Shock: SNL Takes On Obama in Earnest

“I am noticing that each of your plans to save money involves spending even more money.”

Remember this moment, folks.  November 21, 2009 at 11:30pm.  Over one year after Obama’s election and just more than ten months into his administration, “Saturday Night Live” takes its first crack at Obama for something other than not being left enough.  Splash of ice-cold water here:

The sketch really isn’t pro-conservative as much as it’s anti-Obama.  SNL mocks the stimulus, Cash for Clunkers, the debt Obama is increasing exponentially, and Obamacare’s bogus accounting, not to mention the fact that Fred Armisen’s too-cool-for-school Obama took the night off, but the writers are careful not argue for an alternative.  SNL deftly takes a crack at one side without directly supporting the other side, a tactic “South Park” has down to a science.  The sketch isn’t rock-solid from a policy standpoint, so we will post the clip of the CNN fact check once they air it.

SNL’s “Palin 2012” trailer after the jump: (more…)

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Tags: 2012, Cash for Clunkers, CNN, debt, DNC
Posted Nov 22nd 2009 at 1:10 pm in Obama, Political Humor | 26683473 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/11/22/shock-snl-takes-on-obama-in-earnest/Shock%3A+SNL+Takes+On+Obama+in+Earnest2009-11-22+21%3A10%3A53Big+Hollywood

‘The Onion’ Targets Obama’s Teleprompter Reliance

Amazing what you can do with a cup of truth mixed with a dash of exaggeration….  We’ve been pretty hard on “The Onion,” and deservedly so, but some credit is due here for their decision to target an obvious Obama weak spot, his reliance on a teleprompter:

Obama’s Home Teleprompter Malfunctions During Family Dinner

(more…)

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Tags: Obama, political satire, satire, snl, Teleprompter
Posted Nov 16th 2009 at 5:07 pm in Political Humor, Video | 26364638 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/11/16/the-onion-finally-targets-obamas-teleprompter/%27The+Onion%27+Targets+Obama%27s+Teleprompter+Reliance2009-11-17+01%3A07%3A13Big+Hollywood

When Late Night Attacks: Left Worries Obama Becoming Punchline

As a candidate, Barack Obama was just as comfy on a late night couch as he was on the stump. The late night comedians and writers spared Obama from the barbs and prods they use to turn formidable politicians into laughing stocks. After all, they had their scopes set squarely on you know who… (paging Tina Fey).

A few weeks ago, a funny thing happened — call it a late night political paradigm shift. Conan O’Brien put some extra bite to his bark by featuring a tape of Sesame Street characters who earlier in the day had visited with the First Lady to talk about healthy eating. Conan overdubbed the clip and, suddenly, instead of talking about food, the muppets questioned Obama’s ‘United States birth certificate’ and his ’socialist health care agenda.’ In the past, satire like this might have been automatically assumed to be an attack on the right, but the skit ended up taking some Obama fans aback. Perhaps it struck a nerve. (more…)

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Tags: Conan O'Brien, Late Night, Obama, snl
Posted Oct 21st 2009 at 6:44 am in Entertainment, Featured Story, Politics | 246230134 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jmeath/2009/10/21/snl-isnt-funny-but-left-still-worry-obama-may-become-punchline/When+Late+Night+Attacks%3A+Left+Worries+Obama+Becoming+Punchline2009-10-21+13%3A44%3A30Jason+Killian+Meath

Obama Spoofs: ‘SNL’ Chooses Unfunny Over Hurting Their Guy

Big Hollywood’s Alexander Marlow has written a spot-on assessment of “Saturday Night Live’s” skit about Obama. This video clip of Chevy Chase on CNN bolsters Marlow’s claim and reveals the truth behind “SNL’s” political parodies: 

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To paraphrase Groucho Marx, a child of five could improve on this immensely.  Anyone could make these parodies of Obama funnier.  Obama’s mannerisms, speech patterns, physical oddities (ears) etc. are ripe for satire. Add Michelle Obama and Joe Biden to the mix and it only gets better.  The audience would be rolling in the aisles. Obama presents a comedy writer with the potential for endless comedic situations.  Obama is a unique character who offers a buffet of satire, pregnant with possibilities. (more…)

