant:

That bit must have caught the eye of Lorne Michaels (who is the executive producer of both SNL and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon) because shortly after that Jenny was cast on Saturday Night Live.  Though she only lasted one year, we were always big fans of her work on the show, especially her recurring character of Tina Tina Chanuse:

After leaving SNL, Jenny created the adorable viral video sensation "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On". Jenny co-wrote the film and voices the titular character of Marcel, a tiny shell wearing shoes.  The video was so successful (it has over 20 million views on YouTube) that it later spawned a sequel video and even a hardcover book.  Check out the original "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On" and the sequel below:

Classic SNL References on JT Hosted SNL

Justin Timberlake returned to Saturday Night Live to host for the 5th time last weekend, and he brought along with him a slew of former SNL hosts and cast members making surprise appearances    on the show.  But in addition to that, there were many references to classic SNL that some younger or more casual fans may not be too familiar with.  Below, we breakdown some of these references that you may have missed.

When it was first announced that Justin Timberlake was going to be this week's SNL host, much was made of the fact that it was his 5th time hosting and that he would be joining the prestigious "Five Timers Club".  The "Five Timers Club" has been references many times on SNL, but it all started back in 1990 when Tom Hanks hosted for his 5th time. His classic monologue was mirrored quite closely by Justin Timberlake's monologue, by showing the audience his official Five Timers Club membership card, going to the Five Timers Club Lounge, and being greeted Paul Simon, Steve Martin, and other people who have hosted the show at least five times.  It's also interesting to note that Justin Timberlake's monologue had the Five Timers Club lounge doorman played by a mostly unknown SNL writer named Mike O'Brien, (host of the web series 7 Minutes in Heaven).  The Five Timers Club lounge doorman for Tom Hanks was also an unknown SNL writer at the time, who happens to share Mike O'Brien's last name - a very young Conan O'Brien.  Check out the similarities and differences between the the two monologues below:

When it was announced that Justin would be hosting there was also a lot of speculation about if Andy Samberg, who left the show at the end of last season, would return to reunite with Justin Timberlake to play the guys from the "D*ck in a Box" Digital Shorts.  To the delight of many fans, Andy did in fact return and everyone's favorite 90's R&B duo was back on the show, but they weren't the only ones!  Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd, who were previously seen in the "Five Timers Club" monologue (above), reprised another popular SNL duo - the "Wild and Crazy Guys"!  Steve Martin hosted many times back in the 70's, and he and Dan Aykroyd would often play the Festrunk Brothers, two Czechoslovakian  swingers who go around looking for some "American foxes" to hook up with.  Known for their over-usage of American expressions and their popular catch phrase "We are two wild and crazy guys!"  the sketch was done four times during the 70's, as well as one time in 1998 with Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan's Roxbury Guys characters.  Here's the historic return of the Festrunk Brothers, followed by a classic Festrunk sketch from 1978:

When Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Chevy Chase all appeared together in the Five Timers Club monologue, Justin Timberlake said exactly what I was shouting to my TV set at home, "It's the Three Amigos!"  Three Amigos (which eagle-eyed fans might recognize from the movie poster in the back of Lorne's office from some of the "Laser Cats" Digital Shorts, pictured to the right) was a 1986 comedy film written by SNL Creator/Executive Producer Lorne Michaels and Steve Martin (along with singer/songwriter Randy Newman) starring Martin, Short, and Chase as actors who star in a series of successful western films as the crime fighting trio The Three Amigos.  A woman in a poor Mexican village sees the Three Amigos in a movie and writes to them to help save their village from the evil bandito named El Guapo (which if anyone knows Spanish, comically translates to "The Handsome").  Due to a misunderstanding, the Three Amigos think she wants them to come to film a movie, not realizing that the terrifying El Guapo is actually real.  Hilarity ensues.  During the monologue, Timberlake asked them to do "The Three Amigo Salute", to which only Martin Short took part in.  Later in the show however, the Three Amigos return, in full costume, and all do the Three Amigo Salute in unison as they introduce Justin Timberlake's second musical performance:

And here's the actual Three Amigos Salute from the film.  The best six seconds in cinematic history:

Finally, this is my personal favorite scene from the film.  To set up the clip, a German man walks into this saloon and warns everyone that his very tough and fast-shooting friends will be arriving soon, and that they don't mess around.  Of course, The Three Amigos then enter, with everyone in the saloon frightened thinking that they're the tough friends of the German.  Once again, hilarity ensues:

Let us know if we missed any other classic SNL references from the episode!  And if you haven't seen Three Amigos, you should really check it out. Highly recommended.

