‘Saturday Night Live’ to receive red-carpet special for 40th anniversary episode

When “Saturday Night Live” celebrates 40 years on the air on February 15, they are clearly going to be bringing just about everything that they possibly can to the table.

NBC confirmed today that starting at 7:00 p.m. on the night of the big party, they are going to have a live celebration hosted by Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Carson Daly and Al Roker on the red carpet. They will interview past hosts, musical guests, and cast members, and get you set for what should be an incredible few hours of TV. This is clearly the most ambitious production that the show has ever really tried to put on, and we can only hope that this ends up being a risk that really pays off.

We love the idea of a big special, and along with a red-carpet event, these are both things that we get behind. We just worry about if these are the right hosts for it. We’d prefer some people who are true “SNL” geeks on board, or maybe even having a former cast member or even a present one as the host. Why couldn’t you get someone like Seth Meyers out there, who is a gifted interviewer? We’re sure that he is involved in a different way, but still.

It has already been confirmed that Eddie Murphy is going to return to the show for the special, and we can only hope that there will be some other big names announced in the next two weeks. We’ll keep you updated at every point.

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