So, you're Andy Samberg...

[QuikSand]

You are the face of the two products of Saturday Night Live this year that have actually captured people's attention. In the age of instant-capture video distribution, you are a star.

If, in fact, the outfit behind these products (the "Lazy Sunday" and more recent "Special Box" videos, both available on YouTube and linked elsewhere in these forums) is you plus some other guys, then let's consider them as part of the deal for this discussion.


You're on SNL. Great, that's network TV, and widely seen as a platform for jumping to more lucrative career options. SNL notoriously pays its players pretty miserly, so I'm assuming you are no exception.

Where does Andy Samberg go from here?

[timmae]

back to Second City? Please?!

[CraigSca]

I've seen a lot of SNL "stars" atempt to make the switch and slip into oblivion. I'm wondering, however, can one name any true talented ex-SNL alumni that failed?

Does anyone have any favorites? If we really can't name any, then I guess there's no harm in him going solo somewhere. Sounds like a great match for Comedy Central.

[Swaggs]

I've seen a lot of SNL "stars" atempt to make the switch and slip into oblivion. I'm wondering, however, can one name any true talented ex-SNL alumni that failed?

Does anyone have any favorites? If we really can't name any, then I guess there's no harm in him going solo somewhere. Sounds like a great match for Comedy Central.

I think a pretty strong argument can be made that Dana Carvey stayed at SNL too long and missed his "peak" opportunity to cash in.

[Lorena]

Tim Meadows and Cheri Oteri were some of my favorites and I haven't seen them anywhere.

[Maple Leafs]

If he's smart, he does it the right way: land a movie role for the summer, go back to SNL in the fall for a third season, and see how the movie does. Have a hit (or at least a semi-hit) under your belt before you make any big leaps.

Of course, depending on his contract he may not have much freedom to choose what he does. Not sure if this older article is still accurate, but:
http://www.saturday-night-live.com/snl/news/1999/august/killer-contracts.html

[Warhammer]

I think a pretty strong argument can be made that Dana Carvey stayed at SNL too long and missed his "peak" opportunity to cash in.

If I remember with Carvey, he had some personal issues that came up and sidetracked his career since he opted to take time and get those settled. I seem to remember something with his kids or something along those lines.

[QuikSand]

So, do we think the best role for him is to star in a movie? Or, should he try to do the whole enchilada -- produce, write and perform?

From the video shorts, I think he is talented... nothing about him really stood out from the handful os regular sketches I have seen him in, though. So, I'm not convinved that he's a standout comic actor -- his real talent might be in production, which seems like a slightly tougher sell.

[Kodos]

It's too bad Carvey didn't go on to more success. I always liked him.

[Barkeep49]

I think Tina Fey has paved a good road for the truly talented: write/produce something and take a side acting role just to remind people it's yours.

[Barkeep49]

DOLA -- And let me join those bemoaning the recent waste of Carvey's immense talents.

[Flasch186]

I think his first movie role, if played smartly, would have to be sidekick and then back to SNL to see how it pans out in the filmhouses.

[Bad-example]

Staying another year or two would be smart. Leaving too soon can be a bad career move (see: Jim Breuer) and there is always the chance you can develop a recurring character that could be potential movie material like Wayne's World.

As a minor threadjack attempt, how is the world did Maya Rudolph become the longest tenured SNL female of all time? Sure, she's versatile. Her looks allow her to play white, black and latina roles, and she does have a fair singing voice. But does anyone actually think she is at all funny? Her Versacci and Nuni/Nooni sketches are painful to watch IMO.

[Flasch186]

most of SNL is painful to watch, IMO

[bbor]

I think the Will Ferrel track worked the best....he sorta nudged his way into movies by playing 2nd fiddle for awhile and now he has morphed into leading man catagory.

[dawgfan]

A larger point may be missing from many of the responses so far - I agree with Quik that much of what there is to like about what Samberg has done so far is in the writing and production, and not necessarily his comic acting skills. And that's really the question here - what type of entertainment venue leverages his strengths the best?

Not knowing the exact parameters of his SNL contract, I don't know what his options are. But I think if he can get some creative control for his own project (along with his cohorts from The Lonely Island website that launched his career) that would be his best option. I would also echo the thought of him going for some second banana movie roles at first so that he's not required to carry the movie himself (but where he has the opportunity to steal the show, like Jack Black in High Fidelity).

