Taran Killam supports in This You Call A Wonderful Life?! (SNL)

Show - This You Call A Wonderful Life?!

Jeff Bridges ... rabbi
Fred Armisen ... guest
Vanessa Bayer ... guest
Paul Brittain ... guest
Abby Elliott ... Donna Reed, Mary Hatch
Bill Hader ... Ben Mankiewicz
Steve Higgins ... announcer (voice)
Taran Killam ... guest
Bobby Moynihan ... guest
Michael Patrick O'Brien ... guest
Nasim Pedrad ... Zuzu
Andy Samberg ... Moishe Samberg
Jason Sudeikis ... Jimmy Stewart, George Bailey
Kristen Wiig ... guest

You probably didn't know 'It's A Wonderful Life' was originally created as a Chanukah film.



Not overly funny, but it's appropriate in a Christmas episode, I suppose.

Enjoy!

Taran Killam is Brad Pitt on SNL's Weekend Update

Weekend Update: Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt talks about the recent cold weather blasting the Midwest.

Taran Killam ... Brad Pitt
Abby Elliott ... Angelina Jolie



Hmmm. Taran's mannerisms remind me of Brad, but what and how he says it just doesn't have the sting of other impressions. I think the audience would have preferred to see Abby rock her Angelina Jolie in a full skit instead. Sorry Taran, but this isn't as great as your Pee Wee Herman. You should have done Pee Wee as a weatherman. =^)

Taran's first Brad impression. Also portrayed by David Spade once. This is Abby's fourth appearance as Angelina Jolie, all four on Weekend Update. Molly Shannon also did Angelina twice and Kelly Ripa did her once, but Abby owns this impression. I don't see Taran's Brad Pitt achieving the same popularity.

Enjoy!

Taran Killam - Meryl Streep on Ice (SNL)

Commercial - Meryl Streep on Ice

Vanessa Bayer ... theatregoer
Paul Brittain ... theatregoer
Abby Elliott ... Meryl Streep
Bill Hader ... announcer (voice)
Taran Killam ... theatregoer
Jason Sudeikis ... theatregoer

Meryl Streep has mastered the stage and is now taking her talents to the ice.



Unfortunately, Meryl Streep on ice wasn't very funny in this (Abby has done her better on Weekend Update). This could have been funny, but there just weren't any real jokes here. Taran's gay character is probably the only funny thing about this.

Now this is Taran's only skit this week. Other than a hilarious bit as Pee Wee Herman in that Back to the Future DVD bit, Taran hasn't really even shown why he's on SNL. I know why he's on the show (his characters and impressions are great). However, he doesn't seem to be fighting to get his best impressions and characters out there the way that Jay Pharoah and Vanessa Bayer are (and the only thing that Vanessa has done well is Miley Cyrus).

Taran's lack of ambition to get his humor up front reminds me of Jenny Slate and others who've gotten cut from the show. Taran, if you're reading this, you need to start fighting to get your best impressions and characters out there! Build skits and Weekend Update appearances around your Pee Wee Herman, touchy feely character, and guy who does impressions in his basement (maybe as a cable access show). The season is over 40% over, and you haven't given the producers a reason to keep you yet! You're about to repeat what happened on Mad TV!

Enjoy!

Taran Killam in Party at Mr. Bernard's (SNL)

Devin and Rocky are in for a surprise when they show up to party at their boss's house, Mr. Bernard.

Film - SNL Digital Short: Party at Mr. Bernard's

Robert DeNiro ... Mr. Bernard
Vanessa Bayer ... guest
Paul Brittain ... witness
Bill Hader ... Ricky
Taran Killam ... attorney
Bobby Moynihan ... judge
Nasim Pedrad ... guest
Jay Pharoah ... guest
Andy Samberg ... Devon
Jason Sudeikis ... attorney
Kristen Wiig ... guest



Hahahaha. I love this! What a nice nod to the 80s and Weekend at Bernie's!

Taran makes a sweet lawyer!

Enjoy!

Taran Killam - What up with that? (SNL)

Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, and Lindsey Buckingham are guests on this edition of 'What's Up With That?'

Show - what up with that?

Robert DeNiro
Robin Williams
Fred Armisen ... saxophonist
Vanessa Bayer ... singer
Paul Brittain ... musician
Bill Hader ... Lindsey Buckingham
Taran Killam ... announcer
Nasim Pedrad ... singer
Andy Samberg ... Mothra
Jason Sudeikis ... dancer
Kenan Thompson ... Diondre Cole
Kristen Wiig ... Shasta Taffy



Enjoy!

