Though Tina Fey's impression of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live has proven to be the ratings gift that keeps on giving, it's another, earlier SNL vice presidential satire that still holds the number-one place in our hearts. In advance of tonight's heavily-anticipated debate we thought we'd revisit that 1992 sketch, which saw Ross Perot (Dana Carvey) put his running mate, Admiral James Stockdale (Phil Hartman), out to pasture — literally. Though Stockdale became infamous for his self-introduction at the vice presidential debate — "Who am I, and why I am here?" — we'd wager that the actual memory has been eclipsed in time by Hartman's booming bark. The sketch, after the jump:

After Elisabeth Hasselbeck nearly brained Barbara Walters yesterday using a coffee mug filled with steaming-hot Republican rage, producers for The View wisely kept Walters away from today's show, though things were just as politically heated. Today — as it often is — the topic was Sarah Palin, and Hasselbeck's had quite enough of that issue, thank you very much!After Joy Behar ran clips of Palin's two biggest gaffes during her recent Katie Couric interview — Palin's inability to name a Supreme Court case she disagreed with or a single newspaper she read — Hasselbeck attempted to defend the vice presidential candidate, then complained that her cohosts spend too much time talking about Sarah Palin and not enough time talking about Barack Obama. Meanwhile, Joe Biden silently weeped at his exclusion, muttering, "What about meeee? I was on SNL once, too!"

Though John McCain came out of the Republican National Convention with a lead over Barack Obama, the general consensus is that political momentum has swung back Obama's way — and for further proof, look no further than important swing voter Diddy. Last seen praising Sarah Palin's RNC speech ("You did your thing. You gave a speech that pretty much shut me the fuck up") Diddy has changed his tune even faster than a ridiculous nickname past its expiration date. Now, after having watched Palin biff question after question with Katie Couric, Diddy is frightened — so frightened, he's hiding under the covers, threatening never to come out if McCain and Palin get elected. Finally, a celebrity endorsement the Republicans can actually use! [Diddy Blog]

An election year will make stars do all kinds of crazy things, from role-playing to mile-high one-night stands. Jessica Alba tends to get especially frisky, with her recent participation in the voter-registration campaign Declare Yourself revealing a certain taste for bondage — as a metaphor for twisting in voiceless civic oblivion, of course, not her and Cash Warren's predilection when the baby is out at grandma's or wherever. Or maybe it's both! We just don't know. Point being, her duct-taped agony of a while back has today given way to the far more modest Hannibal Lecter muzzle, the latest DY ad to make its way public. (The Unrated, Extended Director's Cut follows the jump.)It's a sure sign we're too old for torture porn-as-voting drive, making us less likely to register than it does to dig out our Dark Angel DVD's and imagine the holy hell that would await anyone who tried this on Max Guevera.

Yes, dear reader, we have seen the circulating Craigslist ad requesting a Sarah Palin look-alike for "an adult film to be shot in the next 10 days." Assuming it's remotely legit, we sit here rueing our enduring exclusion from such opportunities ("$2000-3000... No anal required") and wondering what imaginative variety of flute the lucky new star might be playing in the week or two to come. But that's hardly the most exciting Palin-related development around town today; in fact, a tipster sends word of the kind of serendipity that make this town one sprawling miracle of chance. Or a deepening, shrieking vacuum of souls — you tell us after the jump:

Looks like that cooling-off period didn't take! On today's episode of The View, outnumbered McCain booster Elisabeth Hasselbeck finally let out the pent-up rage she'd so coolly kept under wraps during yesterday's Bill Maher appearance, lashing out at Whoopi Goldberg for voicing skepticism about vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.Sensing an opportunity to restore order in the most patronizing way possible, Barbara Walters immediately leapt into the fray (though not with hugs), lavishing backhanded compliments on Hasselbeck while muttering that she's "trying so hard" to understand her point of view. Sadly, Hasselbeck immediately blew whatever sympathy she'd gained from Walters's condescension by dodging a question about Sarah Palin with an answer that inspires booing from the audience. Defection to Fox News coming in 5, 4, 3...

