Tag: Mr. Saturday Night (1-10 of 17)

May 23 2013 09:00 AM ET

'Saturday Night Live' best host poll: And the winner is...

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This is how it generally works: Jay Pharoah or Jason Sudeikis screams “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” The house band kicks in, the immortal Don Pardo announces the cast. And then, the stage door opens, and a smiling celebrity walks out towards the camera. You try and gauge her body language because what you really want to know is: Is this going to be funny? It’s late on Saturday night and you just need to know whether you’re going to watch this from start to finish right now… or whether you should go to bed and simply scan up through “Weekend Update” tomorrow on the DVR.

Like a football or basketball game, a host can’t “win” SNL with a great opening monologue, but he or she sure can screw it up. So it’s no surprise that the best hosts typically come out of the gate revving on all cylinders. Good jokes help, and so do pratfalls, but the best of the best remind us that this is live television. It can be messy, and it can even be a trainwreck. But whatever it is, it can’t be boring.

For the second straight year, EW.com readers have voted to determine who was SNL‘s best host. Throughout the show’s season, the most recent host was pitted against the four most popular previous hosts in a vote, and the one with the least number of voters was eliminated while the four survivors advanced to the next week. Like any democracy, it’s a system that’s not without its flaws. This year, we rigged modified the system with what I call the Barabbas Addendum, which restored a previously eliminated host to the final vote. The electorate rescued Seth MacFarlane to join our final five: Martin Short, Justin Timberlake, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, and Ben Affleck.

I’ve said before that there are very few happy accidents on Saturday Night Live. Comedy is precise. Live comedy is a gauntlet that can expose and undermine the proudest of entertainers. Each of our finalists, however, delivered monologues that set the tone for excellent shows that showcased the best of their abilities. More importantly for the success of the show, all of them also had a blast. I mean, it’s possible they were terrified underneath, but once the show began, all six of them were giggly and daring and totally committed. They’re good at hosting because they embrace the experience, trusting the writers and trusting their own talent.

Before we announce the winner of Mr. (or Mrs.) Saturday Night 2013, though, there are four other non-democratic awards to present. READ FULL STORY »

May 20 2013 04:21 PM ET

'Saturday Night Live' poll: Who was the best host of the year?

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When it comes to hosting Saturday Night Live, there are degrees of greatness. Sure, there’s the Five-Timers Club, that posh and exclusive club that meets every year in Gstaad to anoint late-night kings, plot ways to blackmail Bill Murray into making Ghostbusters III, and otherwise control the comedy world — except for NBC’s primetime lineup. But you can sneak into the Five-Timers with one great show and four B- performances. No need for names, but it’s possible to get by on reputation and before you know it, you’re exchanging the club’s secret handshake with Lorne Michaels.

To be named Mr. Saturday Night (or Ms. Saturday Night, of course), on the other hand, requires something special. Everything has to go right on a certain night of live television. It’s the equivalent of Wilt Chamberlain scoring 100 points in a basketball game or Don Larsen’s World Series perfect game. On one given night, they were simply unstoppable, and no matter whether they become all-time greats or shooting stars of momentary brilliance, there is nothing quite like watching a performer rise to the occasion.

Last year, EW crowned Jimmy Fallon as the first-ever Mr. Saturday Night, an appropriate recipient not just because Fallon killed it during the show’s Christmas episode, but because of his long history with the late-night institution. This year, the competition to succeed him has been fierce, and during weekly online polls, voters have eliminated 15 hosts, leaving us with six finalists. Finale host Ben Affleck had the easiest path to the final, and his show will be freshest in voters’ minds. But he faces a murderer’s row of entertainers: Martin Short, Justin Timberlake, 2012 runner-up Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, and Seth MacFarlane, who was rescued from elimination in our recent second-chance vote.

