tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post6550787805533871802..comments2024-03-25T19:18:14.047-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: SNL: Thursday night live, take threeAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-82573257030526655432008-10-26T19:12:00.000-04:002008-10-26T19:12:00.000-04:00Why isn't there a post for the SNL with Jon Hamm? ...Why isn't there a post for the SNL with Jon Hamm? I know you watched it and I want to know what you thought about Hamm's James Mason.Nicolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11317568565085893849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-85969056543150973942008-10-25T01:31:00.000-04:002008-10-25T01:31:00.000-04:00This was the first one of these I watched more tha...This was the first one of these I watched more than a few seconds of. SNL remains unbelievably unfunny, as it has been for years, but I will admit Fey's vocal impression of Palin is scarily accurate. <BR/><BR/>I couldn't agree more with Bryan Murray that 1.5 hours is way too long for the regular show. I'm certain that's one of the reasons 30 Rock is so awesome, while SNL, even when Fey was the head writer, still pretty much sucked.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-63546311062910418872008-10-24T20:58:00.000-04:002008-10-24T20:58:00.000-04:00That First Andrew said...I actually think SNL has ...That First Andrew said...<BR/><I>I actually think SNL has a tougher job than The Daily show in making political jokes. TDS sets itself up as a mock news show, so they are able to show clips of exactly what the candidates have said and done and then immediatley follow that up with a joke. You don't have to follow politics to get the joke.<BR/><BR/>SNL doesn't get that luxury, and so they have to cater to the masses and present their political commentary to as broad an audience as possible. Being sketch based rather than commentary based, they don't get to air clips of Sarah Palin interviews before Tina Fey comes out.</I><BR/><BR/>Except that "Weekend Update" is a fake news show and could show clips to set up jokes.<BR/><BR/>The skits are always mixed, but when compared to "The Daily Show", "Weekend Update" is an embarrassment.afogliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02820361829972093800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-17998785708876657192008-10-24T20:37:00.000-04:002008-10-24T20:37:00.000-04:00In the Jam the Vote video, Samberg heads over to a...In the Jam the Vote video, Samberg heads over to a guy who looks like Michael K Williams, stops immediately once the man looks up at him, and turns around to puke on someone else. I know I would not want to puke on Omar!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-51734370683768444882008-10-24T17:18:00.000-04:002008-10-24T17:18:00.000-04:00I actually think SNL has a tougher job than The Da...I actually think SNL has a tougher job than The Daily show in making political jokes. TDS sets itself up as a mock news show, so they are able to show clips of exactly what the candidates have said and done and then immediatley follow that up with a joke. You don't have to follow politics to get the joke.<BR/><BR/>SNL doesn't get that luxury, and so they have to cater to the masses and present their political commentary to as broad an audience as possible. Being sketch based rather than commentary based, they don't get to air clips of Sarah Palin interviews before Tina Fey comes out.<BR/><BR/>That's why SNL doesn't parody policy, only characters. The general perception of BUsh is that he is dumb, so that was the entire joke of Will Ferrall's impression of him. Admittedly, they found fantastically hilarious ways of telling that same joke, but it is a very different version of "political humor" than what TDS does.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-67091753869106041402008-10-24T16:15:00.000-04:002008-10-24T16:15:00.000-04:00I agree with whoever said that SNL hasn't gone aft...I agree with whoever said that SNL hasn't gone after McCain or Obama as much as they have Palin. SNL goes for the easy target and in one skit basically acted out the Couric interview. Parodying McCain or Obama requires the intended audience to really follow the campaign and the humour would have to be more nuanced, which is not an SNL forte. I certainly don't think that there is a liberal conspiracy on SNL, but I do think that they have been lazy in not getting more with the Biden gaffes. Those have been fairly easy ones to mock and the Daily Show did a good job with that last night. <BR/><BR/>Then again Lorne Michaels was born in Canada so he is probably an evil socialist.Nicolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11317568565085893849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-10960147563821219922008-10-24T14:58:00.000-04:002008-10-24T14:58:00.000-04:00Hard to believe you listen to Bill Simmons's p...Hard to believe you listen to Bill Simmons's podcasts too, Alan. Between your recommendations of Freaks & Geeks, HIMYM, and of course, The Wire, my life wouldn't quite be the same without this blog. But enough of the creepy Creed Bratton-like talk. Seth Meyers is a really good source of info on those podcasts for SNL-related material. He is pretty diplomatic but very honest at the same time. His point was that the audience didn't want to see Bush Jr. being made fun of even though there was still material; he was our commander in chief for a little while there. <BR/><BR/>Meyers admitted that Ferrell set the bar so high for W that no one has really been able to match it since. They've used 3 or 4 actors to play Bush since Ferrell left. Meyers and Simmons were talking about who would play Palin if Tina Fey were unavailable (mainly if McCain and Palin won the election.) <BR/><BR/>If these Thursday night editions have proven anything to SNL though, it's that maybe they should rethink the 1.5 hour format.Bryan Murrayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04453957792623988652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-61941073484800940722008-10-24T14:44:00.000-04:002008-10-24T14:44:00.000-04:00How is someone so painfully unfunny still on this ...