Kevin Hart and Justin Timberlake to Host SNL (and LNJF)!

There was no new SNL episode last night, but we got two great hosts coming up:

3/2 Kevin Hart (with musical guest Macklemore & Ryan Lewis)

Comedian Kevin Hart will be hosting for the first time this Saturday, and we couldn't be more excited.  I've seen some of his standup on TV and he's definitely a very funny guy.  And while I haven't seen his breakout role in the film Think Like a Man, I have seen him in a few episodes of Modern Family, so I know he can act as well.  You never know quite know what to expect when someone hosts for the first time, but I got a feeling Kevin Hart will not disappoint.  Since most of his standup is too dirty for this site, here's a (very) short clip of Kevin Hart on Modern Family, followed by his SNL promo:

3/9 Justin Timberlake

The following weekend Justin Timberlake will return to SNL as he joins the prestigious "5-Timers Club" by hosting and performing as musical guest.    Justin Timberlake is one of the all-time great SNL hosts, probably the best host of the last decade.  When he first hosted almost 10 years ago back in 2003, he was primarily known as a music star.  His amazing hosting job on SNL really started his acting career, and today he's arguably more known for his acting than his singing (though he's now promoting his first album in 7 years).  When a bad SNL host is on the show, they'll often play a straight character opposite one of the cast members being funny. When Justin hosts, he's the funny one, and it really feels like he's part of the cast.  His hosting  also raises 2 big questions: First, will Andy Samberg return to the show to do a 4th installment of the "D*ck in a Box" Digital Shorts (5th if you include their short segment in the 100th Digital Short)?  Andy returned a few weeks ago to premier his new Digital Short "YOLO", so maybe he'll come back again?  Second, will Jimmy Fallon return to SNL to do the popular "Barry Gibb Talk Show" sketch?  They've done it every time that Justin has hosted so far, though when Jimmy hosted last year Justin couldn't make it due to scheduling.  It's also interesting to note that the real Robin Gibb, who Justin impersonates, passed away last year, so would it be in bad taste to do the sketch?  We'll find on March 9th!  Here's the first time they did "Barry Gibb Talk Show" back in 2003, followed by a new promo for the show:

Whether or not Jimmy Fallon makes an appearance on SNL, it looks like he'll be spending a lot of time with Justin Tiberlake!  The week following his SNL stint, from March 11-15, Justin will be the exclusive musical guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon every single night!  He'll reportedly also be an interview guest on Monday and Friday, and will most likely be doing all sorts of bits with Jimmy throughout the week.  The last three times Justin appeared on Jimmy's show, they've performed their now classic "History of Rap" medlies, so hopefully we'll get a new one that week!  Here's the last two  History of Raps combined in one epic video.  Hopefully we'll soon have a fourth!

Justin Bieber and Christoph Waltz Hosting SNL!

We know we're incredibly late in reporting this, but in case you haven't heard yet, the next two SNL hosts will be:

2/9 Justin Bieber

Pop sensation Justin Bieber will be pulling double duty as host and musical guest of tonight's show.  While we're certainly not "beliebers", I think he might actually make a good SNL host.  When he made his first SNL cameo appearance back in 2010 in the classroom sketch below (he looked so young!), he really held his own opposite Tina Fey. He had great comedic timing and a stage presence that made me think back then that he would make a great host.  And after the successful hosting stint of Bruno Mars earlier this season, I think Bieber might follow in his foot stops turn out to be another great pop star turned SNL host.  Check out some of his previous SNL appearances below, followed by some promos for tonight's show!

