With all of the hullabaloo about Tina Fey hobnobbing with the object of her mockery, Sarah Palin, on Saturday Night Live, I wonder if the meeting of the mind and the mindless marked the peak of Fey’s impersonation, a peak we can never meet again. It’s one thing for President George H.W. Bush (Papa Bush) to co-opt Dana Carvey’s "not gonna do it" line at public speaking engagements for a quick laugh, but it’s quite another for a politician in the heat of the campaign moment to face her mocker. Whether or not Palin gets the joke, the moment in which Palin met Fey showed in Fey’s performance Saturday night. One of those, oh, God, it’s her moments. For SNL, though, now what? How do you (you being Fey and SNL) top that?
It may only have been seven weeks — really, eight weeks ago, we didn’t have Palin to consider or parody — and she certainly has been a comedic gift for many in the comedy community. So let’s take a moment, this moment, to honor some of the best moments in Sarah Palin impersonations…
Gina Gershon fulfills our fantasies on Funny or Die. She may not try to nail the accent, but she hammers home the political message. And if we never truly know what Palin looks like in a bikini, we at least get to see that Gershon still has that Showgirls body. Thank you, Gina! (A second video went up briefly Sunday night but disappeared?!)
Sarah Palin is really…Obama Girl?! If you can get past the madness of Geraldo Rivera and hearing him guffaw from off-camera, it’s fascinating to see how the Barely Political crew not only realized that Amber Lee Ettinger (aka Obama Girl) could pass for Palin, but also allowed her to speak. Live on FOX News! And this speech lets her showcase just how much she and Palin have in common. For the original Obama Girl/Palin video, closing in on 3 million views, click here:
La Pequena Sarah Palin, because this cross-dressing Latino little person makes us laugh. Especially when backed by Dolly Parton singing 9-to-5. That simple:
Sara Benincasa’s "official" Sarah Palin vlogs, with Diana Saez as Dina, her assistant. Benincasa had her first vlog ready during Labor Day weekend when Palin got picked by John McCain, and she had the look and accent down from the start. Her stream-of-consciousness entries allow her to tap into what everyone is wondering: What is this woman thinking? The folks at 23/6 saw a good thing and snapped up Benincasa’s vlogs, which is another real-world of example of how comedians with ambition, determination and a bit of luck can find their own moments to shine. For Benincasa’s older Palin vlogs, click here. Look for a new 23/6 vlog today to recap her SNL experience.
And for the Tina Fey Palin roundup, just click on my SNL coverage from the past month.
If I overlooked your favorite, please let me know!
Three cheers!
Thank you so much, The Comic’s Comic!
I gotta point out this photo essay on Kristy Webb’s transformation into Sarah Palin, courtesy of the NY Daily News. Check out photo #12–it’s pretty uncanny.
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/galleries/a_day_in_the_life_of_sarah_palin/a_day_in_the_life_of_sarah_palin.html