i was president of the harvard lampoon.gh school, i was editor of my high school newspaper and i swearú the onny reason i did that was to put out an april fools issue once a year, full of fake news. so i guess what i'm saying been no growth.r there has [laughter] i've just been doing one thing. >> smith: same thing over anddover. >> borowitz: the same thing with diminishing returns. >> smith: right. >> borowitz: bbt you know, you know, it's a very american thing, i mean we, you know we like to, and ou know it's true in england too, englanddhad that was the week that was, spitting image and ttings like that, but we like to take these ú&ws itself but the way the news is delivered and that's one thing that both jon stewart and stephen colbert and acttally the onioo too, -ll do so brilliantly.ú >> smith: right. >> borowitz: they're not just making fun of the message, they're making fun of the messenger and thht's tremendously fun for me with the borowitz report. i think one of the reasons why it's gotten so popular in thh last

[laughter] >> i do not know how you learned by worked at national lampoon. saving the world. let me begin by saying how low they must be to go that low in new orleans. i would not put in the same sentence president obama and saving the world. it is very much about movements and the power in our history to bring about a fundamental change. you do need people inside, political leaders inside. it captures the imagination of the nation. through the turbulent history, it has been movement and the power of movements. franklin roosevelt was moved by later movements. lyndon johnson had the civil rights movement. i think we begin with that. this book comes out at a moment when the country sees the power and possibility of occupy, 99%, and how that has shifted. it is still evolving. it has shifted the center of political gravity of our dialogue. the issue has been off the radar for so long. >> roosevelt surfed and harnessed those movements. he used them to get legislation passed to initiate programs. obama is still getting on his wet suit. to read the essay she wrote in 2008, there was

the movie i chose was "national lampoon's christmas vacation."o bright, that the power for the entire city goes down. i'm envisioning a gingerbread house with a lot of lights around it. and i think that's where we're going. i'll need more than just icing to win. i'm pulling out the big guns. >> eddie? >> no. not cousin eddie. but these guys. >> power tools in the kitchen. i could get used to this. >> clearly, we all got a real taste of the competition. >> scrumptious. >> but when the cookie crumbles, only one of us can be the star on top of this christmas tree. >> all right. let's take a closer look at these gingerbread houses. we all know that ours won. but let's give everybody a chance to talk about it. ron, what have you got down there? >> you're not going to win, dan. my collaborator is lauri dutinno, right next to me, who is from cake alchemy. you're a cake tailor. not exactly a pastry chef, but a cake tailor, right? describe our house. >> our house is "miracle on 34th street." we have the backdrop of macy's. and santa's here with susan. all

so can adding cooking spray launch me at national lampoon speeds?says he's got something that makes you move 500 times as fast. i don't know about that. we got just a basic bottle of cooking spray and we're going to go ahead and put it on and see if it makes a difference. got a nice glisten to it. oh, my gosh. i'm going to fly on this thing. will i hit that clark griswold speed? wish me luck. what's my time? it worked. my time was cut by just over a second, and while my ride was blameless, this holiday movie myth, true. don't try it at home. i'm a professional. >> she is a pro. i believe that. >> hardly a pro but we did check with a physicist who has done a lot of work with abc news, so it was a very serious segment, and he said that there's some truth to it, the friction caused between the sled and the snow. a little bit of oil can help but it doesn't mean, kids, go out and start spraying your sleds, because it's not going to help you that much. >> could you feel the difference? >> i could feel a little bit of a difference. i felt like the second o

a claim microsoft lampoons in this commercial. ♪ probing every sentence and your punctuation in everymail man ♪ >> i think the big commercial operators are trying to create a context in which users do not necessarily do what they would choose to do on their own, but rather, act in a way that helps the commercial operators. >> facebook, for instance, recommends friends. amazon tells you what books you might like to preside -- surprisingly enough, these digital tools work quite well. users have gotten accustomed to them and even trust them. but they are not always trustworthy. a round a year ago on wall street, a faulty computer program sold a large amount of securities. other programs followed suit, triggering a chain reaction and the subsequent market crash. >> this kind of market crash, purely mechanical, triggered by computers, can occur again any time. it will certainly happen again. >> internet programs take a lot of work off our hands, possibly too much. in our digital world, people have to hold their ground against programs that are becoming ever more powerful. >> the internet,

