Michael Phelps To Host Saturday Night Live’s Premiere
12/09/2008 05:41
Talk about a fish out of water.
Michael Phelps steps out of his chlorinated comfort zone to host the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, treading the same stage where his comedy idol Chris Farley once got big laughs.
The swimmer who won a record-setting eight gold medals at last month's Olympics has been riding a pop culture wave since Beijing, making the rounds of the TV talk shows, presenting at MTV's Video Music Awards and being gossiped about in the tabloids.
Phelps follows in the athletic footsteps of such jocks as LeBron James, Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter and Michael Jordan, who also hosted NBC's late-night sketch show.
"I was a little nervous coming into this whole thing, but I've actually started to get really, really excited," Phelps said Thursday on a conference call from New York. "I'm definitely looking forward to Saturday. This is a completely new experience for me, but something that is going to be pretty fun."
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SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
It’s simply amazing what eight Olympic gold medals will do for you, isn’t it?