As Josh discussed over the weekend, the most recent episode of Saturday Night Live was really good. Host Christoph Waltz brought a lot to the table, most of the sketches were strong (it’s been pointed out by everyone at this point, but Djesus Uncrossed was inspired), and the Alabama Shakes can absolutely wail. It was a window into what they show is capable of when all (or most) the pieces fall into place.
And how will they follow up that excellent effort? With Kevin Hart and Macklemore.
The stand-up comedian, whose mainstream star has been on the rise recently thanks to a role in the sleeper 2012 comedy “Think Like a Man” and his successful 2011 concert film “Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain,” has been tapped to host the March 2 episode of the late-night sketch series for the first time, as announced on [Saturday’s] Christoph Waltz-fronted episode. The episode’s musical guests will be hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, whose “Thrift Shop” currently sits atop the Billboard Hot 100. [HitFix]
Three thoughts:
1) I’ll be the first to admit that Kevin Hart doesn’t do much for me. His brand of high-enegy comedy is a little too reminiscent of Dane Cook and Randy from Funny People for my taste, as his many, many appearances during NBA All-Star Weekend confirmed. Dude was … a bit much.
2) That said, Kevin Hart is wildly popular right now. Just bonkers popular. As that HitFix article points out, his BET series — Real Househusbands of Hollywood, co-starring Nick Cannon — debuted to four million viewers last month. Four million. To put that in perspective, FX was THRILLED when Louie pulled in a little over one million viewers last summer. Kevin Hart may not be my cup of tea, and I might not enjoy his episode as much as the one from this past Saturday, but I can’t fault SNL for booking him. Bills don’t pay themselves, you know?
3) I originally thought that said Macklemore would be performing with “Ray” Lewis. I quickly realized my mistake, but even in that brief moment of confusion I was filled to the brim with questions about how the two of them hooked up.
Photo credit: Ira Bostic/Shutterstock
