Saturday, September 15, 2012

A "That's Nater-Tainment!" Special Report: Seth MacFarlane Hosts the Season Premier of "Saturday Night Live" Tonight!


Well tonight's the night. At 11:30pm, Season 38 of “Saturday Night Live” will begin airing on NBC. After three months of waiting, audiences will once again be treated to sketches that skewer current political events as well as the latest news in pop culture. And despite the departures of Abby Elliott as well as Kristen Wiig and Andy Samberg, each of whom spent seven memorable years on the show, I am still looking forward to seeing the talented cast perform sketches alongside a special guest host every live show. What's more, I have heard that three new performers have joined the cast as featured performers: Aidy Bryant, Tim Robinson, and Cecily Strong.. Despite not seeing footage of them perform, I am always excited when new people join the cast. I am looking forward to seeing what they contribute to the show this upcoming season. With three new people joining the cast as well as the departures of three performers, the 2012-2013 season of “Saturday Night Live” is going to feel different from previous seasons.



For tonight's season premier, Seth MacFarlane will be hosting for his first time. MacFarlane had a big summer; as he directed perhaps the year's biggest comedy “Ted"; which starred Mark Wahlberg; who, as a boy, wished that his beloved teddy bear would become real.   In addition to directing the film, Seth MacFarlane voiced and performed the motion capture work of the titular character.  Seth MacFarlane received much praise for his directing and "Ted" became perhaps the year's most successful comedy so far.



However, it should be mentioned that , Seth MacFarlane is very well-known for creating the popular animated series “Family Guy;” which will be premiering its eleventh season on September 30th at 9:00pm on FOX. On the series, MacFarlane voices three characters: “Peter Griffin,” the loudmouth patriarch of the series' central household, “Stewie Griffin-” the brainy and devious baby of the animated household, and “Brian Griffin”- the anthropomorphic family dog who possesses a dry wit and is interested in dating human women.


Image of (from left to right" "Brian Griffin" (voiced by Seth MacFarlane), Matriarch "Lois Griffin" (voiced by Alex Borstein), "Peter Griffin" (voiced by Seth MacFarlane), son "Chris Griffin (voiced by Seth Green), Daughter "Meg Griffin" (voiced by Mila Kunis), and Baby "Stewie Griffin" (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) taken from http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS473US477&biw=1440&bih=672&tbm=isch&tbnid=XeUx6SPc3j6Q7M:&imgrefurl=http://www.poptower.com/family-guy.htm&docid=FahosdZNewTRUM&imgurl=http://img.poptower.com/pic-14113/family-guy.jpg%253Fd%253D600&w=600&h=491&ei=oQ5VUNu2GujG0QGluICoAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=530&vpy=318&dur=5828&hovh=203&hovw=248&tx=123&ty=47&sig=113274352029504757689&page=2&tbnh=143&tbnw=167&start=20&ndsp=29&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:20,i:144


In addition, Seth MacFarlane is also the creator of the animated series “American Dad;” which is about a CIA Agent named “Stan Smith”- voiced by MacFarlane, who spends more time working for the government rather than taking care of his own family. Furthermore, Seth MacFarlane is also the creator of “The Cleveland Show;” a spinoff of “Family Guy” that centers on the life of “Cleveland Brown,” voiced by Mike Henry, the Griffins' former neighbor that is living with his new family in Virginia. All three series air Sunday nights on FOX and have been nominated for Emmy Awards. In addition, Seth MacFarlane has musical career; having released a studio album entitled “Music is Better than Words” on September 27, 2011. I have seen some Youtube videos of MacFarlane singing and, in all honesty, he is quite talented; as you can see in this video of him singing  while being accompanied by The John Wilson Orchestra:


While Seth MacFarlane is known for his vocal work, I haven't seen him do much acting. I have seen him appear on talk shows like “Conan” and “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart;” and he comes off as very enthusiastic. So it's a rather interesting move that he's hosting the season premier of “Saturday Night Live.” Episodes of “Family Guy” appear more edgy than what is typically seen on “Saturday Night Live” in recent years. “Family Guy” can often make risque jokes involving drug use, intercourse, and violence. However, both “Family Guy” and “Saturday Night Live” poke fun at movies, television shows of the past decades, and trends in pop culture. So maybe, Seth MacFarlane will prove to fit in with the cast. Nevertheless, I am intrigued to see how he acts with a comedic ensemble on live television. He does well on talk shows; as he has good rapport with Conan O'Brien whenever he's on his show. So maybe Seth MacFarlane will interact well with the cast. I'm hoping that tonight's show will be fun.

That being said, I now present to you:

Three Predictions for Tonight's Season Premier of “Saturday Night Live:”

  1. Since Seth MacFarlane is a skilled singer, I wouldn't be surprised to see him perform a musical number for his monologue. I could see him performing a song while being accompanied by the “Saturday Night Live” band. Such a monologue would get a positive reaction from the audience and it would be a very energetic way to get the show going.
  1. Since “Family Guy” is popular, I could see Seth MacFarlane portray “Peter Griffin” in a sketch or even on “Weekend Update.” It would be interesting to see the character in live-action form partake in one of the show's current reoccurring sketches. I just hope the writers would come up with good material in the event that MacFarlane plays the character,

And finally:

  1. Since he starred in “Ted” this past summer, I wouldn't be surprised to see Mark Wahlberg make a surprise appearance at some point during the show. What's more, if Wahlberg were to make a cameo appearance, perhaps Andy Samberg, who portrayed the actor in sketches. I remember that Mark Wahlberg actually did appear in a sketch in which he confronts Samberg over his displeasure in the funnyman's impression. This was followed by Wahlberg poking fun at himself in the very same manner that Andy Samberg portrayed him. So perhaps Mark Wahlberg would show up at some point; maybe even leading to a cameo by the former “Saturday Night Live” castmember. This could end up being a very funny and memorable sketch that would be fitting for a season premier.

So there you go. Hopefully tonight's episode is enjoyable as well as a good way to start the 2012-2013 season of “Saturday Night Live.” I'm looking forward to live-blogging the show right when it airs; commenting on the performances of Seth MacFarlane, the cast, Musical Guest Frank Ocean, as well as the quality of the show's writing. Be sure to keep refreshing your computer screens during the telecast so you can view my latest comments.  Please feel free to share your own opinions by replying to any of my blog posts. Your feedback means allot and I appreciate your support.

So stay tuned. My live coverage begins right at 11:30pm when the episode starts airing on NBC. My blogging is going to be a lot of fun and it will all be LIVE!!! See you at 11:30pm.
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