SNL Does 'Worst Olbermann in the World!'

Before I get to my own review of Ben Affleck's "Countdown" sketch, I'd like to point out to my friend and Unusable Signal co-host, Caleb Howe, that SNL is filmed in New York City. That's what they mean when they say "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!" That puts them as far away from the "Left Coast" as you can get. I guess they have a pretty weak "Gee-AH-ger-fee" program back in the holler. Also, could you link to a few more of your own stories, Narcissus?

But, I digress. Saturday Night Live's "Countdown" sketch was obviously aimed more at getting brownie points from Caleb and Rupert Murdoch than in being funny. There were a few nice touches by Affleck, and the camera transitions, where Olbermann mixes sincerity with stagecraft, were priceless, but the writing was witlessly one-dimensional.

They nail Olbermann's sometimes-hyperbolic commentary, and Affleck gets the self-satisfied outrage, but they miss by over-reaching. At his "worst," Olbermann could be accused of making mountains out of molehills, but the sketch has him making Everests out of potholes. I guess if they admitted the guy always has at least a kernel of a point, all of their buttering-up of the Hannity Nation would have been for naught.

The "Special Comment" section is utterly devoid of Olbermann's formulaic modulation, the initial crescendo, the pregnant pause followed by the sincere pout, the re-crescendo, and the shattered, emotionally drained sign-off.

The sketch also misses the chance to skewer the other side of his self-satisfaction, the overly verbose jokes followed by the "accidentally overheard" laughter of his studio staff.

Sometimes, I get the urge to agree with conservatives just to try to "seem fair." This is a destructive impulse, destructive to them. If I do that, what incentive do conservatives have to learn and grow?

Tommy Christopher co-hosts "Unusable Signal",on BlogTalkRadio, Tues through Thurs at 10pm, and Fri, and Sat at 11pm. (Eastern) Click here for the Unusable Signal homepage.