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Showbiz Tonight
The Top Five Most Unlikely Stars of the Campaign; The Top Five Things We Never Saw Coming; The Top Five Funniest "Saturday Night Live" Moments
Aired November 04, 2008 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J.HAMMER, CO-HOST: Now, on a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Hollywood`s Vote," an election extravaganza. Tonight, a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT top five campaign countdown. The top five most unlikely stars of the campaign - Joe the Plumber, the Obama girl -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMBER LEE ETTINGER, "OBAMA GIRL" (singing): I`ve got a crush on Obama
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Plus, the top five things we never saw coming. Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, Paris Hilton`s campaign ad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARIS HILTON, ACTRESS: And I want America to know that I`m like totally ready to lead.
HAMMER: Also tonight, the top five funniest "Saturday Night Live" moments. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the presidential election covered like no other entertainment news show.
A super star-filled special edition of TV`s most provocative entertainment news show, "Hollywood`s Vote," starts right now.
(MUSIC)
Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST: Hi there, everyone. I`m Brooke Anderson, coming to you from Hollywood with a special election night edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
HAMMER: And tonight, the most unlikely people who became stars because of the presidential campaign. Who could have ever predicted that the presidential race would affect Hollywood and celebrities in so many wild, wacky and unpredictable ways?
So tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is revealing our top five campaign countdowns, from the top five funniest "Saturday Night Live" moments to the top five things we never saw coming. You have got to see who and what we chose.
And we are beginning with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`S picks for the top five most unlikely stars of the campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice over): You could say that the most unlikely stars of campaign 2008 were the ones on the ballot. But there were others in this crazy election who, from out of nowhere, were thrown into a big-time spotlight.
AMY ARGETSINGER, "THE WASHINGTON POST": This political race has been pretty darn entertaining. It`s (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of celebrities.
HAMMER: So SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is naming the top five most unlikely stars of campaign 2008.
First up, Sarah Palin`s look-alike. No, not her. We`re talking about her. Maine television anchor Cindy Michaels became an instant celebrity for her resemblance to Sarah Palin. Michaels told me her notoriety earned her some hate mail and nasty phone calls.
CINDY MICHAELS, MAINE TELEVISION ANCHOR: I had already had my hair up way before Sarah Palin came on the scene. So it`s bizarre. I don`t understand it.
DAPHNE BROGDON, TV-HOST AND STAND-UP COMIC: I don`t know why she`s upset about being told that she looks like Sarah Palin. I mean, it could be worse. She could look like Joe Biden.
HAMMER: But the whole flap gave her national attention which, for news anchors as well as politicians, isn`t a bad thing. So that put Cindy Michaels at number five on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s most unlikely stars of campaign 2008.
The next most unlikely star?
ETTINGER (singing): I got a crush on Obama
HAMMER: Obama girl who took a crush on Obama all the way to cyberspace superstardom with this music video.
ETTINGER (singing): You can Barack me tonight -
HAMMER: But it was an unrequited crush. Barack Obama said in an interview that he wasn`t happy with the video or with having to explain it to his young daughter.
ARGETSINGER: I think that was probably the only response he could make. I mean, could Barack Obama really say, "Oh, yes. I like that video. She`s hot"? I think polite deflection was the way to go with that.
HAMMER: But enough people did like the video, more than 10 million watched it on YouTube, putting Obama girl at number four on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s list of the most unlikely stars of the campaign.
Party girl Paris Hilton didn`t crash this year`s election headlines. She was invited by none other than John McCain who used both Paris and Britney Spears in an ad slamming Barack Obama as a celebrity.
HILTON: I`m running for president.
HAMMER: Paris ran with it, making a number of hilarious Web videos chronicling her fake run for the presidency.
HILTON: See you at the fake inauguration, (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
HAMMER: Well-played, Paris. You`re at number three on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s list of the most unlikely stars of campaign 2008.
BROGDON: Who would have known that the election would have given Paris Hilton a bump in the polls?
HAMMER: Plunging into the number two spot, Joe the Plumber, the guy who went from asking Barack Obama a question on the stump to becoming a media sensation and John McCain`s right-hand guy.
ARGETSINGER: All of a sudden, the guy was everywhere.
HAMMER: Now armed with a big-time publicist he hired, expect to see more of Joe the Plumber.
ARGETSINGER: He`s very much ready for his 15 minutes to be extended. He is clearly looking for a second act beyond Election Day.
So who is number one on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s most unlikely stars of campaign 2008?
TINA FEY, ACTRESS (as Sarah Palin): I can see Russia from my house.
HAMMER: Was there any doubt it would be Tina Fey? The former "Saturday Night Live" writer and star of the TV sit-com "30 Rock" turned her resemblance to Sarah Palin into an "SNL" sketch seen and heard around the world.
FEY: Are we not doing the talent portion?
