Jeff Bezos has a tough call to make. After whittling down the possible locations for Amazon’s second headquarters, he’s now personally screening individual proposals from the various contending cities, each represented by their most recognizable celebrity.
The new Saturday Night Live sketch goes inside the Amazon enclave with Jeff Bezos (Kyle Mooney in a bald cap) and his trusty sidekick Alexa as they ponder this weighty decision.
Boston sends in actor Casey Affleck (Alex Moffat), who doesn’t really seem to know why he’s there. Atlanta trots out celebrity chef Paula Deen (Aidy Bryant), brandishing some sort of butter-on-butter concoction. Newark is represented by Cory Booker (Chris Redd), who takes time out of his busy schedule to drop the #TearsofRage hashtag. Then there’s Miami, which unleashes Pitbull (Mikey Day) for its presentation. An out-of-control Amazon delivery drone even makes a short cameo.
.@mikeyfuntime as @Pitbull could convince anyone to move to Miami. #SNL #dale pic.twitter.com/E9reHGtQhF
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) January 21, 2018
SNL also took a swipe at another tech giant last night, with a “Google Talk” segment about bullying featuring a real-life Bart Simpson. Saturday Night Live has had some fun poking at Amazon before with its Amazon Echo Silver ad, designed with the elderly in mind.
Although it’s ripe for parody, the Amazon headquarters free-for-all bidding war is nearly a Hunger Games reality show already, with cities across the country promising huge tax giveaways, sending gifts of local kitsch, and often resorting to outright pandering.
The Ringer has an ongoing list of some of the more bizarre inducements cities have advanced to curry favor with Bezos. Tucson sent a 21-foot cactus, while Phoenix offered to rename the city after Amazon.
Pittsburgh took the low road and just slammed the other contestants with an editorial in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, claiming that St. Louis had “racial strife,” Philadelphia is the home of “abject poverty,” and Houston is “under water.” Ouch.
Of course, multiple seasons and individual episodes of Saturday Night Live, as well as performer showcases, are all available for purchase or rent at Amazon Video.
So, after all the hoopla, what was Bezos’ final decision? Although she may not even be able to pronounce his name correctly, you know he only has eyes for Alexa.
