Whether you're new to the Emmy-winning and Grammy-nominated Andy Samberg or you're looking for the latest Andy news, images, and videos, come here to find out about the king of The Lonely Island, Saturday Night Live, Lazy Sunday, Laser Cats, Junk in a Box, Dear Sister, Hot Rod, J**z in My Pants, I'm on a Boat, Mother Lover, On the Ground, and Shy Ronnie. Next movies: What's Your Number, and Friends with Benefits.
6/2/09 Update: Added the Jim Carrey vid and a few more vids at the bottom. Enjoy!
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Here are the highlights from tonight's show, starting with all the Andy Samberg vids we can find!
2009 MTV Movie Awards: The Opener!
Leaping between scenes from Best Movie nominees 'Slumdog Millionaire,' 'Twilight,' 'The Reader' and 'Star Trek,' 2009 MTV Movie Awards host Andy Samberg lands naked in Justin Timberlake's limo before opening the show.
Eminem challenged by Rick Ross: Who'd you rather see in a rap battle?
As for Ross? If he really wants to battle someone who makes sense, a natural rival who's working in the same niche as he is, may I suggest he pick an on-record fight with Andy Samberg?
We ask that question as we go to a very opinionated non-fan of Justin Timberlake...
The unforgivable sins of Justin Timberlake
By John Houder
It isn't easy for me to like Justin Timberlake.
He and four other hair-gelled male sirens are responsible for polluting international airwaves for more than a decade with some of the most trite, saccharine and meaningless music to ever spew from America's recording industry. Though predated by both Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block, Timberlake and his group of gyrating warblers are equally culpable in the brutal assault on popular music otherwise known as "the boy band craze."
In addition to sonically waterboarding the American public with a seemingly endless stream of Billboard hits, Timberlake also accosted the population by being everywhere you looked in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He and his ingeniously-named, prefabricated group, 'N Sync, dominated television and radio stations, played sold-out shows to thousands of fans and adorned Trapper Keepers, lunch boxes and countless magazine covers across the globe. They even clawed their way inside my subconscious every time I heard one of their songs, driving their infectious hooks into my brain like catchy railroad spikes.
Yet in spite of unforgivable musical offenses like "Tearin' Up My Heart," I find that I can’t hold a grudge against the man Rolling Stone magazine once crowned "The New King of Pop."
My tortured feelings about Timberlake started with his second appearance on "Saturday Night Live" when he paired with Andy Samberg for a hilarious, incredibly obscene digital short. Without giving too much away, it was a parody R&B music video about one of the most inappropriate gifts a man could give a woman during the holidays. As crude as the video is, and as much as I’ve seen it online, it still makes me laugh every time.
The subject matter of the song is extremely ridiculous, but it’s the classic music style – complete with bridges and breakdowns – and the look of the video that ingratiate the former Mouseketeer to me. When I finished watching it the first time, I thought it was incredible Timberlake actually had that good of a sense of humor that he would trust Samberg enough to put himself in such a precarious spot. I was amazed that I had just listened to Justin Timberlake sing a song and I didn't feel like putting my head in an oven. I actually liked him for doing it.
It wasn’t until watching the short again that I realized why I suddenly had a newfound affinity for the pop star I once held in such low regard. Justin Timberlake was making just as much fun of Justin Timberlake as I always had.
Though decked out in hilariously dated MC Hammer garb and an awful fake beard, Timberlake is just an extreme caricature of himself. The vocal flourishes and dance moves he uses are exaggerated and cheesy, but only slightly more than normal. His voice and style are still unmistakably his, and the reason he looks so comfortable in such a ridiculous video is because he's been there so many times before, lip syncing on one "slow jam" video after another. The main difference is that the song was written by a team of comedy writers, not boy band mastermind and current prison inmate Lou Pearlman.
