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SNL BLAGOJEVICH, DAVID PATTERSON, KANYE WEST, AMY POEHLER GOODBYE FAREWELL VIDEO

SNL kicked off with a skewering of disgraced Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.   The episode also featured unfunny spoofs of blind NY governor David Patterson by non-African American cast member Fred Armisen. There are rumors that SNL may finally hire an African-American actor to portray President Elect Barack Obama. Some people have dubbed African-American Keenan Thompson's SNL performances as a "minstrel act". UPDATE : NY Governor David Patterson has spoke out about the SNL skit that made fun of his blindness. Maybe SNL should get the memo that making fun of people with disabilities just isn't funny.

"I can take a joke," Paterson told reporters.

But he called the SNL spoof a "third-grade depiction of people and the way they look" that could lead others to believe that "disability goes hand-in-hand with an inability to run a government or business." source

I didn't get a chance to see the entire episode of Saturday Night Live this weekend, but I came across a segment clip from NBC's website that made my blood curdle. SNL's guest this week was the young actress of Juno fame, Ellen Page, whose comedic timing proved powerful yet equally disturbing in a piece with Keenan Thompson, the only black member of the cast (Maya Rudolph, who is half black-American, half white Jewish, identifies as multiracial), entitled "Virginiaca Goes to Baby Gap." You can see the full video of the sketch here, but I'll give you a little re-cap:

An overweight black woman who, only for lack of a better term, would be characterized as "ghetto" stumbles out of breath into a Baby Gap store (as it's on the second floor) with a pastry in hand. She practically sexually harasses the Baby Gap employee (played by Adam Samberg). Her step-daughter, played by Ellen Page, corn-rowed, permed, and wearing a tracksuit, enters the store, demanding to try on spandex pants she'd like to wear as booty shorts. Angered that the Baby Gap employee won't allow her to try on the pants for fear that she'll stretch out the merchandise (as it's meant for BABIES), Page's character and Virginiaca name drop (as Virginiaca's new husband is a wealthy white aluminum tycoon, the daughter of whom she has clearly "corrupted") in hopes of getting their way. After a slew of aural and visual stereotype guest appearances (including the "booty back and forth" dance and repeated overt and unwanted flirting with the sales guy), the segment ends with the sales person quitting and Virginiaca in all fours on a merchandise stand continuing her "booty back and forth" dance in the store. source

While SNL has engaged in black/brownface before, including having light-skinned Latino Fred Armisen play presidential hopeful Barack Obama, and Darrell Hammond play Jesse Jackson and Geraldo Rivera,they were impressions, albeit good ones, and I never found offense in having the best cast members for the job portray important members of our society who happened to have darker skin than theirs. Yet when I saw the "Shopping with Virginiaca" sketch, which apparently is a regular segment on the show, I felt something different. Keenan Thompson, though black, was performing a blackface minstrelsy routine that went far beyond basic impressions of famous people. He was poking fun, sure, but in a way that ultimately cements what black women are and how we are viewed by the general public.

 

Amy Poehler's final goodbye on Saturday Night Live and Kanye West's live performances. It's kind of a bummer that the funniest SNL female cast members get the boot after having a baby ie Ana Gasteyer, Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey and now Amy Poehler.

If you were wondering how NBC's "Saturday Night Live" was going to take down Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who became a national joke this week with his arrest by federal agents on corruption charges, the answer came in the show's cold open. Blago, as portrayed by Jason Sudeikis, a veteran of Chicago's improv scene, morphed into a David Mamet character, a foul-mouthed con man with a quasi-Chicago accent. Obviously, it was a caricature. The real Blagojevich doesn't have a quasi-Chicago accent. When the actual governor is on tape, swearing up a storm as he seems to be putting President-elect Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat up for auction, it almost dared "SNL" to try to come up with something more over-the-top. So Sudeikis' Blagojevich was trying to squeeze kickbacks out of a Senate committee and offering to sell them Abraham Lincoln's wedding ring (and skeletal hand) while Patti Blagojevich, Kristen Wiig playing Bonnie to Sudeikis' Clyde, sought a job with NASA. Sen. Elizabeth Dole (Casey Wilson) called Blagojevich a disgrace to Illinois, then reconsidered: "Well, maybe not to Illinois, but if you were a governor of any other statem you would be a disgrace to that state." source

When Poehler dropped her trademark smirk to announce her departure from the show, she got all soft and genuine and grateful, and I kinda wanted to leap through the TV and give her a big ole hug for so many years of snarky giggles. That is until Fred Armisen, as visually impaired New York Gov. David Patterson, wandered into Poehler's shot, and, like Poehler herself, I found myself overcome with snarky giggling. Of course, since SNL alums seem so happy to drop in on the show -- like Maya Rudolph appearing last night for one final round of gum-smacking gossip on 'Bronx Beat' with Poehler -- this most likely really isn't the last time we'll see Poehler grace Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

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Kanye West Saturday Night Live Performances

Kanye West - Love Lockdown LIVE

Kanye West - Heartless / Pinocchio Story LIVE

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JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE IN LEOTARD AS BEYONCE BACKUP DANCERS ON SNL SINGLE LADIES MUSIC VIDEO

Justin Timberlake appeared on Weekend Update and a skit as Beyonce's back up dancer on SNL. If you missed the "Single Ladies Put a Ring on It" parody video because Saturday Night Live isn't as funny without Tina Fey doing Sarah Palin then you missed this sketch. Beyonce did a good job promoting her new album "I Am Sasha Fierce."  Watch the video before it disappears. Click here to watch the video if it vanishes  from youtube.

Beyonce's "I Am Sasha Fierce" album is available today.

Watch Beyonce, Paul Rudd and Justin Timberlake dance sketch on SNL

 

Justin shaved his legs to wear a leotard and high heels. Watch the parody and the original music video. We must mention that JT can really work and shake his thing in those heels.

Defamer wrote a post about last weekend's SNL describing it as a "gay minstrel show".

Where do you mine for easy laughs when you no longer have the most satirizable election in history at your disposal? In SNL's case, that would be the Gays, a topic this week's Paul Rudd-hosted episode visited and revisited so often, we lost count. And where does the show stand on the subject, in this, arguably the most important week for gay civil rights in history? Enjoy the highlight reel above, accompanied by this handy synopsis: · The fun starts with a sketch about an overly affectionate family that builds to Samberg making out with Fred Armisen for no apparent reason.
· Then there was a legitimately funny Digital Short in which Rudd and Samberg paint each other naked, that ends in what has to be the most violent scene in the show's history. (If the episode had a secondary theme, it would be guns blowing people's heads off.) source

Single Ladies Put a Ring on It Music Video

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JOHN MCCAIN SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE QVC SNL SPOOF & WEEKEND UPDATE "MAVERICK" SKITS VIDEO

Sarah Palin made an appearance on Saturday Night Live which earned the show it's highest ratings in 14 years. Last night John McCain decided to make a cameo on the show and make fun on Barack Obama's infomercial with his own QVC fundraising spoof. McCain showed up again later in the program to explain his "Maverick" attempts to get into the White House and win the presidential election. A group called the National Republican Trust PAC ran Jeremiah Wright commercial attack ads which aired during  SNL commercial breaks.  Obama denounced Wright's incendiary words during the Democratic Party's primary, and McCain in April said Wright was off limits. source

Sen. McCain unveils his new strategies on Weekend Update

John McCain rounded out the Republican ticket Saturday on television's Saturday Night Live, two weeks after running mate Sarah Palin brought the late-night comedy show its highest ratings in 14 years.

Three days before the election, the presidential candidate detoured from the campaign trail. He starred in the "cold open," the kickoff sketch, aside Tina Fey reprising her popular portrayal of running mate Palin. They were hawking souvenirs on QVC because, unlike Democratic candidate Barack Obama's multi-channel prime-time ad buy Wednesday, "We can only afford QVC," McCain explained.

The goods for sale included a complete set of "pork knives – they cut the pork out," said McCain; a set of commemorative plates for the candidates' 10 town-hall debates – blank, of course, because they never took place; plus limited edition "Joe" action figures, including Joe the Plumber, Joe Sixpack, and, said Fey, "my personal favorite, Joe Biden — if you pull this cord, he talks for 45 minutes."

McCain's wife Cindy helped display McCain fine-gold jewelry, a reference to the McCain-Feingold bipartisan campaign reform act of 2002. And Fey, in an aside, went "rogue" with "Palin in 2012" T shirts; "Just try and wait till after Tuesday to wear 'em."

Later in the evening, McCain appeared on Weekend Update, the program's faux newscast. Given a chance to talk about last-minute campaign strategies, McCain offered several possibilities. He said he might try to be a "reverse maverick," someone who does everything he is told; or a "double maverick, where I'd go totally berserk and freak everybody out, even the regular mavericks." source

WILL FERRELL ON SNL GEORGE BUSH MEETS TINA FEY'S SARAH PALIN | MARK WALHBERG TALKS TO THE ANIMALS

Saturday Night Live has gotten their highest ratings in 14 years thanks to VP candidate Sarah Palin.

Palin's brief, upbeat and mostly silent visit drew an audience that could top 14 million, the biggest for NBC's late-night satire show since Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan hosted on March 12, 1994.

In overnight figures released Sunday from 56 Nielsen markets, Saturday's audience mushroomed 47% over the previous original "SNL" this fall, which drew about 9.7 million viewers.

If projections hold steady when hard numbers come out Thursday, "SNL" will also have drawn more viewers than all but two of last week's prime-time shows, "Dancing With the Stars" and "CSI." source

 

Watch Will Ferrell's return to Saturday Live as George Bush with Tina Fey reprising her popular role as Sarah Palin. There are rumors that Barack Obama will appear on the November 1st edition of Saturday Night Live. SNL creator Lorne Michaels did not confirm that Barack Obama will appear in the show.

"I heard the rumors about him, and there were also rumors about John McCain coming on the show as well," he said. "Again, I'm not being coy, but until people are in the building. . . . Twice we expected Obama, but he had to cancel. Once because of the hurricane [last August] and again because of his trip to Hawaii [to visit his ailing grandmother last week]. "And," he added, "we never announce anything."

Apparently, Barack is not that fond of Fred Armisen's impression of him. The Post reports:
"I've got to say," Obama told an interviewer last week, "compared to Tina Fey and what she's doing with Gov. Palin, my imitator isn't doing as great of a job. I do know that my ears have been getting bigger and bigger on that show each episode. I'm sure they'll get it right over time." source

Appearing as President Bush on the prime-time edition of "Saturday Night Live," Will Ferrell offered his political "strategery" to Tina Fey's Sarah Palin. Ferrell reprised his famed impression of the president on the live "Weekend Update" special Thursday to give an "impromptu" evening address to the nation. He spoke about the election between John McCain and Barack Obama — both candidates, he said, that are "heavily patriotized" and "display much characterization." He then gave his endorsement to McCain and Palin, something that they apparently didn't want. Ferrell said he was unaware that his approval ratings were low because he had several months ago declared the Oval Office a "bummer free zone." Speaking to Fey again appearing as Palin, Ferrell informed her that her role as vice president was "the most important in the land" and that the "president can do nothing without checking with the vice president." Fey corrected him that he had it backward. Eventually Darrell Hammond as McCain turned up to reluctantly receive the endorsement. The sketch between Ferrell and Fey was the meeting of two of the most popular political impressions in the show's history. It might have been complete only if Chevy Chase stopped by as Gerald Ford, Dana Carvey appeared as H.W. Bush and Amy Poehler joined as Hillary Rodham Clinton. source

MARK WALHBERG TALKS TO THE ANIMALS

Mark Walhberg also made a funny SNL guest appearance after Andy Shamberg parodied him in a "Mark Walhberg talks to the Animals" skit. See Mark Walhberg prove that he has a sense of humor.

SARAH PALIN ON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE TINA FEY ON SARAH PALIN "CRAZY VOICE" DAVID LETTERMAN VIDEO

Image by feastoffools via Flickr

Tina Fey has gotten laughs for her impersonations of Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. The Alaskan governor is scheduled to make her big comedic debut on tonight's edition of Saturday Night Live. How does Tina Fey do her perfect Sarah Palin impersonation? Tina stopped by Letterman and explained the secret is in the "r's" with a bit of Fargo folksy talk thrown into the lingo mix.

She has a really crazy voice... Not since "Sling Blade" had there been a voice that anyone can do... [it's] a beautiful Alaskan windsong... It's a little bit "Fargo," a little bit Reese Witherspoon in "Election"... Seth Meyers puts a lot of Rs in, she really loves her Rs. source

Tina Fey told TV Guide she'll be "done" if John McCain and Sarah Palin win the election next month.

The "SNL" veteran who has come back to play the Republican Vice Presidential candidate (and whose own show, "30 Rock," is still nowhere to be seen), said, "We're gonna take it week by week. If she wins, I'm done. I can't do that for four years. And by 'I'm done,' I mean I'm leaving Earth." source

We're anxious see what the face off will be like when Tina Fey impersonates Sarah Palin in front of herself. Watch Tina Fey pardoy Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric.

Watch Tina Fey as Sarah Palin during VP  debates with Queen Latifah as Gwen Ifill.

Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin arrived Saturday afternoon in New York to prepare for her appearance on NBC's 'Saturday Night Live."

She will head to NBC headquarters at Rockefeller Center for an afternoon of rehearsals before making her much-anticipated debut.

An aide to Palin said Saturday that "there are multiple scripts," but would not elaborate.

"Things are in the works," said Palin spokesperson Tracey Schmitt. "Stay tuned."

As of Friday evening, Palin had yet to see a script for the sketch show, according to another campaign adviser.

On Thursday, multiple sources told CNN that Palin planned to appear on the hit show.
It was not known whether Fey also will appear on Saturday night's program.

"Saturday Night Live" has featured three opening skits in which former cast member and Palin lookalike Tina Fey portrays the Alaska governor. source

MARK WAHLBERG DOESN'T LIKE MARK WAHLBERG TALKS TO THE ANIMALS SNL SKIT VIDEO

Mark Wahlberg doesn't like SNL making fun of him with funny sketches. Andy Samberg did a parody of a Mark Wahlberg scene in M. Night Shyamalan's movie "The Happening".  The rapper turned Oscar nominated actor wasn't amused by the performance. It's a good thing  Andy Samberg didn't make a "Funky Bunch" comment like  Eminem did  on TRL.

EMINEM VS. MARK WAHLBERG

One of the more awkward moments in TRL history came during an oddly booked interview between Daly, Eminem and Mark Wahlberg. All three appeared out-of-sorts during the spot, with Eminem breaking the ice by saying something to the effect of, "Let's all stand around like a funky bunch." Wahlberg didn't take too keenly to the reference to Wahlberg's former rap group - he denounced his days as Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch to move on to an acting career - and a mini-feud erupted, Eminem's TRL specialty. source

Walhberg claims he wasn't laughing when he saw the Saturday Night Live clip on youtube. Mark spoke about the SNL video while on promotional tour for his film Max Payne. Watch the skit and the original clip that inspired it.   

* Someone showed it to me on YouTube. It wasn't like Tina Fey doing Sarah Palin, that's for sure. And "Saturday Night Live" hasn't been funny for a long time. They've asked me to do the show a ton of times. I used to watch it when Eddie Murphy was there and Joe Piscopo and Bill Murray. I don't even know who's on the show now. source video source

TINA FEY SARAH PALIN/JOE BIDEN/QUEEN LATIFAH SNL VP DEBATE PARODY VIDEO

Tina Fey returned to Saturday Night Live to parody Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

Ironically, Tina Fey's impersonations have been proven to be actual quotations from the Sarah Palin transcript.  Tina Fey portrayed Sarah Palin during an interview with Katie Couric and cited "Palinisms" verbatim in the skit. Watch CNN make a comparison between Tina Fey's parody and Sarah Palin's actual words during her Katie Couric interview.

CNN Laughs It Up Over Sarah Palin Interview

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's sayings are so popular that Palin Bingo cards and drinking games became popular during the VP Debate.

The SNL VP debate sketch shows Tina Fey cranking up the Sarah Palin winks and folksy lingo by repeatedly using expressions like "maverick", "hockey moms" and "joe six-pack" while avoiding answering each question asked by moderator Gwen Ifill.  Sarah Palin's VP debate performance suffered from low expectations due to her lackluster performance during interviews with Katie Couric. Palin was unable to cite which newspapers she read and current Supreme Court cases which left many voters wondering about her qualifications for the VP position. A highlight of the skit comes when moderator Gwen Ifill portrayed by Queen Latifah asks Governor Palin if she believes in gay marriage. Tina Fey's response as Palin refers to Palin's pregnant unwed teenage daughter who is going to marry her boyfriend after the "Juno type" scandal broke.  "I believe marriage is meant to be a sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers..."

A viewing of the debate gave the impression that Sarah Palin had crammed herself full of so much information during "debate camp" that she was determined  to give roundabout answers only to questions that were in her Cliffs Notes.  Watch David Letterman's top 10 Things Overheard at Sarah Palin Debate Camp. Watch the Sarah Palin/ Joe Biden  VP debate video if you missed it.

It's starting to feel like Tina Fey is running for vice president. Fey again returned to "Saturday Night Live" to play Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin as the sketch comedy show continued to pull out all the stops in its election year season. Queen Latifah dropped by to portray Thursday's debate moderator, PBS's Gwen Ifill, and cast member Jason Sudeikis stepped into the role of Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden. The "SNL" take on the week's political events has become a dependable part of the news cycle this fall, offering near-immediate parodies of the presidential candidates, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, and their running mates. The show — particularly the opening sketches — have resonated with higher ratings for the NBC program and increased traffic on its Web site where early-to-bed viewers catch the talked-about sketches in the days after. Saturday night's opening sketch of the VP debate appeared likely to garner similar buzz thanks to Fey's popular Palin impression. Winking and giving answers not always directly related to Queen Latifah's questions, Fey's Palin said that if she was elected, her decisions would be guided by considering "what would a maverick do?" At the end of the segment, she asked with flute in hand, "Are we not doing the talent portion?" Palin was runnerup in the 1984 Miss Alaska contest. Sudeikis, with hair slicked back and a tight-fitting suit, portrayed Biden as conflicted in his feelings for McCain, whom he called "a raging maniac and a dear, dear friend."
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TINA FEY SARAH PALIN KATIE COURIC INTERVIEW SNL SKIT (VIDEO)/SARAH PALIN HILLARY CLINTON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE SKIT

Tina Fey returned to Saturday Night Live to impersonate and parody Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin  was an obvious SNL choice for satire after her comical Katie Couric interview where she claimed to have foreign policy experience based on the proximity of Alaska to Russia. Watch the latest Tina Fey sketch mocking Sarah Palin's folksy accent and lack of knowledge about political and economic issues. Tina Fey has been focusing on her Emmy award winning role on 30 Rock. Fey returned to the season opening of SNL to parody Palin in a skit with Amy Poehler as a disgruntled Hillary Clinton. Watch the videos if you missed them.

Tina Fey reprised her role as Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live," again appearing as the Republican vice presidential candidate in an opening sketch.

Saturday night's show — the third of the season for the NBC comedy program — brought back the season premiere tandem of Fey and Amy Poehler, who opened the season with a memorable sketch featuring Fey as Palin and Poehler as Hillary Clinton.

Image by feastoffools via FlickrImage by feastoffools via FlickrImage by feastoffools via Flickr

This time around, Poehler played CBS's Katie Couric, parodying the interview with Palin earlier this week. Poehler, though, mostly played straight man to Fey, who ratcheted up her performance of Sen. John McCain's running mate by satirizing her foreign affairs experience.

When Poehler's Couric pushed Fey's Palin to specifically discuss how she would help facilitate democracy abroad, Fey gave in: "Katie, I'd like to use one of my lifelines. ... I want to phone a friend."

When a confused Poehler informed her that that wasn't how the interview worked, Fey's Palin responded — alluding to one of the governor's most quoted lines from the interview — "Well, in that case, I'm just gonna have to get back to ya."

Fey, a former cast member and head writer of "SNL," has seemingly been thrust back into regular appearances on the program despite her full-time gig with NBC's "30 Rock."

She is widely considered to look like Palin, and "SNL" executive producer Lorne Michaels persuaded her to ride the show's hot hand. Her first appearance as the Alaskan governor two weeks ago was a huge hit, helping boost the premiere's ratings and garnering attention online.

Fey wasn't the only former cast member who returned Saturday night. Chris Parnell came back to play presidential debate moderator Jim Lehrer in a sketch that parodied Friday night's contest between McCain and Democratic rival Barack Obama — which occurred less than 27 hours earlier than the live "SNL" broadcast.

The sketch mainly played up McCain's attempts to shake up the debate process, as Darrell Hammond's McCain urged his opponent to join him in "nude or seminude" town hall meetings. source

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HILLARY CLINTON BARACK OBAMA SNL OHIO DEBATE

Saturday Night Live kicked off over the weekend with a hilarious spoof of Senator Barack Obama debating Senator Hillary Clinton.  Look for a cameo from Obama Girl in the SNL sketch that parodies the press fascination with Barack Obama. Many were puzzled when Senator Clinton referenced the SNL skit during their Ohio debate. 

This comes after her campaign was accused by the Obama camp of a smear campaign on  Drudge Report after leaked photos appeared of Barack Obama wearing a traditional costume . Here's the Huffington Post's review of the incident. Click here for their complete review of the MSNBC debate.

Clinton Faces More Booing After Referencing SNL Skit: Sen. Hillary Clinton, lamenting the soft coverage with which she believes Sen. Obama has been treated, tried out a new line of attack during the debate on Tuesday night. It fell more than a bit flat and was met with some mild boos.

Speaking after a 16-minute exchange on health care between the two Democratic presidential candidate, Clinton rhetorically asked why she always is given the first question in these forums. Then, playing off of a Saturday Night Live sketch that parodied the press' infatuation with Obama, she offered this bit:

"Well, could I just point out that in the last several debates, I seem to get the first question all the time? And I don't mind. You know, I'll be happy to field them but I do find it curious. And if anybody saw Saturday Night Live, maybe we should ask Barack if he's comfortable and needs another pillow."

Watch the MSNBC rundown of the Ohio debate.

TINA FEY ON SNL BITCH IS THE NEW BLACK

Tina Fey was back on Saturday Night Live this weekend and funnier than ever.  In her women's news commentary segment she pokes fun at Lohan's nude Marilyn Monroe pictorial and former Jenny Craig spokeswoman Kirsti Alley. Tina endorses Senator Hillary Clinton because she proves that "Bitch is the new Black."  Tina states,"maybe what bothers me the most is people say Hillary is a bitch. And let me say something about that... Yeah she is...and I'm one too."