I think they cancelled the funny parts of SNL back in the 80's but decided the rest of the show could stumble on.

Well, I wasn't TOTALLY sheeplish about it--I provided a video link so readers could watch the whole thing themselves and then ran reader e-mails with contrary opinions. Most important of all, I updated with a link giving you the last word.

;)

I tend to agree with the "contrary" opinions that Michelle posted. The parts of the skit that I saw made the lefties look like anti-religious bigots. I didn't catch the part with Rush, but I'm just as much inclined to make fun of his drug problems as I would anybody else.

I haven't watch SNL in 10 years or more. The options being: have sex, or watch SNL? If you are younger, you should be out and about while it's on ...and if you're older and/or married - you should be having sex.

I liked it, myself.

I thought it was very funny. Those who think it's left-wing humor don't get the joke. And for those offended by Rush vomiting by the toilet, remeber that everyone who throws stones is a target...

I live in northeast Oklahoma. We haven't watched SNL since April 22, 1995. That was one day after Timothy McVeigh was picked up as the prime suspect in the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19. That Saturday (the 22nd), SNL opened with that infamous shot of McVeigh being led out of a sheriff's office wearing the orange jump suit, bullet-proof protection and chains. The local affiliates, thank God, immediately cut off the national feed. It still galls me that someone at SNL could find any kind of humor in that situation. The rescue effort was still going on and no one knew exactly how many people had been killed. If sick humor is your bag of tea, SNL provides plenty of it. Personally, I'd rather watch paint dry.

Gotta disagree with you about the AMH/RDJr SNLs.

That cast was the last one after Eddie Murphy left that had any humor whatsoever. And admittedly, even they couldn't hold a candle to Eddie Murphy and earlier casts. the 90's were just one long series of only vaguely amusing (or just plain irritating) ideas that ran 5 minutes too long (in 5:15 sketches). Seriously, the SNLs from the 1990s to today are akin to uninterrupted scratching on a blackboard.

May SNL die its long overdue death soon.

Michelle,

Well, just so you know, I didn't really mean to slam you or anything. I just needed a sentence to work in a link to you, and that's the one I came up with, without much thinking about it. I can see how it reads as scolding.

Wasn't my intent, really. Just meant to say that we shouldn't buy into this planted "controversy."

(Whoo-hoo! Michelle Malkin comment!)

I know what you mean Ace, I've been buzzing all day because I've got a comment RIGHT AFTER Michelle Malkin's!!!!!

Ace, I saw the sketch and it seemed to me to be much more of a shot at the Moonbat Left. Sure they made fun of Limbaugh's drug addiction, but frankly I was pleasantly surprised by the sketch overall.

Well, I don't know. The sketch began pretty nasty, even if it was sorta lampooning Franken and Co. the whole way, and I don't know if the scolding by the little girl at the end really overcomes the nasty attack that went on for five minutes.

I don't think the piece is really all that balanced. I think Dennis Miller, or maybe head writer Jim Downey, observed: SNL occasionally pokes fun at Democrats for the sake of "balance," but usually it does so by suggesting they're "too intellectual" or not charismatic. And that's fine, but it's really not "balance" when you're calling Republicans stupid, crazy, and evil. The one insult is obviously much less savage than the other.

Does Smigel have the right to do this sort of piece? Of course he does. But what is kind of obnoxious is that the left refuses to acknowledge the priviledged place it has in the media business. The left can always get its licks in on national television; the right can't.

And that's annoying because the left is forever hectoring us about fairness, access to the channels of communication, etc. And yet they don't seem especially concerned about instituting a bit of fairness themselves, do they?

I can promise you that if the right had the sort of hold on news and entertainment that the left does, the left would HOWL, and there'd be legislation and lawsuits aplenty.

But when the shoe is on the other foot-- the left foot -- they happily exploit their priviledge without giving much thought to fairness.

Smigel's a funny guy -- often -- and there were bits of this sketch that were funny. In fact, were I not a Bush supporter, I probably would have laughed at the Bush digs, too.

Still, I think it was, on the whole, a pretty leftist piece.