When video of a swimsuit-clad Sarah Palin at the 1984 Miss Alaska contest hit the web last week, the YouTube uploader promised more goodies to come, including Palin's talent competition entry. Now, finally, it is here: Sarah Palin (née Heath), "accomplished flautist," tooting "The Homecoming" by Nathan Hardy on one doozy of a flute (which she then had fired). Can Palin whip out a piccolo at tomorrow's vice presidential debate to steal some of Joe Biden's foreign policy thunder? Tina Fey, you'd better start practicing. [HuffPo]

Who would Homer Simpson vote for? It's a question pundits across America (or at least a couple of them) have spent part of 2008 attempting to answer, particularly after the failed grassroots effort to mobilize his third-party presidential candidacy for November. (It came down to his support of nuclear energy, or Marge not wanting to exploit Maggie... rumors abound). But in an excerpt we found from The Simpsons episode slated for Nov. 2, the all-important Simpson endorsement is finally revealed — better late than never for one candidate, if not quite beneficial to Homer himself. We suppose that in addition to Ohio's little-known secession from the US, the lesson here is that voting is a contact sport, and not an especially fair one. But like so many things in the world, it could have been worse; when the chips are down, those Diebold voting machines have nothing on an armed Sarah Palin. [YouTube]

Have you heard? Comedienne Tina Fey has played lady candidate Sarah Palin on the tee-vee! Twice! So completely has Fey-as-Palin penetrated the pop culture landscape that Barack Obama found himself on Entertainment Tonight, grilled by Mary Hart not on the economic collapse but on the one issue most important to voters: what does he think of Fey's Palin impression? Obama notes the resemblance is "remarkable" and even heaps praise on Saturday Night Live player Fred Armisen's Obama performance — at which point vice presidential candidate Joe Biden pipes up to remind America that he, too, was impersonated on SNL once!

David Letterman continued to hammer John McCain last night, taking obvious glee in the fact that he has finally found an adversary worthy of supplanting former bête noires like Les Moonves and the entirety of NBC Broadcasting. If you'll remember, McCain incurred Letterman's wrath by canceling a Late Show appearance under the guise of heading immediately to Washington D.C. — something Letterman debunked by cutting to a live feed of McCain's interview with Katie Couric just down the street. Last night, after taking shots at McCain in his monologue ("He loves bailouts — he bailed out on me"), Letterman welcomed guest Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who promptly swore her allegiance to the Late Show host, then demonstrated it with another live feed cut to a lonely Katie Couric. Clip above. [CBS]

Though Tina Fey has publicly voiced a desire to stop playing Sarah Palin in November, Lorne Michaels issued the Emmy winner the comedy equivalent of a stop-loss last night, conscripting Fey for a second tour of duty as Palin on Saturday Night Live. This time around, Fey and Amy Poehler spoofed the vice-presidential candidate's bungled sit-down with Katie Couric, and though the sketch will forever live in the shadow of the instant classic original (and we would rather have seen Kristen Wiig play Couric than the hugely pregnant Poehler), there were still some worthwhile bits. Our favorite? Fey-as-Palin's talking points meltdown (at 2:50 in the video). The sketch, after the jump:Click to view

In her recent SNL skit, Tina Fey attracted some of the biggest laughs when she played vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin as a politician more adept at striking a pose than learning foreign policy. Now, thanks to the miracle of the YouTubes, we can check Fey's moves against the real thing! Yes, the tape from Palin's 1984 stint in the Miss Alaska competition has finally surfaced, and it involves the then-Sarah Heath donning a red swimsuit and doing a full round of turns for the audience and judges. The YouTube uploader promises more Miss Alaska clips soon, including Palin's talent entry (playing the flute!). Until those surface, we have to ask: could Matt Damon pull off a one-piece so well? [HuffPo]

