James Franco, Martin Freeman & Amy Adams to Host Upcoming SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Shows

SNL returns December 6 with James Franco making his third appearance as host. Franco will next be seen alongside Seth Rogen in the feature film "The Interview," in theaters December 25.

Nicki Minaj returns for her second time as musical guest. Minaj's third album "The Pinkprint," due out December 15, has already spun Billboard hits including "Anaconda." Minaj has sold over 4 million albums and 20 million singles worldwide.

On December 13, Emmy Award winner Martin Freeman will make his hosting debut. Freeman stars in the three-part film series and box office hit "The Hobbit," with final installment, "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," to be released on December 17.

Charli XCX will also make her SNL debut as musical guest. Charli has penned chart-topping hits which have sold over 14 million copies worldwide, including "Boom Clap" off her forthcoming sophomore album 'SUCKER' as well as two collaborations, "Fancy" and "I Love It," on which she is also featured.

Golden Globe winner and multiple Academy Award nominee Amy Adams will return for her second time as host on December 20. Adams will next be seen in biopic film "Big Eyes" with Christoph Waltz, due out December 25.

For their third time, One Direction returns to the SNL musical guest stage. The multi-platinum band's fourth studio album, "Four" was released on November 17 and features hit singles "Steal My Girl" and "Night Changes."

"Saturday Night Live" is produced in association with Broadway Video. The creator and executive producer is Lorne Michaels.

For more information on "Saturday Night Live" visit NBC.com. http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/

ABOUT THE SHOW

"Saturday Night Live," NBC's Emmy Award-winning late-night comedy showcase, enters its 40th season in September for another year of laughs, surprises and great performances.

Since its inception in 1975, "SNL" has launched the careers of many of the brightest comedy performers of their generation. As The New York Times noted on the occasion of the show's Emmy-winning 25th Anniversary special in 1999, "in DEFIANCE of both time and show business convention, 'SNL' is still the most pervasive influence on the art of comedy in contemporary culture." At the close of the century, "Saturday Night Live" placed seventh on Entertainment Weekly's list of the Top 100 Entertainers of the past fifty years.

The program has won 45 Emmy Awards and now holds the title for the most nominated television show in Emmy history with 187 nominations. "SNL" has been honored twice, in 1990 and 2009, with the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award and cited as "truly a national institution." "Saturday Night Live" was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame by the National Association of Broadcasters, and the show continues to garner the highest ratings of any late-night television program, entertaining millions each week.

"SNL" sketches still bear repeating on Monday mornings. With live show surprises, especially those timed to the election - Barack Obama's surprise walk-on, Hillary Clinton's performance opposite Amy Poehler and Senator John McCain's "Weekend Update" appearance - "SNL" is making headlines and influencing the political dialogue while skewering it at the same time. Beyond politics, the show's cast of recurring characters and its take on pop culture targets remain spot-on. The addition of the show's Emmy Award-winning SNL Digital Shorts continues to keep the show as current today as it was when it debuted.

"Saturday Night Live," which premiered October 11, 1975, is broadcast live from NBC's famed Studio 8H in New York City's Rockefeller Center. The program is a production of Broadway Video in association with SNL Studios. Lorne Michaels is the executive producer.