Follow ShowHype on Twitter
SNL's Michaels defends choice of Armisen as Obama - VIDEO
TV Squad —
Filed under: Industry, OpEd, Saturday Night Live, Video In today's Washington Post, Saturday Night Live kingpin Lorne Michaels defended his choice of Fred Armisen to play Barack Obama, starting with last week's episode. After the much-publicized search for an Obama impersonator (or Fauxbama, as some are calling it), Michaels decided on Armisen, who is of white and Asian origin. Armisen, who's talented enough to do excellent imitations of people ranging from Prince to Iranian leader Mahmoud ...
snl beef
Oh No They Didn't! —
... no one would need to discuss it. But when you have a figure as historically important as Barack Obama . . . people can get mighty protective of his image." Michaels urges that viewers be patient. "What happens with our political characters is that they start out as impressions and they end up as characters," he said, citing Dana Carvey portraying George H.W. Bush, Hammond as Bill Clinton and Dan Aykroyd as Jimmy Carter, among others. "It will evolve." source -> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/28/AR2008022803988.html
Robert Downey Jr. Black-Face
Right Celebrity —
... A similar controversy ensued recently when Saturday Night Live was criticized for having Fred Armisen, also not black, impersonate Barack Obama. Lorne Michaels defended the sketch and said there’d be more to come. ...
Saturday Night Live 's Cold Open: Full Of Fail [Boooo!]
Jezebel —
... is thinking, "Hey, those two aren't Asian." (At least they didn't tape their eyes back.) But it goes on, with this tired, drawn-out joke about "do sex to me" and Hu literally bending over in front of "Obama." I don't understand how this kind of racial mockery flies on national broadcast television. Is this not yellowface? No, they didn't use "Oriental" makeup, but there's no denying that the effect is there insulting ching chong and all. Combine that effect with Fred Armisen's already contentious Barack Obama impersonation and we have some major issues around race, ...
