Warning: If you are sensitive to seeing animals killed, do not watch this video. The video at the bottom of the post has the turkeys blurred out as they’re being slaughtered. This one does not.

Sarah Palin did an interview after pardoning a turkey for Thanksgiving at an Alaskan turkey farm. She talked in her general, hokey way about campaigning and her work as the governor of Alaska now that she’s back in office. The only difference between this interview and the other moments when she’s been taped talking about politics in her chatty way is that there were turkeys getting pushed head first into what’s called a “killing cone” directly behind her, their legs kicking and struggling as they were slaughtered.

Palin pre-approved her appearance in front of the turkeys being killed. Her representative told MSNBC that she was asked if she could be filmed in front of the turkey killing scene and she said “no worries.”

At the end of the interview she talked about how great it was to be there. There was literally a turkey in its last moments right behind her as she said how much fun it was.

Calls it fun as the turkeys are getting killed right behind her
“This was neat. I was happy to get invited to participate in this. You need a little bit of levity in this job… It’s nice to get out and do something to promote a local business and to just participate in something that isn’t so heavy handed politics that invite criticism. Certainly we’ll even invite criticism for doing this too, but at least this was fun.”

In our society we’re disconnected from the realties of how meat gets on the table. Many meat-eating people find it disconcerting to be around animals getting killed - even animals they would gladly consume once they’re converted to food. I eat meat pretty much every day, and if I lived a century ago I probably would have had to kill and pluck the chickens that my family eats. I don’t think I would have considered it “fun” though, just necessary.

Do you think she did it for publicity or that she just went along with the interview request, completely oblivious to the controversy? It looks to me like she knows exactly what she’s doing and is getting a huge kick out of it. She’s certainly getting enough attention for it. She enjoys hunting so at least she’s consistent.

Here’s MSNBC’s coverage of her pardon and the subsequent interview. The turkeys are blurred out in this one.

Hugh Hefner is a little late to the game. The question of Sarah Palin’s qualifications to be Vice-President isn’t even a moot point anymore, it’s a dead point, shot from the helicopter of the American voters. But since his webisodes are called Ask Hef Anything, when the question was asked if Hefner thinks Palin is qualified to be the VP of the US, it was a late but unadulterated “no”.

Ask Hef Anything…

As an advocate of teen abstinence, is Sarah Palin a hypocrite because of her daughter’s pregnancy? Is she fit to be VP?

Hef: I wouldn’t call her a hypocrite. I think that, you know, it isn’t.. she’s not the one who got pregnant. Her daughter is her own person. I just think that Sarah and a lot of other people are misguided in terms of some very serious issues, that’s all. I don’t think she’s in any manner, shape or form suited to be Vice President of the United States. And particularly not suited to be the vice president of a president who is in his 70s. And, you know, a heartbeat away from the Presidency. No, she’s clearly not qualified.

[Transcribed from YouTube]

I’m not completely convinced Hef thinks the Alaska Governor is qualified for the pages of his magazine, either. Word had been going around that Hef wanted to extend an offer to the former VP candidate to pose for Playboy. But when asked if it was true, his reaction is the same as mine at the thought of the 44-year old, fundamentalist Christian tossing off her consignment store clothes: a loud belly laugh.

Is it true you want Sarah Palin to pose for Playboy?

Hef: HA HA HA HA! The press and media are continually, you know, in the middle of other interview questions saying ‘Would you like so-and-so to pose?’ and what’s the answer to that, you know? If they’re a celebrity of any kind, the answer is ‘Noo, I wouldn’t want Sarah Palin (laugh). Of course!’ And then that winds up being thought of as actual news and of course it’s not news at all. Silly stuff.

[Transcribed from YouTube]

Hugh Hefner has time to spend pontificating on subjects that have no chance of reality, which is really the basis for his Ask Hef Anything Playboy.com spots. He has the unique perspective of a millionaire octogenarian who still has all the women he wants at his beck and call. He’s interesting to listen to at least. The rantings of a crazy old guys often are.

