If you’re a fan of Doogie Howser, M.D. and How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris — and who isn’t, I ask? — you’re in luck because tonight he hosts the first new installment of Saturday Night Live in 2009. Also on the roster is wildly successful musical guest Taylor Swift.

Get a taste of what’s in store for Barney lovers everywhere by watching the following promo featuring Neil and SNL player Will Forte. Considering that the alter ego of Dr. Horrible is actually funny, this one just might be — wait for it — legendary, or at least consistently entertaining.

Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays on NBC at 11:30pm EST.

Here’s a little more election humor for the masses:

The limited-run Weekend Update Thursday version of Saturday Night Live did it this time, pitting Tina Fey’s brilliant Sarah Palin impersonation against SNL alum Will Ferrell’s equally impressive caricature of outgoing U.S. President George “Dubya” Bush. I’m thinking the ace comics delivered yet another memorable SNL political sketch.

Check the video out after the jump. It features Bush giving the McCain-Palin ticket a much-unwanted endorsement as the Alaska governor meets the president for the first time. And, yes, that’s SNL veteran Darrell Hammond providing the expert parody of Senator John McCain.

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Did she score?

Not in my opinion, but at least Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were there to take up the (considerable) slack. Where would SNL be without these two women?

Videos of Alaska governor and U.S. Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s segments on the October 18th episode of Saturday Night Live follow the jump, along with backstage footage.

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You betcha!

According to the New York Post’s very own Cindy Adams, Alaska Governor and Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin is heading to NBC’s weekend comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live to play herself, and she’s doing it willingly.

Cindy says: “Sarah Palin is doing ‘Saturday Night Live.’ Not Tina Fey doing Sarah Palin doing ‘Saturday Night Live.’ But the Sarah Herself. She has already OK’d it. She’s booked. It’s confirmed. Done deal. Sketches are being sketched as we speak.”

I guess I have to believe it now, and I also believe that Palin loves Fey’s crowd-pleasing impersonations of her. How could she not?

Look for the real Palin to appear on SNL during the October 25 episode, viral video to follow immediately afterward. While she’s there, I hope she also tries her hand at impersonating Fey, perhaps during a 30 Rock sketch, complete with the real Alec Baldwin. Now that I’d get on the bus to New York just to see live.

This is getting ridiculous! Tina Fey is starting to make a better Sarah Palin than the real Sarah Palin, what with three spot-on impersonations of the Alaska Governor and Republican Vice Presidential candidate under her belt now.

Yes, 30 Rock mastermind Fey appeared on Saturday Night Live again this weekend to reprise her stellar Palin impersonation. The skit was a send-up of last Thursday’s vice-presidential debate, of course, when the governor took on her Democratic rival Senator Joe Biden of Delaware. Palin performed much better than I and probably the entire world expected, but that doesn’t mean the SNL players didn’t dig deep into the event for laughs.

A bonus was the rumored appearance come true of Queen Latifah, who capably filled in the segment’s third spot as debate moderator Gwen Ifill. Spot number two was Senator Biden, portrayed by Jason Suedikis, who did his best, I suppose, but still ain’t no Fey or Amy Poehler.

If you haven’t yet seen the first pair of Fey-Poehler matchups — or just want to reminisce — take a look at the clips where Poehler appears opposite Fey’s Palin as New York Senator Hillary Clinton and CBS news anchor Katie Couric. Good stuff.

As for this weekend’s segment, follow the jump for the video of Saturday Night Live’s latest political parody homerun, which lasts for almost twelve minutes. Perhaps the show should start concentrating on this kind of stuff exclusively…

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It was like déjà vu on Saturday Night Live last night.

This time, however, Amy Poehler portrays CBS News anchor Katie Couric, not New York Senator Hillary Clinton, while Tina Fey reprises her unforgettable impersonation of quickly deflating Republican Vice President candidate and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

The skit parodies Palin’s recent disastrous interview with Couric, only her second Q&A of the current critical presidential campaign (!), and once again, both comediennes aim, shoot, and score big time.

