By my account, Fred Armisen has never done anything funny, though I think I cracked a half smile with his “yazz flute” character in Anchorman and maybe once at the “I’m jos’ keeeeding” guy on SNL. But his Obama impression is an embarrassment, so in retrospect I hate those things now. With that in mind, I was a little shocked by this “Intervention” parody he did for Funny or Die. Not because it’s particularly funny, mind you, because it’s not, but because it’s somewhat clever and it’s a rare instance when Armisen isn’t relying on goofy accents to get a laugh. Baby steps, Fred.
Like most other people, my mind is blown by the idea that Al Franken — the guy who played freakin’ Stuart Smalley — is now a United States senator (or is about to be, whatever). Even if it’s from the state that elected a feather boa-wearing pro wrestler governor. But then the Associated Press touched upon an issue I hadn’t yet considered: who will play Minnesota’s junior senator on “Saturday Night Live”?
When asked Wednesday who’d be best for the role, Franken first told The Associated Press it may be Fred Armisen, who portrays President Barack Obama in SNL skits. He then said occasional guest Alec Baldwin might be a better fit. [...]
Franken himself parodied a U.S. senator at least once on SNL, playing a Democrat at confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. Franken expects be on the Senate Judiciary Committee, for real, by the time hearings begin for Obama high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.
So. Freakin’. Weird. It’s hard enough for me to accept parody becoming reality, but for parody to parody the parody-turned-reality? That hurts my brain. And what if Franken comes on the show to reprise Stuart Smalley and give advice to Armisen-as-Franken? It would create a parody paradox that might just end the world. Or at least democracy.