As 2008 comes to a close, it’s time for the avalanche of year-end reviews and lists. I’m freaking out over the shrinking number of shopping days until Christmas, and Barbara Walters has already determined who the most fascinating people of the year are.

2008 was pretty un-fascinating, overall. The list is more of an indicator of popular culture than genuine fascinating people.

Some names on the list are obvious, like Olympic record-setter Michael Phelps, failed vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, Sarah Palin impersonator and Emmy-winner Tina Fey, and tween queen Miley Cyrus.

Two of the names are questionable. Rush Limbaugh was one of the many blowhards commenting on the election, even encouraging people to vote for Hillary Clinton in the primaries in order to beat Barack Obama, but was he the most fascinating? It’s certainly indicative of what a circus the election was when Limbaugh is more of a draw than one of the few legitimate commentators left.

Frank Langella is a name I recognized as an actor, but I had to search IMDB to figure out why he’s on Barbara’s list. I’m still not sure. He’s an Oscar contender for Frost/Nixon, but that film doesn‘t even open until December 5, the day after the show airs.

Two of the names are just plain WTF. Will Smith and Tom Cruise must have the best publicists in the world, to make the list ahead of actors that actually had break-out years, like Robert Downey Jr., Daniel Craig, or Christian Bale. Will Smith’s Hancock is one of the high-grossing films of the year, but was overshadowed by other films. Tom Cruise had a part in Tropic Thunder, but Valkyrie is getting more talk for its delays than the quality of the film itself. In fact, Suri Cruise should have made the list instead of Tom.

The last two names on the list have yet to be released. I’ll go out on a limb and predict Barack and Michelle Obama.

Barbara Walters 10 Most Fascinating People of 2008 will air Thursday, December 4 on ABC.

If I’ve missed any reasons why these people should be considered one of the top 10 fascinating people in the world, please let me know.

Last year’s list included Victoria and David Beckham, Justin Timberlake, the founders of MySpace, Bill Clinton, J.K. Rowling, Katherine Heigl, Jennifer Hudson, Hugo Chavez and Don Imus.

If I may make some suggestions to Barbara: Viggo Mortensen, Jensen Ackles, Gael Garcia Bernal, and the creators of icanhascheezburger.

Sarah Palin in an older photo featured on the cover of her 2009 calendar. Credit: Fame
In what would have to be the biggest pay out for a seven week memoir, Sarah Palin is rumored to have been offered $7million to write her biography. I know that Sarah is 44 years old, but we’re really only interested in how she handled the scrutiny of the campaign.

Literary agents were queuing up to sign Palin to a book deal that could earn her up to $US7 million, The Times reported.

The recent election campaign was sure to result in hundreds of books by journalists and politicians, but “Palin’s personal account of her tumultuous introduction to national politics” would be the most lucrative story, it said.

“Every publisher and a lot of literary agents have been going after her,” said Jeff Klein of Folio Literary management.

“She’s poised to make a ton of money,” public relations expert Howard Rubenstein said.

A spokesman for publisher Random House told the New York Post: “There are several of our imprints who are eager to talk to Governor Palin. She clearly has a constituency and we know books by conservatively-centred politicos usually sell very, very well.”

Canberra Times

While it is true that Sarah came into the spotlight relatively unknown, and we’re all kind of curious about her credentials and background, what I’d really like to read is a book written by those people within the republican party who snitched on her in the days following the election. The ‘she doesn’t know what Africa is’ guy, and the one who blabbed that her clothing and make-up budget was actually higher than the $20,000+ a week she spent. I definitely want to see all those clothes!

The Times suggests that she is following in Obama’s footsteps, whose Audacity of Hope book was what they call his springboard to the presidency. Letting us know about herself, and gaining some sympathy for being a working mother, and showing some sort of intelligence, could easily lead into a ticket at the next presidential election.

It is also suggested that talk shows and other opportunities have been offered to Sarah Palin. They say the book deal will be finalized by the end of the month.

