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!