Jmunney's Blog

The folks over at bestonlinecolleges.com recently posted a list of “9 Fake SNL Products We’d Actually Buy” (apparently their blog is not exclusively related to issues of higher education – lucky us, I suppose).  Here’s the rundown on their choices:

1. Damn It, My Mom is on Facebook Filter
2. Duncan Hines Brownie Husband
3. Old Glory Insurance
4. Bug Off
5. Nelson’s Baby Toupees
6. Bathroom Monkey
7. Dissing Your Dog training videos
8. Taco Town
9. Einstein Express

I’ve got to agree wholeheartedly that I would actually like to take on the challenge of a Taco Town taco.  The Brownie Husband also sounds delicious, but I would only want it for the taste and not the campionship (E.L. Fudge is a better fit for me as a chocolate friend).  And when it comes to living household cleaning products, the legendary Closet Organizer is a much more exhilirating choice than the Bathroom Monkey.
The biggest personal favorite of mine that didn’t make it onto BestOnlineColleges.com’s list would be the Home Security Decoys: not because they would actually make me feel safe, more for the macabre kitsch factor.

The new season of SNL premieres Saturday, September 24 on NBC, and with that date soon approaching, the topic of who will be appearing as the hosts and musical guests of this, the 37th season of the show, has been prominent in my mind for several weeks.  Predictions of any sort are always a fun parolor game, and for my money, the prediction of SNL guests is more fun than most, not only because I am a big fan of the show, but also because SNL guests represent something beyond Saturday Night Live.  They are also indicative of who the major players in popular culture are at the moment.  Reviewing the guests of SNL seasons past is like uncovering a time capsule from those particular eras.  Thus, I present my predictions for the hosts and musical guests of SNL season 37, and by extension, my choices for who the major players in pop culture are right now.  I have made 30 choices (including guests that have already been announced) in both categories; there have been 22 episodes of SNL the past few seasons, but 30 is the chosen number because that was the number for an SNL guest prediction contest that I have entered on an SNL fan website forum.  Picking more guests than episodes also allows for the possibility of co-hosts or co-musical guests.  Picks are listed in order of confidence, most confident picks first.  (Guests that have already been announced are Alec Baldwin – who will be hosting a 16th time, breaking the tie between him and Steve Martin for most hosting appearances all-time – and Radiohead for the season premiere, Melissa McCarthy and Lady Antebellum for the second episode on October 1, and Jimmy Fallon and Michael Bublé for the Christmas episode on December 17.)

Hosts
Hosts usually fit into certain categories, and I have organized my picks according to such categories.

Coming Off a Hot Summer
Melissa McCarthy – already announced
Emma Stone
Daniel Radcliffe

Current Hit Movie
Jason Segel – Judd Apatow alums such as Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, and Jonah Hill have already hosted – Jason Segel seems big enough to be next in line.  Plus, The Muppets comes out in November.
Ryan Gosling
Amanda Seyfried
Jennifer Lawrence
Robert Downey, Jr.
Ben Stiller
Anna Faris
Eddie Murphy

TV Stars
Jimmy Fallon – already announced
Joel McHale – The leads of the other NBC Thursday shows (Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, departing Steve Carell) have already hosted, so Mr. The Soup ought to as well.  (We’ll have to wait to see if Whitney is also deserving.)
Chris Colfer
Ashton Kutcher
James Spader
Jim Parsons
Sofia Vergara
Jack McBrayer
Will Arnett

The Regulars
Alec Baldwin – already announced
Jon Hamm
Zach Galifianakis – Hamm’s hosted the last three seasons, Zach Gal the last two; they look to be the regulars of the 2010’s.
Steve Martin
Christopher Walken
John Goodman – Johnny Boy is third all-time with 12 hosting appearances, but his last show was way back in 2001.  He’s guest-starring on Community this season; perhaps he’ll be up for migrating a couple of days on NBC’s schedule.

Other (Big Name Not Plugging Anything Specific, Athletes, Musical Guests Pulling Double Duty, etc.)
Katy Perry
Selena Gomez
Lady GaGa
Lindsay Lohan

Musical Guests
Musical guests don’t fit as neatly into categories as hosts do (and are thus harder to predict).  They usually fit in the broad descriptions of either current hit song or up-and-coming act.  Then there are the wild-card classics (like Paul McCartney last year) that are basically impossible to predict.

Radiohead – already announced
Lady Antebellum – already announced
Michael Bublé – already announced
Adele – She’s the biggest thing in music in 2011, and SNL gave her a big break when her first album was out.
Taylor Swift
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Foster the People
Katy Perry
Coldplay
Selena Gomez & the Scene
Pitbull
Björk
No Doubt
Lady GaGa
The Black Keys
Jay-Z
Kanye West – Jay-Z and Kanye could apper together if they manage to wring a lasting hit or two out of Watch the Throne.
Drake
The Killers
Beyoncé
The Decemberists
Paramore
David Guetta
Bon Iver
Jason Derülo
Cage the Elephant
The Joy Formidable
Raphael Saadiq
Ximena Sariñana
The Head and the Heart – In the past half-decade, SNL has shown a propensity for occasionally booking performers that most folks outside the Pitchfork demographic are completely unfamiliar with; one of these last few choices could thus show up this year.

I will post how I have done at the end of the season, and I may post intermediate updates over the course of the year.  (And you folks can keep score at home if you feel you need to keep me honest!)