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Late Night: SNL with Sarah Palin

By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Sat Oct 18, 2008 at 11:13:31 PM EST
Tags: Sarah Palin, SNL (all tags)
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Saturday Night Live will have not only Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin, but Sarah Palin herself.

We'll post video when it's available. I'll update with my thoughts after the segment airs here.

If you're in an earlier time zone and have seen it, feel free to weigh in.

Update: Huffpo has video here. Reuters recap here, AP wrapup here.

Update: My take: The opening was ho-hum, the Weekend Update segment with Amy Poehler's rap was great. I highly recommend watching Amy in that segment. All Palin did was sit there and play the good sport, which was fine by me. The sidelines is where she belongs.

Opening skit below the fold:

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    Late Night: SNL with Sarah Palin | 25 comments (25 topical)

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    She's been on in 2 segments. (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by Iphie on Sat Oct 18, 2008 at 11:42:06 PM EST
    One at the beginning and the second when she appeared on Weekend Update -- she said she decided she wasn't going to do the piece they'd rehearsed, so Amy Poehler did it instead. It was a rap complete with Eskimos, moose and Todd Palin. Funny. Can't say she doesn't have a sense of humor or is unwilling to laugh at herself.

    There were times (none / 0) (#10)
    by mg7505 on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 12:22:49 AM EST
    during the Eskimo rap, when I wasn't sure if this was actually happening -- the sight of Palin raising the roof while Amy Poehler yells "all the mavericks in the house put your hands up!" was surreal. But I finally picked my jaw up off the floor and accepted the fact that this is what we do in America when times get tough.

    Nonetheless this bit was hilarious. SNL is the only political commentary I can watch without getting frustrated.

    Parent

    I have trouble figuring out if it's Tina or Palin (5.00 / 2) (#2)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Oct 18, 2008 at 11:43:46 PM EST
    they look so much alike.

    It felt like there was some sort of (none / 0) (#3)
    by Iphie on Sat Oct 18, 2008 at 11:51:44 PM EST
    warp in the space-time continuum when they passed each other on the way in/out of the press conference -- they even look to be the same height.

    Parent
    Glitch in the matrix (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by jerry on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 12:05:54 AM EST
    That usually happens when they change something.

    Parent
    Tina said on Letterman that Palin (none / 0) (#4)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Oct 18, 2008 at 11:55:33 PM EST
    is way, way taller than her.

    Parent
    Oh, really? (none / 0) (#5)
    by Iphie on Sat Oct 18, 2008 at 11:57:41 PM EST
    I didn't see that -- must've been the shoes, then.

    Parent
    Palin's second appearance on SNL (5.00 / 0) (#6)
    by MF on Sat Oct 18, 2008 at 11:58:03 PM EST
    I must disagree with the earlier comment, that at least Palin can laugh at herself.  Palin's appearance on weekend update blatantly showed that not only has she no judgement, she is offensive when trying to be funny/charming.  Amy Poehler and SNL comedians did a bitingly brilliant rap about Palin, with lyrics including 'Obama-Ayers'--and the camera goes to Palin, who is 'grooving' to her own offensive comments of the past week-she just doesnt get it.  Not to mention, her not even thinking about the fact that these are white comedians, mocking black rap--the SNL actors and writers were great, it was brilliant satire.  What was pitiful and absolutely frightening, was Palin's endorsement, by being there, and enjoying it.  
    To whomever knows, I hope this awful sight gets on You Tube and is shown everywhere, so people really see how dangerous someone like that with that lack of judgement is.  

    Let's hear it for Palin NOT (5.00 / 1) (#15)
    by oculus on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 12:57:31 AM EST
    bringing the First Dude and the kids on stage.  How about it?

    They probably werent written in. (none / 0) (#22)
    by Thanin on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 07:18:39 AM EST


    Parent
    Kinda lame (none / 0) (#11)
    by Steve M on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 12:33:35 AM EST
    She didn't do a whole lot except stand there.  She showed herself to be a good sport, that's about it.  John McCain is definitely much funnier.

    The opening was more (none / 0) (#12)
    by MKS on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 12:42:40 AM EST
    satire of Palin by Tina Fey--she stood there and took it....Not sure that really gets her much....

    Parent
    She's has poise, I have to give her that. (none / 0) (#13)
    by lucky leftie on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 12:54:09 AM EST
    As I watched her give her speech at the GOP convention, I was struck by how composed she was.  The pressure  must have been overwhelming but she didn't show it.  At the time, I believed a new republican star was emerging.  Now, I'm not sure what her future will be.  We've not been permitted to see much of her and of course, what we have seen has been largely damaging.   But she is clearly comfortable in the limelight.  

