Step up, SNL

The girls were great on SNL. Clever. Funny. Smart. And then the show fell into audition segments for cast members to sell their vacuous movie franchise ideas.

Enough.

Step up. This show has the possibility of being a real political force. And every week it throws it away.

Rarely, does it even make use of the particulars of its host as everyone scrambles to do another skit about ugly children or water cooler antics. Or one of the endless fringe talk show parodies.

In a time of great political turmoil it seems almost essential that these creative, funny people step up to their responsibility to make people think. They can still be funny. Jon Stewart is funny.

Stephen Colbert is funny. That Was The Week That Was was funny. But also relevant. Choose your style. Entertain. SIng. Dance. But stir the pot.

"Disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. "

You're young. Your audience is young. Take some risks.

We're tired of "Hamburger, hamburger, hamburger."

Comments

[CrzyRussell]

Well, SNL really blew it this time. I was really disappointed.

[protagonia]

In modern terms, anything Conservative is not funny, because it has to be based on truth to get a laugh.

Neo-Conservatism is a lie for the working family.

The ones expected to laugh.

[LEFTTURNAHEAD]

Tina Fey was great. The rest of the show was dull - a huge disappointment. I was looking forward to the new season. After reading the comments and links below, I found out Lorne Michaels is a McCain supporter. I feel sad that his gutter politics will be safe from any satire. Depressing! It is frustrating enough that the MSM protects McCain...and now SNL too!!!

[1will]

Saturday Night Live is meant to be a comedy show appealing to a broad base of viewers not a "Political Force."
It's up to the Left WIng Media, blogs and biased journalists to do their own heavy lifting in this election coverage. Cheer up though. I read that many young people get most of their news from Jon Stewart. You don't have to worry about him being fair when covering or joking about both parties and their candidates.

[kingofscotts]

"This show has the possibility of being a real political force"

It's not intended to be a political force.

As much as you liberals would like to co-opt everything into your mission for the messiah; believe it or not somethings are not about politics.

Sure they skewer politicians from both parties as they should. However they are there to make us laugh. They are a refuge from the daily grindings of politics. The day they become another wing of the DNC is the day they lose. It's the day they cease to be entertainment.

I find it shocking that you somehow think that SNL is abandoning their responsiblity to be social acitvists.

I know I know censor away.

[kevingiampa]

"It's not intended to be a political force."

That's her point. Duhhhhhhhh. She thinks it should intend to be political force.

It's called an opinion different from yours. Get over the shock.

[PJPerk]

Uh, Saturday Night Live will never "step up." It's run by a McCain supporter. Check out Lorne Michaels' political contributions at http://www.newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/Lorne_Michaels.php.

[Aaror]

I could just about write the skit for them, actually, McCain already did.
Take quotes for McCain on various issues, and stage a "debate," between two actors playing McCain. Have them use actual quotes, and at the bottom of the screen show "Actual quote," followed by the date he said it. By the end of the segment, both McCains are shouting angrily, and they start a physical brawl, that Palin and Leiberman have to break up.

[billydog]

Hey, what competition does SNL have on Saturday night at 11:30? Their success is like Rush Limbaughs success "mid-day" when he has no competition.

Except for some occasional brief flashes of brilliance in SNL's opening scenes the show sucks and has 2nd rate comedians and 3rd rate skits.

[kevingiampa]

Running on Empty is simply brilliant, and I agree that SNL could and should be more relevant. It could also be a lot funnier. cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger, at least had some element of "not being ready for prime time," of being subversive, subcultural, anyway.

I'm most disappointed with how tone deaf they are when it comes to contemporary politics. Why are they still doing Hillary Clinton sketches seven weeks before an Obama, McCain election? I mean, Amy Poehler's great and all, but, hell, have her play Obama or McCain, if you can't use someone else. Hey, she could have played Todd Palin in a sketch with Hammond's McCain (?). SNL is really wasting its opportunities to be of even greater cultural and politcal relevance.

[nsj2103]

You mean "cheeseburger." SNL has never been about really intelligent, or even provocative humor. That's why the cold opening with Tiny Fey as Palin has gotten so much attention - it's soft and uncontroversial enough for every cable news channel to play it. Frat-boy humor is what SNL does best, and that's why I love it.

[mlaiuppa]

SNL used to be funny, biting and relevant.

What happened?

[Semaj51]

Thought SNL was a comedy show. Since when was it their "responsibility" to make people think?

[jeersforfears]

What if someone on SNL made fun of liberals? Would that be part of your educational program?

[Dangersea27]

Yeah....a funny skit about liberals...
It could show them reading and discussing different ideas, instead of just shouting over each other. How funny it would be, a skit where the liberal guy can't decide which to recycle first, glass or paper? How about a hilarious sketch featuring the importance of keeping air in the tires? Maybe a joke or two about ALL children getting health care? Yeah, make a funny joke about all the letters liberals have behind their names, you know, from all the DEGREES they earn with higher education (that's after 12th grade, in case you didn't know). Then close it out with a bunch of liberals casting votes that count in a REAL democracy, instead of this theocratic/fascist hodgepodge that's broken the economy. I'd laugh long and hard...if only it were true...

[RealistDem]

Actually some of the best political skits made fun of Clinton. The Phil Hartman as Clinton in Mcdonalds skit, Hartman as Clinton in the debates--Bragging about Arkansas being 48th in the country in adult literacy, and adding watch out mississippi we got your number. Tales of the Arkansas state police resonding to a Clinton home distrurbance call. They made fun of Hillary and Obama during the primary season, didnt really focus on the republicans. The difference between a republican and a democrat is that we have a sense of humor and can laugh at ourselves, while republicans will attack the messenger.

[rini]

Whoever is in power should be the target. Until W is out of office, I think that his administration is the greatest fodder for political parody.

There is just so much to be said.

In case you have been asleep, making fun of liberals is really tired.

[BottomLine2008]

Tina Fey was dead on as Palin. Sounds exactly like her.

[JulieSA]

I liked the sketch about the Dem primary debate, where the reporters were asking Obama questions like "Can I get you a pillow?" Very true to life.