Note by Celebitchy: Apparently the “Palin doesn’t know Africa is a continent” story was planted by an outsider operative and wasn’t one of the stories leaked by the Republican camp that worked with her.

Photos are from the Sarah Palin 2009 calendar, thanks to Fame. Photo update: more pictures added.

Rosie O’Donnell has said she’d like to have a beer with former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin if she could. O’Donnell had nothing but nice things to say about her, while admitting that she’s psyched her party didn’t win the election. She says Palin has a lot of spunk and has lived an interesting life and became internationally famous overnight.

Despite their political differences, Rosie O’Donnell wouldn’t mind grabbing drinks with Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

“I’d like to have a beer with her. I’d like to meet her kids. She seems like a pretty nice woman,” O’ Donnell told Extra. “Although I have to say, I am thrilled her party did not win. [But] you got to give it to her for spunk.”

The ultra-liberal O’ Donnell admitted, “I think I probably would like her if I met her….She had an amazing life for herself and her family in Alaska. Very successful. Before you knew it, she was the most famous person in the country.”

But that’s not to say the Barack Obama supporter would have been celebrating a John McCain presidential win.

“If McCain won…I would be in the depression unit of the ICU,” O’ Donnell quipped.

[From Us Weekly]

When you put it in those terms, I think I’d like to have a beer with Sarah Palin too. I disagreed with just about every word out of that woman’s mouth, but Rosie is right: she’s been in a position only one other woman has ever been in as a potential vice president. Even though I sometimes had violent thoughts after hearing her speak, I’d love to pick her brains and ask her about a million questions. Though something tells me that after the Katie Couric interview debacle, Palin is going to be a little more wary of answering questions.

Here’s Sarah Palin siting with a friend pool side while staying at a luxurious hotel in Miami while attending the Republican Governor’s Conference on Thursday. Images thanks to Bauer-Griffin.

Could Sarah Palin guest star on Desperate Housewives? If the show’s creator Marc Cherry has anything to say about it, that’ll be a yes. According to Page Six, Cherry is a huge fan of Palin, and would love her to guest star on the show’s season finale, playing a politician.

IS Alaska’s Gov. Sarah Palin headed to “Desperate Housewives”? Series creator Marc Cherry is “very hot to trot to have her appear on the season-five finale,” Hollywood p.r. man Hal Lifson, who’s not involved with the show, told us. “Marc is highly enamored of Sarah and sees her as the ultimate guest star [playing] a similar version of herself. The idea has gone over surprisingly well with execs at Disney, who see it as a blockbuster based on Sarah’s huge ratings on ‘Saturday Night Live.’ ” Cherry declined to comment. An ABC rep said, “There’s no truth to it.”

[From Page Six]

Of course there’s no truth to it. Until she’s filmed the role. It seems like every time we hear a denial of this type it ends up happening after all. I don’t think more fluffy television gigs is really what Palin needs in the long-term. Katie Couric was right – what she needs to do is buckle down and learn about government… and about interviewing.

Matt Lauer recently interviewed Palin and asked her about the semi-disastrous Couric interview. Palin said she was annoyed with Couric’s questions and seemed to think Katie was implying that Alaska is disconnected from the rest of the country. She bumbled through the Matt Lauer interview as well. It was clear she didn’t have anything rehearsed and no lines at the ready – something she brags about. I know the idea she’s trying to get across is that she’s more honest that way, but instead she comes across as unsure.

MATT LAUER: More now of our interview with Alaska’s Governor Sarah Palin. Virtually unknown before John McCain picked her as his running mate, Palin found herself under an intense media spotlight. I asked Governor Palin about one of her first interviews during the campaign with Katie Couric, where she stumbled over a number of questions. And I asked her if seeing the clips from that interview, hurt her confidence.

SARAH PALIN: No, no, because, you know I’m sure that some of my impatience showed through in that, in that interview. I think it also showed, though, that certainly as a Washington outsider and as somebody not, not one to just, I guess, kind of play even the, the campaigning media game that is played in, in just repeating, perhaps, memorized lines in an, in an interview, that’s not me.

