The long awaited appearance of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live began with Tina Fey. Tina started the show spoofing Sarah Palin at a press conference where jokes were made about Palin not answering questions and about the McCain/Obama debate on last Wednesday.
Camera-cut to Loren Michaels with the real Sarah Palin who pulled of a pretty decent joke with Michaels about 30 Rock not being well known enough for Palin to spoof Fey. Enter Mark Wahlberg angrily looking for Andy Samberg. It was no surprise that whole deal was a set up, but I’m really hoping it was set up with this much forethought: A whole week of taking everyone for a ride just to tie in to the next joke… when Loren directed him to Sambergs dressing room and he stormed off, Michaels explained to Palin that Marky Mark wasn’t happy with the show’s impression of him.
Palin kind of snorted and said “Tell me about it.”
Then, in an inspired cameo, Alec Baldwin came on, mistaking Palin for Fey, asking Michaels how he could possibly let their wonderful Tina Fey on stage with that horrible Sarah Palin. Feigning embarrassment when Michaels introduced him to Sarah, Baldwin recovered by telling her that she was way hotter in person, to which Sarah responded that Stephen was her favorite Baldwin.
Then, in what one could have feared would have caused the collapse of the world as we know it, Tina Fey and Sarah Palin passed each other, as Fey skittered offstage when told Palin was on her way on to announce that she wouldn’t take anyone’s questions and “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”
Palin didn’t say much, and certainly didn’t interact the way Hillary Clinton did, or show as much comedy talent as McCain, but she was understatedly amusing. She reminded me of my junior high school teacher humoring the 8th grade graduation crowd after taking a ribbing by the valedictorian in his speech. Clearly not thinking it was as funny as everyone else does, but not wanting to look like she doesn’t have a sense of humor about herself.
The introduction sketch wasn’t the last we saw of Palin on the show. During Weekend Update, Sarah reappeared. She declared she wasn’t going to do the bit they rehearsed, so Amy Poehler launched into the rap, obviously meant for her all along, that mentioned Jeremiah Wright, William Ayers, “Drill, Baby, Drill”, the Bridge to Nowhere, and shooting moose. Cast members danced behind her, dressed as Eskimos, a moose (which was shot), and Palin husband, Todd. Sarah sat at the anchor desk bopping along to the music and doing that thing she does with her mouth. You know, when she pushes her top lip up with her bottom lip? Yeah, that.
Palin finally got her chance to imitate Tina Fey by using the sign-off Fey had delivered for years, ala Chevy Chase, as one of the anchors of Weekend Update, “I’m Sarah Palin. Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.”
On a few Palin-unrelated notes, Adele was phenomenal live, Amy Poehler is hugely and adorably pregnant, and I’m pretty impressed with Samberg and Wahlberg pulling off this week long joke on the media.
(wiping tears) That Weekend Update is the funniest thing I’ve seen in a while from SNL. Thanks so much for posting it, Ceilidh. I don’t like most of what Palin stands for, but that skit made me like her – just a little bit.
Oh, and Amy is absolutely hilarious. 🙂
The Weekend Update was really funny and sadly made Palin appear “normal”; which I why I didn’t want her to appear on the show. Oh well, at this point you either love her or are smart 😉
The Samberg/Wahlberg thing was brilliant, the rest of them were brilliant but, call me sour and humourless, even in this company, I couldn’t find a single funny thing about Palin…odd, that. 🙄
Cute yes, funny? No.
It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be, I even half-smiled at times.
But that wasn’t enough to change my opinion of her.
lol, the runaway train wreck just keeps getting better. first mccain’s blustering fool of an apology on letterman and now palin on snl. her appearance made her look even more daft if that was possible. all that is needed is obama and biden to come on snl and letterman and do the same fool-making of themselves then everyone will be on equal footing come november 2! 8)
I thought she did great. Funny, believable as she poked fun at herself. It doesn’t in any way affect voters (I hope), but I thought she was terrific.
Thanks for the write up Ceilidh 😉
I liked Palin’s appearance and thought she did great. She took it all in good humor, which couldn’t have been easy.
Poehler dancing with her huge belly at the bar was hysterical 😆
Agreed about Poehler, she makes the show for me. I can’t stand Seth Meyers and can’t imagine who’ll they’ll be able to get to do Weekend Update after Amy leaves. I wouldn’t watch if it ends up being just Meyers.
About Palin, they did it perfectly. I thought the Baldwin bit was awkwardly funny, exactly what SNL should and used to be.
I still don’t agree with her policies but give her a nod for poking fun at herself.
