Andy Samberg will host this year's season finale of Saturday Night Live, according to countless news outlets both related to and not related to the entertainment industry (I'll let you decide where this one lies).
Wait a second: Andy Samberg isn't on Saturday Night Live anymore? I knew he was on Fox's critically-approved show, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (which, even as a big Samberg fan, I believe is overrated), but I thought he was still doing the improv comedy show in his spare time. Really, he hasn't been on SNL since 2012, proving TV actors can alternate between movies and a show, but not between shows.
Samberg is part of a three week coup of celebrities that include Andrew Garfield on May 3 (who has a Joseph Gordon-Levitt-type sense of humor), Charlize Theron on May 10 (didn't know she had a sense of humor, which should make for some surprise laughs) and Samberg for the May 17 kicker. Squished in are musical appearances by Cold Play and The Black Keys.
I'm glad Samberg's name finally came up on my Google news feed, for the actor has been on my mind ever since I first saw him in his early SNL days. Few comedians try as hard, which is both a compliment and a diss on the 36 year-old (yes, you read that correctly, 36). Most of his appeal has to do with how much effort he puts into his comedy. Sometimes, he works so hard that you have to laugh. He tells so many jokes that one finally hits (accomplishing the rare feat of being both intentionally and unintentionally funny with a slight lean towards the unintentional.) All the while, he remains likeable because his humor is never downbeat. Thus, you tolerate the bad times and cherish the good ones.
Samberg hasn't proven himself to carry a movie yet, but his high joke-rate is perfectly made for T.V., where one doesn't have to be funny every moment. His style was especially suited for SNL, which hinges on hilarious catch phrases ("I'm on a boat") and outlandish displays. Plus, preparation doesn't seem to help Samberg. He's a spontaneously funny guy, making anything scripted seem unnatural (why I'm not as big a fan of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"). Samberg is also great in small comedic roles like the gay brother he played in "I Love You, Man." For the record, I also enjoyed "Hot Rod," but probably won't ever watch it again.
