Why doesn't The Lonely Island do a summer tour?

Answer: Because they're so busy!



At first thought it might make sense for The Lonely Island to go on a tour for the summer, since they're on a break from SNL. But Andy Samberg's just starting to get regular supporting roles in movies (What's Your Number, Friends with Benefits, and The Hand Job), and he's got his first starring role coming up in an Adam Sandler film (I Hate You, Dad), so you know it's going to be a hit!

Akiva's been talking about directing another film. What I would love to see is if The Lonely Island had a TV show or a feature film they were cooking up on their own.

Enjoy!

Ask ASB: Why doesn't Andy Samberg seriously answer interview questions?

Why doesn't Andy Samberg seriously answer interview questions?



Andy usually tries to answer jokingly.

Sometimes he'll answer honestly (he does this on talk shows). But usually he tries to think of a way to answer with a joke (or a story that might be funny).

There are several reasons for this, but I think the first is expectations.

It's strange. People expect him to give great or interesting answers. And they expect him to be hilarious all the time. So he (like many comedians) has found that if he turns it on and answers with jokes, then that meets expectations well. But if he gets vulnerable and honest (as some comedians have) then he gets judged more, and he becomes the "unfunny comedian."

So it's almost like a defensive mechanism that comedians use. I even saw Aubrey Plaza go through this. For her first 6 months to a year once she was "discovered," she answered interview questions honestly and transparently. But then she started sounding a little uninteresting or whiny, some media folks pointed to it, and it probably frustrated her a little. Then she started showing up at interviews as her April character, being stone cold, emotionless, and saying silly and crazy things.

Essentially, Andy landed at the same place (trying to make people laugh in interviews), but it was natural for him to get there (he was always there).

Other more traditional actors "talk their craft" more, almost like politicians do, where their guard is bringing it back to their work as actors and actresses (because they're not expected to be funny). It's really quite interesting.

Andy tries to make the person asking the questions laugh. It's like a game he plays with himself, whether or not he can get them on the first question or how long it takes for him to get them.

In one interview, his interviewer asked her first question, "What's your favorite color?" Andy thought hard for a second or two, and then he said, "Blend." She laughed hysterically and Andy said, "Got you! Nailed you on the first question!"

It really is a game for him.

- TAE

Ask AS: How long do cast members stay Featured Players?

The normal route is to be a featured player for two years. Cast members to pull off this trick (to go to repertory player after only one year as a featured player) were Andy Samberg, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig (in 2006), Will Forte (2003), Amy Poehler (2002), Tina Fey (2001), Chris Parnell, Jimmy Fallon, and Horatio Sanz (1999), Chris Kattan (1996), Molly Shannon (1995), Norm MacDonald (1994), Chris Farley, Julia Sweeney, and Chris Rock (1991), Mike Meyers (1989), Kevin Nealon (1987).



Those unlucky enough to go three years as a featured player (I'm listing their year they graduated to repertory player) include Jay Mohr (1996; Jay was actually kept on the show as a featured player a third year, but he quit when learning that he wasn't graduating to repertory player), Tim Meadows, David Spade, and Adam Sandler (1993; it was a big year with lots of players, so that's why).

Cast members to have no years as a featured player (went right to repertory player) include Ana Gasteyer and Tracy Morgan (1996), Darrell Hammond, Cheri Oteri, Jim Breuer, and Will Ferrell (1995), Mark McKinney (he was in Kids in the Hall; 1994), Chris Elliott and Janeane Garofalo (1994), Michael McKean (1993), Dana Carvey, Jan Hooks, Victoria Jackson, and Phil Hartman (1986), Nora Dunn, Jon Lovitz, and Dennis Miller (1985). (I won't go earlier than 1985 because that's when featured players were more likely just writers that Lorne put on camera a lot, and they were never meant to become repertory players.)

Enjoy!

Who is Dana Carvey, and why is he hosting SNL?

We were asked that question. So here's the answer...



Are you serious? Really? Dana Carvey saved SNL. I'm serious. It was on the brink of being canceled in 1985. Jon Lovitz and Dennis Miller got it just enough of an audience to have one final season after their failure season in 85. And that's the season (1986-1987) when they brought on Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman. Phil and Lovitz were good, but Dana's Church Lady (on the very first episode of the season) immediately made him into the "next Eddie Murphy" and brought SNL back on America's map.

