Blog still closed

As we announced earlier, this blog is still closed. We invited a few people to help who wanted to keep it going, but they stopped posting (last was in May).

The original creators of this blog have moved onto other projects that make more sense for us (time, money, career growth, etc.).

If you would like to post on this blog, just let us know. You can continue the blog if you'd like.

Thanks!

- TAE

Andy Samberg (as Shy Ronnie) joins Santigold on stage to perform “Fame” at Irving Plaza to celebrate Samsung’s 5million fans on Facebook

Andy Samberg and Adam Sandler on Entertainment Tonight

Andy and Adam talk about Sandler's 30 million facebook fans and high school crushes

Watch Andy Samberg and Adam Sandler's Facebook Live Chat

Watch Andy and Adam answer questions about their upcoming movie "That's My Boy" here :
http://www.facebook.com/Sandler/app_309021322501703

Andy Samberg promoting Hotel Transylvania in Cancun

Andy recently took a trip down to Mexico to promote his new film "Hotel Transylvania" hitting theaters in September.  Take a look:

Andy visits Happy Madison

You may know that Adam Sandler's production company Happy Madison is responsible for producing most of his movies including "That's My Boy" with Andy Samberg. Andy recently visited their offices to take a peek at the new poster for the movie, check it out:

Andy Samberg and Adam Sandler Facebook Chat

On April 25th Andy and Adam will be doing a live video chat with Adam Sandler's Facebook fans. If you have any questions to ask them you can post them to Adam's Facebook wall here: http://www.facebook.com/Sandler



 

Andy Samberg is Kyle the Bartender

Show - Watch What Happens: Live

Sofia Vergara ... Golnesa "GG" Gharachedaghi
Taran Killam ... Andy Cohen
Kate McKinnon ... Tabatha Coffey
Seth Meyers ... announcer (voice)
Nasim Pedrad ... Mercedes "MJ" Javid
Andy Samberg ... Kyle
Kenan Thompson ... Desmond Tutu



Andy's just on briefly.

Enjoy!

Andy Samberg is a doctor in Gilly! (SNL)

Sketch - Gilly

Sofia Vergara ... Mrs. Roberts
Abby Elliott ... Paula
Bobby Moynihan ... Liam
Nasim Pedrad ... nurse
Andy Samberg ... doctor
Kenan Thompson ... Sam Jeffers
Kristen Wiig ... Gilly

Gilly is back to her antics when her classmates try to learn during a sex education class.



Wiig tries mixing it up a little with the flashback and ending. Andy plays the doctor!

Enjoy!

Andy Samberg is Blossom on a quirky show (SNL)

Zooey welomes her best friend Drew Barrymore to talk about baby rumors, and the first quirky girl with a TV show, Fran Drescher.



Show - Bein' Quirky

Sofia Vergara ... Fran Drescher
Fred Armisen ... Joey Lawrence
Abby Elliott ... Zooey Deschanel
Taran Killam ... Michael Cera
Andy Samberg ... Mayim Bialik
Kristen Wiig ... announcer (voice)
Kristen Wiig ... Drew Barrymore



Ha! What was your favorite impression?

Enjoy!

Andy Samberg is moss - Hunger Games!!!

Show - 74th Annual Hunger Games

Sofia Vergara ... Maria Gutierrez
Fred Armisen ... Claudius Templesmith
Abby Elliott ... Katniss
Bill Hader ... Caesar Flickerman
Steve Higgins ... announcer (voice)
Taran Killam ... tribute
Nasim Pedrad ... tribute
Jay Pharoah ... Thresh
Andy Samberg ... Peeta



When The Hunger Games' field reporter files cannot contain her excitement on assignment, her dangerous habits have Katniss on alert.



Andy has a small role, but it's still pretty funny. Love the Puppy Bowl!

Enjoy!

Andy Samberg and Jason Sudeikis are Just Friends (SNL)

So this actually made it on SNL right after the monologue, which is typically one of the "top spots" on SNL.

Tired of being out with your friend and being mistakened as a gay couple? Try Just Friends booty shorts!



Enjoy!

Andy Samberg and Jason Sudeikis filming for SNL

Andy and Jason were photographed wearing bright red short shorts yesterday while filming a sketch for SNL.

Hopefully whatever this is makes the show tonight. Be sure to tune in at 11:30/ 10:30 central for the episode hosted by Sofia Vergara with musical guest One Direction.



source: http://www.people.com/people/gallery/0,,20585134,00.html#21143536

Sofia Vergara - SNL Promotions with Kenan Thompson & Jason Sudeikis

SNL Promo: Sofia Vergara - One Direction

With Kenan:



With Jason:



Did you like any of the jokes?

New SNL tonight!

Enjoy!

Flashback Friday

Ok guys, I know I haven't done one of these in a while, forgive me? This week I'm sharing Andy Samberg's first ever talk show appearance. Its on The Late Show with David Letterman and is from Andy's first season on SNL. Enjoy:

More Kate McKinnon videos

She has a great Hilary Clinton impression, so this was probably a big factor to getting on SNL...



She also has a hilariously fresh Barbara Walters impression (warning: language) which she likely pulled out for her SNL audish...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GZe1-kdkOc

This one's not bad, where she's promoing her show she did with her friend by making fun of her:



BP Spills Coffee: She's part of this spoof of oil spills that's gotten 12 million views...



Vag Magazine - So I actually think the funniest person here is that roller skater who's always smiling...



Girl's Night Out: She's just one of the screamers...



Enjoy!

Andy Samberg to Leave SNL?

Well, according to US weekly, Andy along with Kristen Wiig and Jason Sudeikis are set to leave at the end of this season. This makes sense for Andy as both Akiva and Jorma have left the show and there's nothing holding him back. His movie career is really taking off and while we will all miss his goofy humor on the show, this really is a logical step towards his future.