HAMMER: So there you have it - the five most unlikely stars of the campaign. Almost makes you look forward to 2012, doesn`t it?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
You bet you, it does. So Tina Fey at number one on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s list of the most unlikely stars of campaign 2008. Now your recap. At number five was the Sarah Palin look-alike TV anchor, Cindy Michaels. Coming in at number four, Obama Girl. Landing at number three, Paris Hilton. In the number two spot, Joe the Plumber. And as we saw, Tina, number one.
But did we get it right? And who deserves an honorable mention?
Joining me tonight in New York is Lisa Bloom, host of "Lisa Bloom: Open Court" and an anchor for "In Session." And joining me in Washington, D.C., Amy Holmes who is a CNN political analyst.
All right. Lisa, let`s get right to it. Candidates aside, for you, did Tina Fey wind up being the most unlikely star of this campaign?
LISA BLOOM, HOST, "LISA BLOOM: OPEN COURT": Absolutely. I think Tina Fey had about as much impact on this election as the economy did. I mean, is it possible to think of Sarah Palin without thinking of Tina Fey? Try it. Try it for a second. It can`t be done.
When you think of Sarah Palin, you think of Tina Fey. Sarah Palin became the butt of a joke. She didn`t have a lot else to work with. I think it really had a significant impact.
HAMMER: Amy Holmes, over to you. Just a few months ago, Tina Fey couldn`t have imagined she`d be such a player in this campaign. Do you see her as number one, too?
AMY HOLMES, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I see Joe the Plumber as number one. If you look at the polls with John McCain, he was, you know - he was going down after the bailout. That economic extreme situation really hurt him.
And then Joe the Plumber - Barack Obama stumbled on him. Barack Obama let it slip that he favors spreading the wealth around and income redistribution. John McCain then was able to take that ball and run with it and start to close the gap between himself and Barack Obama.
BLOOM: Yes. Too bad Joe the Plumber didn`t show up in John McCain`s rally, though.
(CROSS TALK)
HOLMES: Joe the Plumber has been extraordinarily impactful on this election.
HAMMER: Well - well, that is absolutely certain. And that`s why right behind Tina on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s top five most unlikely stars of campaign 2008, that`s where we put Joe the Plumber. We put him in there at number two. Imagine, he just was at a campaign rally and asked a question. This guy ended up getting mentioned 21 times in one of those presidential debates. Suddenly he`s got publicists. And Lisa, as you said, he didn`t show up at one of the campaign rallies.
HOLMES: And he`s got fans. If we remember, there are people who said, "I`m Joe the Plumber, too." I mean, he really ignited people`s imagination about what it means to believe in the American dream, want to strive, want to raise your station in life. And what does that mean in terms of a Democratic (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -
(CROSS TALK)
BLOOM: Except for a couple of small problems. His name is not really Joe. He`s an unlicensed and tax evader. And he`s going to be the chief economic advisor of John McCain while Barack Obama has Warren Buffett. I mean, come on.
HOLMES: Unfortunately, I have to say this whole sorry episode with the media attacking him - I mean, that`s why people don`t want to run for office because why would they put themselves out there? You`re a private citizen. You get catapulted to the national stage simply by asking a politician who`s trying to get your vote, by the way, asking that guy a question. The next thing you know, you have your files being illegally broken into -
BLOOM: Nobody forced him to (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
HOLMES: Illegally broken into -
(CROSS TALK)
HAMMER: OK. Hold on. I`m going to cut in here because Joe the Plumber - we`ve given him enough of his 15 minutes right here. I want to move on to who came in at number three on our list - Paris Hilton. Sometimes I can`t believe I`m even saying her name in conjunction with this campaign, because keep in mind, last year, Paris Hilton was getting out of jail.
This year, she winds up in a legitimate campaign ad, John McCain`s ad, which forced her to launch her own fake Paris for president campaign.
Amy, let me ask you this. If somebody had said to you Paris Hilton would be playing a role in this election, would you have told them to perhaps seek some psychological attention?
HOLMES: Well, I would have thought that she would try to like get herself in there someway. I wouldn`t have expected a major presidential candidate to, as you say, welcome her into the political debate. So it wouldn`t have surprised me if she tried to, you know, exploit this, milk this for all that it was worth. What surprised me is that she ended up in John McCain`s ad.
HAMMER: It`s crazy. Lisa Bloom?
BLOOM: Yes. I mean, John McCain chose all on his own accord to include Paris Hilton in his ad. He should have expected that a big celebrity Paris Hilton was going to bounce back. But what nobody expected was that the "Funny or Die" people would write such a smart script for her and she would deliver it so well.
HAMMER: Yes.
BLOOM: So I guess she finally has redeemed herself from her drunk-driving days.
HAMMER: So completely surreal. Very quickly - Amy Holmes, any honorable mentions? Anybody who you think also should have been on the list for the most unlikely stars of the campaign?
HOLMES: Oh, indeed. Let`s remember that woman from New York, Harriet Christian who just went ballistic during the Democratic primary about, you know, women versus Barack Obama and the African-American vote and media bias. That thing went viral. Everyone saw the YouTube. She was popping up on all the talk shows to explain while she was a PUMA. Who had ever heard of these PUMAs before until Harriet Christian?
HAMMER: And I have to say we`ll probably never, ever hear about her ever again.
Amy Holmes, Lisa Bloom, thank you guys for being here tonight. I appreciate it.
Well, now we want to hear from you. This is our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day - "Presidential Race: Is this the funniest campaign ever?" We`d like you to vote at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Got more to say? The E-mail address to send us your thoughts, is showbiztonight@cnn.com.
ANDERSON: A.J., "Saturday Night Live" has made this election pretty darn funny.
HAMMER: Yes, "SNL," must-see TV during this entire campaign. So you definitely don`t want to miss this. Coming up on this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT top five campaign countdown, the top five funniest "Saturday Night Live" moments. We will also this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILTON: Hey, America, I`m Paris Hilton and I`m a celebrity, too. Only I`m not from the olden days and I`m not promising change like that other guy. I`m just hot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Also part of our countdown tonight, the top five things we never saw coming in this election. Like that Paris Hilton campaign pitch. It hit up like a Mac truck.
And one of Sarah Palin`s last interviews before Election Day - very revealing stuff here. What it was like for her to meet Tina Fey. Palin`s explosive words about stars and Hollywood and would she ever want to host her own TV show? You don`t want to miss this, next.
And don`t forget you can watch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT video anytime you want. We`re always posting new stuff for you to watch at CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. Among the videos now playing, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`S revealing look at the funniest presidential campaign ever.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to this special election night edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood.
Tonight, we have one of the last interviews Sarah Palin did before Election Day and she did it with "Access Hollywood." Palin really opened up about everything including what she thinks of Tina Fey, the person who has been impersonating her on "Saturday Night Live."
And I`ve also got to say, she really takes a hard dig at celebrities, accusing them of living in another world. This is eye-opening stuff. And with us tonight in New York, Dawn Yanek, who is the "Life and Style Weekly" editor-at-large. Also in New York, Ben Widdicombe, who`s the editor-at- large for "Star" magazine.
OK. Dawn, Ben, outside of the campaign itself, perhaps nothing about Sarah Palin has been talked about more than Tina Fey`s impersonation of her on "Saturday Night Live."
Well, Palin finally got to meet Tina a couple of weeks ago when she herself appeared on "SNL." And you`ve got to hear what she told "Access Hollywood" host Billy Bush on his radio program, "The Billy Bush Show." Listen to this -
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R-AK), FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It was all positive and she`s very gracious. And I got to meet her daughter, which was my highlight, her sweet little Allis, just a little toddler, who`s beautiful. I met her husband. I met her in-laws also along the campaign trail. So it was nice. Again, she`s very talented.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK, Ben, after all the mocking that Tina Fey did, do you think that Sarah Palin may actually kind of be gritting her teeth and thinking, "Fey`s kind of mean-spirited?" Do you think Palin is being gracious on the outside?
BEN WIDDICOMBE, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "STAR" MAGAZINE: Brooke, I thought it was very interesting that she slipped in there that she met Tina`s in-laws on the campaign trail which sounded to me like she wanted it to be known that Tina`s husband`s family might be Republican. I thought that was interesting.
Although I think Gov. Palin is very tough and ambitious, I also believe she`s a fundamentally decent, gracious person. So although Tina`s impersonation may have stung a bit, I think she was being sincere.
ANDERSON: Yes. I think she was being genuine as well. She knows Fey has a job to do. And as we know, most of the celebrities who have spoken out publicly about the presidential campaign supported Barack Obama. When Billy asked her about that, she really used that opportunity to take a swipe at stars, basically saying that they live in their own world. Listen to this -
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
PALIN: Well, I don`t think that many in celebrity-dom are too much a part of representing the real hard-working middle class Americans who have great, great challenges financially, especially.
So I think they kind of live in another world. I think what we can understand is the challenges that normal, average, everyday Americans face. And I think that this, what we`re in, is the real world, unlike Hollywood.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Dawn, those are tough words. And you know what? I am betting that a lot of people will hear what she said and agree with her. What do you think?
DAWN YANEK, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "LIFE AND STYLE" MAGAZINE: I think it depends which side of the party line you fall on and who you voted for today. But I think it`s not the best move in the world to alienate any voters especially with a sweeping generalization, especially since she does have some Republican supporters.
Does Hollywood lean to the left? Yes, of course it does. But people like Jon Voight, Patricia Heaton, Angie Harmon - these are all McCain-Palin supporters. And regardless of what you think about Barack Obama`s policies, you have to admit that the supporters that he has in Hollywood have been doing a lot of good. They`re talking about politics. They are supporting issues that are important to them and they are getting people out to vote, especially young people.
ANDERSON: Good point. Regardless, though, I do think a lot of non- celebrities share Palin`s views about Hollywood, though. And speaking of Hollywood, there has been plenty of buzz out there that one day Palin may have a future there. Listen to what she told Billy Bush about the possibilities.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
BILLY BUSH, HOST, "THE BILLY BUSH SHOW": They say as rough as Hollywood can be on your side of the ticket, the people talk throughout the industry that, she could be the white Oprah. She`s so controversial of this or that. Or such an amazing figure that she could have her own talk show.
Is that interesting to you at all, to ever maybe do something like that - have your own TV show?
PALIN: Well, what`s interesting to me is knowing that, you know, my journalism degree can be put to good use somehow, someway.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Hey Ben, 10 seconds. That`s not a concrete answer. So do you think she`s open to the idea?
WIDDICOMBE: Brooke, I`m begging CNN to give this woman a talk show. You can call it "The Pipeline with Sarah Palin" and I absolutely promise you that all my friends and I would watch every train wreck moment.
ANDERSON: Good pitch from you, Ben Widdicombe. Thanks, guys. Dawn Yanek, good to see you. Thank you.
HAMMER: Well, Brooke, we`ve been asking our viewers to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day.
ANDERSON: We have, A.J. And a lot of people are weighing in on this. The question - "Presidential Election: Is this the funniest campaign ever?" So far, 60 percent of you say, yes, it is. 40 percent of you say, no, it`s not.
HAMMER: And the "Showbiz On Call" phone lines have been ringing off the hook. Here now is Wanda calling from Georgia.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
WANDA, CALLER FROM GEORGIA: The funniest part in the campaign was when John McCain thought Joe the Plumber was coming out and he didn`t show up for the campaign.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And here is Terry from Michigan who has this really interesting thought on the campaign.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
TERRY, CALLER FROM MICHIGAN: I don`t know if it`s the funniest campaign ever. But I give it up to "Saturday Night Live" and Sarah Palin and John McCain for going on there. And I think John McCain was great the other night, even though I`m an Obama supporter. And I think they`re all doing a great job.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HAMMER: Thank you so much for your phone calls. Remember you, too, can call us at "Showbiz On Call" and let us know what you think about the campaign or anything else that may be on your mind.
ANDERSON: That`s right, A.J. The "Showbiz On Call" phone lines are always open. Give us a ring at 1-888-SBT-BUZZ; 1-888-728-2899. Leave a message and we will play some of your calls right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
Hey, A.J., I`ve been watching "Saturday Night Live." I know you have, too. I`ve got to say, it`s been really entertaining during this campaign.
HAMMER: Yes, I`m right there with you, Brooke. The show has also had record ratings, so many hysterical "SNL" things. Of course, Tina Fey as Sarah Palin - but you`ve also got Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton.
So coming up, in this very special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, our top five campaign countdown, the top five funniest "SNL" moments.
ANDERSON: A.J., you know, a lot of the crazy campaign happenings we never expected. Straight ahead, the things that totally smacked up upside the head. The top five things we never saw coming.
Also this -
(VIDEO CLIP OF JOE THE PLUMBER)
(SHOUTING)
HAMMER: Wow. Did you see this? One of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s most unlikely stars of the election, Joe the Plumber, getting ambushed, and a fight breaks out, caught on tape.
Now, be sure to check out the free, ever-changing SHOWBIZ TONIGHT podcast. You`ll find it on our Web site, CNN.com/ShowbizTonight. You can also download it on iTunes by doing a search for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. And we are coming right back.
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson. Hey, id you see this? It`s Barack Obama`s face in the sand. An artist carved it out on a beach in Barcelona, Spain and this thing is huge. 140 yards long by 80 yards wide. The artist used 500 tons of sand, gravel and rock at a cost of about $13,000.
HAMMER: All right. You`ve got to check out what happens to another familiar face from this campaign - Joe the Plumber.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Joe! Get a license!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shut your mouth!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joe, get a license! Pay your taxes, Joe! Pay your tax, Joe!
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Things got out of control when Joe was in Cincinnati at a campaign event for a Republican congressman. He got ambushed. Now, court documents show that Joe owes about $1,200 in back taxes and doesn`t have a Plumber`s license. Joe says he doesn`t need one.
Well, Brooke, Joe the Plumber hasn`t been asked to do "Saturday Night Live" just yet.
ANDERSON: Key word, A.J., "yet."
HAMMER: Yes. The show obviously has been hysterical this season. So tonight, as part of our very special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, the top five campaign countdown, we`re picking out the top five funniest "SNL" moments. That is coming up.
ANDERSON: A.J., I don`t think anybody could have imagined "SNL" would have been this funny. And who could have expected Paris Hilton doing campaign ads or "The View" becoming so influential, completely shocking.
Also part of our special countdown show, our top five campaign things we never saw coming.
HAMMER: And speaking of "The View," the fireworks flew today even on Election Day, the ladies at each other`s throats over Barack Obama and his connection to Rev. Wright and William Ayers.
(NEWS BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Now on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, live from New York, it`s the funniest campaign ever. Our coverage continues on this special Election Day edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the top five funniest "Saturday Night Live" moments. From Tina Fey`s Sarah Palin to "SNL`s" CNN spoof. Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT counts down the top five funniest moments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILTON: Hey, America, I`m Paris Hilton and I`m a celebrity, too. Only I`m not from the olden days and I`m not promising change like that other guy. I`m just hot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: It was surprising enough that John McCain used Paris Hilton in a campaign ad. But what about when she responded with her own ad? Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT counts down the top five things we didn`t see coming.
TV`s most provocative entertainment news show continues right now.
(MUSIC)
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer, broadcasting tonight and every night from New York City.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson coming to you tonight from Hollywood.
HAMMER: Well, tonight on this election night, our special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT continues with Hollywood`s vote, an election extravaganza. We are bringing you SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s continuing countdown of our top five campaign moments.
Now, we`ve already named the top five unlikely stars of the election. Let`s look at it again. Number five was Palin look-alike news anchor, Cindy Michaels. Number four was Obama Girl. In at three was Paris Hilton. Number two, Joe the Plumber. And number one on our list, Tina Fey.
And now, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is naming the top five funniest moments on "Saturday Night Live" from campaign 2008. So with so many to choose from, the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT staff did have a great debate about it.
But the votes are now in, so without further ado - joining me tonight in New York is Lisa Bloom who is the host for "Lisa Bloom: In Court" (sic) and "In Session" anchor. And from Hollywood, Russell Wetanson of "PopSquire.com."
Let us get right to it. Number five on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s countdown of the top five funniest "SNL" moments from campaign 2008, CNN`s electoral map. We`re talking about the high-tech, so-called magic wall that CNN`s John King has been using throughout this presidential campaign on CNN as part of the best political team on showbiz. Well, on "SNL," Fred Armisen stood in front of a moving map of the United States and I`m thinking this was genius. Let`s watch it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRED ARMISEN, COMEDIAN: New Hampshire - what a pretty state. Wouldn`t it be a drag if he pulled it over to Mexico? (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
AMY POEHLER, ACTRESS: OK, Fred, come on, stop goofing around.
ARMISEN: Say, Michigan - I can make it bounce.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Perfection. Lisa, what do you think? Does that just capture the magic wall perfectly?
BLOOM: It does. I don`t know how they do all that. They get video to pop up out of it. Then he squishes it down and changes the colors. And you`re always waiting for something to go wrong, but it never does. It was the perfect subject for an "SNL" parody.
HAMMER: It`s really has become iconic throughout this campaign. What do you think, Russell? Did you love it as well?
RUSSELL WETANSON, POP CULTURE EXPERT, "POPSQUIRE.COM": Absolutely. I actually know how they did it. It`s really an extra sketch in real life. And so they shake and start it over. I think what we can do is we can diagnose a new disorder, OMD, obsessive map disorder. And that`s what we`ve seen come out of this election.
HAMMER: Yes. We don`t know if John King has to go into treatment for once this thing is completely over. We`ll have to wait and see.
All right. Let`s move in our countdown. Number four on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s countdown of the top five funniest "SNL" moments from campaign 2008. A truly hilarious skit - a Hillary Clinton-Amy Poehler sketch when Hillary stood alongside Amy Poehler who was impersonating Hillary. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Tonight, I just want to relax, have fun, not worry about the campaign.
POEHLER (as Hillary Clinton): So no politics?
CLINTON: No politics, but I would like to take this opportunity to say to all Americans, be they from the great state of Ohio or Texas, Rhode Island - live from New York, it is Saturday night!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Amy Poehler making that pantsuit come alive. Lisa, viewers really got to see Hillary Clinton`s humorous side in the sketch. Of course, didn`t really help her out in the long run, did it?
BLOOM: No, it didn`t. But I think Amy Poehler is also one of the great unsung comedians of this campaign. Tina Fey grabbed the spotlight. But Amy Poehler did the terrific moose rap. She did the great Hillary Clinton impression. She even did Katie Couric.
And my favorite part about sketch that unfortunately wasn`t in the clip is where she does the Hillary Clinton laugh and Hillary Clinton just stood there and had to smile.
HAMMER: Yes. And you know, we`ve been talking a lot about Tina Fey, obviously, because of her Sarah Palin impersonations over the course of this campaign. Amy Poehler`s gotten some mileage out of, too.
BLOOM: Yes, nine months pregnant, too.
HAMMER: Yes. We`re going to watch her star rise when she`s back from her little pregnancy leave.
Well, in at number three on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s countdown of the top five funniest "SNL" moments of the campaign, the Tina Fey-Katie Couric skit. Tina Fey impersonates Sarah Palin being interviewed by Katie Couric, which of course includes the now famous question that Katie asked Sarah about the Bush doctrine. Let`s watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FEY (as Sarah Palin): There were some funny moments. For instance, I had 15 to 20 false alarms where I thought I saw Osama Bin Laden driving a taxi. Also, in an effort to bone up on foreign policy, I went to the Times Square area to see a film called "The Bush Doctrine." It was not about politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right. Russell, over to you. Another priceless moment on "SNL." Which part was funnier to you, the part about "Bush Doctrine" or seeing Osama Bin Laden, the taxi driver.
WETANSON: You know, it`s really a toss-up, but I have to go with the Osama Bin Laden taxi driver. Because in one line, you have commentary about not finding Osama Bin Laden, concern about Sarah Palin`s foreign experience and it`s all in one line. That`s comedic genius and writing in one line.
HAMMER: Yes. And Lisa Bloom, over to you. We`ve talked about it throughout the campaign, one of the things that made many of these moments brilliant is the fact that they were using some real language from the campaign, some real language that Sarah Palin was using, of course.
BLOOM: Well, that`s right. They used many of her own lines verbatim and you did have to wonder as a native of Alaska how much she came into contact with people of other nationalities like we do here in New York. She just talked about how New York seemed so very different from her hometown.
HAMMER: Yes.
BLOOM: So it`s not that much of a stretch.
HAMMER: And as I`ve said before, funny yet sad at the same time. We`re not done yet. We do have Amy Poehler with some more action. She`s in at number two on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s countdown of the top five funniest "SNL" moments of the campaign.
In at number two, the now infamous Sarah Palin moment talking about her qualifications to be vice president. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FEY (as Sarah Palin): You know, Hillary and I don`t agree on everything -
POEHLER (as Hillary Clinton): Anything. I believe that diplomacy should be the cornerstone of any foreign policy.
FEY: And I can see Russia from my house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Lisa, back to you, will Sarah Palin ever live that down?
BLOOM: That was the key line of this campaign. Sarah Palin never actually said, "I can see Russia from my house." She did say, "You can see Russia from parts of Alaska." I think most people after that "SNL" clip was played over and over again actually thought that Sarah Palin said that.
The remarkable thing was she didn`t back down in the second interview. She really did maintain the proximity to Russia gave her foreign policy experience. I think this was devastating to her.
HAMMER: Yes. Russell, appropriate to be there at number two?
WETANSON: Absolutely. I mean, you can imagine so many lines being funny. I mean, you almost wish Sarah Palin said, "Well, I was in model at U.N. I had a pen pal." You know, most of us see a Starbucks or something like that from our backyard. But Russia is a neighbor to Alaska. It`s more like a tourism booklet than it is a campaign for vice president.
HAMMER: All right. We`ve got move on now because we have arrived at the funniest moment on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s countdown of the top five funniest "SNL" moments. This is number one from the campaign and let`s just roll it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POEHLER: When I say Obama, you say Ayers Obama -
CHORUS: Ayers.
POEHLER: Obama -
CHORUS: Ayers.
POEHLER: I built me a bridge, it ain`t going nowhere.
CHORUS: Oh.
POEHLER: McCain and Palin they`re going to put the nail in the coffin of the media elite.
CHORUS: She likes red meat.
POEHLER: Shoot low humping moose.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now you`re dead
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right. Let`s run that back. You`ve got the real Sarah Palin. You`ve got some moose hunters. You`ve got a Todd Palin look-alike. And of course, you have a giant moose. Lisa Bloom, for you, does it get any funnier than this?
BLOOM: I`m telling you. Amy Poehler was really a star. Can we talk about Amy? Nine months pregnant bringing it as a rapper. Hitting the bullet shots on the moose and never breaking her character at all. I mean, this is just a terrific moment for her. Very funny.
And by the way, "SNL" seemed to be a little bit more friendly to the Republicans, I think, in the last couple of weeks.
HAMMER: Yes, I guess maybe they saw the writing on the wall. I don`t know. Ten seconds for you, Russell Wetanson. Clearly number one?
WETANSON: It`s all about the dance moves. Sarah Palin talks a lot. "Dancing With The Stars" is next if today doesn`t go so well for sure.
HAMMER: And a certain humor in Sarah Palin raising the roof during that sketch.
Lisa Bloom, Russell Wetanson, thanks for being here, guys. And thanks for raising the roof along with us.
All right, Brooke. Our top five countdown coverage continues tonight.
ANDERSON: That`s right, A.J. Next, we are counting down the things that we just did not see coming.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILTON: Hey, America, I`m Paris Hilton and I`m a celebrity, too. Only, I`m not from the olden days and I`m not promising change like that other guy. I`m just hot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yes, who can forget the "Paris for president" videos? But that`s just the beginning. Straight ahead, we are counting down the top five things we did not see coming during the campaign.
HAMMER: And that includes how influential "The View" became. On Election Day itself, no exception - the co-hosts really went at it today. Wait until you hear how the ladies went bonkers when Elisabeth brought up Rev. Wright. That`s coming up.
ANDERSON: And there`s one contest among the candidates that you may not have heard about it. The results are in for which candidates` cabbage patch doll is the most popular. So who won this very important race? It was a complete landslide and we will have the results still to come on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. And we are going coast to coast and working overtime for tonight`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT top five campaign countdown in our election night extravaganza. Right now, we are naming the top five things we never saw coming. The shocking, the surprising and downright amazing things that seem to come out of nowhere.
With me tonight from Washington, D.C., Amy Holmes, who is a political analyst for CNN. And in New York tonight is Ben Widdicombe who is editor- at-large for "Star" magazine. Amy, Ben, I want to get rolling with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s top five countdown, things we never saw coming.
Number five on the list - Lindsay Lohan`s political blogs on MySpace.com. As we all know, Lindsay is better known for rocking the red carpet than rocking the vote. But shortly after Sarah Palin was nominated for vice president, Lindsay fired off a blistering blog about Palin writing, quote, "I really cannot bite my tongue anymore. Is it a sin to be gay? Should it be a sin to be straight or to use birth control? Is our country so divided that the Republicans` best hope narrow-minded, media- obsessed homophobe?"
All right. And just today, Lindsay was back at it blogging again to get out the vote. Amy, I think it`s fair to say that the last person we ever expected to have a passion for politics is Lindsay Lohan. Would you agree?
HOLMES: Well, Brooke, I`ll confess to you that I have not been an avid reader of Lindsay Lohan`s political musings. I think she`s more famous for exposing her private parts than her political views.
But you know what? I think celebrities have every right to say what they think. They`re American citizens, too, but I would caution them. Zogby and Annenberg took a poll just a couple of weeks ago about those swing voters, those unsure voters, and they get turned off by celebrity endorsements and celebrity musings, rantings, tirades, whatever you want to call them. They don`t want people just to use their fame to try to influence an election.
ANDERSON: Right. Well, and I think celebrities with low credibility in general may have a tough time convincing people to listen to them.
OK. Moving on now, I want to take a look at who`s number four on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s" list of things that totally took us by surprise and we never saw coming - John McCain using Paris Hilton in an attack ad. Here`s a small portion of the ad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOICE OVER: He`s the biggest celebrity in the world. But is he ready to lead?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined John McCain would bring Paris and Britney Spears, who is also in that ad, into the presidential campaign, compare them to Barack Obama. Ben, could you have ever seen that coming?
WIDDICOMBE: No, I think that was a first in presidential campaign advertising. And I also think it was a mistake on John McCain`s part because I think it made him look glib. And by comparing Sen. Obama to Paris and Britney, it made him look like he underestimated his competition. So I think that one blew up in his face.
ANDERSON: It was certainly an interesting, aggressive campaign strategy. And the clever Miss Hilton, never one to give up on one minute of publicity, jumped on the McCain ad, launched her own bikini-clad fake run for the presidency which puts "Paris for president" at the number three spot on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s countdown of things we never saw coming. Take a look at the first of Paris` three campaign ads, the "Funny or Die" ad that started it all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILTON: Hey, America, I`m Paris Hilton and I`m a celebrity, too. Only, I`m not from the olden days and I`m not promising change like that other guy. I`m just hot. But then that wrinkly, white-haired guy used me in his campaign ad so I guess I`m running for president. So thanks for the endorsement, white-haired dude. And I want America to know that I`m like, totally ready to lead. I`ll see you at the debates (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: It just makes me laugh every time. And also in that video, Paris proposed - I hate to say it - a pretty good plan, seemingly logical plan to attack the energy crisis and help the environment.
Amy, not only did we not see this coming, but there were actually some valid ideas in her fake campaign. That really took me off guard. What do you think?
HOLMES: I thought it was very clever, very well-done. And I thought it was clever of Paris Hilton to actually sort of poke both candidates that she didn`t reveal a particular partisan angle to it which is what I think made it effective.
ANDERSON: Yes. All done in jest. We`d all be very, very afraid if she ever really considered running for office.
Number two on our list of things we never saw coming - the five ladies of "The View." Forget the Sunday morning talk shows. "The View" became a force to be reckoned with this election season, especially after the grilling that John McCain got when he took the hot seat with Whoopi, Joy, Elisabeth, Sherri and Barbara. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA WALTERS, CO-HOST AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "THE VIEW": You have said that Gov. Palin is the greatest vice president in the history of the United States, greater than John Adams who became president, greater than father George Bush who became president? The greatest vice presidential candidate? Isn`t that a little bit strong?
