SNL's Palin Mockery Used The Candidate's Own Words

***UPDATE: SEE TINA FEY AS SARAH PALIN IN THE VP DEBATE SKETCH FROM OCTOBER 4***

Tina Fey's imitation of vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is not merely remarkable for its spot-on characterization. Side-by-side comparisons of Palin's interview with Katie Couric and its Saturday Night Live spoof reveal that Fey's mockery is more-or-less safe for broadcast even in the event of another writers' strike, as all it takes are Palin's own words to make the comedy work.

One thing Palin can learn from Fey: hire someone to hold the cue cards up in her field of vision, so she doesn't have to keep glancing down!

Comments

[MEC43]

I think that Tina Fey's impersonations have done a great job of skewering a part of the Palin persona - the part that has dubious credentials and fumbles for words during unscripted interviews. I hope that future skits take on the other part of Palin's persona - the nasty, vindictive part. There's plenty of true ammunition for satire - troopergate, victim funded rape kits, etc. The trouble with only pointing out the ditzy part of the persona is that voters could feel sympathy for her and feed the myth that elite media snobs are taking out a regular person. A little focus on the nasty part of the persona will show that the media should be praised for taking out a bully.

[filo]

Tina Fey said she wants to stop playing Palin.........after Nov 4th. ..lol

[WAWTU31]

I caught that also...priceless

[kothian1]

I'm sure Tina's happy about it. It makes that much less work to step over into the SNL studios and not have to actually write the sketch.

[stella801]

The "documentary" was hiliarious knowing that it was word for word...gesture for gesture. It is classic comedy when the parody of a person becomes the actual documentation of the person. The parody owns the person. Think about it! LMAO!

[DonnyMac]

Tina Fey is way smarter and way hotter than the "real thing".

[taotebjp]

The reason so many people are listening to Saturday Night Live, and that the last two skits, and especially last week's faux recreation of the Palin-Couric interview is that it loudly rings TRUE. The point of the SNL Palin interview skit is COMEDIANS CAN'T MAKE STUFF UP THAT IS MORE PATHETIC THAN PALIN'S OWN WORDS. When you inject Palin's actual words into the skit, and you cannot tell which are hers and which are written by professional comic writers, that says it all.

Be afraid. With each beat of John McCain's 72 year old, hypertension beaten, cholesterol riddled heart, POW stressed heart, be VERY afraid.

[imusintheevening]

The most amazing part was learning today how much was word for word from the real interview, truly astonishing.

[mlaiuppa]

I didn't think it could be done but Palin's verbal answers are the equivalent of a vocal Rube Goldberg machine. (Look it up.)

[snesich]

McCain didn't choose Palin because he thought she was the woman most qualified to serve as VP. He chose her because the ultra right-wing of his party needed to be placated.

So, when McCain says he chose her because of her qualifications, he's either lying or he's incredibly out of touch with reality.

Which is it, John?

[KarlaElisa]

i honestly will miss her stupid quips when she's gone. i've never laughed so hard at a politician.

[LemonMeringue]

Palin speaks in interviews as if she's being fed lines through a secret microphone. She changes subjects in the middle of a sentence, seems to stop and listen, etc.

[HateLieCheatKillRepubWay]

That's because she's "one of us"; anyone one of us can be president.

[elevando]

It wasn't that funny, really, though asking for a life line made me chuckle.

[ItHasToGetBetter]

The fact that you can repeat the exact wording of the original interview and it works as a parody is amazing. No one can tell me they feel comfy at the thought of this person in the VP seat. Tina Fey, yes. Sarah Palin, no.

[SEDANMIK]

FROM THE GET GO ; FOR SOME REASON ; EVERY TIME I SEE SARAH PALIN ON TV ; SHE REMINDS ME KELLY BUNDY ( FROM MARRIED WITH CHILDREN ) .

ANY HOO ; ON A DAY LIKE THIS WE NEED SOME LAUGH

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32YKaPxAxwA&feature=related

OBAMA / BIDEN

[PlantGod72]

Yup, Yup....that's fer sher!

[P3UMXT]

Honestly she reminds me of that Ms Teen USA contestant trying to answer the question on why students can't find USA on a map. Want to hear it: Here it goes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww

[Siryn]

This would be the only positive outcome of a McCain-Palin administration. SNL writing itself from the news.