Source:  http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/kristen-wiig-andy-samberg-jason-sudeikis-to-leave-saturday-night-live-201244#ixzz1r6alBrCp

New Female Cast Member - Kate McKinnon

With the future of its biggest female star, Kristen Wiig, up in the air, NBC’s Saturday Night Live is moving to add reinforcements. I hear that in the past several weeks, seven comedy performers tested for SNL honcho Lorne Michaels, including the following four ladies: Kate McKinnon (The Big Gay Sketch Show), Jessica Joy (The Playboy Club), Lauren Lapkus (Are You There Chelsea) and Elaine Carroll (Very Mary-Kate). I hear one of them, UCB’s McKinnon, will make her debut on SNL‘s next show next Saturday hosted by Sofia Vergara. It is unclear if Michaels would try out more new performers this season in preparation for locking in the cast of NBC’s late-night sketch comedy series for next season. As for Bridesmaids star Wiig, whose contract is up at the end of the season, a final decision about her future on SNL will likely come in the summer.

From:
http://www.deadline.com/2012/03/saturday-night-live-to-add-female-player/

I hope she's funnier on the show than she is in this web skit:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/29/kate-mckinnon-snl-featured-player_n_1387549.html

Enjoy!

Andy Samberg's New Business Venture

As you guys might remember, I posted a video on here not to long ago of a video Andy did for Canary Hop a travel website. Well it turns out that Andy not only did a commercial for them, but is actually an investor in the site. Here's an article from CNBC:

"Andy Samberg dives into his latest venture as an investor in CanaryHop, a sort-of do-it-yourself travel site for the adventure-minded.

Samberg has not only invested in the site, he created and starred in — what else — a video that is nothing if not Sambergesque in its depicting what CanaryHop offers users. Although you may not wake up being able to speak a foreign language, throw knives with pinpoint accuracy or charm a cobra, you will most assuredly come out the other end learning something new.


Samberg joined forces with co-founders Damon Spiegel and Brand Finefrock to create a travel site that allows users to create a travel experience tailored to their level of adventure.

The website describes itself as “a marketplace for activities, tours, lessons, and experiences, and categorizes users as either Canaries — those that sign up to guide or host — and Hoppers, or travelers.

Canaries upload activities and book the trip. Hoppers search the listings to find trips that interest them. Canaries and Hoppers alike post to the blog letting readers know what is offered and how they have benefitted from participating. The site is adding trips daily, and current destinations include Vancouver, New Zealand, Bangkok and Malibu."

The video for those that haven't seen it:







http://www.cnbc.com/id/46870437?__source=tumblr&par=tumblr

Andy's New Animated Movie

So you guys might have heard that Andy was in yet another Adam Sandler move, but this time of course it's animated:




Wow, this looks so cool.For those of you that couldn't tell, Andy was the human who comes in with the giant backpack. This will also be Andy's 3rd animated move after Space Chimps and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. I wonder if Andy is going to become a staple in Adam Sandler films like David Spade and Kevin James (who also appear in this movie)? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Andy Samberg is Sarah Palin

Don't think this has been shown yet...



Sarah Palin visits Weekend Update on the night "Game Change" premiered about her vice presidential bid, only something is off this time.

Enjoy!

Let's speculate why Paul Brittain left SNL

UPDATE: Added more info around Jenny Slate, Michaela Watkins, and Casey Wilson.
============================

Speculate on why Paul left? That sounds like a good idea, right? =^)



Paul Brittain is said to have left "to explore other projects."

It sounds like he fell victim to what so many before him did. Basically, SNL is tough for featured players (and sometimes for anyone who's either black or female and who doesn't push their own stuff and get the writers to like them). Typically the featured player has to push their own skits, get a few hit characters or impressions, and slowly prove themselves to the audience and to the writers. Once the popular players leave, the writers slowly move over to the new regular players, and that's when they finally get to shine (sometimes 4 or 5 years into it). It can be very frustrating and obviously requires endurance and some sort of planning and strategy.

The first people to complain were in the 75-76 season (the very first). Garett Morris felt like the writers never wrote for him (he was right). Laraine Newman felt the same thing (also right). The only woman the writers wrote for was Gilda Radner, and it was because she had the flair that Kristen Wiig and others had. Gilda would write her own skits and slowly prove herself to the writers, who would then write for her too (the formula that Wiig, Oteri, and Poehler used). Plus Gilda was part of the National Lampoon radio show, along with Aykroyd, Chase, Belushi, and the head writer, Michael O'Donaghue. So she was already familiar with the cool kids, and they were all friends and clicked well together. (Lorne was actually accused of basically hiring out all of Lampoon, and ironically the other players from the Lampoon radio show that he didn't get were Christopher Guest, Bill Murray, and Brian-Doyle Murray, who competed on the rival show, Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell, and of course all three later joined SNL.)

The next season (75-76), Bill Murray felt it (Bill's rival Cosell show flopped after 14 episodes, and he was hired to replace Chase, who left to make movies). Bill entered the show with the writers already knowing the other players. And so he couldn't get the writers to write for him (Aykroyd wrote him in as a supporting actor, but that's all he could get), and Bill wasn't used to writing his own stuff. Finally he told Lorne that he's really funny (in a funny way) and deserves a skit of his own, and Lorne responded by telling him to do what he just did as a short monologue. He did (explaining how he's actually funny to the audience), which warmed the fans to him and got the writers on his side more.
In the 80-81 season, Gilbert Gottfried complained that no one wrote for him.

Fast forward to 85-86, when Damon Wayans was frustrated that he didn't get his own skits (no one was writing for him, and he only got a small handful of his own  skits through), so he made a skit about him (playing a gay cop), which got him fired. And of course, Damon went to his brother Keenan Ivory, and In Living Color was born (and the careers of Damon, Keenan Ivory, Jim Carrey, Tommy Davidson, Jamie Foxx, David Alan Grier, Marlon and Shawn, Jennifer Lopez, and Rosie Perez).

In 88-89, Ben Stiller joined the show but didn't last long. He had trouble getting his skits through, so he left and later started his own show (Ben Stiller Show).

Later in 90-91, Chris Rock started his SNL career, which he later called very frustrating. No one wrote for him, and when he wrote for himself, he had to write himself as a stereotype in order to get any skits through. He left at the end of the 92-93 season and went to work at In Living Color as an occasional guest player instead. He said he felt a lot more freedom on In Living Color, but one thing he liked about SNL is that the original writers were given credit and ownership/authority with their skits. On In Living Color, they might decide to do your skit without you if you're not around.

In 93-94, Janeane Garofalo started and then left mid season (they started her out as a regular player). The reason is that she was frustrated with all the sexual skits and immature skits on the show then (which was led by Sandler, Farley, Spade, and Sandler's friends, who were writers, and who went on to become writers on Sandler's films now). Her biggest frustration was with Sandler. Basically, when she was written into a skit, it was never a skit she wanted to be in.

Jay Mohr started in 93-94. After being a featured player for two seasons, he wanted a bump up to a regular player. When told that he would be a featured player again (right before his third season would start), he walked out and quit. Read Jay Mohr's book, Gasping for Air Time. In there, Jay talks about how hard it is to fight for air time (you have to get the writers to write for you, or you have to write and push your own stuff... and still get the writers to collaborate with you).

In 03-04, Finesse Mitchell started. He's an incredibly funny comedian, and he managed to become a regular player two years later, but it was also his last season... he felt like he wasn't being written for, and he couldn't compete with all the new players pushing their skit ideas.

In 09-10, Jenny Slate had her only season. Jenny's online videos are hilarious. But she got almost nothing of hers on the show... no one wrote for her and the reason that her online skits are hilarious is half because of her writing partner, who was not writing for SNL.

And that brings us to Paul Brittain who left in the middle of his second season in 2012. Why did he leave? Most likely because he had a tough time getting his skits to air, and again no one is writing for him. But to be fair, no one is writing for any of the featured players. They're focusing on the established players. So the trick is for the featured players to get their own skits in themselves and slowly build trust in their abilities to the writers and to the audience.

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

More about Jenny Slate and the ladies who left SNL (Casey Wilson, Michaela Watkins, and Jenny Slate)...

The F-Bomb wasn't the issue why Jenny Slate left SNL. If it was, she would have been fired right after that, not at the end of the season (the F-Bomb was at the very beginning). Besides that, Cheri Oteri survived after slipping out an F-Bomb (she put a dollar in the Swear Jar during the goodbyes). So that's not the issue.

The biggest thing that F-Bomb did was shatter Jenny's confidence to push her skits in the meetings and get air time.

Sure the F-Bomb got people fired in the past, but that was because they did it on purpose, weren't humble, and didn't apologize to the producers immediately... both Jenny and Cheri did that (which is why Jenny was kept on for the rest of that season).

Jay Mohr wrote a book about SNL called Gasping for Air Time. Getting air time is a huge struggle (Finesse Mitchell wrote about his struggles with it in an interview, even after he was a regular player... the newbies like Bill, Jason, Andy, and Kristen were making bigger collaborations with the writers than he was), and if you're not an A-type who's fighting for air time (in a good natured and collaborative way), you don't win it. Jenny had that enthusiasm when she started the season, but after the F-Bomb, it was gone.

Read up on some more of the history here:
http://andysamberg.blogspot.com/2009/09/snl-fires-casey-wilson-michaela-watkins.html

And Michaela and Casey also were separate issues. The bigger issue there was that Lorne had just lost a series of A+ women on the show (Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler)... and then he just had Kristen Wiig. He was trying to build out more women who could work up to become the A+ role.
Casey didn't have it in her. Michaela was funny, but she overlapped with Kristen Wiig and didn't bring enough "new" to the table (although Lorne was right that she could hold her own show).

On the same season that they brought in Michaela (08-09), they also brought in Abby Elliott. Abby works great for the show. A few funny characters and she nails hilarious female impressions. That was the mix Lorne was looking for. Abby stayed.

Next was Jenny and Nasim (09-10). Again, Nasim nails the characters and the impressions (her Kim K is super popular). Jenny Slate didn't get the characters and impressions out there (no one wrote for her, and after the F-Bomb, the only thing she wrote and pushed for herself were her hilarious Tina commercials). Nasim had to earn her right to get air time and to be considered funny. It really does go back to Jay Mohr's book, Gasping for Air Time.

So it's not really about clearing the plate of all the women (because Lorne kept Abby when he let go Michaela and kept Nasim when he let go Jenny; Abby and Nasim met the need he was looking for), and it's not about the F-Bomb. It was about getting your stuff on the air and proving to the world that you're funny. Jenny's online stuff is hilarious, and it proves that. But that never translated onto SNL.

Enjoy!

- TAE

Upcoming SNL Hosts

"Spring is finally, officially here and what could be a better way to celebrate than to announce our April hosts and musical guests!! Coming up on April 7th, we've got two SNL newbies: hosting duties fall to the lovely Sofia Vergara from "Modern Family" while the musical guest is British pop sensation, One Direction (cue teen girl screams.) And keeping it going, on April 14th Josh Brolin returns for his second time hosting, joined by musical guest, Gotye. April is going to be so much fun!!"

From: http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/backstage/backstage/april-hosts-announced/index.shtml

Andy Samberg for Canary Hop

Attached is a link with a short video (it didn't have an embed code) of an ad Andy did for a travel website called Canary Hop. You should definitely check it out, it's pretty funny.

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2012/03/andy-samberg-loses-memory-charms-snake-video-canaryhop

Who's been nominated for an Emmy for hosting SNL?

Alright, if I didn't do it earlier, I'm going to do it now. I'm predicting that Jimmy Fallon's SNL episode will get him a nomination for best guest actor on a comedy series. Last season, Justin Timberlake (won), Zach Galifianakis, and Tina Fey were nominated for that (I was disappointed that Jim Carrey wasn't, because he was so funny).

