Sara Benincasa

Benincasa in 2007

Sara Benincasa is an American comedian, writer and radio talk show host. She was a citizen journalist for MTV covering the 2008 United States Presidential Election as part of MTV’s 2008 Emmy Award-winning Think campaign.[1] In September 2008 she began producing a vlog in which she parodies the role of Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.[2] She is particularly attentive to Palin's Midwestern/Alaska accent.[3] These vlogs were uploaded to Benincasa's YouTube profile, until a partnership with Huffington Post's humor site 23/6 was established and the vlogs were moved to the twentythreesix YouTube page. She has since also honed a parody of Minnesota Republican congresswoman Michele Bachmann in the same vein.

Benincasa formerly co-hosted the Cosmo Radio sex/relationship talk show "Get in Bed" on Sirius XM Satellite Radio[4] until September 2010, when Sirius XM reduced the channel's programming schedule and let go several of the channel's hosts. She then started a podcast with Marcus Parks called "Sex and Other Human Activities" which features a sex questions segment (using questions sent via email and Formspring) that launched in February 2011. The September 19, 2012, episode, entitled "End of an Era," is described as, "Sara's final show on the old SAOHA."

Benincasa was featured on Nerve.com's BlogALog as a comedic blogger. Her last post on the SJ1000 blog was April 1, 2008, in which she suggested that followers missing her internet presence go to her official website, her Myspace page, her MTV Think profile, or her blog.[5] Along with her blog, Benincasa filmed a series of interviews titled Tub Talk with Sara B. The series featured Benincasa in a bathtub with various comedic personalities, including Reggie Watts, Jonathan Ames, and Andy Borowitz.[6] Benincasa has since revamped the web series on her YouTube account as Gettin' Wet with Sara Benincasa. Interviewees include Margaret Cho, Donald Glover, Neil Gaiman, Amanda Palmer, and James Urbaniak.

In 2009, Benincasa developed a one-woman show about her experiences with agoraphobia and panic attacks.[7] She has since sold the literary rights to Agorafabulous! to William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins.[8]

Recently, Benincasa has contributed to Jezebel, has plans to continue her series of celebrity bathtub interviews, and has been touring with her comedy act. Her appearances on panels and as a performer at SF Sketchfest and during "Family Hour with Auntie Sara" has been a springboard for her new comedy material and as a launchpad for other comics.

Currently living in Los Angeles, Benincasa is busy working on her newest book, for young teen audiences. Sara has a degree in Creative Writing from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, N.C. She has an M.A. in Secondary School Education from Teachers College at Columbia University.

References

  1. ↑ "Street Team '08: SaraBenincasaNY", mtv.com
  2. ↑ Brian Braiker, "The Palin Parodists", Newsweek "Web Exclusive", September 3, 2008.
  3. ↑ Luchina Fisher, "Will the Real Sarah Palin Please Stand Up?", ABC News, September 15, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Sirius Satellite Radio - Cosmo Radio", Sirius.com "Cosmo Radio", October 20, 2008.
  5. ↑ Sara Benincasa, "Last Dance, Last Dance, Last Dance, Last Dance...For Loooooooooooove!", Nerve.com BlogALog "SJ1000", April 1, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Tub Talk with Sara B.", Nerve.com Video, October 20, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Former shut-in Sara Benincasa feels Agorafabulous", Charleston City Paper.
  8. ↑ "Comedian Sara Benincasa's show about agoraphobia coming to book, film form", Punchline Magazine.

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