This trend continued on Timberlake's third and most recent hosting stint on "SNL." He reprised his role with Samburg, putting the beard and blouse on again, and sang a duet about an even more inappropriate Mother's Day gift. The premise was basically the same, but the tempo and production value were both pumped up. They even arranged for Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon to play Samberg's mother so Timberlake could feel her up in a kitchen.
What sealed the deal for me, though, was his role in another sketch where he plays his own great-great-grandfather, Cornelius Timberlake, sailing to America for the first time with a group of immigrants. He predicts his great-great-grandson's eventual rise to stardom in astonishing detail, noting that although he'll make nonsensical wardrobe choices and sing in a strained falsetto, he'll somehow manage to pull it off.
He tries to explain how his future kin will become a millionaire by singing popular songs like "SexyBack" that don't make any sense, but the idea is as confusing to his fellow immigrants in 1883 as it is to me today:
Cornelius Timberlake: I actually dream of a day when my great-great-grandson will... bring sexy back.
Immigrant #1: Bring bring sexy back? What does that mean?
Cornelius Timberlake: It’ll be gone and he’ll bring it back!
Immigrant #3: Where did it go?
Cornelius Timberlake: Just trust me. People will be on board, OK?
Timberlake is even a good enough sport to say that his great-great-grandson will be so handsome, he'll eventually get tired of sleeping with beautiful women and will begin to dabble in homosexuality, just to mix things up a little. He pokes fun at his time with 'N Sync, likening it to working in a sweatshop, and acts offended when another immigrant thinks his singing sounds like a woman's. Timberlake tears down his entire career in less than four and a half minutes.
But does his sense of self-deprecation and apparent comedic ability excuse his acting in atrocious films like "Alpha Dog" and "The Love Guru"? Can I dismiss mortal musical sins like "Bye Bye Bye" and "It's Gonna Be Me" because Timberlake has the ability to draw laughter when surrounded by professional comedians?
I'm afraid Timberlake has hurt me too much in the past to forgive and forget so easily. His solo albums are worthy of at least some critical praise, but between pouring gasoline on the flames of the boy band wildfire and irreparably damaging America's children with his and Janet Jackson's Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction," he's at least a dozen parody music videos away from making things right.
I'm sorry, Justin, this just isn't going to work out. As you were so fond of saying while dancing in unison with your friends, "I know that I can't take no more. It ain't no lie, I wanna see you out that door. Baby, bye, bye, bye."
Wow. It sounds like Andy Samberg is helping more people like Justin Timberlake. They also need to point to Justin with Andy in the leotard dancer skit and the Cathy & Jessica Rabbit skit. The two are amazingly hilarious together!
Russell Brand has advised MTV Movie Awards host Andy Samberg to lay off the criticism at the 2009 ceremony.
"Do not criticise George W Bush," the British comic told MTV News, adding: "You will receive death threats.
"Do not jokingly criticise the Jonas Brothers - you will receive less-threatening death threats."
While hosting the VMA show last September, Russell made fun of the Jonas Brothers for their purity rings and abstinence pledges, along with jokes about the former President.
"There's nothing worse than opening a letter and then seeing in it a death threat," he said.
"You think, 'Hold on a minute. I wasn't looking forward to the letter particularly. Now I fear death. Ruins a perfectly good read'."
'Motherlover' Co-Creator Describes The Making Of Raunchy 'SNL' Video
The Justin Timberlake/ Andy Samberg clip partly inspired by R. Kelly and Usher's 'Same Girl.'
Sometimes, you can remember exactly where you were when inspiration struck. Then, there are times when you're trapped in a small writer's room in Midtown Manhattan with your pals and a world-famous singer/actor, thinking about Mother's Day, listening to the R. Kelly/Usher song "Same Girl" and trying not to ruin your so-far spotless viral-video résumé — and at last a genius idea falls in your lap. At least, that's how the "Saturday Night Live" short "Motherlover" was born.
Here's Same Girl (Spanish subtitles):
Just the lyrics:
We come full circle as T-Payne claims to be her husband:
"We weren't sure if we should go in a whole different direction and make a new song that has nothing to do with those guys or a short film that's totally different," explained Akiva Schaffer, one-third of the Lonely Island crew. "We didn't want to ruin the first one because it was so cool."
