Hay! He was mockin that New York Slimes editor!! I heard it too!!! She really talks that way and it wasn’t a put-on...
FWIW here’s a couple of examples of Jill A. fryyyyyyying her vocal cords:
“the front runnerrrrrrrr...”
3:47, 3:50
“the story behind the storyyyyyyy...”
5:53
“the city operaaaaaaa...”
6:17
“why it had to go bankruuuuupt...”
6:21
“a terror threaaaaaat...”
11:20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0Cb-5b4cZ4