I think he's still new enough in his SNL career that he needs a little more time in that role. The 3 digital short videos that have been internet phenomenons (Lazy Sunday, Natalie Portman Gangsta rapping, Dick in a Box) are damn funny, but is he also creating memorable skits and characters? It may well be that SNL is his best venue, and that it becomes in essence his show.

[KevinNU7]

I loved the skit with Spacey.

[dawgfan]

Yeah, the Spacey skit was good. After watching the Lonely Island pilot for "Awesometown" though, I think maybe they're not quite ready to have their own show.

[bulletsponge]

Who?

[KevinNU7]

Yeah, the Spacey skit was good. After watching the Lonely Island pilot for "Awesometown" though, I think maybe they're not quite ready to have their own show.
Yes the white power episode is garbage

[Swaggs]

I think another factor is that he came to SNL as a part of a "package" with, at least, one other writer from his comedy group, so he may not actually be the (complete) brains behind the digital shorts. I think he would do well to stick with SNL for the next two seasons and work his way into films as a bit player.

The Justin Timberlake episode was one of the best SNLs of the past 4-5 years, so hopefully the show is on the upswing. I believe Seth Meyers is the new head writer and he has been one of the few bright points of the show since he joined. And, the four newer featured players (Kristin Wiig, Andy Samburg, Jason Sudekis, and Bill Hader) are all very promising, so the recipe for success is there.

[mckerney]

Where does Andy Samberg go from here?

Probably co-write and star in the movie Hot Rod (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0787475/) to be released next summer.

[kcchief19]

If he's smart, he does it the right way: land a movie role for the summer, go back to SNL in the fall for a third season, and see how the movie does. Have a hit (or at least a semi-hit) under your belt before you make any big leaps.

Of course, depending on his contract he may not have much freedom to choose what he does. Not sure if this older article is still accurate, but:
http://www.saturday-night-live.com/snl/news/1999/august/killer-contracts.html
That explains a few things, most notably the explosion in SNL movies that suck even more than they used to.

Given this situation, I think the Tina Fey model is a reliable one: develop your own project gets someone else to offer you a deal that forces Michaels and NBC to either pay you or let you walk.

There is one line in the above story that cracked me up:
"Now you can tell them, 'Sorry, you can't do the Farrelly brothers' $10 million movie," said one manager. "'You have to do the 'SNL' fart movie for $75,000!'"
It's like a puzzle -- circle all the comedy in that paragraph.

[Dblbogey31]

If I remember with Carvey, he had some personal issues that came up and sidetracked his career since he opted to take time and get those settled. I seem to remember something with his kids or something along those lines.

Carvey had a botched surgery and almost died. It wasn't plastic surgery or anything like that it was something abdominal. He nearly died though and it took awhile to recover. Master of Disguise was his return from all of that. By that point his career was in a "Who Cares" state though.

[King of New York]

Carvey had a botched surgery and almost died. It wasn't plastic surgery or anything like that it was something abdominal. He nearly died though and it took awhile to recover. Master of Disguise was his return from all of that. By that point his career was in a "Who Cares" state though.

It was heart surgery--the surgeon was supposed to unblock an artery, but performed the procedure on the wrong artery. Dana Carvey sued the surgeon for millions.

[Anthony]

Dana Carvey is the Grant Hill of comedians. a supreme talent who showed how brilliant he could be but just never was able to take the leap to the next echelon reserved for all-time greats.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

All I can say is:

1. Cut a hole in the box
2. Put your Junk in the box
3. Make her open the box
And that's the way you do it!!

[stevew]

Assuming that the awful looking movie with Sandler bombs, and the fact that nobody bothered to mention Lazy Sunday2 anywhere(Facebook, here or otherwise) I gotta think the heat is all but gone. Especially with his SNL graduation. I really liked Hot Rod, but it's basically a $3 Wal Mart bin movie.

[korme]

He's done on SNL? They had an entire tribute to Kristen Wiig, didn't notice any special goodbyes for Andy - when the SNL Digital Shorts were by far the best thing on the show the past half-decade

[chinaski]

Samberg and Jason Sudeikis have expiring contracts last I read, but to whether or not they are coming back is still not known.