Timberlake is the favorite to take the crown, judging by recent polls, but anything can happen on the Internet. Before you vote, though, ask yourself three questions:

1. Which host’s sketches were you still watching days or weeks after the episode originally aired?
2. Which host could join the cast tomorrow and hold his or her own, week-in and week-out?
3. Which host do you most want to see on Saturday Night Live again?

Click below to see the tale of the tape for all six finalists, and cast your vote for a Mr. or Mrs. Saturday Night we can all be proud of. READ FULL STORY »

May 15 2013 01:26 PM ET

'Saturday Night Live' best-host contest: Who deserves a second chance?

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After 20 episodes, the 38th season of Saturday Night Live comes to a close this weekend, with Ben Affleck as the finale’s guest host. The Oscar-winner will join the show’s Five-Timer’s Club, and even if the show doesn’t make a big deal out of it, like it recently did for Justin Timberlake, the episode has real promise. Affleck might not yet be on the level of Alec Baldwin or Jon Hamm, but he’s delivered some good yuks over the years, like when he responded to Matt Damon’s criticism and did a totally committed impression of Keith Olbermann whose co-op’s no-pet policy sent him into a rage.

Affleck enjoys a distinct advantage in our year-long contest to select Saturday Night Live‘s best host. By simply appearing last, he advances to our final vote. His performance will certainly be fresher in everyone’s minds on Monday, when the poll opens, but his competition is formidable, with Timberlake, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, and Martin Short all advancing. Facing that quartet, Affleck will have to earn the right to succeed Mr. Saturday Night 2012 Jimmy Fallon.

But Affleck won’t only have to top the other four SNL survivors from a season’s worth of voting. There will be a sixth finalist, determined by you. Democracy can be a fickle beast, and online democracy… well, forget about it. During our weekly series of votes, many voters have expressed their dismay in the Comments that their favorite SNL host was no longer an option because they’d previously been eliminated. Last year, for example, there were screams that Maya Rudolph was not a finalist after she hosted one of the season’s best episodes. (Yes, those screams came from my office.)

This year, we’re giving you a mulligan — a second chance to correct an oversight or to restore a contender who simply had the misfortune of hosting in October. How is Louis CK not still in the mix, you might ask. Seth MacFarlane and Anne Hathaway were by far the best hosts of the year, you doofuses, insist others! Well, now is your time to be heard, to right a wrong. Vote below for the best SNL host who didn’t make the cut — but should’ve.

This shouldn’t be a popularity contest, and bless you, you’ve proven during the course of the contest to appreciate that. We all revere the institution of Saturday Night Live, so give new life to the host that did the show the most proud. READ FULL STORY »

May 13 2013 10:20 AM ET

'Saturday Night Live' host poll: How funny was Kristen Wiig's homecoming?

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Image Credit: Dana Edelson/NBC

You could be forgiven for thinking that NBC accidentally aired a “Best of Kristen Wiig” special instead of a new episode of SNL this past weekend. The show’s former star brought five old recurring characters with her when she returned to host for the first time, including Gilly, Karina the Californian, Kat (of “Garth and”), the Target Lady, and, of course, tiny-handed Dooneese — making for a show that felt, at times, more like a host-less installment from 2010 than 90 minutes of new material.

But even if the episode didn’t quite deserve to be labeled a capital-E Event, Wiig was clearly thrilled to return to her old stomping ground — and it was a pleasure to see how excited her old castmates were to perform with their friend once more.