This year I'm predicting that Jimmy Fallon will be nominated. I'm also predicting that Melissa McCarthy will be nominated this year (for Guest Actress). Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Betty White, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Timberlake all also have a shot if they host this season.

Here's the list of hosts nominated for Emmys:

2010-11
- Justin Timberlake (won)
- Zach Galifianakis
- Tina Fey

2009-10
- Betty White (won)
- Tina Fey

2008-09
- Justin Timberlake (won)
- Tina Fey (won - for guesting as Sarah Palin)


That's it. It's a relatively new concept, but JT has won it twice. Tina Fey's been nominated three years in a row for it.

Enjoy!

Tennis Balls Digital Short

Hey guys! Sorry I was gone for a while, it was my Spring Break week, but I'm baaaaaaack!

And I brought with me last week's digital short, "Tennis Balls":

OMG! I loved this! I'm so happy, too, because this is the first GOOD digital short we've seen in a LONG time. Great job, Andy!

New Picture from "That's My Boy"

So it looks like Andy's character finally does get to ride a bike. He looks so precious on his little pink bike with his little pink helmet.

More photos of Andy Samberg & Joanna Newsom - Mark Twain Awards

Thanks to X-tina Smith for this scoop...





So here are more photos of Andy and Joanna together at the awards show from last year (our last siting of Andy and Joanna together).

Do you love the words on them in this picture? Check it out (actually Joanna looks very beautiful here)...

Akiva Schaffer Edits "Neighborhood Watch"

Yesterday, The Lonely Island tweeted:

"Inside the "Neighborhood Watch" editing room! Kiv may or may not be hung over: twitpic.com/8u56rj"

Aw, I've missed seeing pics of Kiv! He does look kinda hungover, or maybe just tired from all the editing...

Not much for Andy news, other than lots of blogs reviewing the trailer for "That's My Boy", but most of the speculation is on Adam Sandler, so we won't worry about that for now!

Flashback Friday

Hey, guys this week for Flashback Friday I'm posting The Lonely Island's pilot sketch show for Fox "Awesometown". For those of you that haven't seen it, it's a 19 minute long show that runs much the same as SNL. It's writen by and stars the dudes, and includes some special appearances by Jack Black, Kal Penn, Chester, and Sarah Chalke. Enjoy :)

New "That's My Boy" Trailer & Kony2012

Another poster and trailer for "That's My Boy" are out!

Get More: James Caan, Andy Samberg, Adam Sandler, Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

I'm going to LOVE this movie!!

In other news, TLI tweeted yesterday about a video that has been spreading across the internet the past 2 days and really needs to be seen:

"@Invisible Make Kony famous:vimeo.com/37119711 #Kony2012"

Here is the video to the link they posted:

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

So help spread the word about Kony 2012! If TLI cares, you sure as hell should too! :)

10 Things You Didn't Know About Saturday Night Live

UPDATE: Added background info for #8 at the bottom...
===========================

Okay, so it's impossible for me to guarantee that you didn't know these 1o things, but I will say that you PROBABLY didn't know about them. =^)

1. When Richard Pryor hosted, they aired the episode on a 7-second delay. They didn't trust his potty mouth.

2. John Belushi injured a host (Buck Henry) during a Samurai sketch (he hit him with the sword).

2. During Bill Murray's first season (the second season of SNL), Bill Murray gave a personal appeal to the audience, saying that he wasn't funny on the show, and asked people to feel sorry for him and laugh (a bit that he wrote with Lorne Michaels when they realized that his humor wasn't coming across on the show). 

3. Lorne left at the end of the 79-80 season and was then re-hired in the 85-86 season. They hired him back because Dick Ebersol was leaving (Ebersol rode Eddie Murphy's success and then when Murphy and Piscopo left, he followed it up with one successful season of Martin Short and Billy Crystal; Ebersol left because he demanded that the show wasn't live anymore, because of how difficult it was... the producers refused and so he left). When Lorne got hired back, he decided to start from scratch and let the entire cast go (including Crystal and Short). Bonus bit: Billy Crystal got nixed from the first SNL episode back in 75 (he was a guest). His bit was too long, and his agent insisted that they couldn't cut the length. So Lorne cut the act. (So Lorne cut Crystal twice, but the first time made a lot more sense... he just couldn't fit the long bit in.)

4. SNL asked to vote whether or not to stop bringing Andy Kaufman onto the show. The audience voted against Andy (his wrestling act turned him into a villain).

5. At the end of the 1985 season (which didn't go so well), Lorne pleads for another season (another chance), and he ends the season with an episode where Billy Martin gets fired and sets fire to the stage, apparently killing some of the cast. Lorne rushes Jon Lovitz out of there, who is his star cast member. Behind the scenes, Jon was the only one that the producers and executives agreed had to come back. Dennis Miller and Nora Dunn also returned, but everyone else was cast fresh. This was actually not too far from Lorne's original plan. He hoped to bring in movie talent to get people to watch in 1985, and then he planned to phase them out and carry forward the fresh comedian talent. This was the beginning of a new system Lorne developed where he would carry forward the fresh talent, cut the talent that wasn't working out and work to redefine the show every few years with new talent. (Sure that sounds like common sense, but this was the first time anyone on SNL had pulled it off. There have been no reboots since then; just a natural ebb and flow of new talent added to the existing cast, which is why Lorne collects a lot of players when he foresees a potential mass exit, which is why he has a lot of fresh talent this year.)

6. After being fired from Lorne (during his first season, in 85-86), Damon Wayans came back onto the show (last show of the same season) to do a standup monologue.

7. Ben Stiller appeared on the show and left. He later developed his Emmy-winning Ben Stiller Show.

8. Jeannine Garofolao was talked into joining the show, but she immediately had creative differences and frustrations with Adam Sandler and his friends.

===

And some more background info about #8...

It's not a rumor. Sandler and Garofalo have been quoted in several books and magazines to support this.

