One of the best things to come out of this year’s ridiculously messy and drawn-out election cycle was Kate McKinnon’s impression of Hillary Clinton on “Saturday Night Live.” (Although, Larry David’s Bernie Sanders and Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump renditions were almost as priceless.) On Saturday night’s episode McKinnon reprised her Clinton character by singing “Hallelujah” and ending her song with “I’m not giving up and neither should you!”

Here’s the full cold open:

It was an interesting move for the show–not clearly a comedic take on Tuesday night’s results, but also Clinton’s campaign juxtaposed with some of the lyrics added a touch of poignant levity. For example, she sang:

I did my best, it wasn’t much, I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch.

I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come to fool you. And even though it all went wrong, I’ll stand before the lord of song, with nothing on my tongue but hallelujah.

The scene was also a nice remembrance of the song’s writer, Leonard Cohen, who died earlier this week.

Alec Baldwin didn’t come back as Trump this week; he had previously said he “hoped” he wouldn’t be back, seemingly indicating that he hoped that Trump wouldn’t win the election and require a new skit.

It’s unclear if Baldwin will continue to play Trump throughout the duration of his presidency. While he makes a perfect Trump, he doesn’t seem to enjoy the role very much. Appearing on “The Brian Lehrer Show” recently, he said:

I’m not an impressionist, per se, but if you do any kind of comedy and they ask you to do that, most of the time, there’s some degree of appreciation, I think, involving somebody you like. Trump is somebody who, I don’t hate Trump, but he’s not somebody I admire, so it was more difficult.

So whether this marks the end of McKinnon’s Clinton, Baldwin’s Trump, or both, it’s a sad day for “SNL.”

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Kate McKinnon’s Hillary Clinton Has a Perfect Election Wrap Up Song appeared first on Law Street.

Because this year’s election couldn’t get any weirder, song spoofer extraordinaire Weird Al autotuned his own version of the third presidential debate. The song, aptly called “Bad Hombres, Nasty Women,” was released by Schmoyoho, a Youtube channel that mostly features autotuned songs and videos. In the video, Weird Al acts as the moderator, posing “questions” to the candidates, and then autotuning and mixing the answers they actually gave at the debate itself. Check it out below:

While the answers were just autotuned versions of the ones that Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump said at the actual debate on Wednesday night, Weird Al’s questions, were, of course, facetious. Weird Al asked if they would thumb wrestle Vladimir Putin–whose name obviously came up a lot on Wednesday. He also asked the candidates about their Supreme Court plans, noting that he would not be in the running–which is unfortunate if you were looking forward to autotuned and spoofed judicial decisions. In true rhyming fashion, other questions from Weird Al included: “can everyone achieve the American dream?” and “should they sign up for my Ponzi scheme?”

This, of course, isn’t the first fantastic spoof to come out of the exhausting debates between the two candidates. Bad Lip Reading did a very solid rendition of the first debate:

And of course, everyone has loved “Saturday Night Live’s” version of the debates, starring Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton, and Alec Baldwin as a fantastic Donald Trump:

While this election cycle might feel like it’s never-ending, at least there are plenty of funny things to watch.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Weird Al Releases His Own Version of the Third Presidential Debate appeared first on Law Street.

“Saturday Night Live” aired one of its most scathing hits against Donald Trump yet this weekend–but instead of going after the Republican frontrunner himself, it went after the people who support him. This weekend’s cold open featured cast member Cecily Strong as Scottie Nell Hughes, a conservative commentator who aggressively supports Trump. And while the spot features two of SNL’s most famous faces–in addition to Strong, Kate McKinnon plays CNN’s Kate Bolduan–it wasn’t that far off from some of the insane things that I’ve seen Trump supporters and spokespeople say on the air over the last few months.

Check out the SNL clip below:

McKinnon brings up multiple controversial statements regarding women made by Trump recently–including the fact that he brought up punishing women who have abortions during an interview last week. For each controversy that McKinnon brings up, Strong has a retort or explanation, each more ridiculous than the last.

Whether intentionally or not, SNL’s choice to feature Nell Hughes was foreshadowed by the pundit herself. As Gawker’s Melissa Cronin pointed out, Nell Hughes was talking about Trump supporters on CNN last month when she stated that they “have been abused, they have been slaughtered, they have been made fun of, on everything from the nightly news to ‘Saturday Night Live.'”

Nell Hughes reacted to Strong’s portrayal of her on CNN, saying that while she for the most part had a good laugh at it, after she had mulled it over, she found her portrayal a bit sexist.

