The First Time I’ve Watched SNL “Live” in Recent Memory

I was going to write about The Ex List and The Starter Wife, but after watching SNL last night – live for the first time in I don’t know how long – I feel compelled to instead celebrate the hilarity that is Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Gov. Sarah Palin. For the record, I’m still undecided about whose name I’ll check come November 4, but I have to admit that the potential for four more years of Tina/Sarah on SNL is…well, not enough to make up my mind. But it made for some terrific TV!

First, the cold open, which is where everyone expected Gov. Palin to appear. Having Sarah backstage with Lorne Greene Michaels (ETA: Lorne Greene? Where did that come from?) watching Tina-as-Sarah was a good choice. Gov. Palin isn’t an actor so having her be herself saved us from embarrassingly stiff line readings, which I’m sure she appreciated, too. Who saw Mark Wahlberg’s appearance coming, though? Ha! Watch your back, Samberg! And then Alec Baldwin shows up to chat with “Tina” and Lorne. It’s crazy how much Sarah and Tina look alike. (Also? Props to Tina for the “fancy pagent walking” demonstration”.) My favorite part of this skit – and perhaps the entire show – was the little nod that passed between Sarah and Tina as they switched places at the “press conference”. It was so…civilized. So beautifully choreographed. A tiny moment, but perfectly executed. Take a look:

But that wasn’t the last of Gov. Palin, oh no! During the (real) Weekend Update, she joined Amy Poehler and Seth Meyer to ostensibly do a skit, but politely explained that she’d decided against doing it because “it might not be good for the campaign”. And so we were treated to the instant classic sequence of a “terminally pregnant” Amy Poehler rapping with her Alaskan gangstas, a moose, and the First Husband while Sarah and Seth bopped in the background. Priceless.

Kudos to Gov. Palin for not only being a good sport but actually looking like she was getting a kick out of what was going on. My question now is, has Tina Fey officially passed the torch? Now that the real Gov. Palin has appeared on SNL, does that mean no more spoofs? I hope not!