Go vote for Kristen Wiig!

This of course won't change the outcome of the Emmys, but Kristen Wiig fans need to unite and prove that we exist!

The Emmys air on September 18th.



Zap2It is holding a vote for Emmys, and Kristen Wiig isn't doing too well.

On the women's side, only two of the six nominees -- Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara -- are from "Modern Family." Betty White of "Hot In Cleveland" will be tough to beat, and not just because she's the sentimental favorite; her career resurgence is as much about her continuing to do a fantastic job as it is about nostalgia. We can't forget about defending champ and Emmy host Jane Lynch, either; the "Glee" episode she submitted, "Funeral," could take her back to the top. Kristen Wiig of "Saturday Night Live" and Jane Krakowski of "30 Rock" are longshots, but may surprise if the other four women split the vote.

Not only is Kristen a long shot, but their voting exercise reflects that...

Kristen is currently at 8.39%, in second to last place (5th out of 6).

So go vote for her here:

http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/08/emmys-2011-who-should-win-outstanding-supporting-actor-and-actress-in-a-comedy-vote-now.html

Let's show the world that people love Kristen Wiig!

Enjoy!

Jimmy Fallon correctly predicted that he'd host SNL

In December 2011!

And he predicted back in December 1998!!!

Well, we've been hoping and asking for it for awhile, and it's finally coming this season!



Not only is this video a hilarious peek at vintage Baldwin and Fallon, it also reveals something astonishing: Jimmy Fallon is clearly psychic.

During this 1998 Christmas video, Fallon, while playing the "ghost of host future," shows a reluctant Baldwin a world where he comes back to host the show as a SNL alum.

"Apparently," he says. "I become a huge star in the future, and I host the show in 2011."

And just like that, it came true.

Fallon is scheduled to host the show alongside crooner Michael Bublé only a few days after his December 17 prediction.

Creepy!

Take a minute and watch it for yourself, or if you're in a hurry, skip to 02:55.
Excerpt (s.24 : ep.9) 05:47
The ghost of SNL future Jimmy Fallon haunts Alec and 8H:



Or this video here shows it at the beginning:
http://videos.nymag.com/video/Alec-Baldwin-and-Jimmy-Fallon-I#c=7399XM25LXLCYXJ8

Jimmy Fallon announced today that he's going to host the December 17 episode of Saturday Night Live, with musical guest Michael Buble. It marks Fallon's first time hosting since he left the show in 2004, but fans shouldn't be too surprised to see him back in Studio 8H — not only has he done cameos on the show here and there, but back in 1998, SNL itself announced he'd host right around then. As you can see in the video, Alec Baldwin's monologue from a season 24 episode predicts exactly this: That Jimmy Fallon, as the host of Christmas future in this Christmas Carol riff, will host in December 2011. Most people remember this episode for its Schwetty Balls, but perhaps its prescience will become its new calling card!

From:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/25/jimmy-fallon-predicts-the_n_936290.html?icid=main%7Chp-desktop%7Cdl12%7Csec1_lnk2%7C222859

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

Thanks to Anony for the scoop!

So it would be sweet if the Jimmy episode included John Goodman as a cast member and the "Don Pardo 9000". =^)

I want Jimmy and Kristen to bring out some of Kristen's characters together. What do you think they should do?

Enjoy!

Is Kristen Wiig devolving feminism?

Check out this article that addresses it. We didn't include all the article, because it goes all over the place and pretty much fizzles down and becomes less interesting as it goes. But it's a great question. What do you think?

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

Women get rowdy: Movie audiences attracted to actresses behaving badly in big summer comedies



Kristen Wiig (left) and Rose Byrne are shown in a scene from "Bridesmaids." Wiig co-wrote the film, which features her as a not-so-honorable maid of honor.

In America's movie theaters, this has been the summer of women behaving badly:

Kristen Wiig as an underachieving maid of honor who trashes her friend's bridal shower in "Bridesmaids"; Cameron Diaz as a pot-smoking middle school teacher in "Bad Teacher"; Jennifer Aniston as a predatory dentist harassing her male assistant in "Horrible Bosses."

Bad Teacher:



Still to come: Anna Faris as a hard-partying slacker with a long list of exes in September's "What's Your Number?"

The women characters in all these films swear, drink and leap into the sack with gusto, as well as engage in potty humor and, perhaps most radically for Hollywood, deliver the funniest lines, few of them printable here.

Their success at the box office -- "Bridesmaids" has grossed more than $200 million worldwide -- has ignited debate within the industry and in cultural circles about the raunchy new high, or low, that women are hitting in screen comedy right now.

For many viewers and the actresses themselves, these anti-heroines, by emulating the crudeness that long has spelled box office gold for men in R-rated comedies such as "The Hangover" and "Knocked Up," represent a refreshing break from the sexy potential one-night stands, perky potential girlfriends or shrill potential ex-wives women frequently play in mainstream comedies.

But after the box office receipts are tallied, the question lingers: Is the right to crack a flatulence joke a progressive sign of loosening gender strictures or of the devolution of the broader culture?

