This Saturday marks Eddie Murphy's triumphant return to 30 Rockefeller Center, where the actor, comedian, and all-around legend is set to host Saturday Night Live for the first time in 35 years. As a way of hyping Murphy's much-anticipated hosting gig, SNL has released a stylish and dramatic promo that features the COMING TO AMERICA and DOLEMITE IS MY NAME star gearing up to take the Studio 8H stage by storm, all while grooving to the sultry sound of Lizzo's thunderous anthem "Cuz I Love You".
The promo, which is presented using the comedic variety program's time-honored black-and-white filter, does much to build anticipation for Murphy's return. Be it the slo-mo strut, Lizzo's heart-stopping vocals, or Murphy's knowing wink at the very end of the video, I've a feeling that we're all in for a very special evening of laughs, call-backs to Murphy's earlier works, and a musical performance that is bound to set the studio on fire. It's all going down this Saturday, December 21st.
This all comes not long after Murphy's DOLEMITE IS MY NAME debuted on Netflix, a film in which he plays real-life legend Rudy Ray Moore, a comedy and rap pioneer who proved naysayers wrong when his hilarious, obscene, kung-fu fighting alter ego, Dolemite, became a 1970s Blaxploitation phenomenon. Directed by HUSTLE & FLOW helmer Craig Brewer, the film also stars Keegan-Michael Key, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, Titus Burgess, Snoop Dogg, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Wesley Snipes, and a standout for me personally, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, among others.
DOLEMITE IS MY NAME is available to stream via Netflix, while Murphy and Lizzo are set to take this SNL stage this Saturday!