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Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Comedy

NEW YORK CITY -- The first legal action taken under Arizona Senator John McCain's Anti-Torture Ban Amendment to the defense appropriations bill came quickly as lawyers filed a class action civil suit against the F.C.C., General Electric, NBC and Lorne Michaels on behalf of cast members, guest hosts and the audience of Saturday Night Live.

Ever since Paul Simon sang Still Crazy After All These Years dressed as a turkey on the second episode of SNL, complaints of abuse have long been leveled against the show's producer, Lorne Michaels. John Belushi was often outspoken about the degradation of being forced to dress up as a killer bee and CBS's 60 Minutes documented the stressful, high pressure working conditions that allegedly led to widespread substance abuse on and off the set.

The McCain Amendment states that no individual in the custody or under the physical control of the United States Government, regardless of nationality or physical location, shall be subject to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. The suit argues that FCC rules and regulations amount to defacto "control" by the U.S. Government.

The plaintiff's brief also alleges that the death rate among SNL cast members has been far worse than that of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay's Camp X-ray and Baghdad's Abu Ghraib Prison.

Cast member and guest host deaths include John Belushi, Chris Farley, Gilda Radnor, Michael O'Donoghue, Danitra Vance, Phil Hartman, Dave Wilson, Herb Sargent, Chris Rocket, Andy Kaufman, Richard Prior, Dudley Moore, Madeline Kahn, Ruth Gordon, George Harrison, Frank Zappa, Desi Arnez, Milton Berle, Broderick Crawford, Walter Mathau, Ricky Nelson, Rodney Dangerfield, James Coburn, Robert Urich, Johnny Cash, Brandon Tartikoff, John Candy, Christopher Reeve, Sam Kinison, Walter Payton, and Robert Mitchum, among others.

In a written statement, NBC denied any wrong doing and vowed to be vindicated in court. Michaels, believed to seeking refuge in his native Canada, was unavailable for comment.

The judge agreed to expand the plaintiff class to include the SNL audience as an injured party based upon an amicus brief filed by the Comedy Lovers of America Party. CLAP argued that the viewing of recent lame skits, irritating characters and vulgar routines, which television critics have routinely dubbed "Saturday Night Dead," amounts to subjugation to cruel and inhuman treatment.



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