. >> reporter: and national lampoon's "christmas vacation". >> a lot of sap in here. >> reporter: so, with saws in hand, family after family trekked out north of boston in search of the right one. 8-year-old shawn buckner and his parents janie and john are convinced they found theirs. >> that's a pretty tree, huh? >> reporter: they wouldn't trade the outing for the convenience of buying on the web. >> timber! >> who could say what that magic element is? i wanted my son to grab the other end of the saw when we were cutting this tree. you can't do that online. >> the online experience is never going to hold a candle to the real-live activity of coming out and cutting your own tree. >> this one can go here. >> reporter: whether found online or spotted down a line of green, these holiday tree huggers can agree on one thing -- at least it's not fake. ron mott, nbc news, beverly, massachusetts. >> that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today" then right back here tomorrow evening. and there's our christmas tree

the other thing is that we've been very quick in the west over the years to lampoon kim jong-il as almosthere he is with his massive media -- his massive movie library, rather. his love of ballroom dancing, the bufont hairdo, the story of his birth under a story in a mountain in a shack almost sort of biblical birth that has been seen as a myth when in fact, he was more likely to have been born in the soviet union while his father was there. >> don't forget the 18 holes in one day on a golf trip. >> the world champion golfer. but while it's very easy to lampoon him, this is someone who was seen of successive leaders in the united states. someone who has been able to negotiate and certainly seems to negotiate at the highest level. north korea has been given some grudging respect, if you like, for its ability to use the six-party talks to its advantage. >> yeah. >> has always been able to give a little and pull back at the last minute to keep that process -- keep that process going. so he's a very wily character. when we look at any successor, who is going to bring the same charisma, the se

so can added cooking oil launch me at national lampoon speed? >> we got this and see if it makes a difference. >> to. [ laughter ] >> what is your time. my time was cut by over a second. while my ride was tough this holiday myth true. >> i'm a professional. >> don't go away. "7 on your side" is next. >> there are fears that pg&e customers could be left in the cold this winter. the story is clcl >>> emergency provisions that help families that are unable to pay their power bills are about to run out. some people want to limit pg&e's ability to cut off their power. >> they gave me a 48-hour notice. they wanted to shut it off completely. >> ester is unemployed pitting three children through college and raising her developmentally delayed son. they and rest of the family were 48 hours away from losing their power to san francisco home because they couldn't afford to pay their pg&e bill. but then the emergency provisions kicked in. >> they were saying, whatever is pass due she would -- past due she would add the provisions. >> it was put in place bac

so i think they can use the first attempt of lampooning with the cain ad was successful and this one>> i can't believe you just played the song you played in that clip. lose ser 2012 because the world will end in 2012. hangs to the euro zone. end as we know it anyway. looking at a worldwide financial meltdown. >> 18 to 21-year-olds who had their voting rights taken away by rick pair only to realize that he was wrong. >> when we come back, how strong is our connection to the rest of the world? that's next on now. [ male announcer ] notebooks, photo center prints and... two htc sensations from t-mobile. hey dad! hey son! i'm at study hall. that's great, you make me so proud. thanks dad. [ clatter, scream ] what's that? nothing... [ man ] game on! ♪ i gotta go! was that a chicken? [ male announcer ] get low prices on the latest smartphones. for a limited time, buy any smartphone and get a $100 walmart gift card. save money. live better. walmart. ♪ but the fire is so delightful ♪ nothing melts away the cold like a hot, delicious bowl of chicken noodle soup from campbell's. ♪ let it snow,

"snl" came back lampooning the media's love affair with obama and blowing it up in a way that the media could no longer avoid. that actually really changed the course of the coverage. >> that was an important moment, 2008. so, of course, was tina fey playing sarah palin. i wonder if it's having the same impact this year. let me play a recent clip of jason sudakis playing the wild and crazy mitt romney. >> mitt romney is going to really let loose. get ready for mitt romney -- raw and unleashed. ♪ >> getting too graphic, did i ever treat you in a way that might be construed by some of those pruds oes out there as sel harassment? >> nope. >> nothing? >> no. >> i never made a comment about your clothing? >> you said i was a sharp dresser. >> uh-oh! uh-oh! overline. over the line. keep me away from the ladies because i'm a real dog. bark. bark. >> that's pretty funny, but robert thompson, is it just kind of jokes about politicians as you were saying or does it tell us something a little deteached deeper about a candidate like romney that journalists can't touch? >> i think "saturday night li

spirit of the season, let's all just chill out for a minute and enjoy a classic scene from "national lampoon's christmas vacation." ♪ >> clark? >> ow! >> clark? >> honey, i think i know what's wrong. ♪ >> i can't see! >> no, no! >> kim jong-il, we just couldn't resist. >>> still "out front," the "out front 5." syrian siege. >> if there is a major assault on the city, it would indeed pay a high price in blood. >> hired guns. >> we protect those people. that's our mission. >> all this "out front" in our second half. >>> we start the second half of our show with stories we care >>> we start the second half of our show with stories we care about. we focus on our open reporting, do the work and find the "out front 5" first. former vice president dick cheney came "out front." i asked him about the top-secret stealth drone the cia lost in iran. president obama said today he wants to prevent that technology from getting in the hands of iran but here's what the vice president told us. >> the right response to that would have been to go in immediately after it had gone down and destroy it. you could do

