NEW 'WEEKEND UPDATE' TEAM REVEALED ON 'SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE': TINA FEY & AMY POEHLER

Host Ben Affleck Joined By Surprise Guests Alec Baldwin and James Gandolfini

NEW YORK -- October 3, 2004 -- "Saturday Night Live" kicked off its 30th season with big topical laughs, surprise guests and a newly minted "Weekend Update" anchor team.

The Season Premiere unveiled the new "Weekend Update" pairing of Tina Fey and cast member Amy Poehler � the show's first all-female Update team in its history. In a surprise appearance, James Gandolfini appeared on "Weekend Update" as an "Unidentified New Jersey Resident" (who bore a striking resemblance to his Emmy Award winning Tony Soprano), offering a local perspective on Governor Jim McGreevey's revelation of his homosexual affair. In another "Update" feature, Affleck ribbed pal Matt Damon for critical comments he made in an interview this summer about Hollywood actors only taking roles in blockbuster movies.

In another surprise appearance, Affleck was joined during his monologue by perennial SNL host Alec Baldwin, who accused the star of "stealing his moves" � hosting SNL all the time, public breakups with famous women, hanging out at the Democratic National Convention. Affleck retorted: "It's just the slow motion train wreck I call my life." Baldwin fired back: "Don't jerk me around, Gigli."

The show opened with a parody of this week's Presidential Debate with Seth Meyers as Senator Kerry and Will Forte as President Bush. In addition to the debate sketch,the show featured Affleck as flamboyant Democratic strategist James Carville and Darrell Hammond as former President Clinton counseling John and Teresa Heinz Kerry (Maya Rudolph). The show also featured the return of last season's popular character � Rachel Dratch's "Debbie Downer."