Lorne Michaels

(Newser) - It may be dubbed the "idiot box," but there are some bright bulbs behind TV's smartest shows and network deals. After polling Hollywood insiders, Entertainment Weekly lists the top 25 smarties: S eth MacFarlane , executive producer, Family Guy , American Dad . Tina Fey , executive producer, actress, 30 Rock . Nancy Tellem , president of CBS Paramount Network Entertainment Group. More »

(Newser) - Lorne Michaels has a tough decision to make, and the fate of Saturday Night Live may depend on it: Who will parody the president-elect? Fred Armisen played Barack Obama during primary season, but the executive producer can’t squeeze 4 years of laughs out of his milquetoast portrayal, writes Jocelyn Guest for the Daily Beast. He auditioned four comedians earlier in the year but has made no decisions. The candidates: More »

(Newser) - The election may be over, but SNL  still has 14 episodes to fill. Lorne Michaels says the show will be in one of its periodic "rebuilding" periods, but he has much praise for three new faces. Here's the lowdown, from USA Today : Abby Elliott: The daughter of former cast member Chris Elliott is only 21, but  Michaels says "her sense of humor was clearly there." More »

(Newser) - Many of Sarah Palin’s critics have something in common: They haven't met her. Virtually everyone who has come into the governor’s presence leaves impressed, writes Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard. Even Alaska politicians she’s quarreled with say she’s smart and capable. “Her politics aren’t my politics,” said SNL ’s Lorne Michaels, but meeting her, “you can see she’s a very powerful, very disciplined, incredibly gracious woman.” More »

(Newser) - Saturday Night Live has lined up Barack Obama for Nov. 1—the weekend before the election, blogger Martin Eisenstadt says he’s hearing from an aide to Sarah Palin. In boozy glee over the successful Palin appearance Saturday, SNL political writer Seth Meyers blurted, “just wait til you see what we have cooked up for Obama’s appearance right before the election,” Eisenstadt paraphrases. More »

(Newser) - The real Sarah Palin made her much anticipated debut on Saturday Nigh Live last night, gamely sparring with cast members who still skewered the candidate and show producer Lorne Michaels, reports USA Today . In the opening skit Tina Fey delivers Palin’s “first press conference” (she’s yet to hold one)—which an “off-stage” Palin tells Michaels it isn't “a realistic depiction." More »

(Newser) - The fall TV ratings are in, and while Heroes needs saving and House is collapsing, Saturday Night Live has emerged as the biggest hit of the season, Maureen Ryan writes in the Chicago Tribune . Unlike other shows, SNL ’s live ratings have jumped nearly 50% in its 34th season. “It’s the hottest it’s been since the early years,” remarked one analyst. More »

(Newser) - No matter which candidate ultimately surges ahead, political comedy is emerging as the clear winner in the presidential race, reports the New York Times . Tina Fey's dead-on parody of Sarah Palin has triggered a huge boost in viewership for Saturday Night Live . The Colbert Report and the Daily Show have canceled vacations to keep the jokes coming and the ratings soaring. More »

(Newser) - Former Saturday Night Live scribe and current Minnesota Democratic Senate hopeful Al Franken hatched the idea for last night’s sketch mocking John McCain—raising tough political questions for the program and NBC, Politico reports. Critics raised concerns about the propriety of a politician playing a role in an attack on a candidate from the rival party. Franken's involvement may also fuel claims that NBC has a liberal bias, Politico notes. More »

(Newser) - Alec Baldwin—star of a hit TV show, winner of Golden Globes and SAG Awards, co-star to Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicole Kidman—isn't all that jazzed about acting anymore. “There’s just something else I want to do,” the 50-year-old actor tells Ian Parker in the New Yorker . “I spend the waking hours of my life saying things that other people think and say and do—and behaving as someone else. I’m tired of it. I want to be me!" More »