But I don't really care about the piece so much; it's par for the course for SNL. And I have to say I'm not very outraged by the attack on Limbaugh, either; look, yes, drug addiction is terrible and all that, but the point of comedy is, very often, to prick at someone's foibles and weakness. It's sometimes cruel, but that's the nature of the beast. As Steve Martin observed, "Comedy is not pretty."

My only real care here is that I think this is an entirely contrived controversy, probably leaked with Lorne Michaels' connivance, and I just don't see the point of rewarding SNL.

It's pretty hard-left these days, and, more unforgiveably, it's just not funny.

I caught 5 minutes of the new female duo on Weekend Update. Cripes. Amy Poehler can be funny, but she's a freakin' disaster, and the girl with the facial scar was only acceptable when she wasn't Jimmy Fallon.

As for Limbaugh, he's too big and easy to lampoon. The fact that any skit would be about Limbaugh shows how dry the SNL well really is. And the comparisons of the Farley death to Limbaugh's minor issue with Oxycontin is stupid. There is no comparison. Limbaugh is a little deaf; he's not blue, choked on his own vomit.

it was clearly an anti-left piece if you look at it objectively. no "red staters" were depicted as stupid or evil, they were simply being aggressively bashed by Santa and celebrities, who were depicted as pig-headed. the sketch was preaching understanding of different viewpoints, something "conservatives" are usually taken to task for, but this time the liberals were the targets, the "archie bunkers" who needed the lecture.
part of the beauty of the reaction to the sketch is that it reveals the deep anger on both sides that lingers and clouds reason.

You're kidding! Saturday Night Live is still on?

I agree that the part with the girl at the end didn't really wash as the true moral of the story. We know perfectly well how Smigel and the SNL writers feel about Bush and the right, don't we? If you ask me, the girl was added afterward to mollify the denizens of "Dumbfuckistan."

The last funny thing on SNL was the Barry Gibb Show sketch with Fallon and Justin Timberlake, and before that it was the last thing Will Ferrell did. I guess it really is that hard to be funny on TV for 90 minutes, unless you're Chris Rock, Dennis Miller, or Dave Chappelle.

They lost me when Anna Roseannadanna died.
All the actors since then have been punks and sluts, no talent whatsoever.

What means this, "Saturday Night Live", of which you speak? I can infer from the comments that is some sort of television program. Is it a public access thing back east, or what?

The show limped along in the mid 90's as well as it could after the great cast in the late 80's and early 90's, and it was getting better--Farly was getting some great characters established, f/x, like the high-fashion designer and Sandler's old man's wife--but it all went to hell when Tina Fey was made the head writer.

The show always leaned left, but it never turned away from great sources of humor, left or right--until Fey. For the last 8 years or so, the show has virtually ignored rich sources on the left, including stuff that is so good it writes itself.

Humor seemed to be the primary concern in the past. I remember them going after Dukakis hammer and tong. They had Willie Horton show up at his watch party. Now Fey's "we're-all-cool-we're-all-Democrats" tribalism just ruins the show. Instead of the obvious demolishing of the NYT, for example, and, say, its editorial department, they look for a way to turn it (and everything else, for that matter) into some kind of anti-conservative joke or statement. Or ignore it completely.

After all, Fey is a hero. Fighting the good fight. Doing her part. Helping the team. Minimizing the defeats. Changing the subject. Standing up to the man.

Fuck Fey. (Now, she's our first female head writer. We can't fire her. Oh, no, no, no.)

They're not open to the most obvious humor on the left, or, if they do mention it, it's given short shrift and never re-visited. Dan Rather could be an ongoing character. Michael Moore has only been hit a few times. Hillary Clinton is a ridiculous public figure. Spoof the constant attempts to change her persona, history, life, contributions, and bad acts. Duh. Why not an ongoing skit about the NYT? That would have been hilarious. Spoof the way the NYT editorial board picks stories, editorial positions, checks facts, and achieves balance, but blow it up into something like the Superfriends' League of Justice--"crimes" instead of "stories." In short, make fun of what leftists always do, whether foundering or not: dissemble, obfuscate, and lie. And, oh yeah, lie. Make fun of the lying.

The recent failures of the hard left--so many of them--are now a prime source. They should be mercelessly hammering the IDIOTS who contributed to the Donk failure. Bruce Springsteen, although well respected, now deserves a shot. Chevy Chase and anyone who regards Bush as dumb should be pounded for their unadulterated stupidity.

