The Lonely Island Biography

The Lonely Island
"Lonely Island" redirects here. For the island in the Russian Arctic, see Uyedineniya Island. For the song by the Parliaments, see Lonely Island (song). For the location in J.R.R. Tolkien's universe, see Tol Eressea.
The Lonely Island
Background information
Origin Berkeley, California
Genres Hip hop, comedy
Years active 2001–present
Labels Universal Republic
Website thelonelyisland.com
Members
Andy Samberg
Andy Milonakis
Akiva Schaffer
Jorma Taccone

The Lonely Island is an American comedy troupe composed of Akiva "Kiv" Schaffer, Jorma "Jorm" Taccone, and David Andrew "Andy" Samberg, best known for their comedic music. Originally from Berkeley, California, the group is currently based in New York City. The group broke out due to their collective work from 2005–2011 on Saturday Night Live. Samberg and Schaffer continue to work at the show, with occasional input from Taccone.[1]

Once on the show, they wrote "Lazy Sunday", a music parody video that became an instant hit on YouTube.[2] Following the success of this digital short, the group produced the Emmy-winning "Dick in a Box", "Jizz in My Pants", "Like a Boss", and the Grammy-nominated "I'm on a Boat",[3] which have subsequently had huge success both on SNL and on the internet, and prompted the release of the 2009 album, Incredibad.[4] In 2011, the group released their second album, Turtleneck & Chain, which featured songs from such SNL digital shorts as "I Just Had Sex", "The Creep", and "Jack Sparrow".

In August 2007, the group premiered its first feature film, Hot Rod.[5]
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Saturday Night Live
* 2 Musical style
* 3 Discography
o 3.1 Incredibad
o 3.2 Turtleneck & Chain
* 4 Collaborations
* 5 Filmography
o 5.1 Hot Rod
o 5.2 Awesometown
* 6 Individual projects
* 7 References
* 8 External links

[edit] Saturday Night Live

Beginning in junior high school, Samberg, Schaffer, and Taccone began creating live comedy skits that expanded to comedic shorts, music parody (both songs and videos), and one full-length television pilot, before being invited to write portions of the 2005 MTV Movie Awards, which Jimmy Fallon hosted.[2] Impressed with the group's material, he brought the trio to the attention of Lorne Michaels, the producer of Saturday Night Live, who agreed to see them. Performing stand-up comedy in his free time, Samberg fulfilled a lifelong dream by auditioning for the show. He was called back for a second audition a few weeks later and was ultimately invited to be a cast member; Schaffer and Taccone were invited to join the writing staff based on their work in the trio.[2] Since their arrival, the group has written some popular bits in recent SNL history, most notably, the SNL Digital Shorts (collectively) and MacGruber (Taccone, with John Solomon and cast member Will Forte).

Everyone who has gambled with the marine corps, it's gone well. We figured it couldn't hurt to see how long we could ride it.
Samberg, Entertainment Weekly, 2007[6]

Uncertain if Michaels would approve of a wacky pre-recorded skit on the show, the group borrowed a video camera and filmed a faux lettuce commercial starring Samberg and fellow SNL cast member Will Forte. They presented the finished product to Michaels in December 2005, who liked the short and agreed to air it.[2] It was the first of what would become a regular feature of the program, called Saturday Night Live's Digital Shorts.[2] "Lazy Sunday", the second digital short, enjoyed runaway success in the virtual media, as fans responded with t-shirts and response videos.[2] Many of these shorts have skyrocketed to internet fame, including "Natalie's Rap" (with Natalie Portman), "Iran So Far" (with Adam Levine), "Jizz in My Pants", "Shy Ronnie" (with Rihanna), and "I'm on a Boat" (with T-Pain), the latter of which was nominated on December 2, 2009, for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 52nd Grammy Awards.[3]

The song "Dick in a Box", which was performed with Justin Timberlake, won the 2007 Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.[7] Credited for its production are Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, and Justin Timberlake, in addition to Katreese Barnes and Asa Taccone for music.[8] Based on 1990s contemporary R&B, such as Keith Sweat, Jodeci, and R. Kelly, the song is about giving gift-wrapped genitalia as a Christmas present to one's girlfriend.[9] Samberg and Timberlake made a sequel to "Dick in a Box" called "Motherlover", which aired on May 9, 2009.

