Saturday Night Live Abandons Comedy Format to Focus on Endorsements
Basking in the success of its endorsement of Sen. Hillary Clinton's candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president, NBC's late night warhorse Saturday Night Live announced today that it would abandon comedy to embrace its new role as a political kingmaker.
Lorne Michaels, executive producer of the venerable late night show, said that the election returns from Tuesday night were enough to convince him that the show should stay away from comedy altogether and focus its energies on making political endorsements.
"We want to be able to do one thing well," Mr. Michaels said. "And if it's a choice between doing comedy and choosing the next President of the United States, we're going to drop the comedy part."
Mr. Michaels said that the decision to get out of the comedy business and move towards full-time political endorsing should come as no surprise to its viewers: "We've been gradually moving away from comedy for years."
The Emmy-winning producer added that NBC viewers who are disappointed by his show's format change and want to look elsewhere for laughs "can always watch Tim Russert."
Arguing that fans of the show will ultimately be "delighted" by its new mission, the late night pioneer touted what he called "a really exciting" lineup of future guest hosts leading up to the Pennsylvania primary: Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, and musical guest George S. Clinton.
Elsewhere, presumptive GOP nominee John McCain accepted a congratulatory call from former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and then immediately changed his phone number.
Andy Borowitz is a comedian and writer whose work appears in The New Yorker and The New York Times, and at his award-winning humor site, BorowitzReport.com. He is the host of "Countdown to '08" at the 92nd Street Y on Tuesday, May 13 at 8 PM with his special guests Susie Essman (HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Jeffrey Toobin (CNN, bestselling author of The Nine. For tickets, go to 92y.org.
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I hate to break it to those in the entertainment bubble, but I just don't think SNL was all that important on Tuesday. What broke Obama in Ohio was the NAFTA story, as fake as it might have been, and probably the 3am ad. How many working class people, who came out in droves, are actually watching elitist "comedy" at 11:30 on Saturday night, or have time to watch hours of cable news, Youtube etc.? So while I agree with Andy's opinion on SNL, I just don't think it mattered much.
In Texas and elsewhere, the result was pretty much as expected, although I do believe that Rush Limbaugh's endorsement of Hillary had an impact. You see, this guy actually has a huge audience of devoted followers hanging on his every word. So I wonder if Obama might have won if it hadn't been for that Hillary endorsement.
>NBC's late night warhorse Saturday Night Live<
Great piece, Andy. Except you spelled "whorehouse" wrong.
Andy, in my opinion, considering that SNL's comedy writing -- as-of-late -- has worked far better as a viable alternative to a sleeping pill, than in entertainment geared towards the masses ... realistically speaking, SNL needed Sen. Clinton more than Sen. Clinton needed SNL. To be sure, ... after 9/11, I tuned into SNL less, because it seemed SNL got far too political in propaganda style messages over performing the tried and true comedic bit formulas that made SNL popular in the first place. For one to honestly suggest that this truly wasn't the case with SNL, is to suggest that one was living in a cave, without a TV, oblivious to the real world going on around them. And for anyone to suggest that SNL has suddenly abandoned comedy to focus on politics as some kind of new SNL format that SNL has never produced before, all because the last episode of SNL seemingly worked to Sen. Clinton's benefit over Sen. Obama ... *IS* pure comedy within itself; Obamabots never complained about "SNL's politics" when 'Sen. Obama' hosted the show. The overly biased attitude Obamabots seem to envision, seen through their rose colored fantasy world of Sen. Obama, gets pretty damn boring after awhile; even more so than in watching the typically boring new episodes of SNL! At any rate, there is an element of good timing to any kind of success in show-biz; SNL -&- Sen. Clinton capitalized off of that 'good timing', and that surely doesn't realistically make them the bad-guys in politics -or- comedy. Of course, ... some might suggest that HuffPost abandoned 'their' political objectivity to become comedic cheerleaders for Sen. Obama's '08 presidential campaign; ... now THAT is a comedy bit just BEGGING to be written; ... hint-hint. ;)
The problem wasn't the skit itself. The problem was when Hillary cited it as evidence and SNL essentially backed her up on it. What they should have done is come out with a skit the next week mocking Hillary for pointing to a comedy sketch as evidence of anything. SNL has also shown its bais by conspicuously avoiding mocking Hillary's poor-me poor-me victim act. If her well-timed crying and victim act isn't prime fruit for an SNL comedy writer, I'm not sure what is.
