'SNL's Earthquake News Report Has Fun With Absurd and Unfortunate Names

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As Charles Dickens knew, names carry weight. So what happens when you have a truly unfortunate name? And what then happens when, on the very day you're trying to change your name, an earthquake hits and you become an item on the local news? 

That's the scenario set up in Saturday Night Live's "Earthquake News Report" sketch, in which an earthquake strikes Sacramento and damages the local Social Security Administration building, with particular damage to the name change office. Because of the government shutdown, there were more people in the office than usual, and because of the earthquake, they all wound up on local television. 

Not only did Donald McRonald and Mark Peanus escape with their lives and their old names, but so did Holden Tudiks, Bill Kosbie, Mario Pardi, Ty Neadik, and more. To make matters worse, one of the heroes of the day was a man named Alan Hitler. After he requested the news use an initial rather than his name, the chyron below read "A. Hitler." It's a straightforward concept, but it's still funny. No one loves Holden Tudiks more than his parents. 

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Wes Rendar is a writer and Saturday Night Live expert at Thrillist.