Michael Phelps Prepares For ‘Saturday Night Live’
Tonight is the night that 14-time Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps will make his comedic acting debut as he hosts the season premiere of Saturday Night Live live from NYC. It was previously reported that Senator Barack Obama would be making a cameo on tonight’s season premiere ep but due to the severity of Hurricane Ike (which is currently pounding the Southern portion of the country) he has decided to postpone his appearance out of respect for those dealing with the storm’s onslaught. A wise choice, I think. But, it’s full steam ahead for Phelpsie to take the hosting reigns for tonight’s show. Here is a screencap from a video that Access Hollywood posted online from Phelpsie’s SNL rehearsals:
Michael Phelps steps out of his chlorinated comfort zone to host the season premiere of “Saturday Night Live” this weekend, treading the same stage where his comedy idol Chris Farley once got big laughs. The swimmer who won a record-setting eight gold medals at last month’s Olympics has been riding a pop culture wave since Beijing, making the rounds of the TV talk shows, presenting at MTV’s Video Music Awards and being gossiped about in the tabloids. Phelps follows in the athletic footsteps of such jocks as LeBron James, Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter and Michael Jordan, who also hosted NBC’s late-night sketch show. “I was a little nervous coming into this whole thing, but I’ve actually started to get really, really excited,” Phelps said Thursday on a conference call from New York. “I’m definitely looking forward to Saturday. This is a completely new experience for me, but something that is going to be pretty fun.” He hopes to connect by phone with Ashton Kutcher for some comedy tips, having met the actor’s wife, Demi Moore, at the VMAs, where she offered help. Hosting the show’s 34th season opener has made Phelps the envy of his friends. Swimming rival Ryan Lochte may be particularly jealous since the show’s musical guest is Lil’ Wayne, Lochte’s favorite rapper and someone Phelps likes, too. Among the sketches under consideration for the 90-minute show are ones involving his mother, Debbie, the skintight body suit he swims in, and his eight gold medals. “Anything you can imagine, they nailed just about every topic,” Phelps said of the show’s writers. He laughed at a suggestion that he’ll take off his shirt to reveal his rock-hard abs. “If it happens, it happens,” he said. “It’s all in good fun. I’m along for the ride.” Taking the stage alone for the opening monologue worries Phelps more than stepping on the starting block in China did. “I’m more nervous doing this than I was swimming in Beijing,” he said. “But after readthroughs, I started getting into it and started warming up. I felt completely confident today.” That doesn’t mean Phelps should leave his watery world for show biz, though. “There’s no question about him getting it and being funny and knowing what to do,” said Lorne Michaels, the show’s executive producer. “He’s certainly not going to be a professional sketch player, but I think he’ll do just fine. “No matter what happens they can’t take those medals away.”
Click HERE to watch the Access Hollywood video in full. Because Senator Obama was scheduled to make his cameo on the show tonight, NBC reportedly got Tina Fey to agree to appear with him playing the role of Sarah Palin. I understand that she may still make her cameo tonight (which I can’t wait to see … it will be BRILLIANT!). I am really looking forward to tonight’s season premiere ep … I am curious to see if Michael Phelps has got what it takes to pull off hosting duties on SNL. Do y’all think he can do it?
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Tags: 'Saturday Night Live', Amy Poehler, Dwayne 'Lil' Wayne' Michael Carter Jr., Michael Phelps
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September 13th, 2008 at 10:36 am
I work at NBC and we have an internal channel on our tvs- so we can see the rehersals..and watching Phelps made me cringe. Hes a great Olympian, but as for his acting..its terrible. I hope he pulls it together tonight, he has a hard time keeping a striaght face though. Regardless, they have some great skits, im sure it will be funny either way.
September 13th, 2008 at 10:59 am
oh really jane? hmm interesting :] cant wait for tonight i hope he doesnt bomb (knock on wood!)
September 13th, 2008 at 11:12 am
[...] Continue [...]
September 13th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
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September 13th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
I hate it when they have athletes host. People tune in to see someone they like host, but we also want to LAUGH as well.
September 14th, 2008 at 1:41 am
[...] post by It’s Trent, Bitch! Michael Phelps Prepares For ‘Saturday Night [...]
September 14th, 2008 at 11:08 am
i think he did it great,in the thing with the diet he switched words a little bit..but he was awesome…
September 14th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Valuable resource of saturday night live news summaries: http://www.ng2000.com/fw.php?tp=saturday-night-live
September 16th, 2008 at 7:48 am
Baltimore is eagerly anticipating Phelps’ return home. Two separate events are planned for October 4th. One in his hometown of Towson, MD and then a big celebration, including other MD Olympic athletes, down at Fort McHenry. For details go to http://www.baltimore.org/phelps.