Saturday Night’s Alright for Chuckling

TCA PRESS TOUR NOTES:

During a session yesterday afternoon for “Saturday Night Live,” most of the cast and executive producer Lorne Michaels felt last year was a strong one despite a cast downsizing. Head writer Seth Meyers singled out the work of hosts Peyton Manning, Alec Baldwin and Justin Timberlake.

Michaels, with a completely straight face, called the response to the Timberlake-Andy Samberg infamous um, “(Penis) in a Box” digital short, “huge” and observed that it “just exploded.”

When a reporter asked about the lack of diversity in the current cast, lone black member Kenan Thompson cracked, "Oh snap. I like that. Yeah, Lorne?" Michaels said that as usual if there are "really good people" at the annual additions "we'll add them."

MIA cast member Amy Poehler will definitely be back but apparently Maya Rudolph is on the fence. (If she leaves it would further deplete the minority faces on the show.)

In other news Christopher Walken will be back as a guest host, no word on whether he’s bringing his cowbell.

Unsurprisingly, Michaels revealed that NBC pitched him a few years back on turning the “SNL” auditions into a reality show. Luckily, he demurred. “Not everything has to be opened up to the public.”

The “best of” the 2006-2007 season will be available August 28 as a DVD next month for Starbucks customers. It will have the uncensored version of the Timberlake-Samberg musical short.

SARAH RODMAN