Lorne Michaels: Obama will soon become mockable
tehMot...@gmail.com
Lorne_michaelsobamaclinton BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- After tussling
with conservative radio host Blanquita Cullum on CNN this morning over
the issue of why some humorists think they can't make fun of Barack
Obama, I decided to make sure today to ask the master:
So, Saturday Night Live creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels,
why are other people finding it so hard to lampoon the Democratic
candidate?
"He's still defining himself and he's primarily cast as heroic,"
Michaels said. "But sooner or later, everyone does something to
irritate us. He becomes more and more familiar...you sort of find what
the take is, and everyone agrees with it. In the summer of 2004, the
May shows, Darryl (Hammond) did Al Gore twice on Weekend Update at
dress (rehearsal), and neither time it worked, and he'd already been
vice president for seven years. It took the fall, when everyone was
paying attention, for people to get clear on where they were prepared
to laugh."
"I think that Obama can't be mocked until somebody finds a way in," he
added. "As a sketch thing, it only works if everyone laughs. The only
way everyone laughs is if it seems right...You can't preach to people
about this stuff. It only works if everybody goes 'Absolutely --
that's exactly what I was thinking.' We give voice to that. It doesn't
mean we're partisan in any way, we just give voice to that."
Michaels faced TV critics here Sunday with the cast from SNL to talk
about a wide range of stuff: NBC will make two more live SNLs than
last season, 22 episodes total, and four new episodes straight out of
the box; the network will also present SNL: Thursday Night Live, four
half-hour episodes on Thursday in October centered on the election;
Michaels will be helping Jimmy Fallon prepare his new 12:30 p.m. late
night show, expected to take Conan O'Brien's slot in 2009; he also
will be helping O'Brien move to Los Angeles and take over the Tonight
Show next year; he'll be helping out with 30 Rock as a producer.
Amypoehler_2 And, oh yeah, he'll have to deal with SNL's utility
player, Amy Poehler, having a baby later this year -- "hopefully,
after the elections," Michaels quipped of Poehler, who plays Hillary
Clinton -- and hiring two new cast members for the 33-year-old variety
show.
"A lot of comedy people are like procrastinators who hate failure,"
said head writer and Weekend Update co-anchor Seth Meyers. "So, when
they have to actually do a show, they all come together -- I'm not
worried."
It's a interesting sight: After enduring inevitable talk last year
that the show might again be on the decline, Michaels has spread his
unique brand of SNL-forged humor across the showbiz landscape -- from
30 Rock star Tina Fey's successful movie Baby Mama, to Michael's
dominance of NBC's late night plans. (he said Fallon, for example,
will debut Webisodes online in the fall five or six months before his
actual show debuts).
Blogjimmyfallonlornemichaels But one thing Michaels wouldn't dish much
on: How he feels about the fact that NBC made a deal to center their
late night lineup on his proteges O'Brien and Fallon, without finding
a role for the guy currently winning the ratings war in late night,
Jay Leno.
"I have so little to say on that," he said, smiling. "I only work
there...One of the things that I learned from the first years of
Conan, was how tough it is to find the show on the air. in 1975 with
SNL, we were in a relatively obscure time period...we were able to
stay experimental and keep finding it...Beginning (Fallon's) show
online will give us a chance to find the show before it debuts."
tar~bal
"MikeMW...@live.com" <tehMot...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:96037f5f-cd6f-4861...@k30g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
> SNL creator has no problem making fun of Obama
>
> Lorne_michaelsobamaclinton BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- After tussling
> with conservative radio host Blanquita Cullum on CNN this morning over
> the issue of why some humorists think they can't make fun of Barack
> Obama, I decided to make sure today to ask the master:
>
> So, Saturday Night Live creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels,
> why are other people finding it so hard to lampoon the Democratic
> candidate?
>
> "He's still defining himself and he's primarily cast as heroic,"
> Michaels said. "But sooner or later, everyone does something to
> irritate us. He becomes more and more familiar...you sort of find what
> the take is, and everyone agrees with it. In the summer of 2004, the
> May shows, Darryl (Hammond) did Al Gore twice on Weekend Update at
> dress (rehearsal), and neither time it worked, and he'd already been
> vice president for seven years. It took the fall, when everyone was
> paying attention, for people to get clear on where they were prepared
> to laugh."
>
> "I think that Obama can't be mocked until somebody finds a way in,"
In other words, everyone is afraid of making fun of the black guy.
Jason Todd
> "MikeMWired...@live.com" <tehMottJu...@gmail.com> wrote in message
kind of. But Lorne is right, Obama hasn't given people a lot of ammo.
Neither has McCain though.
I mean seriously, can you name the guy who does McCain impersonations
on the show?
Also, for the Repubs, remember, throughout 8 years of Reagan, he was
parodied on the show very few times.
Jason "laughing matters" Todd
Radioguy
If true equality is our goal, "then let him take it like a man" He has
been babied for too long. I can't stand it when he's crying, my wife,
my religion, my kids ... This race card BS has been over played. He
let's his hit men make the changes and he stays "above it." claiming his
opponent of playing in the gutter. Personally his condescending smug
aloofness disgusts me.