Since No Other Black Comediennes Exist, 'SNL' Hopes to Lure Back Maya Rudolph For Michelle Obama [Black Holes]

Since No Other Black Comediennes Exist, 'SNL' Hopes to Lure Back Maya Rudolph For Michelle Obama [Black Holes]
A while ago, not long after after Barack Obama won the Iowa caucus, NPR put forth a story asking, "Is America Post-Racial?" "Probably not," we thought to ourselves, "otherwise America's premiere sketch comedy show would actually have this famously black presidential candidate played by, y'know, a black guy and not Fred Armisen." Now, Saturday Night Live has reminded us of that musing once again, because TV Guide reports that instead of adding a black actress to its troupe to play Michelle Obama, the show would rather entice former cast member Maya Rudolph to return. An excerpt, with new details from Lorne Michaels on whether Tina Fey will play Sarah Palin, is after the jump:

Saturday Night Live executive producer Lorne Michaels hopes to lure back Maya Rudolph to play Michelle Obama, and also has an answer to whether Tina Fey will play Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin: Maybe.

"There have been discussions," Michaels said Thursday, when asked about the possibility of Fey returning. "They're ongoing."

...The Not Ready for Primetime Players read through a possible Palin skit Wednesday for Saturday's season premiere, hosted by Michael Phelps. The show's Casey Wilson handled Palin duties in the read-through, which helps the show narrow down sketches for Saturday.

Certainly, bringing back Fey makes sense; within hours of her announcement, they Fey/Palin comparisons began in earnest (and still haven't ebbed). But Rudolph? Seriously, Lorne: you do realize that black women are sometimes newsworthy, right? It might be smart to actually add a new one to your cast; after all, Kenan Thompson can't always don drag (Amy Poehler, however, can do it whenever she wants).
Published 9/11/08 by


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