His characters include Grumpy Old Man (inspired a series of movies), Garth, Ching Change, Hans (and Franz), Church Lady, and Lyle the effiminate heterosexual (hilarious).

His George Bush Sr. was the first legendary presidential impersonation that all of them have been trying to achieve the status of. On SNL he did over 50 impressions, also including his impossible-to-beat Johnny Carson and Jimmy Stuart.

Dana Carvey won an Emmy on SNL and was nominated an additional 4 times (only Lorne has that beat, and nobody has been nominated that often for acing on SNL). He was also nominated for another Emmy on another show, totaling 6 Emmy nominations with one win.

And all that to say, when he was on SNL, the man was a legend. However, he left SNL and everything fell apart for him.

He was such a legend that he left SNL to create his own variety show and to star in his first movie, Clean Slate. The movie was funny, but didn't do well (it did inspire Momento though). Basically, it wasn't shocking enough. And his show was hilarious, but it also wasn't enough (a half hour variety show in prime time on a major network is a huge challenge and almost impossible to get to work).

So he did everything right on SNL and nothing right after that. He found his niche on SNL (crazy characters) but he didn't have the ability to turn those characters into longer stories the way Chevy Chase, Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, and Will Ferrell have. In fact, he was Adam Sandler's hero, which is why Adam cast him in Little Nicky, produced Master of Disguises (a flop), and has now cast him in Jack and Jill.

Which is why Dana Carvey is on. He's in a large role in an Adam Sandler film later this year, Jack and Jill. Basically Dana's trying again. I got to give him props for that, because he was the king of SNL back in his day and brought it back into popularity. So the potential for him to find another niche still exists.

He's a legend.

I think Dana was more important to the show than both Eddie Murphy and Will Ferrell. However, they were far more successful when they left (even Jon Lovitz was, and he hasn't been all that successful). Plus guys like Rob Schneider, David Spade, Kevin Nealon, Chris Kattan, Tracy Morgan, and Phil Hartman didn't do as well on the show, but they all had better careers in TV and film than Dana did once they left the show.

- TAE

Q&A: Why isn't Nasim Pedrad a regular cast member yet?

It's pretty rare when a cast member becomes regular after only one season. Abby and Bobby took two seasons, and Nasim is about in their caliber. The last ones to get bumped up after only one season were Andy, Kristen, and Bill Hader. You can probably see why. Bill was all over the place, Kristen rocked the impressions and characters, and Andy's digital shorts put YouTube and NBC videos on the map.

In other words, Nasim will likely be promoted next season. She definitely deserves it.

Enjoy!

- TAE

Ask ASB: When did Hot Rod come out?

This might be a lame question to some people, but somebody asked it, and we probably have some newer Andy fans who don't know this. So it's time for...

Ask Andy Samberg Blog: When did Hot Rod come out?



August 3, 2007, but Will Ferrell first brought it to Lorne and Andy immediately after Lazy Sunday blasted off (Lazy Sunday was released in December 2005).

Rewind. First, Pam Brady wrote it with Will Ferrell in mind. (Pam Brady wrote on South Park, Just Shoot Me, and Team America: World Police.)

Here's Pam:



She pitched it to Will, who loved it, but it wasn't a high priority on his acting table (he was going for bigger budgets and bigger bangs), so he decided to produce it instead (this is quite normal where actors decline to act in a film, but they end up producing it instead).

So when Lazy Sunday blew up (and pretty much put YouTube and, thus, NBC Videos, on the map), Will Ferrell thought of Andy, and so Will approached Lorne to see what Lorne thought. Lorne agreed that the boy should get a break. So Andy Samberg was attached to it in early 2006.

At first they thought that the writer (Pam Brady of South Park) might direct it. But Andy immediately pitched Akiva to direct and so the producers (including Will Ferrell, Lorne Michaels, and Seth Meyers) let the Lonely Island boys run with it. It took them a year and a half to make it and release it.

And because Lazy Sunday got them the film, they had to find a bit role for Chris Parnell (even though he was let go from SNL a second time by that point).

And here are two bonus questions and answers about Hot Rod...