Take pressure off

For women under 40 in particular, who grew up with not only the option but the responsibility of breadwinning, as well as images of actresses saving the world in short-shorts, there's a relief in seeing female sloth and imperfection on screen.

"I'm very intrigued by playing women who are much more like men: messy and sloppy," said Anna Faris, who at 34 was born after Roe vs. Wade, Title IX and the TV premiere of "Charlie's Angels."

"Young men that I know that I went to college with ... they kind of were losers. ... I think the reaction to that was a lot of type-A women: the perfect shoes, the perfect job, the baby, the husband, just driven, driven, driven. Not allowed to screw up. I just want to see the women that screw up," Faris added.

Wiig, co-writer as well as star of "Bridesmaids," noted, "On some levels, women and men may find different things funny that relate to their own sex. One thing we wanted ... was ... to get some sort of a female language in there.

"The biggest compliment I can get is people relating to some aspect of the character," Wiig said.

Not everyone, though, sees actresses following the crudeness or indolence of male comics as a sign that women are enjoying new cultural freedom.

"Women cross-dressing our kind of humor as male humor is the worst possible idea," said Gina Barreca, 54, author of "They Used to Call Me Snow White ... but I Drifted: Women's Strategic Use of Humor" and professor of English and feminist theory at the University of Connecticut.

"Is this a great new feminist assertion of the self that says, 'Yes ... women belch, women get drunk? That Cameron Diaz being a disgrace, isn't that fabulous?' " Barreca said. "The feminist ideal was not that there was going to be equity of stupidity. Finding the lowest common denominator is not what everybody was marching for."

Camille Paglia, professor of humanities and media studies at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, who has written extensively (and sometimes with contempt) about feminism, says that physicality is not mere coincidence but expresses the chafing some women feel about societal expectations of responsibility and virtue.

"What slapstick expresses is a kind of freedom of the body," Paglia said. "You don't care about decorum, you don't care how you're looked at. If slapstick is coming back now for women, is it not a function of a sense of relief, letting it all hang out in this crazy physical way? Young, white, middle-class women feel very constrained right now."

...

In 1927, for instance, Mae West's hit Broadway play, "Sex," was advertised with a publicity still of the bosomy actress towering over an apparently defenseless man sprawled in a chair.

West's suggestive shimmy in the show landed her seven days in jail on a charge of "corrupting the morals of youth."

"Virtue has its own reward," West would say years later, after a career of conspicuously choosing vice, "but no sale at the box office."

Read the rest of the article here:
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/aug/12/women-get-rowdy/

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

OUR TAKE...

I think Wiig and Faris are idealizing it a little. I think West is the one who is being honest here with her quote... "Virtue has its own reward, but no sale at the box office."

That's the truth, at it comes from someone who turned heads similarly (or more so) in the 1920s.

I also think that professor, Paglia, is resentful toward feminism (I don't disagree). Calling crude humor slapstick is only half true. I wouldn't compare Bridesmaids to Three Stooges, by any means. Sure there is slapstick in Adam Sandler's films and the Hangover films, but that's only a piece of the pie. There's also randomness and crude jokes. You can't write it all off as "slapstick." But slapstick is certainly part of it.

I think what I'm after is just honesty with it. It is what it really is, and we shouldn't claim it's something else.

Enjoy!

Annette Bening and Kristen Wiig - Jersey Shore?

Annette Bening Will Channel Snooki in Kristen Wiig’s New Movie, Imogene



Kristen Wiig recently lined up her first post-Bridesmaids project, Imogene, about a woman who fakes suicide to get back with an ex but ends up having to go live with her gambling-addict mom, who will be played by Annette Bening, instead. Last week, buried in a Deadline story, was the rumor that Glee's Darren Criss would also appear in the film in some capacity. Well, last night, at the premiere of The Whistleblower, we spoke with Celine Rattray — who produced that film and will also be producing Imogene — who confirmed Criss's involvement and also shared some details about his and Bening's characters. The takeaway: Wiig will be making out with Darren Criss, and Annette Bening is going to look like she's on Jersey Shore. As if we weren't already excited for this movie!

Talking about the plot of Imogene, Rattray explained that Bening's pretty much going to be getting a spray tan and a push-up bra. "Kristen Wiig plays a girl from New Jersey, who ... is embarrassed about her family in New Jersey, like it’s Jersey Shore," Rattray said. "She gets sent back to live with her mother in New Jersey, played by Annette Bening, who is a tacky Jersey Shore mother, and then it becomes about her family reconnecting." Just how tacky? Rattray described Bening's character by saying, "Her outfits, her makeup. She’s the mother who’s a little inappropriate all the time, nothing is ever too much, and it’s going to be fun." Annette, both the cast of Jersey Shore and Real Housewives of New Jersey are obviously on stand-by for a consult if you need one!

As for Criss's role, Rattray said he would play "a younger love interest. When Kristen goes back home from New Jersey she falls for someone." Presumably someone who does a cloyingly great cover of "Teenage Dream."

