Z, what a small small thing to discuss at too great a length. Comics talk to each other. As the world descends into an econ meltdown, you waste space on this.
Better use of the blog is required- moronic post, Dude!

Sorry, I disagree. I think SNL and Jon Stewart play an enormous role in the political and cultural life of this country -- especially right now. And the more we act like ithey are just "entertainment" -- just comedians talking -- the more unexamined power they have. Frankly, I think both (especially Stewart) have a been a force for a more enlightened discourse of democracy. But bringing Franken back into the SNL fold when he has become such an ideologically charged lightning rod of the left is a big mistake. SNL has done moree to shape the perception of Sarah Palin than any other media outlet in this country. Now the right has evidence to argue that it has done so with bias. It is naive to think SNL is not as much or more about ideologiy as it is entertainment. Thanks.

Z-
True the comics have done more than your collegues in the MSM have done to expose the shallow hypocrisy of the current Repug party under Geo Bush for the past 8 yrs. Going after Al Franken as a lightning rod when he could soon be a US Senator in 4 months betrays a political bias unworthy of your usually sharp mind. Keith Olbermann who you call a gasbag has stepped over some prof lines even in this fan's mind but I honor his unceasing call for accountability for these Bush acts of both negligence and willful criminality. I remain amazed that you and the MSM
are worrying bout NBC rep after the MSM failure to ask any important questions on the run-up to the Iraq war fiasco. That Al Franken talks to collegues bout a sketch that does represent a genuine narrative about John McCain that resonates with many of us is no big deal.
In South Carolina 2000 A Bush operative began a false story about McCain having a black kid out of wedlock and it helped torpedo McCain in 2000. This year McCain has hired that same operative who slimed him to do the same to Barack Obama. I am shocked that McCain hired a man infamous for sliming his wife and adopted daughter in such a racist fashion.Thus whenI see the SNL announcer doin "did you know that Barack Obama had two black babes in wedlock" I laugh at its connections: a fair and honest, brutally honest assessment of moral vacuity of the current Repug Party: I laugh with that brutal honesty.

Hi, thanks for the comments. If you go back through the archives, you will see that all of those touchstones you mentioned were written about in one way another by Zurawik -- dealing, of course, with the media's part of the equation not the politicians. Search online and you can also find a keynote speech I gave about 18 mknths at the founding of an international journal, "Media, War & Conflict." The speech was on the failure of the MSM in the run-up to the war. I'm on the editorial board of that journal, which if you look through the list, you will see consists of some of the world's -- not the nation's -- leading scholars and journalists in the field. Again, thanks for the comments. PS Read the journal. I think you would like. It's published by Sage. Z

You know, this is the stuff "the left" doesn't consider when their blowhards keep making demands for the return of the "Fairness Doctrine"--they would have to not only balance out the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly, but also the stuff like this SNL balderdash, having someone oversee that all the gags on Jon Stewart were balanced out, etc. No wonder Rush Limbaugh replies to calls for the Fairness Doctrine with "I AM 'equal time'!!"

Hello and thanks for the comment. I would defend SNL (not in this case) and Jon Stewart (who I think does hit anyone he thinks he can make a point and get a laugh off of) because we need satire in a democracy. Satirists really are one of the true tests of free speech. But I accept your basic premise totally when it comes to people in the same forum -- 24/7 cable TV "news" -- like Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow to name a couple. I have to say, I am coming to understand where conservative anger -- no make that outrage -- toward the media comes from. And this is especially true with someone like Bill Moyers who is on PBS, constantly identifying himself as a journalist, and wrapping his toughts in a quasi-New-Testament rhetoric, which includes such catchphrases as, "I am deeply troubled...a profound and mighty force of hate is sweeping across the land." And the cauldron of that hate in the Gospel According to Moyers is always the found on the right. Thanks. I hope you come back with other thoughts. You really got me going. Z

Still waiting for the TV blog to start. The season premiere of House and a ton of other shows, some new have, have come and gone and you're still jerking around with naive political commentary? Judging by the lack of comments, I guess aiming for the lowest common denominator blog demo has petered out. Stick to your day job.

Hi, We have a daily Z on TV in the paper and online that has entertainment reviews. We have written about each of the shows you mention as well. In fact, you can find them right at baltimoresun.com -- just not at the blog yet. As for comments, yours is the 999th in our first two weeks. I wish you had been 1000, so you could join in congratulating me on the blog. You seem like the well wishing type. But I have to tell you: The TV and politics stuff is going to stay, my friend. Thanks. But, really, you should check out the reviews of the shows you say we didn't review. Z

Was it the funniest sketch in the world? No

Why wasn't it funny? Because, sadly, it was true.