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Tags: Chevy Chase, nbc, Obama, satire, snl
Posted Oct 12th 2009 at 10:14 am in Entertainment, Politics | 244974112 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/asking/2009/10/12/obama-spoofs-snl-chooses-unfunny-over-hurting-their-guy/Obama+Spoofs%3A+%27SNL%27+Chooses+Unfunny+Over+Hurting+Their+Guy2009-10-12+17%3A14%3A27Andrea+Shea+King

SNL’s Obligatory Obama Nobel Peace Prize Sketch

There has been a rumor floating around that Fred Armisen is intentionally, perhaps at the behest of the NBC powers-that-be, making his Obama impersonation as inaccurate and unfunny as possible. With that in mind, consider this phoned-in sketch exhibit number 47 in “The People vs. Saturday Night Live.” (NOTE: The only thing that makes the Big Hollywood editorial staff reluctant to investigate further is that the rest of the show isn’t much funnier.)

Also:
-Why doesn’t SNL ever direct Armisen to look back and forth at two teleprompters like Obama does every time he gives an address? Seems pretty obvious, no?

-Of course, “It looks like the CNN fact-checkers will be busy again this week.” (more…)

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Tags: CNN, Fred Armisen, nbc, Obama, Obama Nobel
Posted Oct 11th 2009 at 9:37 am in Media Criticism, News, Political Humor | 244706101 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/amarlow/2009/10/11/snl-mocks-obamas-peace-prize/SNL%27s+Obligatory+Obama+Nobel+Peace+Prize+Sketch2009-10-11+16%3A37%3A32Alexander+Marlow

SNL Crackin’ Obama Jokes? Oh, No Day D’int

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Tags: Obama, President Obama, Saturday Night LIve, snl
Posted Oct 9th 2009 at 4:14 pm in Political Humor, Video | 24406243 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/arachel/2009/10/09/snl-crackin-obama-jokes-oh-no-day-dint/SNL+Crackin%27+Obama+Jokes%3F+Oh%2C+No+Day+D%27int+2009-10-09+23%3A14%3A01Alfonzo+Rachel

Daily Gut: Wolf’s Confusion, Fred’s Misery

It amounted to breaking news for CNN`s Wolf Blitzer: Saturday Night Live doing a skit, in which they skewer Barack Obama. It was a concept so profoundly distasteful, that it left Wolf incredulous – worse than when he was humiliated on Jeopardy.

At any rate, this first ever comprehensive fact-check of an SNL skit might be the strangest piece of media analysis I’ve ever seen.

Check it out, check-it-outers. (ROLL TAPE)

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Now, wouldn`t you know, according to CNN`s analysis, the skit “missed the mark.” This is a not a fair portrayal, they whine – which is not surprising, coming from a network blinded by the President`s pocket lint. But forgive me for being both flabbered and gasted, but have you ever seen a news network review a comedy sketch for fairness? Did CNN ever do this when SNL went after Bush, Palin, or any other Republican? (more…)

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Tags: CNN, Fact Check, Obama, satire, snl
Posted Oct 6th 2009 at 12:13 pm in Daily Gut, Entertainment, Media Criticism | 241398159 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ggutfeld/2009/10/06/daily-gut-wolfs-confusion-freds-misery/Daily+Gut%3A+Wolf%27s+Confusion%2C+Fred%27s+Misery2009-10-06+19%3A13%3A44Greg+Gutfeld

Shock: Obama Not Left Enough for SNL

SNL finally took on Obama in earnest this weekend:

This sketch wasn’t aimed at Rahm Emanuel, Joe the Biden, or Tim Geithner… it was targeting the Man himself.  But did SNL really turn over a new leaf?  Nope.  The criticism leveled at Obama was that he is failing to execute the brilliantly conceived left-wing aspects of his agenda as stated in his campaign.  Of course, there is no casting judgment on those ideas and no mention that most of America doesn’t actually support them.

