Is SNL's Fred Armisen up to the job? Jocelyn Guest says Lorne Michaels should recast the role. Plus, view clips of four actors who auditioned for the part.
Update: An NBC spokesperson says “Fred Armisen is our Barack Obama,” and that they are standing by him. We have updated the piece to reflect their input.
Barack Obama's transition is well underway, with Rahm Emanuel, Eric Holder, and Tom Daschle all signed onto his staff. But with inauguration day fast approaching, speculation is still swirling about one critical post: Obama's Saturday Night Live doppelganger.
During the primaries, when no one knew whether Obama would have a chance at victory, Lorne Michaels gave the job to Fred Armisen, a 6-year SNL veteran. At the time, Michaels did not know he would someday have to squeeze a term’s-worth of jokes out of the character (And let's face it—Barack's term will be ripe for comedy; the man's mother-in-law, and maybe a hypoallergenic puppy, are moving in!).
The trouble with finding a suitable Obama has been this: it is less about how a comedian portrays our president and more about how he portrays our first black president.
While Armisen handily pulled off the arduous task of poking fun at a man we'd follow off a cliff, many critics agreed that his interpretation left a little something to be desired. Fred neither looks nor sounds quite like Barry.
The New Yorker’s Kelefa Sanneh put it this way: “[Armisen] speeds up at the end of a phrase to make everything he says seem declarative, and the way he frowns as a sign that he’s listening intently—but not much more; his Obama has no backstory.” Because the rest of the political impressions on the show have been so spot on this season—Tina Fey’s Palin, Jason Sudeikis’ crazy-eyed Joe Biden—an imperfect Obama stands out. With four-years of Barack-baiting to go, it might be time for Michaels to let go of Armisen and pick a replacement. So now big question looms: Who, if anyone, shouuld Michaels hire to match the hype surrounding Obama himself?
Insiders say there are four comedians who auditioned for the original spot, and some argue they could be a better option than Amisen. They are:
Jordan Carlos, who currently plays Alan, Stephen Colbert's token "black friend." Carlos has made the circuits on Funny Or Die.com, the online Jeannie Tate Show, and even a Nickleback music video. Carlos has been staying busy perfecting his Obama impression including a sketch called BA-L-ACK Obama.
Michelle Goldberg is the author of The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power and the Future of the World and Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism. She is a senior correspondent for The American Prospect, and her work has appeared in The New Republic, The Nation, the Los Angeles Times, Glamour, and many other publications.
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The Daily Beast is dedicated to news and commentary, culture, and entertainment. We carefully curate the web’s most essential stories and bring you original must-reads from our talented contributors.
The Daily Beast is dedicated to news and commentary, culture, and entertainment. We carefully curate the web’s most essential stories and bring you original must-reads from our talented contributors.
Deborah Schoeneman has been a columnist for The New York Observer, New York magazine, and Condé Nast Portfolio and served as editor-in-chief of Hampton Style magazine. Deborah's the author of the novel 4% Famous and moved to Los Angeles last year to break into Hollywood writing and learn how to surf.
Jocelyn Guest is a writer and performer based in New York City. Her work has appeared in New York Magazine, Nerve.com, Time Out New York, and the walls of various bathroom stalls around the city. She writes and performs with the sketch comedy troupe Rhoda.
That is not Jordan Peele. That is Keegan-Michael Key. It's the right person who plays (a very funny) Obama, but "Peele" is the name of a different cast member.
My vote is for this guy-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-yJBsjatW0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0D1w2mjqzk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TE3Eum4jZo&feature=related
I vote for Jordan Carlos.
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Just thank God they are getting rid of Armisen. He is horrible!!!! There are literally tens of thousands of talented black comedians, some of whom have been doing all kinds of YouTube spoofs convincingly, who can do a better job.
Jordan Peele would be an inspired choice, though. He's a phenomenal impersonator.
You have to be kidding me. Donald Glover's video is his cameo on 30 Rock? Donald Glover is hilarious and though I'm not sure how good his Obama is, he would be a fantastic addition (though he has already denied that he is being considered, by-the-by). If you want to see Glover at his funniest I would recommend checking him out here
http://www.derrickcomedy.com/videos/
I think his best are "Girls are not to be trusted", "Jerry", and "Opposite Day".
Daily Beast: Please add one of these videos that actually shows him acting. You can embed from CollegeHumor if you're really desperate
The bigger question here is not what can make Obama funny but what can make SNL funny? This show has sucked for years and continues to do so - out loud. Accept for Tina Fey's Palin impersonation (she's brilliant) this show is horrible. I assume there was some sort of ratings bump because of the Palin character - but short if this what is there? NBC should have cleaned house a long time ago. Micheal's is too stale and the writing just isn't funny. Period.
Oh... btw Jason Sudeikis' crazy-eyed Joe Biden is equally as lame as Armisen's Obama.
Yes, the guy on You Tube is far and away the best choice. His Obama is hilarious and pitch-perfect.
why not robert downey jr.?!
Ditto johnnysmoke's comments, including the one about Sudeikis' Biden. He's no where close. The only reason SNL has done well lately is Tina Fey's Palin and the fact that the subject matter was timely and everyone was dying for someone to send up Palin. There are tons of things in the news and culture everyday that they could easily spoof and feed our intense desire for parody. But no, they insist on spoofing the most inane, non-issue banalities anyone could possibly imagine. Like the overly excited lady in the Japanese restaurant when faced with trying to keep a friend's marriage proposal a secret. Terribly dumb. And last week's kissy family was incredibly stupid. And then, they rerun skits even in the 'live' shows. When they make fun of a lifestyle as the homeschooler families, they are so hamfisted with it that it's obvious they've had little experience with these folks. That skit could have been a lot funnier with more finesse. The SNL folks are as isolated from the world in their NY lofts as those they make fun of. They are soooooo lame and out of touch.
Pick a news topic, any news topic, or an ad, any ad and send it up. It can't be that hard.
SNL's issues go far beyond a bad Obama impression.
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Alphacat, referenced in Maryam's post smokes all these guys. His complexion, vocal inflection, hand gestures, attitude and hair cut are much closer to Obama than any else out there. He's even got the machine-gun stammer down.
Look, just being Black isn't enough. Obama is articulate and cool with a splash of successful geek start-up swagger. He's not street edgy.
Wyatt is physically closest of these four AND he has a sense of Obama's cockiness, but the voice and cadence are completely wrong.
SNL's Prez impressions have ranged from solid (Hammond's Clinton, Ferrell's Dubya, Carvey's Perot) to awful (Chevy Chase's Ford) to merely average (Armisen). Here's hoping Lorne can pull in a comedian who can contribute more than Thompson's cross-dressing and thug impersonations.
I agree with maryan up thread. Alphacat might be an unknown but he has done the best Obama impersonation I have seen so far.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBCa8naA_-Y&feature=channel
Check this one out. To me, this is the best impression by far.
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/851ec808ba/obama-slams-nancy-reaganaga in-from-fod-team
bolingballe:
That's the MADtv guy. He's much more convincing as Obama in the funny or die sketch than he is in the article's sample. Still, Alphacat has the leaner build and sharper features for a rock solid match.
That said, Key is close enough. The SNL make-up folks are really strong and his professional credits on a sketch show should give him the edge.
Its GOTTA be ALPHACAT! stop with the incestuous insider crap! ure all hacks! SEE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-yJBsjatW0
OBAMA = ALPHAKAT
AlphaKat is clearly the best. Check him out on YouTube. Especially the one where he's rehearsing for the debate.
I used to love SNL, but now each new cast member is more generic and lifeless than the last. When I watch now, and I almost always do, I feel like I am looking at a bunch models from a JCPenny catalogue. There is no-one left on that show that brings any oomph to the screen. It wasn't that long ago that people like Tracy Morgan, Cheri Oteri, Horatio Sanz, Ana Gasteyer, and Tina Fey were absolutely crackling with verve and energy in their skits.
No surprise that they have a bland, generic Obama- it has become a more bland, generic show.
Count me as another vote for AlphaCat
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=z0D1w2mjqzk
No one else does Obama as well.
And, update shmupdate: please SNL, no more Armistan as Obama. It's just not funny.
Armisen misses Obama's smile and ease which are essential to the man and a large part of his appeal. In debate, McCain scowled and Obama grinned and chuckled when he was attacked. I saw Key play Obama several times at Second City and I think he's ideal. Aside from that, MAD TV is being cancelled and I'll be that Key is available. Armisen is a good performer, but this isn't his role.
It's not the impression or the physical similarity; it's the performer and the material. Chevy Chase didn't do a voice or put on a bald cap but was very funny as Gerald Ford. Dan Ackroyd did a Nixon voice and gestures but had a moustache. A white guy doing Obama would be the boldest stroke. Why does everything have to be so damn literal?
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