Tina Fey will return to ‘Saturday Night Live’ tonight to debut the program’s Sarah Palin character.
Tina Fey was “likely” to play Gov. Sarah Palin on “Saturday Night Live,” said a person close to NBC’s sketch comedy show.
Fey is “likely” to return to her former show Saturday to play the Alaskan governor and Sen. John McCain’s running mate, a person close to the show told The Associated Press on Friday night. The person requested anonymity because the decision has not been announced officially. No further details were available.
Since Palin’s entry onto the national political stage, speculation had been rampant over who might play Palin on the program. Many have commented that Fey resembles her. In an interview earlier this week with The AP, “SNL” executive producer and creator Lorne Michaels said, “The whole world cast her in that role.”
The final decision went down to the last minute, apparently. “SNL” premieres Saturday evening with Michael Phelps as host. An appearance had been planned by Sen. Barack Obama, but his campaign said early Saturday that the Democratic nominee for president was canceling.
I’ve noted the resemblance myself, which is likely flattering to both. Palin is universally described as “hot” and Fey is a few years younger than Palin, so it’s win-win.
UPDATE: Here’s a recap of the first Tina Fey as Sarah Palin sketch:
After wild conjecture over whom would play Sen. John McCain’s running mate on “Saturday Night Live,” Fey returned to her old show for an opening sketch featuring her and Fey’s former “Weekend Update” co-host Amy Poehler as Sen. Hillary Clinton.
The NBC comedy show’s season premiere opened Saturday with a “nonpartisan message” where the two pleaded for an end to sexism in the presidential campaigns — which have seen Palin enjoy sudden popularity after Clinton’s loss to Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination.
“I didn’t want a woman to be president, I wanted to be president,” said Poehler, reprising her caricature of Clinton.
Many have said Fey bears a resemblance to Palin, a comparison alluded to in the sketch. A frustrated Clinton eventually broke down, complaining about Palin’s ease of ascendance and her “Tina Fey glasses.”
A few digs were made about Palin being less experienced than Clinton. As Poehler’s Clinton bragged about her foreign policy experience, Fey’s Alaskan governor exclaimed: “I can see Russia from my house!” When Poehler said she disagreed with the Bush Doctrine, Fey’s Palin acknowledged, “I don’t know what that means” — a reference to Palin’s apparent confusion on the subject in her first major interview earlier this week on ABC.
Poehler wrapped up the sketch: “In conclusion, I invite the media to grow a pair. And if you can’t, I will lend you mine.”
I’ll wait to watch the video (I forgot to TiVo it) before rendering final judgment, since timing and delivery are a large part of humor, especially parody. Based on the summary? Meh.
UPDATE: My wife remembered to set the TiVo. It’s much funnier than the write-up. Here’s the video:
I should note that every other skit, with the exception of a couple of one-liners on Weekend Update, were absolutely horrid. It’s the worst episode I can recall and there have been some stinkers over the years.
