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SNL buries skit to appease liberal bigshots???
I suppose this is speculative, but it certainly makes you wonder. From the Wall Street Journal.
One of the funniest and most politically searing comedy sketches in years has vanished from the Web site of NBC's Saturday Night Live. Visitor comments asking about its disappearance are also being scrubbed from the Web site. The sketch -- a harsh indictment of the housing meltdown that led to last week's bailout bill -- was clearly too much truth for someone to handle.
The seven-minute sketch featured a mock news conference of Democratic Congressional leaders on the bailout bill, during which Nancy Pelosi and Barney Frank inadvertently acknowledge that it was Congress that blocked reform and effective oversight of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Then SNL comic Kristen Wiig, playing Speaker Pelosi, introduces a parade of "victims" of the housing crisis. These "real Americans" include two jobless deadbeats who bought houses with no down-payment and a preppy couple who can't flip the dozen time-share condos they bought as a speculative investment.
They were followed by actors portraying the real-life couple of Herbert and Marion Sandler. They explained how they built a mortgage company that specialized in subprime mortgages, which they sold to Wachovia Bank for $24.2 billion in 2006 -- one of the worst acquisitions by any company ever. It helped precipitate the collapse of Wachovia last week.
The Sandlers were hustled off the stage by "Speaker Pelosi" after they said they couldn't understand why they were invited to a news conference of "victims" since they had done so well out of the housing crisis.
They were followed by financier George Soros, identified as "Owner, Democratic Party." The actor portraying Mr. Soros informs the group that the $700 billion bailout package "basically belongs to me" and that he has decided to short the U.S. dollar. That will trigger a devaluation "either Tuesday or Wednesday. I haven't decided which yet. It will depend on how I feel."
The brutally wicked sketch must have caused tremors in left-wing circles. The Sandlers and Mr. Soros have all been prime financial backers of independent political groups that have secured huge influence in the Democratic Party and helped fuel the rise of Barack Obama.
The Sandlers, for example, were major donors to the left-wing radio network Air America as well as the liberal housing lobby ACORN, a major player in pressuring banks into making more subprime mortgages. They also donated $2.5 million to MoveOn.org, the liberal group that insulted General David Petraeus as "General Betray Us" last year. Mr. Soros contributed a like amount. In turn, Eli Pariser, the head of MoveOn.org, was quite candid after the 2004 election about the influence this left-wing cabal hoped to exercise: "Now it's our party: we bought it, we own it, and we are going to take it back."
No doubt the Sandlers and Mr. Soros were displeased with the Saturday Night Live sketch. Herbert Sandler told the Associated Press that its portrayal of him as a predatory lender was "crap." "We are being unfairly tarred. People have been telling us to speak out for some time, but we didn't think it was appropriate. That was clearly a mistake."
I suspect that some of the people the Sandlers have spoken to -- or complained to -- are the corporate overseers of NBC. That may explain why the bailout sketch has been airbrushed from the network's Web site and will likely never be shown again.
That's a shame, because rarely has political satire been more timely, pointed and, in many respects, so truthful.
-- John Fund
Re: SNL buries skit to appease liberal bigshots???
Well that's odd, I saw that sketch online yesterday afternoon. It was certainly billed high; top of the list after the debate sketch, but it's not there anymore.
I didn't find it very funny. I was surprised that the joke took on "main street", but had no idea that some of the people were real. It didn't make much sense out of that context, esp the Soros guy. The lady playing Pelosi was flat, the only funny thing about her was the way she stared.
It just wasn't the over-the-topness that usually makes SNL funny.
It's still on youtube if you want to see it... for now
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK9dt0yqpIk
The Sandlers and Soros need to grow a pair. Seriously? They whined about that? Do they think Palin likes being parodied? Or anyone else for that matter? Jesus.
And WTF is up with SNL pulling it? That is moronic. Though, SNL has pulled stuff before in response to public opinion (Martin Lawrence's monologue about 10 years ago, a Chelsea Clinton bit both come to mind) and whatever happened with that weird NYT skit a few weeks ago with the incest joke? I think I remember hearing that one was pulled, though I could be wrong on that.
In any event, that is lame. SNL writes like one funny skit a show. This time, they actually had two and they've gone and pulled one of them? Pathetic.
Adam & Shoshie 10-21-07: "My family is big and loud and everybody's in each other's lives and business. ... but wherever I go, they will always be there." * My Blog: Tales of a Hopeful Jewish Mom to Be *
Pulling a comedy skit to appease billionaires = the death of comedy.
Boo SNL.
You left off Sinead O'Conner ripping the pope's picture. But since that wasn't scripted, I feel it's okay for them to pull it.
I LOL'ed at that sketch, though I did cringe a little at the 'people who should be shot' caption. Otherwise, funny stuff.
Loved Anne Hathaway in it. Not sure how I feel about the guy playing Bush in general, but I liked how he 'hovered' when Pelosi told him to stand back, hahaha.
"As of page 2 this might be the most boring argument ever. It's making me long for Rape Day." - Mouse
Censorship of any kind sucks ass.