TVSquad

(S34E04) This season so far has been more than a little iffy, but Anne Hathaway managed to make things slightly less painful. Even though the writing still wasn't quite spot-on, Hathaway's enthusiasm brought a light to the show that made even the most irritating sketches a bit more bearable. Honestly, I had my doubts about her hosting abilities, mainly because her good girl giddiness clashes heavily with my black-hearted bitchiness, but I didn't mind her. I'm sure she could even easily make the jump from "pretty good" to "absolutely spectacular," given the right material. Also, she managed to read the cue cards without looking like a complete idiot, which most other hosts have somehow turned into a massive ordeal lately. Mmm, literacy plus natural reading: a combination so deliciously rare, the writers don't even know what to do with it.

Paris Hilton has followed Britney Spears' lead by backing out of her hosting gig for Fox's Billboard Music Awards. Unlike Brit Brit, who didn't give a reason, Paris apparently quit the show because she didn't like the jokes that were written for her. She says that she didn't appreciate making jokes about people who are her friends. She couldn't come to an agreement with the producers about her scripts, so she quit.

This behavior pretty much goes along the lines of what Tina Fey told Howard Stern recently. She said that Paris takes herself way too seriously (oh, and she is stupid and sheds fake hair).

The hostless Billboard Music Awards air Monday on Fox at 8 pm. Musical guests include Janet Jackson, The Killers, Gwen Stefani, Fergie, Mary J. Blige, Nickelback, and Ludacris featuring Pharrell and Young Jeezy.

(S32E01) "And we're baaaaaaack!" Anyone? Anyone? No? OK, well it's SNL season premiere time (that came fast) and Dane Cook is already hosting again. I can't remember the last time someone hosted two episodes so close together. He was just there last December. Well, it's understandable I suppose. I can't think of anyone else that's bigger on the comedy circuit right now and his name automatically attracts attention. He's all over the place, from touring to HBO specials. Anyway, the show was pretty decent I thought, but not because Cook was the host. He was barely in it.

In the press release announcing the cast for the 32nd season of Saturday Night Live (which, of course, by process of elimination, announces who isn't coming back), NBC has also announced that ultra-hot ("hot" as in popular) comedian Dane Cook will host the season premiere.

This is the second time that Cook has hosted the show; he hosted last December, making this as quick a turnaround between hosting stints as I can remember. But there's three good reasons why Cook is back so soon: 1) He's even more popular with SNL's current college-student demographic than he was last year, 2) He's starring in a movie with Jessica Simpson called Employee of the Month, and 3) He was in one of the more memorable sketches from last season's forgettable run. If you remember the line "It's like a wookie raping me!", you'll know which sketch I'm talking about.

The season premiere, with musical guest The Killers, will be on September 30.