NBC Edits SNL Bailout Skit Following Legal Concerns Over "People Who Should Be Shot" Chyron

Deadline Hollywood Daily:

On the past weekend's Saturday Night Live, a brutal but hilarious Democrat-bashing skit aired about the $700 billion federal bailout and the insanity of those subprime mortgages, and it featured lookalikes for George W. Bush, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, hedge fund billionaire and big Democratic donor George Soros, and a parade of sob-story "victims" who turn out to be deadbeats, greedy house-flippers, and schemers. (The unedited YouTube version is below...) The sketch was embraced by Republicans for appearing to blame Democrats for the Wall Street meltdown. At one point in the sketch, President Bush (played by SNL regular Jason Sudeikis) even said, "Wasn't it my administration that warned about the problem six years ago and it was Democrats who refused to listen?" (Immediately Barney Frank starts to complain... only to be hushed by Pelosi.)

NBC put the video online Sunday morning. But then it disappeared off the network's SNL website soon after. Needless to say, a lot of conspiracy theories were spun, especially by Republicans who wondered if the Democratic Congress, or perhaps Soros himself, were pulling NBC's puppet strings. "If you suspect a few high-placed phone calls to NBC led to the bailout skit slipping down the memory hole, you're not alone," wrote right-wing commentator Michelle Malkin.

But anyone who actually saw that video could see this was a lawsuit waiting to happen. Because SNL labeled Herb Sandler and his wife Marion, the real-life former owners of Oakland's Golden West Financial (aka World Savings), as "people who should be shot" and accused them of predatory lending that brought down Wachovia Bank even though no charges have been filed. NBC told me just now they never received any legal threat from the Sandlers. [Though the couple did give an angry interview to The Associated Press about the SNL sketch.]

Instead, the network claimed: "Upon review, we caught certain elements in the sketch that didn't meet our standards. We took it down and made some minor changes and it will be back online soon." Specifically, NBC said it has edited out the chyron on-screen text, "People who should be shot" that appeared beneath the Sandler' lookalikes, as well as the "allegations of corruption" made against the couple.

Read the whole story: Deadline Hollywood Daily

Comments

[RobinSeattle]

I'm a Democrat and I thought the skit was very funny. Obviously, any kind of censorship rubs me the wrong way and this appears to be a triumph of panicky corporate lawyers over comedy.

[raker]

This sketch was a hopelessly lame attempt at even-handedness. George Soros? Are you kidding me? SNL writers had to stoop to Bill O'Reilly's paranoia to find a left-wing whipping boy? If only there were more people like George Soros. And, the Republicans have been in charge of the world for 15 years, but the financial crisis is Barney Frank's fault? Barney Frank's and poor blacks, that is. Isn't there some kind of rule in satire that you go after the powerful and corrupt, based in truth? Well there oughta be. Loved Armisen's Barney Frank, though.

[urweatherman]

Are you kidding me? Or are you just plain ignorant! It was Barney Frank's boyfriends fault.....

[rowzeer]

Put your pointy hat and robe back on and take your h*m*phob*c as* back to the cross burning

[ohiomark]

Let me translate. "Legal concerns" means they got an angry phone call from Herbert and Marion Sandler saying they will use some of their $25 billion to sue them until they own NBC.

I'm sure that skit hit too close to home for Democrats too.

[lovingpolitics]

BS They were threatened by the BO troops

[ErnestineBass]

Oh, bollocks. Did you even bother to read the article, knucklehead?

SNL modified the skit to avoid possible legal ramifications. Grow up.

[Boboday555]

Yeah lovingpolitics...you're sooo right, SNL is soooo biased for those darned Democrats.
Everyone take it easy on poor lovingpolitics.
Can you blame her?
Did we ever see one skit about Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinski?
Come on, the writing's on the wall, SNL would never go after Democrats!

[mombabytiger]

Yes. Remember John Goodman as Linda Tripp?

[Ramirez]

Actually SNL did do a skit about Clinton and Monico. It was after he beat the impeachment rap though, so they could be as tough as they wanted. It was a cartoon thing; pretty tasteless as I recall.

[rowzeer]

They stick to the Dems, too.....To networks all that matter is $$$$$. The lawsuit reason is the only reason why they would pull it

[Whiteneck]

Sarah Palin-Iran tie.
The founder of Alaska Independence Party Joe Vogler, the raging anti-American and Todd-Sarah''s political godfather, said, "My government is my worst enemy. I''m going to fight them with any means at hand."

"Vogler''s greatest moment of glory was to be his 1993 appearance before the United Nations to denounce United States "tyranny" before the entire world and to demand Alaska''s freedom. The Alaska secessionist had persuaded the government of Iran to sponsor his anti-American harangue.

That''s right ... Iran. The Islamic dictatorship. The taker of American hostages. The rogue nation that McCain and Palin have excoriated Obama for suggesting we diplomatically engage. That Iran."
Palin''s friend and AIP chairwoman Lynette Clark : "[Sarah] is Alaskan to the bone ... she sounds just like Joe Vogler."

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/10/07/palins_unamerican/

Copy and paste this to spread it everywhere.

[Ramirez]

I think you've already spammed that on every thread on the board, newb.

[tangenjill]

Uncle Lorne's trying to help his buddy Johnnie.

[rock2casbah]

Exactly. But he went too far. He can't change the facts though. That's the big problem for Lorne. Comedy works because it's based on truths.

The viewers would be like is this a Dateline investigation or a comedy skit.

Palin is funny because it is true. In fact they used exact quotes from Palin's interview. If it was not peoiple would not get it.

Lorne is trying to create news instead of riff of of real news and facts.

[Portnoy]

Real fact like how the Sandlers are connected to Barack Hussein Obama?

THAT'S FUNNY!

[NoBo08]

Interesting. They finally bash Dems for scr ewing up the economy and then pull the video for legal reasons. Hmmm.....

[rock2casbah]

Well it would have been based on lies. You can't base comedy on lies or people will not get it and be offended for being manipulated.

Tina Fey's depiction is funny because it is true and identifiable. In fact some of Palin's exact same quotes and quirks are used. As they say you couldn't write a Sarah Palin. It get's no funnier than her real blunders.

[urweatherman]

Fact is...the entire skit was absolutely true...Sorry if "you just can't handle the truth" Jack Nicholson 1986

[NewArtz]

"Wasn't it my administration that warned about the problem six years ago and it was Democrats who refused to listen?"

Now, that's the biggest joke in the entire skit...yet rightwringers take it as editorial comment.

Peloshi shushing is spot on, as well.

[urweatherman]

Thats whats wrong with you liberals....you never recognize the truth because your leaders are always lying to us!

[rowzeer]

Lies like the fundamentals of our economy are strong?