Image Credit: NBC
Jonah Hill‘s return to host Saturday Night Live couldn’t have come at a better time. The star has a big movie coming out next week — 21 Jump Street — and he had the luxury of following one of the most disappointing episodes of the year. Lindsay Lohan‘s show last week killed in the ratings, but the actress’s performance was widely panned. Hill didn’t have any pressure to resurrect his career; after all, he is an Oscar-nominated actor for his role in Moneyball. (He may have mentioned it once or twice on Saturday night.) But is he ready to take the mantle from the likes of Tom Hanks, who steadfastly refused to pass the torch or his Oscar?
In our season-long competition for the show’s best host, Lohan didn’t even bother to unpack her bags. She was eliminated after her first week, garnering only 8.1 percent of the vote. Jimmy Fallon regained the lead from former castmate Maya Rudolph, scoring 27.1 percent to her 24.1 percent. Melissa McCarthy closed the gap on the leaders, and is now sitting comfortably with 22.3 percent. But the biggest gainer was Daniel Radcliffe, who went from 3.3 to 18.4 percent in one week’s time. It’s going to be a tough quartet for Hill to crack.
Below, I’ve embedded one clip for each of the five remaining hosts, as reminders of their recent performances. How do you possibly grade them against each other, ignoring guest cameos and fluctuating writing? My rule of thumb: “Do I want to see them come back and host again next season?” At the very least, try to be objective and don’t reward or penalize a host for their latest movie or TMZ.com photo. It’s all about Saturday night. Vote below, and the four top vote-getters will advance to compete against Sofia Vergara on April 7. Ultimately, we’ll crown the Saturday Night Liveliest Host at the end of the season. Watch and vote below. READ FULL STORY »
