Judd Apatow’s Funny People
Judd Apatow’s untitled Stand-up comedy film now has a title - Funny People. Jason Schwartzman and Jonah Hill have also joined the already announced cast which includes Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann and Eric Bana.
So what is it about? Well details are being kept under wraps, but we do know that i is set in the world of standup comedy and that they story will focus on a comedian who has a near-death experience. Apatow and cast members have also commented on how the film has a more dramatic edge than Apatow’s previous efforts, 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up. And the word Dramedy has been floating around, although the stars insist that the script is filled with laughs.
The ensemble cast is really beginning to take shape. Schwartzman is always great when used to his strengths as the eccentric lovable loser trying to take on the world. And I think pretty much everyone expected that Hill would be involved. But the real question is: will Apatow be able to tame Sandler? I hope so, because I don’t think anyone really wants “just another Adam Sandler comedy”, especially with Apatow at the helm. Funny People will hit theaters in Summer 2009.
Rainn Wilson in Transformers 2
Rainn Wilson has been cast in Michael Bay’s Transformers 2, and will be playing the part of a professor.
“I play a college professor,” he told MTV before jokingly adding, “that turns into a robot, and turns into a car.”
We got a tip earlier in the month that Bay and Company will be shooting some scenes at the University of Pennsylvania. And we know that Jonah Hill turned down the role of Sam Witwicky’s (Shia LaBeouf) college roommate. So it’s likely that Rainn will be playing Witwicky’s college professor, probably in an early segment of the story. Rainn claims he hasn’t even read the script yet, and that it’s only a cameo role.
The two new casting choices revealed thus far (Hill who ultimately decided not to do the film) definitely hint at a screenplay laced with comedy, like the original film.
Rainn Wilson Playing A Professor In Transformers 2
Funny actor man Rainn Wilson from Juno and The Office revealed that he will be playing:
“A professor that turns into a car that turns into a robot,”
See, I told you he was funny.
This casting along with the fact that they wanted to bring on Jonah Hill (Superbad), shows that Michael Bay and friends want to turn Transformers 2 into a comedy, surrounded by battling robots. Personally, I’d rather have Transformers 2 go down the more serious route, but comic relief now and again shouldn’t be too bad, as long as they don’t go overboard.
Saturday Night Live: Jonah Hill/Mariah Carey
(S33E08) Cold Open: No surprise here, the first thing to get mocked was the Eliot Spitzer sex scandal. Bill Hader’s impression was spot-on, as always, and Kristen Wiig did a great job as the pained Mrs. Spitzer. The overall skit was all right, but I wasn’t too quick to get my hopes up. After all, the post-strike episodes haven’t been too hot, with the last two being particularly hard to sit through, and I wasn’t sure how Superbad funnyman Jonah Hill would fare on live TV.
Monologue: I never would have pinned Hill as a host who would do a singing monologue. The song was very fun, but Hill seemed a little uncomfortable. And I believe that moustache tattoo is real, by the way. Hill was showing it off on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Good luck dealing with that in five years, Hill. I’m sure it’ll still be hilarious.
“MacGruber: Bank”: Man, Will Forte doesn’t get nearly enough recognition for his over-enthusiastic theme songs. His half-screaming, half-singing performances get me every single time. Anyway, this was a pretty basic “MacGruber” skit, meaning that it was worth a few chuckles.
“Game Show”: Rather funny idea, decent execution. It really could have been done better, though. And… Oh, man. Every time I see that new girl Casey Wilson, I get more and more annoyed. I keep telling myself to stop being so hard on her, but her unnecessary hand gestures and awkward readings just… Blerg. If she doesn’t do something spectacular soon, I’m going to lose hope. Yeah, I’m just tough like that.
“Six Year-Old”: First of all, Wiig looks awesome with black hair. I’m just saying. Secondly, Hill did a fantastic job with this character. How he wasn’t overwhelmed with the pacing and amount of dialogue, I’ll never know. The writing wasn’t too shabby, either, which gave me a little hope for the rest of the evening.
“MacGruber: Paint Factory”: More “MacGruber”. Funny but formulaic. Nice hair, Hill.
“The Suze Orman Show”: Seriously, Wiig (and Hader) carry the show’s impressions. Darrell Hammond is great and all, but when do we ever see him anymore? They’re obviously keeping him on the back burner in case Hillary Clinton gets elected and they need Mr. William Clinton again, but more on that when we talk about Hammond’s one and only skit of the evening. Wiig’s Suze Orman was fantastic, no surprise, and the skit was pretty funny.
“SNL Digital Short: Andy’s Dad”: It’s sad how the stuff that isn’t live is often the best part of Saturday Night Live. As usual, the Digital Short delivered the funnies. I mean, come on, Jonah Hill making out with an old guy. That’s, like, instant funny. The part where they were laughing on the couch was perfect too. Of course, if it was just one vulgar joke after another, it wouldn’t have been quite as good. Andy Samberg’s death stares perfectly tied everything together.
“Weekend Update”: Excluding the special segments, “WU” was decent this week. I liked the pictures of the cool teacher and Mississippi’s one Asian guy. There was another “Really!?! with Seth and Amy”, covering the Spitzer scandal. They were pretty spot-on through it. Then, SNL alumn Tracy Morgan showed up as a sort of counterpoint to Tina Fey’s Hillary Clinton speech a few weeks ago. “Bitch may be the new black, but black is the new president, bitch!” Priceless.
“Target Lady”: Even though I don’t particularly care for this sketch, I’m usually okay with it. It relies heavily on the host’s character, because the Target Lady herself is so very formulaic. If I remember correctly, Justin Timberlake did a really good job of carrying this sketch when he last hosted, but Hill didn’t do quite as hot. However, I do believe that every sketch should somehow incorporate an Isaac Mizrahi cardboard cut-out. Make it work.
“NBC Special Report”: O HAI! It’s Darrell Hammond. Remember? He’s still on the show. As I said in the comments for the “Suze Orman Show” sketch, Hammond is totally being kept on the back burner. Couldn’t they just find some people to take over Trump and Clinton? Because the way resident old guy Hammond is being used (or not used) is kind of sad. That said, his John McCain was perfect. Damn it, Hammond, you’re good.
“Spaceships, Toddlers, Model-T Cars and Jars of Beer”: A typical end-of-the-night sketch. Remember what I was saying about Forte’s over-enthusiastic singing. Perfect example. I always think his head is going to burst whenever he does it.
“Blind Date”: I couldn’t even try to enjoy this. Wilson, you are killing me. Seriously. Make your hands calm down and stop reading the cue cards like an athlete hosting the show for the first time.
Mariah Carey: Props to her for looking so good and managing to work “YouTube” into a song without making it sound too bad.
Next time: After a Tina Fey re-run… Christopher Walken! Yes! Yes! For the love of everything that is funny, Walken, save this season. Oh, and Panic! At the Disco, which is still around making crappy music, apparently.