It looks like John McCain will be heading to tonight's presidential debate after all (according to this priceless pool report from McCain's plane, which also states, "General atmosphere is utter confusion"), but one no-show is continuing to cost the candidate, and that's McCain's now-notorious skipped Late Show appearance. David Letterman continued to rip into McCain during his monologue yesterday, even conscripting guest Paris Hilton (who had her own memorable run-in with McCain) into the proceedings. Meanwhile, executives at CBS News are up in arms about the live news feed Letterman tapped into on Wednesday night's broadcast that showed McCain getting made up in advance of his Katie Couric interview:

Though John McCain suspended his presidential campaign yesterday, third party candidate Paris Hilton is still busy courting voters. The heiress dropped in on The View today to replay her famous video rebuking McCain, and the clip prompted an inquisitive Joy Behar to ask, "You're not really going to be able to vote, are you?" After citing a friend who lost his right to vote after spending time in the "slammer," Behar was informed that Hilton did, indeed, still retain the ability. We're sad, too, Joy — the idea that Paris Hilton has any sort of political influence is almost as tragic to us as Whoopi Goldberg's hideous Ed Hardy t-shirt. [The View]

Well, isn't this interesting. Hours before the anticipated David Letterman evisceration of John McCain aired on the East Coast, a YouTube popped up (by a user who had never posted any videos before and registered today) with all the highlights. Thanks, CBS mole! Video after the jump:

John McCain announced today that he would suspend his presidential campaign until the current economic crisis is settled, leaving some big holes in this week's TV schedule — most especially, this Friday's suddenly in-jeopardy presidential debate, which McCain is seeking to postpone (Barack Obama and debate organizers have rejected the idea). In the short-term, however, McCain pulled out of his planned appearance tonight on Late Show with David Letterman, and the host is pissed. Seems McCain told Letterman that he was canceling so that he could rush back to Washington D.C., but then Dave caught wind that McCain hadn't gone anywhere — that, in fact, he was just down the street taping an interview with CBS anchorwoman Katie Couric. What followed was an on-screen excoriation, according to the Drudge Report:

The Lynne Spears Redemption Tour continues, with the mother of Britney and Jamie Lynn sitting down with Newsweek to discuss her new book, Through the Storm (also known as The Lynne Spears Guide to Fucking Up Your Children). Talk turned to vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, whose daughter Bristol supposedly received a gift from fellow teen mother Jamie Lynn. Now, though, it seems like Lynne is having second thoughts about that show of solidarity — in fact, she wants to know why Sarah Palin is attracting so much more support than she is:

Last time we checked in on Margaret Cho's Myspace, the comedienne was opining (as celebrities are wont to do) on vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin — namely, how Cho would erotically "steam up those glasses" should the two ever meet in a voting booth tete-a-tete straight out of Penthouse magazine. Some fans cried foul, accusing Cho of sexism, so she retired to her blog today to push the envelope even further while blaming others for anti-woman rhetoric:

Hot on the heels of a philanthropic Brad Pitt, director Steven Spielberg has become the latest celebrity to make a major donation to the campaign to defeat the anti-gay Proposition 8. Spielberg matched Pitt's donation of $100,000 to fight the proposition, which would take away the same-sex marriage rights awarded to Californians this year. As terrific as it is for the industry's straight allies to open up their pocketbooks, we can't help but take a page from homo icon Kathy Griffin and wonder: "Where my gays at?" Specifically, why haven't gay stars like the recently married Ellen DeGeneres contributed to a movement that still lags millions of dollars behind its well-funded, religious opposition? IN magazine broke down some of the other queer power players who are too busy watching Work Out reruns to contribute:

Breaking news (must credit Defamer): Sarah Palin resembles Tina Fey! In fact, the Comparison That Wouldn't Die has proved so strong that even though a game Fey sated fan expectations by playing Palin in Saturday Night Live's season opener, she still can't escape interrogation about what she really thinks of the vice presidential candidate. At the Emmys last night, the multiple winner was quizzed by both Ryan Seacrest and backstage journalists about Palin, and Fey made a fervent plea for November to provide her with the change she needs: