Andy Samberg - interviewed at the Mark Twain awards in new glasses

Washington Post Celebritology blogger Jen Chaney hits the red carpet to chat with Conan O'Brien, Andy Samberg, Jack Black and Paul Rudd, among other celebrities, who gathered at the Kennedy Center to honor Will Ferrell, the recipient of the 2011 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Or watch the video here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/celebrities-muse-on-will-ferrells-career/2011/10/23/gIQAs1RDBM_video.html


Thanks to SamJae for the scoop! SamJae says:

Andy get interviewed in what appears to be different glasses!

Also, while Tim Meadows is being interviewed, you can see Andy and Joanna enter the building in the background!

Enjoy!

Kenan Thompson married a model - Christina Evangeline

Thanks to Xtina Smith for the scoop!

I guess if you're a lovable goofball on a hit show (his third hit show, mind you), than yeah, a model will marry you...



Christina Evangeline is a model and, as of June 2011, now Mrs. Kenan Thompson. The two got married in the Arctic Room of the George Aquarium in Atlanta. Good for Kenan. Christina is definitely ”all that.”

Christina tweeted these photos from their wedding:



They got married at Sea World???? Check these three photos out...

The Lonely Island Neff Shirts (win a trip to New York)

Thanks to SamJae for this scoop!



The Lonely Island and the clothing brand Neff have joined forces to collaborate on several badass t-shirt designs. These t-shirts are now available exclusively through Zumiez stores and website!

Check out all of the designs below!



Oh, and Zumiez is running a contest where you can WIN A TRIP FOR 2 TO MEET THE DUDES in NYC as well as a bunch of other stuff!!! They're also picking a winner each week to receive a Neff and TLI Prize pack, and who doesn't like free stuff? No one. That's who. So get on it and enter now! The Dudes wanna meet you!



Contest ends soon (Dec 5):

http://www.zumiez.com/neff-lonely-island-contest/





Enjoy!

Miley Cyrus joins Andy Samberg in "Hotel Transylvania"

Thanks to SamJae for the scoop!

Miley Cyrus to voice Adam Sandler's daughter in 'Hotel Transylvania' -- FIRST LOOK



Dracula, meet your daughter, Miley Cyrus. EW reports that the multi-hyphenate is joining the all-star cast of Sony Picture Animation’s Hotel Transylvania as the über-vamp’s teenage daughter Mavis. Adam Sandler is voicing the famous blood-sucker, who builds the titular resort for all manner of monsters (and their families) as a way of keeping Mavis from venturing out into the real world. Things get tricky after a regular guy (voiced by Andy Samberg) ends up at the hotel.

Check out an exclusive first look at Cyrus’ character below:



Cyrus will be in some great comic company, too. Among the actors playing the various horror-story creatures checking into the Hotel: Kevin James (Frank, i.e. Frankenstein), Fran Drescher (Eunice, i.e. Bride of Frankenstein), David Spade (Griffin, the Invisible Man), David Koechner (Quasimodo), Cee Lo Green (Murray the Mummy), and Steve Buscemi and Molly Shannon as a pair of werewolves with an overwhelmingly large litter.

Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars) is directing the film, which will hit theaters Sept. 21, 2012.

From:
http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/11/04/miley-cyrus-adam-sandler-hotel-transylvania/
==========================




Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky ("Samurai Jack," "Dexter's Laboratory").

The film is officially described as follows:

"Welcome to the Hotel Transylvania, Dracula's (Sandler) lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up, free from meddling from the human world. But here's a little known fact about Dracula: he is not only the Prince of Darkness; he is also a dad. Over-protective of his teenage daughter, Mavis, Dracula fabricates tales of elaborate dangers to dissuade her adventurous spirit. As a haven for Mavis, he opens the Hotel Transylvania, where his daughter and some of the world's most famous monsters – Frankenstein and his bride, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, a family of werewolves, and more – can kick back in safety and peace. For Drac, catering to all of these legendary monsters is no problem – but his world could come crashing down when one ordinary guy stumbles on the hotel and takes a shine to Mavis."

Read more: http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=83987#ixzz1erbmA9nk

================

So Sandler and Samberg go from father and son (Donny's Boy / I Hate You Dad) to father and daughter's boyfriend (Hotel Transylvania).

Thanks again to SamJae.

Enjoy!

Andy Samberg, TLI, & Michael Bolton - Nominated for a Best Collaboration Award

Thanks to Xtina Smith for the scoop!



The Lonely Island & Michael Bolton are nominated for the 2011 Virgin Media Music Awards: Best Collaboration.

Cast your vote here:

http://www.virginmedia.com/music/awards/best-collaboration.php

They're not doing so hot (only 2.5%). The top runners are Amy Winehouse & Tony Bennett, Nicki Minaj & Rihanna, Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera, and Katy Perry & Kanye West.

Enjoy!

