SNL Gets Highest Premiere Ratings Since 2001

Saturday Night Live scored its highest ratings since 2001 with its premiere this past Saturday. The show was opened by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's spot-on impressions of Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton, respectively.

The star of the opening was definitely Fey, however, who provided a near-perfect impression of the Alaska governor that left the studio audience with stomach pains because of the laughter.

The show was also aided by NBC's favorite son, Michael Phelps, hosting. There was a great deal of interest, in many people's eyes, to see how a swimmer who has no experience acting would handle starring on a live sketch comedy show.

Two other factors that must not be dismissed in Saturday Night Live's huge ratings were the scheduled appearance of Senator Barack Obama (who cancelled on Saturday because of the effects of Hurricane Ike) in addition to the performance of Lil' Wayne.

Weezy, as he is known in the rap world, sold over one million copies of his latest album, so one must figure that he brought in at least a quarter of that many people to the show.

According to Reuters, the SNL premiere was up 64 percent from last year, which saw LeBron James host the show.