Instead, a year later, it's time to talk about Limbaugh and drugs again. For fuck's sake, give me a break. Hit the things that are immediate. And, right now, they all happen to be on the left.

If Fey is no longer the head writer, the change is too late to make a difference in the short run. She was there too long, and she did a ton of damage to the show.

And, most importantly, SHE'S NOT FUNNY. SHE NEVER WAS.

Wow, this Michelle sounds really bitter. Wonder why?

This myth of blue states looking down on red is most ironic, especially after Bush's viscious campaign revealed who thinks they're morally superior. Speaking from the bluest part of the bluest state, I have to tell you. Now we're finding out what you all have been saying about us, and frankly we're pissed.

That and the quagmire. You gotta understand if NYC doesn't like you now. After 9/11, seeing how you usurped their better judgement and elected Bush.

I'd be pissed if I were near a major terrorist target. Oh wait, I am. Thanks, jerks.

And Merry Christ-Mass to the "heartland" :-)

Oh my -- sounds like somebody needs his prescription refilled . . . and pronto!

Well, have to agree that SNL has been largely unfunny for quite some time. But they have been rather equal opportunity offenders all along. Have we all forgotten the frequent Bill Clinton dumping on various topics (his waistline, Monica, fights w/HRC)? Or how about the take offs of Al Gore?

As for the skit dissing Limbaugh and the offense of not doing the same to Belushi and Farley, well the former is still alive enough to be offended, the latter are not. That strikes me as a significant difference.

Rush's "issue" with Oxycontin and other
prescription pain killers was NOT minor!
U.C.L.A. medical experts confirm there
is clearly a link between abuse of the
"hillbilly heroin" and subsequent deaf-
ness. Even with a cochlear implant, his
quality of life must still be impaired.
Also, after paying massive extortion money to that snake of a maid and her felon husband, he's been saddled with enormous stress and legal bills from his year-long battle with the Palm Beach authorities. His political enemies have
clearly delighted in this misery. No, there
definitely was nothing "minor" about this
issue. Unfortunately.

Yeah, but that was, like, a year ago--or two. You know they're totally blind to funny bullshit on the left when they're scraping the barrel on the right like that.

And how about some funny shit about Al Franken's shop vac cocaine nose?

gun toting latte-swilling liberal?

There's an oxy-moron for you.

He's "pissed" because of Bush's "viscious" (I thought NY liberals knew how to spell) campaign?!?!?!?!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

He did manage to squeeze in "quagmire" into his little rant so he gets a point for his effort.

I hate to break it to you my friend, but George W. Bush is going to be president for a second term and there's nothing you can do about it.

Ponder that while you enjoy your Christmas tofu.

Merry Christmas to the moonbat hive.

;)

Everything you said about liberals is wrong. And I notice Rumsfeld isn't laughing at the word "quagmire" anymore.

Why don't you all go to Iraq and enjoy the new peace and democracy there?

This myth of blue states looking down on red is most ironic, especially after Bush's viscious campaign revealed who thinks they're morally superior.

It was a thick campaign.

Ace, why aren't you covering the 22 people killed in Iraq today?

Feeding the troll ...

And I notice Rumsfeld isn't laughing at the word "quagmire" anymore.

Just like most of SNL's material, once you've heard and seen the same crap for years, it gets a little old.

I just watched the film. It's hilarious. No surprise you guys don't get it. You're not the intended audience. The message is to liberals, and it is this:

Yes, you're pissed at the red states. Yes they have been saying horrible things about you. Yes they think you're too stupid to determine your own foreign policy. They may or may not have signed your death warrant with their appeasement of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. But you still don't want to be jerks about it. It's okay to be mad, but for God's sake don't be Al Franken mad.

Please thank that poor bitter woman for providing the link on her blog.

All my liberal friends and family loved it!

The source was almost certainly Downey, the only non-lefty who's worked with SNL a long time.

Jim Downey was never a "senior production assistant," I'm pretty sure. He's a writer. He was a head writer, now he's probably one of those emeritus writers that come back for a couple of weeks a year.

He's not in production.

Ignore what?

Ace, you're not addressing the best part, where Michelle calls you one of her favorite bloggers. Wow.

That is wow.

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