craveonline

The 35th season of "Saturday Night Live" premieres tomorrow, and the hallways of Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York are thick with pulsing, excited energy.

Normally, the sketchcom that launched a million careers kicks off its new season in late September or even early October. But there's a sense of urgency in the air this year - with the presidential election devolving into a three-ring circus of caricature personalities, the comedic soil has never been more fertile for a show so heavily centered on political current events. Three prime-time specials are in the works on NBC, as well as a special show the night before the election.

“The stakes are really high and everyone knows it,” says SNL executive producer and creator Lorne Michaels. “We’ll definitely make some noise.”
 
The show has already made a great deal of noise in the current political landscape. In addition to sharpened satiric wits and the first Obama impressionist seen on a national level (SNL secret weapon Fred Armisen's brilliantly spot-on imitation), CNN recently admitted that an SNL sketch last season (which depicted fawning preference to Obama in CNN's election coverage) actually affected their programming direction. 

Tomorrow's season opener features Olympic legend Michael Phelps as guest host, with Lil' Wayne in the musical slot.  It’s one of the most anticipated shows in the 34-year history of the comedy show, which has seen more than its share of ups and downs over the years. After a post-Will Ferrell casting slump, SNL has slowly regained its glory, centering less on the Chevy Chase/Chris Farley slapstick of old and more than ever on politics, although sometimes to a fault (really, guys, we've had just about all we can handle of those endless political show-openers).

And speaking of Obama, the Democratic presidential hopeful is set to make an appearance during the season premiere as well.

Human chameleon Darrell Hammond will reprise his role of Sen. John McCain, with a few new tweaks to the formula. Hammond, 52, is the oldest and longest-running cast member in SNL's history, having been with the show since 1995. His Bill Clinton impression set a new standard for political impersonation - he inhabited the character so completely, many said that Hammond's take was "more Clinton than the real Clinton ever was." He’s proven himself time and again as one of the most talented impressionists of our lifetimes, with dead-on portraits of Donald Trump, Sean Connery, Jesse Jackson, Chris Matthews, Don Imus, Ted Koppel, Regis Philbin and many, many more. It will be exciting to see what new elements he brings to the show tomorrow.

With the premiere barely 24 hours away, only one question remains: Who will play VP nom Sarah Palin? Amy Poehler nailed Hillary Clinton with a neurotic cockiness that was ferocious and adored, but she doesn't seem to fit the Palin mold. Newcomer Casey Wilson is still an awkward addition to the show, and she'll need to hit her stride before tackling such a vital character. What about the other new addition? Well, Upright Citizens Brigade transfer Bobby Moynihan is... not a woman.

Adding fuel to the speculative fire, Lorne Michaels says Palin's impressionist likely won’t be cast until just before Saturday’s show, but didn’t rule out former head writer, "Weekend Update" anchor, SNL all-star alum and slight Palin lookalike, Tina Fey.

Here's hoping for Fey's triumphant, if only part time, return to the show that she saved from the brink of oblivion. But even if she's not a part of tomorrow night's events, the new season of "Saturday Night Live" has enough talent and material to become one of the best yet.