LAUER: But you didn’t think the interview was unfair? I mean, the questions were fairly straight forward, weren’t they?

PALIN: Well sure, yeah. But you know questions about well, “You know what do you read up there in Alaska?” To me that was kind, a little bit annoying because I’m like, “You know what do you mean what do I read up in Alaska? I read the same things that you guys read in New York and there in L.A. and in Washington state. What do you mean, what do I read up there?” But anyway, just, just some annoyance that certainly showed through and, you know, perhaps that, that annoyance that showed through would have led some to be annoyed with me, watching the interview. And that’s understandable.

[From Newsbusters]

Here’s a clip of the interview. The transcript above doesn’t indicate all the “uhs” and “ums” constantly coming out of Palin’s mouth as she seemed to be searching for some sort of response. I think Katie Couric’s questions were more than fair, and she’s not the one who made Palin look unprepared. That was her own doing.

Update by Celebitchy: An executive producer for Desperate Housewives says there is no truth to this story at all, and it sounds like Marc Cherry is not a Palin fan by the way she words it:

Desperate Housewives executive producer Sabrina Wind just emailed to me: “I just wanted to tell you from Marc himself that there is no validity to this odd claim. There is no way Sarah Palin will be coming on Desperate Housewives.”

[From E! Online]

Katie Couric has a little bit of terse advice for Sarah Palin if she wants to be seriously considered as a candidate in the next election. Although Katie is pretty nice about it, it basically amounts to, “Acquire some knowledge and be less dumb. Then people will take you seriously.” But the sentiment is wrapped in much more polite language.

CBS anchor Katie Couric thinks Sarah Palin has a thing or two to learn about politics before she contemplates a White House run in 2012. “I think she should keep her head down, work really hard and learn about governing. But I’m not anyone to give advice to anyone about anything,” she told Page Six at Glamour Magazine’s 2008 Women of the Year Awards dinner at the Essex House. Although her interview with Palin made the Alaska governor look dumb (while rejuvenating Couric’s flagging career in the process), Couric won’t give herself too much credit. “I was really just a conduit that allowed her to air her views,” she said. “I don’t want to judge. I’ll let the voters do that.”

[From Page Six]

It didn’t seem that Palin was very well prepared for her interview with Couric. As Celebitchy pointed out, she was unable to name newspapers or magazines she read – and aside from Roe v. Wade, she couldn’t list any Supreme Court decisions she disagreed with. She also gave a long speech to Couric about how John McCain is a reformer and does what needs to be done regardless of popularity.

Palin talks almost entirely in generalizations, forcing Couric to keep pressing her, saying, “I’m just going to ask you one more time, not to belabor the point: specific examples in his [McCain’s] 26 years of pushing for more regulation.” To which Palin responds, “I’ll try to find you some and I’ll bring ‘em to ya.” She’s not a person who’s great with concrete examples and/or specifics. Couric was nice about her advice, and she’s got a good point.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Here’s Katie Couric at the Stand Up to Cancer Benefit in Hollywood on September 5th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Newsweek has some pretty juicy insider gossip in the gratefully now over contentious US Presidential election. The Huffington Post and US Weekly focus on Sarah Palin’s indiscretions, and they’re pretty damning. There are some minor tidbits on the Democrat’s side too.

Newsweek claims Palin was like a kid in a candy store when the GOP started buying her clothing. She supposedly spent way more than just the $150,000 that was reported earlier, and even had her staffers buying stuff for her and her family on their credit cards. They also describe an incident in which she supposedly greeted male staffers while wearing just a towel after she had stepped out of the shower. It sounds seductive to hear it that way, but it could have been an innocent mistake in which she had to walk from the bathroom to another room and they just happened to be in the middle. McCain is described as a much more sympathetic figure who tried to tone down the attacks on Obama, only to be overridden by Palin. Do you think the GOP is trying to get the word out about her now that the election is over? They have to blame someone.

