Dear Saturday Night Live, Hire Justin Timberlake!

Saturday Night Live is funny. I don't mean that it "was funny when we were younger," or "used to be funny in the 90s," or any other premature eulogy you may overhear. I mean that SNL is currently funny right now. (Well, not right now, but at 11:30 -1:00 on Saturday Nights.) On a weekly basis this season, the sketch premises and writing have been thoroughly entertaining, but there is one occurrence, or to be more specific- person, that always seems to make SNL better. That person, you may have guessed from this post's headline and his recent weekend update and digital short appearances, is Justin Timberlake. Consequently, there is one simple thing SNL must do to solidify their place at the top of the sketch comedy heap. Saturday Night Live should hire Justin Timberlake as a cast member.

I realize that with two parties involved, there are two hurdles to overcome here. The first question is for Saturday Night Live. Would they benefit from having someone this ubiquitous as a regular player? The second issue belongs to Justin Timberlake. Why would an eminently talented music superstar and film actor want to limit himself to television? Let's deal with SNL first.

Saturday Night Live has a complicated history with hiring people who are already famous. Without rehashing "The Stars Come Out": 1980-1985" chapter from Tom Shales' must-read work, Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, Lorne Michaels does not like to hire already well known people. This type of casting is associated with a different era of SNL, an era run by Dick Ebersol, at a time where SNL was assumed to be having its final hurrah. In fact, Lorne Michaels' return to the show basically ended that approach to cast members.

Notwithstanding, couldn't Lorne Michaels change his policy here? For one thing, we are not talking about hiring an entire cast of celebrities; this would be only one famous cast member. It's also important to consider how good Justin Timberlake has been on the show and that it seems the cast likes and fits in well with him. Saturday Night Live has been good enough on its own merits to hire Justin Timberlake without it coming off as a cheap publicity ploy.

As far as Justin Timberlake himself, at first glance it seems that he wouldn't need this gig. Logically, he shouldn't take a job to appear on SNL. By all means, he has music, he has movies, he has Jessica Biel, and he has no compelling reason to become a cast member. Except for one thing: I think he wants it. Anyone who has seen him perform with the cast can tell that on a level of pure enjoyment and fulfillment, a part of Justin Timberlake wants to be performing in comedy sketches. I think Justin Timberlake yearns to be a cast member on Saturday Night Live.

This should be Lorne Michaels' mission. Lorne Michaels needs to find out what must be done to get Justin Timberlake on SNL on a regular basis. If he can only appear in half the season's episodes, hire him. If he can only commit to half the week with the cast, hire him. If it means we can't have Cameron Diaz cougar cameos, it is a sacrifice that must be made.

So, please, Saturday Night Live, hire Justin Timberlake. The possibility is so exciting, I might just... well, you know.

Comments

[HoneyRyder]

I couldn't DISAGREE more. Justin is the ultimate showoff. Yes, is talented, but so is Matt Damon, so is Sean Penn, and Zac Efron (i guess), it doesn't mean they have to dabble in every single media outlet possible. It's called overkill. That's why the Love Guru sucked, no one wants to see Justin Timberlake trying to grandstand on Michael Myers.

Your seeing all these rapper and pop stars in movies and tv now because albums and cd's aren't selling like they used to. So now you see all these so called gangsta rappers,and pop stars trying to be serious actors, because the music industry is tanking and people now only buy single songs.

Please Hollywood, let the actors act, let the comedians do comedy, and please no more Justin Timberlakes, Ludacris's, and Bow-Wow's in main stream movies. PLEASE!

[Etan Bednarsh - Huffpost Blogger]

"bknott" bring up a good point about Alec Baldwin, which makes me want to offer 2 points:
1) It's been too long since the last time Baldwin hosted (no, telling Sarah Palin that she is "hotter in person" doesn't count)
2) Didn't they sort of hire Alec Baldwin for SNL? I mean, they called it 30 Rock, but that should count right?

[kreider204]

I never had a high opinion of Timberlake until the first time I saw him on SNL. He had no reservations whatsoever about acting like a total goof, and he was clearly having a blast. Since then, I've had a great amount of respect for the man.

[BostonBill]

Agreed. I also never thought much of him before his SNL appearances, but the kid definitely has the knack and timing for comedy, and it seems like he also has a pretty good sense of humor about himself as well.

[PatA]

I am old enough to remember the Claudine Longet (sp?) skit where she shot her lover, Spider, the sky instructor. It was called something like Claudine's Skeet Shoot. And now I can't quit laughing at "Duck in a Box". :-) YouTube Claudine! It is worth it.
Bring Justin on, at least once a month!

[CalexenderJ]

I disagree with your premise that SNL is currently funny, outside of the cold open, (most of) the digital shorts, and weekend update the jokes are few and far between. Most of their reoccuring sketches (McGruber, the italian interview host, the cougar bit) are tired and lame.

Now having said all that JT would make the show infinitely better.

[Etan Bednarsh - Huffpost Blogger]

I don't know... let's take this past week's episode, which was a poor one by this season's standards. We still got all of the following:
1) J.I.M.P. digital short
2) Obama "Cool" video
3) Samberg as the 9 year old book author
4) Armisen as Boy George
5) Virginia Horsen's Pony Express
6) Kirsten Wiig's sexy office girl

Were there misses? Yes. Actually, pretty much everything Malkovich was in, surprisingly. But there was a lot to like.

And personally, I'd be happy to get a few more Macgrubers...

[bknott]

JT is fantastic on SNL. I don't follow his music, but he improves any sketch he's in to the nth degree. Of course, SNL could have used the same argument to hire Alec Baldwin five years ago. Maybe Timberlake should be a cast member on Amy Poehler's new show.

[jennachick]

Couldn't agree more!! JT is amazing on that show and I would be so excited to see more of him!!! I think the cast would agree with us. You are a very smart man!

[sutboy83]

This is a great idea...He can be the Steve Martin of SNL

[bugsbonzai]

Steve Martin is the Steve Martin of SNL.