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.

Following in the footsteps of last year’s politically savvy comedian winner Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey has been named the Associated Press Entertainer of the Year, and I couldn’t be happier.

The honor means that AP members believe Fey is the one performer who has had the greatest impact on culture and entertainment in 2008. Second runner-up was Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. and third runner-up was deceased Dark Knight star Heath Ledger, whose death was named the AP’s biggest entertainment story of 2008.

Says Lexington Herald-Leader assistant features editor Scott Shive: “[Fey] simultaneously entertained us with her wit and put a mirror up to the nation during the election and made us think about what was going on. She is the epitome of the smart kid coming out on top for once.”

It wasn’t just Fey’s downright eerie impression of Alaska governor and recent U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin that wowed the voters consisting of newspaper editors and broadcast producers nationwide, but also her noteworthy achievements on the big and small screens.

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Last night, former Saturday Night Live staple Amy Poehler, wife of actor-comedian Will Arnett, gave birth to the couple’s first child, a boy, after being in labor all day Saturday. Of course, she missed her late-night gig in order to bring Archie Arnett, who weighed a healthy 8 pounds and 1 ounce, into the world.

Notice I said “former” in the first sentence because Poehler has indicated her plans to leave SNL after seven seasons following her child’s birth. No worries for her fans, though, since she already has a scripted comedy series in the works at NBC.

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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Tina Fey dropped by CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman last week to discuss lots of things, including, of course, her recent spate of Emmy-worthy Saturday Night Live appearances impersonating Alaska governor and U.S. Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

Yeah, the governor visited SNL last night and participated in two mostly unfunny sketches, but Tina’s chat with Dave is way better, not to mention Tina’s too-brief appearance during the opening of last night’s SNL.

Check out the relevant segment of the David Letterman interview after the jump.

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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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