In the DVD, "Funny People", Judd and Adam are hanging out more-so with Ben Stiller (I'm pretty sure Garofalo isn't in it, but she might be seen a little since they're producing the Ben Stiller Show, and she's in it). That is from 92-93 after Stiller got frustrated with SNL and left (after only a few episodes). (The frustration with SNL is that you have to do your time for a few years and build your audience when you can before you're on the top and can experiment more and do what you want more.)

So Stiller didn't have the patience for that, he left, and he started his Emmy winning show (Ben Stiller Show), which was also worked on by Judd and Garofalo. So the clip from Funny People was while Stiller and Judd were making that show. (It actually took Sandler longer than Farley and Rob Schneider to become a regular player because he didn't strike as quickly with memorable characters.)

Garofalo didn't really start being frustrated with Sandler until 94-95 when she joined SNL. By then Sandler and crew were on the top of the show, doing whatever they wanted, and she was entering into that world. What that meant is that she was being written into these sexual immature skits constantly and she saw it as too low-brow humor (it was very low-brow when Sandler, Farley, and Spade were on top). And they pretty much had a team of writers supporting them with their style of humor (the team now writes and produces for Sandler's films).

So Garofalo's frustration was with all the writers and the main immature actors on SNL (Sandler was at the top; she had the most arguments with him, but all of them frustrated her). She didn't want to be part of it, and so she left during her first season (only 14 episodes). It wasn't long (the end of the same 94-95 season) before the studio producers (one level above Lorne and his crew) got frustrated with it too and let both Sandler and Farley go at the end of the same season (even though Sandler and Farley were the most popular players and still had time on their contracts). (Rob had already left to try to get into films; they kept Spade on for one more season.)

Enjoy!

- TAE

Joanna Newsom is looking foxy (and Andy Samberg's pretty studly)

Andy and Joanna (09/12/2011)



Look at Andy's tie! Now follow it down! Ha!

Thanks to X-tina Smith for the photo!

Joanna looks pretty cute here, right?

Enjoy!

This Week's Digital Short

So FINALLY, Andy has released a long-awaited SNL Digital Short:

I think this had about the same amount of humor as the last one did. ("Convolted Jerry" http://www.hulu.com/watch/317027/saturday-night-live-digital-short-convoluted-jerry#s-p1-sr-i4).

Not exactly hilarious, but I am glad to see Andy hasn't completely given up on the shorts. Still, if the whole TLI group were working on them instead of just Andy, they would be just as funny as they had been in previous SNL seasons. Let's hope TLI gets together for at least one more DS this season!

Link to watch the Secret Policeman's Ball Live

Ok guys, by clicking on this link, you can watch The Secret Policeman's ball live at 7pm eastern time today (3-4-12) Andy and some other SNL cast members including Seth Meyers, Jason Sudeikis, Bill Hader, Bobby Moynihan, Fred Armisen, Taran Killam, Jay Pharoah, and Kristin Wiig are set to be there so tune in!

Link:
http://www.epixhd.com/the-secret-policemans-ball/

Andy's Sketches from Saturday

Lindsay Lohan was the host this week, and Andy was in quite a few sketches.

First Andy started off as Kid Rock in the cold open :



Next, Andy plays a Psychic host for the Psychic awards show :




Then Andy plays what appears to be the only male member in a girls gang :





After that we have what was probably my favorite sketch of the night, scared straight where once again Andy plays the ring leader in a gang of 3 friends. I love how they're laughing so hard the can't even get their lines out at the end.




And finally, we have Samberg playing Buddha in "Rude Buddha":




There was also a digital short about a couple singing with a giant Afro for a wedding invitation, but i'm still working on finding video for it.

---

Overall I think last nights episode was very good. There was quite a lot of Andy, and that always makes me happy. So far I think this season is great, and I can't wait to see what's in store next week with Jonah Hill.

New SNL Promo

Here's a new SNL promo for tomorrow (9/3/11) night's show with Lindsay Lohan as host





I'm not gonna lie, kinda enjoying Andy's scruff here, also he looks really well put together with his new hair cut and glasses. Our little Andy is moving up in the world.
Also that was a pretty boss secret handshake.

Flashback Friday

Sorry I'm a little late on this one guys but here ya go, have some nice classic Lonely Island. This one's called News Getters and involves Akiva's suspicion that Jorma's gay, and how he intends to prove it.

"That's My Boy" Trailer

YAAAAAY! It's FINALLY here, guys!

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

WOW, this movie looks VERY rated R. But also very funny! I cannot wait to see it, this is probably be the biggest movie Andy has done so far, and maybe the biggest he will ever do. In other words, it's BIG.

Also thanks to X-tina for the link: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1680209/thats-my-boy-red-band-nsfw-trailer.jhtml

Akiva Schaffer's "Neighborhood Watch"

Part of the "Neighborhood Watch" movie poster:

See full version here (it was WAY too big):

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1587000832/tt1298649

Joni posted today on TLI's website:

"Here's a first look at the movie Akiva is working on! It's got Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade, and about a million other hilarious people. It was written by Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg and Akiva directed it. It doesn't come out until this summer (July 27th), but you can check out the poster and the teaser trailer."

Here is the link for the trailer: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3262685465/

I don't know about you guys, but after watching that and trying to stifle my bursts of laughter, I'm pretty dang excited about this movie. Although Akiva is not in the actual movie, I do believe they said sometime that Jorma will be making a short cameo somewhere in it.

Here are some more pictures to get a feel of how amazing this movie will be:

Yet another movie to look forward to! (Wow, that's about 6 or 7 Andy/TLI-related movies, huh?)

New Andy Samberg Movie

" In a seven-figure preemptive deal, Sony Pictures is collaborating with Ryan Murphy on One Hit Wonders, a musical comedy pitch that will be written as a star vehicle for Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, Cameron Diaz, Beyonce and Andy Samberg.

