Ladies and gentlemen, Hunger Games Week 2014 has begun. We are now just a few days away from the release of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, which means that we are going to start seeing stars Jennifer Lawrence, Woody Harrelson, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth all over the place - and it kicked off last night on Saturday Night Live.
With The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 hitting theaters this Friday, Woody Harrelson was selected as the host of last night's Saturday Night Live, and as you can see in the video above, he would up getting a bit of an assist from his young co-stars while performing his monologue... well, kind of. Rather than talking about the new film, the True Detective star reflected on the last time that he hosted the show, and with Lawrence, Hutcherson and Hemsworth's help, he also sang a song ridden with flubs and weird lyrics about the year 1989 (mocking musical guest's Taylor Swift's album of the same name).
The key to the main joke here is that Woody Harrelson has done a good amount of drugs between 1989 and now, leaving his historical memory a bit hazy, and while the Hunger Games gang probably could have used a bit more time in rehearsal with this "skit," their mistakes and goofiness actually kind of work for the bit. Jennifer Lawrence's affable personality helps her get through her poor teleprompter reading skills, and Harrelson plays the 'pot-addled' brain bit well enough (even if that button is pressed a little too hard at moments). It gets its laughs, even if it all doesn't work.
Of course, after watching this video my first thought was, "Is Woody Harrelson's 1989 monologue available to watch?" The good news is that because The Internet is a magical time travel device, the answer is yes! Obviously the host did look quite a bit different 25 years ago - and was indeed sporting a mullet - but what's kind of funny is that he actually sang a song back then too, also partially influenced by that week's musical guest. See it below, thanks to Yahoo!
This weekend, audiences will be able to see Woody Harrelson with hair yet again, as he will be reprising his role as alcoholic mentor Haymitch Abernathy in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, helping to fight a revolution against a tyrannical government along with Katniss Everdeen and a head full of shoulder-length blond locks. The film could wind up being the biggest movie of 2014, so here's the big question: will you be there opening weekend?