On Palin’s shopping spree - she went overboard and party officials kept it from McCain

NEWSWEEK has also learned that Palin’s shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported. While publicly supporting Palin, McCain’s top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family—clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards. The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent “tens of thousands” more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost. An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as “Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast,” and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books.

A Palin aide said: “Governor Palin was not directing staffers to put anything on their personal credit cards, and anything that staffers put on their credit cards has been reimbursed, like an expense. Nasty and false accusations following a defeat say more about the person who made them than they do about Governor Palin.”

McCain himself rarely spoke to Palin during the campaign, and aides kept him in the dark about the details of her spending on clothes because they were sure he would be offended. Palin asked to speak along with McCain at his Arizona concession speech Tuesday night, but campaign strategist Steve Schmidt vetoed the request.

[From Newsweek via Huffington Post]

This isn’t surprising and Palin and McCain seemed to have little or no camaraderie when they were interviewed together. Maybe he was annoyed with how she took advantage of the situation at that point and was blaming her for the failures in their campaign. She was generally considered a liability in the later stages, and was said to be ignoring direction and going off topic while talking to the press.

On Palin greeting male staffers while wearing only a towel

At the GOP convention in St. Paul, Palin was completely unfazed by the boys’ club fraternity she had just joined. One night, Steve Schmidt and Mark Salter went to her hotel room to brief her. After a minute, Palin sailed into the room wearing nothing but a towel, with another on her wet hair. She told them to chat with her laconic husband, Todd. “I’ll be just a minute,” she said.

Palin’s attack on Obama associating with a “domestic terrorist” was her own idea and was not signed off on

Palin launched her attack on Obama’s association with William Ayers, the former Weather Underground bomber, before the campaign had finalized a plan to raise the issue. McCain’s advisers were working on a strategy that they hoped to unveil the following week, but McCain had not signed off on it, and top adviser Mark Salter was resisting.

McCain and his aids stepped back from some of harsher attacks on Obama

McCain also was reluctant to use Obama’s incendiary pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, as a campaign issue. The Republican had set firm boundaries: no Jeremiah Wright; no attacking Michelle Obama; no attacking Obama for not serving in the military. McCain balked at an ad using images of children that suggested that Obama might not protect them from terrorism. Schmidt vetoed ads suggesting that Obama was soft on crime (no Willie Hortons). And before word even got to McCain, Schmidt and Salter scuttled a “celebrity” ad of Obama dancing with talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres (the sight of a black man dancing with a lesbian was deemed too provocative).

[From Newsweek]

The gossip on the other side is not as incriminating, but it’s still pretty interesting. Newsweek’s reporters on the campaign trail must have dug up a lot of insider information. They have details about Hillary Clinton chatting with McCain after she dropped out of the race, and about Obama getting annoyed by the questions posed to him in the debates.

There are many more highlights on Newsweek’s website, and the segment online is just part of a larger article that will come out in the magazine. I’m interested to read it, because the part they’ve leaked is full of gossipy details.

More details of Palin’s bad behavior are leaking from other reporters. Fox News’ political correspondent told Bill O’Reilly on air that Palin was really mean to her staff, refused to prepare for interviews, and didn’t even know that Africa was a continent:

However, perhaps one of the most astounding and previously unknown tidbits about Sarah Palin has to do with her already dubious grasp of geography. According to Fox News Chief Political Correspondent Carl Cameron, there was great concern within the McCain campaign that Palin lacked “a degree of knowledgeability necessary to be a running mate, a vice president, a heartbeat away from the presidency,” in part because she didn’t know which countries were in NAFTA, and she “didn’t understand that Africa was a continent, rather than a series, a country just in itself.”

Palin was apparently a nightmare for her campaign staff to deal with. She refused preparation help for her interview with Katie Couric and then blamed her staff, specifically Nicole Wallace, when the interview was panned as a disaster. After the Couric interview, Fox News reported, Palin turned nasty with her staff and began to accuse them of mishandling her. Palin would view press clippings of herself in the morning and throw “tantrums” over the negative coverage. There were times when she would be so nasty and angry that her staff was reduced to tears.