Taran Killam is a bartender with Ben Stiller - It's a Living (SNL)

Sketch - It's a Living

Robert DeNiro ... guy
Ben Stiller ... guy
Taran Killam ... bartender
Andy Samberg ... Calvin
Jason Sudeikis ... Tristan



After a stressful day, Calvin and Tristan go to some unusual lengths to get a drink at the bar.

Taran plays a small role as the bar tender.

Hahahaha. This is messed up, but hilarious! Ben Stiller is awesome here! Great writing! Did you like it?

Enjoy!

Taran Killam in Thanksgivies (SNL)

Awards are given out for common Thanksgiving dinner forgettable moments.



This was played in the last episode's Thanksgiving episode during the dress rehearsal. It obviously didn't make the show.

Taran plays a guy who announces that he's gay (but everyone knows). This character is pretty funny. I'd love to see him play it in a full skit.

Enjoy!

Taran Killam in Camel Tame (SNL)

Commercial - Camel Tame

Vanessa Bayer ... girl
Paul Brittain ... employee
Abby Elliott ... girl
Bill Hader ... employee
Taran Killam ... guy
Bobby Moynihan ... salesman
Nasim Pedrad ... employee
Kristen Wiig ... employee

There's a new way to stop to stop camel toe before it suddenly appears.



Enjoy!

Taran Killam is the Tin Man on Wizard of Oz (SNL)

Show - The Essentials: Wizard of Oz

Anne Hathaway ... Dorothy
Fred Armisen ... Lon Donson, The Weather Vane
Bill Hader ... Cowardly Lion
Steve Higgins ... announcer (voice)
Taran Killam ... Tin Man
Bobby Moynihan ... The Wizard
Andy Samberg ... Scarecrow
Jason Sudeikis ... Robert Osborne

There was almost a fifth character in The Wizard of Oz that you've never heard about.



Anne really does well in picking skits. Last time she was on, she was Mary Poppins, and this time she's Dorothy. Classic!

They really did a great job on the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion and getting their makeup right! I was surprised how well all three nailed their voices, but I was especially impressed with Taran's work on the Tin Man (although Bill's Lion was also impressive).

I wonder who writes the skits like this one and the Disney ones.

Enjoy!

Taran Killam in Royal Engagement (SNL)

Sketch - Royal Engagement

Anne Hathaway ... Kate Middleton
Fred Armisen ... Queen Elizabeth
Bill Hader ... Prince Philip
Taran Killam ... butler
Andy Samberg ... Prince William

Prince William takes Kate Middleton to meet Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.



Fred as the Queen. Hahahaha. None of the four ladies on the show could have played the queen?

Enjoy!

Taran Killam is a body guard on the Manuel Ortiz Show (SNL)

Manuel tries to get to the bottom of some infidelity among friends and settles it with a paternity test.



Andy's got the best dancing here, followed closely by Taran. Wiig works over the crowd well with a slow and then fast dance. I think the gag of slowing and speeding up the music is what saved this and made it different enough than the last version.

Taran did have a mighty fine dance though.

What's interesting is that Fred has had three different styles of Spanish shows that he has made fun of over the years.

Enjoy!

Taran Killam in Millionaire Matchmaker (SNL)

Patti has her hands full with Candice, a not-so-attractive lawyer, but takes on the challenge to find her love.



Bobby rocks the mohawk!

Oh my gawsh! No way! Do you guys see it??? This is Vanessa Bayer's way of getting back (by poking fun at herself and acknowledging what happened).

You see, Vanessa had her old online Dating video leaked a few weeks back, and it makes her look a little boring...



So... this skit starts out with a similar video and heads to the next step. Coincidence, or Vanessa "fighting back?"

Other bits that connect... She basically received a lot of hateful comments, including talking about her frizzy hair, so for this character she made the frizzy hair a lot more extreme. And then people asked who the heck would go for her from that video... and the answer in this skit is Taran's version of the same annoying and boring person (but in guy form).

Enjoy!

Taran Killam is Chris Pine in the "Unstoppable" Trailer (SNL)

Denzel Washington and Chris Pine work through an age difference to thwart a speeding train the size of the Chrysler Building.



Jay knocks it out of the park, but Taran's Chris Pine isn't super memorable.

Enjoy!

Taran Killam - in Middle School Kids (SNL)

Middle School Kids

Positive messages from teachers motivate the kids to help Marvin try to walk with a broken knee.



Ouch. This wasn't funny at all.

Enjoy?

Taran Killam in Highway Cops (SNL)

Show - Highway Cops

Partners who share a motorcycle get caught up in the funner parts of the job, and each other.

Jon Hamm ... Randy
Paul Brittain ... McDoogan
Steve Higgins ... announcer (voice)
Taran Killam ... Pooley
Jason Sudeikis ... Cutter
Kenan Thompson ... chief



Taran is on in this skit very briefly.

Enjoy!

Taran Killam in "I Didn't Ask For This" (SNL)

Show - I Didn't Ask For This

Host Roger Simms sympathizes with victims of viral videos on the Internet.



Jon Hamm ... Mark Sharon
Paul Brittain ... Pierre
Abby Elliott ... actress/wench
Bill Hader ... actor/blacksmith
Taran Killam ... son
Bobby Moynihan ... Roger Sims
Kristen Wiig ... Maureen O'Hare

Taran's got a tiny role.

Hilarious, clever, and even put in the proper order of which video was the funniest. Classic. Had to have been written by Bobby, who loves to poke fun at Internet and YouTube humor. Classic.

Enjoy!

Taran Killam as Pee-Wee Herman & Gilbert Gottfried in "Back to the Future DVD" (SNL)

Commercial - Back To The Future 25th Anniversary DVD

Fred Armisen ... Prince
Paul Brittain ... director (voice)
Abby Elliott ... Joan Cusack
Bill Hader ... Alan Alda
Steve Higgins ... announcer (voice)
Taran Killam ... Pee-Wee Herman
Taran Killam ... Gilbert Gottfried
Andy Samberg ... Nicolas Cage
Kenan Thompson ... Bill Cosby

Okay so the video clip isn't available by itself, but you can watch it in the full episode at 25 minutes. And you'll be glad if you check out the first version of this commercial at 18 minutes (they had so many great impressions that they broke it into two skits). The one at 18 minutes includes Jon Hamm as Robin Williams and Jay Pharoah as Eddie Murphy (those were the most hilarious impressions, but Kristen Wiig's Jennifer Tilly was also impressive).



Taran's Pee-Wee Herman really won over the audience and book-ended the second occurance of this skit. I would love to see Taran lead a skit with this impression, because he really could have piled on the jokes with such an amazing performance. His Gottfried was very good, but it was only one joke.

Pee-Wee has only been done on SNL in 1984 and 1985 (both by Mary Gross). Pee-Wee Herman was actually a former Groundlings member and a good friend of SNL Player, Phil Hartman.

Jimmy Fallon played Gilbert Gottfried twice, in 1998 and 2003. Gottfried was an SNL player in the 1980 to 1981 season.


This is how I'd rank the impressions in this skit:

1. Bill Hader ... Alan Alda - Wow. Bill Hader just strings this out and makes it funny. This is all Bill here. It wouldn't have been so funny if it wasn't so long and clever. Who would have thought an Alan Alda impression would be the funniest?
2. Taran Killam ... Pee-Wee Herman - Very impressive. This won over the audience.
3. Kenan Thompson ... Bill Cosby - Kenan is great at Cosby, and the tone/laugh at the end really seals this.
4. Taran Killam ... Gilbert Gottfried - Funny, but it would have been better with more layers/jokes.
5. Abby Elliott ... Joan Cusack - Amazing impression, but not funny.
6. Andy Samberg ... Nicolas Cage - Not Andy's best Cage. It could've used more 80's references rather than a "wait 25 years" joke.
7. Fred Armisen ... Prince - Very funny, but not much of an impression. Fred just walked off. An easy joke.


And then the overall rank, including the version at 18 minutes in the video above:

1. Jon Hamm ... Robin Williams
2. Bill Hader ... Alan Alda
3. Taran Killam ... Pee-Wee Herman
4. Jay Pharoah ... Eddie Murphy
5. Kenan Thompson ... Bill Cosby
6. Kristen Wiig ... Jennifer Tilly
7. Bill Hader ... Al Pacino
8. Taran Killam ... Gilbert Gottfried
9. Abby Elliott ... Joan Cusack
10. Andy Samberg ... Nicolas Cage
11. Bobby Moynihan ... Sam Kinison
12. Fred Armisen ... Prince

Enjoy!

