The Chronic-(WHAT!)-cles of Narnia: Video shoots 'SNL' rookie into spotlight - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

vashti1999 · 12-26-2005, 01:26 AM

The video is now available as a free download on iTunes

New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com

Video shoots 'SNL' rookie into the show's spotlight

By JULIAN KESNER
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Saturday, December 24th, 2005

A week ago, Andy Samberg was a little-known rookie on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," toiling long hours trying to earn a spot in a skit or two.
Then, last Saturday night, "SNL" ran Samberg's "Lazy Sunday" digital video starring Samberg and fellow cast member Chris Parnell.

Soon after the show aired, the clip became an instant Internet hit, recording more than a million downloads before the week was out. In short, Samberg's days of obscurity are over.

"We came up with the right idea and just went for it," Samberg said. "We were nervous [about] how it was going to be received by the studio audience."

Turns out, Samberg had nothing to be nervous about. It was a hit with the studio audience and bootleg clips began flying around the Internet within hours, most notably at www.youtube.com. Overwhelmed by requests, NBC posted the clip on its own Web site a couple days later.

The two-minute video is a sendup of gangster rap videos, featuring Samberg and Parnell dropping hardcore lyrics - about going to see the family-friendly "The Chronicles of Narnia."

"It captures a certain scrappiness about the show. There's an unpolished realness to it that I think people can instantly relate to," said "SNL" veteran Amy Poehler, who calls Samberg "a lethal combination of enthusiasm and good ideas. I adore him."

Making short films on the fly is nothing new to the 27-year-old Samberg, who grew up in Berkeley, Calif., and graduated from film school at NYU.

Samberg and two childhood friends, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer, reunited after college in 2001 to make comedy shorts and music videos under the moniker The Lonely Island, posting the clips online at www.thelonelyisland.com.

Their Web site drew a hefty following, and "The Dudes," as they're known, were soon writing pilots for FOX and Comedy Central. Their big break came after writing material for 2005 MTV Movie Awards host Jimmy Fallon, who recommended them to "SNL" producers.

Samberg nailed his "SNL" audition, thanks to a frantic four-day writing session with Taccone and Schaffer. But the best news was yet to come: The show then hired Samberg's two cohorts as writers.

"There were about three days where we were facing the possibility that we might have to split up," said Samberg. "It was the biggest relief ever."

"All those Lonely Island guys are great performers and writers - they're really a three-headed monster," said Poehler.

The trio and Parnell wrote "Lazy Sunday" in two days and recorded it on Taccone's computer.

While he'd like to earn his way into more live skits, Samberg hopes The Dudes can continue making digital videos for "SNL."

"It felt like it was so us," he said. "It played really well, and we were just super happy about that."

snl 70s show fan · 12-26-2005, 10:41 PM

it is a funny video i know alot of snl fans dont seem to like andy samberg but he bill hader and kristin whig have brought a little freshness to the show this season

*Pleasant Tomorrow* · 12-27-2005, 07:49 PM

Anharh, that skit was AWESOME. My sister and I couldn't stop saying the chronic WHAT cles of Narnia after that.

IndyGyrl09 · 01-22-2006, 06:32 PM

i love that skit. to this day i still say the chronic-what-cles of narnia.

bbvman35 · 03-11-2006, 02:03 PM

Did anyone see the SNL digital short with Natalie Portman. I thought it was pretty funny. Andy Samburg will go a long way. Think Will Ferrell and Jimmy Fallon. I bet he will have a best of DVD in a few years.

snl 70s show fan · 03-11-2006, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbvman35

Did anyone see the SNL digital short with Natalie Portman. I thought it was pretty funny. Andy Samburg will go a long way. Think Will Ferrell and Jimmy Fallon. I bet he will have a best of DVD in a few years.

i saw i thought it was very offbeat and funny

12-26-2005, 01:26 AM	#1
vashti1999 NY METS - #1 Forum Fanatic Join Date: Oct 14, 2003 Location: The world's greatest city - New York City Posts: 11,404	The Chronic-(WHAT!)-cles of Narnia: Video shoots 'SNL' rookie into spotlight The video is now available as a free download on iTunes New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com Video shoots 'SNL' rookie into the show's spotlight By JULIAN KESNER DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Saturday, December 24th, 2005 A week ago, Andy Samberg was a little-known rookie on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," toiling long hours trying to earn a spot in a skit or two. Then, last Saturday night, "SNL" ran Samberg's "Lazy Sunday" digital video starring Samberg and fellow cast member Chris Parnell. Soon after the show aired, the clip became an instant Internet hit, recording more than a million downloads before the week was out. In short, Samberg's days of obscurity are over. "We came up with the right idea and just went for it," Samberg said. "We were nervous [about] how it was going to be received by the studio audience." Turns out, Samberg had nothing to be nervous about. It was a hit with the studio audience and bootleg clips began flying around the Internet within hours, most notably at www.youtube.com. Overwhelmed by requests, NBC posted the clip on its own Web site a couple days later. The two-minute video is a sendup of gangster rap videos, featuring Samberg and Parnell dropping hardcore lyrics - about going to see the family-friendly "The Chronicles of Narnia." "It captures a certain scrappiness about the show. There's an unpolished realness to it that I think people can instantly relate to," said "SNL" veteran Amy Poehler, who calls Samberg "a lethal combination of enthusiasm and good ideas. I adore him." Making short films on the fly is nothing new to the 27-year-old Samberg, who grew up in Berkeley, Calif., and graduated from film school at NYU. Samberg and two childhood friends, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer, reunited after college in 2001 to make comedy shorts and music videos under the moniker The Lonely Island, posting the clips online at www.thelonelyisland.com. Their Web site drew a hefty following, and "The Dudes," as they're known, were soon writing pilots for FOX and Comedy Central. Their big break came after writing material for 2005 MTV Movie Awards host Jimmy Fallon, who recommended them to "SNL" producers. Samberg nailed his "SNL" audition, thanks to a frantic four-day writing session with Taccone and Schaffer. But the best news was yet to come: The show then hired Samberg's two cohorts as writers. "There were about three days where we were facing the possibility that we might have to split up," said Samberg. "It was the biggest relief ever." "All those Lonely Island guys are great performers and writers - they're really a three-headed monster," said Poehler. The trio and Parnell wrote "Lazy Sunday" in two days and recorded it on Taccone's computer. While he'd like to earn his way into more live skits, Samberg hopes The Dudes can continue making digital videos for "SNL." "It felt like it was so us," he said. "It played really well, and we were just super happy about that."
	__________________ .

12-27-2005, 07:49 PM	#3
Pleasant Tomorrow Member Forum Addict Join Date: Feb 19, 2003 Location: New York Posts: 69,525	Anharh, that skit was AWESOME. My sister and I couldn't stop saying the chronic WHAT cles of Narnia after that.
	__________________ my name is ashlee Welcome! Everything is fine.

03-11-2006, 02:03 PM	#5
bbvman35 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Mar 11, 2006 Location: Utah Posts: 7	Natalie Portman Did anyone see the SNL digital short with Natalie Portman. I thought it was pretty funny. Andy Samburg will go a long way. Think Will Ferrell and Jimmy Fallon. I bet he will have a best of DVD in a few years.

12-26-2005, 10:41 PM	#2
snl 70s show fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Jun 14, 2005 Location: in the forman basment Posts: 2,454	it is a funny video i know alot of snl fans dont seem to like andy samberg but he bill hader and kristin whig have brought a little freshness to the show this season

01-22-2006, 06:32 PM	#4
IndyGyrl09 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 15, 2005 Posts: 75	i love that skit. to this day i still say the chronic-what-cles of narnia.