This is a tactic Bill Maher has mastered.  He has repeatedly leveled humorous critique at Obama, but the arguments always hinge around Obama not behaving like the left-winger we thought we elected. (more…)

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Tags: Bill Maher, Joe Biden, Joe the Biden, Obama, Rahm Emanuel
Posted Oct 4th 2009 at 2:01 pm in Political Humor, Video | 24045085 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/10/04/shock-obama-not-left-enough-for-snl/Shock%3A+Obama+Not+Left+Enough+for+SNL2009-10-04+21%3A01%3A15Big+Hollywood

When You’ve Lost ‘SNL’: Whoopi Gets Slammed

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Tags: Joy Behar, snl, The View, whoopi goldberg
Posted Oct 2nd 2009 at 9:02 am in Celebrity News, Culture, Politics | 23930269 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/10/02/when-youve-lost-snl-whoopi-gets-slammed/When+You%27ve+Lost+%27SNL%27%3A+Whoopi+Gets+Slammed2009-10-02+16%3A02%3A28Big+Hollywood

Tina Fey: Downright Mean

Tina Fey recently won an Emmy for her uncanny resemblance and venomous impersonation of Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin.  In accepting her award, Fey was her typical, obloquious self saying, “Mrs. Palin is an inspiration to working mothers everywhere because she bailed on her job right before Fourth of July weekend. You are living my dream. Thank you, Mrs. Palin!”

2008 marked a departure from the memorable, more cordial years of Chevy Chase as a clumsy Gerald Ford or Dana Carvey’s hilarious H.W. Bush: “wouldn’t be prudent.”  Fey was downright mean.

For her part, Palin was an easy target — a conservative woman and mother. And seemingly abhorrent to Fey and friends, Palin had small town values, a small town family and — as Fey chafed on Palin’s world view — “I can see Alaska from my house.”  The impersonations were sometimes funny, but more often foul.  ”I believe marriage is meant to be a sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers…,” Fey roasted during one of the skits… an innuendo on Palin’s pregnant, unwed daughter.  Her satire strayed from the issues into catty, sexist territory — intellect, pregnancy, family attacks and even sexual riffs. (more…)

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Tags: bush, Chevy Chase, dana carvey, Eddie Murphy, Ford
Posted Sep 19th 2009 at 6:54 am in Entertainment, Politics | 225170259 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jmeath/2009/09/19/tina-fey-downright-mean/Tina+Fey%3A+Downright+Mean2009-09-19+13%3A54%3A31Jason+Killian+Meath

Fishy

I’m doing standup in Denver. Shelley is driving me from radio to radio to TV as I do the monkey dance at each station promoting the show, selling tickets. I don’t like this part of the job. I must answer the same 10 questions about Saturday Night Live and try to explain where I’ve been for the last fifteen years. All the DJ’s want are some juicy stories about celebrities. I don’t really have that many. I’m booked at two political talk stations, a rock station, a country station, and two local TV shows.  I guess that’s my demographic! Everyone! I ask Shelley why I’m booked on the political stations. She shrugs, “Well, we didn’t really know…isn’t that what you are doing now?” The first stop I’m told is a “just right of center” show, so I feel free to share my newest shocking information that the White House is asking us to “snitch’” on our friends and family. To report anything “fishy.” This news is so abhorrent to me that I could barely sleep the night before. I immediately emailed Andrew Breitbart to see if it was true. He said yes. I searched the hotel computer web to see if the big shots, the smart people have gotten on this. They were just starting to fight back. The news was so new. Well, at least this administration is entertaining…in a bad way. I’m watching a horror movie every day.

As I share the shocking information that our Freedom of Speech is being attacked, the radio host across from me, his face, it looks like he just ate a lemon. It’s all scrunched up like…he hates me. He abruptly cuts me off and ends my interview. I’m stupefied at the reaction of people who “just can’t handle the truth.” My driver Shelley is a liberal. She doesn’t say anything. As we get in the car I try to apologize, “Well, he asked me why I was a new political activist.  I guess I should just tell jokes.” I mean I have been hired basically to sell tickets to a bar where people will spend lots of money on alcohol. And, I do need to make some money. My husband is a cop. (more…)

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Tags: "Unhappily Ever After", Andrew Breitbart, Beer Summit, Cornyn, Cornyn and Sekulow's letters
Posted Aug 10th 2009 at 12:25 pm in Featured Story, News, Politics | 203378144 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/vjackson/2009/08/10/fishy/Fishy2009-08-10+19%3A25%3A11Victoria+Jackson

This Just In: Broadway Not Dead

Back in January you couldn’t watch any entertainment “news” show or read any Arts & Culture section of a newspaper without seeing something about the death of Broadway.  There were so many shows closing all at once that the imminent death of our industry was whined about not just from spineless actors, but from producers as well.  It was so pervasive that Saturday Night Live utilized Neil Patrick Harris’ musical theatre ability to present a skit starring the characters of popular Broadway shows having a meeting at Sardi’s to try to save the industry.