[From The Huffington Post]

That’s ripe coming from a woman who attacked Obama for being well educated. You have to wonder what’s next for Palin. She’ll be going back to Alaska to go be governor for two more years, but she probably has designs on some sort of Washington career. Now that the Democrats have a solid majority and the Republicans know how hard she is to work with it seems like her options are much more limited.

Sarah Palin is shown at a rally on 10/21/08 in Henderson, NV. Credit: PRPhotos

Sarah Palin made a surprise appearance on the Saturday Night Live primetime special Political Bash Monday night on NBC. There was no advertising or leak on her or Senator McCain’s appearance on the special so no one was expecting it.

Sitting in a leather chair alone on a stage, Governor Palin addressed the audience and was met with applause to begin with. However, after launching into her written speech, the reception decidedly cooled.

Palin delivered a speech that must have been intended to be tongue in cheek and funny, but it just was not delivered as such. It was actually rather sinister sounding and Palin herself barely cracked anything more than a sarcastic smile during the whole thing.

Palin said that when she first heard about Saturday Night Live was making fun of her, she was annoyed. But, after awhile, she understood that this was a long standing tradition with SNL and political figures. Palin attempted a joke about not knowing Saturday Night Live was still on the air and there was a smattering of laughter. It felt like the audience was trying to figure out what exactly was going on. Was Sarah Palin joking or not?

Then, with nary a smile, Palin then announced that on January 20th, after she is sworn into office, the parody is to end. Now, obviously, the sketch was written as a joke, and meant to be delivered as such, but it came across as more of a command than a joke. Sarah, in another joke that she just could not make work, said that if SNL didn’t stop making fun of her after she was Vice President, she would see to it that NBC had their broadcast license revoked. Followed by another joke about how no one would know, because no one watches NBC. She concluded with what felt like some sort of mob threat, saying that in Alaska “we play for keeps, it’s called The Palin Doctorine.”

It was eerily silent and uncomfortable during her delivery. I almost felt bad for her if it weren’t for the fact that she herself barely cracked a smile. She was very charismatic during her scheduled cameo on SNL a couple weeks ago, so it was surprising to see her so much the opposite on Monday. I sat here stunned during the whole thing, actually hoping that she would pull off a great zinger at the end and get a good laugh at it all, but it never came.

The audience was kind enough to applaud when she signed off, but that was about the extent of a reaction. It was odd and uncomfortable and I’m very surprised they put her on with it. She had to have done something more encouraging in rehearsals.

John McCain opened the show and was charming and funny, sitting in the same chair, delivering his pre-written speech with a smile and a sense of humor. Whether you agree with his politics or not, there’s no denying he comes across as a decent guy with a sense of humor when he does Saturday Night Live. Although, I’ve got to say, he’s pretty much turned into the “celebrity” he lambasted Obama for being now that he’s basically become a cast member on Saturday Night Live this week.

Truly, it’s all for naught, most people have already voted, either early or by mail, and on the eve of the election, the undecideds should be few and far between. Maybe Sarah Palin thought she had nothing to lose so she would show that she was a serious contender in the last minutes, on a political satire show.

Move over Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross, the Prank Call of the Week award goes not to you, but to two radio disc jockey’s in Quebec who call themselves “The Masked Avengers.” Posing as French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the radio team managed to get through to Sarah Palin and keep her believing an obvious farce for nearly six minutes.

The fake President of France says everything from his wife being hot in bed, to how fun taking the life from animals is, to how much he enjoys the documentary on her life, Nailin’ Palin, to asking if Joe the Plumber is her husband and she never never catches on. She just laughs and agrees with him throughout the conversation.

At one point, “President Sakozy” says to Palin that he sees her as President one day and Palin answers, “Maybe in eight years!”

The more I listen to this tape the more amazed I am that Palin truly doesn’t realize this is a prank call. I get that in some of the more unbelievable parts she just doesn’t understand what he’s said, due to his accent, or thinks she couldn’t have heard him right, but even I could hear the obvious. She never asks him to repeat himself to make sure she understands what’s going on.

The most accurate transcript of the call comes from Daily Kos, but you simply must listen to the call yourself, to get the full effect of both sides of the conversation.

SP Assist = Sarah Palin’s Assistant
MA = Masked Avengers
SP = Sarah Palin
FNS = Fake Nicolas Sarkozy

Ring

SP Assist: This is Betsy.
MA: Hello, Betsy. This is Frank l’ouvrier (Frank the worker], I’m with President Sarkozy, on the line for Governor Palin.

SP Assist: One second please, can you hold on one second please?
MA: No problem.

SP Assist: Hi, I’m going to hand the phone over to her.
MA: Okay thank you very much I’m going to put the president on the line.
SP Assist: Ok he’s coming to the line.

SP: This is Sarah.
MA: Okay, Governor Palin?

SP: Hellloooo…(long drawn out, like Well, hellooooo)
MA: Just hold on for President Sarkozy, one moment.
SP [To someone in the room]: Oh, it’s not him yet, I always do that. I’ll just have people hand it to me right when it’s them.

FNS: Yes, hello, Governor Palin? Yes, hello, Mrs. Governor?
SP: Hello this is Sarah., how are you?

FNS: Fine, and you, this is Nicolas Sarkozy speaking, how are you?
SP: Oh…so good, it’s so good to hear you. Thank you for calling us.

FNS: Oh, it’s a pleasure.
SP: Thank you sir, we have such great respect for you, John McCain and I, we love you and thank you for spending a few minutes to talk to me.

FNS: I follow your campaigns closely with my special American Advisor Johnny Hallyday (a French singer), you know?
SP: Yes! Good!

FNS: Excellent! Are you confident?
SP: Very confident and we’re thankful that the polls are showing that the race is tightening and–

FNS: Well I know very well that the campaign can be exhausting. How do you feel right now my dear?
SP: Ah, I feel so good. I feel like we’re in a marathon and at the very end of the marathon, you get your second wind and you plow to the finish—

FNS: You see, I got elected in France because I’m real and you seem to be someone who’s real as well.
SP: Yes, yeah, Nicolas, we so appreciate this opportunity.

FNS: You know, I see you as a president, one day, you too.
SP: [Muahaaa...weird laugh], maybe in 8 years. Haha

FNS: Well, ah, I hope for you. You know we have a lot in common because personally one of my favorite activities is to hunt too.
SP: [Giggle]o h very good, we should go hunting together.

FNS: Exactly! We could go try hunting by helicopter, like you did, I never did that.
SP: [Giggle]

FNS: Like we say in France, “on pourrait tuer des bébés phoques aussi” [Translation: We could also kill some baby seals.]
SP: [Giggle] Well I think we could have a lot of fun together as we’re getting work done, we can kill two birds with one stone that way.

FNS: I just love killing those animals. Mm, mm. Take away a life, that is so fun!
SP: [Hahahaha]

FNS: I’d really love to go as long as we don’t bring your Vice president Cheney, hahaha.
SP: No, I’ll be a careful shot, yes.

FNS: You know we have a lot in common also except that from my house [Note: This sounds somewhat like 'ass', with the accent, but I believe it's house, without the h, which is how the speaker says most of his 'h' words] I can see Belgium. That’s kind of less interesting than you.
SP: Well, see, we’re right next door to other countries that we all need to be working with, yes.

