Entertainment
Maya Rudolph As Harris And Dana Carvey As Biden Open The 50th Season Of ‘Saturday Night Live’
“Saturday Night Live” kicked off its 50th season with a parade of past cast members, including Maya Rudolph as Vice President Kamala Harris, Andy Samberg as her husband Doug Emhoff, and Dana Carvey as President Joe Biden.
“We’ve got to stay focused,” Rudolph-as-Harris stated at a faux rally during the show’s chilly open. “If we win, together, we can end the drama-la and the trauma-la and go relax in our pajama-las.”
After introducing running mate Tim Walz, portrayed by comedian and actor Jim Gaffigan, she summoned Samberg-as Emhoff to the stage, followed by Biden, played by the group’s oldest member, 69-year-old Carvey.
Maya Rudolph As Harris And Dana Carvey As Biden Open The 50th Season Of ‘Saturday Night Live’
“A lot of people forget I’m president, including me,” said Carvey, who played President George H.W. Bush on the sitcom in the late 1980s.
Rudolph and Carvey performed the “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night” that kicked off season 50 of the sketch comedy classic.
Rudolph’s return to play Harris, for which she had won an Emmy, was publicized, but it was unclear when she would appear. The appearances by Carvey, Samberg, and Gaffigan were all surprises.
Jean Smart, who recently won her sixth Emmy for her starring part in “Hacks,” hosted, a role the 73-year-old has never played in her nearly four-decade career.
“I remember watching the first episode of ‘SNL’ and thinking,’someday I’m going to host that show,” Smart remarked in her opening monologue. “And this is the first Saturday that fit my schedule.”
The inaugural episode aired on October 11, 1975, with Lorne Michaels at the helm, as he is now.
George Carlin hosted, and the public was introduced to the Not Ready for Prime Time Players: Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Dan Akroyd, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, and Garrett Morris.
There were two musical guests, Billy Preston and Janis Ian, each performing two songs, as was customary in the early days.
Jelly Roll, a country singer and rapper, had the music spotlight Saturday, performing his songs “Liar” and “Sober.” Like Smart, he was a first-timer.
Smart debuted Jelly Roll alongside her “Hacks” co-star Hannah Einbinder, the daughter of original cast member Newman.
That debut episode is documented and re-enacted in the recently released Jason Reitman film “Saturday Night,” which is part of a wave of contemplation and celebration as the show approaches its 50th anniversary.
Despite the spectacular guest stars on this Saturday night, regular cast members carried the majority of the show, which swiftly settled into its usual pattern.
At his rally, James Austin Johnson reprised his role as Donald Trump, claiming he preferred Biden to Harris as his opponent.
“We miss Joe Biden, folks,” Johnson’s Trump stated. “What we wouldn’t give to have him stand next to me and be old.”
Colin Jost and Michael Che returned for another season of the mock-news show “Weekend Update.”
“There were so many insane political stories this summer and everyone kept asking, ‘Are you are you so bummed you aren’t on the air right now?” Jost instructed me to begin the part. “And I was like, ‘I have a feeling there’s going to be more that happens when we get back.'”
Maya Rudolph As Harris And Dana Carvey As Biden Open The 50th Season Of ‘Saturday Night Live’
Upcoming episodes will feature host Nate Bargatze and musical guests Coldplay, Ariana Grande and Stevie Nicks, Michael Keaton and Billie Eilish, and John Mulaney and Chappell Roan.
Those shows will build up to a three-hour primetime special on February 16 that will mark the official 50th season celebration. Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Robert Downey Jr., Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Will Ferrell are among the many talents who have appeared on the show.
SOURCE | AP
