You know, I always liked Saturday Night Live before Will Ferrell left, even though I will admit certain seasons don't compare to the very beginning of the show that started with Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Gilda Radner. Back when I was a teen in the early/mid 90's, my friend and I would always have overnights on Saturdays and watch SNL, whether there were new shows or reruns.
I will also point out there's one thing I think it’s interesting when SNL cast members go beyond comedy and try to do drama. Bill Murray has proven cynics wrong. Dan Aykroyd hasn't done a bad job either. Hell, even Adam Sandler has been able to prove himself as a good actor in “Punch Drunk Love,” which I see more as a drama although others argue it’s a comedy.
That being said, I don’t mind when SNL comedians and satirists (or any comedians) speak out about politics. Like actors and actresses and entertainers at large, I believe that as Americans, they are entitled to and should be able to speak their mind.
However, I don’t think Dennis Miller is an example of one who has it under control. Whereas Al Franken is articulate and actually knows how to defend himself (not only becoming a strong U.S. senator in my opinion), Miller on the other hand seems to be making a fool out of himself.
I remember Dennis Miller on SNL very well. He wasn’t quite as funny to me as other SNL members were but at he did what he did best: comedy. Since then, he has had a few of his own shows and appears to have a popular radio show that seems to have at least two million weekly listeners. In addition, Miller’s quite a regular on Fox News and has been known to have a number of conservative view points and has supported George W. Bush’s presidency. On the other hand, not enough people point out his socially liberal view points on gay marriage and abortion.
But my argument has nothing to do with Dennis Miller’s conservative and liberal viewpoints. I’m arguing that Dennis Miller is neither good at being informed nor does he seem to understand how ridiculous he is when he’s showing his passion about the issues. In fact, I would go so far as to say when he becomes serious and non-comedic, he makes Clint Eastwood’s appearance at the 2012 Republican National Convention look like Eastwood had given the real keynote address instead of Chris Christie.
Here’s Dennis Miller appearing on the Bill O’Reilly Show yesterday, ranting about Sandra Fluke:
What I find very interesting is how Miller rants on Sandra Fluke. He comments on the whole War on Women talk and argues that people are apparently prohibited from saying the War on Terror. I don’t know why he wants to compare these two “wars” but it’s clear he doesn’t pay attention to what’s going on in the GOP these days. Not only that, I think he’s letting his frustrations cloud any credibility he has on “insightful commentary.”
Some of you might be thinking: Why is this diarist getting worked up about Dennis Miller? I’m neither angry nor getting worked up. I just find that if you’re good at something, you stick to what you do best.
So I say to Dennis Miller: Go back to being a comedian and just zip it.