Hosting advice for Betty White on 'SNL'
Actress Betty White attends the opening of Pink's Hot Dogs and the unveiling of the "Betty White Naked Hot Dog" at Universal CityWalk in Universal City on April 19, 2010. Credit: Getty Images / David Livingston
Following a much-publicized social networking campaign, Betty White adds one more credit Saturday to one of the longer resumés in show biz. And what a credit: The agony and ecstasy of hosting "Saturday Night Live."
White, 88, is a grand and durable pro, and she'll figure it out just fine. (She'll have help from alums Molly Shannon, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, Maya Rudolph and Ana Gasteyer.) In the meantime, here are some do's and don'ts.
DO Everything Lorne Michaels tells you to do. Trust in Lorne, and only Lorne. He is god and master here. He will take care of you.
DO NOT Be afraid. Fear is natural, for as Tom Hanks recalled in "Live From New York," Tom Shales' history of "SNL," "the first time . . . you're that combination of absolutely terrified but also kind of dizzy."
DO Stretch. Get out of character. Be someone no one ever imagined you could be. Think (for example) Gwyneth Paltrow doing Sharon Stone back in 1999; people still remember that one, Stone included.
DO NOT Do commercial parodies. The temptation will be there, particularly post- Super Bowl. But these are difficult to pull off. Unless Lorne tells you to.
DO Attach yourself to classic "SNL" bits, which fans already know and love.
DO NOT Always try to be funny. Let this excellent cast do the work for you. Play, for example, a straightwoman to someone like Bill Hader's Vinny Vedicci. All you have to do is mug for the camera.
DO Something with musical guest Jay-Z. Jon Hamm did a skit with the musical guest. . . . Fans are absolutely expecting this.
DO NOT Do a lousy "Golden Girls" skit. Fans who loved that show expect this to be the highlight of the show.
DO Be bawdy, but not crude. Remember, strrretch, but you are Betty; vulgarity is beneath you.
