This upcoming weekend, the host of Saturday Night Live will be none other than Dana Carvey.  His last appearance as host on the show that made him famous was in the year 2000.  When he was a regular on the comedy series, he created some of the most memorable characters in SNL history: Church Lady, Grumpy Old Man, Bodybuilder Hans, and "Chopping Broccoli" singer Derek Stevens.  His impersonations always made me laugh: President George H.W. Bush, Ross Perot, Jimmy Stewart, Regis Philbin, Casey Kasem, George Michael, and my favorite Carsenio (a mash-up of Johnny Carson and Arsenio Hall). 

He brought his character Garth, the sidekick of Mike Myers' Wayne Campbell to the two blockbuster Wayne's World movies.  After he left Saturday Night Live, he made a few forgettable movies, Opportunity Knocks, Clean Slate, Trapped in Paradise, and Master of Disguise.  He also had a short-lived prime-time sketch comedy series, The Dana Carvey Show, that I wish had lasted longer. (It launched the careers of Steve Carrell and Stephen Colbert.)  Even in those seeming failures, he showed hints of comic brilliance.  I honestly thought he would become one of the biggest breakout stars in comedy.

What seemed like a promising Hollywood career suddenly fizzled.  He took a hiatus from the spotlight to spend more time with his family and dealt with a botched open heart surgery and multiple other medical procedures over the years.  He won a multi-million dollar malpractice lawsuit and donated the money to charity.

Now, he's starting a welcome comeback that began with an appearance as Garth on the 2008 MTV Movie Awards, followed by voice work on The Fairly OddParents and a reprise of his George H.W. Bush impression on a video for Funny or Die.  He is next scheduled to appear in the Adam Sandler movie Jack and Jill.

I hope this is the beginning of a wonderful new chapter in Carvey's career and that he is able and willing to share his great humor and talent with a fanbase that is eager for some hearty laughs.