Taran Killam gets robbed in Shy Ronnie 2 (SNL Digital Short)

With Shy Ronnie getting an Emmy nom-nom last year, Andy needed to do another music video with Rihanna. I was kind of hoping it was something other than Shy Ronnie, but it's still good.

Taran is a bank teller, but he's mostly an extra here.



Shy Ronnie and Rihanna team up again, and this time they're getting gangster. Literally.

SNL Digital Short - Ronnie and Clyde

Jon Hamm ... customer
Rihanna
Vanessa Bayer ... customer
Paul Brittain ... teller
Bill Hader ... police officer (voice)
Taran Killam ... teller
Bobby Moynihan ... police officer
Nasim Pedrad ... teller
Andy Samberg ... Shy Ronnie



Enjoy!

SNL Featured Player Update: Paul Brittain pushes Taran Killam into 5th place

It's the fourth episode of the season, and Paul Brittain finally gets to lead a skit... he leads two skits and he gets to say the coveted, "Live from New York..." bit. I think it took Andy Samberg a few seasons to get in on that, and often it takes over 1 season to do that solo. So this is quite an accomplishment.

First, Paul was in the Cold Open, playing Harry Reid:

Fred Armisen ... Barack Obama
Vanessa Bayer ... supporter
Paul Brittain ... Harry Reid
Jim Downey ... announcer (voice)
Jay Pharoah ... supporter



Jim writes most of these political cold opens (makes sense that he's the announcer). I found it smile-worthy, but the joke didn't go anywhere, and the impressions weren't very funny on their own.

Near the end of the episode, Paul got to lead with his first original character:


Commercial - "Sex" Ed Vincent's Sex Symposium

Emma Stone ... girl
Paul Brittain ... Ed Vincent
Steve Higgins ... announcer (voice)

Sign up for the three day Sex Symposium to broaden your sexual horizon.



Wow. I think he finally had me near the end with Emma Stone's bit. This actually reminds me of the kind of stuff that Mike Meyers and Dana Carvey used to do.

It's hard to compete against the other SNL Featured Players, but here's how I think they're stacking up...

1. Nasim Pedrad... In this 4th episode, she follows up her Bedilia character (and great impressions like Kim Kardashian) with her Morgan and Erik characters in "My Brother Knows Everything" (teaming with Andy Samberg... any excuse to see more Andy is a great one). I think Nasim is going to graduate as a regular next season.

2. Jay Pharoah... Jay hit hard his very first episode this season with his amazing Will Smith impression. He followed it up in the third episode with his Denzel Washington. We need to see an original character, and I'm waiting for his Eddie Murphy (and he's being primed to take over Obama). If Jay can continue to lead a skit every two episodes, there's a good chance that he'll graduate as a regular next season. That would be only one season as a featured player, a trick that was last done in the 05-06 season by Kristen Wiig (less than a full season), Andy Samberg, and Bill Hader.

3. Vanessa Bayer... Vanessa strikes in her second episode with an amazing Miley Cyrus impression. Let's see what else she's got coming. Vanessa is definitely coming back next season, but at this rate she'll probably have two years as a featured player.

4. Paul Brittain... Paul finally strikes with a good impression, but it's not funny. Similarly, Paul had a good impression of Johnny Depp in the Miley Cyrus bit during the second season, but it also wasn't funny. Paul needs to up his game and make his impressions funny. The clencher that got Paul in the #4 spot is his Sex Ed original character. Not hilarious, but it's funny and original enough to bump him up. He still hasn't proven that he'll be back next season.

5. Taran Killam... Taran has lost no time in filling Will Forte's shoes and becoming a normal face in many skits. However, he has yet to headline a skit, and he isn't living up to his potential of his Scrub work. That said, his Michael Cera impression was spot on. He should lead a skit with that impression or one of his many other impressions and characters. Time is ticking, Taran. He still hasn't proven that he'll be back next season.


Based on this episode alone, I would stack it like this...

1. Nasim Pedrad (loved My Brother Knows Everything)

2. Paul Brittain (got to give him props for Sex Ed)

3. Taran Killam (great Michael Cera impression)

4. Tie to Vanessa Bayer and Jay Pharoah (5 appearances by Vanessa and 4 by Jay, but nothing noteworthy)


Enjoy!

