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TV Biz: Fox Just Gave the Lonely Island Their Own SNL

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Fox Just Gave the Lonely Island Their Own SNL

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A decade after starting their TV careers atSaturday Night Live, the Lonely Island is getting a Saturday-night sketch show of their very own. The Hollywood Reporter writes that the comedy threesome will collaborate with Paul Scheer in producing a half-hour sketch comedy series for Fox called Party Over Here. The title comes from the name of the group's "development venture" with the network and also, possibly, "Whoomp! (There It Is)." None of the Lonely Island guys will be a part of the show's ensemble — which so far includes Nicole Byer, Jessica McKenna, and Alison Rich — nor will they be directly competing with SNL, as POH will air at eleven. Still, if Lorne Michaels takes this news better than Johnny Carson did, we'll know late-night really is a nicer place.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/fox-revisiting-saturday-sketch-comedy-862164
 
Fox Revisiting Saturday Sketch Comedy With Lonely Island's 'Party Over Here'

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pact with Lonely Island guys Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone. The network is also moving back into the sketch comedy space, ordering Saturday late-night effort Party Over Here from the trio and Paul Scheer.

The four will executive produce the new half-hour series, set to debut Mar. 12, though they naturally won't be part of the cast. That will be comprised of Nicole Byer, Jessica McKenna and Alison Rich.

“When we first conceived this idea, we thought of it as a spinoff of Empire,” Samberg, Schaffer and Taccone said Thursday in a statement. “We failed miserably … now it’s much more of a sketch comedy show.”

Added Scheer: “In an age where most millennials don’t even know what a TV is, we are really excited to be getting into the TV business."

Fox has not had a regular sketch comedy series or a late-night effort since MadTV ended its 14-season run back in 2009. Party Over Here, notably comprised of an all-female cast at the moment, will not be going head-to-head with NBC's Saturday Night Live, though. It will air at 11 p.m. ET/PT.

“The late-night landscape is wildly competitive, and we thought long and hard about the kind of audacious, attention-getting voices we needed,” said Fox Broadcasting entertainment president David Madden. “Andy, Akiva, Jorma, Paul and our three stars — Nicole, Jessica and Alison — are the ideal group of talent to do just that. They’re fearless, original and, of course, very, very funny.”

The trio of women are relative newcomers, but each boasts a unique comedy cred. Bryer is one of the breakouts of MTV's Girl Code, McKenna has been with both the Groundlings and the Upright Citizens Brigade, and Rich served as a staff writer on SNL.

Scheer, who currently stars on ABC's Fresh Off the Boat, will direct in addition to his work as producer.
 
playahaitian said:
5 Reasons Why Andy Samberg’s ‘Popstar’ Is a Lonely Island at the Box Office

Universal’s R-rated satire opens to measly $4.6 million

The talents over at Lonely Island have a strong track record with music videos like “Dick In A Box” and “Motherlover,” which shot straight to the viral video hall of fame. But the team is 0 for 2 when it comes to translating their catchy brand of comedy for the big screen.
Their latest effort, Universal’s R-rated comedy “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,” is an all-out bomb, opening this weekend in eighth place with just $4.6 million in grosses from 2,311 locations. (Cue the “Lonely Island” puns.)

What’s vexing about the film — directed by Island crew members Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, starring Andy Samberg, and written by all three — is that it received the best reviews of all the new wide releases this weekend. Really, it did. “Popstar” outscored romantic drama “Me Before You” by 20 percent for a 76 percent “Certified Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and more than doubled “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows'” 35 percent “Rotten” score.



Also starring Imogen Poots, the film is a mock music documentary that revolves around a Justin Bieber-esque pop star (Samberg) whose celebrity status is on the decline.
Here are five reasons why “Popstar” flopped:

1. Andy Samberg can’t carry a movie (yet).
He won a Golden Globe for his Fox comedy series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” and an Emmy, shared with his Lonely Island brethren and Justin Timberlake, for the aforementioned “Dick In A Box.” But Samberg still hasn’t hit as a leading funnyman the way his fellow “SNL” alum and “Hotel Transylvania” co-star Adam Sandler has.


Lest we forget, the 2007 comedy “Hot Rod,” also made by the Island guys, bombed too. It starred Samberg as a goofy, self-proclaimed stuntman, and only earned $14 million … total.

Samberg’s movie career isn’t a lost cause. It’s just that the films in which he’s a supporting ensemble player are much more successful. In fact, his biggest hits are ones in which he doesn’t even appear on-screen: “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” and the aforementioned “Transylvania” animated movies. Good for his bank account, bad for his status as a leading man.

2. Audiences will wait to watch at home.

Island fans think “Popstar” falls in line with the sketch comedies they see on late-night TV. Sure, they want to watch and be entertained, but aren’t willing to shell out multiplex-level cash. Case in point: “Hot Rod” almost doubled its returns in DVD sales, raking in $25.3 million — and that was nearly 10 years ago.

3. Was marketing a (careless) whisper?
There were some billboards, trailers, and TV spots — but the marketing for “Popstar” certainly didn’t feel ubiquitous. Universal may have been banking on the digital short that ran on “SNL” to take off more than it did, potentially at the expense of traditional marketing.

4. It should have been rated PG-13.
The R-rating may have been prohibitive to teens — who are arguably the most hyperaware of Bieber and all of his idiosyncrasies. With a PG-13 rating, seats could have been filled with audiences who actually listen to pop stars, or at least confess to it.

5. Come to think of it, what was the audience for this movie exactly?
A lot of Gen Yers are focused on urban gardening, DIY culture, and — let’s face it — singer/songwriters like Andrew Bird. And Gen Xers couldn’t care less about the Biebs or a parody of him. Let’s not even start with Baby Boomers.

http://www.thewrap.com/5-reasons-why-andy-sambergs-popstar-is-a-lonely-island-at-the-box-office/
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A Teacher Was Suspended for Playing Lonely Island and Duck Sauce, Exceeding the Legal Teacher Coolness Limit

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In a somewhat desperate attempt to teach kids by utilizing familiar media (“Why yes, reading Flannery O’Connor is like catching Squirtle!”), Vancouver English teacher Cory Rae Steeves was suspended for five days after screening the Lonely Island’s “I’m on a Boat” and Duck Sauce’s “Big Bad Wolf" in his class as part of a lesson on satire. Steeves's students were in tenth grade, and he can return to teaching after completing a “Reinforcing Respectful Professional Boundaries” course, so no harm, no foul. Unless … dear God, do the children really think you can fly a boat to the moon somehow? Oh Lord, they'll suffocate in the freezing cold vacuum of space!

http://pitchfork.com/news/66972-tea...ck-sauce-videos-in-class/?mbid=social_twitter
 
Andy Samberg has never made a funny joke in his life. He must got some strong Jewish connections.
 

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