What song plays during the riot scene?
"You're The Voice" by John Farnham.

Does Rod kill Frank at the end?
No, he uses the Tai-Chi move he learned from Denise to make Frank instantly crap his pants.

To which 80s movies does Hot Rod pay homage? (from Anony)
The punch-dancing scene is a nod to Footloose, and the scene where the old man oils up Rod is a nod to Roadhouse.

Enjoy!

- TAE

Ask ASB: Was Jay Pharoah's principal a character or impression?

Happy New Year! Slow Andy news lately, so we'll hit up some SNL news (since Andy's on SNL) whilst we wait for Andy news. Send us any Andy news via comments if you find any! Time for another episode of...

Ask Andy Samberg Blog!

We received a question about whether or not Jay Pharoah's principal, "Daniel Frye", is a character or impression. This is debatable. But I say character. More after this article bit...

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



"Saturday Night Live" earned a few extra laughs in Hampton Roads this weekend when featured player Jay Pharoah, a 2005 graduate of Indian River High School, paid tribute to his former principal.

In a sketch about a high school's "holiday jam," Pharoah played Principal Daniel Frye. Despite the change in first name, there's no doubt about the source of Pharoah's inspiration.


Jimmy Frye, principal of Indian River High School


Jay Pharoah as Principal 'Daniel Frye' on SNL

"Mr. Frye is my first character on SNL and I asked him about it before I did it, he approved with a smile," Pharoah wrote on the website.

You can read the rest and more of our thoughts over on our new Jay Pharoah news site here:

http://jaypharoah.blogspot.com/2010/12/jay-pharoah-pays-tribute-to-his-indian.html

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

So the reasons why we think this is a character are (1) He changed the name. (2) Jay, Jimmy Frye, and those involved all refer to Daniel Frye as a character. (3) It's normal for SNLers to base characters on actual people. That's where they get their inspiration.

Also, this isn't the first time Jay did this impression/charcter. After graduating from Indian River, Jay actually returned back to his high school at age 19 to do his standup routine. He did impressions of Principal Frye and several teachers (along with various celebs).

To see Jay's first time he performed this impression/character, go to this page on our Jay Pharoah news site:

http://jaypharoah.blogspot.com/2010/12/jay-pharoah-performs-at-his-indian.html

Enjoy!

Question: Why didn't they have an SNL Weekend Update Thursdays this year?

Because the ratings weren't all that great last year. Two years ago, they were taking turns parodying Sarah Palin, Obama, Hilary Clinton, and they brought on Will Ferrell as George Bush. It was literally a gauntlet of political satire. Check it out:



They just didn't have the ammo last year or this year. Maybe next election year. =^)

What do you think they could do to pull off good ratings on another SNL Weekend Update Thursdays season?

- TAE

Q & A: How long has Seth Meyers been the Weekend Update Anchor?

So this question comes from an Anony...

How long has Seth Meyers been the Weekend Update Anchor?

We just so happen to know the answer (and way too much more)!!!



He's starting his 5th season (so he's only had 4 seasons), but this will be only his 2nd full season as the sole anchor (a little longer than that, cuz Amy Poehler left mid season).

Amy Poehler was co-anchor for 5 seasons. Horatio Sanz co-anchored with Amy after Tina and before Seth for 1 season (05-06). Tina Fey was co-anchor for 6 seasons. Jimmy Fallon was co-anchor for 4 seasons. Colin Quinn was the sole anchor for 3 seasons (those were terrible). Norm MacDonald was the sole anchor for 4 seasons. Kevin Nealon for 3 years. Dennis Miller for 6 years (85-91). Christopher Guest for 1 year (84-85). Brad Hall was 2 years (82-84). Mary Gross and Brian Doyle-Murray co-anchored for 1 year (81-82). Jane Curtain mostly co-anchored for 4 years (76-80). Bill Murray co-anchored for 2 years (78-80). Dan Aykroyd co-anchored for 1 year (77-78). Chevy Chase anchored for 2 years (75-76).

Jane Curtain is a complicated story. She took over for Chevy Chase when he left in 76. Then in the next season (77-78), she co-anchored with Dan Aykroyd. Then they switched from Dan to Bill Murray and Jane co-anchored with Bill. So Jane has 4 years in her, but 1 wasn't a full year and 3 were as the co-anchor.

