ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What does this performance huge ratings, buzz, etc.
mean forSaturday Night Live?
LORNE MICHAELS:Its always cyclical.
Credit: Mary Ellen Matthews
The things we do depend on for its popularity are whether the audience is connecting with the event.
You dont need to explain your terms or what youre talking about.
Everyones interested in this election.
With the exception of 2000, because it was held over, there was another level to it.
When we were doing the Bush-Gore debates, people were paying attention as well.
What happened [this year] was the writers strike.
The audience didnt really understand what was happening, but all of a sudden we were off the air.
I dont want to say we were taken for granted.
When we did come back, I wantedTina [Fey]to be the first host back.
One, because I thought shed be great at it.
But also because she embodied the writers strike.
Because she is a writer and because she plays a writer.
We had that first debate piece about the medias swoon overObama.
And once we were part of the debate again, the audience found us again….
The audience was right there for us and it built.
We did the debates both times so far, and those were things that really couldnt hold.
Those wouldnt have the same impact on Saturday.
ButJosh Brolinwas a very quick study, and I think well be okay this week withJon Hamm.
The toll is more in fatigue than anything else.
Do you guys feel different when youre getting so much buzz?
All performers live for feedback.
NEXT PAGE: Could Sarah Palin have her own TV show?
Youd read or people would come up to you and say, what a gift.
You want to point out that Tinas no longer in the cast, that she has her own show.
No question about it.
What do you think Palin gained from her appearance?
I think Palin will continue to be underestimated for a while.
I watched the way she connected with people, and shes powerful.
Her politics arent my politics.
But you might see that shes a very powerful, very disciplined, incredibly gracious woman.
This was her first time out and shes had a huge impact.
People connect to her.
She could pretty much do better than development.
I think she could have her own show, yeah.
Why was her impending appearance kept so under wraps?
From the experience on the first show of last season.
Hillarys people had called to book the first show.
This was in 07.
We said okay, because they called first.
Obama had called just after, and I had to say, no, they called first.
Because we dont do that.
Then the hurricane happened, and we looked foolish.
There were a lot of press calls, and it didnt happen.
From that moment on I said Im not doing anything until theyre in the building.
Walk us through everything leading up to Palins appearance.
Palins people called the Monday after Tinas first appearance [as Palin].
I think about two or three weeks ago she booked the show.
We dont talk about it.
We wouldnt confirm it.
The campaign started talking about it.John McCainmentioned it, I thinkLettermanasked him.
But I wouldnt confirm it until she was in the building.
NBC is hard to restrain on these kinds of things.
Seth [Meyers] and I talked with her staff last Monday [the Monday before her appearance].
Then we met with two people from her staff at the studio Thursday afternoon.
Then we showed them what we had and what we were hoping to still do.
Saturday at 4 she got there.
I said we need her at 4, and they said its complicated.
I think she started reading some stuff Saturday morning.
Probably more like 2 in the afternoon.
She had her eldest daughter and baby with her.
She stayed till the end.
She was in the goodnight.
She had her own dressing room, where she was between her appearances.
NEXT PAGE: Why werent Tina Fey and Sarah Palin on screen together?
LORNE MICHAELS:Any dialogue wouldve been a letdown.
Thats not to say that if they talked as themselves it wouldve been a letdown.
When someones doing somebodys voice exactly, its an impression.
So their talking wouldnt have had the same power as them passing each other by.
I thought it was the most powerful way [to do the opening skit].
Did they interact at all behind the scenes?
Youd have to ask them how it went.
There was no kicking and screaming.
We know how to behave.
Any other planned candidate appearances before the election?
Yes, but again, until theyre in the building Im not going to talk about it.
Did Palin really decide not to do the rap, or was that part of the gag?
It was all part of the act.
We didnt ask her to rap.
The idea was, what is the worst possible thing we could ask her to do?
If her campaign were over-managed and she wasnt making the calls herself…you know what Im saying?
But she has a good sense of humor.
Do you approach skits differently when the target is there?
We dont tone things down.
People understand that this is what we do, and its not personal.
Well, its personal at some level.
But people either have a sense of humor about it or they dont.
They probably wouldnt be there if they didnt, unless they were incredibly desperate.
And we dont make too much fun of the very desperate.
What are the challenges of writing skits for candidates instead of about them?
We dont know who they really are; we just deal with the perception of them.
Tinas Sarah Palin is not the real Sarah Palin.
She was fresh casting.
Literally six weeks ago she was in another world.
I think theres a lot of sympathy for anybody who can step forward and handle that level of pressure.
That thing on a human level was fascinating to watch.
She was characterized so quickly by the media.
She got a really tough welcome.
So when she introduced herself that way at the convention, people went, oh, I see.
She gave a great performance.
How much push-back do you get from campaigns when you present what you want to do?
This is our 34th season.
People know what we do.
So they dont say, um, no, shes definitely not doing this?
Yeah, but so do people who are hosting the show, so do people at the web link.
There is never any shortage of people who think somethings not a good idea.
Did you expect to be so big a part of this election?
You never expect it.
But I think were used to being in the center of it, when we do it right.