2/16 Christoph Waltz (with musical guest Alabama Shakes)

After the Bieber Fever winds down, Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz will take his turn as host.  The Django Unchained star (for which he is once again Oscar nominated) is not really known for comedy, so I'm not really sure how he'll do on SNL.  I have to admit that I have not seen Django Unchained or any of his films, so I really don't know what to expect from Christoph Waltz.  However, I do know that as an Oscar winner, he's obviously a great actor, which should be helpful in playing the various characters he'll have to portray on the show.  Jennifer Lawrence was similarly an Oscar-nominated actress known  mainly for her dramatic work (who I also wasn't really familiar with) and she did ok, though not great.  Should be interesting to see of Christoph Waltz can pull it off!  Check out the promo below!

SNL Cast on 30 Rock

In just a few days, one of our all-time favorite shows, 30 Rock, will end its historic 7 year run on NBC  with a big hour-long finale airing Thursday night (1/31) from 8:00-9:00 EST.  The show is obviously deeply rooted with one of our other favorite shows, Saturday Night Live, as producer Lorne Michaels, Tina Fey, and Tracy Morgan have spent many years on both shows.  The show was essentially inspired by Tina Fey's experiences working as head writer on SNL, so it should come as no surprise that 30 Rock and SNL have shared many actors.  So in honor of this Thursday's finale, below is a lookback at all of the SNL cast members of past and present who have appeared on 30 Rock over the years.  So go ahead and relive some great 30 Rock memories, and don't forget to watch the finale Thurday night on NBC!

Tina Fey, who served as head writer and Weekend Update anchor on Saturday Night Live from 2000-2006, stars on 30 Rock as main character Liz Lemon.  She's also the show's creator, producer, and often writes many of the episodes.

Tracy Morgan, who starred on SNL from 1996-2003, stars as actor Tracy Jordan on 30 Rock, in a role that's very much based on himself.  In this season 1 clip, he releases to the world his hit single "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah":

Rachel Dratch left SNL with Tina Fey in 2006 to star on 30 Rock as the character of Jenna.  The part was eventually recast with Jane Krakowski playing the part, but Rachel appeared throughout the first season as a different random character in each episode.  In the clip below she plays a cat wrangler:

Chris Parnell plays NBC's in-house doctor Dr. Leo Spaceman (pronounced Spa CHE man). He has appeared on all 7 seasons of 30 Rock, and is one of our personal favorite characters.  Here is a montage of some of his funniest medical moments:

Lonely Island Return to SNL with New Digital Short!

Andy Samberg and The Lonely Island made their epic return to Saturday Night Live last night, releasing  the music video for their latest single "YOLO" featuring host Adam Levine.  Unfortunately for me, I came across this article last week which kind of ruined the surprise, but it was still great to see Andy, Jorma, and Akiva back on SNL with another great Digital Short.  The video also marks a reunion of sorts for The Lonely Island and Adam Levine, who previously collaborated on the classic music video for "Iran So Far".  The trio also confirmed on YouTube that their next album will be released sometime this year, and that "YOLO" will likely be the lead single on the album.  I was a little nervous that Andy leaving SNL to be a movie star meant the end of The Lonely Island, so I'm really glad to hear they've been working on a new album.  We'll post more details once it becomes available, but for now check out the  music video for "YOLO"!

Elsewhere on the show, Andy also appeared on the show during Adam's monologue, alongside some other very special guests!

Hopefully as we get closer to the release of the new Lonely Island album, we'll get to see more Digital Shorts on SNL!  YOLO!

First SNL Hosts of 2013 Announced!

