Some shows at the upcoming Del Close Marathon that may be of interest to SNL fans/people who enjoy good things -

• UCB TourCo All-Stars - featuring Bobby Moynihan, Neil Casey, Jon Gabrus, Shannon O’Neill, Anthony King, Brandon Gardner, Fran Gillespie, more!
• The Midnight Show - featuring, among others, SNL writer Heather Anne Campbell.
• Challenger - An improv show which will see a bunch of Chicago improv veterans do their thing on the UCB stage. Featuring Paul Brittain.
• Revolver - One of iO Chicago’s top house teams perform the Harold. Featuring Vanessa Bayer.
• Ness and Nance - Two-woman improv show featuring Vanessa Bayer and Nancy Friedrich.

Happy Birthday, Bobby Moynihan!

Happy birthday to Bobby Moynihan who, according to Wikipedia, turns 34 today! Have a good ‘un, sir!

Bobby Moynihan appearing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Bobby Moynihan will appear on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tonight! Don't forget to tune in! Also, don't forget to tune in tomorrow night to see SNL writer/comedian Colin Jost make an appearance!

Snooki Meets Snooki

Snooki, meet Snooki.

Star of Jersey Shore, Snooki, met her SNL counterpart on Tuesday while shooting scenes for MTV New Year's Bash in New York.

There are no words. This is too perfect.

Bobby Moynihan promoted to repertory player on SNL

So, I was just reading this article about Bobby Moynihan visiting his old high school and came upon this sentence -

"It was the weirdest thing in the world,” says Moynihan, recently promoted to repertory player on “SNL,” whose 36th season premieres tonight on NBC. "

HUZZAH! Very excited for Bobby - it was about time!

Bobby Moynihan was a guest on The Hype Men podcast where he talked about a whole bunch of things pertaining to SNL. You can download the podcast here.  Enjoy!

Bobby Moynihan article | UConn

Check out this neat article about Bobby Moynihan that appeared in the UConn magazine. The article can also be read here. 

Enjoy! And thanks to Nicole for sharing it with me!

Bobby Moynihan on Portable Lounge

So, looks like I have to compete with Chris Gethard for best Bobby Moynihan interview of the week - I know, right? Timing!
Anyway, Gethard interviewed Moynihan for his new Comedy Central online talk show Portable Lounge and they discussed Chewbacca and their non-sexual fantasies. You can check it out here -
http://www.comedycentral.com/full-episodes/portable-lounge/101-chris-gethard-and-bobby-moynihan

I can't view it - overseas viewers & stuff - but by all accounts, it's awesome so check it out!

Bobby Moynihan Q&A

Okay, so I just want to extend my enormous thanks to Bobby for agreeing to answer these questions and for putting so much time, care and effort into answering these questions. He went far and beyond what I could have ever expected - the answers are so insightful and for all us SNL nerds, it's a real treat to read! 
Without further ado, I give you the Bobby Moynihan Q&A! I hope you all enjoy it! (Most of it is after the jump, so click read more!)
__________________________________________________

1. Could you talk about how you originally got into comedy? (What led you into it? Was it what you were always interested in pursuing?)

When I was a kid I wanted to be a cartoonist. Or at least draw comic books or make action figures. Then I started doing the youth summer theatre in my town. Mostly just to hang out with my friends at the diner after rehearsals. When college time came around I got into UCONN for Acting. So I went. I did mostly plays and musical theatre while I was there but we had to a final presentation for our senior year and we kind of did sketch's and then a roast. I think that was my first real jump into sketch comedy. Then when I came back to New York I saw an improv show at UCB. I loved it so much and I knew instantly that that was what I wanted to do. I signed up for classes the next day and I have been doing it ever since.

2. What was your audition like for Saturday Night Live? Did it feature any characters/impressions that have since been featured on the show?

My audition process was torture. It was 14 months in between the first time I auditioned and the second time because of the writers strike. The first time I auditioned I believe I did Hurley from Lost trying to open a jar of Dharma Initiative Chili, Turtle from Entourage. I did Mark Payne, and I did another character called Simply Victor that will never be on the show and a bit where I tap danced. The second time I auditioned I think I had a better handle on what they wanted  from me. I did like 13 short bits. I believe I did a character called "The Biggest Douche on the Subway", I did Nathan Lane for the National Hamburger Society, I did Snagglepuss at a swingers club, I did Jack Black at a funeral, I did a character called Mark Dark Narcoleptic Narc, I did Simply Victor again and Mark Payne. I also did other stuff that I am forgetting and when I write it out like that I don't know how I got on the show.

3. In your first show at SNL, you got your character Mark Payne on the air. How did you succeed in getting a character on the air in your first week and what was it like to feature so prominently in a sketch that early on?

