We don’t usually get two View posts in a day here at Mediaite but, while that fart thing was just BREAKING NEWS THAT THE WORLD NEEDED TO SEE, there was also another interesting moment on the show. Saturday Night Live‘s Fred Armisen appeared to promote the second season of his IFC series Portlandia ( a series where that hilarious one-man show sketch probably would have been better appreciated) and Sherri Shepherd pointed out an issue that’s been a problem almost since SNL‘s inception (and possibly the actual solution to Greg Gutfeld’s conspiracy yesterday); Lorne Michaels needs to hire some more damn black people.

Barack Obama impersonator Reggie Brown first hit my radar in April, but with a much-publicized performance at the Republican Leadership Conference, he figures to be on many more screens in the near future. Initially accused (by liberal blogs) of telling “racist jokes,” then by RLC President Charlie Davis of “racially insensitive jokes,” the truth beyond those accusations has emerged. In an exclusive interview with Mediaite, Reggie responds to his critics, talks about his past and future, and issues a friendly challenge to fellow Faux-bama Fred Armisen.

Saturday Night Live opened this week’s show with a parody of CNN’s The Situation Room, with Jason Sudeikis doing a dead-on impression of Wolf Blitzer reporting on an absurdist version of President Obama‘s speech in El Paso this week. Lampooning criticism of the President’s lone, low-key mention of Osama bin Laden‘s killing, Fred Armisen delivered an over-the-top Obama smoking, trash-talking, and basically letting it all hang out.

Fred Armisen’s Barack Obama was back tonight to comment on the barely-averted budget shutdown this weekend. It was a typical legislative triumph, Obama concluded, as everyone “walked away unhappy.” Also upset? Congressional interns who would rather spit game at the bar, the cleaning staff on Capitol Hill, and kids who were hoping the shutdown meant they didn’t have to go with their parents to Yellowstone National Park. Members of Congress weren’t too happy either, but for personal reasons: Mitt Romney was reminded of his inability to connect to other human beings, and Dennis Kucinich was still sore over being picked last for kickball.

Hard to believe, but there is a name for a talk show that’s more ungainly and unimaginative than “Parker/Spitzer.” In a sketch that played on the recent rumors of strife surrounded the poorly rated CNN show, SNL aired a segment depicting Eliot Spitzer‘s hypothetical search for a new co-anchor: “Parker/Amanpour,” “Parker/Klum” and “Parker/Paterson” are all tested as possible candidates.

Some of the best SNL impressions aren’t impressions at all, but rather spoofy exaggerations of characters that take the joke to the nth degree: Maya Rudolph‘s Donatella Versace; Phil Hartmann‘s Sinatra; Andy Samberg‘s Mark Wahlberg; Eddie Murphy‘s Gumby. Add to the list Will Forte‘s, and now Bill Hader‘s version of Chinese leader Hu Jintao, which [...]

SNL opened last night with a sketch spoofing President Obama (Fred Armisen) making a campaign stop in Nevada to stump for a struggling Harry Reid (Paul Brittain). After a glowing introduction from Obama, Reid asks him if he’d mind if he distanced himself from the President. “Do what you have to do, Harry, I’ve got your back,” says Obama. Whereupon Reid reveals that he is actually a Birther

New York Governor David Paterson may have proved last night that laughter is the best revenge. Paterson make a surprise appearance during last night’s Weekend Update to confront fake David Paterson (played by Fred Armisen). When Armisen debuted his Paterson last year he came under fire from many, including Paterson, for mocking the disabled. Paterson, however, had the last laugh last night while also proving he could take a joke.

Talk about an easy target. SNL‘s cold open last night featured this week’s news that Larry King (played by Fred Armisen) had filed for his eighth divorce: ‘Ladies, if you like what you see, the phone lines are open!…at least eight women have had sex with this.” (Which, admittedly, was likely what more than a couple of viewers were thinking this week.)

Funny Or Die has produced a video featuring a star-studded cast of actors who previously portrayed US Presidents on Saturday Night Live. Jim Carrey‘s turn as Ronald Reagan and Dana Carvey‘s George Bush recall a kinder, gentler, and perhaps funnier era of SNL political satire. The message behind the video? Promoting finance regulatory reform (and reminding viewers that much of the financial mess in which Obama finds himself, was inherited from previous administrations?)

Sarah Palin wasn’t the only political figure to get satirically served by Saturday Night Live this week. In fact, Barack Obama got his turn first, in the opening sketch depicting a joint press conference between Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao. But did the show consciously sacrifice laughs in order to make a political point?

Someone at 30 Rock needs to approach Glenn Beck and ask him to co-host SNL, pronto. They could use Beck’s opener today in lieu of an audition tape. Between the red phone, the grip whose job it is to sit beside it in case the White House calls, the chalkboard, and Beck’s impressions, it may be the best 20 minutes of television you’ll see all day.

Joy Behar started her new cable news show on Tuesday, giving her two hours each day on the small screen. She’s on The View every morning, and on HLN at 9pmET.

But yesterday Behar didn’t stop there. She showed up at 11pmET on The Daily Show and “she” showed up on NBC at 8pmET as well.

“I want to get the health care message to as wide an audience as possible,” says Fred Armisen as Pres. Barack Obama. “I don’t want to shut anyone out.” “How about Fox News?” asked his aide. “Nope.”

This is the way last night’s Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday began – in a sketch that saw the debut of “Glenn Beck.”

Long before The Daily Show, long before The Colbert Report, Saturday Night Live was making fun of the news in a way that no one had ever seen before.
In honor of the premiere of Season 35, we’ve pulled together 35 of SNL‘s choicest news anchor spoofs and Weekend Updates, from Baba Wawa to Fred Armisen‘s Joy Behar to the infamous Couric/Palin interview.

Where were you a year ago today? If you are a political journalist — or media hanger-on — chances are you were living out of a suitcase at the 2008 Presidential Conventions, with the Dems nominating Barack Obama in Denver and the GOP nominating John McCain in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Remember those heady days?

This past Sunday I was forced to sit through numerous horror-movie previews before my showing of District 9 — but only one made me laugh. It was the one starring Jay Leno. Wait, what?