Cute Cruel's Top 10 Saturday Night Live Cast Members

As a warning, this was written by someone (Cute Cruel) who is obviously young and hasn't been watching SNL very long. The earliest player in this list is Jimmy Fallon, so it's a narrow perspective on SNL. That said, it's beautiful and fun, so enjoy!



#1: kristen wiig


“I feel incredibly fortunate to be in this cast. I feel like, in some way, we were all sort of out in the world and found each other.”

#2: bill hader


“People ask me, ‘Did you always want to be on SNL’? No, actually, it never crossed my mind.
It didn’t even seem possible. It would’ve been like saying, ‘Hey, do you wanna go to the moon’?”

#3: seth meyers


“The regenerative qualities of [SNL] are amazing. You drag yourself in on Monday, but then the adrenaline kicks in. The thing about having a host is that you can’t just say, ‘I’ll do this one next week’—because it might
be John Malkovich. What are you going to do—miss a chance to write for Malkovich?”

#4: tina fey


“I was the first female head writer at SNL. It’s very fun to be a writer at SNL,
but it’s more fun to do both (co-anchoring the Weekend Update). On Update, you look like yourself,
and every week you say, ‘Hi, this is me.’ So it’s career-changing.”

#5: amy poehler


“The minute you get on this show, you have to be ready for every single person in America to share their opinions with you because they feel like they own the show—and they do. They own it as much as you do. Everybody feels like they can tell you what sucks now and what was great then.”

#6: jimmy fallon


“I’m twenty-seven and I look thirty. Because I don’t sleep anymore. I feel like I’m getting older fast. That’s one thing they don’t tell you about the job. You hear stories from other cast members like, ‘Hey man, good luck. Hang in there, ‘cause this place will kill you.’”

#7: andy samberg


“My audition for SNL was very silly. You’re supposed to do impressions and characters, and I basically had none. So I did a lot of stand-up and tried to show how I was a dumb@$$.”

Andy Samberg is a Mime in Les Jeunes de Paris - Miley Cyrus (SNL)

So this is a Taran Killam skit where Andy supports as a mime. Andy throws some invisible water! Nice!



Thanks to Anony for the scoop!

This is the second version of the skit (of three total so far) from last season.

And as an added bonus, here's the Emma Stone one from Oct 23, 2010 (no Andy):



Or click here:

http://vimeo.com/16197640


Enjoy... and Happy Thanksgiving!

Andy Samberg and TLI - in December's GQ magazine

Thanks to Xtina Smith for the scoop!



So when I see mock record albums like these for the pictures, it just makes me want the Dudes to release a full Christmas album! That would be awesome! =^)







Hahahaha! I love "Some People Are Starving"! Make that into a musical digital short with Jimmy Fallon (since that's the Christmas episode)! Pleeeeeeease!

And here's a smaller version of this one:



Enjoy!

Andy Samberg is Cross Chris in A New Jack Thanksgiving (SNL)

Commercial - A New Jack Thanksgiving

Jason Segel ... Men In Vests member
Florence Welch ... Flow Diggity Flow Doubt
Vanessa Bayer ... B.L.T. member
Abby Elliott ... B.L.T. member
Steve Higgins ... announcer (voice)
Bobby Moynihan ... Medium Richard
Nasim Pedrad ... B.L.T. member
Jay Pharoah ... Sweaty Keith
Andy Samberg ... Cross Chris
Kenan Thompson ... announcer (voice)
Kenan Thompson ... John Juan Twan
Kristen Wiig ... Triangle Sally

Take your Thanksgiving celebration to a new level with some retro New Jack holiday hits.



Andy Samberg is Cross Chris and wears pants on his head! Nice! I would have hoped for more emotion from Andy though. He seemed to be focused more on executing the rap.

& nice performance by Florence Welch from Florence & the Machine!

This is a follow up to Worst of Soul Train from 01.08.2011. Bobby played a similar host. The only consistent character is Kristen Wiig's Triangle Sally, who the audience loved!

Overall, this was a fantastic episode with Jason Segel! Did you like it?

Enjoy!

Upcoming SNL Hosts: Steve Buscemi & Katy Perry

Episode 710 - December 3, 2011



"Steve Buscemi" & The Black Keys


Episode 711 - December 10, 201



"Katy Perry" & Robyn


Episode 712 - December 17, 2011



"Jimmy Fallon" & Michael Bublé

=============

Steve Buscemi has also hosted on 04.04.1998 (he played the Mad Hatter, was in Bill Clinton, Morning Latte, Goth Talk, and Judge Judy skits). He cameo'd on 10.15.1994 when John Travolta hosted (Steve was in "Quentin Tarantino's Welcome Back, Kotter") and he did a filmed cameo on 04.15.2000 when Tobey Maguire hosted.

Katy Perry should be interesting. Katy was a musical guest on 09.25.2010 (Amy Poehler hosted). She got her acting chops going by playing a young woman who was well endowed on Bronx Beat (Maya Rudolph cameo'd) and she cameo'd in Boogerman (a horrible use of Katy Perry in a digital short).



