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Must-see morning clip

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:05:00 +0000

Comedian Fred Armisen dropped by "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" last night to promote the season premiere of his award-winning sketch show,"Portlandia." The two SNL comedians ended up performing a sketch of their own, rehearsing bits from their old bands, like Little Baby Sparrows, Nothingness and Birds Tree:

No, really. Stop comparing everything to “Portlandia”

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 17:37:00 +0000

Trendspotters, take note: We asked you in February to please stop comparing everything with a quirky bent to "Portlandia."

And for a while there, the fact that every magazine writer and blogger used the Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein comedy show as their go-to metaphor made it a little uncool. Only now "Portlandia" metaphor creep is back. (In a retro and nostalgic way!) Next month, the show returns for Season 3 on IFC, and that means January will bring a wearying new onslaught of references.

But as you'll see, there's almost nothing left to compare to "Portlandia." A street fight has been compared to "Portlandia." The Republican National Convention. Rock bands and classical groups. Restaurants in every city. Waiters. Diners. Authors. Laura Linney. (And, yes, we know! That could be a "Portlandia" sketch itself!)

So before you make the same simile as everyone else, consider this list of recent comparisons fair warning:

Jason Sudeikis: Mitt Romney sounds like a black comic imitating a white guy

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 18:30:00 +0000

On last night's "Conan," "SNL" star Jason Sudeikis, who played both Mitt Romney and Joe Biden on the late night sketch show, said Mitt Romney's voice sounds basically like "when black stand-ups do a white guy voice":

O'Brien referenced today's clip of the comic on "Meet the Press's" Press Pass series, in which Sudeikis discussed the relationship between politics and comedy with co-star Fred Armisen, who played Barack Obama on SNL. Sudeikis called Romney disappointingly corny, saying, "That's us wishing he was aware of how corny he is. ... He is as bland as bland can be, at this point. He's like a butter sandwich. Unsalted butter. With the crusts cut off."

Watch the full discussion with David Gregory, below: