I am – Hercules!!


Amy Poehler, who left SNL last month to deliver Will Arnett's spawn, returns temporarily to Studio 8H tonight, to play Barack Obama's new secretary of state designate and anchor Weekend Update one more time.

Those who had hoped Lorne Michaels might be ousted from “Saturday Night Live” and replaced by Rosie O’Donnell found their dreams dashed when Rosie’s live variety special became Thanksgiving Eve’s least-watched network hour in primetime, pulling a fraction of the audience SNL garners in late night.

The Thursday primetime edition of "SNL," by contrast, turned out to be NBC's highest-rated scripted series this fall.

What's ahead for the late-night edition? Look! Press release!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JOHN MALKOVICH AND HUGH LAURIE HEADLINE “SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE” IN DECEMBER WITH MUSICAL GUESTS T.I. AND KANYE WEST

New York, NY – December 3, 2008 – Two of the best actors working today and two of the biggest names in music topline NBC's "Saturday Night Live" for two back-to-back live shows in December.
On December 6, John Malkovich hosts. Malkovich makes his third appearance on the show after turning in a pair of critically acclaimed performances in Clint Eastwood's "Changeling" opposite Angelina Jolie and the Coen Brothers'hit comedy "Burn After Reading" which will be released by Universal Home Entertainment on DVD December 21. Malkovich is one of the most compelling presences in cinema and theater with an over twenty-year body of work. As an actor, he has appeared in such diverse films as "Being John Malkovich," the animated hit "Beowulf," "In The Line of Fire," "Of Mice and Men," "Dangerous Liaisons," "Empire of the Sun," The Killing Fields" and "Places in the Heart" (for which he was nominated for an Oscar, along with his work in "In the Line of Fire"). He is a guiding member of the landmark Steppenwolf Theatre and has formed the production company Mr. Mudd – which has produced such intriguing films as "Ghost World" and the Oscar winning smash "Juno."

Joining Malkovich on the show is Grammy and BET award-winning musical guest T.I. The hip-hop star makes his solo SNL debut after performing "My Love" alongside Justin Timberlake in 2006. T.I. will perform from his No. 1 debuting "Paper Trails" (his third consecutive chart-topping release). The first two singles from the record exploded onto the Billboard Hot 100 charts, making record-breaking rises, replacing each other at No. 1. "Paper Trails" is the follow-up to his previous No. 1 platinum-certified blockbusters "T.I. vs. T.I.P." and "King."

On December 13, Hugh Laurie returns to "SNL." Hailed as one of the best actors on television, Laurie stars in the hit medical drama "House" which has garnered critical accolades as well as two Golden Globes, a Screen Actors Guild award and numerous Emmy nominations for Laurie. A veteran of groundbreaking British television comedy ("A Bit of Fry and Laurie," "Black Adder," "Saturday Live" and "Jeeves and Wooster"), Laurie has also appeared in films including "Street Kings" "Flight of the Phoenix," "Sense and Sensibility," "Peter's Friends" as well as the family hits "101 Dalmatians" and the "Stuart Little" films and will next lend his voice to the Dreamworks animated feature "Monsters Vs. Aliens." Educated at Eton and Cambridge University in the U.K., Laurie was elected president of the venerable Footlights Revue, where he worked with frequent castmates Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson.

Joining Laurie, and making his third appearance on "SNL" is hip-hop titan Kanye West. West will perform from his just-released (and his fourth consecutive No. 1 Soundscan debut) "808s & Heartbreak", with its blockbuster hits singles "Love Lockdown" and "Heartless" This recent No. 1 debut follows the pace set by his first three landmark No. 1 releases – 2004's "The College Dropout," 2005's "Late Registration" and last year's "Graduation." The first two albums generated a total of six Grammy Awards, including consecutive wins for Best Rap Album of 2004 and 2005, and Best Rap Song of 2004 ("Jesus Walks") and 2005 ("Diamonds From Sierra Leone"). "Graduation" generated three Grammy Awards: Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song ("Good Life"), and Best Rap Solo Performance ("Stronger"). "808s & Heartbreak" is also following suit for West in garnering lavish praise – hailed as "the best album released this year" by the Washington Post and garnering a four-star review from USA Today.

11:30 p.m. Saturday. NBC.

Holiday Encheapened!!!

Boxed Set Blowout!!