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→‎Further Palin sketches: removed "In the sketch, Fey quoted verbatim one of Palin's answers from the actual interview." Feel free to add back in if you have a citation.
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==Further Palin sketches==
==Further Palin sketches==


Due to the popularity of the sketch and Fey's impression of Palin, Fey reprised her Sarah Palin role during the September 27, 2008 of ''Saturday Night Live''. That sketch featured Palin being interviewed by [[Katie Couric]] who was played by Amy Poehler; that sketch parodied an interview which took place between Palin and Couric which aired days before the sketch's broadcast.<ref>{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Tina Fey As Sarah Palin: Katie Couric SNL Skit (VIDEO) |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/27/tina-fey-as-sarah-palin-k_n_129956.html |work= |publisher=[[The Huffington Post]] |date=2008-09-27 |accessdate=2008-09-29 }}</ref> In the sketch, Fey quoted verbatim one of Palin's answers from the actual interview. The following episode featured a skit parodying the debate between Palin and [[Joe Biden]] (played by [[Jason Sudeikis]]). [[Queen Latifah]] also appeared in the skit as moderator [[Gwen Ifill]].<ref>{{cite press release |title=''Saturday Night Live'' Welcomes Back Tina Fey And Queen Latifah For Their Take On The Vice Presidential Debate |publisher=[[NBC Universal]] Media Village |date=2008-10-05 |url=http://nbcumv.com/release_detail.nbc/entertainment-20081005000000-034saturdaynight.html |format= |language= |accessdate=2008-10-07 |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote=''SNL'' alum and ''[[30 Rock]]'' star Tina Fey returned to ''SNL'' tonight to reprise her wildly popular rendition of Republican VP candidate, Gov. Sarah Palin. Fey was joined in the parody of the debate by special guest [[Queen Latifah]] as moderator [[Gwen Ifill]] and cast member [[Jason Sudeikis]] took on the role of Democratic VP candidate Sen. [[Joe Biden]] in the opening of tonight's show }}</ref>
Due to the popularity of the sketch and Fey's impression of Palin, Fey reprised her Sarah Palin role during the September 27, 2008 of ''Saturday Night Live''. That sketch featured Palin being interviewed by [[Katie Couric]] who was played by Amy Poehler; that sketch parodied an interview which took place between Palin and Couric which aired days before the sketch's broadcast.<ref>{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Tina Fey As Sarah Palin: Katie Couric SNL Skit (VIDEO) |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/27/tina-fey-as-sarah-palin-k_n_129956.html |work= |publisher=[[The Huffington Post]] |date=2008-09-27 |accessdate=2008-09-29 }}</ref> The following episode featured a skit parodying the debate between Palin and [[Joe Biden]] (played by [[Jason Sudeikis]]). [[Queen Latifah]] also appeared in the skit as moderator [[Gwen Ifill]].<ref>{{cite press release |title=''Saturday Night Live'' Welcomes Back Tina Fey And Queen Latifah For Their Take On The Vice Presidential Debate |publisher=[[NBC Universal]] Media Village |date=2008-10-05 |url=http://nbcumv.com/release_detail.nbc/entertainment-20081005000000-034saturdaynight.html |format= |language= |accessdate=2008-10-07 |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote=''SNL'' alum and ''[[30 Rock]]'' star Tina Fey returned to ''SNL'' tonight to reprise her wildly popular rendition of Republican VP candidate, Gov. Sarah Palin. Fey was joined in the parody of the debate by special guest [[Queen Latifah]] as moderator [[Gwen Ifill]] and cast member [[Jason Sudeikis]] took on the role of Democratic VP candidate Sen. [[Joe Biden]] in the opening of tonight's show }}</ref>


