By Lisa DiCarlucci
In recent weeks, Tina Fey’s frighteningly accurate portrayal of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, has become a crowd favorite. It was an interesting twist this past weekend to see the real deal make a guest appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” While Palin was more than a good sport about it, it’s hard to tell if her participation in such a liberal show was all fun and games, or an attempt to appeal to voters.
The show opened with a skit of Tina Fey giving a public address to the media. “First off, I just want to say how excited I am to be in front of the liberal elite media and the liberal regular media,” Fey (as Palin) says. The show then cuts to a shot of the real Palin backstage, talking with SNL creator Lorne Michaels, being mistaken for Fey by Alec Baldwin. He bashes the Governor, until he realizes his mistake.
Palin keeps a lighthearted look on her face through Fey’s skit, making sure to play the role of the good sport. Her short banter with Baldwin was basically the extent of her verbal participation on the show.
Palin’s second appearance comes during the “Weekend Update” segment as she sat, swaying and dancing awkwardly in her chair while Amy Poehler performed a hilarious rap about the her. Highlights of the song included lines such as “All the mavericks in the house put your hands up. All the plumbers in the house pull your pants up.”
While Palin will definitely get points for being on SNL, her actual participation was so minimal she was just dead weight. It’s most interesting to note that she didn’t really get involved in any skits but more or less just stood to the side bopping her head and forcing a laugh.
Her appearance didn’t say “Hey, look at me, I can laugh at myself” so much as it said, “Hey look at me, I can tolerate your mockery.”
At the end of the day, what does Palin’s stint really prove? Liberals are going to make fun of her whether she is there or not. It’s fair to say that most of them only watched in hopes that she would have some sort of blunder. It’s also highly doubtful that conservatives on the fence will be swayed to support her because of a blip on a liberal comedy sketch show.
(nypost.com)