FNS: Some people said in the last days, and I thought that was mean, that you weren’t experienced enough in foreign relations, and you know, that’s completely false, that’s the thing I said to my great friend, the Prime Minister of Canada, Stef Carse [Stephen Harper is the PM].
SP: Well, he’s doing fine, too, and yeah when you come into a position underestimated, it gives you the opportunity to prove the pundits and the critics wrong. You work that much harder-

FNS: I, I was wondering because you are also next to him, one of my good friends, also, the prime minister of Quebec, Mr. Richard Z. Sirois [a famous Quebec radio host], have you met him recently? Did he come to one of your rallies?
SP: Uh, haven’t seen him at one of the rallies, but it’s been great working with the Canadian officials in my role as governor; we have a great cooperative effort there as we work on all of our resource development projects. You know I look forward to working with you and getting to meet you personally and your beautiful wife, oh my goodness, you’ve added a lot of energy to your country, even, with that beautiful family of yours.

FNS: Thank you very much. You know my wife, Carla, would love to meet you. You know even though she was a bit jealous that I was supposed to speak to you today. [Hahahaha]
SP: [Hahahha] Well give her a big hug from me.

FNS: You know my wife is a popular singer and a former top model and she’s so hot in bed. She even wrote a song for you.
SP: Oh my goodness! I didn’t know that.

FNS: Yes, in French, it’s called Du rouge à lèvres sur une cochonne [Translate: Lipstick on a smutty girl (note: I've seen other sites that say this translates to lipstick on a sow)] or if you prefer in English Joe the Plumber, [sings] It’s his life, Joe the Plumber…”
SP: Maybe she understands some of the unfair criticism but I bet you she is such a hard worker, too, and she realizes you just plow through that criticism like

FNS: I just want to be sure, I don’t’ quite understand the phenomenon “Joe the Plumber,” that’s not your husband, right?
SP: Mmhmm, that’s into my husband but he’s a normal American who just works hard and doesn’t want government to take his money.

FNS: Yes, yes, I understand, we have the equivalent of Joe the Plumber in France, it’s called, “Marcel, the guy with bread under his armpit, oui.”
SP: Right. That’s what it’s all about, is the middle class, and government needing to work for them. You’re a very good example for us here.

FNS: I seen a bit about NBC even Fox News wasn’t an ally, an ally, sorry, about as much as usual.
SP: Yeah that’s what we’re up against.

FNS: I must say, Governor Palin, I love the documentary they made on your life, you know, Hustler’s “Nailin Palin.”
SP: Oh, good, thank you. Yes.

FNS: That was really edgy.
SP: [Laughs] Well good.

FNS: I really love you. And I must say something, so, Governor, you’ve been pranked.
By the Master Avengers. We’re two comedians from Montreal
SP: Oohhh have we been pranked? And what radio station is this? [tries to force herself to sound nice but you can tell she’s pissed]

FNS: This is for CKOI in Montreal.
SP: In Montreal? Tell me the radio station call letters
[SP leaves phone, continuous griping in background, sounds like, "For chrissakes...that was ??? Just a radio station prank...chrissakes..."]

MA: Hello? If one voice can change the world for Obama, one Viagra can change the world for McCain.
[Man’s voice in background: hang up, hang up.]
SP Assist: Hi, I’m sorry, I have to let you go. Um, thank you.

[From Daily Kos]

Governor Palin was given several opportunities to know that this was not an actual phone call from Nicolas Sarkozy. I don’t expect her to know French, but she should certainly know who the Prime Minister of Canada is, I would think. She may not know Stef Carse is a Canadian country singer, but she should damn well know Stephen Harper is the Prime Minister.

Palin spokeswoman, Tracey Schmitt, has released a statement: “Gov. Palin was mildly amused to learn that she had joined the ranks of heads of state, including President Sarkozy, and other celebrities in being targeted by these pranksters. C’est la vie.”

She doesn’t sound even mildly amused to me.

Note by Celebitchy: Listening to the call, I just think Palin is trying to be nice and doesn’t understand everything he’s saying. The guy really says the fake names and the “Nailin’ Palin” part quickly, and to give her the benefit of the doubt she may not have heard it all as Ceilidh mentions. I would think the fake French accent would give the guy away though, it sounds really put on.

Sarah Palin is shown at a rally in Henderson, NV on 10/21/08. Credit: PRPhotos