Anna Kendrick Sings Her Way Through “Saturday Night Live”

In one sketch, Kendrick auditioned to be a backup singer for Pharrell Williams, who was the musical guest

"Pitch Perfect" star Anna Kendrick kicked off her "Saturday Night Live" hosting debut with an epic musical number. 

The actress started her opening monologue talking about how seeing "Beauty and the Beast" on Broadway at 10 years old sparked her love for performing and on cue the song, “Belle,” kicked in. With the help of the entire “SNL” cast and executive producer Lorne Michaels, Kendrick reenacted the Disney musical number with lyrics that described all the prep to be the show’s host.

In another Disney spoof, Kendrick played a modern version of Ariel from “The Little Mermaid,” who only sings songs like Ke$ha’s “We Are Who We Are,” and Britney Spears’ “Womanizer.” The movie’s villain, Ursula (Adily Bryant) is shocked to hear Ariel's voice change.

"Isn't it beautiful? It's how the humans are singing now," Ariel responded.

Kendrick, who snagged an Oscar nomination for "Up in the Air," also starred in two dance sketches, "Les Jeunes De Paris," which paid tribute to Kendrick's "Cups" song and music video entitled, "Dongs All Over the World."

The cold open spoofed new General Motors CEO Mary Barra's (Kate McKinnon) testimony before Congress about an ignition switch defect that has been linked to 13 deaths.

“I can’t tell you why it took GM so long to address this safety issue, but I promise we are investigating the matter fully, because I represent the new GM, which is all about honesty and transparency,” Barra said.

As Barra took questions promising honesty, she gave obscure and confusing answers. Representative Diana DeGette (Cecily Strong) asked Barra when she found out about the ignition problem.

“That’s part of our investigation,” Barra responded.

“So you don’t know when you knew?” asked Degette.

“I am looking into knowing when I first knew about it, but I won’t know the results of that knowing until I know for sure,” Barra responded.

In a mock segment of "Fox and Friends," Steve Doocy (Taran Killam) Elisabeth Hasselbeck (Vannessa Bayer) and Brian Kilmeade (Bobby Moynihan) discussed Obamacare (the deadline to sign up was March 31) and climate change.

Bethany Ravenel (Anna Kendrick), was interviewed as a "victim of Obamacare" and claimed she suffers from several debilitating conditions such as tiredness, mood swings and having problems with certain foods.

“Like if I drink a lot of alcohol, I just black out,” she said.

Hasselbeck also asked her to elaborate on how she lost her job thanks to Obamacare.

"That's right, this thing's a job killer," said Kendrick's character. "My boss down at the restaurant said that everybody had to have healthcare, but I'm no good with a computer so I had a few drinks and the next thing I know my boss has got himself stabbed with a fork and I'm out of a job!"

Fox’s "Cosmo’s" host Neil deGrasse Tyson (Kenan Thompson) showed up to explain the U.N.'s most recent study on climate change.

“It’s an indisputable fact that the world is getting warmer,” Tyson said.

“Warmer?" asked Doocy, "Tell that to the Polar Vortex."

The “Weekend Update” also focused on Obamacare as well as ongoing tensions with Russia over Ukraine's Crimea.

“President Obama announced this week that 7.1 million people have signed up for insurance through the Affordable Care Act, exceeding his original goal of just making it through the next two years,” said Cecily Strong.

Colin Jost interviewed German Chancellor Angela Merkel (Kate McKinnon) who shed some light on her recent conversations with Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

“Working with Putin is like being cornered at a party by a guy who just started Cross-Fit,” said Merkel.

"So he talks a lot?" said Jost. 

“I’m using up all my mobile minutes, and in Germany minutes do not roll over they stand up and get right back to work,” she said. "It’s exhausting Colin, I mean I am the one on the phone with Putin all day long. All Obama does is ask me, ‘So, how is he?’"

She also explained the difference between Obama and Putin: “Obama is the polite one, the one who shows up with a corsage before the prom and hugs your mother. Putin, is the bad boy, the one sitting on the hood of his Volkwagen in a leather jacket and then he takes you up to make-out point.

Pharrell Williams performed his Oscar nominated hit, “Happy,” a well “Marylin Monroe” off his album “G I R L,” with an accompanying orchestra conducted by Hans Zimmer. 

Pharrell also starred in a sketch as himself, casting back-up singers for an upcoming performance. Kendrick and cast member Vanessa Bayer, played twins and auditioned together singing "Take Me or Leave Me" from the "Rent" soundtrack. Bayer was clearly the worse of the two, but Williams was only interested in her. Williams, sporting his now-famous hat, was sitting between two colleagues (Kenan Thompson and Taran Killam). Both wore hats similar to Williams' and claimed they began wearing the hat long before he debuted it at the Grammys.

Next week, Seth Rogan will host with Ed Sheeran as the musical guest.
 

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