Saturday Night Live: "Weekend Update Thursday" 10.9.08
This is the first of four specials that Saturday Night Live will be airing on Thursday nights. Rumor has it that at some point, Sarah Palin, will make an appearance as Tina Fey, which, with the two appearing on the same show, may result in the apocalypse. But, in the meantime, we got a special appearance from SNL alum Chris Parnell and a fantastic surprise midway through the first sketch to ask a question: Bill Murray!
Opening Sketch: CNN – The Presidential Debate
Fred Armisen plays Obama, Darrell Hammond plays McCain and Chris Parnell plays Tom Brokaw … and they all nail each one's mannerisms and voice cadences. Well done! "Tom" says the candidates only get 25 seconds to answer one of the "eight least interesting questions" he's picked and they'll only get three second response. Ha! This is clearly playing off the fact that Brokaw was more of a time referee than a moderator at the debate. The candidates can be real windbags, no? And, I say that with patriotic affection. It also tickles my fancy is that Casey Wilson and Bill Hader ask the questions exactly like the deer-caught-in-headlights "folks" who were featured at the debate. Obama answers questions in his staccato signature style, and McCain tries to come off as a bad ass before calling the audience members by the wrong name and walking into Obama's camera frame.
Whoa! There's Bill Murray! He gets to ask a question, but it's about the Cubs vs. the L.A. Dodgers, and what the candidates will do to ensure that the Cubs will never lose again. Obama and McCain both agree that it will never happen. It's awesome to see Bill Murray on SNL again, but I feel a little cheated that it wasn't a longer bit.
Tom starts becoming a time-Nazi and won't even let the audience ask their questions all the way through, and then makes them ask the questions simultaneously. McCain simply ends with Maverick. Then both candidates walk in front of Brokaw's prompter a few more times. I'm chuckling big time.
This debate was way better than the real one! Thanks for creating a new memory for me to hang on to, SNL!
Weekend Update
Let's just go with the best bits in bullets –
- At a rally on Saturday, Sarah Palin attempted to recite a quote from Madeline Albright that she read off a Starbucks cup. She then summed up her views on energy with, "America runs on Dunkin'"
- A friend of O.J. Simpson's said that before the start of his trial he broke up with Christine Prody, his girlfriend of ten years. Well, he didn't "O.J." break up with her; he just "regular" broke up with her.
- "Really?" Segment: Seth: Really? (AIG) spending all that money on a retreat for top earners six days after an $85 billion payout? Really? Even the mafia knows not to spend money that soon after a heist. Amy: Really? What does it take to be a top earner at AIG these days? Did you sell your office furniture on Craig's List? Seth: Really? You spent $125,000 on banquets? Really? Was your waiter Prince? Are the guys in the kitchen robots, because you better hope they're robots, or you've been drinking urine. (Ha!) Amy: Really? You defended the retreat saying it was planned before the bailout. Really? That's like going ahead with Grandma's birthday party even thought Grandma died three days before … after a few more "reallys", they introduce the "Oh My God, Are You Serious!" bit. Ha!
- Fred and Will Forte play Hall and Oates and sing a song that is supposed to highlight both candidates equally. However, Will takes over and starts bashing McCain as they sing "You Make My Dreams Come True." It's only OK.
Well, that's it for this Thursday! Stay tuned for our recap of Saturday Night Live this weekend. What did you think of the first Thursday installment?