Check out the segment (again) after the jump for a nice dose of election political humor. It’s great to see funnywomen rockin’ the comedy stuff so darn well, especially on a show that really needs that.

And, just for comparison and extra background, I’ve also included the now infamous Palin-Couric session that has tons of dumbfounded people, myself included, scratching their head in bewilderment and wondering how this particular piece of U.S. history is going to end.

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If you haven’t heard yet, Saturday Night Live’s 34th-season premiere on September 13 featured a single highlight that is destined to go down in the annals of television history as one of the medium’s most memorable events: former SNL head writer Tina Fey and current SNL player Amy Poehler addressing the nation as Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin and Democratic New York Senator Hillary Clinton, respectively.

Read the full transcript of their hilarious Nonpartisan Message after the jump and take a(nother) look at the video of the opening SNL segment, too. I just can’t get enough of this one, hence the multiple posts. We shall soon return to coverage of traditional scripted comedy television, though — promise.

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…and knocks the parody out of the park.

My madness had a clear method. When I posted about the 34th-season premiere of Saturday Night Live yesterday, I intentionally failed to mention the buzzed-about potential visit by former SNL head writer and current 30 Rock mastermind Tina Fey.

There was just so much talk and hope it would happen but no clear confirmation, I didn’t want to jinx the possibility of seeing Fey in the un-enviable role of Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

Well, it happened, kiddos, and, just as expected, Fey delivered big time. She deserves major props for her spot-on impersonation of the dimwitted governor of Alaska.

While Fey mimicked Palin’s painfully clueless, space-cadet deportment to perfection, her fellow Baby Mama star Amy Poehler did an ace version of Democrat Hilary Clinton that made the Republican look like an amateur at Happy Hour onscreen. I guess many would argue real life is about the same.

Fey and Poehler rocked the sketch in so many ways; no matter what you think about the rest of the season premiere (not so great, in my opinion, as usual these days), the funny ladies got it off to a fine start.

Take a look at the YouTube NBC clip of the opening sketch after the jump. This one is an instant classic for sure.

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Heads-Up: History-making Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and Do Not Disturb star Jerry O’Connell will be providing hosting duties tonight when weekend television’s two late-night series return to open new seasons.

Tune in to NBC’s Saturday Night Live, back for Season 34 (!), at 11:29pm EST to catch Phelps in action and Fox’s MADtv, now on its 14th season, at 11pm EST for O’Connell.

SNL will also welcome music guest Lil Wayne and reportedly Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama, while MADtv will feature an election-time skit called "So You Think You Can Dance: Presidential Edition," as well as O’Connell doing an impersonation of politician John Edwards in "Viva La Cheat," a music video parody of Coldplay’s hit tune "Viva La Vida."

Hold your noses! Potty-mouthed Blue Collar comic Larry the Cable Guy (aka Daniel Lawrence Whitney) is getting comedy fans into the holiday spirit early this month.

Tonight at 9pm EST, basic cable’s VH1 will air his one-hour holiday special Larry the Cable Guy’s Christmas Spectacular, exactly one day before the DVD version streets bright and early tomorrow.

The variety sketch-comedy presentation was filmed live at Las Vegas’ Palms Resort and it features a slew of top-notch guests: Jim Breuer, Carrot Top (although some might just consider him extremely annoying), Flavor Flav, Penn Jillette, Jamie Kennedy, Lisa Lampanelli, Tony Orlando, Jeffrey Ross, George Wallace, and George Wendt.

Highlights include a roast of Santa Claus (now that I’ve got to see), “Dirty” Christmas Carolers (and I don’t think that means in the soap-and-water sense either), a very Larry adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, and a Christmas Nativity Scene done up all politically correct.

Veteran entertainer Vicki Lawrence will also resurrect her southern-fried character Thelma “Mama” Harper from the 1980s Carol Burnett Show spinoff sitcom Mama’s Family, while Kid Rock is slated to perform what’s destined to become a classic Xmas tune any day now, the one and only “Rock N Roll Jesus.”

If you’d like to pick up a copy of the special before or after it airs, the DVD is available right this very moment at Amazon for online ordering.