IT’S OFFICIAL: BETTY WHITE TO HOST SNL

Well, it’s official: Betty White really will be the host of “Saturday Night Live” on May 8th. Assuming, you know… I hate to sound so pessimistic, but the woman is 88 years old, people. I think she’s great, but I’m not going to let myself get too attached. Some details:

The Mother’s Day episode also will feature a reunion of six former female cast members, most of them moms: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, Maya Rudolph, Ana Gasteyer and Rachel Dratch…

[Lorne] Michaels says that as the live show’s oldest host, she can perform “as much as she wants to do” but adds that the physical demands of the show led him to plan the cast reunion, though make no mistake: White is the solo host.

She’s flattered and flabbergasted by the attention: “It’s lovely, and at my age it’s certainly unexpected.” And she’s not worried about the workload: “I’ve got so much energy, it’s ridiculous. I love working. My schedule is a feverish one, and I’m used to that.”

I think it’s really cool that this all started with a Snickers commercial and a Facebook campaign, and Betty White is certainly a legendary comedic actress. But let’s not kid ourselves here: it’s still “Saturday Night Live.” There are going to be at least as many skits that annoy you with their crappiness as there will be genuinely funny material. But you’d be a fool not to watch. C’mon, who’s ever seen someone break a hip on live TV?