SNL is back!

I especially enjoyed two bits in last night's season premiere of Saturday Night Live.  Whenever "a new cartoon by Robert Smigel" is announced at the beginning of the show, I get my hopes up for a new episode of The Ambiguously Gay Duo.  Sure enough, Stephen Colbert (Ace), Steve Carell (Gary) and Smigel reunited after almost five years for a classic new episode.

Then there was the new SNL Digital Short.  It opens with Andy Samberg outside sitting at a grand piano repeatedly playing a fragment from avril 14th, a track from my favorite Aphex Twin album, and starting to rap a love song.  It quickly becomes clear that his object of affection is infamous Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (played by Fred Armisen).  Then the lead singer of Maroon 5 pops up to sing a chorus inspired by A Flock of Seagulls's '80s hit I Ran (So Far Away).  Some lyrical excerpts:

"I remember when it started / Saw you on the news / You were hatin' gays / I was eatin' food but I was feelin' you / And even though I disagreed with almost everything you said / You ain't wrong with me / So strong with me / You belong with me / Like a very hairy Jake Gyllenhaal with me"

"They call you weasel / They say your methods are medieval / You can play the Jews / I can be your Jim Caviezel"

"I know you say there's no gays in Iran / but you in New York now, baby"

Only the guys behind The Lonely Island could make such perfect comedy out of IDM, '80s new wave, '00s rap-pop and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's homophobia.  Don't miss Iran So Far on YouTube, and watch for a special cameo near the end.