NBC denies adding laugh track for Sarah Palin (James Hibberd/THR)

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March 5, 2010

NBC is denying a report that "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" boosted apparent audience enthusiasm for Sarah Palin's appearance by using a laugh track.

A report from liberal site Daily Kos is getting plenty of pickup saying the response of the live audience to Palin's jokes was entirely unlike what NBC aired. Written by a member of the audience claiming to be a sound engineer, here's the relevant portion:

They added laughter where there was none during uncomfortable portions. Well, there was some laughter. Mine, of derision. During those pregnant pauses in her performance I was laughing long and loud, couldn't help myself as much of what she was saying was utterly surreal, ridiculous, hypocritical - nonsense, spewed platitudes, pushed buttons. I was seriously thinking of leaving as it was getting hysterically unfunny.

After sitting through the taping of the show in the studio I can recount many portions where there was little or no laughter or response, but at the later broadcast they are smoothed over with applause and laughter that WERE NOT THERE at the taping. Groans, hoots, grumbling, or just dead silence - all missing.

They should bear some responsibilty for hawking a defective product. This is corporate shilling in the worst way, not only to raise Leno's ratings, but to push Palin on a crowd with fake laughter and applause. 

Clearly the Daily Kos poster isn't a Palin fan (and would lose a spelling bee if given the word "responsibility").

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Sarah Palin shopping Alaska reality show (James Hibberd/THR)

Sarah Palin -- reality TV star?

The former Alaska governor is teaming with uber-producer Mark Burnett to shop a reality series about her home state, network sources confirm.

Palin and Burnett made the rounds at at least three of the major broadcasters (NBC, ABC and Fox) while in Los Angeles for her taping of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" this week. 

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