Andy Samberg
| Andy Samberg | |
|---|---|
| File:TheLonelyIsland.jpg Andy Samberg, with Lonely Island members Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer (left to right). | |
| Pseudonym | Ardy |
| Born | August 18, 1978 Berkeley, California, United States |
| Medium | Internet, Stand-up, television, film |
| Nationality | American |
| Genres | Sketch comedy Situational comedy |
| Notable works and roles | Various in Saturday Night Live; Various in Awesometown |
| Website | TheLonelyIsland.com |
David Andrew J. Samberg (born August 18, 1978 in Berkeley, California), better known as Andy Samberg or Andy, is a stand-up comic and member of comedy group The Lonely Island. Samberg attended Berkeley High School, New York University (NYU) film school, and UC Santa Cruz. He is currently a cast member on Saturday Night Live and has appeared on Premium Blend and Arrested Development, as well as Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Late Show with David Letterman.
In 2007, Samberg will play the lead role in the film Hot Rod. In 2008, Samberg will play the lead role in the film Space Chimps.
The Lonely Island
The Lonely Island (which also includes Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone) has a popular website where sketches and music are available for download. Samberg played the role of Jesse Miller in The OC parody The 'Bu, the group's popular contribution to Channel 101. They also made a pilot for Fox called Awesometown and have written for various award shows, most notably the 2004 and 2005 MTV Movie Awards.
In the Lonely Island pilot titled "White Power," there is a scene where the three characters mug an old lady. During filming of the scene, actor Kiefer Sutherland was driving by. Thinking the mugging was real he pulled over in an attempt to help only to later realize he had interrupted the filming.[1]
Saturday Night Live
On September 13 2005, the Lonely Island website confirmed that Samberg would be joining Saturday Night Live as a featured player, while Schaffer and Taccone would join the show's writing staff.
While his live sketch roles were limited in his first year, he has appeared in many non-live sketches, including commercial parodies and various other filmed segments. For the December 17, 2005 show, he and Chris Parnell starred in a Digital Short called Lazy Sunday, a rap song sung by two white Manhattanites on a quest to see "The Chronicles of Narnia." The short quickly became an Internet sensation and garnered Samberg significant media and public attention.
Samberg produced many more Digital Shorts in the following months. Their subject matter varied from a young Chuck Norris; a hardcore gangster rapping and self-parodying Natalie Portman; a parody commercial for lettuce in which he and Will Forte took large bites out of heads of lettuce during lulls while discussing a friend's death; a game of spotting doppelgangers that results in Samberg being suddenly and illogically shot by friends when he cannot be told apart from a large homeless man (portrayed by Horatio Sanz); a shooting spree among friends (a spoof of a season finale of The OC), featuring Shia Labeouf; and a tribute song to his brother-in-law, Roy.
In December 2006, Samberg followed up this music video with a spoof on early 1990s R&B fare with "Dick in a Box", a duet with Justin Timberlake. It is a Christmas song about two men (Timberlake and Samberg) giving their lovers a box with their genitalia inside as presents, going so far as to explain how to create the gift. The style of the video and the musical performance is reminiscent of early 1990s R&B sex ballads made popular by acts like Jodeci, Jon B., Bel Biv Devoe, Color Me Badd, and R. Kelly.
Samberg was promoted to repertory status at the beginning of SNL's 32nd season (September 30, 2006).
Inspiration
In his early years, Samberg was often compared to the former SNL star Adam Sandler. This is due to a number of reasons, but most frequently cited are his similar sounding name and his facial expressions (big, ear to ear, toothless smile) which at times are quite reminiscent of Sandler's SNL antics. However, this criticism has calmed recently and Samberg may be making headway for his own style of comedy with all his chips on the table for his upcoming new film "Hot Rod."
Recurring characters
- The Out-Of-Breath Jogger, a marathon runner who spouts historic events while exhausted.
- Kuato, the monster from "Total Recall" who lives in Danny's (Bill Hader) stomach.
- T Shane, new co-host of Deep House Dish (replacing Rachel Dratch's character Tiara).
- Blizzard Man, a supposed hardcore white rapper who dresses in clothing styles from the early 1990s. He delivers his lines in an over-the-top, upbeat, crooner-based style, rapping about hardcore things in a naive and matter-of-fact fashion.
Celebrity impersonations
Samberg's impressions include Jack Johnson, Prince Harry, Conor Oberst (from the band Bright Eyes), David Blaine, James Blunt, Michael Sessions, Chuck Norris, Ken Mehlman, Kevin Federline, Dustin Diamond, Howard K. Stern, Aaron Carter, Muppets' Swedish Chef, Dylan Sprouse from the Disney sitcom The Suite Life of Zack and Cody (Dylan's brother, Cole, was played by host Shia LaBeouf), and Sanjaya Malakar.
External links
- Andy Samberg at IMDb
- The Lonely Island
- Short Movies with Andy Samberg at Channel 101, including The 'Bu
- Andy Samberg News
- Andy's father's website Joe Samberg Photography
- Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake"Dick in a Box" video on SNL