Other recent shorts by the comedy group include "On the Ground" which aired October 2009; "Great Day" aired on May 15, 2010; "Shy Ronnie 2: Ronnie & Clyde" featuring Rihanna aired on October 30, 2010; "I Just Had Sex" featuring Akon, was aired on December 18, 2010; "The Creep" featuring Nicki Minaj and John Waters was released on January 29, 2011; and "Jack Sparrow" featuring Michael Bolton, which was released on May 7, 2011. The sequel to Motherlover, "3-Way (The Golden Rule)," featured Lady Gaga and aired on May 21, 2011.

In the summer of 2010, Taccone quit Saturday Night Live, but has returned to work on a handful of Digital Shorts in the 2010–2011 season.[1]
[edit] Musical style

The comedic influences of the group include SNL forebears such as Adam Sandler, Chris Farley and Mike Myers, as well as luminaries such as Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, the Monty Python troupe and the Marx Brothers.[10] While the group is most strongly inspired by hip-hop and R&B the lyrics are commonly rooted in self-deprecation as is reflected in a 2011 interview conducted shortly before the release of Turtleneck and Chain.[11] The Lonely Island's debut Incredibad was produced with the goal in mind to make an impact on listeners just as They're All Gonna Laugh At You (1993), a musical comedy album by Adam Sandler, which heavily influenced Samberg.[12] Songs by The Lonely Island rarely exceed three minutes, as brevity is very important to the troupe, who believe that is "about as much as the audience can stand."[13]
[edit] Discography
Main article: The Lonely Island discography
[edit] Incredibad
For more details on this topic, see Incredibad.

The group's first album, Incredibad, was released on February 10, 2009 by Universal Republic Records.[4][14] The album, which includes parodies of existing hip hop songs, also includes a DVD with some of the videos, including "Wait (You Guys)" as the Bing Bong Brothers, a spoof of the Ying Yang Twins' "Wait (The Whisper Song)", and "Jizz in my Pants."
[edit] Turtleneck & Chain
For more details on this topic, see Turtleneck & Chain.

On their YouTube channel, The Lonely Island announced an upcoming album on October 28, 2010, which would be released in Spring 2011. On December 18, 2010, the SNL Digital Short was the official music video of "I Just Had Sex" (featuring Akon), the first single off the album.

On January 29, 2011, the group debuted "The Creep" featuring Nicki Minaj and a cameo by filmmaker John Waters, on SNL and YouTube. On March 15, 2011, Direct Current Music reported that the album would be named Turtleneck & Chain and would be released on May 10, 2011.[15] On April 1, 2011, The Lonely Island appeared as guests on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, where they premiered the lead track, "We're Back!", as well as the new album cover. On April 19, 2011, the group released "Motherlover" featuring Justin Timberlake as the fourth single from the album. This song was last featured on the 34th season of SNL.

The group held a fundraiser to promote their new album on April 16, 2011. This event was at Amoeba Music in Berkeley, California. There were only 250 tickets available, and the only way to obtain a ticket was to pre-order their album. They hosted a Q & A session and an autograph session. Shortly after, "Motherlover" was released on iTunes. On May 7, they released a new track, "Jack Sparrow", featuring Michael Bolton.
[edit] Collaborations

The Lonely Island has collaborated with many major artists including T-Pain in "I'm On a Boat", Akon in "I Just Had Sex", Justin Timberlake in "Dick in a Box" , "Motherlover" and "3-Way (The Golden Rule)" (the last of which also featured Lady Gaga), Beck in "Attracted to Us", Rihanna in "Shy Ronnie" and "Shy Ronnie 2: Ronnie & Clyde", Michael Bolton in "Jack Sparrow", Nicki Minaj in "The Creep", Julian Casablancas in "Boombox", Jack Black in "Sax Man", Norah Jones in "Dreamgirl", Snoop Dogg in "Turtleneck and Chain", Will Ferrell in "Cool Guys Don't Look At Explosions", Santigold in "After Party" and Natalie Portman in "Natalie's Rap".
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Hot Rod
Main article: Hot Rod (film)

Upon landing a role as a featured player on SNL, Samberg had multiple meetings with production companies, Paramount being one of them. They told him he was being considered for the leading man in a project written by Pam Brady which had remained dormant for some years. The script was under the care of the producer Lorne Michaels, who had the final say. Paramount gave Samberg the script; he agreed and waited for Michaels' approval. After the success of "Lazy Sunday", he felt he was ready to play the lead role in the movie. It was called Hot Rod and was originally written with Will Ferrell in mind as the lead.[6] Schaffer and Taccone were brought on as well once again due to the "Lazy Sunday Effect." Released in August 2007, the film did very poorly at the box office, released the same time as the blockbuster The Bourne Ultimatum, and barely broke even. Additionally, it received mixed or average reviews,[16] a scenario Samberg anticipated as he stated is the case with many first-time comedies that embrace surreal comedy, such as Billy Madison.[6]
[edit] Awesometown

