By Rachel Lutz, Staff Writer

Blake Lively, who currently plays Serena van der Woodsen on the CW’s “Gossip Girl” and who also starred in the movie franchise “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” hosted “Saturday Night Live” this past Saturday.  Expectations were high that she would bring her boyfriend and costar, Penn Badgley, onto the set for a cameo, but sadly for the ladies, he didn’t show up.  Her performance was a green light for more television stars to come this season, as January Jones’ previous performance was very disappointing.

Firstly, Blake’s introduction monologue seemed a little tense.  She was able to crack a few smiles for her own jokes about her skimpy clothing, and finally completely loosened up by the time the “Muppets” came out to sing Christmas Carols with her.  Then she played a comical, domestically-violent Elin Nordegren, which came off successfully. 

She managed to get through the skit without breaking character.  Later on in the show, she had a hand in a skit about “Gossip Girl,” except this time it was set in Staten Island.  It seemed to be a crossover between MTV’s “Jersey Shore” and Lively’s show. It was refreshing and hilarious to see an actress that is able to make fun of herself.

There were two low points in the show, one being the “Potato Chip Skit,” which aired last, and the other being the take-off of the show “To Catch a Predator.”  Neither was funny, and Lively didn’t have a huge roll in either. The other skit wasn’t that funny because it was just awkward, and Lively only had a minor part, as Cher, to begin with.

The best skits of the night were the scene in the high-fashion store, and the return of “ESPN Classic Ladies Bowling,” which a dedicated SNL audience has seen before as a “Ladies’ Billiards Championship,” sponsored by Tampax.  The high-fashion store featured Keenan Thompson as Lively’s mother (which is hysterical in itself), some highly overpriced clothing, and some really freaky dance moves performed by Lively.  “ESPN Classic Ladies’ Sports” is something that will soon become a classic, as it keeps offering promising awkward quotes to say in real life.  But the real amusement came from the commentators, who, this time, were putting in plugs for the sponsor of the competition, Vagisil.        

All in all, Blake Lively’s showing on “Saturday Night Live” made a lasting impression and showed her versatility.  While the material she was given wasn’t ideal, she made the best of what she had to work with.

Usually serious Lively poked fun at her “Gossip Girl” persona on SNL. (Photo Courtesy of teamsugar.com)