Tracey Ullman Talks About How She Keeps Her Comedy Fresh

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: "Tracey Ullman's State of the Union" launches its third season tonight (1/25), with the multiple-Emmy-winning comedienne portraying characters ranging from Rachel Maddow to Barney Frank, Meghan McCain, Christiane Amanpour and Arianna Huffington — in one sketch alone.

How does she keep her comedy fresh after all these years? "I take years off," answers Ullman. "And there's always something new to do and someone new to impersonate. I've never thought, 'I'd like to impersonate that person' and not been able to do it.

Eventually, it comes to me. And I like writing stuff. I like directing stuff.

"I'm just glad that people are still giving me money to do it," she adds. "We keep it small, me and my husband. We write it and produce it. We distribute it. We own the show. It's our joy to do this."

Ullman's hubby, producer Allan McKeown, shows up on tonight's show, too, playing Bernie Madoff. She doesn't mind pointing out that her husband bears a strong resemblance to the former NASDAQ chairman who is now serving a 150-year prison sentence for defrauding clients of billions of dollars.