I’m not too sure what to think of this random monologue, but I’m getting enough laughs, and Hugh Fink is making a good foil in this. Very random premise, with Cameron Diaz putting on a badass persona and picking on an innocent audience member (played by SNL writer Hugh Fink). Without provocation, host gets tough with audience member (Hugh Fink) I like the unique way the end of this opening montage transitions to the “ON AIR” sign on SNL’s home base stage (screencap below). Another theory I’ve seen is that perhaps SNL was taking a page out of MADtv’s playbook by not crediting extras who are occasionally given noteworthy co-starring roles in sketches (something that was kinda common on MADtv in their first 5 or so seasons). Some SNL fans have had a theory that perhaps the graphics department wasn’t yet finished with the featured players portion of this opening montage. Something odd, though: neither Fallon, Parnell, nor Sanz are credited in tonight’s opening montage! Very unusual. Jimmy Fallon, Chris Parnell, and Horatio Sanz have been added to the cast tonight, all joining as featured players, which begins a new tradition of it being a requirement for every new cast member to join as a featured player. The early episodes of this season are going to have A LOT of experimentation with different theme music for the opening montage, until they finally settle on one. I’m not caring for the new theme music, but not to worry, because it doesn’t last. I will admit that the cast photos in this opening montage are pretty bland. It brings back nice memories of the early days of my SNL fandom. (And to be honest, 14/15-year-old me had a bit more of a preference for MADtv than SNL back in those days, until I started really getting into older SNL reruns on Comedy Central.) Anyway, because my earliest memories of being an SNL viewer are from seasons 24 and 25, which both use the opening montage that’s introduced in tonight’s episode, this opening montage now has huge nostalgic, sentimental value to me. After my first SNL viewing, I would go on to be a very casual SNL viewer for the next year, where I would only tune into bits and pieces of the show on occasional Saturday nights on NBC while flipping the channel back and forth between that, MADtv on FOX, and other channels. I was either 14 or 15 years old at the time, depending on when in that summer this rerun aired (my birthday is in July), which I realize is quite older than the age that most people are when they first discover SNL. You see, this is the very first SNL episode I ever saw, when NBC reran it during the summer of 1999. I know this isn’t a popular opening montage among SNL fans, but I have a very soft spot for it. After season 23’s experiment with doing an opening montage with no traditional New York City scenery, we get a welcome return of NYC scenery tonight. Season 23’s drab opening montage has thankfully been done away with after only one season, and we get a new montage tonight. A particularly energetic “Live from New York…” from Tim to kick off this season. John Goodman makes his first of many cameos this season. I wonder if viewers at the time were watching this cold opening asking themselves “Who in the world is that playing Kenneth Starr?” Chris Parnell gets the honors of being the one in tonight’s trio of new cast members who gets to appear right at the top of show in the cold opening.

I like the tanned, mustached look of Darrell as 2002 Bill Clinton. Interesting how this takes place four years in the future, looking back on the Lewinsky scandal. Decent fake-out with the “Oprah 2002” title screen immediately being followed by us seeing Tracy as a very heavyset, porkchop-eating woman, who we’re supposed to assume is what Oprah will look like in 2002, only for us to find out Tracy is just playing a woman who’s introducing Oprah. This is the second consecutive season premiere to begin with an Oprah cold opening.

Linda Tripp (John Goodman) et al recall Lewinsky affair Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

Oops i crapped my pants compilation