I am – Hercules!!




September 26 – Megan Fox / U2
October 3 – Ryan Reynolds / Lady Gaga
October 10 – Drew Barrymore / Regina Spektor
October 17 – Gerard Butler / Shakira

Saturday’s SNL won’t mark the network sketch-show debuts of Nasim Pedrad or Jenny Slate, who appeared this week on “SNL Thursday.”

The show, which went decades without airing new shows on three consecutive Saturdays, is starting its 35th season with four new Saturday shows in a row (and that doesn’t count the ongoing Thursday shows).

On the subject of the Thursday SNLs, a May 4 NBC press release indicated the network had ordered six episodes of the half-hour edition, but Lorne Michaels told Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales right after the first episode aired last week that there should actually be at least 10 “SNL Thursday” installments this season:

Plans call for three "Updates" to air between now and Christmas, three more in early 2010 and three next spring. But if the ratings are good, Michaels said, there could be additions to that schedule.

Shales, who literally wrote the (quite excellent) book on SNL, gave 2009’s first Thursday edition of the show very high marks:

There were probably almost as many solid laughs in the half-hour "Update" than in the rest of the comedy lineup put together, so it definitely gets the night off to a rousing, riotous start. … Folks who are always trashing "SNL" as not being funny anymore will not like "Weekend Update Thursday" except to the extent that it gives them another piñata to puncture. It would be awfully hard to argue, though, that the current cast doesn't include some fracturingly funny, hugely gifted performers …

I could not agree more. Find all of Shales’ review of the opener here.

And by the way, if you’re going to moan in talkback about how the show isn’t as funny as it used to be, at least be good enough to specify when you thought it was funny:
The John Belushi years?
The Bill Murray years?
The Joe Piscopo years?
That single year with Martin Short, Chris Guest and Rich Hall?
That single year with Randy Quaid and Robert Downey Jr.?
The Lovitz-Carvey-Hartman years?
The Farley-Sandler-Hartman years?
The Norm Macdonald years?
The Will Ferrell years?
The Tina Fey years?
When, precisely, do you think the magic ended?

Look! Press release!

SNL Kicks Off 35th Season With Live Shows on Four Consecutive Weeks

UPCOMING SHOWS: October 3 - Ryan Reynolds/ Lady Gaga; October 10 - Drew Barrymore/ Regina Spektor; October 17 Gerard Butler/ Shakira

New York, NY -- September 10, 2009 -- "Saturday Night Live," NBC's Emmy Award-winning late-night comedy showcase, enters its 35th season on Saturday, September 26 for another year of laughs, surprises and great performances. "SNL" premieres with one of Hollywood's most sought-after stars, Megan Fox, and Grammy award-winning musical guest U2.

Making her "SNL" debut as the season premiere host, Megan Fox is one of Hollywood's most popular young actresses. Fox stars in the upcoming comedic/horror thriller film, "Jennifer's Body." Fox is well known for her break out role in the box-office hit and Steven Spielberg-produced action film, "Transformers" and the second-installment, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

U2, the Grammy award-winning rock band, will make their third appearance on SNL. Earlier this year, U2 released their critically acclaimed twelfth studio album, "No Line On The Horizon," and are about to launch the U.S. portion of their 360˚Tour, performing two sold out nights at New York's Giant Stadium just before they perform on SNL. U2 has sold more than 145 million albums worldwide and have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band.

Ryan Reynolds, who handles host duties October 3, recently starred in two of the most popular and highest grossing films of the year, "The Proposal," and the X-Men spin-off, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine". Reynolds has a wide array of film credits to his name, including "Adventureland," "Definitely Maybe," and cult favorite "Van Wilder." With back-to-back features on the horizon, Ryan Reynolds just finished production on the thriller "Buried," and can next be seen in the highly anticipated film "The Green Lantern" due out Summer 2011.

Making her "SNL" debut, Lady Gaga, the multi-talented singer-songwriter with a flair for theatrics will perform as the musical guest. Lady Gaga released her debut album "The Fame" in October 2008, and the album immediately peaked at number one in the United Kingdom and Canada, and has remained atop the Billboard U.S. Electronic Albums Chart. She is only the third artist in history to have three #1 hits from a debut album "Just Dance," "Poker Face" and "LoveGame."

After many unforgettable stints on "SNL," Drew Barrymore returns for her sixth time on October 10. Barrymore first hosted "Saturday Night Live" on November 20, 1982 at seven years old, making history as the youngest host to ever appear on the show. Barrymore has had an illustrious film career and has received accolades for her comedic performances in "He's Just Not That Into You" and "The Wedding Singer." Drew recently received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie in HBO's "Grey Gardens." This fall will mark Barrymore's feature film directorial debut with "Whip It," in which she also stars alongside SNL cast member Kristen Wiig.

An artist known for an uninhibited imagination and acute sense of detail both in music and words, Regina Spektor continues to showcase her amazing ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary on her latest critically acclaimed album "far," which debuted at #3 on the Billboard Top 200. Met with an overwhelming response from both fans and critics worldwide, The New York Times raves "far" is "[Spektor's] most ambitious work sonically and her storytelling is as elliptical as ever" while The UK Sunday Times agrees this is "her most accomplished, mystifying, eclectic and beautiful release to date. It doesn't just fly, it soars."

Actor Gerard Butler makes his SNL debut October 17. Butler, recognized for his portrayal of King Leonidas in "300," has also appeared in several other feature films including "Ugly Truth," "P.S. I Love You" and "The Phantom of the Opera." Butler can next be seen in "Law Abiding Citizen" due out October 16, "The Bounty" with SNL cast member Jason Sudeikis, and will lend his voice in the animated feature "How To Train Your Dragon."

International superstar Shakira boasts a string of chart-topping hits in both English and Spanish and sales of over 50 million records. Shakira continues to top the charts with her latest single, "She-Wolf" and her album out October 13th. Her last project, "Oral Fixation Volumes 1& 2," has sold in excess of 8 million albums worldwide with the singles "La Tortura and "Hips Don't Lie" having earned over 10 million digital downloads.

"Saturday Night Live" is from SNL Studios in association with Broadway Video. The creator and executive producer is Lorne Michaels. Steve Higgins and Marci Klein are producers. Ken Aymong is supervising producer. Seth Meyers is head writer. Don Roy King directs.

11:30 p.m. Saturday. NBC.

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