Honestly, I have no idea. I think it was all a matter of timing and stupidity. I pitched my only good character right out of the gate. Not the smartest thing I have ever done. But it was the only thing I had that I knew really really well. I had been doing that character in a show with my sketch group Buffoons (with Charlie Sanders and Eugene Cordero) for three years so I felt comfortable with it. Everyone was very nice at my first read through and I was terrified. But it went well and it got picked. Still can't believe it. I also think it had a lot to do with the fact that Michael Phelps was hosting and he had just won like a million medals and he was exhausted. All he had to do in the scene was sit and not swim. If an actual actor hosted I don't think it would have seen the light of day. To this day  I still cannot understand the chain of events that led to getting that on the air in my first show. We did another one a few episodes later with Tim McGraw that I loved and another two, one with Rosario Dawson and one with Tracy Morgan, that got cut for time. The Tracy Morgan one was the Mark Payne origin story. A flashback to Tracy training Mark at Uno's. I love it more than anything. But it will never see the light of day. The Mark Payne saga is complete in my mind. I love that character and believe it is a big part of what got me on the show. The biggest  thrill of all was seeing Mark Payne in the opening credits sequence of the SNL in the 2000's documentary. I can remember the moment I saw it. I will never forget how thankful I was that I worked in Pizzeria Uno for 9 years too long.

Hey guys,
So, big news! Cast member/UCB improviser/all-around nice guy Bobby Moynihan has very kindly agreed to answer some questions for the blog! I know, right?

So, faithful readers, I'm putting it out there - if you have any questions for Snookie  Bobby Moynihan, leave a comment with your question & I'll pick a few of the best to ask him.

Thanks,
-Amy

So this is a little late, but here's an article about Bobby Moynihan's nerdy affection for Lost.
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/05/23/bobby-moynihan-is-a-big-lost-nerd-and-proud-of-it/


It's interesting if only for the fact that it reassures me that television nerdiness is something that people from all walks of life engage in - even SNL cast members. 

Cast Photos

Does this picture make you happy? 'Cause I know any event where the SNL cast spruce up and look nice, makes me happy.
They were all pretty busy this week, making appearances at the Museum of Natural History Gala and the Barney's Window Launch.
I've assembled a nice little TinyPic photo album with a bunch of photos of the cast from the event. Enjoy!

http://tinypic.com/a/1g5rn/1

When In Rome Trailer

Check out the trailer for the upcoming movie, "When in Rome" which stars Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Will Arnett, Dax Shepherd, Danny DeVito, Jon Heder and SNL's Bobby Moynihan who can be seen in the trailer embedded below.



Scroll to 0.36 to see Bobby Moynihan (with mucho facial hair) in action!

Bobby Moynihan Interview

Bobby Moynihan gave a very good, insightful interview on StarPulse.
Here is the link to the full interview transcript:

http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php?p=111735&more=1&page=2

There is one bit where he mentions his disappointment at not being in a live sketch in the Steve Martin show ON HIS BIRTHDAY! Aw!

Enjoy!

The Line: Live

As I told you guys last week, not my fault if you weren't paying attention, UCB was hosting a live screening of web series The Line, with guests Bill Hader, Seth Meyers & Simon Rich.
Well, I just read an account of the proceedings, and it sounded effing awesome.
In addition to Hader & Meyers, Bobby Moynihan, Jason Sudeikis and John Lutz (a SNL writer) showed up, along with Thomas Middleditch and Will Hines who appeared in The Line.
And if that weren't enough, Jon Hamm, Jack McBrayer, Michaela Watkins, Chris Gethard and Laura Krafft (The Colbert Report) also showed up at UCB to show their support.

Read a full account of The Line: Live at this fantastic website the comic's comic:
http://thecomicscomic.typepad.com/thecomicscomic/2009/01/live-from-the-line-live.html#more

Mystery Team

Mystery Team is a comedy written by 30 Rock writer Donald Glover, and stars some SNL folks, including Bobby Moynihan, Kay Cannon (wife of Jason Sudeikis), and John Lutz.
Here's the trailer, where we see Bobby Moynihan for about three seconds?


The movie just got accepted into Sundance 2009, so it's got to be pretty good!
Enjoy!

Lorne Michaels to add another guy/girl?!

Fresh after adding Abby Elliott and Michaela Watkins to the cast, Lorne Michaels has said, and I quote:
"The staying power has always been the cast and the writing. We're just in a rebuilding period," Michaels says. "I believe this cast is confident and good, but we can definitely add another woman and guy in the spring."

(from Shreveport Times)
And want to know Lorne's opinion on the three newbies?

On Abby Elliott:
"She was in the last set of auditions. The fear was that she might be too young. But so was Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy. She did some really nice impressions, and her sense of humor was clearly there."

On Bobby Moynihan:
"I think he's the real thing. I looked at him last year. This year (during auditions), he knocked it out of the park. He has incredible poise and confidence."

On Michaela Watkins:
"She has a very nice precision, and there's real intelligence to her comedy. She did some smart, evolved characters for her audition."

It really seems like he's gushing about Bobby Moynihan, while a little iffy about the two ladies? Perhaps this could mean bye-bye to one of the ladies later in the year. (I have no basis for this claim, just speculatin'..)

New Cast Member - Bobby Moynihan

E! reported it yesterday. UCB then confirmed it. Now it's on the Huffington Post.
Bobby Moynihan is to join the SNL cast for season 34.
For those of you who don't know him, Bobby is a seasoned performer with the Upright Citizens Brigade theatre and appears in The Line (a web series written by and starring SNL cast members).
http://newyork.ucbtheatre.com/performers/237

Apparently he is a very good black impersonator which will either be very well-received or will attract numerous complaints.
Congrats to Bobby!