<I>How is someone so painfully unfunny still on this show? Is he fucking Lorne Michaels?</I><BR/><BR/>It might be related to an issue in the campaign itself, but I probably shouldn't go there.<BR/><BR/><I>How dull would this election be if McCain hadn't picked such an easy punchline for a running mate?</I><BR/><BR/>Well, that's his two-letter word: j-o-b. Which reminds me of something FDR said on TV after the stock market crash of '29...<BR/><BR/>Will Farrell looks good. Did you guys see Step Brothers? Hilarious! Not as funny as Baby Mama, but close.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-48743057275688889292008-10-24T12:46:00.000-04:002008-10-24T12:46:00.000-04:00If the SNL people want anyone to win, it is McCain...If the SNL people want anyone to win, it is McCain. An old man is far easier to parody than a charming charismatic black man. And I don't say that politically. It is just an easier joke. <BR/><BR/>How dull would this election be if McCain hadn't picked such an easy punchline for a running mate? He wasn't courting Hillary supporters. He was trying to win Jon Stewart's vote.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-75890403453333820662008-10-24T12:22:00.000-04:002008-10-24T12:22:00.000-04:00All talk of tinfoil hats ends right freaking now, ...<B>All talk of tinfoil hats ends right freaking now, okay?</B><BR/><BR/>How many times do I have to ask everyone to behave in these "SNL" discussions?Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-3830927311709854402008-10-24T12:20:00.000-04:002008-10-24T12:20:00.000-04:00Just because he has no personality doesn't mean th...<I>Just because he has no personality doesn't mean they can't ding him on his policies,</I><BR/><BR/>SNL has almost never -- not even in the '70s, when it was much more of an outlaw series -- done anything attacking politicians for their policy decisions. They pick one or two personality traits that are easy to exaggerate -- Ford is a klutz, Carter's very well-read, Reagan's spacey, Bush Sr. tends to babble, Clinton's a horndog, Bush Jr is inarticulate -- and blow them out as big as they can. They aren't any more interested in the substance than most political reporters. <BR/><BR/>And by the show's historical standard, Obama's not giving them much to work with.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-6738949915911311222008-10-24T12:18:00.000-04:002008-10-24T12:18:00.000-04:00Do you two buy your tinfoil hats at the same outle...<I>Do you two buy your tinfoil hats at the same outlet store?</I><BR/><BR/>No. Do you know the facts behind <I>Hustler Magazine v. Falwell</I>? Do you know why that case, of all Supreme Court cases, matters when discussing Gingrich's idiotic statement?<BR/><BR/>Or let me put it another way. If you read my post as anything but a sarcastic slam of Gingrich, then you are too ignorant on the subject of First Amendment law to be accusing anyone of wearing a tinfoil hat.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-31111541374061853292008-10-24T12:03:00.000-04:002008-10-24T12:03:00.000-04:00I LOVED the Fred Armisen bit with the screen. You...I LOVED the Fred Armisen bit with the screen. You know he played with it all day long. (That's what she said).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-58425538698505898772008-10-24T11:41:00.000-04:002008-10-24T11:41:00.000-04:00...his stumbling when answering direct, off-the-cu...<I>...his stumbling when answering direct, off-the-cuff questions, the whole Joe the Plumber/socialist relationship, his claims about giving everything to everyone, etc.</I><BR/><BR/>As someone who lives overseas and doesn't get the 24/7 coverage of these things, the above text sounds like it could be applied to either candidate equally. In fact, if I read it without a name attached, I wouldn't know who you were talking about.<BR/><BR/>If you'd like to see something which mocks both candidates equally and hilariously (as well as the whole pandering process that the general election has turned into), I would suggest checking <A HREF="http://www.peteyandpetunia.com/VoteHere/VoteHere.htm" REL="nofollow">this out.</A>MadMemehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13719499288325313334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-74449848190150838402008-10-24T11:22:00.000-04:002008-10-24T11:22:00.000-04:00"Obama's persona doesn't lend itself as easily to ..."Obama's persona doesn't lend itself as easily to parody as some other politicians"<BR/><BR/>Alan, you have to be joking if this is the reason you think they aren't parodying Obama. Please tell me you are not that naive!<BR/><BR/>Obama could be mocked in so many ways...his stumbling when answering direct, off-the-cuff questions, the whole Joe the Plumber/socialist relationship, his claims about giving everything to everyone, etc. Plenty of good material. <BR/><BR/>Just because he has no personality doesn't mean they can't ding him on his policies, speeches, campaign trail happenings.<BR/><BR/>They just want Obama to win so badly, they would NEVER do anything to ding him.