    SNL wasn't funny tonight.  The eskimo rap number was one of the few bright spots.  Jason Sudeikis looked great as "Todd."  Palin did OK, nothing really memorable.  

    I thought the skit with Poehler (none / 0) (#16)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 01:03:20 AM EST
    in the bar dancing and bumping her big pregnant belly into everything was very funny. I couldn't believe how well she danced -- she made 9 mos. seem sexy.

    Parent
    I agree, (none / 0) (#17)
    by lucky leftie on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 01:08:33 AM EST
    Poehler is hilarious.  I imagine she'll be going on maternity leave soon.  She'll be missed.  

    Parent
    From what Ive heard... (none / 0) (#21)
    by Thanin on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 07:16:44 AM EST
    shes leaving SNL after the birth.

    Parent
    I'm sorry to hear that. (none / 0) (#26)
    by lucky leftie on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 10:51:03 AM EST
    I wonder who they'll get to do Update.  Maybe Seth Myers will be solo.

    Parent
    That was funny (none / 0) (#19)
    by MKS on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 03:01:23 AM EST
    Poehler is very talented

    Parent
    I thought the whole thing made Palin look awful (none / 0) (#14)
    by barryluda on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 12:56:16 AM EST
    In contrast, McCain on Letterman looked bad, but it came across -- to me at least -- as more fair somehow.  It seemed like McCain was let in on the joke.  On SNL, it seemed that Palin was the butt of the joke the entire time.

    I almost started to feel sorry for her and even think that there might be a backlash against SNL for putting Palin in such a bad situation.

    But given this thread and everyone else's reaction, I guess my perception was way off.

    She didn't do much (5.00 / 2) (#20)
    by MKS on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 03:04:16 AM EST
    or smile or laugh....There seemed to be tension between her and the cast--especially in the first segment....

    Compared to Hillary's appearance with Poehler--where there was a chemistry between them....

    Parent

    Yes, that's it exactly; but why the tension (none / 0) (#25)
    by barryluda on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 08:30:46 AM EST
    Both Clinton and McCain and, come to think of it, most people who get lampooned on a comedy show, they somehow become part of the joke.  But by pushing back, not smiling or laughing, Palin remained separate from the jokes.

    So now I wonder why she didn't smile or laugh.  Was she not quick enough to understand the jokes?  Or was SNL somehow "harder" on Palin than they had been on Clinton (or Letterman was on McCain)?

    Parent

    For comparison's sake (none / 0) (#18)
    by Steve M on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 01:09:31 AM EST
    Here is a video of Palin on the Craig Ferguson show from last year, long before she was a national celebrity.  I remember watching it at the time and thinking it was pretty cool!

    I thought she did fine. (none / 0) (#23)
    by LarryInNYC on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 07:50:18 AM EST
    I've watched the video of the opening.  I thought she did great.  She didn't have too many actual lines, but she had good presence and delivery -- probably the best of the four people who appeared in the stand-up section of the skit.  It's true that she didn't look too happy when Baldwin "confused" her with Tina Fey and insulted her, but she wasn't supposed to.  

    I thought she could have yelled a bit louder on "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!".

    They should get my two daughters to do that line -- they're great (they also do a great "From the Chase Auditorium in downtown Chicago it's Peeeeter Sagal!")  Scary to think that way back in pre-history when SNL debuted I was only four years older than my oldest daughter.

    No Gravitas (none / 0) (#24)
    by WS on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 08:12:54 AM EST
    I thought she tried to have a presence and gravitas that she didn't really have.  Her voice was lower than usual and she seemed to be tightly wound up.  Maybe it was her nervousness or maybe she wanted to act like a big important, serious politician but she didn't do much and let the comedians do the jokes for her.

    She also didn't do any "dumb" jokes like Bush did 8 years ago (strategery, word mangling etc.) and I thought that was peculiar.  The best part was the Palin rap and they could have done that without her.  

    Maybe next time they can leave out the usual (none / 0) (#27)
    by VicfromOregon on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 06:36:31 PM EST
    48 state racism of the "Stupid Indian" and the Igloo Eskimo as protrayed by the two dumbspeaking white guys dressed in animal skins.

    Late Night: SNL with Sarah Palin | 25 comments (25 topical)

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