Taran Killam in Les Jeunes de Paris (SNL)

Show - Les Jeunes de Paris

Emma Stone ... girl
Vanessa Bayer ... waitress
Paul Brittain ... Marius
Abby Elliott ... girl
Taran Killam ... guy
Bobby Moynihan ... guy
Nasim Pedrad ... girl
Jason Sudeikis ... man
Kristen Wiig ... announcer (voice)

From 10/23/10.

This skit isn't posted online.

Taran Killam - Wrangler Jeans Commercial (SNL)

Commercial - Wrangler Open Fly Jeans

Steve Higgins ... announcer (voice)
Taran Killam ... guy
Bobby Moynihan ... guy
Jay Pharoah ... guy
Jason Sudeikis ... Brett Favre

Brett Favre tells us about the new Wrangler jean: the open fly.



Enjoy!

Taran Killam is Michael Cera in Emma Stone's SNL Monologue

Monologue - Emma Stone

Bill Hader ... audience member
Taran Killam ... Michael Cera
Bobby Moynihan ... Jonah Hill
Andy Samberg ... audience member
Kenan Thompson ... audience member

Roles in 'Superbad' and 'Zombieland' have nerds gravitating towards Emma.



Taran sounded exactly like Michael!

Finally, Taran gets to whip out an impression! This is a good one, but it didn't headline this monologue. I think it took the cake over Bobby's Jonah, but it's hard to compete against Bill, Andy, and Kenan getting their nerds on.

Taran is the first cast member to do a Michael Cera impression on SNL.

Enjoy!

Taran Killam in Grape Jelly (SNL Digital Short)

Film - SNL Digital Short

Emma Stone ... student
Vanessa Bayer ... student
Paul Brittain ... student
Abby Elliott ... student
Taran Killam ... student
Bobby Moynihan ... student
Jay Pharoah ... student
Andy Samberg ... jelly

The cool girl in school is having a run of bad luck in the cafeteria.



It's also Andy's voice singing the chorus before he comes on as Jelly! I loved it!

Enjoy!

Taran Killam in My Mom is On Facebook (SNL commercial)

Another Andy heavy epiosode!

New SNL commercial parody - Screwed because your mom joined Facebook? Just install the 'D** it, my mom is on Facebook' filter.



Commercial = my mom is on facebook filter

Jane Lynch ... Susan Miller
Bill Hader ... spokesperson
Taran Killam ... friend
Andy Samberg ... Tom Miller



Andy's naked again! The ladies rejoice!

What's your favorite joke in this one?

Enjoy!

Taran Killam in Tax Masters (SNL)

Sketch - Tax Masters

Jane Lynch ... director
Fred Armisen ... Daniel Cox
Vanessa Bayer ... makeup artist
Taran Killam ... technician
Bobby Moynihan ... marker
Jason Sudeikis ... Patrick R. Cox
Kenan Thompson ... technician

There's a reason the guy from the Tax Masters commercial is always standing sideways.



Wow, this is pretty gross! The dead fetus joke is horrible on South Park, and this kind of thing is even grosser in live action!

Enjoy?

Taran Killam does well in the SNL Power Charts this week

5. Taran Killam (16 points): Killam benefitted from ubiquity in this week’s episode, as he played supporting roles in the monologue, Shanna and “What Up With That?” Regarding the latter, we were hoping he was going to bring something new to the announcer character that Will Forte pioneered, but sadly, it was just more of the same.


SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE POWER RANKINGS: SEASON 36 TOTALS
1. ⇑ Andy Samberg (74 points; Last Week: #4)
2. ⇓ Fred Armisen (64 points; Last Week: #1)
3. ⇑ Kenan Thompson (53 points; Last Week: #10)
4. ⇓ Bill Hader (50 points; Last Week: #1)
5 (tie). ⇑ Bobby Moynihan (42 points; Last Week: #9)
⇓ Kristin Wiig (42 points; Last Week: #3)
7. ⇓ Jason Sudeikis (35 points; Last Week: #4)
8. ⇓ Abby Elliott (33 points; Last Week: #6)
9. ⇓ Vanessa Bayer (31 points; Last Week: #8)
10. ⇓ Jay Pharoah (30 points; Last Week: #7)
11. Taran Killam (29 points; Last Week: #11)
12. Nasim Pedrad (28 points; Last Week: #12)
13. Paul Brittain (20 points; Last Week: #13)


From:
http://www.bestweekever.tv/2010-10-04/saturday-night-live-power-rankings-vanessa-bayer-makes-her-mark/

========================

I would have given him 10th place (it was all supporting roles without many of his own jokes), but I agree that I love how he's filling in on Will Forte's roles (and did even better with the Shana role, I think).