The January 2013 Saturday Night Live hosts have been announced! Here's who the next 2 SNL hosts will be:

1/19 Jennifer Lawrence (with musical guest The Lumineers)

Before this SNL season started, I made a Wishlist of the Top 10 New SNL Hosts I'd like see host this season.  Guest Blogger Daniel did the same.  So far, 1 of my 10 people have hosted (Louis C.K.) and now it looks like someone from Daniel's list will be hosting too.  I have to admit that I have never actually seen a film or TV show with Jennifer Lawrence in it before, so I'm really not sure what to expect here.  I generally prefer comedic actors/actresses, and based on her filmography, Jennifer Lawrence hasn't done much comedy.  However, I am kind of looking forward to her hosting simply based on how much Guest Blogger Daniel thinks she'll do well.  He insists that despite her dramatic film work, she is funny and entertaining on talk shows and that she'll make a great host.  Okay Daniel, if you say so.  You better not let me down!

1/26 Adam Levine (with musical guest Kendrick Lamar)

After Jennifer Lawrence hosts, it'll be Adam Levine's turn!  While I'm generally not a fan of singers hosting SNL, I have high hopes for Adam Levine.  I've caught a few episodes of The Voice and he has a great personality and is really fun to watch.  I think he can follow in the footsteps of Justin Timberlake or Bruno Mars (wow I'm already lumping those two together) and be another great SNL host.  Besides, he's practically already a "friend of the show", making a cameo in "The Stand Off" short earlier this season,  and appearing in many other sketches such as my all-time favorite SNL Digital Short, "Iran So Far" and  the Greek Gods sketch from 2011:

A Familiar "Dana Carvey Show" Sketch

Last night, we watched the complete series of The Dana Carvey Show on DVD for the first time.  The 1996 sketch comedy show starred Dana Carvey shortly after he left SNL, and featured a supporting cast that included Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert before either were a household name.  The show also featured an impressive writing staff that included Louis C.K. (Louie), Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Adaptation), and Robert Smigel (SNL's TV Funhouse cartoons).  I had seen a few sketches online before, but never actually watched whole episodes.  The show only lasted 7 episodes before it was canceled, but the DVD set includes an 8th episode that never aired.  I got the DVD set for Chanukkah this year, so I was very excited to watch it.  

Unfortunately, the show hasn't aged very well, with lots of topical sketches about Bill Clinton, Bob Dole, Ross Perot, OJ Simpson, and other old news stories to which we  didn't even get the references. Some sketches were kind of funny, but the show overall was rather disappointing, especially considering the all-star cast of actors and writers on the show.  Nevertheless, there was one sketch that really stood out to us.  The sketch featured a deleted scene from The Wizard of Oz which included the deleted character of "Dennis Blanchard", who wanted to see the wizard because he wanted a, well, I'll let you see for yourself:  (BTW, Steve Carell plays the Tinman and Stephen Colbert is the Scarecrow!)

The sketch stood out to us for a few reasons.  First, it aged much better than the others since it wasn't spoofing the forgotten headlines of 1996.  Second, it was actually pretty funny.  And third, it very closely resembled a recent Saturday Night Live sketch, which also featured a deleted character from The Wizard of Oz!  See for yourself:

Obviously the deleted character from both sketches are quite different, but still, the premise of a sketch about a deleted character from The Wizard of Oz is oddly specific.  Were the SNL writers inspired by the old Dana Carvey sketch?  Or did they both happen to thing of the same random idea?  We'll probably never know, but still, it's hard not to wonder...

Drunk Uncle on 12-12-12 Concert!

While watching the epic 6 hour 12-12-12 Concert for Hurricane Sandy Relief last night, I was pleasantly surprised to see most of the cast of Saturday Night Live working the phone banks taking calls from donors.  This was a live concert on Wednesday night, and the SNL gang have a big show airing in just 3 days!  I figured they'd be busy writing and rehearsing with Martin Short, but there they were, volunteering their time for a good cause.  And as if that wasn't enough, then Seth Meyers comes out and introduces Drunk Uncle, and they do a full Drunk Uncle bit in the middle of the concert!  It was totally unexpected, and a great piece of comic relief following Kanye West's out-of-place performance.  It also goes to show what caring and generous people the SNL cast really are.  Anyway, without further ado, here's Drunk Uncle at the 12-12-12 Concert!