Katy also had a crush on Andy Samberg (mentioned it multiple times) before she ended up with Russell Brand. I'd love to see Katy and Andy do a musical digital short together!

What do you think?

Enjoy!

Andy Samberg drinks to the Blue Jeans Committee (SNL)

Sketch - The Blue Jean Committee


Jason Segel ... Marshall Haynes
Florence Welch ... patron
Jim Henson's Muppets
Paul Rudd ... patron
Fred Armisen ... J.C.
Vanessa Bayer ... patron
Abby Elliott ... patron
Bill Hader ... bartender
Taran Killam ... patron
Bobby Moynihan ... patron
Andy Samberg ... patron
Jason Sudeikis ... Little Andrew
Kenan Thompson ... Lee
Kristen Wiig ... emcee

A local band with a very local sound and set list, including "Massachusetts Afternoon," plays for a very local crowd.



Andy Samberg is right at the end, drinking. The audience gives him a cheer.

This is a normal thing Fred does. He likes to do these musical skits where he teams with the musical guest or in this case with Jason Segel, Kenan, and Jason.

The humor is mostly subtle, including shots of the audience rocking out. And Muppets!!!

Enjoy!

Andy Samberg - Vogelchecks, the Affectionate Family (SNL)

Sketch - Affectionate Family


Jason Segel ... Jacob Vogelcheck
Paul Rudd ... Austin Vogelcheck
Fred Armisen ... Mr. Vogelcheck
Vanessa Bayer ... Lucy
Bill Hader ... Dwayne Vogelcheck
Jay Pharoah ... homeless man
Andy Samberg ... Pete
Kristen Wiig ... Mrs. Vogelcheck

The Vogelchecks have no problem showing affection when their son brings home his girlfriend for Thanksgiving.



This is their fifth time with this skit.

Andy comes in as Pete, the homeless man. The food gags are too much! Hilarious! And Paul Rudd! Too much! Andy kisses the camera! Ha!

Do you like Andy's beard?

Enjoy!

Andy Samberg Seduces Women with Chess (SNL Digital Short)

Olivia Wilde and Jason Segel give cameo appearances here...

Want a new approach to picking up women? Try a classic game, such as chess, or even a staring contest.

I didn't see the Staring Contest one, but there are a few bits here, like eating glass...



I think this really goes back to a lot of the infomercial skits that were more common on In Living Color, SCTV, and 70s/80s SNL (specifically Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy were masters of the infomercial skits, where they established repeat characters with them).

What did you think?

Enjoy!

SNL Backstage: Writer's Night with Bobby Moynihan

Bobby Moynihan gives a quick look at what goes on during SNL writers' night.

This is very cool!



Basically Bobby Moynihan is a historian of SNL, and so having him "host" documentaries like this is a fantastic way for him to show off his knowledge and for him to help educate us! Awesome!

It's short and sweet, but I hope they do these backstage bits with Bobby more often! I know Fred and Marci used to do them, but I think Marci moved onto other shows and Fred has other projects (like Portlandia) to think about.

Do you want to see more videos like this of Bobby?

Enjoy!

Les Jeunes de Paris - Why can't we see it?

UPDATED: Anony found it!!!



It's definitely a Taran Killam skit. It's basically a French comedy soap opera that's mostly dancing (and all spoken in French). Pretty entertaining, but can't they create their own French music for it so that we can show it? (Because this YT version might not last long.)

Thanks Anony!

===================================

Original article here:



Has anyone seen it? Is it any good?

Why isn't it ever online? What's the deal?



Show - Les Jeunes de Paris

Emma Stone ... Juliette
Fred Armisen ... captain
Paul Brittain ... Marius
Abby Elliott ... French girl
Taran Killam ... Francois
Bobby Moynihan ... Stewart
Nasim Pedrad ... French girl
Andy Samberg ... Quasimodo
Kristen Wiig ... announcer (voice)

Andy Samberg played Quasimodo! Hilarious!

My guess is that there's a song in it that NBC doesn't have the rights to. That's why it never makes it online.

What? Lose the song! Edit it out or stop including the song in these skits! Something!!!



So "Les Jeunes de Paris" has been on SNL three times now...

10.23.2010
03.05.2011
11.12.2011

Andy's been in two of the episodes (a mime and now Quasimodo).

Kristen has always announced for it.

Emma Stone appeared as Juliette in the first episode with it, so naturally it's back for this time when she hosts.

Maybe Emma was involved when writing it, but it seems to be a writing collaboration between the newer guys, Taran, Paul, and Bobby:



Andy Samberg once played a mime:



Even the returning ladies are played by Abby and Nasim, like they're excluding the SNL legends who likely are leaving the show soon...





My confession is that I keep missing it for various reasons. Has anyone seen it?

Enjoy!

