Well, it’s official: Betty White really will be the host of “Saturday Night Live” on May 8th. Assuming, you know… I hate to sound so pessimistic, but the woman is 88 years old, people. I think she’s great, but I’m not going to let myself get too attached. Some details:
The Mother’s Day episode also will feature a reunion of six former female cast members, most of them moms: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, Maya Rudolph, Ana Gasteyer and Rachel Dratch…
[Lorne] Michaels says that as the live show’s oldest host, she can perform “as much as she wants to do” but adds that the physical demands of the show led him to plan the cast reunion, though make no mistake: White is the solo host.
She’s flattered and flabbergasted by the attention: “It’s lovely, and at my age it’s certainly unexpected.” And she’s not worried about the workload: “I’ve got so much energy, it’s ridiculous. I love working. My schedule is a feverish one, and I’m used to that.”
I think it’s really cool that this all started with a Snickers commercial and a Facebook campaign, and Betty White is certainly a legendary comedic actress. But let’s not kid ourselves here: it’s still “Saturday Night Live.” There are going to be at least as many skits that annoy you with their crappiness as there will be genuinely funny material. But you’d be a fool not to watch. C’mon, who’s ever seen someone break a hip on live TV?
Questlove once wrote on Twitter that “Parks and Recreation” was the Wu-Tang Clan of comedy, and apparently that was inspiration enough for this Funny or Die video in which RZA auditions for the role of Leslie Knope (watch below).
I don’t know what else I really need to say here. I introduced the video, and there are jokes in the video. I shouldn’t have to write additional jokes as well. What am I, your little joke monkey? Why do people keep calling me a monkey? Is it my prehensile tail or the feces-throwing?
Hey everybody! Look at me! I’m an overly excitable TV writer! My headline told you that Amy Poehler is returning to “Saturday Night Live”! And she is! Totally! EXCLUSIVE!!! Oh, except it’s not “Saturday Night Live,” but the SNL “Weekend Update Thursday” that leads into Poehler’s “Parks and Recreation.” And only for two weeks.
In conclusion, Amy Poehler actually isn’t returning to “Saturday Night Live” at all. It’s a two-episode guest stint on another show to promote her current starring vehicle. But man, wasn’t it fun to break out into a breathless sweat for no reason?
I love this. The Hollywood Reporter put together a roundtable of the Emmy nominees for Best Actress in a Comedy Series — Amy Poehler, Sarah Silverman, Christina Applegate, Jane Krakowski, Mary-Louise Parker, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus — and had ‘em rap about thangs. I like this first clip best because it’s mostly Silverman being funny and people complimenting Mary-Louise, but there are two more below that talk about women aging in Hollywood (Poehler’s the youngest at 37) and Christina Applegate’s role in “Married with Children” that I just find fascinating and funny. It’s cool to see these established entertainers talk about their work schedules and struggles and successes and failures.
My only complaint is that Mary-Louise Parker and Julia Louis-Dreyfus are sitting next to each other. Don’t they realize how hard it is to keep my hyphenated names straight? Why not just line them up with Mary Lou Retton and Richard Lewis and Richard Dreyfus and see who can make the most complex name? I vote for Mary Lou-Louise Louis-Lewis. Richard Dreyfus can get bent. (via Videogum)