Palin herself appeared on the October 18, 2008 episode of ''SNL'', along with Fey in the cold opening.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/16/palin.snl/|title= Sarah Palin to appear on SNL|format= |work= [[CNN]]|accessdate=2008-10-17|date=2008-10-17}}</ref> [[Alec Baldwin]] and [[Mark Wahlberg]] also appeared in that sketch as themselves.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Governor Sarah Palin Makes Long-awaited ''Saturday Night Live'' Appearance, Leading A Celebrity-packed Episode Featuring Host Josh Brolin, Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, Oliver Stone and Mark Wahlberg |publisher=[[NBC Universal]] Media Village |date=2008-10-19 |url=http://nbcumv.com/entertainment/release_detail.nbc/entertainment-20081019000000-governorsarahpalin.html |format= |language= |accessdate=2008-10-26 |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote=After weeks of speculation, Vice Presidential candidate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin made her ''SNL'' debut tonight, shouting the program's signature opening line: "[[Live from New York, It's Saturday Night]]." Palin appeared as herself in the opening sketch of the show, alongside executive producer [[Lorne Michaels]], surprise guests [[Alec Baldwin]] and [[Mark Wahlberg]] as well as her ''SNL'' doppelganger, Tina Fey.}}</ref> On the October 23 episode of ''[[Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday]]'', Fey as Palin appeared alongside [[Darrell Hammond]] as John McCain and [[Will Ferrell]] as President [[George W. Bush]].<ref>{{cite press release |title=Will Ferrell returns to ''Saturday Night Live'' as President George W. Bush, Tina Fey reprises role as Governor Sarah Palin on ''Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday'' October 23 |publisher=[[NBC Universal]] Media Village |date=2008-10-23 |url=http://nbcumv.com/entertainment/release_detail.nbc/entertainment-20081023000000-willferrellreturns.html |format= |language= |accessdate=2008-10-26 |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote=Coming off the record breaking ratings of last Saturday's ''[[Saturday Night Live|SNL]]''—the highly-rated ''SNL'' live primetime ''[[Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday|Weekend Update Thursday]]'' finished its three-week run tonight with the return of ''SNL'' alum [[Will Ferrell]] as President [[George W. Bush]], joined by the current talk of the political world—Tina Fey as Governor Sarah Palin. The show opened with President Bush giving a public endorsement of the McCain—Palin ticket.}}</ref>
Palin herself appeared on the October 18, 2008 episode of ''SNL'', along with Fey in the cold opening.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/16/palin.snl/|title= Sarah Palin to appear on SNL|format= |work= [[CNN]]|accessdate=2008-10-17|date=2008-10-17}}</ref> [[Alec Baldwin]] and [[Mark Wahlberg]] also appeared in that sketch as themselves.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Governor Sarah Palin Makes Long-awaited ''Saturday Night Live'' Appearance, Leading A Celebrity-packed Episode Featuring Host Josh Brolin, Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, Oliver Stone and Mark Wahlberg |publisher=[[NBC Universal]] Media Village |date=2008-10-19 |url=http://nbcumv.com/entertainment/release_detail.nbc/entertainment-20081019000000-governorsarahpalin.html |format= |language= |accessdate=2008-10-26 |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote=After weeks of speculation, Vice Presidential candidate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin made her ''SNL'' debut tonight, shouting the program's signature opening line: "[[Live from New York, It's Saturday Night]]." Palin appeared as herself in the opening sketch of the show, alongside executive producer [[Lorne Michaels]], surprise guests [[Alec Baldwin]] and [[Mark Wahlberg]] as well as her ''SNL'' doppelganger, Tina Fey.}}</ref> On the October 23 episode of ''[[Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday]]'', Fey as Palin appeared alongside [[Darrell Hammond]] as John McCain and [[Will Ferrell]] as President [[George W. Bush]].<ref>{{cite press release |title=Will Ferrell returns to ''Saturday Night Live'' as President George W. Bush, Tina Fey reprises role as Governor Sarah Palin on ''Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday'' October 23 |publisher=[[NBC Universal]] Media Village |date=2008-10-23 |url=http://nbcumv.com/entertainment/release_detail.nbc/entertainment-20081023000000-willferrellreturns.html |format= |language= |accessdate=2008-10-26 |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote=Coming off the record breaking ratings of last Saturday's ''[[Saturday Night Live|SNL]]''—the highly-rated ''SNL'' live primetime ''[[Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday|Weekend Update Thursday]]'' finished its three-week run tonight with the return of ''SNL'' alum [[Will Ferrell]] as President [[George W. Bush]], joined by the current talk of the political world—Tina Fey as Governor Sarah Palin. The show opened with President Bush giving a public endorsement of the McCain—Palin ticket.}}</ref>

Revision as of 21:38, 23 November 2008

Tina Fey as Sarah Palin (left) and Amy Poehler as Hillary Rodham Clinton (right) in their first sketch, "A Nonpartisan Message from Governor Sarah Palin & Senator Hillary Clinton"

The sketch comedy television show Saturday Night Live aired several sketches parodying vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin in the lead-up to the 2008 United States presidential election. The sketches featured former cast member Tina Fey, who returned as a guest star to portray Palin.