Jason Segel SNL Promo with Kristen Wiig + Florence & the Machine

Jason Segel hosts an all-new SNL 11/19 with musical guest Florence and the Machine.



Some funny bits here. Can't wait to watch SNL this weekend!

Do you anticipate any skits with Andy and Jason?

Enjoy!

Andy Samberg is a stripper in Bridal Shower (SNL)

So this is a new Emma Stone character where she's a little off.

Sketch - Bridal Shower Gifts


Emma Stone ... Wallace
Fred Armisen ... Tony
Vanessa Bayer ... Kendra
Abby Elliott ... Maria
Taran Killam ... stripper
Nasim Pedrad ... Mrs. Malone
Andy Samberg ... stripper
Kristen Wiig ... bride

A bridal shower first timer makes things awkward with her behaivor and gift choices.



Andy and Taran are the strippers. But don't get too excited. They don't get to strip. =^)

This is pretty funny. The cast mostly supports Emma's new character here, Wallace. I can see Emma coming back to host again with a character like this.

Enjoy!

Andy Samberg & Emma Stone - Technology Hump

This was an Andy-rich episode this week with 7 appearances of Andy! This often happens when/if the host is a fan of Andy Samberg (which Emma obviously is).

Show - We're Going To Make Technology Hump

Technology Hump is the authority for hot device-on-device action.

Emma Stone ... Colleen
Vanessa Bayer ... iPad
Jay Pharoah ... digital camera
Andy Samberg ... Jacob
Jason Sudeikis ... video game controller
Kristen Wiig ... Droid



Hahahaha!

Andy and Emma host this hilarious show with all sorts of tecchnology sex scenes. Hilariously wrong!

A lot of the cast lend their voices.

What was your favorite bit?

Enjoy!

Jason Segel SNL Promo with Vanessa Bayer

Jason Segel hosts an all-new SNL 11/19 with musical guest Florence and The Machine.



Holy Kowasaki! This is Vanessa Bayer's first SNL promo! Way to go in giving her a chance, but it seems this was a bit too early...

Vanessa is a little wooden in her acting here (especially the Miss Piggy line). But they're all a little wooden. Good hair joke.

They do two of the now becoming standard falling in love bits. My favorite was last week's one with Fred Armisen and Emma Stone doing close-up looks.

The Facebook version has Jason introducing it, but it has the same gags after that:



Enjoy!

Andy Samberg at Will Ferrell's Mark Twain Award show

Clickems:

http://video.pbs.org/video/2163091388

Thanks to Xtina Smith for the scoop!

The evening paid tribute to the humor and accomplishments of Will Ferrell.



From Xtina:

"Do you remember Andy went to the Mark Twain Prize event with Joanna? I hope you do.

It's the whole ceremony. I promise Andyness will be there. On the 45th minute of the whole video to be more exact (there are jokes as well :)). So go check it out!"

So you'll have to wait it out until 45 minutes, cuz there's no skipping ahead, no embed, nothing! It's PBS! But you can watch, so that's still good. =^)

SamJae adds, "i found you can skip ahead if you click in the middle of one of the bars" -- Thanks, SamJae!



Andy comes out to the "Junk in a Box" song.

There's a toilet that's still unusable at SNL.

Andy sends people to annoy Will! Hilarious!

Great PBS jokes!

And he introduces Will's supporting role in Wedding Crashers. The funeral bit. Funny stuff.

The other guests who congratulate Will include:
- Jack Black (introduced Blades of Glory)
- Conan O'Brien (introduced Late Night appearance)
- Molly Shannon (introduced SNL montage)
- Paul Rudd (introduced Anchorman)
- Ed Asner (introduced Elf)
- Tim Meadows (introduced Old School)
- Ben Stiller--no laughs!! (introduced Zoolander)
- Andy Samberg!!! (introduced Wedding Crashers)
- Matthew Broderick (introduced Producers)

...And that's where I stopped. So please leave a comment with your favorite part and anything that happened after Broderick. Thanks!

Xtina says that Andy comes back at the end of the ceremony and that Will Ferrell breaks his award! =^)

Enjoy!

Andy Samberg is Rick Santorum while Jason shoots Bill (SNL Cold Opening)

The latest Republican debate for the party's seat in the 2012 presidential race is marked by Rick Perry's inability to finish points.

Cold Opening - The Republican Presidential Debate

Fred Armisen ... John Harwood
Paul Brittain ... Ron Paul
Bill Hader ... Rick Perry
Steve Higgins ... announcer (voice)
Taran Killam ... Jon Huntsman
Bobby Moynihan ... Newt Gingrich
Nasim Pedrad ... Maria Bartiromo
Andy Samberg ... Rick Santorum
Jason Sudeikis ... Mitt Romney
Kenan Thompson ... Herman Cain
Kristen Wiig ... Michele Bachmann



Andy is freaking out a little.

Love the Mice & Men reference! Not entirely sure why they didn't really have Mitt shoot Perry.

