If one trend is starting to emerge for the ‘07-’08 season, its unconventional hosts. Besides actor Seth Rogen, our other two hosts have been an athlete and a rock star. While sports and musician hosts are nothing new, now that a genuine news man has been thrown into the mix, suddenly we’ve got ourselves an interesting start to the season.

I was initially put off by the announcement of NBC News anchor Brian Williams hosting, until I was convinced by a number of people that Williams is actually a pretty funny guy. I’ve been told all about his Daily Show and Conan appearances, and I’ve even read that he’s participated in a few ASSSSCAT improv nights at Upright Citizens Brigade. How all this will translate to 90 minutes of live comedy remains to be seen, but I’ll admit to feeling better about Williams than I did when Don Pardo first announced the billing back on October 13th. It is also worth noting that Williams isn’t a complete stranger to SNL. Some may remember the 2006 season premiere when he showed up on Weekend Update thinking he was Tina Fey’s replacement. Prior to that, he had a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it part in Fred Armisen’s excellent “Tangent” digital short from the cameo heavy 2/06 Steve Martin episode.

Filling out the show is 31-year-old Leslie Feist (or simply Feist). Feist’s varied background involves friendships with Peaches & Gonzales (BEST!) as well as her work in Broken Social Scene. Apart from a few tracks here and there, I don’t know a ton of her solo catalogue, but I’m sure this Canadian won’t snap Season 33’s early streak of excellent music.

For it’s fourth live show of the season, SNL once again boasts another first-time host and this time around it’s NBC Nightly News anchorman, Brian Williams. While on the surface Williams may seem like a random choice to host the show, I feel he’s actually a pretty refreshing alternative to, say, the latest flavor of the week in Hollywood. For me, a certain element of anticipation is always added to the show when Lorne decides to take a chance on a host that isn’t exactly mainstream, but still exhibits charm and a well-rounded personality. It’s a direction I’d like to see SNL take more often. What’s even better is that Williams already has a bit of experience on the SNL set with his Weekend Update cameo during the Dane Cook Season 32 premiere last year and definitely proved he has a pretty good sense of humor. Here’s hoping that combination gives Williams an edge for delivering a fantastic show.

Canadian singer-songwriter, Feist, is also debuting this week as SNL’s musical guest. Besides her single, “1,2,3,4,” from the I-Pod Nano commercial, I’m sorry to say that I’m not very familiar with her music. Nonetheless, I’m really looking forward to her performances this Saturday. Hey, you can’t really go wrong with a girl who used to perform as a sock puppet called, “Bitch Lap Lap,” during her friend’s band sets (Peaches) and also played a guitar whom she referred to as, “Smoker’s Tooth,” right?! Best.