Schaffer and partners Andy Samberg (this year's MTV Movie Awards host) and Jorma Taccone faced this dilemma last Tuesday night when they met with that week's "SNL" host Justin Timberlake to discuss a potential sequel to their 2006 viral smash "D--- in a Box."
Finally, they decided to roll the dice and revisit the lives of their wildly popular new-jack swing duo (sometimes referred to as Bootknockaz), but with an even nastier twist than last time. "What would be most satisfying for the audience?" Schaffer recalled them asking. "It would be cool to start with them getting out of prison with their boxes." And then, of course, they remember that it's Mother's Day.
The video, in which the duo express their desire to sex up each other's mothers as the ultimate tribute to Mother's Day, has already become an instant viral atom bomb, helping Lonely Island to break the feared sequel curse and allowing co-directors Schaffer and Taccone to breathe easy after a sleepless week of writing, recording and shooting, which ended with Schaffer editing the final clip right up until moments before it aired on Saturday night.
While brainstorming the new video, the quartet were listening to some old-school new-jack acts, like Guy and Teddy Riley, but they ultimately found a Timbaland-style beat created by Taccone's brother, Asa, and his friend, Drew Campbell, that was left over from the sessions for Lonely Island's debut album, Incredibad.
"We started singing along to it," Schaffer recalled. "Someone mentioned Mother's Day, then there was a joke about that R. Kelly/Usher song, and we were like, 'It could be the same girl,' but then we realized it should be each other's moms!"
And the rest, as they say, is history. Timberlake stayed up until 5 a.m. on Wednesday writing the lyrics with the Island crew, who then stayed up until 4 a.m. Friday morning recording the vocals before setting up the grueling 20-hour shoot just a few hours later.
"This one I can say that we did 100 percent in conjunction with Justin," he said, praising the singer and new go-to guest of "SNL" with consistently finding a way to up their game by suggesting killer melodies for the song. "He's good enough that he brings a lot of awesome melodies, and it's great that he can sing and really add some funny lines to the song. ... He's clearly the best. He's three-for-three [on viral videos] on the show, and he's solidified his rep overall, not just for shorts. He clearly brings something magical."
Schaffer said the stunt casting of the moms was relatively easy. Susan Sarandon's name popped up very early for the role of Samberg's mom. "We needed a blond actress who looked like Justin, and I don't know if I even told the other guys, but I was in a hotel room a week ago, and I turned on the TV and saw the movie 'No Reservations,' and Patricia Clarkson plays the restaurant owner in that," Schaffer said. "So, I brought her up, and they all said yes immediately." Both women were quick to sign up. Clarkson showed up on set at 11 a.m. on Friday, after just agreeing to the gig around 12:30 the night before.
The shoot, which took place in various Brooklyn locations, began at 9 a.m. on Friday and stretched until the early morning hours of Saturday, at which point Schaffer had to begin editing the footage. "We finished the final edits when the show was already on," he said.
Schaffer admitted that there were a number of jokes that were too raunchy to make it on air — he didn't even want to discuss them for fear of offending — but that the troupe knew early on that they had captured the elusive magic one more time.
Timberlake's girlfriend, Jessica Biel, told MTV News she was skeptical when she first heard of the idea, but she thought the whole thing ended up being so wrong it was right.
"I know Justin's mom was coming to the show, and he warned her ahead of time," Schaffer said. "And my mom loves to brag ... but I don't know if she told anyone about this one. But she did thank me for the Mother's Day video."
What are the three videos Akiva mentioned? D**** In a Box, Mother Lover, and what? Obviously the Single Ladies leotard skit went viral, but that wasn't a digital short.
Denzel Washington, Cameron Diaz, Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell, Vanessa Hudgens , Leighton Meester, Jonah Hill and Lil Wayne are among the presenters for the upcoming 2009 MTV Movie Awards.