Will that be enough to help Wiig win the title of this season’s best SNL host?  READ FULL STORY »

May 6 2013 10:32 AM ET

'Saturday Night Live' host poll: Zach Galifianakis does it his way -- VOTE

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Image Credit: Dana Edelson/NBC

With only two episodes remaining in this season’s Saturday Night Live, our year-long contest to honor the show’s best guest host is racing around the final turn towards the finish line. Zach Galifianakis made his case over the weekend with a delightfully weird show that reveled in the comic’s zaniness and signature mock outrage. The star of The Hangover movies had some help — with cameos from his Hangover buds, a Game of Thrones stud, and even Jon Hamm — but Galifianakis more than pulled his own weight. Now that he’s hosted SNL three times, he’s earned the right to be on the show’s short list of go-to guests, especially after the double-dose of “Darrell’s House.” (No bonus points for web exclusives in our competition, but this cut sketch of the “Kanish” was just what the doctor or–)

Justin Timberlake and Melissa McCarthy continue to dominate the voting, and Vince Vaughn performed well enough to eliminate Seth MacFarlane, who was threatening to go wire-to-wire after hosting this season’s premiere. Vaughn has his work cut out for him, since Galifianakis is sure to draw a fair amount of support this week, and Kristen Wiig is on-deck. The Bridemaids star returns to host for the first time since her emotional last dance signaled her departure from the show last May after seven seasons. Even Timberlake should be worried… READ FULL STORY »

Apr 15 2013 08:39 AM ET

'Saturday Night Live' host poll: Was Vince Vaughn old-school enough? -- VOTE

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Image Credit: Dana Edelson/NBC

The last time Vince Vaughn hosted Saturday Night Live, he was plugging Gus Van Sant’s Psycho remake and the musical guest was Lauryn Hill. Old School was still five years away! But fans who still love him best for his role as Trent in Swingers and others who remember his improv chops from his 2006 comedy documentary, Wild West Comedy Show, had to appreciate his opening monologue on Saturday. He flirted with random-audience-member Paige like she was at the Derby lounge, and lectured nervous Eric about cell-phone etiquette like he was giving buddy Jon Favreau a pep-talk. In other words, it certainly played to his strengths, which wasn’t exactly the case for the rest of the show.

Last year, our inaugural best-host contest turned out to be a two-horse race between Jimmy Fallon and Melissa McCarthy, with Fallon ultimately taking home the prize. Vaughn has the unfortunate luck of stepping right into the wake of a similar situation, following well-received appearances from McCarthy and five-timer Justin Timberlake. Those two favorites are now dominating our recent poll — combining to win more than 90 percent of the vote — sending home Christoph Waltz and leaving Martin Short and Seth MacFarlane, who were hardly slouches, hanging on by a thread. With only four episodes of Saturday Night Live to go, and Zach Galifianakis scheduled to host next on May 4, the race has never been more competitive.

Remember, everyone: we’re trying to recognize the best SNL host, the funniest, most-memorable host who raised everyone’s game and put on a performance that would’ve been excellent in the greatest of classic SNL seasons. Were people in the office elevator still chuckling about the episode this morning? How many times have re-viewed a sketch online? Do you want to see this host back on the show next season? Just some things to consider.

Below, I’ve embedded one representative clip for each of the five hosts currently in the race. After the vote, the host with the least support will be escorted by Bobby Moynihan off the premises, and the other four will advance to compete against Galifianakis. After his effort, there will only be three episodes remaining until we crown a new Mr. or Ms. Saturday Night. Watch the clips, refresh your memories, and vote below. READ FULL STORY »

Apr 8 2013 12:15 PM ET

'Saturday Night Live' host poll: Where does Melissa McCarthy fall (besides 'on the floor')?

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Image Credit: Dana Edelson/NBC

Physical comedy is deceptively simple. Anyone can do a pratfall, but most couldn’t do one well — and the number of people who can actually make five minutes of nearly falling, falling, and slowly getting up seem entertaining is smaller still.

Enter Melissa McCarthy, a versatile comedic actor with top notch timing, great delivery, and a physicality that the Three Stooges would admire. Sure, she’s much more than a klutz — but for better or for worse, the physical stuff is what SNL likes to showcase whenever the Bridesmaids star appears on the series. And though surprise appearances from Dennis Rodman and Peter Drunklage Dinklage threatened to steal focus from McCarthy herself, her physical presence helped her nail her second Saturday Night Live hosting gig.