So this skit barely covers Cain's sexual allegations (women who he supposedly unsuccessfully hit on for affairs have come forward). But then it focuses on Perry's mistake (forgetting the third government department he would close) and then beautifully turned it into a Mice & Men reference.

Interestingly they showed Romney to be the intelligent and clever one in this skit.

This is Andy's third appearance as Rick Santorum, and all three were in Republican Debate skits.

Enjoy!

Andy Samberg is Spider-Man in the Emma Stone SNL Monologue

Emma talks about her exciting year, including her lead role for the new Spider-Man film, and Andy drops in to make his pitch for the other lead.

Monologue:

Emma Stone
Andrew Garfield
Andy Samberg



Pretty funny! Andy Samberg reprises his Spider-Man jokes that he did playing the Broadway actor on Weekend Update. So instead of Andy playing the Broadway actor and appearing upside down on Weekend Update (with the flip jokes), he's playing himself auditioning for Spider-Man too late, also upside down and with the flip jokes. He also uses jokes from Kristen Dunst's appearance on SNL 10 years prior.

Technically it was 9 1/2 years ago, on 05.11.2002. That was Kirsten's only appearance on SNL. In her monologue, it was Horatio Sanz who appeared as Spider-Man. (Will Ferrell played George Bush in the Cold Open, and the skits included Jaret's Room, Dratch's Sheldon, the famous DeMarco skit audition--where Chris Kattan & Chris Parnell were the freaky dancers--with Eminem, and Tina Fey / Jimmy Fallon were doing Weekend Update.)

Enjoy!

New Andy Samberg Digital Short: Wish It Would Rain (SNL)

A heartbroken singer is desperate for some rain to fall for dramatic effect in his music video.



Amusing, and well supported by Emma Stone, Fred, Jason, and Vanessa... but it wasn't super hilarious and the voice is a little painful to listen to, which means it wouldn't make it on a CD or the radio.

What do you think?

Enjoy!

Andy Samberg in 7 Minutes in Heaven (video interview)

7 Minutes in Heaven with Mike O'Brien: Andy Samberg

Ironically, these always get edited down. This one's four and a half minutes in heaven. =^)

Thanks to xTina Smith for the scoop!



Good gags here! The "Lorne" answer made Andy laugh!

And thanks to X-Tina for the YouTube link as well:



Mike also got Andy with the d!!d0 as well! Funny stuff! That bit at the end where Andy goes down was also unexpectedly hilarious!

What was your favorite joke?

Enjoy!

Emma Stone, Cold Play, and Bill Hader (SNL Promo)

Emma hosts an all-new SNL 11/12 with musical guest Coldplay.

In an unusual twist, Bill Hader writes two jokes for Cold Play to do with Emma, and Bill gets the little smile or line at the end, thus telling you that he's in on it!



Enjoy!

I Hate You Dad / Donny's Boy - Movie Review and spoilers !!!

Oh, the spoilers! Spoilers! Spoilers!
 So look away if you don't want the story and synopsis of the whole film! Go away! Do it now!

Still here? Okay, here ya go...



So Andy Samberg's character is... Han Solo Burger???

It's a good review. Recommended by this kid.

I'll leave the spoilers to the video. This kid sat in front of Adam Sandler, Kevin James, and Nick Swardson.

Thanks to SamJae for the scoop! You rock!

Enjoy!

Did Andy Samberg and SNL steal Shy Ronnie and Like a Boss from Aleric Banks???

So I'm going to show you an article where Aleric Banks + partner are suing The Lonely Island individuals (including Andy), Universal Republic Records, and NBC/Universal.



Thanks to Anony for this scoop!

So Aleric claims SNL (and those involved) stole their music. But here's where it gets strange. Just previously they were exclaiming about their big break that they got the music on SNL and were nominated for an Emmy (for Shy Ronnie). See that here: http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=211271


Here you see that Aleric was credited and nominated for the Emmy:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1676221/awards

So what happened? Aleric got his credit. So what's the deal?

Wait, did Aleric just give it away without signing a contract???

Here's what Aleric said (in the article above), "At first it just come from me not charging no one. Like, I got a CD full of tracks, here."

And apparently he handed the tracks to Andy Samberg (and only Andy). Um, really? Did you sign a contract or anything?

Um, dude, it sounds like you just gave your music away, keeping it purposefully vague so that you could sue them later when they don't automatically pay you (why would they if they think you were giving them free music). I mean, if they thought it was free, then that might be the only reason why they even took it in the first place.

Picture this. Andy's at a party. You run up to him and scream, "Listen to my music! It's free! Take it now!" He does. He likes it. He uses it. Why does he listen to it and use it? Because you just said it's free. He wouldn't have otherwise done that.

Andy made sure Aleric got credit. Doesn't sound like a steal. Sounds like a miscommunication.

So instead of partying with Andy more and knocking on TLI's door saying, "I wrote your Emmy nominated sound track. Remember me? I've got more tracks and ideas and I want to collaborate with you. But this time, we need to do a contract? I earned it though, right? Sweet music, right?"