Murphy is attached to direct, and he will write the script with his Gleecohorts Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. Murphy will produce with Paltrow (who has practically become aGlee cast member) and the latter makes her debut as a producer on this film. Murphy hopes to direct it after he completes The Normal Heart.

Paltrow, Witherspoon and Diaz will play three singers who each scored a top hit song in the 1990s before watching their careers go down the drain. They decide to form a super group. Samberg and his Lonely Island cohorts will be involved in generating music for the film, I’m told. The project came out of a dinner Murphy had at the Soho House with Paltrow, Diaz and Witherspoon. They wanted to do something fun together and kicked around ideas until they settled on One Hit Wonders. Murphy, who made Eat Pray Love with Sony Pictures chief Amy Pascal, took the pitch to her. Pascal bought it 10 minutes in. They are working the deals right now. Murphy previously made a big deal with Sony for a follow-up picture he’ll direct with Julia Roberts starring. Sony’s Elizabeth Cantillon and Hannah Minghella will steer the project."

http://www.deadline.com/2012/02/ryan-murphy-plans-one-hit-wonders-with-gwyneth-paltrow-reese-witherspoon-cameron-diaz-beyonce-and-andy-samberg/

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For those of you that don't know Ryan Murphy is the executive producer for Glee, NipTuck, and the director of Eat Pray Love. So yea, this movie is gonna be huge. And holy geez Andy has been doing tons of movies this past year! This is amazing news for his career. 

Celeste and Jesse Forever Q&A

Ha! I've missed Andy's comic relief, even while answering questions about a "serious" film!

According to Examiner.com:

"After a sold-out premiere of Celeste and Jesse Forever at the Sundance Film Festival, Rashida Jones (Celeste and Co-Writer), Andy Samberg (Jesse), Elijah Wood (Celeste’s boss), Will McCormack (Co-Writer), Lee Nelson (Producer) and Lee Toland Krieger (Director) made the audience laugh-out-loud during the Q and A. Celeste and Jesse are a “seemingly perfect couple,” who fell in love in high school and finish each other’s sentences. Until (of course there is a but in every movie), wait for it,….their career goals collide and these Best Friends Forever decide to get divorced.

Even though Andy Samberg shared that he just “did it for the paycheck,” you can tell he’s really into his laid-back character who’s trying to make something out of his life in this comedic drama. When Celeste and Jesse try to find their way out of marriage after being so close for years, it hits home with many people.

When asked about their emotional reaction to different scenes in the movie, Rashida Jones confessed,

'I pretty much cried for the entire shoot of the movie, but I would say probably the fight scene that we have on the street there. For whatever reason, all the fights I’ve ever had with people that I’ve loved in my life all came bubbling up.'

Andy added, 'For me, it wasn’t any single scene or moment,...it was more just the premise,…that for a while now in this country most people will have a very long and meaningful relationship before they end up with the person that they marry, and I’ve definitely had that, and almost everyone I know has had that, and sort of the pain and beauty of that to me was a story that I’d never seen told in a specific way, and I found it personally very interesting.'"

Read more at: http://www.examiner.com/digital-entertainment-in-national/sundance-2012-rashida-jones-and-andy-samberg-q-a-at-celeste-and-jesse-forever

This looks like a wonderful movie. I know I've said it before, but I am SO PSYCHED to see it! How about you guys?

Sneak Peek of "That's My Boy"

In this short clip from "That's My Boy" we get to see what Andy Samberg's character's father (played by Adam Sandler) is going to be like.



It appears that Andy might actually be playing the straight man in this movie to Adam Sandler's crazy father character. From what I've heard about this move, pretty soon after this scene Sandler's character goes to move in with Andy's character, who is a successful business man, in order to get money to pay off his debts.

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This looks like it's going to be a pretty good move to me, what do you guys think?

Hey guys, I was thinking about doing a thing on here called Flashback Friday where every Friday I post an old Andy video. This week I'm gonna post my favorite pre snl Lonely Island video KaBlamo:



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Let me know what you guys think about doing one of these every week :)

Secret Policeman's Ball

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Andy (along with a bunch of SNL pals) will attend the Secret Policeman's Ball in March.

"Epix, the premium TV venture of Viacom, Lionsgate and MGM, said Thursday that it will be the exclusive U.S. broadcaster of Amnesty International’s star-studded Secret Policeman’s Ball next month.

The comedy and music event will be held at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on March 4... the broadcast deal is seen as helping human rights organization Amnesty drive awareness among a younger generation.

Amnesty previously said that performers at this year's event will include Coldplay, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Russell Brand, Mumford & Sons and Reggie Watts.

New performers added to the show include comedians Seth Meyers, Jason Sudeikis, Kristen Wiig, John Oliver, Andy Samberg, Sarah Silverman, Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Bob Odenkirk, David Cross, Rashida Jones, Hannibal Buress and Statler & Waldorf from The Muppets. Added British comics include Noel Fielding, Micky Flanagan, Peter Serafinowicz and Jack Whitehall.

'Amnesty International is thrilled that so many top comedians, musicians and entertainers will sound off for free speech at The Secret Policeman’s Ball by using the power of speech itself to challenge and resist those who would constrain it,' said Suzanne Nossel, Amnesty International USA’s new executive director. 'On March 4, we will stand with bloggers in Egypt, China and Azerbaijan, a writer in Cameroon, Burmese comedian Zarganar, who was sentenced to 35 years in prison for mocking his government, and countless others facing punishment for writing and saying what they think.'"

Sounds like fun! Read more at: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/epix-amnesty-international-secret-policemans-ball-seth-meyers-kristen-wiig-jason-sudeikis-andy-samberg-292010

I wonder what Andy will do, and whether or not Jorma, Akiva, or Joanna will accompany him. Hmmm...

Andy's SNL Skits (02-18-12)

First up, we have Amy Poehler's and Maya Rudolph's reoccurring sketch, "Bronx Beat". Andy comes on around 4:30 minutes, along with Justin Timberlake!! (I'm sure everyone is familiar with Andy's and Justin's famous D-in-a-Box Digital Shorts).