And don't forget, there's an all new Saturday Night Live this weekend with host Martin Short!  And fresh off his 12-12-12 Concert appearance, Sir Paul McCartney will be musical guest! Perhaps his new band-mates from Nirvana will make a surprise appearance???  We'll soon find out!  Here's some hilarious promos for the show!

And in case you want a little more Martin Short to hold you to Saturday, here's the very first appearance of the popular "Celebrity Jeopardy" sketch, featuring host Martin Short as on of my all time favorite comedians, Jerry Lewis!

Jaime Foxx on SNL!

Last week, we posted about Jaime Foxx hosting SNL for a second time this Saturday night.  At the time, we couldn't find any clips of Jaime's former hosting appearance online, so we just posted a clip of him from his old sketch comedy series In Living Color.  But with Jaime hosting in just a few days, it seems that the good folks over at NBC decided to take this old Jaime Foxx sketch out of the vault for us to enjoy. So here's Jaime Foxx on SNL from his first time hosting back in 2000:

And now here's a new promo with Jaime Foxx and Jason Sudeikis for this weekend's show!

Pete Schweddy's Forgotten Return to The Delicious Dish

Last week, we enjoyed watching the SNL Christmas special on NBC, a 2 hour collection of the best holiday-themed sketches over the show's 38 year history (though it was quite heavily skewed towards the more current seasons).  Naturally, we have seen these classic sketches many times before, but it's always fun to watch them again nonetheless.  

The special included one of the greatest and most classic SNL sketches of all time- the infamous "Schweddy Balls" sketch, which featured Alec Baldwin as Pete Schweddy appearing on the NPR program "The Delicious Dish" to promote his ball-shaped holiday treats.  The sketch was ranked as the #3 greatest SNL sketch ever on the "E! 101 Most Unforgettable  SNL Moments" list and even spawned its own Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor! (Yes, I've had it.)  While the Delicious Dish sketch with Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon  has recurred 15 times throughout the show's history, it will forever be remembered for that one magical time that Alec Baldwin appeared as Pete Schweddy.

BUT, did you know that Pete Schweddy actually returned to the Delicious Dish a second time?  It's true!  After the enormous success of Schweddy Balls, Alec Baldwin reprised his character of Pete Schweddy to return to the Delicious Dish to introduce his latest culinary treat!  It's also interesting to note that this sketch aired shortly after Molly Shannon had left the show, so Rachel Dratch was introduced as as Ana Gasteryer's new co-host!  Check it out!

And in case you're one of the only people in the world who's never seen it (or you just want to watch it again), here's the classic "Schweddy Balls" sketch:

Jaime Foxx and Martin Short to Host SNL!

Only two Saturday Night Live episodes remain in 2012, and we now know who the hosts will be!

12/8 Jaime Foxx (with musical guest Ne-Yo)

After a short 2-week hiatus, SNL will return with actor/rapper/comedian Jaime Foxx hosting for his second time (he previously hosted back in 2000).  While I admit I'm not that familiar with Jamie Foxx's work, I know he has a strong comedy background from doing stand-up, starring on his own self titled sitcom, and starring on the sketch comedy series In Living Color.  He has also starred in many dramatic roles, including his Academy Award winning performance in 2004's Ray.  This proves that he's both a really funny guy as well as a very talented actor, which usually leads to a great SNL host.  I'm very excited to see how he does on the show, since I don't recall his first time hosting and can't seem to find any videos online.  I did however find this video of Jaime Foxx as his popular recurring character "Wanda" from In Living Color:

12/15 Martin Short (with musical guest Paul McCartney)

On December 15th, SNL's popular "Christmas Show", Martin Short will return to host for his 3rd time.  Short actually starred on SNL as a cast member during the 1984-1985 season, where he often played his popular character Ed Grimley (which he originated on the Canadian sketch comedy show SCTV). He has since returned to the show to host once in 1986 alongside Chevy Chase and Steve Martin (with whom he was co-starring with in the hilarious Lorne Michaels-produced film Three Amigos!) and then once again on his own in 1996.    Joining Short on the show is legendary rock star Paul McCartney, who will be musical guest for the 4th time.  Paul has been known to show up in sketches when he's on the show, so I'm really looking forward to see what he does this time!  Should be a great show!  Here's Martin Short as Ed Grimley, Paul McCartney on The Chris Farley Show, and Martin and Paul together making a surprise cameo during a show hosted by Alec Baldwin in 2006 (the last time either man was seen on the show):