[Passacaglia]

Weird, I saw him on Sesame Street last week and thought of this thread. He was looking for a rhombus.

[PackerFanatic]

Supposedly Samberg didn't want a big to-do like Wiig got. I had seen that on an article that had the Wiig video.

[molson]

A mix of commercials/stand-up/tv spots/playing the buddy of the male lead in movies pays way better than SNL, so there's at least that. The exposure SNL gives you is incomparable, but you gotta get out and make you're money when you're still young, most of these guys aren't going to transition into serious respected acting roles when they're older. Samberg has some passionate fans, he sometimes gets that audience shriek reaction on SNL that most other guys don't get, and he'll be able to tap into that for a while. But he's not going to get any bigger than this with the mainstream and he's not very big. It seems like his screen time has actually decreased on the show the last couple of years.

[Matthean]

He's done on SNL? They had an entire tribute to Kristen Wiig, didn't notice any special goodbyes for Andy - when the SNL Digital Shorts were by far the best thing on the show the past half-decade

Lazy Sunday 2 was his going away tribute so to speak. He can put out videos and albums and get bit parts in movies. He could write a musical comedy movie but that's about it.

[Pyser]

wow you guys are hard on samberg. he'll be fine.

he is the best of the snl group at social media. he has already done plenty of film work as a characters best friend or family member. there are always sitcoms he could do (david spade, anyone?)

as an aside, jason sudeikis is a star. that guy will work forever. good looking enough to be a movie star, goofy enough to do the horrible bosses type movies, and a good enough straightman to segue into playing the father soon enough. mark it. i hope he sticks on snl for another season or 2 though. it hasn't seemed to hold him back from taking other work in the meantime.

(and kristen wiig is hands down the best woman ever on that show. sad to see her go).

[GrantDawg]

I agree with you on Sudeikis. He is talented, and can do just about anything. Unlike Samberg, he can actually act. Samberg is good at being goofy, but I don't know if he can actually portray a real person, if you get my meaning.

That said, Samberg is creative. It is just a question of whether he can come up with a concept longer than a short that people would want to watch. We'll see more of him in That's My Boy than we have seen in past parts, so I guess that will tell the tale.

[Autumn]

Also, people are making real money just through YouTube, viral videos and such these days. Not even guys with the sort of exposure and quality that Samberg has. Combine that with albums and such and he's already got a career going. Movies on top of that will just be extra.

[Logan]

I agree with you on Sudeikis. He is talented, and can do just about anything. Unlike Samberg, he can actually act. Samberg is good at being goofy, but I don't know if he can actually portray a real person, if you get my meaning.

That said, Samberg is creative. It is just a question of whether he can come up with a concept longer than a short that people would want to watch. We'll see more of him in That's My Boy than we have seen in past parts, so I guess that will tell the tale.

http://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/large/599176604.jpg?key=7701280&Expires=1339780672&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIYVGSUJFNRFZBBTA&Signature=VC3JdrDFIPQ8~2Hk5-Yq2EUB9W22aozXMN~EC5z4GHrT1cYDzrNvhCuJPuqY4tBHaPQ21VaZI-ERUoPkB09Mqu~uWvpHgSr~~eWSzK8ZqjN1aGqxdl80M6nGC~dRlkek90pk9XEROG2FpaADCvVJQ3fRCbNeoAbhZmCASynDdU8_

[Swaggs]

Will be interesting to see how it does.

Sander's comedy movies, as horrendous as many of them have been, always seem to be good for $150M. When he tries to play serious or semi-serious (Spanglish, Reign Over Me, Funny People), the movies usually bomb.

It is funny to look at his list of films and see all of the Razzie mentions and then count up just how many hits he has that are $150M or $200M+. When he does comedy, he makes bank.

[DanGarion]

Will be interesting to see how it does.

Sander's comedy movies, as horrendous as many of them have been, always seem to be good for $150M. When he tries to play serious or semi-serious (Spanglish, Reign Over Me, Funny People), the movies usually bomb.

It is funny to look at his list of films and see all of the Razzie mentions and then count up just how many hits he has that are $150M or $200M+. When he does comedy, he makes bank.

Spanglish and Reign On Me were both really good movies, IMO. Funny People was good until it because a buzz kill the past 30 minutes.

