So! By now you all know that Ben Affleck impersonated Keith Olbermann on SNL this weekend — and you even know what he thought of it, and what the McCain campaign thought of it, and what Olbermann thinks of what the McCain campaign thought of it, and you're all going to tune into "Countdown" tonight to find out!
But here's what I want to know: What did Michael Terry think of it?
Readers of this column may recognize Michael Terry as the Olbermann impersonator who isn't Ben Affleck. Terry posted a video spoofing Olbermann's "Special Comments" in September, as part of an audition sample for — yes — "Saturday Night Live." Since then it's gotten almost 75,000 views on YouTube (we heard that Olbermann liked it, too).
In case you were hoping for a feisty Olbermann-on-Olbermann clash, hold up: "I thought it was fantastic," said Terry, who was happy to see the character finally get his due. "I was surprised that it hadn't been done sooner — I thought the thing about Miss Precious Perfect was hilarious."
Speaking of cats, allow me a little meow: Not everyone was a fan of the Affleck impression, like Joel Keller at TV Squad, who thought it was too long and "all over the place" and saying that Affleck "alternately [made] the Countdown host sound like a British lord of the manner and a man with clogged sinuses." As an avid watcher of both "Countdown"* and SNL I will say that I was glad to see them venture beyond just the "Special Comments"; my laugh-out-loud moment came during the "Worst Person in the World" segment where Affleck's Olbermann turned on Fred Armisen's Richard Wolff (no doubt Dana Milbank appreciated that part, too). That said, it was clear that Affleck was pretty proud of himself, which led to him breaking character and smirking twice, unfortunately just before his "Good night and good luck," sign-off, which robbed it of its potential heft. I'm just sayin'.
Compare and contrast below:
Funnily enough, Olbermann has another reason to be a fan of Terry's: They have both gotten under Bill O'Reilly's skin. Terry got his newscaster vibe on again in a video for MoveOn.org meant to get out the vote, riffing on the possibility of one vote uncast resulting in a victory for McCain (and, through the wonders of modern technology, customizing the name of the person to whomever received it via email).
Below is the spot, angrily blaming me for not voting, but it's not my fault; I'm Canadian. Below that is a clip from "The O'Reilly Factor," wherein O'Reilly talks to Townhall.com's Amanda Carpenter about what he thinks of the spot (hint: not much).
Upshot: It's Michael Terry's world, we're just living in it. And yes, he is my friend. So sue me. He's also funny.
Keith Olbermann, Now With Double Meat [ETP]
Guy in his kitchen does a better Olbermann than Ben Affleck [TV Squad]