Instead of doing that, they slap the hand that gave them their shot and sue them??? Really? Is that a good idea (suing NBC, Universal, TLI, SNL, and Republic Records)? Do you not like working and making money? Because even if you win, no one will want to work with you (especially them).

So, what do you think? Does Aleric have a good point, or did he pretty much set up his own obstacles when he made them think that they were getting free music? Oh, and if Aleric or a friend are reading this, please leave a comment and give us more info.

Here's Shy Ronnie:



Now, here's the article about the lawsuit....
===========================



Andy Samberg's gonna need a lawyer for this rap.

The Saturday Night Live funnyman and NBC have found themselves on the receiving end of a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by a St. Louis music producing team who allege Samberg swiped their tunes to use as the basis of two of the SNL Digital Shorts he did with his Lonely Island mates.

Here's the deal.


Per the complaint filed in a federal court in New York and obtained by E! News, Aleric Banks and Monique Hinds claim they gave Samberg instrumental music masters to which he put lyrics and then exploited with his Lonely Island collaborators, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, in his Emmy-nominated 2009 sketch with Rihanna called "Shy Ronnie."

According to court docs, the comedian then allegedly used other master tracks of theirs in the SNL sketch "Like a Boss," featuring Seth Rogen.

The duo is seeking a full accounting of all the profits so they can obtain both credit and producer royalties for the use of the compositions as well as unspecified damages and court costs.

Other defendants named in the action include Schaffer, Taccone, Universal Republic Records and NBCUniversal.

A rep for the conglomerate (also the parent company for E! Entertainment) was unavailable for comment.

Read more: http://www.eonline.com/news/saturday_night_live_accused_of_stealing/273968#ixzz1dJtPLRTv

So what do you think? Does this seem pretty foolish of Aleric (you know, shooting yourself in the foot in several different ways... not making it clear that you need a contract and then suing those who gave you something awesome)?

Also, if you're Aleric or a friend, feel free to drop details in the comments and steer us to the truth.

Enjoy!

SNL - Who's next to host?

This week, Episode 708 - Emma Stone will host with Coldplay as the musical guest: November 12, 2011. This is Emma Stone's second hosting gig, with one a year (last year was her first).

Thanks to Grape Jelly (Andy Samberg), Emma Stone broke her arm (on her last hosting gig):



Next week, Episode 709 - Jason Segel will host with Florence + The Machine as the musical guest: November 19, 2011. This is Jason Segel's first time on SNL, even though his buddies Franco and Rogen are repeat hosts.

And a reminder that in December, Jimmy Fallon will host with Michael Bublé as the musical guest: December 17, 2011. They set that one up early so that Jimmy could fulfill his self-made prophecy. =^)



How Jimmy Fallon of him. This is Jimmy's first time as a host (because this is his first hit movie/TV Show after he left SNL). I love it when past alumni get to host! It's worth a shot just to see if it's entertaining (and to see if we want them back).

I could totally see Jimmy as a repeat hoster where they ask him back each year and he gets nominated for Emmys (like Tina Fey and Justin Timberlake). I hope I'm not jinxing it!!! =^)

Enjoy!

Emma Stone and Fred Armisen SNL Promo

SNL Promo: Emma Stone

Emma hosts an all-new SNL 11/12 with musical guest Coldplay.



That staring bit at the end was hilarious! The music really made that! Mad props! Turn that bad boy into a skit or digital short!!!

For the Facebook promo, rather than take do one gag that mentions Facebook, they had Jason Sudeikis intro the existing promo gags (of course, Jason has a gag of his own):



That staring gag still gets me! =^)

Any special requests for things you want to see Andy do with Emma this week? Sure a digital short, but that Jelly thing last time was kind of strange and not quite a hit. =^)

Enjoy!

Andy Samberg learns how to Get Freaky with Abby Elliott (SNL)

Show - it's Getting Freaky with Cee Lo Green!

Charlie Day ... Freakasaurus
Paul Brittain ... band member
Abby Elliott ... Jessica Arnin
Bill Hader ... Colonel Nasty
Bobby Moynihan ... band member
Jay Pharoah ... band member
Andy Samberg ... Tom Arnin
Kenan Thompson ... Cee Lo Green

Recording artist Cee Lo Green helps a couple having trouble keeping it interesting in the bedroom.



Andy plays it straight, supporting Kenan's freakiness.

Kenan has done his hit "What About That?" like crazy the last few years, so he's looking for a similar skit that also hits well with the audience.

The music and the format are VERY similar to "What About That?" Even the horn players and the crazy guests (Freakasaurus and Colonel Nasty) are similar in the randomness and weirdness.

This is Kenan's second time playing Cee Lo, but the first was a short bit in a commercial (not a dedicated show skit like this one).

What did you think? Did you like it?

I don't think it's as good as "What's Up with That?" and a little too similar.

