Well, it only took the better part of a decade, but Sarah Palin has finally shot back at Tina Fey for the comedian’s 2008 Presidential parodies. In what teaparty-news.com is calling “Hilarious Video” (just in case you need a reminder that the video is supposed to be funny) former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin has released a new thing we think is supposed to be comedy and which is in no way a thinly veiled commercial for her new book.
Okay, so first, some backup. Back during the brief window of time when people outside a certain niche interest group took Palin seriously, Tina Fey played a super tiny hand in the subversion of Palin’s authority (Palin did most of the work herself) when the Alaskan Governor and John McCain were making their doomed run for the Oval Office. If you’ve never seen them, they go a little something like this. Some people find them extremely funny without needing the word “hilarious” in the headline to remind them to giggle from time to time. Fey stoked these fires again over the weekend when she and gal pal Amy Poehler hosted SNL.
So, back to Palin’s retort.
Palin plays Lynn Melon, a stressed out show runner (like Fey’s 30 Rock character Liz Lemon) who’s angry about the lack of snowflakes on Starbuck’s cups and trying to wrangle her ornery staff. With brief cameos from John McCain and a blessedly mute appearance from Lindsey Graham, the video is … well, it’s just weird. Sorry. Fey’s show has been off the air for more than a year now and Fey has been attacking Palin since 2008. In other words, the timing seems odd, even with Fey’s most recent assault on Palin’s barbie doll image having come just a few days ago. Why retort, why now?
Then Kevin Brown talks. Brown, who played gentle giant and insufferable know-it-all Dot Com on Fey’s 30 Rock, is clearly having a boom career post-show. The poor guy seems to have agreed to show up to roll his eyes and shill for Palin’s new book, which (surprise, surprise) released just last month. In fact, in the minute-long promo – which is filled with Palin screeching incoherent things at random people (she’s not a good actress, folks) – Brown’s commercial for Palin’s new book is the most coherent contribution.
Honestly, thinking that Palin’s haphazard take on Liz Lemon is, in fact, just guerrilla marketing to get people saying the title of her new book three days before Christmas makes the video somewhat acceptable. It worked, after all. Thinking that the video is an actual attempt to turn the tables on one of the funniest women in showbiz is … well, that would just make us sad for Sarah Palin.
So, commercial it is!