Anna Kendrick & Seth Rogen Will Host SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE in April

"Saturday Night Live" returns March 29 with Emmy Award winner Louis C.K. in his second Turn as host. Musical guest Sam Smith will make his SNL debut. The UK chart topper's first studio album, "In the Lonely Hour," will be released on June 17.

On April 5, Anna Kendrick will make her SNL hosting debut. The Academy Award nominated actress can next be seen in the feature film "Happy Christmas," due out later this summer.

Alongside Kendrick, seven-time Grammy Award winner Pharrell will make his first solo appearance as musical guest. Pharrell's sophomore album, "G I R L" was released on March 3 and featured the Academy Award nominated song, "Happy," from the "Despicable Me 2" soundtrack.

Seth Rogen returns to Studio 8H on April 12 to host for his third time. Rogen stars alongside Rose Byrne and Zac Efron in the feature film, "Neighbors," in theaters May 9.

Grammy nominated, British phenomenon Ed Sheeran will make his SNL musical guest debut. Sheeran's performance will be the global television premiere of the first single from his much anticipated second album, due out this summer

"Saturday Night Live" is produced in association with Broadway Video. The creator and executive producer is Lorne Michaels.

"Saturday Night Live," NBC's Emmy Award-winning late-night comedy showcase, enters its 39th season in September for another year of laughs, surprises and great performances.

Since its inception in 1975, "SNL" has launched the careers of many of the brightest comedy performers of their generation; and, as The New York Times noted on the occasion of the show's Emmy-winning 25th Anniversary special in 1999: "In defiance of both time and show business convention, 'SNL' is still the most pervasive influence on the art of comedy in contemporary culture." At the close of the century, "Saturday Night Live" placed seventh on Entertainment Weekly's list of the Top 100 Entertainers of the past fifty years.

The program has won 40 Emmy Awards, the most for any show in television history. SNL also holds the title for the most nominated television show in Emmy history with 171 nominations. "SNL" has been honored twice, in 1990 and 2009, with the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award and cited as "truly a national institution." "Saturday Night Live" was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame by the National Association of Broadcasters, and the show continues to garner the highest ratings of any late-night television program, entertaining millions each week.

"SNL" sketches still bear repeating on Monday mornings. With live show surprises, especially those timed to the election - from Barack Obama's surprise walk-on, Hillary Clinton's performance opposite Amy Poehler, and Senator John McCain's "Weekend Update" appearance - "SNL" is making headlines and influencing the political dialogue while skewering it at the same time. Beyond politics, the show's cast of recurring characters and take on pop culture targets remains spot-on. The addition of the show's Emmy Award-winning SNL Digital Shorts continues to keep the show as current today as it was when it debuted.

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