Kevin Nealon did the Subliminal News (check it out if you haven't).



So the answer to who anchored the longest (including as co-anchor):
1. Dennis Miller (6 seasons)
1. Tina Fey (6 seasons)
2. Amy Poehler (5 seasons)
3. Jane Curtain (4 seasons)
3. Norm MacDonald (4 seasons)
3. Jimmy Fallon (4 seasons)
3. Seth Meyers (4 seasons)
4. Kevin Nealon (3 seasons)
4. Colin Quinn (3 seasons)
5. Chevy Chase (2 seasons)
5. Bill Murray (2 seasons)
5. Brad Hall (2 seasons)
6. Dan Aykroyd (1 season)
6. Mary Gross (1 season)
6. Brian Doyle-Murray (1 season)
6. Christopher Guest (1 season)
6. Horatio Sanz (1 season)



Seth needs two more seasons (including this coming one) to tie with Dennis and Tina; 3 to win. Both Dennis and Tina were co-anchors in their first season, so each was only on SNL for 6 seasons. (So Seth and most of the others have the disadvantage that their first year on SNL was not as an anchor.)

Tina Fey was the only featured player to start as an anchor. (But she was the head writer at that point, so obviously Lorne was willing to take a chance with her.)



The only family members to both be anchors were Billy Murray and Brian Doyle-Murray (brothers). There have been other relatives as players, but not anchors... Belushis, Murrays, Aykroyds, Sweeneys, and Elliotts. They were all siblings except for Chris and Abby Elliott (father/daughter).

It's interesting that a lot of people thought that having Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon co-anchor was a new idea, but that first started in 1977 (3rd season) with Jane Curtain and Dan Aykroyd and continued with Jane and Bill Murray.



So if we were going to rank them for how long they anchored only as sole anchors (not co-anchors), then we have:
1. Dennis Miller (6 seasons)
2. Norm MacDonald (4 seasons)
3. Kevin Nealon (3 seasons)
3. Colin Quinn (3 seasons)
4. Chevy Chase (2 seasons)
4. Brad Hall (2 seasons)
5. Jane Curtain (1 season)
5. Seth Meyers (1 season)
5. Christopher Guest (1 season)

So if we're going by that scale, Seth doesn't have a chance. There's no way he's got 5 more years in him. =^)

- TAE

Q & A: How much does Andy Samberg get paid on SNL?

Well, a lot less than the $70,000 he's been getting paid to do college performances and interviews.

======



According to the Jay Mohr book "Gasping for Airtime," former SNL cast member Jay Mohr said that his starting salary on SNL was $5,500 per week, plus $1,500 per week for a writing credit. The next year's salary was $6,500 per week (or $8000 with the writing credit) up to $12,500 per week for a fifth year tenured performer.

As of 2001, Will Ferrell held the record for the highest salary for an SNL cast member at $350,000 for the year, or $17,500 an episode.

======

Given that it's 2010 and not 1995 (Jay Mohr) or 2001 (Will Ferrell), the average is probably higher and closer to $7 or $8,000 now.

Seeing how Andy's been on for 5 years, and the 5th year salary in 1995 was $12,500 per episode, my guess is that Andy's getting about $16 or $17,000 per episode. At the end of next season, Andy's original contract will be up, and he could negotiate to raise his salary significantly.

Plus the writing credit might be up to $2 or $3,000 now (but Andy's not a writer; he hasn't cared enough about that).



The reason why we only have old data is that it usually takes a ridiculously high negotiation to get it leaked to the press (like Will Ferrell's) or a star to be a little frustrated (Jay Mohr) and willing to divulge the secrets. (That said, Jay Mohr is on good terms with Lorne now, and I think Lorne was actually in the right at the time... Jay wasn't that big of an asset to the show; his comedy has gone on to mature more over time.)

- TAE

Q & A: Why does SNL wait so long between new episodes?

So why does SNL wait so long between new episodes?



They have gaps because the cost per episode is too high. Lorne was told to cut costs (fire people) or cut episodes. He chose to cut episodes.

For example, on SNL there are currently (as of last season) 8 men and 4 women, totaling 12 cast members (although Seth is only in the Update segments). Like this...

