October 8, 2008 Tina Fey
When Sarah Palin was announced to the world as John McCain's running mate, more than one person offered that the Alaska governor reminded them of Tina Fey, former "Saturday Night Live" cast member and current star of "30 Rock" on NBC. So when Saturday Night Live debuted with new episodes in September, there was hope that Fey would be brought back to the show to do an impression of Palin. Boy, did that work out well. Given the power of television, more people may be more familiar with Fey's impressions of Gov. Palin than hearing the real Sarah Palin. And Fey's impression of Palin has made a tremendous impact on the public perception of the Alaska governor, helping the public to see Palin for who she really is. But there was one particular moment in Fey's portrayal where the truth became as clear as the morning air in a place such as Wasilla, Alaska. In the parody of the Katie Couric interview with Palin, Fey did something that few, if anyone, has tried in a parody in the modern era: use the actual words spoken. Too often, in parody, exaggerations produce a false impression of a figure: Chevy Chase's falling in his Gerald Ford impression leaps to mind. But in the Couric interview parody, Fey used the exact words spoken by Gov. Palin. And it was still funny, because, what Palin said was funny. But the way Fey said the lines allowed the audience to laugh at the parody when the reality was just, well, sad. When you watch the actual Gov. Palin, you are shocked, amazed, and stunned. When Fey delivers the same lines, they are funny. We don't want to laugh at the original, but by repeating the same lines in a parody format, the parody gives you permission to laugh. And then there are moments such as in the recent parody of the Sarah Palin-Joe Biden debate. Fey, as Palin, jokes about the shoutout to the 3rd graders who helped her with the debate prep, and "I believe marriage is meant to be a sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers." Now the gift of words in parodies falls to the writers, so there is a tendency to not give full credit to the performer, but Fey is the former head writer of "Saturday Night Live," and is the creative force, writing included, of "30 Rock." Fey is absolutely known more for her writing than her performing. The impact of Fey impersonating Palin has shown up in increased ratings. The night of the Palin-Biden parody had 23% higher ratings over the previous week, and up 42% over last year's fourth show of the season. The SNL skit with Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton has logged about 6 million views, according to NBC.com. This would be 6 times more hits than any other SNL clip. On the strength of that success, NBC is running live Weekend Update on Thursday nights in prime time between now and the election. So there will be more opportunities to see Fey as Palin. When Fey was at the Emmys on September 21 (the only week where she wasn't on SNL since she was in Los Angeles), the buzz wasn't about the three Emmys she won for "30 Rock," but her portrayal of Palin a few minutes a week. On the topic of likes and dislikes, Fey said that when she hears the expression "President Palin," she thinks to herself, "I want to be done playing this lady Nov. 5." To the gathered journalists she added, "So, if anybody can help me be done playing this lady Nov. 5, that would be good for me."Well, you betcha we appreciate what you have done, and hopefully what you will do between now and November 5, and for that, we gladly give you this week's BuzzFlash Wings of Justice Award. * * * Nominated by the BuzzFlash staff.
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