Enjoy!

Taran Killam in Pepto Bismo Ice (SNL)

Don't let stomach issues get in the way of the party.

Commercial - Pepto-Bismol Ice

Bill Hader ... announcer (voice)
Taran Killam ... waiter
Nasim Pedrad ... girl
Andy Samberg ... guy



Keep the party out of your pants!

The biggest laugh is when Andy makes out with Nasim! Go Andy!

Enjoy!

Taran Killam in in Bryan Cranston's monologue (SNL)

Bryan Cranston breaks into song so you'll remember his name.

Monologue

Bryan Cranston
Abby Elliott ... model
Bill Hader ... singer
Taran Killam ... singer
Bobby Moynihan ... singer
Nasim Pedrad ... model
Kenan Thompson ... singer




Cute. Enjoy!

Taran Killam in What's Up With That? (SNL)

So Taran was in this episode 4 times, but he didn't headline any of them. Taran takes over another Will Forte role... the announcer

Show - what up with that?

Bryan Cranston ... Doo Doo Man
Ernest Borgnine
Morgan Freeman
Fred Armisen ... saxophonist
Vanessa Bayer ... singer
Paul Brittain ... Vili Fualaau
Abby Elliott ... Mary Kay Letourneau
Bill Hader ... Lindsey Buckingham
Taran Killam ... announcer
Michael Patrick O'Brien ... graduate
Nasim Pedrad ... singer
Jay Pharoah ... Squiggy
Jason Sudeikis ... dancer
Kenan Thompson ... Diondre Cole

Morgan Freeman and Ernest Borgnine drop by for the back to school edition.



Enjoy!

Taran Killam doesn't find Shana sexy (SNL)

Okay, so Taran is replacing Will Forte in this role. Honestly, he does better than Will. When is Taran going to lead something and show off his skills?

Sketch - Basketball Game

Bryan Cranston ... Mr. Kearns
Abby Elliott ... Beth
Taran Killam ... player
Andy Samberg ... player
Kenan Thompson ... player
Kristen Wiig ... Shana



The new girl has the basketball coach very excited.

Hahahaha. Kristen Wiig busts out Shana, the character who is almost sexy. The whistle bit had me in stitches.

Enjoy!

Taran Killam in Boogerman (SNL Digital Short)

The theme from "Boogerman" is performed at the Emmys. Shy Ronnie was nominated for an Emmy. The theme from "Boogerman" is outlandish, and Bill Hader assumes that it's a pile of dog [doodoo]. Many Emmy voters probably made similar assumptions about Shy Ronnie. Randy Newman beats the theme from "Boogerman." Randy Newman beat the Lonely Island at the Emmys.

I don't think Bill called it dog feces because the Emmy voters assumed it was dog feces when it was truly amazing. I think Andy and the dudes were calling it bad because they have no idea how it got nominated for an Emmy in the first place. So I think this was more their way of laughing at themselves than complaining against the Emmy voters.

A musical tribute to one of the year's most talked about films.



SNL Digital Short: Boogerman

Katy Perry
Fred Armisen ... villain
Paul Brittain ... guy
Bill Hader ... presenter
Taran Killam ... guy
Bobby Moynihan ... scientist
Jay Pharoah ... Jamaican
Amy Poehler ... girlfriend
Andy Samberg ... dancer
Jason Sudeikis ... general
Kenan Thompson ... guy
Kristen Wiig ... girl



Booo! What a waste of Katy Perry and Amy Poehler! This is the kind of idea that sounds amusing until you do it. =^)

Andy's promos were funnier than this. Just this title alone could have inspired a funnier skit.

Enjoy!

Taran Killam introduced in Amy Poehler's monologue

Amy's anxiety dream has some familiar faces.



Monologue
Amy Poehler
Jimmy Fallon
Justin Timberlake
Rachel Dratch
Tina Fey
Fred Armisen ... security guard
Vanessa Bayer
Paul Brittain
Taran Killam
Seth Meyers
Nasim Pedrad
Jay Pharoah
Kenan Thompson ... Lorne Michaels
Kristen Wiig

Enjoy!

The Groundlings and SNL

What with the addition of Taran Killam (a long-time Groundlings member) to SNL, we wanted to take a deeper-dive look at The Groundlings, and their history with SNL.



