Blog Posts by Ben Collins

Alec Baldwin got the apology of his dreams on "Saturday Night Live" last night.

A mustachioed American Airlines pilot who looked eerily like the "30 Rock" star stopped by "Weekend Update" to say sorry for kicking Baldwin off a plane on Wednesday for playing "Words With Friends" a little too long.

It was a perfect capper on an absurd week, in which Baldwin inexplicably led off every entertainment news show because he slammed a door shut too loudly on an airplane. Baldwin turned it into the funniest bit of the night on "SNL," calling himself "an American treasure" and lamenting his struggles in the popular "word game for smart people."

Then Stefon, everyone's favorite guide to New York City nightlife, joined "Weekend Update" immediately thereafter. This show got rolling so hard it needed to be retreaded.

It's a little hard to try to explain Stefon to someone who hasn't seen Bill Hader's club-hopping character, so let's just rattle off some facts: Diminutive 1986 NBA Slam Dunk champion

Not pictured: The real stars of last night's show, The Muppets (Dana Edelson/NBC)Here's the thing about The Muppets: When they show up, you're always so glad they're around that it doesn't really matter what they do.

That's what happened with "Saturday Night Live" last night. Jason Segel hosted and his cohorts from the upcoming film "The Muppets" showed up immediately. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo -- everybody. So, of course, you'll spend the whole show with a smile on your face. This is how the Muppets roll.

Emma Stone, Bill Hader, and Coldplay (NBC)The cast and writers of "Saturday Night Live" lucked out this week: The news wrote the entire show for them.

Yes, host Emma Stone ("Crazy, Stupid, Love" and the upcoming "The Amazing Spider-Man") was party to some pretty funny sketches — ones that will be completely forgotten because of this week's torrid pace of salacious or otherwise terrible stuff cutting into the nightly news.

Herman Cain's sexual harassment scandal? "SNL's" on it. Rick Perry's "oops" moment? They've got that one too.

Well, this is going to happen from time to time. "Saturday Night Live" is going to bring on a host that you're really excited about — and then Kristen Wiig is going to flat-out steal the show and make you forget about the host entirely.

This happened in the Will Ferrell era of "SNL." It happened with Eddie Murphy and Phil Hartman and John Belushi, too. And now Wiig's clearly entering that pantheon.

This week's host, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" goofball Charlie Day, was funny with some off-week material last night. But a couple of Wiig's sketches were some of the best she's ever done.

Anna Faris hosted, but Drake made this "SNL" one to remember (Dana Edelson/NBC)Those big books about "Saturday Night Live" history and your TV Guide will tell you that Anna Faris hosted "SNL" last night -- and they would be right. Faris (as it always seems to go with the star of the "Scary Movie" series) was funny and charming and underrated, even when working with some medium-rate material. But she wasn't the star last night. Nobody shined like musical guest Drake.

The crowd was hot for the very mention of his name last night. The Canadian rapper delivered -- and maybe even fueled some buzz of an alleged secret relationship with superstar Nicki Minaj. Drake and Minaj busted out a show-stopper last night with a performance of "Make Me Proud" last night. But the show-stopping part was the kiss at the end, preceded by Drake's quick bouquet of off-script compliments. "You look amazing. I swear you do," he said before kissing Minaj on the cheek.

Zoolander showed up to talk nightclubs before Kenny G busted out a sax solo that everyone seemed to enjoy on "Saturday Night Live" last night.

Don't worry. You're not a time traveler. It's still 2011. We can't explain the Kenny G part, but Ben Stiller just reprised his esteemed fashionable idiot in the funniest way possible for the first time in a decade.

Melissa McCarthy took more hard hits on "Saturday Night Live" last night than any NFL player you'll watch today. The "Bridesmaids" actress was a physical-comedy superstar: In addition to doing some high leg kicks in an opening dance number with Kristen Wiig, she fell down a flight of stairs four times as 1930s movie star Lulu Diamonds — and each spill was slightly more painful and weird than the last.

But perhaps her biggest laughs of the night came when McCarthy portrayed Linda, the world's most annoying focus-group member. Wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the face of nerd hero Spock, the overeager Linda enthusiastically downed spoonfuls of new salad dressing flavors while boisterously shouting out ridiculous marketing slogans. Her devotion to the dressing takes a stomach-churning turn, but the skit commands the respect of any fans of slapstick comedy. And it definitely commands a shower, too.