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Saturday, October 18, 2008

Palin on SNL

posted by on October 18 at 13:31 PM

Why didn’t NBC insist on Palin sitting down for a real, substantive interview—or, better still, calling a full press conference—as a condition of Palin appearing on SNL tonight? Candidates don’t go on Letterman, Leno, SNL, The Daily Show, et al, to take a break from the campaign trail. Comedy programs are stops on the campaign trail. Palin is running from the press, refusing to answer any questions, lying her ass off on the stump, and attacking the people who could call her on those lies—reporters, news anchors, cable news networks—at her rallies. So why the fuck should NBC allow Palin to reap the political rewards of an appearance on SNL if Palin isn’t willing (or able) to answer questions from NBC news reporters?

NBC’s negotiations with the McCain/Palin campaign should have gone like this:

MCCAIN CAMP: “We want Palin to go on SNL, and show Americans that she’s got a sense of humor about herself.”

NBC: “Of course you do, and we’d love to have her on the show—after she grants an open-ended, no-preconditions interview to Brian Williams.”

Yes, yes: the news and entertainment divisions at NBC are separate entities—blah blah blah—it would be an unprecedented development for the news and entertainment divisions to work together on this, to stand together, and use their combined power and influence to hold Palin accountable. But Palin’s refusal to answer questions or hold press conferences is also unprecedented. Extraordinary times, extraordinary measures.

Allowing Palin to appear on SNL while she stonewalls and attacks the media is a betrayal of NBC’s news division and of NBC’s viewers by NBC’s entertainment division—but, um, I’ll watch SNL tonight, of course.

RSS icon Comments

1

Dan: You don't think this will make the more rational of independents stop and think "wait, why is she here and not on the news"?

Posted by AJ | October 18, 2008 1:51 PM
2

No, I don't.

Posted by Dan Savage | October 18, 2008 1:54 PM
3

I'm not going to watch, and I won't play the clips that various bloggers will swear up and down are a must-see. Been fooled before.

It's weird, in fact, how incapable of being funny, or insightful, SNL has become. You'd think by sheer dumb luck some how they could go a five minute stretch without being unwatchably cringe-inducing and tedious. Weird, but true.

Posted by elenchos | October 18, 2008 1:55 PM
4

i'm hoping the skit involves tina and the dipshit on camera at the same time, like they did with amy poehler and hillary. i am confident that palin will be just as uncomfortable and capable of looking like an asswipe as ever before. no doubt.

Posted by isweatbutter | October 18, 2008 1:59 PM
5

Because the ratings for SNL will be huge and if you give Palin the ultimatum of doing a real news program or not doing SNL she'd choose to skip SNL. Our best bet of getting a real interview is for Tina Fey to broadside Palin by asking her a few real questions and see how she responds.

Posted by Kyle | October 18, 2008 2:16 PM
6

Pailn is the laughingstock of the real press.

Check out this clip just posted over on Kos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdC2HbRlxz0

Posted by DavidC | October 18, 2008 2:24 PM
7

I have very little interest in watching this. Tina Fey does Palin better than Palin does.

Posted by Greg | October 18, 2008 2:42 PM
8

This is one of the rare times I disagree with you, elenchos. I think Tina Fey has been more devastating than 100 SLOG echo chambers at turning people's opinions about Palin.

I don't like that SNL was having Palin on, but then I realized that it's just political cover so that five minutes after Palin leaves, they can go back to continually fisting the ticket.

Posted by Big Sven | October 18, 2008 2:56 PM
9

What will happen if I throw holy water at my Tee Vee screen when she's on?

Posted by E | October 18, 2008 3:13 PM
10

Um, Brian Williams of NBC is interviewing McCain and Palin next week. Will supposedly be airing on Thursday and Friday.

Posted by stinkbug | October 18, 2008 3:15 PM
11

I haven't watched SNL in years and I'm not going to start again tonite.

Posted by Sirkowski | October 18, 2008 3:18 PM
12

oops, the interview airs Weds and Thurs.

Posted by stinkbug | October 18, 2008 3:20 PM
13

But if you meet with the media without preconditions, then the terrorists will have won!

Posted by Matt | October 18, 2008 3:43 PM
14

@5: If only someone at NBC had the balls to turn Palin's SNL appearance into a hard-hitting "pop" interview. I'd like to see Palin try to evade or bullshit her way out of it on live TV.

Posted by Clara | October 18, 2008 3:45 PM
15

nbc is just happy to have people watching anything on their network. snl is the only thing there worth watching these days. knightrider, anyone? (okay, i love 30 rock, but it's not on yet this fall.)
so, they had NO leverage in requiring anything for this snl appearance. and she was already planning to do a sit down interview with brian williams. she WAS making them wait though because of the ridiculous coverage on their sister network msdnc. oh sorry, msnbc.

Posted by roger | October 18, 2008 3:54 PM
16

I wouldn't watch it if you paid me in Euro's. The sight of Sarah Palin makes my stomach ulcers bleed. Quite frankly, this entire election cycle is only making my therapist richer.

