The Mark Twain Prize, according to the official website at the Kennedy Center in D.C., is “named to honor one of America’s – and the world’s – greatest humorists…The Mark Twain Prize recognizes people who have had an impact on American society in ways similar to the distinguished 19th century novelist and essayist best known as Mark Twain.”
Snidely impersonating Sarah Palin, I guess, ranks her as having “an impact on American society” good enough for D.C.’s snidites. PBS, of course, will broadcast the retro-2008 festivities.
For comparison, the previous winners actually earned their creds over long careers.
1998 - Richard Pryor
1999 - Jonathan Winters
2000 - Carl Reiner
2001 - Whoopi Goldberg
2002 - Bob Newhart
2003 - Lily Tomlin
2004 - Lorne Michaels
2005 - Steve Martin
2006 - Neil Simon
2007 - Billy Crystal
2008 - George Carlin
2009 - Bill Cosby
2010 - Tina Fey
Tina Fey! That's the joke.
At the festivities, Fey's brand of humor flopped:
In her acceptance speech, Fey touched on her best-known bit -- her Palin imitation --and offered some mock hands-across-the-political-divide commentary. The rise of conservative women in politics, she said pointedly, is good for all women, "unless you don't want to pay for your own rape kit . . . unless you're a lesbian who wants to get married to your partner of 20 years . . . [or] unless you believe in evolution."
The lines played first to nervous laughter and then to not much laughter at all.