Somewhere, out in the wilderness, on the pages of Big Hollywood, there was a lone voice of reason.  A pragmatic and practical man laying out the facts for you, the ever-interested and conservative reader.  That man, one Stage Right, was shrewd enough to label the producers as “panty-waste industry folk” and explained that their propensity to panic and pull the emergency brake is partly attributed to their liberal tendencies.

(more…)

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Tags: Arts & Culture section, broadway, health insurance, neil patrick harris, Philip J. Smith
Posted Jun 21st 2009 at 6:52 am in Entertainment, Featured Story | 164190One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/sright/2009/06/21/this-just-in-broadway-not-dead/This+Just+In%3A+Broadway+Not+Dead2009-06-21+13%3A52%3A00Stage+Right

Why I Walked Out of ‘Year One’ Crying

I had a date with Judd Apatow.  It was around 1991 and I was between husbands: the out-of-work-Jewish-Gypsy-fire-eater-musician, and the high-school-sweetheart-Baptist-helicopter-police-pilot.  I needed a date to a premiere.  I knew the rules of engagement for a Hollywood career, and I tried to follow them.  It’s difficult to do this when you carry the burden of ethics around with you, but I tried to do it and stay within the bounds of morality.

1) Go to the right places.  I went to the Playboy Mansion to find an agent, and I did.  I was 21 and a Baptist virgin, and I found Betty from the William Morris commercial department there.  Check.

2) Wear something provocative to a Hollywood premiere so you can get free publicity.  I did that.  When I was an SNL castmember trying to increase my movie roles, I attended some Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan premiere (go figure – it was a flop!) in a see-through black shirt with a flowered bra underneath.  I felt ashamed, but I did get my picture in a few magazines.  All press is good press, and press leads to opportunity.

(more…)

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Tags: "Juno", "Year One", bestiality, blasphemy, circumcision jokes
Posted Jun 19th 2009 at 7:15 pm in Featured Story, Religion, Reviews | 16542616 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/vjackson/2009/06/19/why-i-walked-out-of-year-one-crying/Why+I+Walked+Out+of+%27Year+One%27+Crying2009-06-20+02%3A15%3A06Victoria+Jackson

People Magazine’s Pathetic Predictability

In the 1984 NBA draft, the Portland Trail Blazers used the second pick to select University of Kentucky star Sam Bowie over then 21-year-old Michael Jordan, marking the greatest oversight in our nation’s history.  Until now.  On newsstands today you’ll find People Magazine’s “100 Most Beautiful” edition.  Anyone modestly attentive to American culture will notice the conspicuous absence of the flyest honey ever to rep the GOP on the national stage: Sarah Palin.

This error would be egregious even without context, but wait until you hear who actually made the list:

There is an entire spread called “Barack’s Beauties” featuring seven Obama staffers who are among the USA’s finest 100–easily the highest number of executive branch hotties since the Coolidge administration. (more…)

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Tags: 100 Most Beautiful, 1984 NBA draft, Adonis, beehive, ben affleck
Posted May 6th 2009 at 5:03 am in Featured Story, Media Criticism, Political Humor | 12693817 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/amarlow/2009/05/06/working-title-people-palin-piece/People+Magazine%27s+Pathetic+Predictability+2009-05-06+12%3A03%3A43Alexander+Marlow

Remember When SNL Was Funny? (Obama Ushers in New Era of Comedic Irresponsibility)

Everyone knows the old axiom about comedy.  There’s always a grain of truth in that which an audience finds funny.  Done well, comedy can make you squirm with its raw honesty.  It has the power to inform our perspectives about politics and news just as any good journalist.  Comedy helps provide insight into human flaws just as any good psychologist.   Often self-deprecating and socially awkward, comedians themselves will deny their impact.  Most comedians and writers prefer to think of themselves as lovable class clowns – laughing on the outside, crying on the inside.  Just as former NBA star Charles Barkley once famously proclaimed he was no role model, many in the funny business will dismiss their impact in the hearts and minds of their audience.

