New Orleans, Louisiana--"He's a natural and he can come back any time," was the way Lorne Michaels, creator of "Saturday Night Live," judged Peyton Manning's performance as host of the televison show the past Saturday night in New York.

The Colts quarterback had plenty of friendly faces in the audience of about 330. His wife, his parents, his brother Cooper and his wife, and his brother Eli and his fiancée watched from the center balcony. Former Colts player Brad Scioli was also in the audience.

Archie Manning, Peyton's father, said "I thought he was good. I didn't know what he was going to do, but he seemed confident about it during the week. He was having a good time. I thought it would go well."

The live audience also included retired Giants running back Tiki Barber and his twin brother, current Bucs defensive back Ronde Barber.

The show played heavily off of Manning's wholesome image for laughs. The monologue included Manning saying someone from Boston had taunted him by asking, "What do (New England Patriots quarterback) Tom Brady and the circus have in common?"

Answer: "They both have two more rings than you do."

That prompted Manning to recall telling the man that it would  give him inspiration "to kick y'all's ass next year."

A sketch that didn't make the cut: Manning singing as an Elvis impersonator. Another sketch that was dropped was "Appalachian Emergency Room." In that one, Manning was to have stopped abruptly to say he objected to the stereotype of hillbillies. After talking about important accomplishments of persons from the south, he said, "And I'm also the inventor of the three-can beer-can hat." He puts one on and drives away in an all-terrain vehicle that plays Dixie when he honks the horn.

At the end of the live show in the NBC Studios, Eli and Cooper Manning wheeled a birthday cake onto the stage as everybody sang Happy Birthday to Peyton, who turned 31 on Saturday.

Perhaps the funniest part of the show was the NFL/United Way commercial parody. After telling a child who couldn't catch one of his passes, "You suck," Manning showe the kids how to break into a car. The bit ended with the announcer saying, "The NFL and United Way urge you to spend time with your kids so Peyton Manning doesn't."