saturday night live

['Saturday Night Live' - 'Season 36, Episode 18']

I'll be honest, I was not aware that Elton John was still alive. But since dead people don't host late night television variety shows -- they do go to parties in sunglasses and Hawaiian shirts -- we were treated to a night of music and reverie.

It's always interesting when someone like Sir Elton hosts. He is certainly a musical and pop-cultural icon, but is he funny? If anyone saw his 2001 Grammy performance with Eminem, you know he has the potential to be hilarious. In the end, though, it shouldn't matter who the host is. It's the job of the writers and performers to pinpoint the host's comedic strengths and weaknesses, and to exploit them to the fullest. The best athletes make their teammates better. The best teachers make their students better. The best writers should make Elton John better.

There is a bit in Colin Quinn's new one-man show, 'Long Story Short,' that sums up Quinn's view of the world, where he compares the global political climate to a bar at 3:30 in the morning. America is the loudmouth guy in a bad mood looking for a fight. North Korea is outside leaning on South Korea's car, waiting for them to come out. Iran is the scary guy everyone thinks is really drunk, but even scarier, he's sober.

This is the worldview of a guy who probably reads the newspaper in the early afternoon nursing a steady stream of pints at the pub. "I like to run the bigger picture of the world," Quinn told AOL TV. "Then of course, just being around bars so much, I guess it's the first thing I think about."

Quinn is no stranger to one-man shows. While he was the Weekend Update anchor on 'Saturday Night Live' in 1998, he drew great reviews for his 'Irish Wake,' something he hopes to revive if 'Long Story Short' does well on HBO (premieres Sat., April 9, 10PM ET).


It has a lot going for it: It's Quinn's best, most coherent work, taking a pessimistic view of most of recorded history, peppered with his more personal observations. It was also directed by Quinn's longtime friend, Jerry Seinfeld (he helmed the HBO version and the Broadway run). Plus, he mentions Snooki, which will always draw a few curious people these days.

Can we get an "eff yes!" for Dame Helen Mirren Hosting 'Saturday Night Live'?

Mirren will headline the April 9 episode along with musical guest Foo Fighters.

Mirren's new flick, a remake of Dudley Moore's classic 'Arthur' co-starring Russell Brand, hits theaters April 8. The 65-year-old Academy Award-winner has never hosted the show before.

Besides her Oscar, Mirren has taken home Emmys, Golden Globes and countless BAFTAs.

On 'Showbiz Tonight' (weekdays, 5PM ET on HLN), former 'Saturday Night Live' star Victoria Jackson defended her opinion that a recent gay kiss between Chris Colfer and Darren Criss on 'Glee' was "sickening" and "made a mockery of Christians."

Last week in a column for WorldNetDaily, Jackson said the kiss between characters Kurt and Blaine was an affront to her religion, and she accused the show of "shoving the gay thing down our throats."

Before Women's History Month ends, we at TV Squad want to add to our countdowns of the 100 most memorable female characters in TV history and the 16 most accomplished real women currently on the tube by giving a shout out to the funniest women of 'Saturday Night Live.'

The success of any given episode of 'Saturday Night Live' (Sat., 11:30PM ET on NBC) often rides on how funny its host is. Thus, there were high hopes for this week's installation, featuring the second hosting spot for funnyman Zach Galifianakis.

Galifianakis proved he was ready to do anything for a laugh when he stripped down during his monologue to reveal Annie's classic red and white dress as he burst into the little red-headed girl's signature song, 'Tomorrow.'

He was accompanied by an easel sporting a notebook of pre-written messages that he tore off as he went along. It was a surreal moment that reminded us of INXS's 'Mediate' video. But it's the seriousness with which Galifianakis tackles these moments that makes them so hilarious.

['Saturday Night Live' - 'Season 36, Episode 17']

You can count on Zach Galifianakis to bring his own peculiar take on humor when he hosts 'Saturday Night Live,' a humor that seems to embrace the live and unpredictable nature of the show. Not many other hosts carry with them the reputation or the chops to bring the element of "anything can happen" back to the forefront, and it's what I enjoyed most about this episode.

Even if that "anything" turns into "nothing," we still watch the show with a different kind of anticipation that can help make every sketch just a smidge funnier. In this, his second hosting stint, Zach Galifianakis put out pretty much what I expected: an unwavering commitment to his comedic ideals, enough awkward pauses to keep us from getting too comfortable, and a Hoobastank reference.

The moment fans heard that Miley Cyrus had been tapped to host 'Saturday Night Live' (Sat., 11:30PM ET on NBC) they wondered if she'd butt heads with 'SNL's resident "Miley," Vanessa Bayer. A new featured player this season, Bayer's most popular skit is a parody of Cyrus's persona in her own talk show.

But rather than go down the fairly easy route of having the real Miley Cyrus interrupt Bayer's 'The Miley Cyrus Show,' we got a far more entertaining twist on celebrity impressions. When Bayer introduced her first guest, out strolled Cyrus as teen pop sensation Justin Bieber.

She did a great job of mimicking his various gestures, even calling them out as she did so, while keeping a straight face at Bayer's outrageous impression of her.

Charlie Sheen has spent the last week and half on an epic run of motormouth rants and erratic interviews that absolutely necessitated he be skewered by 'Saturday Night Live.'

Sheen, as impersonated by Bill Heder in the opening of this weekend's 'Saturday Night Live,' is the host of a talk show giving airtime to "winners" like himself. His special guests? Christina Aguilera, John Galliano, Muammar Qaddafi and "longtime guest of the winner's circle," Lindsay Lohan (played by 'SNL' host Miley Cyrus).

'Duh! Winning!' is sponsored by both Tiger Blood and clean baby urine, and features a set with its own defibrillators to revive Sheen as needed. Trolls go home; winners, deal with this. Video after the jump.

['Saturday Night Live' - 'Season 36, Episode 16']

Miley Cyrus has finally put the icing on the "I'm all growed up" cake. Like Britney Spears before her, she spent most of her life creating a likeable, wholsome image of herself to sell to parents -- only to have that image systematically dismantled by a culture that builds people up so we can eventually make them shave their heads and dance on poles just to feel alive. While Miley's recent public shortcomings may seem like Britney-lite, her hosting gig could be as significant.

'Saturday Night Live' can do wonders for a person in Miley's situation. What better way to announce yourself to adulthood than by shooting a digital short in which you beat the crap out of Carly from 'iCarly,' then make out with her a little? There is none, as far as I know. Being able to make fun of yourself is the key to being a quality host, and it can go a long way toward ingratiating you in the eyes of a discerning public ... and that's, pretty cool.

If you've ever wondered what Miley Cyrus would look like with a sweet mustache, well you're a little weird. Nevertheless, 'Late Night' (Weeknights, 12:37AM ET on NBC) has you covered, as both she and Jimmy Fallon were sporting fake mustaches, and having a lot of fun trying them on.

Finally they decided on the appropriate facial hair for the actual interview and Fallon talked to Cyrus about her forthcoming appearance on 'Saturday Night Live.' Particularly because new featured player Vanessa Bayer has a recurring caricature of Cyrus that's become popular on the show.

Cyrus shared a surreal moment they had in the pitch room of the show when Bayer got up to speak. Cyrus said to Bayer, "Wait, you play me on TV."

It will be an epic meeting of the Mileys when Miley Cyrus hosts 'Saturday Night Live' on March 5 and comes face-to-face with freshman cast member Vanessa Bayer, who quickly made her mark on the show this season with a remarkably funny impression of the former Disney darling.

The Cleveland native and University of Pennsylvania graduate interned at 'Sesame Street' and 'Late Night With Conan O'Brien' and performed with a musical sketch comedy troupe called Bloomers while she was a student. After graduation, Bayer worked Chicago's improv scene as a part of iO Chicago, The Annoyance and Second City before being cast as a featured player on 'Saturday Night Live' last year.

TV Squad recently caught up with Bayer and, like Miley would say, she's pretty cool!

Miley Cyrus is hosting 'Saturday Night Live' this weekend, and naturally she thinks it's going to be "pretty cool." She even says so in these new promos for the show.

You know what that means? Twice the Miley on 'The Miley Cyrus Show' skit!

Watch Miley and Keenan Thompson play with a sound board in these actually quite humorous promos for Saturday's show, which will also feature musical guest The Strokes. Miley seems pretty playful, and game to make fun of herself. Good! If only she had done the promos with Vanessa Bayer instead.

TV Land is hot for 'Cleveland' -- the network announced today that it has picked up a third season of its hit sitcom 'Hot in Cleveland.'

The network will produce 22 more episodes of the series. TV Land President Larry W. Jones said in a statement, "The chemistry that this cast has with each other is undeniable so we are excited to bring 'Hot in Cleveland' back for another season."

Betty White won a Screen Actors Guild award last month for her performance on the show

In other TV news ...

• Former 'Lost' castaway Josh Holloway is making his way from the island back to primetime. The actor will star in the paintball-themed season finale of 'Community.' [Entertainment Weekly]

• Zach Galifianakis will take his second spin as 'Saturday Night Live' host on March 12. British pop singer Jessie J will be the musical guest. [TV Guide]

• ABC has renewed 'Bachelor Pad' for a second season. The 'Bachelor' and 'Bachelorette' spinoff will return in August with Chris Harrison as host. [EW]

Sir Elton John is returning to 'Saturday Night Live' for the first time in close to 30 years. However, the musician won't just be the musical guest -- he'll host the April 2 show too.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, John will perform with Leon Russell in the spring show.

The announcement came during John's annual Oscar bash benefiting the Elton John AIDS Foundation. At the party, a VIP package for two to SNL's April 2 show and cast after party went to a winner with a $75,000 bid.