The Groundlings are an improvisational comedy troupe based in Los Angeles, California, USA. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin to produce sketches and improvised scenes.

The troupe moved into their current location on Melrose Avenue in 1979.

The Groundlings School holds new sessions every six weeks with over 300 students per session, with over 2,000 students per year going through the program. The competitive program consists of 4 levels (Basic, Intermediate, Writing Lab, and Advanced). Participants must be successfully advanced from each level by the instructor. After completing the Advanced level, one may be voted into the Sunday Company, which performs every Sunday at 7:30pm. Members of the Main Company are selected from members of the Sunday Company.

Current Groundlings main members include...

Taran Killam (signed to SNL for this coming season)
Michaela Watkins (let go from SNL before last season)

Here are SNL members who came from The Groundlings...

Abby Elliott
Jimmy Fallon
Will Ferrell
Will Forte
Ana Gasteyer
Phil Hartman
Jan Hooks
Chris Kattan
Jon Lovitz
Laraine Newman (founding member of The Groundlings & SNL)
Conan O'Brien (writer & non-credited cast)
Cheri Oteri
Chris Parnell
Maya Rudolph
Julia Sweeney
Michaela Watkins
Kristen Wiig

Other famous Groundlings alumni...

Adam Carolla
Jennifer Coolidge
Kathy Griffin (Shrek Forever After)
Cheryl Hines (RV)
Lisa Kudrow (Friends)
Phil LaMarr (MadTV)
Michael McDonald (MadTV)
Pat Morita (Karate Kid & Happy Days)
Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman)
Joe Ranft (voice actor for Pixar)
Dax Shepard (Punk'd & When In Rome)


Note 1: Phil Hartman knew Paul Reubens were friends during their Groundlings days, and Phil encouraged Paul to put together a pilot for Pee Wee Herman. Phil also appeared on Pee Wee Herman as a fisherman, a frequent guest.

Note 2: Will Ferrell's SNL class was composed of a lot of Groundlings alumni. They must have worked so well together in the comedy troop that it was natural for them to work together on SNL. This group included Will Ferrell, Ana Gasteyer, Chris Kattan, Cheri Oteri, and at the tail end of Will's reign on SNL, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Parnell, and Maya Rudolph.

Enjoy!

Taran Killam - Groundlings improv - Oh Mother

Here is Taran doing improv with the Groundlings:



Enjoy!

Is Taran Killam one of three new performers on SNL?

SNL selected three new performers to replace Will Forte. More of my opinions after the news story...



Three comedians — Paul Brittain, Vanessa Bayer, and Taran Killam — are rumored to join the cast of Saturday Night Live for its 36th season.

According to The Comic’s Comic, Brittain is a Chicago-based improviser and sketch comedian, Bayer is a Cleveland native who also performs throughout Chicago, and Killam has been on-air with MADtv and Nick Cannon’s Wild ‘N Out.

FYI: Yesterday, it was announced that Will Forte decided to call it quits after eight seasons on SNL.

Here are video clips of Bayer and Killam…


Vanessa Bayer: Blue Shield of California Commercial





Taran Killam: Scrubs Interns - Webisode 5



Article from:
http://justjared.buzznet.com/2010/08/27/saturday-night-lives-new-hires-revealed/#ixzz0xyPFgMrd
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So Killam is more of a progressive step, since he's already been doing his comedy on TV for awhile (similar to how Amy Poehler and Kenan Thompson both were doing comedy on other shows before SNL). (I'm actually surprised Killam would take this gig, because he would probably be offered his own sitcom otherwise.) And Bayer and Brittain are more of the "finds." So we'll continue to check these three out and let you know what we think.

Brittain and Bayer were both confirmed through their improv organization, the Improv Olympics. Taran has not yet been confirmed through a direct source (SNL, The Groundlings, or Killam).

Enjoy!

Is Taran Killam on Saturday Night Live?

There's a rumor going around that Taran Killam is on Saturday Night Live. If that's the case, then the world needs to watch out. This guy has been on MadTV, Scrubs, How I Met Your Mother, and he was in Groundlings (like Will Ferrell and others).

SNL would be lucky to have him, because after his Scrubs and How I Met Your Mother performances, they should be handing him his own sitcom.

He's always been funny, but he's been honing his craft these last few years, and he's got a ton of impressions and ideas. He's become an expert at comedy. If he's on SNL, then he will soon be the next Will Ferrell.

Mark my words, America.

- TAE