Fred Armisen
Will Forte
Bill Hader
Seth Meyers - Update Anchor
Andy Samberg
Jason Sudeikis
Kenan Thompson
Kristen Wiig

Abby Elliott - Featured Player
Bobby Moynihan - Featured Player
Nasim Pedrad - Featured Player
Jenny Slate - Featured Player


This setup is very different than when the show started, because Lorne recognized (over time) that he needed lots of people in order to have an organic cast where anybody could leave one season and he could fill in the gaps with the large cast and find new players organically.

He learned this because the original season of players was 6 men and 3 women, totaling 9 people:

Dan Aykroyd
John Belushi
Chevy Chase
George Coe
Jane Curtin
Garrett Morris
Laraine Newman
Michael O'Donoghue
Gilda Radner

In the second season, Lorne cut some of the fat and was left with 4 men and 3 women (Bill Murray was hired to replace Chevy Chase), totaling just 7 people:

Dan Aykroyd
John Belushi
Jane Curtin
Garrett Morris
Bill Murray - First episode: 01.15.1977
Laraine Newman
Gilda Radner

That was working well, but then Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi left the show after the 1978-1979 season, leaving Lorne to frantically feature the writers to fill the gaps. However, the next season the rest of the original cast was also ready to leave, and Lorne wasn't very prepared for that. The producers and executives lost faith in Lorne (without the original cast + Murray, the show had no fan base), and they replaced Lorne and the full cast.

Needless to say, the producers came to their senses after a 5 years of trying to chase the dream that SNL was originally, before they brought Lorne back and tried again.

When Lorne came back in 1985, SNL was being carried by a few cast members who were on their way out (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jim Belushi, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Martin Short) and a few cast members who had just left (Eddie Murphy, Joe Piscopo, and Harry Shearer), and so Lorne had a new cast and a new strategy. He hired the funniest comedians he could find (Jon Lovitz and Dennis Miller), and he hired comedians who were already proven and in films (Joan Cusack, Anthony Michael Hall, Robert Downey Jr, and Randy Quaid).

Reunited with his writers, this gave Lorne a season to build up the new comedians and add more the next year in 1986 (Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, and Kevin Nealon). That gave Lorne a solid cast that he could build on in 1989 (Mike Meyers and Ben Stiller), 1990 (Farley, Sandler, Spade, Schneider, Chris Rock), 1993 (Norm MacDonald, Jay Mohr, Sarah Silverman), and so on.

And so Lorne found a stronger strategy in building up a larger cast so that he wasn't betting as big on players that didn't work out and so that he could lose a few players when they wanted to leave and then still keep the ball rolling on the show.

So he realized the larger staff keeps the show moving forward. However, it also means that the show gets too expensive, which is why they don't have as many episodes as we'd like them to.

It's debatable whether or not the show is as funny as it once was, and to be honest, my favorite time was when Will Ferrell, Molly Shannon, and Chris Kattan were on. However, I definitely prefer the current cast over when Dratch, Fallon, Sanz, Rudolph, and Parnell were running the show. I remember watching the great cast led by Will Ferrell and then they kept adding these players who weren't funny and I was like, "What are they doing? They're killing the show!" Well the show survived, and each of them had a moment or two where they were hilarious, and they kept it alive for current players like Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, and Andy Samberg to take over.

I have faith in newcomers Abby Elliott, Bobby Moynihan, Nasim Pedrad, and Jenny Slate (although Jenny still has more to prove). I don't think the current cast is anxious to leave, mostly because they have nowhere to go. Kristen Wiig has lined up the critical starring role (in her upcoming Bridesmaid film, produced by Judd Apatow), and it looks like Andy's got an upcoming shot with The F-Word movie. Plus Andy has a potential career with The Lonely Island either in making more music, their own TV show, or their own movie.

Will Forte is making a critical attempt at leading a film with MacGruber (since The Brothers Solomon didn't work). Bill Hader has had a lot of success, but he still needs to line up a starring role. Armisen, Thompson, and Sudeikis are probably going to retire from SNL to do voices and supporting roles for the rest of their careers (but I think Sudeikis might be landing a lead role in The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, and he seems to be having success in supporting roles like Hader; he's just a few years behind Hader).

- TAE