The “Anchorman” crew approached the stage, scoffing at the boy band du jour.
The old guys would not be denied – so Will Ferrell, David Koechner and Steve Carell joined host Paul Rudd on this week’s episode of “Saturday Night Live,” ready to face off against One Direction.
This was Rudd’s third time hosting the show. Previously, he was overshadowed by his musical guests, Paul McCartney and Beyonce.
“Finally, it’s the Paul Rudd show,” he said during his monologue, as One Direction’s band mates – Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall and Zayn – filled in behind him.
Boy band? Meet Man Band, the “Anchorman 2” crew, continuing the most pervasive publicity tour in movie history.
“We’re not here to fight,” Rudd said.
“I am,” Ferrell responded.
The groups traded barbs before squashing their beef the best way possible – by singing Starland Vocal Band’s “Afternoon Delight,” sound effects included.
Powwww!
One of the episode’s highlights saw Rudd play the world’s biggest 1D fan, waiting for the group in a crowd of teenage girls.
“Oh-oh-oh, you don’t know your basic facts,” he sang to one of the girls after disclosing group trivia.
The night was full of “SNL” callbacks, giving the episode a classic feel. The “Anchorman” crew have history with the show. Ferrell and Koechner were cast-members together in the 1990s, while Carell lent his voice for Robert Smigel’s cartoon classic “Ambiguously Gay Duo.” Former mainstays Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen also returned, reprising their popular “Lawrence Welk Show” roles.
The episode closed with a Bill Brasky skit, a staple during Ferrell’s SNL tenure. The segment involves a group of plastered businessmen at the bar, wearing rosy cheeks and oversized teeth, reminiscing about the exploits of their former colleague. Think an R-rated, booze-fueled version of those Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World” commercials.
This time, the buddies were drinking at Chuck E. Cheese’s.
“Brasky’s colonoscopy tape got higher ratings than ‘How I Met Your Mother,'” one of the men boasted.
Maybe it did. Who knows? The men got toasted, the visage of Brasky appeared, and for a few fleeting moments it felt like vintage 1990s on SNL.