CBS ‘Early Show’ Touts Sarah Palin Prank Phone Call

Photo of Kyle Drennen.

Harry Smith, CBS On Monday’s CBS Early Show, co-host Harry Smith talked exclusively to two Canadian comedians, Marc-Antoine Audette and Sebastien Trudel, who prank called Sarah Palin: "Pranksters pulled a fast one, over the weekend, on vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Comedians from Canada posed as French President Nicolas Sarkozy." Smith later asked them: "Did you get the sense when you were on the phone with her, did she have any idea what was going on?" Trudel replied: "No...She was as gullible as Britney Spears. She -- there are only two people that we pranked that never caught on that it was a joke and that we had to explain it to them at the end. Sarah Palin and Britney Spears. And Britney Spears could not ever be President of the United States but Sarah Palin could." Audette added: "But they're both good looking...at least." Smith agreed: "That accounts -- that does account for something."

In addition to portraying Sarah Palin as stupid, the comedians and Smith also described how bad her staff was. Smith asked: "...how long did it take you and how did you start?" Trudel replied: "We started Tuesday, last Tuesday, it took four days. It's our fastest one except Britney Spears, so you can put that in the same category, her staff." Audette added: "It was pretty quick, actually. Because when we pranked Paul McCartney it took us about two months...Bill Gates, a month, Britney Spears, two days, and Sarah Palin about four or five days." Trudel later observed: "Yeah, and it's pretty disturbing to see that idiot's like us can go through to a vice presidential candidate that could be eventually the most influential and the most powerful person in the world...Too stupid comedians...with a bad French accent...and go through her staff." Smith concluded: "I think you said it all."

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Smith and fellow co-host’s Julie Chen and Maggie Rodriguez continually teased the segment throughout the morning. At one point, Chen wondered how Palin could not have caught on: "But then when you hear the voice, why do you believe it?" In May, Chen thought Hawaii was in the Atlantic Ocean. According to Newsweek: "The call had been routed through France, and the comedian used the name of one of Sarkozy’s top aides, which suggested the phone call was legitimate." In addition, the comedians are both french Canadians, speak French, and have natural French accents.

Here is the full transcript of the segment:

7:20AM TEASE:

HARRY SMITH: So you're Sarah Palin, you're on the campaign trail, somebody hands you the phone and says it's Nicholas Sarkozy on the phone, wants to say hello to you. So of course you take the phone.

JULIE CHEN: But then when you hear the voice, why do you believe it?

7:36AM

JULIE CHEN: Well, still ahead-

MARC-ANTOINE AUDETTE: You know my wife is a popular singer and a former top model and she's so hot in bed. She even wrote a song for you.

SARAH PALIN: Oh, my goodness, I didn't know that.

AUDETTE: Yes, in French it's called 'De Rouge A Levre Sur Un Cochon,' or if you prefer in English, 'Joe the Plumber' -- [Singing] It's his life, Joe the Plumber.

CHEN: Governor Palin got hoodwinked by a pair of pranksters. We're going to talk to them about how they got through to her.

8:00AM

AUDETTE: I just love killing those animals. Mmm, mmm, take away a life, that is so fun. I'd really love to go, as long as we don't bring Vice President Cheney.

PALIN: No, I'll be a careful shot, yes.

SMITH: Sarah Palin punked by pranksters. We'll talk to them exclusively.

8:01AM

SMITH: And the Canadian comedy duo who punked Sarah Palin. They're here live in our studio this morning. It's kind of an amazing list, also Sir Paul McCartney, right, Bill Gates, all punked by these guys. They're going to tell us how they did it.

8:09AM SEGMENT:

HARRY SMITH: Pranksters pulled a fast one, over the weekend, on vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Comedians from Canada posed as French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

[AUDIO CLIP OF PHONE CALL]

MARC-ANTOINE AUDETTE: You know, we have a lot in common because personally one of my favorite activities is to hunt, too.

SARAH PALIN: Oh, very good, we should go hunting together.

AUDETTE: Exactly, we could go try hunting by helicopter like you did. I never did that. Like we say in French, on pourrait tuer des phoques aussi.

PALIN: Well, I think we could have a lot of fun together as we're getting work done. We can kill two birds with one stone that way.

AUDETTE: I just love killing those animals. Mmm, mmm take away a life, that is so fun. I'd really love to go, as long as we don't bring Vice President Cheney.

