The Remote Island : New York Times

The New York Times Hates Those "SNL" Blind Governor Bits

Jake Kalish — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:44:00 GMT

David Paterson, presumably trying to lay a little bit low after that whole Caroline Kennedy/Kristen Gillebrand debacle, had no comment on Fred Armisen's latest send-up of his perceived deficiencies as both governor and sighted person. But boy, did the New York Times have something to say. Here's Clyde Haberman of the Times on the Paterson bits:

The shabby blind-man humor comes by way of “Saturday Night Live.”
Granted, the show has a tradition of mocking politicians’ stumbles, figurative and literal. This goes back to its earliest days in the mid-1970s, when Chevy Chase built a career by sending up President Gerald R. Ford as a hopeless bumbler.
But a lot of people felt that “S.N.L.” crossed a line of decency in December when one of its people, Fred Armisen, made repeated fun of Mr. Paterson’s blindness. As “Paterson,” he held a chart upside down, rolled around aimlessly in a chair and wandered cluelessly into a camera’s path. The level of humor might fairly be described as sophomoric were that not an insult to sophomores...You’d think there might be a learning curve at Rockefeller Plaza. Apparently not. Mr. Armisen was back as “Paterson” last Saturday night. This time, he pulled out a huge pair of binoculars to read a piece of paper. “Just kidding,” he said.Yuk, yuk, yuk. Among those failing to see the humor was Marcie Roth, executive director of the National Coalition for Disability Rights. For her, it reflected a “ridiculous, ongoing, permissible bigotry.”

Really? Mostly it seemed these bits were sending up Paterson's love of the one liner, and implying it came at the expense of actual governance. But yeah, there were certainly a number of (lack of) sight gags. Interesting in all this is the ongoing speculation that Lorne Michaels is only going after a local politician (although Governor of New York is no low-profile job) because of his friendship with Caroline Kennedy, as some sort of revenge through sketch comedy.

Still, as Gothamist notes, none of this at all compares to BBC host Jeremy Clarkson calling British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is blind in one eye, a "one-eyed idiot." Now many in the UK are calling for Clarkson to be fired. Well, at least he should be reprimanded for not at least coming up with something halfway funny. That's just mean.

PREVIOUSLY:

Real-Life Blind Governor Fails To See Comedy In Bumbling "SNL" Parody Of Him

Why Isn't David Paterson Complaining Now?

92YTribeca Spoofs The NY Times Weekender Ad

Lindy Parker — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 21:20:00 GMT

In honor of the 24 hours, 42 minutes and 6 seconds remaining until the weekend, here's a look at 92YTribeca's parody of the NY Times Weekender ad that's made chuckle several times already...

Note to self: write a post listing all the reasons to love Paul Rudd. Include this video, and the driving lesson from Clueless at the top.

"Swingtown" Must Be Over; The New York Times Thinkpiece Is Here

Bryan Christian — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:26:00 GMT

So, for those of you who don't live in New York, we got a little joke around these parts. Whether it's a bar or a restaurant or a celebrity or a blog -- or a TV show -- you know it's time to stick a fork in it if the New York Times does a thoughtful, wonkish argument on "why you should care about it."

Cut to Sunday, and this:

Has it ever felt quite so much like the mid-’70s? Here we are on the brink of a turning-point election, facing an oil crisis, tumbling employment, fears of stagflation, executive overreach. At the same time trend watchers know that decorators have exhumed and repurposed trellis wallpaper, ceramic dogs, black lacquer and upholstery fabric that looks as if it has come from the cabin of a Braniff 747.
[...]
“Swingtown” can occasionally feel like an assault by visual cliché, but the dynamic captures culture wars just as they are incubating. In 1976 Newsweek ran a cover story declaring “the year of the evangelical,” marking a new era of national fissure.

Yep; kiss swingin' '70's Chicago goodbye, y'all!

PREVIOUSLY:
"Swingtown's Demise Means Grant Show's Going Into "Private Practice"

Fox News: We Distort, You Never Know

Bryan Christian — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:24:00 GMT

Huh. Yesterday, Fox News photoshopped pictures of writers at the Times and, you know, neglected to mention it on the air or anything. We know! Totally must have been some sort of oversight. Some douchey, desperate, "Jesus H. Fucking Christ haven't you people had enough of this sort of shit?" sort of oversight.

Video after the jump.

Tyra Banks: More Popular Than Letterman, Crushing On Larry David

Bryan Christian — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:20:00 GMT

Did anyone here order 8,300 words from the paper of record on Tyra Banks? 'Cause it sho'nuff showed up in this weekend's Bulldog™. Not only does the girl have two shows of her own and a few more in production, but it sounds like she's pretty much after our job too.

“When I’m coming offstage after my show, I’m thinking about what’s on my TiVo,” she said. Banks and her mother both have crushes on Larry David, and she never misses an episode of his show, “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Every fall she watches the new prime-time network offerings and bets on which shows will be successful. “I’m usually right,” she told me.

Um, may we humbly suggest Aisha Tyler play Tyra whenever the Larry David part of that inevitably becomes a plotline on Curb Your Enthusiasm? 'Cause God love the girl, we're just not convinced that she can do comedy.