Thanks for posting the video Ceilidh, I had intended to watch it last night, but fell asleep. It was cute and made me smile – not laugh out loud, but smile. I’m with Jag on this one, I don’t care for the woman, but the skit made me see her (for a few minutes) as human. Anyone who can laugh at themselves has a chance in my book.
The rap was hilarious – Amy Poehler CAN deliver – but the part about Marky Mark was the most clever I’ve seen SNL in a while.
I very much doubt Wahlburg’s comments on Kimmel were intended as a joke set-up. SNL probably just used it and Mark’s publicist told Mark that he better go on SNL and treat it as a joke or he’d look like a jerk.
Giggleworthy, yes…but I still don’t know who the hell these people are. I lost count after Kenan Thompson and his god awful cosby impression. The show stinks. Lorne needs to go.
I thought the weekend update was pretty good. It’s all I saw besides the skit with the preggers chic in the bar. Now was that Josh Brolin as the host? If it was, I happened to catch the very end, when the host said goodnight and Palin was right there about to shake his hand and he snubbed her. I thought that was terribly uncouth, childish and just plain rude.
That was pretty good. As an avid Palin fan, I think it’s great that she has taken all of this with a good sense of humor.
When Mark Wahlberg shows more grace than a veep nominee, the jig is up.
Tina Fey for President. 😛
Not even Mark Wahlberg is stupid enough to seriously threaten bodily harm on TV. Of course this was all a set up. Excellently executed, I might add.
@ cara – Yes, that was Josh Brolin, and he HUGGED Palin. He turned to Adele first, on his right, and greeted her, then turned to Palin, on his left, and gave her a big hug, then turned to Tina Fey, begind him, and hugged her. He didn’t snub anyone.
Is that a Llama in the background of the first skit?? *sigh* Llamas are the coolest 🙂
Now SNL’s mocking Palin straight to her face! And the best come back she’s got is to sit there and rock with it?? Oh boy, she really is a joke. This campaign can’t get anymore ludicrous, can it?
I hate her and everything that idiotic, uneducated buffoon stands for. Nothing she does or says is funny.
Because I believe she will do anything she is told by McCain’s peeps, I choose to believe Sarah does not have a sense of humor about herself, and she just sat there smiling because she didn’t get all the jokes. She has one tape loop and a big ego that prevent her from seeing clearly. I think she’s gonna be a bigger baby than Kanye at the grammys if she doesn’t win.
I think Ceilidh hit the nail on the head with “Clearly not thinking it was as funny as everyone else does, but not wanting to look like she doesn’t have a sense of humor about herself” ditto for the comment about Marky Mark’s original bitch about SNL not being funny being genuine. His bit with Samberg was the funniest skit though.
When she opened the show, that was funny. But the second part, with the rap from Amy, she just at there like a sack of potatoes and wiggled a little bit. They could of done that skit without her.
I thought the cast of SNL and Sarah Palin handled the show very well, and it was great entertainment.
😀 God bless Amy. When is she having that baby!! It seems like she’s been pregnant forever!!! She was amazing! to be able to be so agile at this late in the pregnancy was amazing to see. I sure wasn’t moving like that.
I wasn’t feeling Palin too much. The first was a bit awkward and I didn’t care for her at the Weekend Update skit. Seems like she was given a few bones to bit yesterday.
I thought the second clip was gold! Amy did an incredible job with the rap. It was so hilarious!!!
As for Palin, she sat there and grinned while they mocked the hell out of her. It doesn’t show she has a great sense of humor about herself. Instead, it shows she really doesn’t get it.
They insulted her to her face. They definitely didn’t do that to Obama when he was on the show. Or McCain either.
She’s a joke and she doesn’t really we are laughing AT her, not with her. 😀
I thought Palin did a fine job. She was very comfortable in front of the camera and she had a laugh at herself.
I don’t think the appearance is going to change anyone’s vote, but it was nice to see a little humor in what has otherwise turned into a shitstorm of a campaign.
Can’t we disagree without demonizing people who think differently than we do?
Also, Amy Poehler is AWESOME.
Chamalla, I don’t think all right wingers are nutters but your charge would be correctly aimed at Mrs Palin who has made Obama out to be the devil incarnate… possibly for thinking differently than she does.
Diva: check out TMZ–they reported it exactly the way I said; that SNL just capitalized on Wahlberg’s obnoxious behavior to get a joke (and ratings) out of it.
Damn Poehler is huge! Twins?
Quoting wonki, but only because the wording summarized several posts: “As for Palin, she sat there and grinned while they mocked the hell out of her. It doesn’t show she has a great sense of humor about herself. Instead, it shows she really doesn’t get it.
