Nearly thirty years after first seeing it, the “Saturday Night Live” 1984 skit “News Bar” still makes me chuckle. Especially the brief, My Fair Lady-like musical numbers:

Edwin Newman [singing]:
They read the news with foot in mouth, instead of tongue in cheek,
Why can’t the anchors learn to speak?

Brad Hall: “Iranians’ pains come mainly from Khomeini!”

Edwin Newman: I think he’s got it!

Tom Snyder: Alright, I’ll buy that.

Brad Hall: “Khomeini’s reign is mainly based on pain!”

Edwin Newman: Let’s try something a bit more difficult. Environmental pollution in the Northeast.

Brad Hall: Northeast… um… uh…
“Terrain in Maine is stained with acid rain!”

Edwin Newman as Henry Higgins. In a glam-news media commentary that, the ’80s topicalness aside, still is relevant today.