By Noel Sheppard | November 14, 2010 | 8:33 AM EST

As NewsBusters has been reporting all week, the media have used the occasion of George W. Bush's published memoirs "Decision Points" to rekindle their hatred for the 43rd president.

Not surprisingly, NBC's "Saturday Night Live" took its shots at Bush by uniting him with Kanye West during "Weekend Update" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

By Noel Sheppard | November 11, 2010 | 9:46 AM EST

Comedienne and actress Tina Fey on Tuesday thanked former Alaska governor Sarah Palin as she accepted this year's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

According to the Washington Post, she then mocked conservative women "first to nervous laughter and then to not much laughter at all":

By Jill Stanek | September 27, 2010 | 10:38 AM EDT
ground zeroA September 25 Quinnipiac poll found 57% of New Yorkers oppose building a mosque on the site where wreckage from the airliner piloted by Mohammed Atta crashed through the roof on 9/11, 2 blocks from the World Trade Center. Only 32% think the Muslim plan is ok.

The opinion of Americans nationwide is even more pronounced. Time magazine found they polled 61% against, 26% for.

In NY the political divide on this issue is great. While 90% of Republicans oppose the mosque, only 34% of Democrats support it, according to Quinnipiac.

And of course the Saturday Night Live team would reside in the Democrat camp. Hence their skit this past weekend attempting to pigeonhole those opposed to building a mosque so close to Ground Zero as social conservatives. Video after break....

By Noel Sheppard | September 26, 2010 | 3:03 AM EDT

Two weeks ago most Americans had never heard of Christine O'Donnell.

Now, she's the brunt of a vulgar joke on the opening sketch of "Saturday Night Live's" first show of the new season.

In it, the GOP nominee for Senate from the state of Delaware - played by Kristen Wiig - met with members of the Republican National Committee to decide a campaign strategy.

As they went over some of the skeletons in her closet, she informed them that she's reversed her position on masturbation.

"I will have you know that I masturbate constantly," said Wiig. "I masturbated this morning when I woke up, again in the shower, then while eating breakfast, and in the taxi on the way over here."

Wiig continued, "In a few minutes, I'm going to want to masturbate again" (video follows with commentary):

By Noel Sheppard | April 11, 2010 | 5:33 PM EDT

NBC's "Saturday Night Live" last evening mocked President Obama, healthcare reform, and the census while strangely adding what some could find a tad anti-Semitic.

Trying to explain why the census isn't "some Socialist plot to spy on the American people," Fred Armisen in what's becoming his signature role walked through the questions being asked of citizens this April.

Following some largely sophomoric and somewhat tasteless sexually oriented items, Armisen moved on to the topic of healthcare.

After that, he asked a question about Jews destined to raise a few eyebrows (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):

By Noel Sheppard | April 11, 2010 | 10:42 AM EDT

Tina Fey hosted NBC's "Saturday Night Live" last evening, and as expected, reprised her role as former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

Dressed in black leather, Fey began by going after Tea Party members referring to them as "protesters dressed like Paul Revere who are so overweight they picket from folding chairs."

Next, Fey introduced the "Sarah Palin Network," which will feature hit movies like, "My Daughter Only Sprained Her Ankle, You Can't Seriously Be Considering Euthanizing Her."

"But not all our programming is fear-based," she said before highlighting SPN's lineup of shows like "Tea Party Wheel of Fortune," "Are You Smarter than a Half-Term Governor?" and "Hey Journalist, I Gotcha," in which Palin re-edited interviews to make it look like her interviewers - Katie Couric for example - were "woefully unprepared" (video follows):

By Noel Sheppard | March 7, 2010 | 2:45 PM EST

The "Saturday Night Live" team last evening mocked CNN and many of its most prominent personalities, in particular, Wolf Blitzer.

"Such an exciting name for such a boring man," said actor Jason Sudeikis in a marvelous Blitzer costume.

CNN personalities weren't the only target, for the sketch also lampooned the network's use of citizen journalists via the Internet and cell phone videos.

"Once again, CNN asks, are you there?" said Sudeikis. "Are you on the scene?" 

"Then send us your updates and send us your photos," he continued. "In other words, do our job for us" video embedded below the fold with transcript, h/t Story Balloon):

By Noel Sheppard | March 7, 2010 | 10:58 AM EST

"Saturday Night Live" mocked the entire Democrat establishment last evening taking on President Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), and healthcare reform.

Fred Armisen playing Obama in a mock address to the American Nursing Association continually referred to healthcare legislation currently before Congress as "surprisingly unpopular."

"Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid have assured me that unpopular though it may be, in the days ahead this bill will be passed by both the House and Senate and sent to my desk for signature," assured Armisen.

"Finally, after decades of effort, we will have real healthcare reform even though, as I have said, it may not be popular. Or viewed favorably by Americans. Or what the people want us to do" (video embedded below the fold with transcript, h/t Story Balloon):

By Noel Sheppard | February 7, 2010 | 1:59 PM EST

In potentially a new broadcast television low, "Saturday Night Live's" Andy Samberg, playing White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, went into an f-bomb laden attack on former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin last night.

In what was sarcastically billed as "an even-tempered apology" by Emanuel for his highly-publicized comments concerning some liberal Democrats being "retards," Samberg began by going after these "stupid f**king babies who can't keep their mouths shut."

But the real venom was saved for Palin who Samberg referred to as a "f**king harpy" and a "half a f**king politician."

Samberg concluded by threatening the former governor Facebook style, "Poke me again, and I will write s**t on your wall so obscene your computer will cry" (video embedded below the fold with partial transcript, vulgarity alert): 

By Noel Sheppard | January 31, 2010 | 10:15 AM EST

Last evening, NBC's "Saturday Night Live" marvelously mocked President Obama's recent State of the Union address.

In the opening sketch, Fred Armisen as Obama began by talking about last Tuesday's surprising victory in the Massachusetts special senatorial election.

"Our nominee Martha Coakley was the single most incompetent candidate ever to seek public office in this nation's history," said Armisen to thunderous applause.

"Martha Coakley, you are a disgrace," he continued. "You couldn't beat Dick Cheney for mayor of Berkeley" (video embedded below the fold):

By Noel Sheppard | January 13, 2010 | 10:37 PM EST

Having been regularly lampooned by the folks at "Saturday Night Live," Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin now want to co-host the weekly comedy program.

On Wednesday's installment of "Glenn Beck," the host pitched the idea: "It will be a very highly rated show I'm guessing. We'll make fun of us and give you guys the time off, where you don't have to make fun of us and we'll co-host the show."

Moments later, Beck asked the former Alaska Governor if being mocked by Tina Fey bothered her.

Palin responded, "Well, the only scary thing about all that is that people did start mixing that parody with those things that I actually have said in interviews and some of the reality started kind of atrophying into whatever she was saying. So that was the scary thing that some people weren't intelligent enough to know what the difference was" (video embedded below the fold with partial transcript):

By Noel Sheppard | December 13, 2009 | 12:00 PM EST

"Saturday Night Live" opened yesterday's show by mocking media for supposedly under-reporting the extra-marital affairs of three politicians, but the sketch completely ignored how the press boycotted the philandering of Democrat presidential candidate John Edwards for nine months.

The program's producers also opted not to include disgraced former Democrat Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer in the group.

Instead, on stage were Gov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.), played by Jason Sudeikis, Sen John Ensign (R-Nev.), played by Bill Hader, and former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), played by Will Forte.

Despite the absurdity of suggesting that Ensign and Sanford's respective affairs were under-reported by the press, "SNL" writers completely avoided the fact that the news media, with the exception of the National Enquirer, boycotted Edwards' affair until after Barack Obama had been declared the Democratic presidential nominee (video embedded below the fold with partial transcript, h/t Story Balloon):