Wow, their accents are hilarious! LOVE IT!

Andy's next skit was "Jay-Z and Beyonce's Baby", in which Andy played the "white butler" (teehee). Justin was also in this one as Bon Iver.

Of course, it isn't SNL if there's not a special President's Day episode of "What's Up With That?" starring Kenan Thompson. Oh, Andy and his USA-themed boxers!

What a strange skit... funny, though!

Hope you enjoyed Andy in the latest SNL episode! I did, although I really wished for a Digital Short this week - I mean, they had Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler, AND Justin Timberlake. It was a total missed opportunity! Oh well, maybe next week.

Joanna Newsom in "Portlandia"

Sorry guys, there won't be much Andy news until tomorrow (after SNL), but at least we can talk about Andy's girlfriend of 4 years, Joanna Newsom!

Joanna appeared in the "Portlandia" episode "Motorcycle" that apparently aired yesterday. The show "Portlandia" was created by and co-stars SNL cast member Fred Armisen (Andy was in the show's season premier, "Mixology") In this clip, Joanna is playing her harp with a bunch of hippie friends when the show's two main stars, Fred and Carrie, show up to enjoy the music and later agree to giving Joanna and her harp a ride.

Haha! Joanna's poor harp! Ooh, she looks pissed...!

The video clip and an article on Joanna's appearance can also be found here:

http://www.ifc.com/shows/portlandia/blog/2012/02/joanna-newsom-comes-to-portlandia

That's all for today!

Andy Samberg to attend the Secret Policeman's Ball

"Noel Fielding, Micky Flanagan, Peter Serafinowicz and Jack Whitehall have joined the line-up of Amnesty International’s high-profile Secret Policeman’s Ball, it has been announced.

They will appear as part of a stellar cast of transatlantic talent at the celebrated gala, which is taking place in New York for the first time.

Russell Brand, Coldplay, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Mumford & Sons, and Reggie Watts had previously been announced.

But now the most of the comedy line-up has been revealed, with the British acts joining Fred Armisen, Hannibal Buress, David Cross, Bill Hader, Rashida Jones, Seth Meyers, Bob Odenkirk, Andy Samberg, Statler & Waldorf from The Muppets, Jason Sudeikis and Kristen Wiig.

More names will follow – including the winner of the World’s Shortest Gig competition, which will give a new British act 15 seconds of fame on the New York stage.

The March 4 event will be screened on Channel 4 a few days later."

Read more: http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2012/02/16/14858/you_shall_go_to_the_ball#ixzz1mbdSXfsM



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So it looks like Andy will be attending this, and possibly preforming along with other SNL cast members, I'm not quite sure seeing as this article does not go into details.

Andy's SNL Promo w/ Maya Rudolph

Hey guys! This Saturday, SNL alum Maya Rudolph is hosting the show, and Andy did the promos with her, YAY!

If the video doesn't work for you, you can also find it here:

http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/02/16/maya-rudolphs-saturday-night-live-promo-complete-with-salmon-sharks-and-sunglasses-watch-it-here/

BTW X-tina Smith, I found the article that goes along with the picture you asked about:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/02/draft-grammy-comedy-awards.html

Not sure the date of the picture, though...

Get psyched for SNL this week!!

Jorma and Akiva at Post-Grammy Party

We haven't seen what the other two members of The Lonely Island, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, have been up to in quite a while! It seems that on Sunday night, Jorm and Kiv hung out with celebs like Skylar Grey, ?uestlove and DJ Cassidy.

LOL, I love them! Glad to see them still going to events, even if they are not accompanied by Andy. (For more info on the party: http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/branding/photos-uestlove-and-dj-cassidy-spin-for-1006183562.story)

Now for some older TLI news:

As most of you already know, TLI teamed up with PepsiCo and put on a Doritos commercial contest for the Super Bowl. Originally, the plan was to have 5 total contenders, one of which being TLI and the other four were to be chosen by PepsiCo based on who had the best commercial. Those final 5 would compete against each other until one finalist was chosen to win 1. $1 to be donated to a charity of their choice, 2. Their commercial to be shown throughout the Super Bowl, and 3. They would get to work with TLI on a project (not sure what kind). However, TLI decided to drop out of the contest and gave up their spot to another consumer or group for the chance to win the said prizes. Of course, they will still work with the winner on the project, but many people were disappointed when the news came out that we would not get a TLI-made Doritos commercial. Not only that, but they also gave up the chance to win $1 for a charity. Well, I have some good news here!

http://www.bhsjacket.com/news/lonely_island_donates_250k_busd

This report explains that because TLI gave up their spot to a second winner, PepsiCo decided to donate $250,000 to the charity of their choice anyway. Guess what they picked? None other than the Berkeley Unified School District, the very school system that Andy, Jorma and Akiva all met at and went through together as kids. Personally, I love that they decided to give back to the school district that initially allowed them to find each other and grow up together. I mean, it's so sweet! :)

So I'm going to try to post an average of every other day at least, but please forgive me if I don't have time to! (Last week was kinda busy for me).

All of Andy's sketches from SNL last night:


In this "Victorian Ladys" sketch Andy plays a "self proclaimed mud king"


In this parody of "Piers Morgan Tonight" Andy hilariously  portrays Madona's tight rope walker during the Super Bowl




Pretty self explanatory, Andy and Zoey make technology hump.


Andy is a guest at this party, and everyone's just hungry for some crab



Another french dancing sketch, this time featuring french actor  Jean Dujardin



And finally "Get in the Cage" featuring the man himself Nicolas Cage



Overall, Andy had a great episode appearing in the majority of the sketches aired.

So, If you lot were watching SNL you might have noticed the "GET IN THE CAGE" segment on Weekend Update had a certain guest star...

The video won't be up on NBC or Hulu until tomorrow, so for now enjoy this glorious, glorious picture.