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-60391309911429774062008-10-24T11:18:00.001-04:002008-10-24T11:18:00.001-04:00Aside from being old, they haven't really parodied...Aside from being old, they haven't really parodied McCain much either. Palin basically saved political parody during this race, because (again aside from age) the only physical things that you can really use for parody on the real candidates are completely off limits (McCain's odd mannerisms mostly a result from wartime injuries and whatnot, and with Obama they're afraid to tread on anything race-related - rightfully so in both cases I might add).Bobmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01604050338240551711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-78450555138254009282008-10-24T11:18:00.000-04:002008-10-24T11:18:00.000-04:00Solid all the way through? What irked me was NO B...Solid all the way through? What irked me was NO Biden bits. And he's been gaffing all over the place this last week. NBC is so in the tank for Obama, it's starting to get irritating. Used to be they at least tried to be somewhat evenhanded, but this time around it's been one ding after the other on one party only.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-2627921030485016232008-10-24T11:03:00.000-04:002008-10-24T11:03:00.000-04:00if Obama is elected they're going to have a blast ...<I>if Obama is elected they're going to have a blast making fun of his Messiah complex.</I><BR/><BR/>Although some of his supporters seem to treat him that way, Obama doesn't appear to have a Messiah complex - that's the point.<BR/><BR/>I saw them make some 'Messiah' jokes on the Daily Show - but they weren't all that funny - because they're parodying <I>other</I> people's impressions - and not Obama's.MadMemehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13719499288325313334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-39275811521881007102008-10-24T10:33:00.000-04:002008-10-24T10:33:00.000-04:00Since both Jim Downey (head political writer for S...Since both Jim Downey (head political writer for SNL) and Lorne Michaels (Producer) have gone on record as being (or at least regularly voting) Republican I doubt that there is any actual bias. They have both consistently said that they make fun of the people, not the political parties or viewpoints. I think that's true. The problem with Obama is he comes across as so measured it's very hard to find something to make fun off. Mark my words; if Obama is elected they're going to have a blast making fun of his Messiah complex.Grunthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03308246886810700890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-6063184043557120572008-10-24T10:30:00.000-04:002008-10-24T10:30:00.000-04:00About that Simmons podcast, I listened to it over ...<I>About that Simmons podcast, I listened to it over a week ago, but I recall Seth Meyers coming off curt and douchey. Tonight he was smirking throughout the Update, like he usually does, especially when playing straight man to the guest bits. It bugged me.</I><BR/><BR/>I've heard Myers on the podcast a few times before, and I never got that impression. I think he's a hilarious guy, and it has nothing to do with politics (as I'm sure he and I would disagree a lot), he just seems to have a great combination of intelligence and sense of humor. And it's because of him and Amy that Weekend Update has really been a consistent strong point of SNL even during its biggest slumps.<BR/><BR/>Full disclosure, Seth grew up like two towns over from me in New Hampshire so I may have some regional bias towards him. :)Bobmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01604050338240551711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-48682068175352859342008-10-24T10:27:00.000-04:002008-10-24T10:27:00.000-04:00As I've been saying all season, if they knew how t...<I>As I've been saying all season, if they knew how to make fun of him, they would. Obama's persona doesn't lend itself as easily to parody as some other politicians, and Armisen isn't helping. </I><BR/><BR/>You play up the messiah aspects. You light him to give a halo above him. You have audiences react the way the Oprah's Favorite Things audience did.Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02113168955236758821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-80602279384350027732008-10-24T10:26:00.000-04:002008-10-24T10:26:00.000-04:00How is someone so painfully unfunny still on this ...<I>How is someone so painfully unfunny still on this show? Is he fucking Lorne Michaels?</I><BR/><BR/>It's like they've always had an outreach program for unfunny people: Garrett Morris, Charles Rocket, Adam Sandler...it's a pretty long list now that I think about it.billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16116980864333670109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-22549399090248259612008-10-24T10:18:00.000-04:002008-10-24T10:18:00.000-04:00BF - CONTEXT FAIL"No, but they did suggest that To...BF - CONTEXT FAIL<BR/>"No, but they did suggest that Todd Palin commited incest with one of his kids."<BR/><BR/>No. What they were mocking in that sketch was the press's ability to come up with a controversial story with no factual basis whatsoever, i.e. Todd Palin has NOT done any of those things.<BR/><BR/>Context matters.<BR/><BR/>--bad dadAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-48457482848514587632008-10-24T09:49:00.000-04:002008-10-24T09:49:00.000-04:00In some of the the best showbiz news of recent day...In some of the the best showbiz news of recent days, Will Ferrell is bringing his W impersonation to Broadway:<BR/><BR/>"You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W. Bush."<BR/><BR/>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/17/will-ferrell-heading-to-b_n_135510.htmlTomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15582136184196524214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-5156655472361609952008-10-24T09:23:00.000-04:002008-10-24T09:23:00.000-04:00To the best of my knowledge, SNL hasn't yet sugges...<I>To the best of my knowledge, SNL hasn't yet suggested that Sarah Palin had sex with her father while drunk in an outhouse yet.</I><BR/><BR/><I>No, but they did suggest that Todd Palin commited incest with one of his kids.</I><BR/><BR/>Do you two buy your tinfoil hats at the same outlet store?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com