Background

Soon after the 2008 John McCain presidential campaign's August 29, 2008 announcement that Alaska governor Sarah Palin would be McCain's vice presidential nominee,[1] people noted a physical comparison between Fey and Palin.[2][3]

Viewers began to speculate who would play Palin on SNL during the run up to the November 4 presidential election. Days before the broadcast of the sketch, SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels said "there are [ongoing] discussions" about Fey playing Palin.[4] On September 13, 2008, NBC announced that Fey would appear in the thirty-fourth season premiere.[5]

Amy Poehler had played Hillary Clinton in the previous season as Clinton attempted to become the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee.[6] Clinton ended her campaign on June 7, 2008, conceding to Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and endorsing him for president.[7]

"A Nonpartisan Message from Governor Sarah Palin & Senator Hillary Clinton"

The first sketch, "A Nonpartisan Message from Governor Sarah Palin & Senator Hillary Clinton," aired during the thirty-fourth season premiere of SNL on September 13, 2008. The sketch starred Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as Palin and Clinton, respectively.[8] Fey, the series' former head writer and repertory player, made her third appearance on the series since officially leaving SNL in 2006 to work on 30 Rock, a series which she created.[9] The sketch was written by Poehler, Fey, and head writer and Weekend Update anchor Seth Meyers.[10]

Poehler and Fey are featured in a fictional speech playing New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, respectively. The pair discuss the presence of sexism in the 2008 United States presidential election, and the differences between Palin and Clinton. Governor Palin was the Republican Party vice-presidential nominee and Senator Clinton recently lost the Democratic Party presidential nomination. Through the course of the message, Palin tries to present herself as the candidate for the job, and Clinton getting progressively disgusted at Palin's sudden rise to fame as John McCain's running mate despite her background and comparisons to Clinton's campaign. The sketch received good reviews from various critics, with many reviewers commenting on Fey's impression of Palin, with Palin herself commenting that "the visual was spot on" after watching it without sound,[11] while Carly Fiorina, a spokeswoman for John McCain, dismissed the sketch as sexist.[12] Senator Clinton has yet to comment on the skit.

Reaction

Critical reception

The sketch was well received by critics. Erin Fox of TV Guide wrote that Tina Fey "nails [Sarah] Palin's mannerisms and accent. [Amy] Poehler is amazing as Hillary [Clinton]; her timing is better than ever. [Their] favorite line was Tina saying 'I can see Russia from my house!'" Fox added that "this was a much anticipated and hoped-for pairing and we got it!"[13] Annie Wu of TV Squad thought that Fey's "impression wasn't perfect but it was more accurate than Amy Poehler's Hillary Clinton, which [she] still find[s] incredibly off." Wu added that "the mugging for the camera was absolutely hilarious."[14] James Poniewozik of Time Magazine wrote that "Fey's Palin was perfectly good enough" and that "the skit itself did a good job of what SNL—which has lately cultivated a strong set of female comics—tried hard to do through Hillary's campaign, which is try to address sexism without either simply going for the easy stereotypes or letting female candidates off the hook".[15] The Huffington Post's reviewer wrote that "Fey bears a striking resemblance to Palin and nailed the candidate's distinctive accent."[16]

Palin's response

When asked how she felt about Fey's portrayal, Sarah Palin replied, "I watched with the volume all the way down and I thought it was hilarious... I didn't hear a word she said, but the visual was spot on."[11] However, Carly Fiorina, a spokeswoman for the John McCain campaign argued that the sketch portrayed Hillary Clinton as "very substantive", but Fiorina thought, in the case of Sarah Palin, that she was portrayed as "totally superficial". Fiorina thought the sketch was "disrespectful in the extreme" and "sexist".[12] According to another of Palin's spokespeople, Palin herself "found the sketch amusing". Palin "and the press corps watched the sketch in the back of her plane, laughing at Tina and Amy's satirical take on the two politicians."[17] Palin admitted that she had once dressed up as Fey for Halloween.[18]

In a series of interviews, Palin made some "flubs" leading her to joke that "[she] was just trying to give Tina Fey more material". She also joked that it was to provide "job security for SNL characters."[19] It has been suggested that Palin should appear on SNL to spoof a series of American Express commercials which featured Tina Fey.[20]

Further Palin sketches

Due to the popularity of the sketch and Fey's impression of Palin, Fey reprised her Sarah Palin role during the September 27, 2008 of Saturday Night Live. That sketch featured Palin being interviewed by Katie Couric who was played by Amy Poehler; that sketch parodied an interview which took place between Palin and Couric which aired days before the sketch's broadcast.[21] The following episode featured a skit parodying the debate between Palin and Joe Biden (played by Jason Sudeikis). Queen Latifah also appeared in the skit as moderator Gwen Ifill.[22]

Palin herself appeared on the October 18, 2008 episode of SNL, along with Fey in the cold opening.[23] Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg also appeared in that sketch as themselves.[24] On the October 23 episode of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday, Fey as Palin appeared alongside Darrell Hammond as John McCain and Will Ferrell as President George W. Bush.[25]

On November 1, 2008, Fey once again portrayed Palin, this time in a sketch featuring the real John McCain. In the sketch, McCain poked fun at himself and his campaign, as well as Barack Obama's purchase of airtime on several major networks earlier in the week.[26] In the sketch, McCain and "Palin" can only afford to buy airtime on QVC, a home-shopping channel. McCain's wife, Cindy, also made an appearance in the sketch.

