Adam Levine found himself on the other side of the chair (so to speak) when three guest stars played coaches from The Voice during his Saturday Night Live opening monologue. Each wanted to mentor the first-time host in the art of comedy.
First up: Andy Samberg, whose return (yes!) meant a new The Lonely Island digital short later in the episode.
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“I was in over 100 digital shorts as well as three live sketches,” he said. “And I’ve dealt with my fair share of singers-turned-actors. Timberlake.”
Next: Cameron Diaz pitched why she should be his mentor, touting her comedy bona fides. “If you want to succeed in comedy, you have to check your pride at the door.” she said. You have to be able to take a handful of Ben Stiller’s spooge and stick it right in you’re hair.” Samberg agreed and said he'd also done this. (Don't ask.)
Finally, Jerry Seinfeld spoke about his years of NBC experience, and appealed to Levine as a fellow Jew.
During its cold open, SNL tackled President Barack Obama’s inauguration, with an imagined conversation between the POTUS (Jay Pharoah) and the ghost of Martin Luther King Jr. (Kenan Thompson). But rather than share his wisdom, the late civil rights leader is more interested in discussing Beyonce’s sex appeal and Michelle Obama’s bangs. (Read a more detailed description of the cold open here.)
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But what will likely be the night's most talked about moment came when The Lonely Island (with help from Levine and musical guest Kendrick Lamar) unleashed “YOLO” – an ode to living life cautiously. Afterall, you only live once, so be careful not to die.
The song celebrates underground bunkers, stashing money in your 401K, and wearing titanium suits, because you never know when a piano might fall on you’re head. Danny McBride also pops up in the video.
The song is already on sale on iTunes.
Forget The Carrie Diaries, the CW’s 1980s-set Sex in the City prequel. SNL has The Sopranos Diaries. Bobby Moynihan, Fred Armisen and Bill Hader explore what types of problems budding Mafiosos might have in high school.
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“I got a science project that’s two weeks late. I’m five chapters behind in A Tale of Two Cities, and I don’t have a freakin’ date to the dance," Tony says. He and his friends intimidate teachers and discuss their confusion of Return of the Jedi's Ewoks.
Levine put his charm to good use in a parody of MTV’s Catfish – a hot show this week thanks to the Manti T’eo controversy. As host Nev Schulman, Levine makes the show seem quite preposterous.
How do they find out about people scamming others into romantic relationships? The most high-tech research tool in the world: Google. How do they arrange meetups with these elusive Internet lovers? The phone.
“Even though he’s been avoiding you for ten years, when I called him he immediately agreed to meet you,” Levine tells a girl who has been scammed.
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Levine’s rocker status came into play in a sketch premised on the idea that bands carve out turf like gangs do. When Train singer Patrick Monahan (Taran Killam) walks into Levine’s hangout, the pair get into a verbal sparring match, full of allusion’s to Train’s “Drops of Jupiter,” “Meet Virginia” and “Soul Sister.” It gets even more heated when Jason Mraz (Jason Sudeikis) drops in – and goes totally off the rails when Jon Mayer (Bill Hader) shows up.
“They say he’s legally insane” Train’s frontman says.
SNL is next new Feb. 9 with host and musical guest Justin Bieber.
