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Lampooning American Politics on "Saturday Night Live"

Part two of our Al Franken interview. He talks about his roles with Saturday Night Live, and his work with the Comedy Channel paroyding the presidential campaign.

13:09
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Other segments from the episode on October 30, 1992

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, October 30, 1992: Interview with Al Franken; Review of the film "Zebrahead"; Interview with Al Franken; Interview with Wayne Stayskal.
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17:47

Al Franken's Stuart Smalley is "Good Enough" and "Smart Enough"

The comedian plays the sensitive twelve-stepper Stuart Smalley on "Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley" -- a Saturday Night Live skit based on Franken's own experience with a 12-step group. Franken is a co-producer of SNL and works on the cable network "Comedy Central," where he anchored the Democratic and Republican Conventions for "Indecision '92." He has a new book (written by Stuart Smalley) called "I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me."

Comedian Al Franken attends the premiere of "The Hunting of The President"
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04:10

"Zebrahead" Is a Warm Take on Race in America

Film critic John Powers reviews the new movie about interracial friendships and relationships. He says the film's message is remarkably different from Spike Lee's recent "Jungle Fever," which explores similar themes.

Review

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14:05

Comedian A. Whitney Brown

Brown delivers what he calls "The Big Picture," a tongue-in-cheek political commentary on Saturday Night Live. He's just collected those commentaries in a new book, also caled "The Big Picture."

Interview
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32:38

Comedian and Satirist Al Franken

In December he was part of a USO tour performing for troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kuwait. The tour lasted eight days, and he returned Christmas Day. He'll talk about the tour and do some of his routine from it. Franken's books include Lies and the Lying Liars who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right and Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot. Franken is an alumnus of Saturday Night Live, where his most memorable character was the simpering self-help sap Stuart Smalley.

Interview

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