Of course SNL host Dana Carvey was going to bring back his iconic (Right? We can call it iconic at this point, no?) “Church Lady” character. This time, the Church Lady found herself face-to-Jägermeister-soaked-poof with Jersey Shore‘s Snooki, whom she attempted to exorcise with the help of a priest. Was the exorcism successful? MTV executives best hope not.

Then, celebrated singing fetus Justin Bieber visited with… uncomfortable results.

Saturday Night Live vet Dana Carvey is tonight’s guest host (and – inexplicably and unforgivably – Linkin Park is the musical guest). He revisited one of his best-known characters – Garth, the dopey metal head of indeterminate age – in the cold open, discussing this year’s Oscar nominees with Mike Myers as, of course, Wayne.

Funny Or Die has produced a video featuring a star-studded cast of actors who previously portrayed US Presidents on Saturday Night Live. Jim Carrey‘s turn as Ronald Reagan and Dana Carvey‘s George Bush recall a kinder, gentler, and perhaps funnier era of SNL political satire. The message behind the video? Promoting finance regulatory reform (and reminding viewers that much of the financial mess in which Obama finds himself, was inherited from previous administrations?)

Who: Jimmy Fallon interviewed by Bill Carter What: The New York Times’ Arts & Leisure Weekend Where: The Times Center When: January 8, 2009 Thumbs: At our palms, applauding

This week, Barney’s unveiled their annual holiday windows, this year celebrating Saturday Night Live. The displays are heavy on allusion to various characters, scenes and personalities from the series’ 35 years – but deciphering each of those references is hindered by the primary mode of presentation, papier-mâché. I can’t help but suspect that this medium was chosen primarily to evoke sympathy – after all, it’s possible, if not probable, that they were actually made by a class of fourth graders.

Long before The Daily Show, long before The Colbert Report, Saturday Night Live was making fun of the news in a way that no one had ever seen before.
In honor of the premiere of Season 35, we’ve pulled together 35 of SNL‘s choicest news anchor spoofs and Weekend Updates, from Baba Wawa to Fred Armisen‘s Joy Behar to the infamous Couric/Palin interview.