SNL's Slate Keeps Her Fricking Job

The circumstances leading to Jenny Slate's viral video moment are awfully suspicious

(NEWSER) - With the Jenny-Slate-says-fucking-on-live-TV clip going viral and making Saturday Night Live nearly relevant again, E! has to wonder—was it staged? It unrolls its best guess at what happened:

• Sarah Palin bows out of politics, which means no more Tina Fey on SNL.
• Lorne Michaels realizes he'll have to wait until next season to mock Sarah Palin’s 2012 presidential bid; enter desperation.

Maya Rudolph guest hosts; celebrity cameos abound

(NEWSER) - Saturday Night Live pulled out all the stops—and all the bad sports cliches/Asian puns—in mocking the "Linsanity" that's swept New York over Taiwanese-American Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin. "Commentators—two black and two white—use Asian stereotypes when discussing Lin, each more offensive than the last," notes the Hollywood Reporter . "But when one of the white commentators uses an African American stereotype, things get ugly." Other highlights include Amy Poehler teaming with Seth Meyers to tackle this week's birth control brouhaha on "Really?!" and Justin Timberlake spoofing Bon Iver in serenading Blue Ivy Carter—and himself—off to sleep. Fred Armisen also morphed into Barack Obama-Bill Cosby for a spot-on spoof of The Cosby Show. Catch the highlights in the gallery. More»

Zooey Deschanel hosts 'Saturday Night Live'

(NEWSER) - Zooey Deschanel hosted Saturday Night Live last night, but the show was really more memorable for a couple of cameos, reports the Hollywood Reporter . The Artist star Jean Dujardin stopped by to give a leg up to a French dance number featuring Deschanel, and Nicolas Cage dropped in on Weekend Update, joined by Andy Samberg (starring as none other than Nicolas Cage). Bill Hader also spoofed Clint Eastwood's much-maligned Super Bowl ad ... three times. Check out highlights in the gallery. More»

Kristen Wiig hams it up as Callista, Lana Del Rey; Bon Iver turns in solid showing

(NEWSER) - Newt Gingrich got his hat handed to him in Nevada last night, and Saturday Night Live heaped insult on injury. The show ribbed Gingrich's "moon shot" with a sketch envisioning him as "moon president" in the not-so-distant time of 2014, notes Mediaite . Highlights include a student-janitor telling Newt, “The people of South Carolina wanted you to be president." Responds Gingrich: “Not all of America is as forward-thinking as South Carolina." More»

But actor can't dodge Harry Potter entirely

(NEWSER) - Daniel Radcliffe made his Saturday Night Live debut last night, bringing "an impressive American accent" and a "strong presence," reports the Hollywood Reporter. The host zinged Casey Anthony, appearing as her new dog in an interview with Seth Meyers, and ripped his shirt off as a lovesick co-worker to Kristen Wiig's Target Lady. Though promoting his new film, The Woman in Black, Radcliffe also revisited his stint as Harry Potter, portraying an aging wizard trying to re-live his glory days at Hogwarts. The show also ripped on Ricky Gervais and Mitt Romney, but it's much-hyped musical guest Lana Del Rey who is taking heat this morning for her "not ready for primetime" performance, notes the Reporter . Catch highlights in the gallery. More»