Oh, Zooey. She’s one of those pop culture personalities who people are strongly divided on. But whether you adore or despise her, you have to admit that her Fox show, New Girl, is the only one of the much-heralded lady comedies that launched this past fall to actually connect with viewers. We’re guessing that the same gawky charming schtick that makes certain audiences love her as Jess Chase (which, let’s be honest, is basically just a slight variation on every other character that she has ever played) will also carry her through this week’s installment of Saturday Night Live. If that sounds absolutely perfect to you, then you’ll thoroughly enjoy the promos after the jump. If you bristle at the mere sound of her voice (especially when she’s singing), well, maybe don’t click through.

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Saturday Night Live returned last night with a spotty show hosted by fighting/dancing actor and ex-stripper Channing Tatum, and featuring a musical performance by Bon Iver. We didn’t expect much out of Tatum — we think it’s safe to say he gets hired for his looks, not his subtle acting or comedic brilliance — but he managed to make us laugh more than once, and approached the whole show in a good-natured, charming way. Also, his Matthew McConaughey impression is spot-on. Who knew? Click through to watch clips of the best and worst skits from last night’s SNL, and let us know if we missed (or hated on) your favorite in the comments.

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Inside TV is exclusively reporting that Saturday Night Live star Paul Brittain, who joined the cast back in September 2010 with Taran Killam, Vanessa Bayer, and Jay Pharoah, is leaving the show effective immediately; according to a source close to the actor, he “had the opportunity to pursue other projects,” and the split was totally amicable.

Given how well life has been treating recently-banished cast members like Casey Wilson (who went on to star in ABC’s Happy Endings) and Jenny Slate (who gave birth to Marcel the Shell), we’re looking forward to seeing what Brittain’s got up his sleeve. Perhaps it’s time to put that spot-on Draco Malfoy impression to good use? It was pretty perfect. We could also see picture him finding success in an off-off-Broadway musical about Ron Paul. Or Lord Windemere. Either, really. Are you at all surprised by this news? [via Vulture]

Have you ever had to dress like a banana for your family’s business? Or like a pirate to deliver a clamwich? Or like an omelet because you’re Justin Timberlake? Every now and then, our favorite film and TV characters will find themselves with some truly unappealing occupations. Whether it’s flipping burgers at a themed fast food joint or gathering golf balls at a driving range, these fictional work situations typically involve greedy bosses, rude teenagers, and — of course — embarrassing uniforms. Check out a collection of awesomely awful film and TV uniforms after the jump, then hit the comments to let us know your favorites.

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Last night, Daniel Radcliffe hosted a mixed-bag episode of Saturday Night Live with musical guest Lana Del Rey in her late night television debut. Del Rey’s performance was rather lackluster — both of her songs were performed standing in one place, in the same dress (a lack of costume change is very unusual for SNL musical guests), in the same tone of voice. Radcliffe, on the other hand, was relatively great: he did seem nervous and stumbly half the time, but he more than made up for it by being energetic and clearly game for anything. Click through to watch clips of the best and worst sketches of the night, and let us know if we left off your favorite in the comments.

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Last night, thanks to our friends at UGG Australia, we had the opportunity to attend a TimesTalks panel with Bridesmaids collaborators Kristen Wiig and Paul Feig, which was moderated by Melena Ryzik of The Carpetbagger as part of the 11th annual New York Times Arts and Leisure Weekend. From the beginning, we knew this wasn’t going to be your typical Q&A session; everyone on stage was holding a glass of red wine as opposed to a water bottle, and within minutes Feig had introduced a drinking game that involved taking a sip anytime someone said the word “asshole” — which happened more frequently than you might assume. But the night wasn’t all about debauchery. Click through for a few of the evening’s highlights, and if you’re interested in watching the talk in its entirety, check out a video of the interview here.

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If we’ve got one major gripe with the more recent decades of Saturday Night Live, it’s the fact that the show — which at one time was fairly edgy — never takes big risks anymore. Case in point, just look at “Conspiracy Theory Rock,” a TV Funhouse segment from 1998 that lampoons the domination of the media by a handful of companies (including General Electric!); the catchy little clip only appeared in the original episode, and was later cut from subsequent airings because according to Lorne Michaels it simply “wasn’t funny.” Hmm. Now, thanks to a helpful tip from Marc Maron, you can now watch the segment in its entirety after the jump, and decide for yourself — just don’t blame us if you have “Media-opoly” stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

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1. José Angel Santana, a 58-year-old former professor at NYU, says that he lost his job after giving James Franco a D in “Directing the Actor II,” and is now suing the university. Apparently the bad grade was attendance related; Franco only showed up for two of the fourteen classes. [via Vulture]

2. Now that Grinderman is “over,” Jim Sclavunos reports that Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds could be releasing a follow up to their 2008 album Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! as early as next year. [via NME]

3. Maya Angelou, who recently collaborated with Common on a track that appears on his forthcoming album, The Dreamer, The Believer, was “surprised and disappointed” to find out that the song “used the ‘N’ word numerous times.” His response? “I told her what ‘The Dreamer’ was about and what I wanted to get across to people. I wanted young people to hear this and feel like they could really accomplish their dreams.” [via ArtsBeat]

4. This weekend’s Jimmy Fallon-hosted installment of Saturday Night Live scored the show’s highest ratings of the season so far. No doubt appearances by former castmembers — including Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Tracy Morgan, and Rachel Dratch — as well as a Jude Law cameo (who seemed to be channeling Michael Stipe in that hat), helped out. [via Deadline]

5. Pulling in a respectable $40 million, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows topped the weekend box office, followed by Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked ($23.5 million), and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol ($13 million). When you consider that Mission: Impossible was only playing at around 425 IMAX theaters, that number seems a lot more impressive. [via Digital Spy]

Bonus Buzz: 8 Tyrannical Dictators Still Alive And In Power

The ’90s were back for a whole hour last night on Saturday Night Live — in a good way. Hosted by Jimmy Fallon for the first time since he was a cast member, the holiday-themed episode featured cameos from such legendary favorites as Rachel Dratch, Amy Poehler, Horatio Sanz, Chris Kattan, Tracy Morgan, and Tina Fey — not to mention an appearance by Jude Law just to keep things somewhat grounded in the present day. All in all, Fallon’s ease with the sketches and obvious, overwhelming glee to be back on the show made the evening a warm, fuzzy, holiday delight. Click through to watch our favorite (and least favorite) skits of the night, and let us know whether you were taken in by the magic of the moment or thought the whole thing was rather ho-ho-hum in the comments.

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Rumors that Katy Perry and Russell Brand’s marriage is on the rock have been flying — and both the pop star and the comedian have been vociferously denying them. “I am really happily married,” Brand told Ellen DeGeneres last week. “I’m married to Katy. Perpetually, until death do us part was the pledge.” Now, it looks like Perry is running some subtle damage control in a new promo for Saturday Night Live, which she’ll be hosting this week — and which we’ll be watching, if for no other reason than because Robyn is the musical guest. In one of a handful of new clips, Perry does an affectionate impression of Brand, relating the advice he gave her for hosting the show. Watch it, and find yourself entertaining the idea that she may not be such a bad host after all, below.

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