Enjoy!

Andy Samberg gets divorced from Kim Kardashian (SNL)

Commercial - Kim's Fairytale Divorce


Charlie Day ... Ken Harris
Vanessa Bayer ... Kourtney Kardashian
Abby Elliott ... Khloé Kardashian
Bill Hader ... announcer (voice)
Taran Killam ... Bruce Jenner
Nasim Pedrad ... Kim Kardashian
Jay Pharoah ... Lamar Odom
Andy Samberg ... Kris Humphries
Kristen Wiig ... Kris Jenner

You've watched the wedding special, now get an all-access pass to Kim Kardashian's divorce from Kris Humphries.



Well Andy doesn't really say anything, but it's still funny. I think the surprise winner here is Taran Killam's Bruce Jenner impression!

Enjoy!

Andy Samberg is says "What if it had b00b$?" a LOT (SNL's Kings of Catch Phrases)

Commercial - The Original Kings Of Catchphrase Comedy Volume 2

Charlie Day ... Dirk "Jack-Knife" Cane
Adam Levine ... Adam "Hawk Attack" Levine
Fred Armisen ... Jorge "That Ain't A/This Is A" Miguel
Vanessa Bayer ... Addi "News Flash" Sweeney
Paul Brittain ... Goran "Funky Boy" Bogdan
Abby Elliott ... Fur Coat Rhonda
Bill Hader ... Rick "Watch It Or I'll S*** Your C***!" Tipenski
Taran Killam ... The Squeefy Brothers
Taran Killam ... announcer (voice)
Seth Meyers ... Boston Powers
Bobby Moynihan ... Slappy Pappy
Nasim Pedrad ... Bonnie "My Vagina" Carolina
Jay Pharoah ... Black Stewie Griffin
Andy Samberg ... Gavin "What If It Had Boobs" Speiller
Jason Sudeikis ... Chris "Who Said That" Bruss
Kenan Thompson ... David "Beef Jelly" Winfield
Kristen Wiig ... Shania "In These Shoes?" Tunt

The kings of catchphrases are back, and this time Dirk 'Jack-Knife' Cane is in the house!



Andy's got the funniest bit here. Is it me, or did he just channel Adam Sandler for this bit?

I also liked Nasim Pedrad's v@gina bit. Nice set up. And of course Black Stewie Griffin and Adam "Hawk Attack" Levine. Hahaha.

Boston Powers, Slappy Pappy, Funky Boy, News Flash, Beef Jelly, and Fur Coat Rhonda didn't have the same punch as they did last time (understandable, since it's a one-joke gag, but still I'd think they could keep them fresh somehow).

Enjoy!

Andy Samberg turns into a dolphin for sex and gave Kristen Wiig crabs (SNL's Greek gods)

Alas, there's no Digital Short this week. This is very disappointing, since we were hoping for a reunion song with Andy Samberg and Adam Levine, since their last venture was the hit "Iran So Far", and because Andy has given us three non-musical digital shorts (Stomp, V-Necks, and Drake Interviews), which suggests they might not have a strong year for musical digital shorts, and ultimately that's what people want. (Their success with musical digital shorts seems dependent on whether they made an album the previous summer; last year's shorts from the album were I Just Had Sex, The Creep, and Jack Sparrow, in addition to songs not originally intended for the album, Shy Ronnie 2 and 3-Way (Golden Rule).) So hopefully the dudes are thinking up some songs.

Anyway... let's talk about this hilarious and witty sketch...

Sketch - Greek Gods

Charlie Day ... Dionysus
Adam Levine ... Yanni
Fred Armisen ... Klaus
Vanessa Bayer ... Artemis
Paul Brittain ... Hermes
Abby Elliott ... Aphrodite
Bill Hader ... Hades
Taran Killam ... Ares
Bobby Moynihan ... Demeter
Nasim Pedrad ... Athena
Jay Pharoah ... Apollo
Andy Samberg ... Poseidon
Jason Sudeikis ... Zeus
Kenan Thompson ... Eros
Kristen Wiig ... Hera

Zeus summons the gods to figure out the financial crisis in Greece.



Andy has a large part, even though he's only one of 15 characters. Jason Sudeikis has the largest part (as Zeus), but Andy's gag comes back because he's the god who turns into a dolphin when making love.

All are on their game here. Bobby Moynihan is pretty funny as the god of harvest (I think the god of harvest should have been put on the spot more for economic responsibility), Jay Pharoah puts on some white makeup for a funny gag as Apollo, and Kristen Wiig makes a great bitter wife, who happens to have gotten crabs from making love with Andy Samberg's Poseidon.

Enjoy!

Is Andy Samberg's song parody shtick getting old and tired?

You can leave your opinion in the comments! This note comes from Stephen:

"I think this guy's schtick is * tired. Another song parody? Have you got nothing else?"