They insulted her to her face. They definitely didn’t do that to Obama when he was on the show. Or McCain either.
”
~What she was supposed to do, punch someone? It takes a big person to handle the abuse she has taken from the media thus far, so this was a piece of cake, I’m sure.
It irks me to no end that dems knee-jerk that repubs are stupid. You may not agree with our opinions and think that those who hold differing opinions are just stupid, but have you ever considered that there are reasoned philosophies out there you just disagree with? We on the right believe that about the left. Heck – we get your philosophy blared at us constantly.
@Chamalla – it would appear that there are fewer people of good will here than one could hope.
@Feebee – devil incarnate is kinda’ strong. Her attacks have been based in fact, IIRC.
~~ FYI – Palin majored in journalism/broadcast, so that might explain a bit of her ease in front of the camera. You know, when she smiled when they mocked her, instead of crying.
czarina….
http://www.popeater.com/television/article/mark-wahlberg-cracks-jokes-not-noses/217025
And they’re reporting just like I said. We all have opinions.
Feebee – that’s exactly my point. Deranged hate is bi-partisan this election. I’m an Obama supporter, and I’m just as offended by the stuff hurled at Palin as I am my candidate. Not to mention how much hatred the right and left throw at each other as a group.
We’re all Americans, right, left, middle and fringe. There’s no reason we can’t be civil and respectful to each other. Heck, maybe we might even learn a little more about what makes the “other side” tick or that we have more in common than we thought.
I liked Sarah Palin before. Not that I agree with her on most things but she seems likeable. This appearance on SNL made me realize that she is more than likeable, she’s formidable precisely because she can keep a cool head and a smile on her face when she’s taking it, not just when she’s dishing it out.
Try to imagine any of the other candidate boys doing that, maybe McCain could pull it off but just barely. Even if it isn’t this election she’ll be back!
🙄 No it doesn’t. Know why? Because only stirrers like you see it as a ‘Jewish’ big nose. The rest of us, including Mark, just see it as a big nose. And it is.
I agree- the rap skit was good.
For a second, I forgot Amy was pregnant and then when she stood up- her belly looks exactly the same shape as a basketball!
Loved Seth and Palin putting their hands up and bouncing to the beat in the background.
Marky Mark skit was good too.
palin scares me……i mean really she scares me 😯
@lanette: enough with the “scary” stuff. That’s so played out.
And what’s with all the hate? I mean, really? As others have said, you can dislike someone’s policies, but to flat out hate them just b/c you don’t agree with them is ridiculous. Hate comes from ignorance. Plan and simple.
I’m still shocked that Baldwin agreed to be on the same stage as Palin.
I think the big story was Amy, what a trooper, I’ve been that preggo, and let me tell ya, I have a whole new respect for that lady. If someone had asked me to dance let alone rap at that stage in my pregnancy I might have killed them.
Hahaha, “say hello to your mother for me.”
Samberg’s Wahlberg is impressive, I thought maybe that was why it was there last week. But this setup idea makes much more sense.
I agree with some above, saying why is election time an excuse for people to act vicious and hate everybody that sees things differently? It’s just immaturity, all this hate.
Slamming a celeb for a stupid hairdo or outfit they can easily change is one thing – but these are real people who’ve put themselves up for election and honestly, the only people I’ve seen hating so much are, well, Obama supporters. Can’t we support somebody without acting 12 about it??
Please don’t generalize, I’m an Obama supporter and I don’t hate Sarah or anyone else, I don’t think she is prepared at this momment for the roll of vice president maybe in a couple of years and with more experience but not at the moment. With the situation we are in right now it’s better to have someone with more knowledge not someone who will be trained on the job.
teresita, I totally agree with your views.
However, what I actually said is: “the only people I’VE SEEN … ”
I have not generalized, because I know better.
I know some really immature people that I cannot even talk to in an election year, not because I disagree with them, but because I’m tired of the negative crap I hear them spew – it’s all they want to talk about; seems they are addicted to it and go into withdrawals if they aren’t doing it, working themselves up to a lather about it.
I’ve had people ruin birthday dinners just because they coudn’t refrain just for 30 damn minutes. I despise the fighting. It’s unnecessary.
gg… the only people you’ve seen “hating” so much are Obama supporters?
Who was it that was screaming “KILL HIM” and “TERRORIST” at Palin rallies? That’s about as hate-filled as you can get, and those people certainly weren’t Obama supporters.
Diva, I didn’t watch that; therefore I did not see that. Whoever did that sounds like a psychopath.
Anyway, I finally got the chance to see all of the clips and damn that was hilarious! kudos to everybody in those skits. How can anybody say SNL isn’t funny anymore? 😆