But if McCarthy wants to win the title of Mr./Ms. Saturday Night, she’d better leave those sparkly red platform sandals at home — because beating Justin Timberlake will be an uphill battle.  READ FULL STORY »

Mar 11 2013 01:15 PM ET

'Saturday Night Live' host poll: Fifth time's the charm for Justin Timberlake?

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This past Saturday’s episode of SNL was indisputably a season highlight. But here’s a question: How much of the credit for that belongs solely to host Justin Timberlake?

Timberlake certainly seems to have a Midas effect whenever he drops by SNL. His very presence energizes the entire show, even the segments in which he doesn’t appear. Take, for example, this week’s Stefon appearance, which is the funniest the character’s been in months.

That said, an enormous number of “surprise” cameos also buoyed Timberlake’s latest Saturday Night Live turn — and when the euphoria induced by Steve Martin, Andy Samberg, Jay-Z, et al wore off, we were left with an episode that lagged mightily after Weekend Update (“The Adventures of Sober Caligula”? ), despite Timberlake’s best efforts. Arguably, then, Timberlake himself doesn’t necessarily deserve full marks for the show’s success. (I’m not necessarily making that argument; I’m just saying one could.)

Still, Timberlake shouldn’t have much trouble shooting to the top of this week’s Host Poll — especially since last week’s results prove that none of our current Mr./Ms. Saturday Night contenders has a decisive lead. READ FULL STORY »

Mar 4 2013 01:54 PM ET

'Saturday Night Live' host poll: How did Kevin Hart size up?

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Image Credit: Dana Edelson/NBC

It’s been an Oscar-caliber season so far for Saturday Night Live. By that, I mean that two of the show’s most popular guests took home golden trophies last week at the Academy Awards, and another was the award show’s host. (And that’s not even counting Best Supporting Actress winner Anne Hathaway, who was no slouch herself when she hosted SNL in November.)

So Kevin Hart stepped into a tight spot on Saturday: he followed Django‘s Waltz, who rocketed into the lead of our Mr. Saturday Night host poll, and he’s got all-timer Justin Timberlake on-deck, set to host next week. Not exactly the ideal place to be for a first-timer. Technically, I suppose, Hart isn’t really a first-timer. As he explained in his opening monologue, he’d auditioned to join the show’s cast before — an experience that didn’t go down too well despite some amazzzzing impressions of Robert De Niro and Denzel Washington. Fortunately for the comic star of Think Like a Man and the upcoming About Last Night remake, Saturday night was a much better experience.

Waltz certainly was a tough act to follow, though: he cruised to a 37-point victory in the latest vote for our favorite host of the season. Christmas-episode guest Martin Short and season-premiere host Seth MacFarlane both lost ground, but are comfortably in second and third place, respectively. Jennifer Lawrence didn’t seem to get much of an Oscar bounce, as her support was slashed in half, but fortunately for her, Justin Bieber‘s fans simply forgot to vote. The worst 19th birthday gift yet for the Biebs: pathetic support that resembled a GPA for a Delta House pledge more than a popularity contest result for one of music’s biggest names.  READ FULL STORY »

Feb 18 2013 09:18 AM ET

'Saturday Night Live' host poll: Was Christoph Waltz a bingo?

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Question: Can an Oscar nominee help or hurt himself by hosting Saturday Night Live in the heat of the awards’ race?

One month after Silver Linings Playbook star — and Best Actress nominee — Jennifer Lawrence hosted, Django Unchained actor and Best Supporting Actor nominee Christoph Waltz took the Studio 8H stage at 30 Rock. For the most part, he lived up to his reputation as a generous supporting player — squiring Regine and playing a partygoer in a Tippy sketch. But when he did step into the main spotlight, there was something delicious about his cruel gameshow host, something creepy about his secret admirer, and something glorious about his Djesus Uncrossed parody trailer. READ FULL STORY »

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