Those celebrities join Eminem, whose new album Relapse will become available May 19, and host Andy Samberg at the event that will air live May 31 at 9 p.m. (ET) from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, Calif.
The 2009 MTV Movie Awards marks the first year in which the final nominees were decided on by the fans. A movie megabattle has developed among devotees of Twilight and Slumdog Millionaire, as both movies are neck-in-neck with each having nominations in six award categories.
MTV will up the cinematic fun quotient this year by debuting the two new categories "best song from a movie" and "best WTF moment."
Viewers can decide the golden popcorn destiny of their favorite flicks by visiting www.MovieAwards.MTV.com before May 27 to vote for their favorite film moments and actors. However, fans will be able to vote for the "best movie" category throughout the live show.
This is just an article covering Andy's appearance on Leno that we already posted...
Our 2009 MTV Movie Awards host Andy Samberg was on Jay Leno last night to talk about his days as a temp, loving mothers, his early stand-up career… and of course to plug his Best Kiss contender, “Pommel: The Bobby Brooks Story.” I don’t think we’ve got a choice on this one, readers … we’re going to have to give it to him!
If you’re wondering about the steps one must take to become an MTV Movie Awards host, Samberg revealed his troubled years in the temp scene. One job involved “tying ribbons” for a greeting card company — a job he and his fellow Lonely Island members Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone were fired from because they were daring to talk while tying ribbons. The Lonely Island trio decided to leave rather than stay silent, but their tragic story has a silver lining: “[while it lasted, temping] worked out perfectly because we were never up that early, and we were able to have McDonalds’ breakfast… it was delightful!”
Those days are past now, and Samberg now hosts award shows and collaborates with Justin Timberlake to romance one another’s mothers. When asked how the sensual sequel to “D*ck in a Box” came about, Samberg revealed it was largely Timberlake’s idea. “We weren’t sure we wanted to go back to those characters. But Justin is pretty hard-headed and was all ‘Everyone thinks we won’t do it, and that’s exactly why we should!’”
Writing the sketch is one thing, but asking the likes of Susan Sarandon and Patricia Clarkson to participate is another. Samberg was too scared to ask personally, so he had the “SNL” talent department call for him. He needn’t have worried, as the two actresses said yes immediately and blew away the “SNL” cast and crew with their hotness. “[They were] way too hot for the joke!” Samberg insisted, revealing that Sarandon and Timberlake’s kitchen homage to “Bull Durham” had “a lot of guys crossing their legs on that set.”
It’s stories like these that make us thrilled with our choice of an MTV Movie Awards host — and we can’t wait to see him in action on May 31st. You’re joining us, right? Cast your votes now, before it’s too late!
Updated 5/26/09: Added the Wade Blasingame commercial. Also recently added the Vietnam Song at the bottom. Originally posted 5/17/09. =========================
It was the last episode of the season. The Lonely Island was warmed up to see if they could do a short with Will Ferrell (Will produced Andy Samberg's Hot Rod film), and instead this was a star-studded extravaganza! You thought the stars were out last week? Well this week the stars were shining brightly!!!
Featuring appearances from...
Host: Will Ferrell
Musical Guest: Green Day
Cameos: Tom Hanks Anne Hathaway Artie Lange Norm MacDonald Elisabeth Moss Amy Poehler Paul Rudd Maya Rudolph
The big one for me was the Jeopardy skit. The jeopardy skit was originally known for the interactions between Will Ferrell (Alex Trebek) and Norm MacDonald (Burt Reynolds). However, it quickly became known for the antics between Will and Darrell Hammon (Sean Connery). So to see Alex, Burt, and Sean all portrayed in the same skit by their respective talents was absolutely great. I think they should have put Abby's Angelina Jolie in there instead of Wiig's Gifford, but that's my opinion.
Because the skits were longer, there were less of them. Andy Samberg only appeared once, in a massive ensemble skit at the end, the Vietnam Song. I think they wanted to concentrate on Will, the stars, and plus Andy has been in the spotlight with Mother Lovers, MTV Movie Awards, on Fallon and Leno (Leno this week), and he's hosting Just Shorts tonight. So I think they wanted to settle down a bit on Andy Samberg and not feature him this episode.
Overall, all the cast appeared less than usual because there were fewer skits and to make way for all the stars.
Enjoy!
BONUS: Jorma dances to Green Day before the show.
Web Promo: Will Ferrell and Kenan Thompson
Will Ferrell's urine is considered currency!
SNL Promo: Will Ferrell & Green Day & Kristen Wiig
This one is much funnier when Will and Kristen think of some jokes together. Judging from Kristen's look when Will says "Plug!" makes me think that she helped author that joke.
Cold Opening: Cheney in Makeup Will Ferrell ... George W. Bush Abby Elliott ... makeup artist Darrell Hammond ... Dick Cheney
Cheney and GW are reunited on TV. Will still has the reigning George W impression.
Monologue Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell opens the show with drama.
Encore Presentation: Wade Blasingame
Show: The Lawrence Welk Show Will Ferrell ... Ted Netters Fred Armisen ... Lawrence Welk Abby Elliott ... sister Michaela Watkins ... sister Kristen Wiig ... Junice Casey Wilson ... Nora
The Finger Lake sensation is back! When Kristen comes out she says, "and immm judiceeee" - her name
Gameshow: Jeopardy! Will Ferrell ... Alex Trebek Norm MacDonald ... Burt Reynolds Tom Hanks Darrell Hammond ... Sean Connery Kristen Wiig ... Kathie Lee Gifford
Kathie Lee, Tom Hanks, Sean Connery and Burt Reynolds face off with Trebek. Tom Hanks was great! Also, it would have been better to get more Burt Reynolds in there. He didn't even laugh. =^)
Show: Inside the NBA Will Ferrell ... Mark Bill Hader ... Ernie Johnson Jr. Kenan Thompson ... Charles Barkley Kristen Wiig ... Rachel
Musical Performance: "Know Your Enemy" Green Day
Weekend Update Seth Meyers Amy Poehler Will Ferrell ... Harry Caray
The broadcasting legend returns from beyond. Really with Seth and Amy:
Remembrances / Funeral Will Ferrell ... Graham Yost Maya Rudolph ... Glenda Goodwin Fred Armisen ... rock and roll shorts guy Abby Elliott ... guest Will Forte ... anti-Obama guy Bill Hader ... guest Bobby Moynihan ... microphone guy Jason Sudeikis ... priest Michaela Watkins ... blonde Kristen Wiig ... Gail Casey Wilson ... wife
A few last words for the dearly departed... This is like the sequal to the wedding skit. Funny stuff!
Musical Performance: "21 Guns" Green Day
Musical Sketch: Vietnam Song Will Ferrell ... Fritz Green Day Amy Poehler Anne Hathaway Artie Lange Elisabeth Moss Maya Rudolph Norm MacDonald Paul Rudd Tom Hanks Fred Armisen ... musician Abby Elliott ... musician Will Forte ... musician Bill Hader ... Keith Darrell Hammond ... Raymond Fadarico Seth Meyers ... musician Bobby Moynihan ... musician Andy Samberg ... musician Jason Sudeikis ... musician Kenan Thompson ... friend Michaela Watkins ... musician Kristen Wiig ... musician Casey Wilson ... musician
Yeah, this is what happens when you let Will Ferrell do whatever he wants. Still it's phenominal just to see all those stars up there with all the cast. Next time they should have TLI write the skit. That would probably involve more blood and bodies bursting. =^)
'Saturday Night Live': Our favorite moments of the season
Chris Borrelli, Tribune Newspapers
Tina Fey returned to "SNL" Saturday for Faux Palin redux, this time goofing on her interview with Katie Couric. (NBC photo by Dana Edelson / September 27, 2008)
Can you blame them for a blatant victory lap? Yes, Saturday night's season finale to "Saturday Night Live" was more nostalgia-tinged ( Will Ferrell as Alex Trebek, Harry Caray, President George Bush; Amy Poehler on "Weekend Update"; Norm Macdonald as Burt Reynolds!) and guest-stuffed ( Anne Hathaway, Tom Hanks, Paul Rudd, etc.) than the entire previous season put together.
But consider how much they have to celebrate:
During the 34th season of "SNL," a show that never fails to solicit a "Saturday Night Dead" headline once a year, had its most memorable skits in ages; affected the 2008 political election; lost one of its best cast members in Poehler; cemented itself (and Andy Samberg) as one of the funniest sources of digital shorts; became popular enough again to spin off a well-regarded Thursday night edition of "Weekend Update"; and, in Justin Timberlake, found its best unofficial cast member since the days of Steve Martin.
With all that in mind, consider these -- our 2008-09 season "SNL" superlatives:
Best host: A tough call -- Jon Hamm and Timberlake nailed it -- but we liked Hathaway, whose Mary Poppins impression ("Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is a disease of the liver!") and showbiz chops were a pleasant shock.
Best post-election Obama skit: The Rock Obama.
Best cast member: Kristin Wiig. In more skits than anyone else and responsible for more laughs.
Best skit for the time capsule: Tina Fey and Poehler's parody of Sarah Palin and Katie Couric's famously uneasy interview.
Most underrated: Filmmaker Noah Baumbach's "Clearing the Air" short film. Terrific take on the passive aggressive.
Best cast debut: Understated Michaela Watkins.
Best skit: Andy Samberg's bizarre (but spot-on) " Mark Wahlberg Talks to Animals."
I disagree about the cast debut. While I liked Michaela Watkins' blog reporter character, it's Abby Elliott's Angelina Jolie impression that was more memorable (she needs to do an Angelina Jolie Show skit). And Bobby Moynihan doing Of Mice & Men, Vinnie's Son, the leotard dancer, Snagglepuss, and the "Pepper" skit made him the funniest new cast member since Andy, Bill, Jason, and Kristen came on back in 2005.
Also, Andy Samberg didn't get enough credit. He was mentioned briefly for his digital shorts, but Andy Samberg (and TLI) had an amazing season of Digital Shorts! They had Space Olympics, Ras Trent, J*** in My Pants, Extreme Challenge, I'm on a Boat, Like a Boss, and Mother Lover. They knocked this season out of the park!!!
These videos make me think that Andy and Rashida would be good together in an SNL digital short or in a film. Granted, these shorts were pretty close to being SNL digital shorts. What do you think?
Andy Samberg will be hosting the 2009 MTV Movie Awards where Ben Stiller will be honored.
Ben Stiller is to be presented with the MTV Generation Award at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards show in Universal City., Calif., the network said Friday.
The prize presentation is scheduled to take place May 31 at the Gibson Amphitheatre with comedian Andy Samberg as host.
Stiller's film credits include "Reality Bites," "There's Something About Mary," "Zoolander," "Meet the Parents," "Meet the Fockers," "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," "Tropic Thunder," and "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian."
Past recipients of the Generation Award include Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, Tom Cruise and Jim Carrey.
"From 'The Royal Tenenbaums' to 'Zoolander,' Ben is a comedic chameleon, able to make the leap between drama and full-out comedy while maintaining his own unique brand of subversive humor," Van Toffler, president of MTV Networks Music/Logo/Film Group, said in a statement. "That versatility and talent has earned him legions of devoted fans over the years which makes him a perfect recipient for the MTV Generation Award. Whether it's fighting a monkey in a museum or licking a decapitated head, nothing is ever off-limits for him and that's the type of warped creative vision and commitment MTV loves to reward."
"I am honored to be getting the Generation Award," added Stiller. "I was given my first show at MTV, and also canceled for the first time. I also was secretly having an affair with J.J. Jackson, so it brings back pleasant memories."
