Katy Perry put her acting chops to the test during her "Saturday Night Live" hosting debut this weekend, but the pop superstar also put her vocal talents to use in most of her sketches, lampooning fellow stars and even herself.
Kicking off the evening in her new blond bob, Mrs. Russell Brand walked onto the festive set in a tight red dress covered in Christmas ornaments for the show's opening monologue. She explained that her crazy video characters are based on real people she grew up with in California, and Kristen Wiig appeared beside the starlet in a blue wig with a whipped-cream-projecting bra, just like Perry's "California Gurls" character.
More "SNL" castmates joined the starlet in her video outfits and brought the audience to laughs when Wiig paired with Perry to sing a girl-on-girl duet of "Teenage Dream."
Aside from skits about Hello Kitty fandom and long-lost soul mates, the 27-year-old singer spent much of the night taking a stab at celebrity impressions, mocking the likes of Christina Aguilera, Florence Welch and Pippa Middleton.
In a parody trailer for "The Apocalypse," a play on the recently released romantic comedy "New Year's Eve," Perry dressed up as Xtina, singing her signature elongated notes. Then, Perry portrayed the Florence and the Machine frontwoman in a skit about a canine-themed soundtrack called Doggie Duty, and it was all about the royal family when the ever-changing pop star channeled Pippa Middleton in a segment that depicted a rather raunchy version of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
Katy Cats also saw their beloved pop star in a sketch about, well, herself. During an interview with a Finnish TV show called "Kalle," Perry becomes alarmed when the host, played by Wiig, cues to clips of anything and everything the singer mentions. "We have an excellent research team," Kalle tells the chart-topper of the constant clip-cueing. Things become strange for Perry when the talk show plays a clip from the future.
The latest episode also featured surprise appearances from Matt Damon and Val Kilmer, who appeared together with Perry in a Digital Short sing-a-long about best friends, and Alec Baldwin popped up during "Weekend Update." The Emmy-winning "30 Rock" star took the opportunity to lampoon his recent American Airlines controversy, when the actor was removed from a flight last week for refusing to turn off his phone during his Words with Friends game.
Perry shared the "SNL" stage with former California Dreams tourmate Robyn, who served as the evening's musical guest. Delivering a pair of high-energy performances of "Call Your Girlfriend" and "Dancing on My Own," the Swedish pop star showed off her awkwardly slick dance moves and retro '80s styling.
What was your favorite Perry skit? Share your thoughts in the comments below!