‘SNL’ staggers blindly F-word

It’s no plucking chicken, but Saturday Night Live raised a few eyebrows this week when a new cast member made the mother of all mistakes.

A lame sketch about a biker babe talk show involving repeated use of the not-so-bad F-word rhyming with “peeking” tripped up newcomer Jenny Slate, who uttered the dreaded very-very-bad F-word rhyming with “plucking.” The slip-up happened well after prime time, fortunately for the latter-day Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Players — so the repercussions, if any, should be minimal. Heck, the venerable variety show should be grateful for the simple fact that people are, for the moment, talking about it again … now that they don’t have Sarah Palin to kick around anymore.

The season premiere, hosted by Transformers hottie Megan Fox, did veer into sci-fi territory with a sketch featuring her old friends Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. Sort of.