Al Franken is a joke of a human being, but this satire hit its target, and anyone who doesn't wonder what happened to the old reliable John McCain is clueless.

Bill Hader as the voiceover guy had me laughing out loud at points, but overall not a humor skit...There's nothing funny about this crap these days.

I love Dr. Vatz, but he's either bending over backwards to defend the side that is wrong as a form of "balance", or he is completely brainwashed.

Hi, thanks for the comments. First of all, let me say, who could argue with a guy who has a dog as adorable looking as yours on his Web site? (I've got three and one is having leg surgery this week, so I', kind of dog-centric.) OK, back to Z on TV. I will not disagree on your point about the "truth" of the skit. But just as a media critis, I say NBC should no longer be collaborating with Franken once he's a candidate for the Senate -- especially in satires of opposition candidates. Thanks, though, for the insight on the wisdom of the sketch. As to whether or not Dr. Vatz is "brainwashed," I will decline comment. Thanks. Z

Perhaps it's simply that the political undertones in SNL are beyond me, but this concept that Al Franken (whois running for a seat on the U.S. Senate) suggested this skit seems no different to me than political figures such as Ralph Nader, Rudy Giuliani, and Al Gore participating on the show. While true, for example Al Gore had completed his vice presidency before his participation, he was nonetheless still an active political member. The idea here is that politicians are using SNL as a comedic relief in such a way to be relatable to the audience of Americans. It seems that Franken's choice is not all that different.

If Obama had picked Hillary as VP, well, It doesn't take an Al Franken to write the comedy gold that SNL would have struck there.

I found McCain's press conference today funny in ways that no comedy wirter could ever script.

Funnier than that: Sarah Palin.

That's not my left wing bias, that's my "I don't like clueless people running for high office in my country, especially during tough times" bias.

Al Franken, when he was a writer on SNL, was a horrible person to a lot of people. This is documented in Jay Mohr's book "Gasping for Airtime", and also "Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live". He's moved into politics, and I wouldn't want to be around him if he gets elected.

to recap:
Vatz: Not seeing the big picture.
Franken= bad.
Palin=Manchurian.
McCain= SOOO not the guy he was in 2000.

Hi Adam, I love the recap. Brilliant. It made me aware of how short my attention span has become. Twenty-five years of TV criticism will do that to you. And now even worse on the Web. Thanks.

The media's liberal side comes out defiantly whenever there is a republican presence in power. The media's conservative side comes out defiantly whenever there is a democratic presence in power. Jon Stewart made a comment on the Daily show responding to accusations that he and other media giants were personifying the extreme leftness of the media. His comment pointed out that his show was a comedy show and that in order for that show to survive it must poke fun at those who are in the lime light. Stewart also commented that he made fun of Clinton when he was the president but that Bush made himself into a great target for comedians to talk about. John McCain also makes himself into an easy target.

Last time I checked, SNL was a comedy show who hired comedians to write comedic sketches about people in the lime light. Al Franken is a very smart man and I think his comedy is brilliant. I also think that because he is a smart man, he will make a better senate candidate than most others because lets face it, we need more smart people involved in the running of this country and a little sense of humor wouldn't hurt either.

Hi Conor, Good points, and the recap of what Jon Stewart says is important. Comedians do often speak from the margins against those in power. Not always, of course. Bob Hope, one of longest-running and most iconic comedians, spoke for the establishment. And he was funny -- mostly. Ok not near the end. But earlier, very funny. Z

David-

You are a treasure. Keep up the excellent work.

I hope everything turns out well with your dog.

I don't like what the web has done to my attention span either! On the bright side, having so much info at our fingertips is a blessing. I'm much wiser than I was 15 years ago, believe it or not.

Hi Adam, Thanks so much. I totally agree. I think I am smarter than I was two weeks ago when I started this blog -- thanks to comments like yours.

All I have to say is that of course Al Franken is going to write a skit blasting John McCain. He's a die-hard liberal. Had Bill O'Reilly been a writer for SNL, he'd have a skit blasting Barack Obama.

I do agree with you that Franken should be spending more time campaigning for Senate rather than writing for SNL. It's pretty sick to see in the entertainment world, comedy writers being pretentious about their political views. Comedy shows are about escape from the dog-eat-dog world of politics, not as a tool to exacerbate the unfortunately large political bias in this country

The central element of being politically correct, remember, is not doing or saying anything that might be taken negatively by the public, the media, constituents, and so on. A similar principle seems to be the reason Franken should avoid currently being involved in writing for SNL, even if it means just suggesting a political sketch: people, including ideological opponents and sympathizers, will raise a row about it. Regardless of what Franken actually thinks is biased, as a running politician the public perception must always be considered.