Comedian Dane Cook hosts ‘Saturday Night Live’ season opener

LOS ANGELES (AP) – On tonight’s season opener of “Saturday Night Live,” comedian Dane Cook will not only get the expected laughs but also achieve a lifelong dream.

“When I started doing standup, even well before standup, a goal that I set for myself was to be a part of “Saturday Night Live,”‘ Cook told The Associated Press Friday.

Cook first hosted the show last year. Returning so soon was “like coming back to the best camp I’ve ever gone to in my life,” he said. “I feel almost like I’m a part of the cast.”

That cast is leaner than it’s been in season’s past due to budget crunching by NBC, but Cook, 34, sees that as a chance for everyone to be more involved in the show.

“It’s great to be in sketches with the whole company,” he said.

Expect lots of topical comedy on the season opener, Cook said.

“It’s a comedy bomb and its about to explode laughter all over.”

Liza Minneli will be on ‘L&O:CI’

BURBANK, Calif. (AP) – Liza Minnelli, fresh off her cameo appearance in the film “The OH in Ohio” and her recurring role in “Arrested Development,” will guest-star in an upcoming episode of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”

Minnelli, 59, will play a former beauty queen whose daughter, an aspiring beauty queen, was found murdered on Halloween night, said Pam Golum, a spokeswoman for Wolf Films, which produces the NBC show.

The episode, called “Masquerade,” is filming now and will air in November, Golum said Thursday.

Minnelli won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Sally Bowles in the 1972 film “Cabaret.” She won an Emmy for the 1972 TV special “Liza with a Z.” She also won Tony Awards in 1965, 1974 and 1978.