Whitaker, Urban slated for 'SNL'

NEW YORK, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Oscar-nominated actor Forest Whitaker and Grammy-winning singer Keith Urban will appear in February on "Saturday Night Live," NBC announced in New York.

Both will be making their first appearance on "SNL" when they headline the Feb. 10 show, NBC said.

Whitaker is a heavy favorite to win the Oscar for his performance as Ugandan despot Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland." He has already won most of the best actor prizes during the current Hollywood awards season, including a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Actor award.

Whitaker has appeared in movies such as "Bird," "The Crying Game" and "Good Morning, Vietnam," and has guest-starred on "ER" and "The Shield." He directed "Waiting to Exhale" and "Hope Floats," and served as producer on the made-for-television movie "Door to Door."

Urban, who has cranked out seven No. 1 singles and 12 Top Five hits, is slated to perform two songs on "SNL." His latest album, "Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Album Chart, his second consecutive No.1 album.

The album's first single, "Once in a Lifetime," set a record as the highest debuting song in the history of the Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart.