Look-alikes? Actor Keenan Thompson, (left), and Sen. Barack Obama, (right)
News Headlines: Feb. 19, 2007
Talk About It:
New York Post: Barack-Alike: 'SNL' Casting Comic to Play Obama — "Like many voters, the producers of 'Saturday Night Live' are hoping to find Barack Obama. The difference is, 'SNL' will have its own Obama by Saturday, when the show returns to the air after three months of writers' strike-induced downtime, whereas voters could be waiting much longer. ... Keenan Thompson — the only black cast member of 'SNL' — had been believed to be the favorite for the job, but Michaels says the show has been holding auditions for the part."
This article highlights another issue we discussed in a recent News & Notes editorial meeting: how comedians and political cartoonists deal with issues of racism and sexism when trying to capture Obama and Clinton.
A reporter for Kentucky's Courier-Journal posed that question to a number of cartoonists. Check out their responses.
So ... a couple questions: which comedian do you think could best portray Obama? And what "rules" or special sensitivities, if any, should they observe?
Election 2008:
New York Times: Obama Extends Winning Streak to 10
Newsday: McCain Claims He's GOP Nominee after Wisconsin Win
Nation:
The Detroit News: Kilpatrick Recall Effort Launched
Hartford Courant: Black Official Says He's Gay
New York Times: Higher Education Gap May Slow Economic Mobility
World:
AP: Fighting Traps Thousands of Darfurians
AP: China Extends Ban on Foreign Cartoons
Washington Post: Raul Castro, Leader With a Freer Hand
TIME: Musharraf Refuses to Step Down
Op-Ed:
Rachel Sklar: Why Obama's Lifted Words Matter
Maureen Dowd: To Catch a Thief
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