The crew filmed a pilot for Fox in 2005 for a TV show called Awesometown, however the network rejected it. They re-edited the pilot and added new segments for a potential MTV or Comedy Network version, but it was also rejected.[17][18]
[edit] Individual projects

Samberg appeared on Premium Blend and had a cameo on the season-two finale of Arrested Development. He also made guest appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Late Show with David Letterman, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon since joining SNL. Andy Samberg appeared in the 2009 film I Love You, Man, in which he plays the gay brother of a man who has no male friends and must find one to be his best man before his wedding day. Andy Samberg also co-starred in Cloudy with a Chance Of Meatballs, where he voiced "Baby" Brent, the now-adult mascot of Baby Brent Sardines. Samberg has also appeared in episodes of Parks and Recreation, The Sarah Silverman Program, Yo Gabba Gabba, and 'Human Giant'. He also hosted Shark Week 2011 on the Discovery Channel.

Schaffer directed four music videos for the indie rock group We Are Scientists, as well as for the Eagles of Death Metal's single "I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)". On SNL, he works as a writer-director, primarily known for directing the SNL Digital Shorts.

Taccone had a cameo in the movie Role Models and co-starred in the feature film Land of the Lost. He directed the movie based on the SNL sketch MacGruber, which was released in May 2010. He quit SNL in 2010.[1]
[edit] References

1. ^ a b c Heisler, Steve. "The Lonely Island | Music | Interview". The A.V. Club. http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-lonely-island,56484/. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
2. ^ a b c d e f Stein, Joel (April 17, 2006). "Straight Outta Narnia". TIME. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1184075,00.html. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
3. ^ a b Voziak-Levinson, Simon (December 2, 2009). Entertainment Weekly. http://music-mix.ew.com/2009/12/02/grammy-nomination-surprises. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
4. ^ a b Kaufman, Gil (December 10, 2008). "'SNL' Star Andy Samberg Recruits T-Pain, Justin Timberlake, Norah Jones for New Album". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1601144/20081211/timberlake_justin.jhtml. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
5. ^ Scott, A.O. (August 3, 2007). "Hot Rod (2007) Never Pick a Fight with a Washing Machine". New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/08/03/movies/03hot.html. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
6. ^ a b c Pastorek, Whitney (July 27, 2007), Andy Samberg. Entertainment Weekly(945):
7. ^ "2007 Emmy Winners: the Complete List". Daily News (New York). September 17, 2007. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2007/09/17/2007-09-17_2007_emmy_winners_the_complete_list.html?page=0. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
8. ^ "2007 Emmy Award Nominations" (PDF). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. p. 14. Archived from the original on May 30, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080530025620/http://www.emmys.org/downloads/2007/59ptemmys_noms.pdf. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
9. ^ Collis, Clark; Drumming, Neil (February 9, 2007), "SEXY BEAST". Entertainment Weekly(920):37
10. ^ NPR Staff (May 8, 2011). "The Lonely Island: The Hottest Thing In Fake Hip-Hop". National Public Radio. http://www.npr.org/2011/05/08/136056357/the-lonely-island-the-hottest-thing-in-fake-hip-hop?ps=cprs. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
11. ^ Vish Khanna (June 2011). "The Lonely Island". Exclaim!. http://exclaim.ca/Interviews/WebExclusive/lonely_island. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
12. ^ "Andy Samberg invites you to his Lonely Island". Associated Press. MSNBC. February 26, 2009. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/29412580. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
13. ^ Ben Kaplan (May 9, 2011). "All ashore for Andy Samberg and The Lonely buttIsland". National Post (Canada). http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/05/09/all-ashore-for-andy-samberg-and-the-lonely-island/. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
14. ^ Pastorek, Whitney (December 8, 2008). "J in My Mouth: The Resurgence of Jamie-Lynn Sigler". Entertainment Weekly Online. http://popwatch.ew.com/2008/12/08/j-in-my-pants-t/. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
15. ^ "SNL's Lonely Island Return May 10 with 'Turtleneck and Chain'". Direct Current Music. March 15, 2011. http://www.directcurrentmusic.com/dc-music-news-feed/2011/3/15/snls-lonely-island-return-may-10-with-turtleneck-and-chain.html. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
16. ^ Gordon, Devin (August 13, 2007), Is It Too 'Hot' in Here? Newsweek. 150 (7):
17. ^ IMDB
18. ^ The Lonely Island