Please form our own questions and send to MSM hosts or copy these:
Dear Mr. Russert,
Questions I hope you and other respected journalists will ask of Senator Clinton as well as research yourself:
1) Please give specific examples of your participation in a) Peace talks in Northern Ireland b) the Kosovo refugee crisis--how did you influence the outcomes of these events? In what official capacity did you act at these events and what specific actions did you take, decisions did you participate in that can help Americans assess your foreign policy /national security experience and expertise over and beyond that of Senator Obama's?
2) How does your speech on women's rights in China substantiate your claim to foreign policy experience or your readiness to respond with sound judgment to an international
crisis as you suggest in your red phone ad?
3) Please give us examples of your work on the Senate Armed Services Committee and instances of how your superior judgment was tested and employed in that work.
4) What do you say to those who argue that in the most crucial test of judgment bearing on your potential to exercise sound judgment on foreign policy and in behalf of national security interests, you failed to demonstrate
a thorough enough consideration of all the evidence at hand so as to come to a decision you, and many other Americans, would not later regret-i.e. your vote to authorize the president to go to war with Iraq?
Oh, and get this, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are promoting this really gross movie where Amy is supposed to carry Tina's baby. Amy pees in the bathroom sink due to a childlock on the toilet. I am not making this up, it's in the preview I just saw Saturday. So, expect to see more non-funny comedy coming from the SNL alumni. Yes, Hillary's their girl and they are a real laugh riot together.
HuffPost's Pick
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler went all out for Hillary and Lorne Michaels signed off on it. So SNL wants Hillary, plain and simple. They are welcome to each other, I'll stop watching.
HuffPost's Pick
I found something in your post that I never found when I watched SNL. Good satire.
I have loved Saturday Night Live since the 70’s . I know the influence the show has over public opinion.
I believe that they should stick to comedy and remain neutral.
For an entire year Hillary was treated as the “Chosen one" by the media. In debates it was as if the other contenders needn’t have bothered showing up. She stood center stage a proud peacock ready to strut her stuff.
I’m sure Hillary enjoyed being considered the only' viable' candidate for the Democratic nomination. There was no hue and cry by the other nominees.
Suddenly, Barack Obama surged ahead with a unifying message. Seemingly No one paid attention. No one that is, except the citizens of this country.
They desperately took hold of the ideas long abandoned after the last two farcical elections that we can change the direction of this country.
A movement began.
People are coming out in droves with the belief that we are united and all of us matter.
Only when the apathetic have become motivated to act, did Hillary look around from her campaign plateau with “it's about me" tune playing in her ears and realize that the country’s focus has shifted towards a collective us?
Not only does she try to stem the tide, she cries poor me and the media rushes to her aid?!
We don’t need to have another source killing the inspiration that has motivated democrats to get out and vote and feel once again like our votes matter.
If Saturday Night Live takes this “endorsement stance ultimately they will lose more viewers than they will “entertain” in Obama Bashing.
I thought SNL gave up on comedy years ago.
"We've been gradually moving away from comedy for years."
_______________________________________________
Gradually?
From SNL to Oprah, it is sad but not shocking to see so many commercial endorsements. It is even more depressing to see them have so much influence on our electorate. I'm just waiting for the commercial "Pepsi, the offical beverage of the Democratic National Convention."
As a side note, the comments in this blog continue to prove the old saying that "satire is lost on the dimwitted".
Tina Fey needs to go. That skit was so stupid, it wasn't funny at all, it was clearly just her venting her bias for Hillay and demonizing Obama...just totally out of character with the spirit of SNL. Ever since she took the realms, the show has absolutely plummetted.
"We've been gradually moving away from comedy for years."
The viewers have been gradually moving away from watching SNL.
SNL interjected itself into a campaign inappropriately by having Hillary on their show when she using them to try and turn the press against Obama in the final stages of this last Tuesday's primaries. It was very inappropriate because at that point they became more than just a satirical show. They became an unpaid ad for Hillary and a part of her campaign. It would have been okay to have either Barack or Hillary on their show this upcoming Saturday but not right before a primary. That was totally inappropriate.
One must ask: Who do the Clintons know at GE that they could use SNL as part of their campaign strategy? Don't forget Hillary is just part of the Washington lobby controlled in crowd just like John McCain and George W. GE wants those defense contracts and the known DLC sold out quality these insiders bring to the table.
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Posted March 5, 2008 | 10:48 AM (EST)