Our Favorite SNL Sketch this Weekend That Never Even Aired

Usually, after Saturday Night Live airs each weekend, we post our favorite sketch or two and write about how great it was. This weekend however, we did no such post.  We just didn't feel that any of the sketches were blog-worthy in what was a somewhat mediocre show.  So instead of posting about my favorite sketch of the week, I was planning to write about my disappointment that a sketch that I wanted to see never aired at all.

Last week, The New York Times reviewed celebrity chef Guy Fieri's new restaurant in Times Square and gave it a hilariously horrible review.  And for the first time that I can remember, a restaurant review went viral and everyone was talking about it.  As soon as I read it, I immediately said "I can't wait to see Bobby's Guy Fieri talking about this on Weekend Update. This is gonna be great!".  And since that moment, I had been looking forward to SNL more than usual to see this inevitable sketch.  And yet, when the show aired and Weekend Update came on, there was no Guy.  The two Update guests were Jay Pharoah as Katt Williams and a surprise cameo by NJ Governor Chris Christie.  And while I enjoyed both appearances, I still couldn't figure out why SNL chose to air these two bits over Guy Fieri.  I was thinking maybe once they booked Chris Christie they bumped the Guy sketch, but why wouldn't they bump Katt Williams instead?  While it was a funny segment, far more people are familiar with Guy Fieri (who Bobby has hilariously impersonated many times before) and his his "review read 'round the world" than they are with comedian Katt Williams and his recent scandal.  I couldn't figure it out.  So I figured it must have gotten cut at Dress Rehearsal.  SNL's website often posts cut sketches on Sunday after the show, but when I checked the site on Sunday afternoon, while there was a cut sketch, there was no Guy Fieri.  Had SNL actually not written a Guy Fieri sketch at all?

                  The real Guy Fieri                                                    Bobby Moynihan as Guy Fieri on SNL

So I was planning to post about my anger over not getting to see Bobby as Guy responding to the review.  I was gonna  post an old Guy Fieri sketch to show how hilarious Bobby's impression was, and then hypothesize about what they could have done with the sketch   But then, out of nowhere, just as I had given up all hope, the Guy Fieri sketch actually appeared!  It apparently was cut from Dress Rehearsal and for whatever reason wasn't posted online until today.  And...it's just as great as I imagined it would be!  I still can't understand why this got cut over Katt Williams (or why they couldn't cut one of the other sketches to extend Weekend Update), but I'm just glad that the video exists and we finally get to watch Bobby Moynihan's hilarious Guy Fieri respond to the infamous NY Times Review.

So without further ado, here's the highly anticipated Guy Fieri sketch from Saturday Night Live:

And in case you're wondering how Guy actually responded to the review, here's his interview with Savannah Guthrie from the Today show:

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SNL Alum on New Normal!

After leaving Saturday Night Live, actors usually follow one of two paths: They either become a huge movie/TV star (like Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, etc.) or they become character actors and pop up on various comedies in funny guest starring roles.  And while lately we've seen a lot of great guest spots from SNL alums such as Rachel Dratch, Molly Shannon, Chris Parnell, Will Forte, etc., there's one who we really haven't seen in a while - Cheri Oteri. Therefore, you can imagine our surprise when she randomly popped up in this week's episode of the new NBC comedy The New Normal!  Check out Cheri Oteri's scene-stealing appearance on The New Normal below:

And for those of you who don't remember Cheri Oteri on SNL, she starred on the show from 1995-2000, and is probably best remembered for her role as Ariana in the popular recurring sketch "The Spartan Cheerleaders" opposite Will Ferrell: