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From:
http://movies.msn.com/new-on-dvd/feature-article/?news=270423
For the past two seasons, actor/writers Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone and director/writer Akiva Schaffer -- known collectively as "The Lonely Island" -- have been responsible for some of the funniest moments on the venerable late night comedy show "Saturday Night Live." Yet it's the Internet that has given them their greatest exposure, thanks to the phenomenon of viral video. Their "SNL" video shorts "D**k in a Box" and "Lazy Sunday" and their self-produced "The 'Bu" (a parody of "The O.C." featured on their Web site) are among to most watched comedy shorts on the Internet. In anticipation of the release of "Hot Rod," their first big screen bid for success, they sat down to talk about their shorts, "Saturday Night Live," and, of course, what's in their DVD player.
What's in your DVD player?
Akiva Schaffer: I'd never seen Stallone's movie "Cobra," so I went and bought it. It's so rare for me to actually go to a store and purchase a DVD, but I just had a feeling that it was one that I'd want to own so I went to Union Square in New York and I bought the "Cobra" DVD. I was real excited that they had it. And it was pretty awesome.
It's an essential keeper?
Akiva: It delivered. Right at the beginning he gets home from work after killing a guy and takes out a pizza and he cuts it with scissors before eating it.
Jorma Taccone: Because he's just that badass.
Akiva: Yeah, he just flops the box down, flops it open, grabs a piece and *snip*.
It's that attention to detail that separates the classics from the rest.
Jorma: My answer is awesome, these guys are going to like it. I recently got married and our first dance at the wedding was based on "The Lendler," which is an Austrian folk dance. I'd never seen "The Sound of Music" so I bought a DVD to "The Sound of Music" and we used that to practice.
Andy Samberg: So that's in your DVD player?
Jorma: Yes. "The Sound of Music." Put it down. I'd never seen it. It was pretty good.
Andy: I also have "The Sound of Music" because I caught wind of Jorm's plan I decided to study it so I could properly make fun of him for the rest of his life.
Do you have any plans for a DVD release of the video shorts that have made your fame on "SNL" and the internet?
Akiva: It's not really up to us. I know that there is, and you might want to fact check this because I know this is happening but I don't know the details, but I think there is a "Best of 2006/2007" SNL DVD that's going to be sold in Starbucks that has three shorts on it. [ed. note: it's "Saturday Night Live: The Best of '06-'07," due exclusively in Starbucks August 28]
Which shorts will be on it?
Jorma: "D**k in a Box" ...
Akiva: ... "Peyton Manning for United Way," and ...
Andy: ... "The Shooting?" [an "O.C." parody]
Akiva: Yeah, the one we do with Shia LaBeouf. Some people call it "Dear Sister." We did commentary for it, didn't we?
Jorma: Yeah, we did, you're right.
Akiva: So that's a way to get some of them. In terms of a collection, I look forward to the day, but it has not been planned.
Andy: I think there's something like 40 shorts now. Maybe less.
Akiva: To make a "Best of" you want to give it enough years that people can be nostalgic for the old ones.
Andy: You have to have a body of work for there to be a "best of."
What would be your dream supplements for the DVD release of "Hot Rod"?
Akiva: I don't know but we'd better think of it. We haven't made the DVD yet so we can still rethink what's going on there.
Andy: Maybe commentary from Martin Scorsese?
Jorma: Right, commentary from someone who never involved in the film.
Akiva: We did want to have our friend Chester do a fart pass on the movie, where we have him just add fart sounds throughout the movie.
Andy: So you can choose "Director Commentary" or "Fart."
I hate to tell you this, but that's been done.
Andy: That's been done?
Jorma: Has it?
Andy: That's fantastic!
"Wet Hot American Summer" in 2002.
Jorma: It's going to be my new favorite movie. What if it was "The Sound of Music"?
Andy: Right, the Criterion version of "Sound of Music."
Jorma: [With farts] by Julie Andrews.
Andy: Which sounds weird but actually is really quite beautiful.
How does the creative process work when you, for instance, begin developing a short film for "SNL"?
Andy: All kinds of ways. Sometimes one of us will have an idea in the shower and come in and write it out and we'll help punch it up, sometimes we'll sit in a room and say, "What shall we do?" and pitch ideas, sometimes we know we want to go in a certain direction with a certain thing. Like "D**k in a Box," we knew we wanted to do an early nineties R&B song and we pitched ideas until Jorma came up with, "How about d**k in a box," and we're like, "Oh, yes, we love that." And then we all started writing it up together.
Akiva: And it just completely fluctuates.
Jorma: And it's helpful if someone is just excited about something and comes in with an idea and then we'll manipulate it to be the three of our idea.
Akiva: And sometimes, for the shorts, we don't even have an idea, we're too busy with other parts of the show, and another writer or actor on the show we'll say, "Hey, I have a thing where I do this," and then we'll go do that.
Jorma: Those are good weeks, actually.
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