SNL Goes HD on Oct. 1

"Saturday Night Live" will begin its thirty-first season this weekend in 1080i, following in the HD late-night footsteps of NBC's "Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno" and, earlier this month, David Letterman on CBS, according to NBC Universal.

SNL's HD premiere will be hosted by comedy actor Steve Carell, who has seen moderate success with the NBC sitcom "The Office," which joined the NBC primetime line-up near the end of last season. Carell also is starring in his first movie, the more successful "40 Year-Old Virgin," which is still in theaters and approaching $100 million in U.S. box office receipts.

Outspoken hip-hopper Kanye West, who recently cast aside the script during a live telethon (also on NBC) for hurricane victims to voice some impromptu and disparaging remarks about George Bush, will join Carell as musical guest on Oct. 1's live broadcast. Future SNL hosts in HD in October include "Napoleon Dynamite" actor Jon Heder, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Tour de France multi-winner Lance Armstrong (accompanied by fiancée Sheryl Crow as musical guest).