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SNL #36.1 RECAP: Host Amy Poehler, musical guest Katy Perry, and many cameos from SNLs past

Thirty-six seasons, and despite any number of people who say "Saturday Night Live hasn't been funny since _____ ______ left the show," the show goes on and on and continues to be an iconic television program that not only generates talk in offices and schools the following Monday, but also continues to contribute to the national discussion on political and social issues.

I'm not sure anyone knew quite what to expect for the start of SNL's 36th season, considering its four new hires constituted the biggest addition to the cast since 2001, as well as what effect the departures (planned or unplanned) of veteran wild card Will Forte and newcomer Jenny Slate might have on the show's pre-existing recurring sketches. Perhaps knowing all of this -- as well as the lackluster starts offered in seasons 34 and 35 by world-famous but not necessarily funny hosts Michael Phelps and Megan Fox, respectively -- Lorne Michaels turned to a trusted former star of SNL in Amy Poehler to host the premiere. Of course, as we quickly learned, Michaels looked to ensure the premiere was even more of a sure thing by inviting back several of SNL's other recent bright stars for cameos both brief and extended. So. Let's get to recapping!

The cold open is a dish best served not political, at least on my comedy plate, because in the past few years, the sketch has not been able to surpass the surreal reality of the current political situation. Such was the case with this look inside the Republican National Committee headquarters for a sit-down meeting with Delaware GOP U.S. Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell. We have so much recorded quotes of O'Donnell already to speak to her craziness (and visuals to show how she even at times has modeled herself directly as a Sarah Palin lookalike (!)), so much so that even casting Kristen Wiig as O'Donnell cannot heighten this. In fact, Wiig's mugging detracts from the satire here. But. Fun fact: We get our first glimpse of newbie Vanessa Bayer, who utters a line to introduce O'Donnell. Jason Sudeikis and Bill Hader play the hapless GOP party-line guys.

Now for the monologue. Amy Poehler introduces all four of the new kids to the SNL block, then has a dream sequence in which Nasim Pedrad takes over one of her characters, Justin Timberlake kisses her, Rachel Dratch comes back only to get carried away -- "Avenge me! Avenge me!" -- and Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon take back Weekend Update, and Kenan Thompson plays Lorne Michaels with a nod to Inception. It's all for show, and for anyone who thinks it's too much of a gimmick, just remember that the season premiere is a big to-do each year, so why not go big!

Before we can get to the new kids, however, we're treated to more old-school SNL -- viewers of the Betty White and the all-star SNL women episode this spring will remember that putting on "greatest-hits" sketches generally leads to a well-liked evening -- so Maya Rudolph rejoined Poehler for another round of Bronx Beat. Of course, this time around, the focus is on musical guest Katy Perry and her "controversy" because she showed her cleavage in a Sesame Street video with Elmo. When is Katy Perry not showing cleavage? Wait, wait, don't tell me. I don't want to know. Poehler gets a good line guessing that Perry's bra size is 3D. Notice how Perry bounces up and down in her seat. Oh, wait. You probably already noticed that.

Time for our first fake ad of the season...

Amy Poehler introduces SNL's four new cast members

From Amy Poehler's monologue last night on the 36th season premiere of Saturday Night Live:

"This is such an exciting night. We have four new cast members on the show, and I am so honored to share their first episode. Can we cut to the new guys? And...can we cut back? OK! (audience laughter) Can't let them get too cocky. But, seriously guys, welcome. It's great to have four people here tonight who are as nervous than I am."

Pictured from left to right: Taran Killam, Paul Brittain, Jay Pharoah, Vanessa Bayer.

Casting news: Paul Brittain, Taran Killam, Vanessa Bayer look set to join SNL for its 36th season

It's the end of August, which has become the silly season for Saturday Night Live, in which comedy fans obsess over every single detail of the casting of both on-air talent and writing staffers -- helped, in part, by the show's insistence on keeping current employees mostly in the dark on their own rehiring -- before the new season begins in earnest. But what does it say about SNL that fans care so much about even new writer hires? It says a lot to me about how the show is still very relevant and special among all TV comedies.

We learned yesterday that Will Forte had decided to call it quits after eight seasons (I'll have more to say on this in a separate post). And the buzz buzz buzz has fueled rumors of multiple new hires to the cast for the 36th season, which debuts Sept. 25, 2010.

Multiple sources are confirming up to three new additions so far to the cast.

The first is Chicago-based improviser and sketch comedian Paul Brittain. Brittain is a performer and instructor at iO Chicago, appearing regularly onstage with house team Mike Helicopter and recurring shows Challenger and Jim Paul Jet Paul. He has performed in shows and theaters throughout Chicago, and starred in his own one-man show as "Sex Ed." 

Brittain also had previous experience with NBC as part of the syndicated Sports Action Team (see this old clip of him playing the ghost of Steve Prefontaine). Here's the 2008 trailer for his "Sex Ed" show, which he performed earlier this summer in the TBS Just For Laughs Chicago festival. If these clips are any indication, he does seem to have a thing for mustaches, for you folks who already miss Forte. Roll it!

Vanessa Bayer is a Cleveland native who also performs throughout Chicago and elsewhere, either via iO Chicago (with Harold team Revolver and puppet show Felt), Second City's Touring Company, the Annoyance Theater, and also doing stand-up at Zanies. Here is her face talking in a commercial for Blue Shield of California:

Taran Killam certainly has the most credits of any of the three (and The Apiary can remove its question mark from its post yesterday), previously spending time on-air with the casts of both MADtv and Nick Cannon's Wild 'N Out. Killam was part of the Scrubs "spin-off" on ABC, from which the video below showcases glimpses of his impersonation skills. For fans of How I Met Your Mother, Killam also registers dual awareness both as a recurring character named "Blauman" and in real life, fathering a child with his fiancee, actress Colbie Smulders. And for people who remember the olden times of Web series, then you may recall that Killam starred in something for WB.com called Nobody's Watching, which was co-created and co-written by Bill Lawrence of Scrubs.

Killam became available when his ABC pilot, Freshmen (aka the sitcom Arianna Huffington executive produced that put three rookie Congress members in a house together), did not get picked up to series. You may have seen him if you're in Los Angeles as he is in the cast of The Groundlings.

Here's that clip of Killam from Scrubs: Interns. Roll it!

If you have other SNL news to share or discuss, please drop me a line.