See also

References

  1. ^ Nasaw, Daniel (2008-08-29). "US election: John McCain chooses Alaska governor Sarah Palin as running mate". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-09-16. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ Waldman, Allison (2008-09-01). "Palin comparison ... GOP VP choice looks like a bunch of TV characters". TV Squad. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  3. ^ "Tina Fey "likely" to play Sarah Palin on SNL". Yahoo. 2008-09-13. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  4. ^ Cordova, Gonzalo (2008-09-12). "Tina Fey Might Play Sarah Palin". Comedy Central. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  5. ^ Huff, Richard (2008-09-13). "Saturday Night Live recalls Tina Fey to play Sarah Palin". The New York Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  6. ^ Waldman, Allison (2008-03-03). "It's Hillary, Live from New York, on SNL". TV Squad. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  7. ^ "Clinton ends historic bid, endorses Obama". MSNBC. 2008-06-07. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  8. ^ "Tina Fey Guest Stars On Saturday Night Live Season Premiere As Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Gov. Sarah Palin" (Press release). NBC Universal Media Village. 2008-09-14. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  9. ^ "Tina Fey: Biography". Yahoo. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  10. ^ SNL Transcripts
  11. ^ a b J. Gough, Paul (2008-09-18). "Palin: Tina Fey's impersonation was "spot on"". Yahoo. Retrieved 2008-09-21.
  12. ^ a b "Carly Fiorina Criticizes Tina Fey As "Disrespectful...Sexist"". The Huffington Post. 2008-09-15. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  13. ^ Fox, Erin (2008-09-14). "Episode Recap: Michael Phelps Hosts, Lil Wayne Performs". TV Guide. Retrieved 2008-09-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Wu, Annie (2008-09-14). "Saturday Night Live: Michael Phelps/Lil Wayne (season premiere) - Videos". TV Squad. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  15. ^ Poniewozik, James (2008-09-14). "Fey's Palin? Not Failin'". Time. Retrieved 2008-09-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ "Tina Fey As Sarah Palin On SNL (Video)". The Huffington Post. 2008-09-13. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  17. ^ "McCain camp calls Fey's Palin portrayal "sexist"". MSNBC. 2008-09-16. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  18. ^ "Sarah Palin reacts to Tina Fey Impersonation". Entertainment Tonight. 2008-09-15. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  19. ^ Rhee, Foon (2008-10-06). "Palin jokes about Tina Fey". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-10-09. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ Rovzar, Chris (2008-10-06). "Sarah Palin Wants to Spoof Tina Fey on SNL". New York Magazine. Retrieved 2008-10-09. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ "Tina Fey As Sarah Palin: Katie Couric SNL Skit (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post. 2008-09-27. Retrieved 2008-09-29. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  22. ^ "Saturday Night Live Welcomes Back Tina Fey And Queen Latifah For Their Take On The Vice Presidential Debate" (Press release). NBC Universal Media Village. 2008-10-05. Retrieved 2008-10-07. SNL alum and 30 Rock star Tina Fey returned to SNL tonight to reprise her wildly popular rendition of Republican VP candidate, Gov. Sarah Palin. Fey was joined in the parody of the debate by special guest Queen Latifah as moderator Gwen Ifill and cast member Jason Sudeikis took on the role of Democratic VP candidate Sen. Joe Biden in the opening of tonight's show
  23. ^ "Sarah Palin to appear on SNL". CNN. 2008-10-17. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
  24. ^ "Governor Sarah Palin Makes Long-awaited Saturday Night Live Appearance, Leading A Celebrity-packed Episode Featuring Host Josh Brolin, Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, Oliver Stone and Mark Wahlberg" (Press release). NBC Universal Media Village. 2008-10-19. Retrieved 2008-10-26. After weeks of speculation, Vice Presidential candidate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin made her SNL debut tonight, shouting the program's signature opening line: "Live from New York, It's Saturday Night." Palin appeared as herself in the opening sketch of the show, alongside executive producer Lorne Michaels, surprise guests Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg as well as her SNL doppelganger, Tina Fey.
  25. ^ "Will Ferrell returns to Saturday Night Live as President George W. Bush, Tina Fey reprises role as Governor Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday October 23" (Press release). NBC Universal Media Village. 2008-10-23. Retrieved 2008-10-26. Coming off the record breaking ratings of last Saturday's SNL—the highly-rated SNL live primetime Weekend Update Thursday finished its three-week run tonight with the return of SNL alum Will Ferrell as President George W. Bush, joined by the current talk of the political world—Tina Fey as Governor Sarah Palin. The show opened with President Bush giving a public endorsement of the McCain—Palin ticket.
  26. ^ "McCain shows funny side on 'Saturday Night Live'". AFP. Retrieved 2008-11-06.

External links

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