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We politicians are never given to exaggeration or hyperbole, as you know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right. Who could have ever predicted that the celebrity chat fest would turn into a political powerhouse? Ben, I don`t even think the ladies of "The View" saw that coming, did they?
WIDDICOMBE: Oh, I think those ladies knew exactly what they were doing. I mean, they mugged John McCain. The poor guy looked like he just stepped out of the ring with a fabulous moolah(ph) when they were done with him. So I think they knew exactly what they were doing. And I think they did it with the usual style and wit.
ANDERSON: You know - and finally, I want to get to this - the one woman whose fame was sent into the stratosphere because of her stunning resemblance to the Republican vice presidential candidate, coming in at number one on our list, Tina Fey`s role of a lifetime, playing Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live."
Amy, could we ever have seen it coming that Tina Fey would become such a powerful force in the election? Quickly.
HOLMES: Well, we couldn`t see it coming because we didn`t see Sarah Palin coming. That was a huge surprise to the political community that John McCain plucked her out of Alaska from her - behind her moose hunting rifle and put her on his ticket.
So Tina Fey got very lucky and I think she owes Sarah Palin a phone call, a huge "thank you for making me such a central figure in this election season."
(CROSS TALK)
ANDERSON: Send her a bouquet of flowers or something. I agree. Amy Holmes, Ben Widdicombe, we`ll leave it there. Thank you both.
HAMMER: Well, as you just heard, one of the things we didn`t see coming was how influential "The View" became during this campaign season. And you know, that even held true right down to the bitter end. The co-hosts went at each other`s throats today over Obama`s connections to Rev. Jeremiah Wright and William Ayers. You`ve got to see this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": William Ayers was cleared. If we`re clearing everybody, then we`re clearing everybody. Let`s be fair, as you are asking. Let`s be fair.
ELISABETH HASSELBECK, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": He actually did - he actually carried out bombings.
GOLDBERG: He was cleared. He was cleared in court.
(CROSS TALK)
JOY BEHAR, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": He is not Barack Obama. He was at a couple meetings with the guy.
SHERRI SHEPHERD, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": Does somebody have a bag of M & Ms?
HASSELBECK: Barack Obama - Barack Obama, the three of you right now have defended Rev. Wright more than Barack Obama has. Barack Obama -
BEHAR: We`re not defending Rev. Wright.
(CROSS TALK)
BEHAR: That`s where you are wrong. I`m not defending Rev. Wright.
HASSELBECK: You are defending the fact - look, this is a man - he sat in his church.
WHOOPI: I`m trying to educate you. I`m not trying to judge you.
HASSELBECK: I don`t need education on that. And I`m trying to educate you.
GOLDBERG: I understand.
HASSELBECK: And to say that is not fair.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Wow. Definitely going to be interesting to see what happens on "The View" over the rest of this week, Brooke.
ANDERSON: Well, yes it is. And there is one contest among the candidates that you may not have heard about. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Which candidates` Cabbage Patch doll is the most popular? We`ll tell you who won this important race, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
All right. So it may not have been the most important election, but it sure is interesting. I can tell you that the final results are in, for the auction of Cabbage Patch dolls that look like the candidates.
And yes, Sarah Palin won by a landslide. One-of-a-kind Cabbage Patch dolls in the likeness of Sarah Palin, Barack Obama, John McCain and Joe Biden were auctioned off on eBay to benefit Toys for Tots. It was obviously for a great cause.
But is it me, or all the dolls just kind of creepy? Well, in any event, the Sarah Palin doll got $19,000. That is more than the other three combined. In second place, the Barack Obama doll, going for $8,400. Then came the John McCain doll - it went for $6,000. And in last place, Joe Biden doll -- it sold at $3,550.01.
Get this, one lucky bidder won all four dolls for a grand total of nearly $37,000, and as I said, all the money going to Toys for Tots.
ANDERSON: Oh, great cause. And we have been asking you to vote on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT question of the day - "Presidential Race: Is this the funniest campaign ever?" Let`s take a look at the votes so far - 47 percent of you say yes; 53 percent of you say no.
Here are some of the E-mails we received. Dawn from West Virginia writes, "I think this is a very funny campaign, or it would be if the reality of it weren`t so frightening."
Mark from Texas says, "Every time Palin speaks, it just tickles me so gosh darn much."
HAMMER: That`s SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
ANDERSON: And I`m Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Don`t forget you can always catch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on the 11:00s - 11:00 p.m. Eastern, 11:00 p.m. Pacific and also in the morning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. The latest from "CNN HEADLINE NEWS" is coming up next. Take care.
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