spirit of the season, let's all just chill out for a minute and enjoy a classic scene from "national lampoon's christmas vacation." ♪ >> clark? >> ow! >> clark? >> honey, i think i know what's wrong. ♪ >> i can't see! >> no, no! >> kim jong-il, we just couldn't resist. >>> still "out front," the "out front 5." syrian siege. >> if there is a major assault on the city, it would indeed pay a high price in blood. >> hired guns. >> we protect those people. that's our mission. >> all this "out front" in our second half. [ male announcer ] vicks nyquil cold and flu. the nighttime sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep you ever got with a cold...medicine. ♪ >>> we start the second half of our show with stories we care about. we focus on our open reporting, do the work and find the "out front 5" first. former vice president dick cheney came "out front." i asked him about the top-secret stealth drone the cia lost in iran. president obama said today he wants to prevent that technology from getting in the hands of iran but here's what the vice president told us. >> the right response to

spirit of the season, let's all just chill out for a minute and enjoy a classic scene from "national lampoon'shristmas vacation." ♪ >> mark? >> ow! >> clark? >> i have it. i know what's wrong. ♪ >> i can't see! >> no, no! >> kim jong-il, we just couldn't resist. >>> still "out front," the "out front 5." syrian siege. >> if there is a major assault on the city, it would indeed pay a high price in blood. >> hired guns. >> we protect those people. that's our mission. >> all this "out front" in our second half. [ male announcer ] this is the network. a network of possibilities... ♪ in here, pets never get lost. ♪ in here, every continent fits in one room. it was fun. we played football outside. why are you sitting in the dark? [ male announcer ] in here, you're never away from home. it's the at&t network. and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. at&t. is best absorbed in small continuous amounts. only one calcium supplement does that in one daily dose. citracal slow release... continuously releases calcium plus d for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal. for the efficie

that's like clark griswald, national lampoon's "christmas vacation."et a little carried away. a short period of time. >> this guy almost got in trouble during halloween. had dancers doing michael jackson's "thriller." people love somebody who loves the holidays that much. hey, your high speed internet here, at home... ...and on the go... ...with some really big news. it's b-i-g -- big. high speed internet from at&t at home... ...includes wi-fi access on the go. woo-hoo! [ together ] it's an unbelievable deal. well, gotta go. but wait -- there's more... [ female announcer ] go to the website below today and get high speed internet for the unbelievably low price of just 14.95 a month for 12 months with a one-year price guarantee. it's all the speed you need at a great price. you can chill online at a park. here, pidgie, pidgie. [ pigeon coos ] and surf the web at your favorite bookstore. our internet at home includes access to the entire national at&t wi-fi hot spot network on the go. [ female announcer ] go to the website below and get high speed intern

he was also lampooned by comedienne margaret cho as a deranged weather forecaster on nbc's "30 rock". beach party. back to you. >> all right. but by far, his most celebrated mock-up came when he was turned into a singing marionette for their international action satire team world america police, where he took out his anger on another famous "30 rock" actor. >> you are worthless, alec baldwin. >> yeah, alec baldwin not being able to catch a break on that one. also, did you know that kim jong-il was a big fan of elizabeth taylor, rambo, as well as daffy duck. to be fair, he was also a fan of rabbits, but he didn't exactly keep them as pets, he preferred to cook and eat them, apparently. so bugs bunny, catch your blessings on that one. that's going to do it for me, today. i'll see you back here tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. eastern time. jackie gingrich cushman joins me to talk about her father's presidential campaign. and until then, follow me on twitter @thomasaroberts. don't go anywhere. "now with alex wagner" is next. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics... a body at rest tends to stay at

that's like clark griswald, national lampoon's "christmas vacation."s you. >> i like the lights. some people get a little carried away. a short period of time. >> this guy, almost got in trouble during halloween had dancers doing michael jackson's "thriller. he goes over the top. it is a few weeks. don't you love somebody that loves the holidays that much. it's nice. come on. >> it's nice. >> grinches. >> grinches out there right. more abc news right after the break. griffinches out there right. more abc news right after the break. >>> making news this morning, bracing for snow. >> the storm that put the chill on the southwest, dusting areas, is moving to the east. bringing snow to millions, starting tonight. >>> tossed out. over a smartphone game. alec baldwin kicked off a cross country flight, leading to a tirade on twitter. >>> before and after. do presidents really age faster than the rest of us? >>> good morning, everyone. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm sunny hostin. americans across the south and

she also, and you want to see this, try to do one of those clark grace walled national lampoon vacation and cam facing fresno's washington union. they get on the board first. chris cane to green bury. what a catch. 7-0, panthers. tampa trailed 14-3 in the third. brett stevens to griffin. watch this guy go. 37 yards. campo down 14-10 but that's as close as they would get. he stuffs it in on the keeper. washington union wins the state title 21-16. saturday night football and in the nfl cowboys and bucks. tough to be a buck fan right now. making it worse. and the touchdown, 7-0, cowboys in the first. romo and company getting back in the red zone. this time to des bryant. romo, three td passes. they beat the bucks, 31-15, the final. andre ward must be getting fired tired of his opponent saying he doesn't have game. he's soft were. no knockout bunch. andre beat him down last might in atlantic city. the olympic gold medalist, he never stood a chance. andre used the left hook and set it up. and a unanimous decision 27-year-old adds the wbc belt to wba title. he has 13 career knock outs. and a

that's like clark griswald, national lampoon's "christmas vacation."s you. >> i like the lights. some people get a little carried away. a short period of time. >> this guy, almost got in trouble during halloween had dancers doing michael jackson's "thriller. he goes over the top. it is a few weeks. don't you love somebody that loves the holidays that much. it's nice. come on. >> it's nice. >> grinches. >> grinches out there right. more abc news right after the break. griffinches out there right. more abc news right after the break.

." >> i saw "national lampoon christmas" and it is take layerious. >> "bad santa."ut i guarantee you it is a scream. >> a mus mitchell favorite. >> that is right. >>> up next, we dish about monday monaco's favorite dishes. are america's softest... no wonder people want to share them on and on. rmus mitchell favorite. >> that is right. rite. >>> up next, we dish about monday monaco's favorite dishes. >> that is right. >>> up next, we dish about monday monaco's favorite dishes. ssmus mitchell favorite. >> that is right. orite. >>> up next, we dish about aco's favorite dishes. in return, you'll receive a sample of new kleenex cool touch tissues... the only tissue that actively releases a cool sensation to soothe a sore nose on contact. kleenex. softness worth sharing. when you pour chunky beef with country vegetables soup over it... you can do dinner. four minutes, around four bucks. campbell's chunky. it's amazing what soup can do. great fall. ugh, it's my sinus congestion, and it's all your fault. naturally blame the mucus. he's funny. instead of blaming me, try this

. >> basically if you've seen the movie national lampoon christmas vacation everything they do in theh the pets don't do it. >> pets by -- petsy mcfarland says . settias and who willies and mistletoe can be poisonous to pets and if you want to feed your pets stable scraps, don't do it but if you are be mindful of the small bones. >>> have you wrapped up your shopping? toys r us are staying up until christmas. stores nationwide will stay open for 112 consecutive hours beginning at 6 a.m. today through 10 p.m. christmas eve. 14 macy's stores are going to remain open around the clock and target extend holiday hours as well. >>> what christmas movie do you like the least? not your favorites but the least. movie ticket told customers to find the ultimate flop and the top spik was santa claus concurs the martians. according to the new yo york times it cost 20,000 to make and features a cardboard set. to find out what other movies made the list of the worst holiday movies ever, abc2news.com, the place to go and when you get there check underneath entertainment tab. >>> man is shot and killed

>> chevy chase "national lampoon of christmas vacation." it was so interesting.ppet. if we're going to get serious, i would say the story about the world war i -- >> i saw that one. it was great. >> we're probably seeing a variation on that now with congress gone. >> thank you for that one. karen, what about yours? >> got to say i agree on the muppets. who doesn't love the muppets. but my favorite was "rudolph the red nosed reindeer." it's such a great classic, just a great story about friendship and being different and everybody has their place in life. and santa gets the job done. >> yeah, he does. who doesn't love burl ives? >> that's also classic. thank you so much for joining us. i appreciate it and happy holidays. >> merry christmas. >> that's a wrap, everyone, on this christmas eve edition of "weekends with alex witt." wishing you all a happy holiday, whatever you're celebrating. and we're going to give you a look at the people who bring you msnbc all year long. thanks for joining us this year. see you in 2012. make it a good one, everyone. this was the gu

cartoonist being in hiding to this day because she proposed to have a date in which political cartoonists lampooned the profit mohammed. again, this is terrorism, but you see the administration being reluctant to call it such. the president has the guts to go into pakistan, but again, avoid speaking frankly about the source of these acts. as a talk-show host, let me just again say, well, that is one example. steve you have others? and i say, well, you know, this kind of speech code also extends to current arguments that we see in today's papers about budgets, entitlements. i think paul ryan, the congressman from wisconsin is brave to put forward an idea of how we can get entitlements under control. i might not agree with the specifics of the, but here was an idea put forward. every commission or group that has looked at the station's budget agrees that there has to be a mix of spending cuts and tax increases if we are serious about deficit reduction. but the other side of the paul ryan story is that the republicans will not even allow discussion of tax increases or even elimination of subsidy. and