Okay, so that title is a little misleading... although, one of the two men these impressions are of will be hailed as the new President of the United States in a few months.

With the season 14 premiere a mere few weeks away, what better time to give you the first piece of information we have been made aware of regarding what you can expect to see? While most of us have grown used to Keegan Michael Key's Barack Obama and Nicole Parker's Hilary Clinton impressions over the last two years, with Hilary now out of the running, its time for the show to introduce an impression of Republican candidate John McCain to feature in the shows political satire.

In true MADtv tradition, the show is taking a big risk by casting someone none of us expected would ever be cast for the role. Perhaps it is a response to the controversial casting of Fred Armisen as Obama on SNL, perhaps he was just the best suited person for the job, perhaps it was neither of these things... but I can now reveal to you that none other than Bobby Lee will be debuting his John McCain impression in episode #1401. Also making their first mark in the presidential stakes will be Arden Myrin's Nancy McCain and Erica Ash's Michelle Obama impression.

Here's what FOX's official release has to say about the premiere:

MADtv returns for a 14th season of off-the-wall humor and side-splitting laughs. Keegan-Michael Key and Erica Ash are "Barack and Michelle Obama" and they join Bobby Lee and Arden Myrin as "John and Cindy McCain" on a spoof of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE: PRESIDENTIAL EDITION. The McCains try to impress the judges with their waltz as the Obamas try to win votes with their hip-hop number on the season premiere episode of MADtv airing Saturday, Sept. 13.

Just to remind you all, the new cast of regulars includes returning favorites Crista Flanagan, Keegan Michael Key, Bobby Lee, Arden Myrin, Nicole Parker and Johnny Sanchez. They will be joined by Matt Braunger and new featured players Erica Ash, Eric Price and Lauren Pritchard. The season premiere is on September 13th this year, and the show will, hopefully, be taking a step back towards the favored format by being shot, in part, in a brand new theatre. So those of you who were left disappointed by season 13, give this new season a chance before you pull the plug completely. You may be pleasantly surprised!

After months of blackmail both administered and received, we can at last reveal everything you could possibly want to know about Season 14 of "MADtv," at least before it debuts. All right, admittedly, we will not be reporting what Nicole Parker ate for breakfast this morning; nevertheless, with this update, rest assured that you will have all the Season 14 information with which any rational fan will be more than happy. Here, then, is your full scoop on the upcoming season, complete with brown chips which have not been conclusively identified as chocolate.

Let us begin by introducing you to our final addition to the Season 14 "MADtv" cast. According to this article, the fourth newbie for the upcoming season will be the lovely, versatile Erica Ash. Smile prettily for the camera, dear:



As is the case with Eric Price and Lauren Pritchard, Erica will be joining the "MADtv" cast as a featured player. According to her impressive resume, which can be found here, Erica's experience with televised sketch comedy does not actually begin with "MADtv." For two seasons, she has been a cast member on "The Big Gay Sketch Show," which, coincidentally, is directed by "MADtv" mainstay Amanda Bearse. Add to that stint her various appearances in theatrical productions and commercials, her numerous voiceovers for video games, and a list of special skills that makes most of us look downright boring by comparison; and Erica Ash may have just what it takes to survive on a show that has always prided itself on multifaceted cast members. Erica, here is hoping that you get to stick around for a while on FOX's late-night sketch comedy series.

In other news, what would a final Season 14 update be without one last surprise farewell? Fans of Jordan Peele's "MADtv" work will no doubt feel a sense of emptiness as the show's resident Morgan Freeman impersonator ends his five-year run as a cast member. Apparently, Jordan somehow managed to escape the rumored coercion by "MADtv" to squeeze a few more episodes out of its five-year players. Unfortunately, it is not known at this time whether he, Nicole Parker, and Keegan-Michael Key drew straws to determine who would get to leave after Season 13 or whether Quincy Jones simply went "eenie-meenie-miney-mo" to determine their fates. At any rate, Jordan, we at Planet MADtv hate to see you go; and we wish you the best of success in whatever showbiz endeavors you decide to pursue from this point on. Thanks for the many laughs!

Next, we can confirm that Season 14 of "MADtv" will be shot at the Sunset Bronson Studios, which are both the original location of the Warner Bros. Studios and the current home of CW affiliate KTLA, Channel 5, in Los Angeles, CA. Although we will obviously have to wait until the Season 14 debut, on September 13th, to see how these new facilities will work out for the cast, something tells me that most, if not all, of the series' diehard fans will no doubt wet themselves with glee over the sheer mention of the word studio. While Sunset Bronson Studios may not be the original "MADtv" home we all knew and loved for twelve years, I think it has to be considered a major step up from the Henry Fonda Music Box Theater. Unlike that almost roundly hated facility, Sunset Bronson will probably not inspire fans to wish all season long for a well-placed wrecking ball to find its way into the exterior walls. Enjoy your new and (we assume) vastly improved, home, you crazy Season 14 cast members, you!

Fittingly, we will conclude this "full scoop" update by reminding you of all the cast members who will be enjoying these new quarters during Season 14 of "MADtv," as well as providing you with a recap of those who will not. Established series regulars who will help provide the Season 14 fun are Crista Flanagan, Keegan-Michael Key, Bobby Lee, Arden Myrin, Nicole Parker, and Johnny Sanchez. Joining them will be new series regular Matt Braunger and three new featured players, Erica Ash, Eric Price, and Lauren Pritchard. Sadly, we have been forced at gunpoint to accept the departures of Season 13 featured players Daheli Hall, Anjelah Johnson, and Dan Oster; five-year veteran Jordan Peele; and the show's longest-running cast member ever, ten-year stalwart Michael McDonald. All in all, it will be very interesting to see how everything unfolds come September 13th. Can you handle the anticipation? I know I can. Season 14 of "MADtv," the world awaits.

Planet MADtv passengers, we thank you for your patience as you waited for the third "MADtv" Season 14 update. We apologize for the delay; and in the meantime, we hope you enjoyed the complimentary Cheez Whiz and soggy pretzels. For this update, you will be introduced to our first two new cast members for Season 14. Be gentle with them -- they seem quite funny; and the last thing we want to do is to chase them away unnecessarily. Unfortunately, as we welcome in new blood, we must also wave a tearful hanky in the direction of a departing cast member, the first such exit we are at liberty to report. Please fasten your seat belts, and return all stewardesses to the upright position. We have achieved our tumultuous liftoff, and your latest update starts now.

Let us begin by introducing you to the first of our two new guys, Chicago comedy veteran Matt Braunger. He looks a little something like this; in fact, he looks a lot something like this:



From Matt's official website, we learn that he is a suitably wacky individual with extensive training in theater, improvisation, and sketch comedy. All of these assets, particularly the wackiness, should obviously serve him well when he makes his Season 14 debut on "MADtv." In this article, Matt has even been kind enough to detail his auditions for the series:

"Yes, I did get hired as a cast member. I just found out two days ago right before I was about to go onstage at the Great American Comedy Festival in Nebraska. Would have jumped for joy, but am on crutches from hurting my knee (nothing serious). I auditioned several times, first for the casting people, then for the producers, then finally for the people at the network. They had me bring in several characters, then read scenes with other actors in the later auditions. I start in August, but will go in a week or two early to hang out with the writers and give them any input they want."

Now, who ever said that "MADtv" is not one big, happy family? Anyway, if you want to preview this promising newbie, then check out the numerous video clips of Matt that can be found on both this page from his website and this page from the Rooftop Comedy website. (Matt recently won "Best of Fest" honors at the Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival.) Laugh hysterically as you watch Matt's video clips, and he will thank you. If you still cannot get enough of Matt after all of that fun, then perhaps his official MySpace will satisfy your insatiable Braunger thirst. After that, however, I don't know what to do for you, you stark-raving mad animal, you. For now, let us offer up a hearty Planet MADtv shout-out to Matt and hope that his "MADtv" stay is a long and successful one.

If you paid close enough attention to the previous article announcing Matt Braunger's "MADtv" hiring, then you already know the identity of the other new hire: Wisconsin's own Eric Price. Strike a pose, Eric:



Eric hails from Bay View, a Milwaukee neighborhood. He brings to "MADtv" a healthy improv background courtesy of ComedySportz. Although we do not have the same lovely "MADtv" audition story for Eric that we have for Matt, we can assume that the tryout for the sketch comedy series took place during one of his numerous routine trips to Los Angeles, CA. Perhaps Eric's greatest claim to fame at this early stage in his career is appearing not only on two epidoses of "Reno 911!" but also in the 2007 movie based on the series. In the meantime, if you would like to know more about Eric, then taking a gander at this 2005 article just might do you a world of good. Eric, we at Planet MADtv wish you the best of success at your new television home.

By the way, as is standard op at this early stage, we do not yet know whether Matt and Eric have been signed on as full-fledged repertory players or as featured players. Once we know, of course, we will pass on that information faster than Courtney Love in a Wendy's parking lot. Rest assured, however, that unlike the Courtney scenario, the distribution of information here is a hundred percent disease-free. Planet MADtv -- making a difference in our ever-devolving world!

Regrettably, Matt and Eric will have to experience their initiation on FOX's late-night sketch comedy series minus its veteran of ten years, Michael McDonald. Yes, after a decade of oddball characters and dry, sarcastic wit, the "MADtv" cast member with the longest run ever is finally bidding adios to the place he has called home since Season 4. Despite Michael's recent directorial efforts on the series and his numerous pronouncements that he loved working with the current cast, there was a feeling among many fans that something was not quite right. Either he was just not "clicking" with the cast in sketches, perhaps because of his age; or he had felt extreme disappointment over the show's drastic format change during Season 13. Still, even after taking these factors into consideration, many of the show's devotees may nonetheless be surprised by the news of Michael's departure. Then again, if you are a fan like me, then none of those things really matter right now; instead, you are waving that tearful hanky as you recall the numerous hilarious moments and undergarment exposures he has given us over the years. Although many would argue that Michael became stale during the later stages of his "MADtv" tenure, I would argue otherwise, at least for the most part. Even when he was at his worst, he still pooped out more golden eggs than chocolate ones; and to boot, he also left behind some memorable ice cream vapors. Why, I do not even want to know the person who does not love ice cream-flavored farts! Michael, from the bottom of my heart (not the heart of my bottom, despite the previous rhetoric), thank you for the years of laughs; for the great partnerships with Nicole Sullivan, Mo, and Stephnie; for the memorable characters; and by golly, for just being you. Here's hoping you will not be a stranger to the show that got you where you are today in showbiz. Four hundredth episode -- mark your calendar! For now, farewell and best of luck in your future endeavors; and we will see you down the road, sir.

All right, for the time being, that is all the print that is fit to news. (You know what I mean.) News on the remaining established cast members' fates, as well as information on any other new additions to the Season 14 cast, is certainly not too far away. You know what you must do: stay tuned to Planet MADtv for further updates!

UPDATE (06/25): We can now confirm that Matt Braunger will be a series regular for Season 14 and that Eric Price will begin his own "MADtv" journey as a featured player. And no, Michael McDonald is still not coming back.