[cartman]

Paz Vega was the reason to watch Spanglish.

[Swaggs]

Spanglish and Reign On Me were both really good movies, IMO. Funny People was good until it because a buzz kill the past 30 minutes.

I didn't like Reign On Me, but I really liked Spanglish.

I think I may have posted something similar in the Movies thread, but I thought Funny People could have been great (and opened up that way) but Apatow overdid it by adding way too much boring time and depth to the Leslie Mann storyline (and Eric Bana was beyond awful with his stuff). I wish he'd go back and create a director's cut, because I think there is a great movie in there.

[RomaGoth]

Will be interesting to see how it does.

Sander's comedy movies, as horrendous as many of them have been, always seem to be good for $150M. When he tries to play serious or semi-serious (Spanglish, Reign Over Me, Funny People), the movies usually bomb.

It is funny to look at his list of films and see all of the Razzie mentions and then count up just how many hits he has that are $150M or $200M+. When he does comedy, he makes bank.

Spanglish and Reign On Me were both really good movies, IMO. Funny People was good until it because a buzz kill the past 30 minutes.

I really enjoyed Punch Drunk Love. I love the baseball bat to the side of the guys head scene.

[Matthean]

Will be interesting to see how it does.

Sander's comedy movies, as horrendous as many of them have been, always seem to be good for $150M. When he tries to play serious or semi-serious (Spanglish, Reign Over Me, Funny People), the movies usually bomb.

It is funny to look at his list of films and see all of the Razzie mentions and then count up just how many hits he has that are $150M or $200M+. When he does comedy, he makes bank.

I think this is why he vastly does the stupid movies that he does. He tried being an actor, few cared, so he went back to trying to be funny.

I really enjoyed Punch Drunk Love. I love the baseball bat to the side of the guys head scene.

I wanted to like the movie, but it was an exercise in trying to like the main character while not being able to stand him. I think he did a really good job with the part though.

Funny People was a huge disappointment and the best example for a supposedly good movie that I disliked.

[rowech]

I think this is why he vastly does the stupid movies that he does. He tried being an actor, few cared, so he went back to trying to be funny.



I wanted to like the movie, but it was an exercise in trying to like the main character while not being able to stand him. I think he did a really good job with the part though.

Funny People was a huge disappointment and the best example for a supposedly good movie that I disliked.

I think the other part of it is that by doing the movies he does, he continues to not only get people to go from say the 28-40 age block but he also keeps getting high school/college kids to show up. He could give two craps about the 40+ crowd as long as he gets a ton of support from the 18-40 group -- which he clearly does.

[Matthean]

Not surprising to see Pajiba rip into his new movie as they usually do.

That's My Boy Review | I Got No F*cking Dukes (http://www.pajiba.com/film_reviews/thats-my-boy-review-i-got-no-fcking-dukes.php)

[DanGarion]

I really enjoyed Punch Drunk Love. I love the baseball bat to the side of the guys head scene.

Ah yes Punch Drunk Love was good as well. Although I can speak from experience a baseball bat to the side of your head (no matter how soft it is) FUCKING HURTS. :(

[RomaGoth]

Ah yes Punch Drunk Love was good as well. Although I can speak from experience a baseball bat to the side of your head (no matter how soft it is) FUCKING HURTS. :(

Yes, my brother can attest to that. As for the movie, I liked that Sandler played a different type of character than his norm and it was a nice change after Billy Madison/Happy Gilmour (which I like as well).

[INDalltheway]

Has anyone seen the new movie yet? I saw a lot of negative reviews from critics, but that doesn't mean a whole lot.

[Matthean]

Has anyone seen the new movie yet? I saw a lot of negative reviews from critics, but that doesn't mean a whole lot.

It made $13 million and placed 5th. The only other new movie of note was Rock of Ages, which made $15 million and placed 3rd.

[Pyser]

samburgs new sitcom was picked up by fox for this fall. trailer:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/D1UzmW77F30?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[dawgfan]

samburgs new sitcom was picked up by fox for this fall. trailer:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/D1UzmW77F30?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Hmm. No other involvement (so far as I can tell) from his Lonely Island buds, but written by a couple of Parks & Rec vets.

I'd say it's got a moderate shot at being something, but my first impression is it's probably headed for the cancel bin before the season is finished.