Weird. And Sad.

I was watching a spot on YouTube of Tine Fey explaining how she taught herself to do Sarah Palin's accent on David Letterman. Every time Fey dropped a hard "r" the audience applauded and exploded with laughter.

This struck me a bit odd.

Tina Fey is loved because she can impersonate Sarah Palin, but Fey wouldn't have the guts to do a smidge of the stuff Sarah Palin has done up there in Alaska, taking on oil companies, corrupt Republicans and all the rest. Heck, Tina Fey couldn't even beat Sarah Palin in a game of HORSE.

But we're supposed to applaud Tina Fey and laugh all along as she makes fun of Palin, ripping her to pieces as a down-home, know-nothing upper Midwesterner. Meanwhile, Fey remains famous for nothing more than her snarky insecurities. (Yes, I question the emotional health of a woman who is still hung up on teenage Mean Girl drama.)

It makes me sort of sad. Maybe it's because, as a native Michigander, I sometimes stretch out some of those "r's" and vowels myself. It doesn't get me down for long, though. Something tells me Sarah Palin is a lot more happy at home in her after hours from work that Tina Fey will ever be.