Modesty, however, cannot dismiss a growing body of evidence that suggests comedians possess greater power than ever before when shaping the national debate.   Notably in the last decade, television comedy has amassed an influence in politics to such and extent; nary a high profile politician can ignore its impact and resist the pull to participate.   Numerous studies have been conducted through the years analyzing the staggering impact of comedy in the opinions and perceptions of its audience.  The power is particularly significant with the country’s attention-short youth.  (more…)

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Tags: " "The Daily Show, Family Guy, jay leno, jon stewart, Obama
Posted Mar 25th 2009 at 1:33 pm in Entertainment, Featured Story, Politics | 8838621 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cstigall/2009/03/25/remember-when-snl-was-funny-obama-ushers-in-new-era-of-comedic-irresponsibility/Remember+When+SNL+Was+Funny%3F+%28Obama+Ushers+in+New+Era+of+Comedic+Irresponsibility%292009-03-25+20%3A33%3A38Chris+Stigall

Lonewolf Diaries: A Letter to Lorne Michaels (Official Petition)

Copied below is the ACTUAL letter that I sent to and was signed for by Lorne Micheals (and assistant) today over at NBC. I know that the writing is a little less snippy than usual, but please take into account that this man could squash my nuts into oblivion. There’s plenty of room for suggestions, so I encourage you to chime in.  And bear in mind, Lorne may be stopping by here.

Dear Mr. Michaels

I write this letter not as a disgruntled fan, but as a true admirer of what SNL stands for (and as a fellow Canadian/American). We both know how popular it is to mutter things like “I liked SNL, back when it was good” or “SNL used to be cool, but now their writing sucks etc.” Trust me; I’m as annoyed by those folks as you are. I truly believe that you have one of the most talented casts ever assembled over there at NBC. (more…)

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Tags: big hollywood, Bush era, flyover states, jesters, Joe Biden
Posted Mar 3rd 2009 at 5:36 pm in Media Criticism, Political Humor, Politics | 71274230 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/scrowder/2009/03/03/lonewolf-diaries-a-letter-to-lorne-michaels-official-petition/Lonewolf+Diaries%3A+A+Letter+to+Lorne+Michaels+%28Official+Petition%292009-03-04+01%3A36%3A25Steven+Crowder

Bashing Bush = Boffo Broadway Business!

I know that as the guy on the “Broadway Beat” I should have a take on the Will Ferrell one-man show due to start previews at the Cort on Inauguration Day, “You’re Welcome America, A Final Night with George Bush”, but, so far, I’m just bored with the idea.

Sure, it’s going to be a 90-minute SNL sketch, but instead of the opening sketch that always grabs you and pulls you in to watch through “Update”, I expect it’ll be like one of those sketches thrown in after the second song from the musical guest.  And it will feel like they never quite figured out how to end it…  you know, those excruciating sketches which force you to say “Why am I still up watching this?” 

I like Will Ferrell…  he almost always makes me laugh.  But, there is something about his Bush impression that has gotten pretty mean.  He always played W in that stereotype kind of dim, frat-boy kind of way.  But when he looked into the camera and said “Strategery” during the mock debates against Darrell Hammond’s awesome Al Gore, he had an earnestness that made the caricature endearing.  Now, his Bush has lost the charm and it’s just not as fun to watch. 

Here’s a promotional video, see if you agree:

(more…)

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Tags: broadway theatre, dana carvey, george bush, snl, will ferrell
Posted Jan 12th 2009 at 7:00 am in Celebrity News, Politics, Video | 1352528 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/sright/2009/01/12/bush-bash-boffo-broadway-business/Bashing+Bush+%3D+Boffo+Broadway+Business%212009-01-12+15%3A00%3A37Stage+Right