ETA: Gail Shister talks to KO about SNL:

As a technical achievement, it was an A+ Seriously: Ben did that off cue cards, as I discovered when he sent me one with a funny message scrawled in the corner. That is startling to me. I barely get through something of that length on teleprompter. Ben got most of the facial expressions right, and the camera turns were hilarious. And - no offense to Richard Wolffe - but I laughed out loud when they converted “him” into The Worst Person for disagreeing with me.

Also, you can kvetch now and again about criticism, and lord knows I do, but if you are insulted by something like this, it’s time to become a Park Ranger. I mean if they want to do another sketch just skewering me and they’re stuck for somebody to do the impression, I’ll do the impression.

Time’s Ana Marie Cox on Grandpa Goodfart and SNL:

True, observers (including Karen!) seem to agree that McCain performed well on SNL the other night, but what really tickled the McCain campaign wasn’t the senator’s comic stylings, but rather this devestating Keith Olbermann parody, that is in fact best summed up by the show’s one line description: “Keith Olbermann is indignant and his cat is innocent.”

Don’t these people have an election to run? Ms. Cox contacted KO for comment:

SNL and my Football Night In America show share adjoining studios, so upon my arrival yesterday, awaiting me was one of the cue cards from the bit, with Ben writing of the sketch: “Keith - Remember, a) I didn’t write this; b) it took years of study - fondly, Ben.”

Aw! Affleck was the best part - the look, the mannerisms, the voice - the script was weak sauce. So was the Faux Wolffe. But I digress.

As to the giddiness: Honestly, everybody deserves a laugh but if on the weekend before the presidential election they spent more than seven seconds bothering with ME, the campaign staff has even less of a clue than I thought.

Also, what’s this “about time” jazz? Since spring they’ve been trying to cajole, sweet-talk, bully, threaten, blackmail, and bribe everybody at NBC from the pages to the presidents to get the milquetoast coverage they want - especially to shut me down. Then McCain spoiled his otherwise impeccable performance at the Al Smith dinner with that angry-old-man bit about me. They have helped bury their own guy in the polls and helped me pass O’Reilly in the ratings. So, seriously, if they’d like to spend any part of the penultimate day talking about me I’ll send them all fruit baskets of gratitude.

Oh, Keith. They’ll just assume your gratitude fruit is filled with deadly, yet undetectable, poison and hand it out to passing Obama volunteers. Have you forgotten that they believe you to be of The Devil? Perhaps Old Scratch himself?

ETA: Just before I got this posted, Our Mr. Olbermann posted about it all at Kos

Politico:

A source described the skit as “savage,” in portraying Olbermann as a deranged person living at home with his mother. Affleck, said a source, became uneasy with Olbermann in attendance at the 3 p.m., closed-set rehearsal.

But Olbermann, through a spokesman, was complimentary on his first time being mocked on “SNL” — a position his MSNBC colleague Chris Matthews has been in over the years.

“I’m not Sarah Palin,” Olbermann said. “I know how valuable it is to me. And it’s funny.”

It sure is! Watch Ben - with perfect KO hair - after the jump!

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