She stated:

Talk about the ultimate shaming, the ultimate sexism. What does ‘SNL’ want me to do? Be barefoot and pregnant? Or maybe just talk about parenting issues? … Just because you don’t like the guy that I speak favorably of, then you know they’re obviously going to attack.

She also talked to the Blaze, and said that she was a little bit “shaken” and that “those who know me know that I’m actually a very insecure person. I read every tweet.”

SNL’s mocking of Nell Hughes was certainly specific, but not necessarily off base. As Slate points out, Nell Hughes has said some incredibly concerning things about Donald Trump, on various shows–making them fair game for SNL’s acidic parody.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post “SNL” Goes After Donald Trump Supporter Scottie Nell Hughes appeared first on Law Street.

Fans who were excited by the prospect of Bernie Sanders appearing in this week’s episode of “Saturday Night Live,” also featuring Larry David, were not disappointed. Though he wasn’t in the cold open, nor did he pop up in the Sanders’ themed sketch, which poked fun at his campaign, Sanders did show up alongside David in a sketch about the tumultuous road to America on a ship in a rough storm.

The sketch subtly calls out some of Sanders’ political platform, as his character, Bernie Sanderswitzky, chastises David’s character for claiming to be more entitled to a seat on a lifeboat than anyone else, because of his wealth. “I’m so sick of the 1 percent getting this preferential treatment. Enough is enough!” Sanderswitzky yells out upon his arrival on the ship, as the live “SNL” studio audience claps and cheers. There is also a cute joke about Sanders being a socialist; Sanderswitzky has to clarify that everybody working together to get through a problem isn’t socialism, but, rather, democratic socialism.

In addition to the political humor, there are also some funny references to Sanders’ Jewish heritage and his New York accent. All in all? A great success and some helpful positive publicity for Bernie Sanders as we round the corner towards the New Hampshire primaries, where he is predicted to win with flying colors.

There was also a nice feature sketch on Sanders where Larry David played the Senator and joked about him losing by less than one percent in the Iowa caucuses. As an added bonus, the skit’s title, “Bern Your Enthusiasm,” is a great play off of David’s show, “Curb Your Enthusiasm!”

Overall, it was a funny night for Bernie Sanders fans everywhere, and a nice tension release in what has been a stressful month of election business. It’s always great to see guest stars with good senses of humor, and this sure hits the spot when it comes to making Sanders seem like a down-to-earth candidate willing to make fun of himself every once in a while.

Alexandra Simone

Alex Simone is an Editorial Senior Fellow at Law Street and a student at The George Washington University, studying Political Science. She is passionate about law and government, but also enjoys the finer things in life like watching crime dramas and enjoying a nice DC brunch. Contact Alex at ASimone@LawStreetmedia.com

The post Bernie Sanders is a Hit on “Saturday Night Live” appeared first on Law Street.

If you missed Saturday’s third Democratic debate, there’s a chance you still managed to see frontrunner Hillary Clinton—or two Hillarys, rather–in action if you tuned into NBC.

Saturday Night Live veterans Tina Fey and Amy Poehler returned to their former comedic stomping ground as hosts to promote their new comedy “Sisters.” While they were there, both actresses reprised their infamous Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton impersonations in an unexpected skit that was easily the most talked about moment of the show.

The hilarious holiday sketch began with Kate McKinnon’s impersonation of Hillary falling asleep only to be awoken in a scrooge-like trance by Hillary Clinton circa 2008–aka Poehler. After catching past Hillary up on current affairs, including Benghazi and her dreaded emails, present Hillary proclaims she’s got this presidency in the bag. But only after explaining that her biggest competitors are “human Birkenstock” Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, does skeptical past Hillary believe her.

And then to make things even better, the Hillarys are joined by Fey playing a past Palin who thinks she’s stumbled into the bedroom of a lesbian couple. Priceless.

Watch the Skit Below

However, the real Sarah Palin couldn’t let Fey have all the fun at her expense. The former Alaskan Governor teamed up with conservative website Independent Journal Review to finally get back at Fey with a spoof of her own.

In the clip, Palin makes a fake “31 Rock” trailer posing as a pseudo Liz Lemon named “Lynn Melon,” who hates political correctness, spouts false Star Wars facts, and isn’t actually funny. There’s also some head scratching cameos from her former running mate John McCain and recent campaign dropout Lindsay Graham.

Watch Palin’s Spoof Below

While it’s clear Fey and Poehler’s bit was far superior, Palin’s attempt was still likable and noteworthy. She sure isn’t going to win any acting awards, but fake trailer shows she’s not afraid to get a few laughs at her own expense.

Let’s hope the political spoofs to come are all this good!

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Tina Fey, Amy Poehler Reprise SNL Spoofs, Palin Finally Gets Revenge appeared first on Law Street.

On Saturday, November 7, Donald Trump will host Saturday Night Live, which in addition to being particularly entertaining television could lead to free airtime for his opponents.

Dating all the way back to the Communications Act of 1934, broadcast channels that feature a candidate for federal office provide “equal opportunity” to opposing candidates who request their airtime. While there are several notable exceptions for news programming, this rule basically entitles Trump’s opposition to request free airtime on all NBC affiliates that air Saturday Night Live.

Because Trump is hosting the show, he will probably get somewhere between 20 to 25 minutes of airtime, which means that if his opponents submit free time requests NBC affiliate stations could be on the hook for a lot of free airtime. But this is also where several questions emerge. Equal opportunity only applies to “qualified candidates,” which according to the rule must have filed all of the necessary paperwork and made a “substantial showing” of his or her intention to seek the nomination. Any Republican who can prove that he or she is a qualified candidate may be entitled to free airtime.

The rule applies to all NBC affiliates that air SNL but not the network itself, meaning that individual stations would be charged with negotiating equal opportunity airtime. So far, most campaigns have focused on early primary and caucus states like Iowa and New Hampshire, which means that candidates’ requests may not meet the requirements in all states. Requests also need to be made within a week of Trump’s SNL appearance, but if airtime is granted candidates are entitled to do whatever they want with it.

While news programming is exempt from the equal opportunity rule, Saturday Night Live is subject to equal opportunity requests. In fact, this came up recently when Hillary Clinton made an impromptu appearance on the show. Her brief part in a sketch caused the New York NBC affiliate to notify the FCC that Clinton appeared on air without charge for three minutes and 12 seconds. As a result, Clinton’s opponents in the Democratic party were entitled to make equal opportunity claims, and one of them did. Lawrence Lessig, who at the time was running for president as a Democrat (but no longer is) asked 47 NBC affiliates for the same amount of airtime that they afforded to Clinton.

This is not the first time an equal opportunity issue has come up with a Saturday Night Live host. As Politifact points out, the show had Al Sharpton host back in 2003, which sparked concern over how the network would deal with equal opportunity claims. Senator Joe Lieberman, one of Sharpton’s opponents for the Democratic nomination, made a request and ended up getting free time–he was given a 28-minute segment to air a town hall discussion on NBC affiliates in California and Missouri. But based on the show’s opening scene in 2003, it’s pretty clear that they knew what they were doing when they invited Sharpton to host. Check out the video:

The rule’s original intention makes sense when you consider the media landscape several decades ago–broadcast television had much less competition than it does today and networks had significant of influence over the information people were exposed to. This rule essentially prevented networks from special treatment to specific candidates. But now, the idea of equal opportunity may seem a little weird. With the rise of cable and the internet, the media is much more fragmented than it was in the past, yet this rule only applies to broadcast media.

As Phillip Bump at the Washington Post points out, if Trump’s episode of SNL was only shown online, rather than broadcast over public airwaves, the rule would not apply. Some argue that equal opportunity is simply outdated and that the FCC should get rid of it. After all, the Federal Elections Commission is still able to punish media outlets if it considers their treatment of was candidate unfair. But barring a significant reinterpretation of the law, it looks like it will continue to be an option for candidates during this election cycle.

Kevin Rizzo

Kevin Rizzo is the Crime in America Editor at Law Street Media. An Ohio Native, the George Washington University graduate is a founding member of the company. Contact Kevin at krizzo@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Donald Trump is certainly dominating the news when it comes to the race for the 2016 Republican presidential primary. But “The Donald” didn’t get his start as a politician–he was a business mogul and reality television star before anyone ever saw him on a presidential poll. While that may seem weird to some, celebrities who have gotten famous through other means are consistently trying to join the political ranks. Here are five other celebrities running for office in 2016–and I’m betting they’re just the tip of the iceberg.

Live From Capitol Hill…It’s Gary Kroeger!

Gary Kroeger, former ‘#SNL’ cast member, to run for #Iowa congressional seat http://t.co/9DeyxasPiz @JessicaChasmar pic.twitter.com/ho1n7tyZSa

— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) April 9, 2015

Gary Kroeger made America laugh during his Saturday Night Live cast position from 1982-1985. Now, he’s running to try to represent the people of Iowa’s 1st Congressional District as a Democrat. He’s running on a platform that is heavy on economic issues and tax reform. He does have a tough road ahead of him though–first he’ll have to make it through a Democratic primary against two opponents.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Celebrities Running for Office: Familiar Faces in the 2016 Races appeared first on Law Street.

This past weekend “50 Shades of Grey” actress Dakota Johnson showcased her comedic roots while hosting “Saturday Night Live” for the first time. However, it’s not Johnson’s acting range that everyone is talking about now, but rather a controversial skit she appeared in poking fun at the Islamist terror group ISIS.

In the skit Johnson and SNL cast member Taran Killam parody a tear jerking Toyota Camry ad, where a father drops his daughter off at the airport to presumably join the military. SNL’s version had a twist, though, as this time the daughter’s ride was none other than a truck full of armed ISIS members. Their arrival is followed by this hilarious exchange:

Father: “You be careful, ok.”

Daughter: “Dad, it’s just ISIS.”

Father (Looks at ISIS member): “You take care of her.”

ISIS Member whispers:  “Death to America.”

The truck then pulls away with guns blazing while the slogan “ISIS. We’ll take it from here, Dad” appears in the lower right corner.

If you haven’t yet seen the skit in question check out the video below.

It singlehandedly became the most talked-about skit of the night, with many people debating whether the comedy was offensive or not. Below are a few tweets from people on both sides of the debate.

Absolutely floored that anyone would find the #SNL ISIS skit funny. Nothing funny about it, it was tasteless.Desensitized much? #OrangeRoom

— Rebecca (@becca76) March 1, 2015

I’m still sick to my stomach about that ISIS skit. God I hope friends/family of those burned alive or decapitated weren’t watching. #SNL

— JayhawkMama (@JHawkintheSouth) March 1, 2015

Thought the ISIS skit on #SNL was funny as hell. We’ve mocked terror and evil throughout history. Remember this? pic.twitter.com/HurKEvhdqF

— Obnoxious Boston Fan (@realOBF) March 2, 2015

Seriously? SNL is being criticized for mocking Isis, and the people who join it? There’s no group more deserving of ridicule. Thumbs up #SNL

— Katherine Morrison (@kmorrison) March 1, 2015

By turning ISIS into a punch line, SNL openly challenged the group’s ideology. As it turns out, it seems like more people did like it than find it offensive. This morning, the “Today Show” decided to ask its viewers if they thought SNL went too far with the skit. So far the poll has over 12,500 votes, with over half of the voters (54 percent) picking “no.”

Some found the faux ad particularly distasteful after the recent death of 26-year-old American aid worker Kayla Mueller, who was kidnapped and held ransom by ISIS members in August 2013. However, the skit wasn’t mocking Mueller, it was mocking ISIS as an organization and the people who choose to join it.

Personally, I found the skit funny and wasn’t at all offended. SNL has parodied several controversial American enemies in the past including Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, making this terrorist-themed joke neither its first nor most likely its last. There’s something to be said about the ability to take something tragic and scary and find humor in it, thus alleviating its power. As SNL celebrates its 40th anniversary, here’s to hoping they continue to push the envelope and keep us all laughing.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post SNL’s ISIS Skit: Insensitive or Hilarious? appeared first on Law Street.

It’s still the holiday season, and during this time of the year it’s easy to forget to check the news. Luckily, Law Street has you covered with this week’s edition of “In Case You Missed It.” Our top story last week covered the ongoing legal battle between Colorado, Nebraska, and Oklahoma over Colorado’s legalization of recreational marijuana, written by Anneliese Mahoney. Our number two post, by Lexine DeLuc,a should help any Serial fans out there with their withdrawals–it’s a great collection of parodies inspired by the hit podcast. Finally, rounding out the list was a story from blogger Katherine Fabian on how to spot fake handbags during your holiday gift shopping. ICYMI: Check out what you missed on Law Street last week.

#1 Nebraska and Oklahoma Sue Colorado Over Marijuana Legalization

Colorado voted to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012, and officially started selling it in the beginning of this year. Now, almost a year later, Colorado is experiencing some backlash for its choice to legalize. Two of Colorado’s neighbors–Nebraska and Oklahoma–are suing the state because of the impact of legal marijuana within their borders. Read the full article here.

#2 Five Parodies to Get You Through Serial Withdrawal

Serial‘s first season has ended and if you’re feeling a little separation anxiety, here are the top five parodies to help fill that void. The list includes selections from Saturday Night Live, Funny or Die, SubmissionsOnlyTV, and even a few parodies with multiple episodes. Read the full article here.

#3 Holiday Gift Guide: How to Authenticate a Designer Handbag

It’s almost 2015 and there is now a plethora of consignment sites to get your second-hand designer goods. But as great as sites like Ebay, Amazon, and the new Alibaba are, sometimes sellers aren’t always honest when they claim their items are authentic. So to make sure that you don’t get duped (like my poor brother did when he ordered those fake Nikes from China) I’ve put together a handy guide on how to spot a fake. Read the full article here.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

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