Hey guys, my name is Rachel, and I will also be helping to run this blog :) I hope to update often. As always if I miss anything be sure to let me know in the comments :)
-Rachel

"That's My Boy" Teaser Poster

AAAHHHHH!! Can you believe it?? Andy's gonna be on the big screen with Adam Sandler in 4 months! Although they could have added much more to this poster (hello, a pic of Andy?), it is still awesome to know that this is the real deal.

Not much for Andy news today, since his recent activities have all been pretty much summed up by the last post. But that's OK, Andy will probably do something hilarious on tonight's SNL with Zooey Deschanel (the musical guest is Karmin, a pop music duo who got their starting popularity from YouTube, just like TLI!). This could be a Digital Short episode!

Andy Samberg Blog is BACK!

WOW! This blog is WAY overdue for an update. Since The Animation Empire is leaving this blog, I (SamJae) have volunteered to post every so often, if not every day (I will try my best). In the meantime, here's finally some Andy news! :D

Andy Samberg has had a crazy time in the last month! To start with, his movie "Celeste and Jesse Forever" premiered at Sundance last month. For anyone who has not heard about it, "Celeste and Jesse Forever" is a romantic comedy/drama starring Andy and Rashida Jones. With Andy playing Jesse and Rashida as Celeste, the movie is said to be about a couple who met in high school, married soon afterwards, but decided to get a divorce while trying to remain friends. Of all the reviews about the premier I've read, this movie is bound to move many of the audience to tears. As Rashida said in an interview, the movie is about "how to really break up with someone", so it's not the old school romantic dramedy most people are used to, which is a relief! Anyway, here are some links to videos of Andy during the Sundance Film Festival:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/01/andy-samberg-gets-silly-at-sundance/

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677675/andy-samberg-defends-lana-del-ray-snl.jhtml

And a review:

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2012/01/celeste-and-jesse-forever/

Moving on, Andy worked on yet another movie that first premiered a few months ago (he had a crazy movie-filming summer). In this one, he co-stars with *GASP* Adam Sandler, who is one of Andy's all-time biggest heroes! The movie's title, which had previously been changed 3 times before being settled on, is "That's My Boy", and the official release date is in June. Andy plays the Adam Sandler's character (Donny)'s son, Han Solo Burger.... Yeah. In the movie, Andy's dad had fathered him when he was still in middle school, and the mother was his teacher (played by Susan Sarandon, who coincidentally played Andy's mother in the "Motherlover" and "3-way" digital shorts alongside Justin Timberlake, remember??). Adam Sandler's character can't take care of his kid since he himself was just a kid, so Han Solo Burger was taken into foster care. The movie flashes forward 25 or so years later to when Andy's character has become successful in whatever he ended up doing, he is rich, and is getting ready to marry is fiance, played by Leighton Meester. Donny, having lived the rest of his life barely getting by, finds out his long-lost son is rich, and shows up right before the wedding in search of money. That's about all I know about this film!

Anyway, Andy and Adam Sandler showed up on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Sunday after the Superbowl to talk about the movie. There are three parts to the interview, two being on the first link, and the last on the second (enjoy!):

http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Jimmy-Fallon-Adam-Sandler-Andy-Samberg-Impersonate-One-Another-Late-Night-39289.html

http://www.hulu.com/watch/326569/late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-keg-stand-with-adam-sandler-and-andy-samberg#s-p4-sr-i1

Aaaaand last but not least for today's post, there has been some last-minute change up about yet another Andy movie, "Hotel Transylvania". This is an animated film that is currently being worked on, and also stars Adam Sandler, if you can believe it. For the last few months, the creators were talking about how Miley Cyrus will be playing the part of Andy's love interest in the film, but it seems something else is up their sleeves now: Selena Gomez has replaced Miley! Not much of a difference, considering both are WAY too young to play Andy's love interest in a non-animated film, they have both been Disney Chanel stars, and everyone in the world either REALLY hates them, or REALLY loves them. Personally, they don't concern me too much, but if either one is going to be in a movie with Andy, all I care about is that the bring their A-game!

Here's the link to the review of Selena Gomez:

http://www.eonline.com/news/marc_malkin/selena_gomez_replaces_miley_cyrus_in/293049

That's it for today. A long, boring post, I know, but since TAE left without warning and all for a whole month, it was kinda necessary. I will try my best to post as often as possible, but until then, please enjoy the fact that the Andy Samberg Blog is NOT dying!!

Do you want to post on this site?

Thanks everyone! We had to give this up because we had other projects that were more fun for us and were more successful.

If anyone wants to blog on here, please send us an email. We can have you make a little money doing it, and eventually we can transition you into making more money on the blog.

Email: theanimationempire at yahoo

Thanks!

Andy Samberg to appear on Portlandia Season 2 (photo)

As SamJae said, "pink v-neck?? he must be playing another gay guy lol!"

Yeah, Andy does that a lot, doesn't he? =^)



Andy Samberg is among the guest stars appearing in season 2 of "Portlandia," coming to IFC in January, 2012.

Johnny Marr strums his way to "Portlandia": Speaking of guest stars, the reported famous faces expected to turn up in season 2 of "Portlandia" include Kristen Wiig, Amber Tamblyn, Jack McBrayer, Tim Robbins, Andy Samberg and Penny Marshall, in addition to Kyle MacLachlan, reprising his role as a fictional Portland mayor. Now comes word that Johnny Marr, beloved by Smiths fans for his guitar wizardry, will also appear.

Here's a video overview preview of season 2:



From:
http://www.oregonlive.com/movies/index.ssf/2011/11/tv_talk_glee_returns_with_seri.html

I actually hadn't realized it that Portlandia was a sketch show! Fred found a nice nitch with this offbeat show!

You know, I think Fred is the only SNL cast member who's appeared on SNL and a sitcom at the same time!

Thanks to SamJae for the scoop!

Enjoy!