We shouldn’t be surprised, given that Justin Timberlake and Saturday Night Live go together like bacon and eggs (or a vegetarian equivalent if you’re unhappy with that), that the ratings for the long running show were given a handy boost by the appearance of the pop star, actor and Myspace shareholder.

Timberlake was making his fifth (count ‘em, five) hosting appearance on SNL and his appearance helped give the comedy entertainment show a ratings boost to 5.9 among metered-market households, which constitutes to a 14 month high. In the all-important 18-49 demographic, the show scored a 3.7 rating. The last time the show saw such figures was with Charles Barkley as guest host. Timberlake has made numerous cameos on the program in addition to his hosting, but this was the first time he’d been at the helm since May 2011, indicative of how busy he’s been away from the spotlight with, among other things, the re-launch of Myspace.

Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake helped SNL to a big ratings boost

 According to the Daily Telegraph, Timberlake’s japery included dressing up as Elton John (something he’s done before, on Elton video This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore) in order to provide a mickey-take eulogy of the controversial late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.  “You called George Bush the devil when you spoke at the UN, you said he smelled like sulphur and you called him Mr Danger” he sang to the Candle In The Wind tune. “And it seemed to me you lived your life like a candle in the wind, if a candle could pull out two pistols at a press conference.” Oh JT, our sides!