NBC'S "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" RETURNS FOR ITS 33RD SEASON SEPTEMBER 29

Season Premiere to Feature NBA Superstar LeBron James and Hip-Hop Titan Kanye West

Seth Rogen & Spoon, Jon Bon Jovi & Foo Fighters Round Out Season Launch

NEW YORK – September 20, 2007 – Fresh of its recent Emmy wins, NBC's "Saturday Night Live" returns for its 33rd season on September 29 (11:30 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. ET) for three consecutive shows with a diverse and star-studded line-up.

"Saturday Night Live" continues its historic run while breaking new ground, including recently taking home two Emmy Awards, including an Emmy for the SNL Digital Short-turned internet phenomenon -- "D**k in a Box."

The show kicks off its new season September 29 with one of the newest generation of NBA superstars -- Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James. One of the most exciting players in the league, James has set numerous records on the court -- becoming the youngest player in NBA history to reach 5,000 career points, win the MVP award in the 2006 All Star Game and win Rookie of the Year honors. James just led the Cavaliers to the 2007 NBA Finals, during which he scored a franchise record 48 points in one game. James joins an impressive roster of superstar athletes who have hosted SNL during its long run including fellow NBA stars Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley as well as NFL greats Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Joe Montana along with superstars of other sports including Derek Jeter, Wayne Gretzky, Andy Roddick, George Foreman and numerous others.

Joining James in his second appearance on SNL (and second SNL Season Premiere) is hip-hop icon Kanye West. West made history this week, with his highly-anticipated and ground-breaking third album "Graduation" debuting at No. 1, moving 957,000 units – the highest debuting record of the last two years. The record has garnered rave reviews, hailed as "easily among the year's best" (PASTE Magazine). "Graduation" is the follow-up to 2005's multiple Grammy nominated, No. 1-debuting "Late Registration" which sold over 860,000 in the first week.

October 6 brings the star of the two biggest comedy hits of the summer to SNL -- writer-producer-actor Seth Rogen. Rogen began the summer in the blockbuster "Knocked Up" and closed the season out in the super-hit "Superbad," which he co-wrote and starred in opposite SNL cast member Bill Hader. These films mark the continuation of his long-standing collaboration with writer-producer-director Judd Apatow who cast Rogen in his critically acclaimed television series "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared" and later in the massive comedy hit "The 40 Year-Old Virgin." Up next for Rogen -- the action comedy "Pineapple Express" as well as scripting and starring in a big-screen adaptation of "The Green Hornet."

Joining Rogen in making their SNL debut is the critically praised indie band Spoon. Hailing from Austin, TX, Spoon will perform from their sixth album "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga", which entered the charts in the Top 10--a feat hailed as an "indie label breakthrough" by The Wall Street Journal. "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" is possibly the single most critically-acclaimed record of the year, with raves from Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Playboy, Wired, Details, and GQ and major press attention in The New Yorker, Time and the New York Times .

On October 13 , "SNL" will serve a double helping of rock with host Jon Bon Jovi and musical guest Foo Fighters.

Bon Jovi makes his first hosting appearance, but his fourth on the show, having previously made three appearances as musical guest. In addition, Bon Jovi will be a musical performer on the show and will be joined by his bandmates for a performance of the title track from their latest record, "Lost Highway." Bon Jovi's tenth studio album, which landed the band their first No. 1 U.S.debut and put them past The Beatles with No. 1 debuts in Japan, "Lost Highway" follows the success of the band's record-breaking world tour and multi-platinum, Grammy-winning record "Have A Nice Day." Since forming in the mid-80s, Bon Jovi has sold over 120 million albums worldwide and played more than 2,500 concerts in 50 countries. Bon Jovi himself is no stranger to acting, having appeared in numerous films and television shows.

Making their fifth appearance, musical guest Foo Fighters will perform from their sixth studio release "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace." Its first single "The Pretender" has garnered early praise as "explosive" (Billboard) and a "super-rock torpedo" (Rolling Stone). Foo Fighters are among an elite group of American bands in the SoundScan era (Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Korn, System of a Down) whose first five major label studio records exceeded platinum. With "Echoes," their sixth, and most ambitious, the Foos are poised to make history.

“Saturday Night Live” is from SNL Studios in association with Broadway Video. The creator and executive producer is Lorne Michaels. Steve Higgins produces. Marci Klein and Mike Shoemaker are producers. Head writers are Seth Meyers, Paula Pell and Andrew Steele. Don Roy King directs.

 

Source: NBC Press Release

 

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