PALIN: No, I'll be a careful shot, yes.

[END OF CLIP]

SMITH: Joining us for an exclusive interview, the duo known as the 'Masked Avengers,' Marc-Antoine Audette and Sebastien Trudel. Good morning to you both.

MARC-ANTOINE AUDETTE: Good morning.

SEBASTIEN TRUDEL: Good morning.

SMITH: So who does the Sarkozy?

AUDETTE: I'm the one. Sorry about that.

SMITH: Do you want to do it in -- you want to do the interview as Sarkozy?

AUDETTE: I could try a bit to do something like that. I know that some people on the web said it sounded a bit like Pepe Le Pew on the Looney Toons, that's kind of true, but I already have a big French accent so I'm not -- it's not an obligation for me to accentuate it, yeah.

SMITH: How did you get through, because you've done this before.

AUDETTE: Yeah.

TRUDEL: Yeah.

SMITH: We'll go through the list of people you've done it before, too. But how long did it take you and how did you start?

TRUDEL: We started Tuesday, last Tuesday, it took four days. It's our fastest one except Britney Spears, so you can put that in the same category, her staff. We called in Alaska, they transferred in her campaign bus.

SMITH: Right.

TRUDEL: And then chief of staff, I think, transferred the call to her.

AUDETTE: It was pretty quick, actually. Because when we pranked Paul McCartney it took us about two months-

SMITH: Right.

AUDETTE: Bill Gates, a month, Britney Spears, two days, and Sarah Palin about four or five days.

SMITH: Four or five days?

AUDETTE: Yeah.

SMITH: Did you get the sense when you were on the phone with her, did she have any idea what was going on?

TRUDEL: No.

AUDETTE: Absolutely not. No.

TRUDEL: She was as gullible as Britney Spears. She -- there are only two people that we pranked that never caught on that it was a joke and that we had to explain it to them at the end. Sarah Palin and Britney Spears. And Britney Spears could not ever be President of the United States but Sarah Palin could.

AUDETTE: Yeah.

TRUDEL: So it was-

AUDETTE: But they're both good looking, so-

SMITH: That-

AUDETTE: At least, at least.

SMITH: That accounts -- that does account for something.

AUDETTE: Yeah.

SMITH: Now, it -- what was your intention when you go about this? Is it just for the act of punking or are you trying to make a point?

AUDETTE: Yeah, first of all, it's to make a joke. As usual, we always want to test the sense of humor of people that have a big entourage, a lot of people around them, because most of them -- they can kind of get pretty confident because they're sure that their staff is perfect.

SMITH: Would never hand them the phone with a couple of idiots like you.

AUDETTE: Exactly!

TRUDEL: Yeah, and it's pretty disturbing to see that idiot's like us can go through to a vice presidential candidate that could be eventually the most influential and the most powerful person in the world.

SMITH: Wow.

AUDETTE: Yeah.

TRUDEL: Too stupid comedians-

AUDETTE: From Montreal-

TRUDEL: With a bad French accent-

AUDETTE: Exactly-

TRUDEL: And go through her staff-

AUDETTE: Exactly.

SMITH: I think you said it all.

TRUDEL: Yes.

AUDETTE: Yeah, thank you.

SMITH: The 'Masked Avengers,' thanks very much for being here.

TRUDEL: Thank you very much.

AUDETTE: Thanks a lot.

SMITH: Take care.

—Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.


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I can't describe how much I

I can't describe how much I despise this cbs morning show.

 

 

soon to be

Obama's version of Pravda if (god help us all) he wins.

 

Me too. They all suck, but

Me too. They all suck, but this putrid little twat Harriet Smith and his merry band is beyond sickening.

Just wish I had some free time to devote to seriously punking this self-righteous creep somehow.

And don't forget, they not

And don't forget, they not only thought this was news worthy of an interview, they flew this moronic duo to NY and put them up in a hotel to facilitate this.

 

If The Unthinkable does

If The Unthinkable does happen, what will they do for material? (other than following Obama around like little groupies and reporting on his every bowel movement, cause we know he won't be doing no legislatin').

It's gonna be full-time 'Tiger Beat', and Harriet will just love it.

Who will be the first to get the sloppy "Come Meet The New First Family in The White House" interview? 

All people can fall for

All people can fall for crap. Look at all the crap, lies and half truths the left has fallen for for years.

"Forget change, I want improvement!"

The liberal media often

The liberal media often touts pranks as reality.  The entire Obama campaign has been one big prank on the American people but its reported as legitimate.  

But would CBS report it if

But would CBS report it if President Obama got a call from Sarkozy in the Oval Office and said, "Get lost, you stupid punksters!  You can't fool me!"

Harry Smith is the broadcast Chrissy Matthews.

One would think that these

One would think that these Canadian halfwits would have something better to do than to interfere in a U.S. Presidential election for a laugh. One would further suppose that CBS news would have a more appropriate story to cover than the shennagans of these two Canadian halfwits.

my wife and i AMOST felt sorry for palin

we're not her fans, but it was an interview that made us both cringe with our hands clapped over our mouths.

that said, if these comedians are half-wits and fooled palin and crew, it doesn't say much about palin and her staff.  as soon as that comedian opened his mouth during the conversation, anyone with any foreign policy experience would have KNOWN, that it wasn't sarkozy... or even european french, for that matter. 

give the comedians credit where its due. if egghead mr microsoft and media-wary mccartney can get busted by these guys, palin can give herself credit that she rates. 

 

What a crock ABP - Obama would have done the same thing

you can't risk the fact that you are wrong, even if you strongly suspect it.  A foreign leader can be an idiot.  Look at Hugo Chavez.

You are an extremely mean spirited person who likes to make fun of people.  Your name does not fit you at all.

abp

Please see my post below. 

I know it is difficult to feel sorry for someone when one loathes that person -- but it's still possible, all the same.

But I will give you credit where it's due -- the two "comedians turned political analysts" are indeed are "half-wits."

 

And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.   -- Edgar Allan Poe

crap ideed

these "comediens" are proudly displaying their crappiness and being lauded for it

I cannot believe that CBS

I cannot believe that CBS and Smith actually gave these guys a platform and then interviewed them in a remotely agreeble fashion.

Unbelievable. Just unbelievable.

Maybe Hannity is right. Journalism died this year. 

"Look, when Keith anchors, he plays it straight down the line.”
-MSNBC President Phil Griffin

http://www.xanga.com/mikeknaj

desperate, pathetic, petty

desperate, pathetic, petty partisans - I love it:)! 

we've been watching these aholes do this for at least 3 decades now

smith, olbermann, jackass caffery, etc - they're all droolbucket status now - circling the toilet bowl of "journalism"

Government is the "greedy capitalism" of marxists

Ain't it awful

You really need to put contacts at the end of stories like this. Otherwise its just another "Aint it awful" waste of time.

Gossip

... unadulterated gossip. 

Who is this, Dumb and Dumber?  Even The View is more substantial than this.  And what is this "I think you said it all" crap?

I mean, let's consider this carefully.  They tell the Talking Head Smith (sounds like one of the Agents from the Matrix) that they crank-called the Governor of Alaska.  Something pretty juvenile to begin with, but we'll cut them slack as juvenile comedians. 

The problem starts, however, when then they proceed to try to make some sort of serious political commentary from it.  They make an Apples to Oranges comparison against the likes of Paul McCartney, Bill Gates and Britney Spears.

Did they employ the same "cover-story," or progression of cover-stories, for each of these cranks?  In science, this is something called "controlling the variables."  If they didn't (as I suspect), then the credibility of each cover story could vary substantially.

Furthermore, each of these "celebrities" are not created equal.  Sir McCartney has been world-famous for over 4 decades, and he has buttloads of $$ coming out of his arse.  His former collaborator, ex-Beatle Lennon, was sought out and murdered by a deranged fan.  Thus, one might expect his well-paid staff to be quite competent at screening unstable clowns like these two.

Bill Gates, famous for about 2-decades, and a long-reigning richest man in the world (making McCartney look downright middle-class), was also the subject of scorn and pranks.  He too, I'm sure, has a well-paid staff designed to keep out Canadian riff-raff.

Britney Spears, of course, has been famous for being famous for about 1-decade.  She has much less money, and she is much less a target.

But Dumb and Dumber see an opportunity to advance their political agenda all the same by making a naive comparison of these with that of a relatively unknown, until about a month ago, public official from a relatively pristine (socially speaking) place called Alaska.

And, I cannot help but to ask, but why did they not crank the Hated President George W. Bush?  Can it be that because once a citizen becomes President (or Vice-President), they become well-protected and equipped with a "staff" that will keep two French-Canadian idiots like them from getting through?

 

And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.   -- Edgar Allan Poe

Tack on the fact that any

Tack on the fact that any decent politician would play along with the call, for the simple reason that if you call out the pranksters (who are sure to be recording), that will be used against you, too.  The target is damned if they do, damned if they don't.  That's why this should be a no-news story for any real news outlet.

And why it's a day-starter for the Coveting Barack's Spittle newsroom. 

Just another attempt to try

Just another attempt to try and make Sara look like a dolt.  The fact that they thought this was newsworthy shows how out of touch they are.

Relax guys

As you are reading this, half of America is falling for a scam artist a lot more serious than a couple of canadian simpletons. That Harry Smith would waste airtime on these hosers just shows how low the state of journalism has gotten in this country.

There is a movement out there aiming to destroy this 250 year old republic and put a socialist government in its place. Worrying about some juvenile prank just distracts from the real issue of keeping this country free.

Palin and her staff

Palin and her staff obviously need a bit more lecturing about being too open.  I imagine this close to election there might be more slips than normal as nerves are frazzled and everyone is exhausted.  But, I betcha that doesnt happen again.  Staff members will be admonished for the slip ups.

If someone on my trusted staff handed me the phone saying it was the President of France I would be surprised but probably have my guard down.  So yes it is very possible but I wnt to hear the conversation.

Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.

WTF is CBS now, the Morning Zoo?

What if some nut called in a bomb threat to CBS, or mailed envelopes stuffed with white powder? Would that be hilarious, too? "Cmon, it was all in good fun".

There should be a lawsuit involved here, with CBS as a defendant for their publicizing this. I hope there are at least SOME consequences to CBS over their shameless promoting of this incident only to further embarrass Gov. Palin.

If Palin really thinks....

she was talking to Sarkozy, and he carried on the convo the way he did, that could be a problem! An intelliegent host (though none exist at CBS)  would have asked questions such as: How many DAILY interviews has SP been granting  over the last few weeks? Especially compared to the other examples mentioned. How do we know SP wasn't just going through the motions to get to the next interview? Has anyone bothered to get a comment from her campaign people?  

 

 

Please God..... NOBAMA

Here they are!

Straight from the Canadian North!

 

Dumb and Dumber and Dumbest(CBS)

 

How about reporting on some real news instead of theis stupidity Harry!

 

lotr--We were thinking along the same line---I hadn't seen your post yet.

NorthCoaster

No worries -- the comparison was so obvious that I'm sure other posters also thought the same (although I like your little expansion of the duo to a trio with the "Dumbdest" being Agent Smith from CBS).

 

And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.   -- Edgar Allan Poe

Once it happened to me in reverse

I was manning a phone at work and thought I was being pranked and gave the other person on the line a hard time thinking I was talking to a co-worker who has that kind of sense of humor.

I have had similar experiences with clients and such but held my tongue, you just never know.

It's better to be a little naive in the short run and be wrong than go off on the wrong person. 

True.  Unfortunately for

True.  Unfortunately for poor Sarah Palin, when you are despised as she is (and the media is a ready and willing mouthpiece), it's damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

 

And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.   -- Edgar Allan Poe

Prank or Hate?

Anything done against Palin is called a prank. Anything done against Obama is called racist hate.

Just change things around a bit and see how the media treats things differently.

 

Knucklehead

Harry Smith is a knucklehead; plain and simple.  What other reason would good ole Harry have for having these other (2) knuckleheads on the "Early Show" except that all (3) of them have one thing in common; they are knuckleheads.  To think I used to like this lumpenswine.  Harry, please retire, go home and sit.

Not the first time a Republican candidate has been pranked

Google "jean poutine" and bush

Bush had a sense of humor about it.

"I told Paul that I really have only one regret about this visit to Canada. There's a prominent citizen who endorsed me in the 2000 election, and I wanted a chance to finally thank him for that endorsement. I was hoping to meet Jean Poutine."

After listening to that tape

After listening to that tape I appreciate the earlier comment about a whole nation being fooled on a larger scale. I liked Palin more after hearing it. She is Real and refreshing. Can't wait till she is respected by America for being right. It will happen.