Well, wasn't that an upset! Last night, all signs were pointing to The Wanda Sykes Show over Taylor Swift's double duty on Saturday Night Live for comedic relief. It seemed like a no-brainer, really. Sykes has a nichey store of acerbic, self-deprecating jokes well-designed to court goodwill in post-Bush America. And last night, she was also assisted by the delightful Mary-Lynn Rajskub, who works full-time at 24, but remains revered for her quirky cameos. Still, somehow the world flipped upside down. Unfortunately Sykes found herself thin with jokes. Meanwhile, Swift pulled off an SNL coup that so top-notch that had it even been an on-day for Sykes, she still would've shined.

You may recognize him from his shoulder-length blonde hair when standing front and center in the Saturday Night Live house band every weekend. Jared Scharff is currently the youngest guitarist among the old pros at SNL. In a city filled with posers and talentless, wannabe rock stars, Scharff has taken the music scene by storm with his electrifying sound and sheer ability to tear up his instrument. Guitar hero Scharff was kind enough to put down his axe long enough to answer our Pop Quiz.

When you were in elementary school, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Oddly enough, a musician and a hockey player.

Do you have any tattoos?
One of the only musicians I know without any.

It’s not enough just to be jaw-droppingly hot, on the cover of the new Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, and Leonardo DiCaprio's playmate. Bar Refaeli wants to host Saturday Night Live, too. The Israeli beauty hosted an after-party last night with One Management to celebrate her illustrious cover downstairs at Macao, with notable attendees like Adrian Grenier (minus entourage) and Josh Hartnett. But when we asked her what's next, the model couldn't help but set her sights on the stage at studio 8-H. Lorne Michaels, are you listening?

The morning after the premiere of the chick-flick-to-end-all-chick-flicks Bride Wars, co-screenwriter/Saturday Night Live new It-Girl Casey Wilson and her best friend and writing partner June Raphael do their best not to talk over each other while dishing on Long Island wedding factories, bedazzled cell phones, and what makes seemingly normal girls go bonkers.

Casey, everyone knows the SNL after party is one of the hottest late-night parties in the city. What are the best late-night spots in New York?
Casey Wilson: People [from the cast of SNL] go to Waverly Inn, they go to Rose Bar.
June Raphael: She doesn’t really know.
CW: I just go to bed.

Sure, Palinizing this past weekend's edition of SNL was a successful ratings ploy, but it was also slightly embarrassing for the nominally leftist sketch show. Despite the public ribbing, Lorne Michaels and the rest of the SNL cast sycophantically pussyfooting around the governor like the proverbial pink elephant pitbull she is -- all of which made Tina Fey's blink-and-you-miss-it snub of Palin was all the sweeter. And honestly, even in absentia, Fey's the comedy gold holding the tragic clap-trap together. Regardless, the guest gimmickry won't end with Palin if Michaels has his way.

Or maybe it's my unquenchable thirst to write about her. And think about her. And help raise her children. But I have to report this, because otherwise what kind of blogger journalist would I be if I didn't. Cindy Adams is reporting in the New York Post that Sarah Palin is set to guest star on SNL next week, as either herself or Tina Fey, with Mad Men's Jon Hamm. I can't imagine that Palin can play Fey with any success, since trying to impersonate someone as ordinary (but don't get me wrong, brilliant) as Fey can't play for much laughs. I'd rather see her as herself, and do one of those things where she comes out mid-Fey impersonation, and we have two Sarah Palins side-by-side, interacting with each other -- the kind of thing Janet Reno and Will Ferrell did so memorably a few years back. Also, I think it's time I cut Sarah Palin off. Or at least delete her from my Facebook.

After Sarah Palin's election-shifting debacle in front Charlie Gibson last night, Saturday Night Live writers are no doubt scrambling to incorporate her cringe, wince, and vomit-inducing Bush doctrine gaffe, and her myriad of other blunders into their Michael Phelps-hosted season premiere this Saturday. And while Daryl Hammond and Fred Armisen are locked up as the resident McCain and Obama reporters respectively, executive producer Lorne Michaels remains mum on who'll take on the moose-meaty role of Gov. Sarah Palin. The obvious choice is Tina Fey, since much has been made of their resemblance, but she's no longer on the show.

Nostalgic naysayers suggest that "Saturday Night Live" has lost its edge, and most weeks we tend to agree. The show, however, has always been spot-on with its political satire and politico impersonations. To celebrate the few funny sketches other than Debbie Downer, the folks at NBC have launched an official "Saturday Night Live" Politics site. There's a bunch of fun stuff there including videos, e-cards, and candidate bios from Clinton, Obama, and the rest of the gang. Clinton's page, featuring the inimitable Amy Poehler, explains, "It's going to take someone so annoying, so pushy, so grating, so bossy and shrill... And I think the American people will agree that someone is me." We have to admit, the whole thing is a pretty genius marketing "strategery."