=========================

Andy's Popularity

Well, Stephen, he does a lot of other things... skits, impressions, movies (he's got an Adam Sandler movie coming up and others), he hosts events and shows, he sells hit albums that are more successful than a lot of great music out there, etc. He's been nominated for 6 Emmys, won an Emmy, and has been nominated for a Grammy.



So does he do other things? Yeah, but our society as a whole (which you're a part of) determines what's popular, and this is what we determined is the most popular.

And when we determine that we like something a lot, that affects what the artists do in the future. So you might disagree about the humor of these songs, but there are enough people who disagree with you (in the hundreds of millions) that make the songs hugely popular in every way (SNL ratings, getting them awards, performances, selling CDs, etc.).

So there will be more simply because that is what society as a whole (which you're part of) is asking for.

It's kind of like voting. You might not have voted for the winning candidate, but the majority did.

His 2011 Emmy Performance

And how can you say his shtick is tired in reference to his 2011 Emmy performance (performing Jack Sparrow, Golden Rule, and I Just Had Sex)? Did you watch the performance?

First, Andy was nominated for three Emmys for three different songs in one year. That's gotta be a record in itself.

So for their performance, they combine all three songs into one medley!

Second, Andy and TLI obviously can't get Lady Gaga and Justin Timberlake from Golden Rule together, so instead he gets three hilarious comedians (who can sing) together to dress like them and perform for them (with John Stamos playing Andy Samberg).



Third, in one of the funniest performances, they have great singers belting out the songs at the end (Michael Bolton, Akon, and Maya Rudolph), as TLI marches by with a huge sign that says "#1 Sex Champions"! They aren't even performing their own songs!

Now Akon and Bolton can say that they performed together. =^)



Add to that some strange interactions with William H. Macy and some American motif going on, and you have something so crazy and random that people are calling it the best (and even more are calling it the funniest) awards performance they've ever seen.

So is his shtick getting old? It's comedy and music, but those are the only things in common here. Other than that, they keep breaking new ground.

What do you think? There's my opinion. Is Andy Samberg's song parody shtick getting old and tired?

Enjoy!

- TAE

Charlie Day hosts SNL this week (promo with Jason Sudeikis)

Charlie hosts an all-new SNL 11/5 with musical guest Maroon 5



I liked the dead rat bit.

Enjoy!

Classic Andy Samberg - Griff Show

So when Andy Samberg was doing Internet shorts and standup comedy and working to getting into the TV business, he did Internet talk shows!

Here's one of those:



We've already posted this way back (we've been blogging about Andy Samberg since 2005), but the blog is full of fresh readers, and we wanted to pull this back out!

And thanks to X-tina for reminding us about this gem!

The context is that Craig Kilborn was doing the Daily Show (this was before John Stewart made it awesome-er), and Craig did the 5 questions (Craig took that to his own talk show).

Needless to say, you can see that Andy was hilarious, even way back when. He set up the Five Questions and acted like he never heard them before. Classic Andy.

In fact, we're starting a "Classic Andy" series of posts (with it's own label/category/tag) that will explore Andy Samberg's history before you probably knew about him.

So leave comments with other videos that you want the new fans to see! We've probably already posted them, but I don't expect you to dig through our 2,574 posts to look for them. =^)

Thanks again to X-tina for inspiring this. And...

Enjoy!

- TAE

Akiva Schaffer and Bill Hader making a Henchmen movie

Bill Hader said, "Then there is a movie, Henchman, that Akiva Schaffer and I are working on at 21 Laps. They came to us with it. That would be me and someone else – we don’t know who – basically playing two guys who realize that they are working for the villain in like a Jason Bourne movie."

From:
http://collider.com/bill-hader-henchman-vaughn-meader/79753/



Hader talked about HENCHMEN, a movie originally written by Russell Sharman, Owen Egerton, and Chris Mass. Hader is currently working with The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer to re-write the script with plans to make it for Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps Productions. Schaffer would direct and Hader would star.

Hader said, ”[21 Laps] came to us with this script that Akiva and I are now reworking… The film is about two guys who don’t realize it, but they’re two henchman for like the badguy in a ‘Bourne’ movie and then they slowly figure who that they’re working for the wrong guys”

Hader is also working on a biopic film for Ben Stiller about Vaughn Meader. Meader made it big in the 60′s parodying President Kennedy and then saw his career dissipate after JFK’s assination.

Read more about Hader's other projects here:
http://veryaware.com/2011/03/bill-hader-discusses-henchmen-and-his-vaughn-meader-biopic/

Akiva Schaffer previouly directed Hot Rod and was an Executive Producer on MacGruber. He is also directing Neighborhood Watch (Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill, and Vince Vaughn) and The Adventurer's Handbook (Jonah Hill, Jason Segel, and Jason Schwartzman).

It sounds like Ben Stiller has connected with the current SNL stars (he recently hosted and costarred with Andy Samberg in an SNL Digital Short about v-necks) and is using that to line up some great films. That will keep his career active!

Enjoy!