Posted by Lawks a Lordy | October 18, 2008 3:56 PM
17

Palin gives interviews. In limited quantity and where she feels most comfortable. If they make her look bad, she blames the "librul" media. She most also now be chaperoned by McCain.

What she does not do is give press conferences. You know, with actual journalists and gotcha follow up questions.

Posted by hal | October 18, 2008 4:04 PM
18

...THE OBSESSION WITH SARAH PALIN IS ASTONISHING ... OVER FOR HER AND MC CAIN ... GEEZ

IS HER BODY LANGUAGE .... WHAT .... I THINK SHE IS ORDINANRY, HER POLITICS STINK. HER TICKET IS GOING DOWN THE TUBE.

HAVE SOME OF YOU NEVER MET FEMALE NEOCONS?

AIN'T MY HARD SHELL DEMOCRAT MOTHER OR GRANNY, FOR SURE.

CONCENTRATE ON ELECTING GREGOIRE, A WOMAN WE NEED.

HO HUM.

Posted by KAY | October 18, 2008 4:29 PM
19

Um, how sure are you that this won't be a disaster for the McCain/Palin campaign? Remember, this show is LIVE

Posted by Just Sayin | October 18, 2008 4:33 PM
20

I think SNL just set some kind of record for shark-jumping. Four weeks from "cutting edge political satire that's got everybody talking" to "co-opted by the intended target for her own benefit."

I still doubt that Palin can be funny on purpose. Here's hoping she gets booed by that Un-American New York audience.

Posted by flamingbanjo | October 18, 2008 4:37 PM
21

Daniel, that last sentence is just fucking sick.

You're turning into a really disgusting person, and it's sad to watch.

Posted by mo | October 18, 2008 4:38 PM
22

Wahhhh!

Posted by Mr. Poe | October 18, 2008 4:54 PM
23

hmmm....let's see here...why won't NBC make Palin jump through hoops to get what she wants....and at the same time we don't ask anything of Obama when he trolls for cash from homos and their families and he's too much of a pussy to campaign against Prop 8 or even give any fucking money to help defeat it.

Biden is making three stops in the SF Bay Area this weekend to collect cash...how much more cash do they need?

Selfish pricks - the Obama campaign as well as anyone willing to take NBC to task and not a Presidential campaign with a comfy lead and loads of cash.

Posted by patrick | October 18, 2008 4:55 PM
24

The only interest I have in seeing another millisecond of this Palin creature is if she is being beat to death by a horde of angry ferrets. Or seeing her portrayal in the Larry Flint porn flick.

Posted by M | October 18, 2008 5:12 PM
25

I won't watch. SNL sucks. But I hope they pelt her with boos and garbage.

Posted by Fnarf | October 18, 2008 5:21 PM
26

The guest host is Josh Brolin, one can only hope there's going to be a GWB/Palin sketch that doesn't involve the real Palin.

TINA FEY, DO NOT LET ME DOWN!

Posted by Jessica | October 18, 2008 5:36 PM
27

#23
obama has a comfy lead ?...
has the fat lady already sang ?

Posted by reverend dr dj riz | October 18, 2008 5:41 PM
28

I'm watching and writing some mean ass poetry

Posted by 4f...sake | October 18, 2008 6:05 PM
29

I just happened to be watching when Tina Fey did the first Palin skit, and I've been watching pretty regularly since.

It will probably be disappointing, unless they rewrite the script she'll be reading from on the prompter and she figures out that she has to wing it live. That would be hilarious.

Posted by Rain Monkey | October 18, 2008 6:05 PM
30

Dan,

In my wildest dreams, Fey does EXACTLY what you suggest: about 30 seconds into whatever skit they do toegher, Fey simply drops character and directly asks Palin those questions nobody else has dared to put to her - live, on coast-to-coast national television. Fey would instantaneously be hailed on the one hand as the most courageous person in the country, while simultaneously being vilified by the Right as an anti-American, commie-loving, terrorist sympathizer.

Ah, if only...

Posted by COMTE | October 18, 2008 7:47 PM
31

Just watched, I thought Palin was pretty decent, actually (80% due to the writing, but whatever). However, Tina Fey is much, much better.

On a side note, the skits immediately following the opener were some of the worst I have ever seen. Truly awful.

Posted by Julie in Chicago | October 18, 2008 8:47 PM
32

Just watched it too. Seeing them side by side - Wow - they are dead ringers - it's simply uncanny. Although Sarah is slightly more attractive.

They didn't soften their tone with her on the show but the jokes, especially in the second skit were all repeats. Still funny for a couple more weeks.

Posted by DavidC | October 18, 2008 10:02 PM
33


Life will never be this good for Demobots:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCp8Edp4pfo

Posted by John Bailo | October 18, 2008 10:53 PM
34

You said it yourself Dan, you think NBC should refuse to allow palin on SNL without demanding an interview, but you will still watch SNL without NBC demanding an interview. Ratings are what matter; they know you'll watch without those conditions, so what's their incentive?

Posted by crystina | October 19, 2008 12:21 AM
35

Don't be silly. The media _doesn't want_ to hold Palin accountable for _anything_. they just want their tax cut.

Posted by guy | October 19, 2008 7:22 PM

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