Jamie Foxx hosts 'SNL' with musical guest Ne-Yo

Will Jamie Foxx breathe life into an uncharacteristically lackluster season of SNL? He’s certainly got the bona fides to be a great host: TheOscar winner starred on Fox’s sketch series In Living Color from 1991 to 1994, yukking it up alongside Jim Carrey and a succession of Wayans brothers. Like Anne Hathaway — season 38’s best host so far — Foxx is an accomplished singer as well as an actor, which makes him especially versatile. And unlike so-so hosts Jeremy Renner and Daniel Craig, the star of Django Unchained has visited SNL before — albeit not since the last days of the Clinton administration. (The musical guest when Foxx last hosted: Blink-182. What’s my age again?)

All this, combined with my holiday wish of Norm Macdonald showing up to dust off his impeccable Quentin Tarantino impression, makes me think that Foxx could knock it out of the park. After all, the show has had a few weeks to rest and recharge, which hopefully means that tonight’s show will feel fresher than the past few episodes.

I’m not sure whether there’s a ton of good material for topical sketches in the news right now, though I wouldn’t be surprised to see a cringe-inducing Kevin Clash/Elmo bit — possibly starring Foxx as the beleaguered puppeteer. Kate Middleton’s recently announced pregnancy could also inspire a repeat visit from Fred Armisen and Bill Hader as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, which might be half-funny. (Though I’m even more sick of “Fred Armisen in a Wig” sketches than I am of musical monologues.)

Musical guest Ne-Yo will be making his SNL debut, performing singles from his new album R.E.D. and possibly showing up to duet with Foxx in a sketch. (Don’t forget — Ne-Yo’s an actor too!) It’ll be interesting to see how he adapts his act to a stage much smaller than that of The Voice, where he performed earlier this week.

What are you hoping to see tonight? Discuss your predictions — and the show itself as it airs — below, then check back tomorrow morning for my full recap.

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