After watching last week’s debate, I couldn’t help but wonder how much more awesome the VP verbal tango would have been if the real Alaskan governor had been replaced by everyone’s favorite funny lady Tina Fey. Well, I sure didn’t have to wait long to find out. Saturday Night Live answered my prayers this weekend, sending up the debate in its opening sketch, which featured Fey, Jason Sudeikis as Joe Biden, and Queen Latifah as debate moderator Gwen Ifill. My favorite part of the clip below? When Fey whips out a flute and asks, "Are we not doing the talent portion?" (And that’s not just because I’m a former flautist.)
Fey’s obviously hit comedic paydirt with her spot-on impersonation of the pol, but as much as I love me some updoed, skirt-suited Tina, I can’t help but pine for the days when Will Ferrell brought down the White house on SNL as a bumbling version of our current Commander in Chief. I’ll always remember those squinty eyes, that Texas drawl, and all of that well-thunk strategery. SNL has had its fair share of great (Fey as Palin, Ferrell as both Bush and Janet Reno, Darrell Hammond as Bill Clinton) and not so-great (Fred Armisen as Barack Obama) political impersonators. Time for you to cast your vote, PopWatchers. What’s your favorite political impersonation in SNL history? (And what did you think of this weekend’s opening sketch?)
More on ‘SNL’:
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Darrell Hammond as Clinton is the best. The line he about women being reluctant to try “new things” at first on Weekend Update two weeks ago was the funniest line of the season.
Darrell Hammond as Bill Clinton … to me is the BEST one! It always kills me
Chevy Chase as President Ford. The skit was so good that Homer Simpson did a play on it (he and President Ford walked off together and fell down at the same time…D’oh!)
Definitely, Will Ferrell as Bush. Followed by Dana Carvey as Bush Sr. and Ross Perot.
Darrell Hammond is getting love for his Clinton, but to me, the late, great Phil Hartman was the best Bill Clinton.
As much as I loved the late Phil Hartman, Hammond’s Bubba was one of the best things on SNL… EVER. The best one was right after Bubba was acquitted of perjury–Hammond-as-Clinton simply walked out to a podium, gave the thumbs up, and said, “I am bulletproof.” HILARIOUS.
Norm MacDonald as Bob Dole. The best one was when he played Bob Dole as a contestant on “The Real World”.
Phil Hartman did a great sketch as Reagan where Reagan was portrayed as more intelligent than all his advisors and as hating photo ops.
i long for the days of molly shannon, john goodman, ana gasteyer, and darrell hammond as monica lweinsky, linda tripp, hillary clinton, and bill clinton. those sketches were always the best!
I hand no love for Norm Macdonald until he started doing Bob Dole. That film they did of Bob Dole on “The Real World” still makes me laugh just thinking about it.
Darrell Hammond as Bill Clinton = hilarious. My favorite Fey/Palin moment was when she said “Can I call you Joe? Because I’ve memorized a couple things where I call you Joe.” Best skit of last weekend, though, was The Lawrence Welk Show. I’m not always Kristen Wiig’s biggest fan, but we’re still laughing about that skit this morning.
Where’s the love for Dana Carvey’s George Bush? “Thousand Points of Light…Not gonna do it….” Totally awesome.
Phil Hartman as Bill Clinton by a landslide!
still love phil hartman as bubba clinton…and that debate between him and dana carvey’s george bush sr and ross perot is still a classic
I think I have to give the edge to Hartmann as Bill Clinton. That sketch of him stopping at the McDonald’s while jogging is classic.
As much as love the flute part and Queen Latifah’s reactions to her answers, I knew SNL had been read popwatch when Fey said ‘And to all you playing drinking games: Maverick’. Then she popped an imginary beer.
I was more familiar with Dana Carvey’s Ross Perot before I’d seen what the actual guy looked like! His Bush was pretty good, too. (That sounded wrong)
Nice skit. The guy playing Joe Biden was stupid, but Tina Fey nailed it! I love the 3rd graders line. Is it weird that she’s even hotter to me now?
Phil Hartman as a jogging Clinton taking a rest (read food) break at a McDonald’s was fracking hilarious.
To GT: You’re a genius!
As usual, the best lines were the ones that hewed the closest to what Palin actually said: http://tinyurl.com/49fjes
Definitely Dana Carvey as Bush Sr. — so classic.
Best SNLpolitical sketch has to be the Bush-Dukakis debate with Jon Lovitz playing Dukakis.
George Bush: Thousand points of light, stay the course, thousand points of light…at this juncture we have to stay the course.
Mr. Dukakis your rebuttal?
Dukakis: I can’t believe I’m losing to this guy
will ferrell bush. Stratergy.
Darrell Hammond as Clinton is still genius. The lip biting, the thumbs ups – makes me laugh every time!
It was just a one-off skit, but Michael J. Fox playing Dan Quayle during a State of the Union Address was priceless.
Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford! No comparison!
Kristen Wiig’s first sketch as Nancy Pelosi was awesome, it still sticks in my head. But nothing will ever top Ferrell’s George W. Bush. Ever.
Meanwhile I’m wondering why they made the switch from Forte to Sudeikis for Bush last week, Forte was doing pretty good I thought.
Tina Fey all the wey!
I looooooooved this weekend’s spoof of the debates. My favorite line was at the very end when Tina Fey made the comment about the maverick drinking game. How much do you want to bet that this drinking game already exists? (Or if it didn’t before it sure does now!) As for the others, I loved Hammond as Bubba and a close 2nd would be Will Ferrell as W. Although if Tina Fey keeps it up she may steal my top spot altogether!
gotta give it to those who went with Dana Carvey as Bush Sr. “Nah, gahna do it, wouldn’t be prudent…..”
Hammond is a fantastic Clinton — he always conveys just the right amount of womanizing sleaziness, but I have a special place in my heart for that skit of Phil Hartman’s Clinton stopping at the McDonald’s.