From:
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/07/darren_criss_will_romance_kris.html

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

So now we're starting to get Kristen's plan with Imogene. We were wondering how she could top Bridesmaids, or at least continue the momentum. Well, Imogene probably won't top it, but it could carry the momentum and act as a hit for Kristen Wiig.

How?

Because it's a comedy that parodies the fun-to-watch Jersey Shore craze. You can't go wrong with that, especially if it's coming from Kristen Wiig.

Enjoy!

Annette Bening Joins Kristen Wiig in ‘Imogen’

[Let's look at] one Kristen Wiig’s next projects: the ambitious Imogen. She teams up with the team behind American Splendor, Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, to tell the tale of a playwright that fakes a suicide to win back her ex-bf (which totally works ladies). Unfortunately for her she gets carted off to her gambling addicted mother. And now we know who shall play the mother: Annette Bening.

Can I get a “hex yeah?” Hex yeah!

Bening's actually has an impressive sense of humor that we rarely get to see and the potential of her teaming up with Wiig is quite excitable. After Bridesmaids (and really before it too) I’m excited for any of Wiig’s work. Benings is just icing on the cake.

From:
http://www.hollywood.com/news/Annette_Bening_Joins_Kristen_Wiigs_Imogen/7819597

Enjoy!

Kristen Wiig - From Bridesmaids to Imogene

Can Kristen follow up Bridesmaids with another hit? She will star in and executive produce Imogene, but unlike Bridesmaids, she isn't writing it.



"Cinema Verite's" Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini will direct the film beginning in August.
Maven Pictures and Anonymous Content announced Tuesday that Bridesmaids star Kristen Wiig will star in Imogene as the title character.

Imogene, Wiig's passion project, centers on a moderately successful New York playwright who fakes a suicide attempt in order to win back her ex-boyfriend, only to be under the custory of her mother, a gambler. Imogene marks the first film for Celine Rattray and Trudie Styler's new production company Maven.

Production on the film is set to begin Aug. 8 in New York City.

Wiig, also a regular on NBC's late-night sketch show Saturday Night Live, will executive produce with Shari Springer Berman, screenwriter Michelle Morgan and Steve Golin. Alix Madigan will produce with Rattray and Styler. Berman and Robert Pulcini (Cinema Verite) will direct the film.

“We're incredibly grateful to be working with Kristen, Shari, Bob and the extraordinary team on Imogene, Maven's first feature project," said Rattray and Styler. "Imogene has every element we were looking for: strong writing, remarkable directing talent, a movie star we believe in, a New York setting, and commercial appeal. This exemplifies all the key elements of our vision for Maven's future slate."

Madigan and Golin developed the project and brought Berman and Pulcini on board to direct.

Rattray left her post as president of Mandalay Vision earlier this year to form Maven with Styler.

From:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/kristen-wiig-star-executive-produce-210220

Hmmm... so you believe in the elements that make good movies? Yes, don't we all.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see how this film pans out. Kristen has one hit (Bridesmaids), and she should probably plan a sequel in addition to working on projects like Imogene. Regardless, she will probably leave SNL when her contract is up this year (her 7th season).

Enjoy!

Kristen Wiig - Prepare for the Michele Bachmann onslaught on SNL!!!

So we might as well state the obvious...

We're going to watch this year to see if Kristen Wiig can turn her Michele Bachmann impression into an SNL classic (like Tina Fey's Sarah Palin).



Three and Four years ago, Amy Poehler brought home her Hilary Clinton impression and Tina Fey brought us her Sarah Palin impression. Both of those impressions lit the ladies careers on fire. Tina won an Emmy from it (and another nomination), and Amy was also nominated from it (and went on to star in her own show).

Therefore, since Kristen has received a few Emmy nominations already (from SNL), she could actually get a win if she portrays Michele Bachmann this season in a hilarious and memorable way.

So far, Kristen's humor with Bachmann has been centered around witch gags, media gags, and the such. She needs to up her game and find a "personality" for her Bachmann impression that is fun and silly.

Wiig's Bachmann impression:



Congresswoman Michele Bachmann gives the Tea Party's State of the Union response another try, visual aids.

Building the person into a likable (yet often crazy) personality, is what makes the best SNL impressions... Fey's Palin, Poehler's Hilary Clinton, Darrell Hammond's Bill Clinton, Dana Carvey's George Bush Sr., Carvey's Ross Perot, and Will Ferrell's George W. Bush. Even Sudeikis' Biden and Norm Macdonald's Bob Dole had moments of greatness. (Armisen's Obama is clearly lacking the character from those other roles.)

So let's see if Kristen Wiig can step up her impression game and make her Bachmann a fun character to watch.

Enjoy!

More about Kristen Wiig's Imogene

NEW YORK, N.Y. --
Darren Criss is getting a new love interest – on the big screen.

The “Glee” star is set to play opposite Kristen Wiig in the “Saturday Night Live” star’s next film project, “Imogene,” Vulture reported.

In the film, Kristen plays a woman who fakes a suicide attempt to get an old boyfriend back, only she is sent to live with her crazy mother, who has a gambling addiction, played by Annette Bening, the blog reported.

Celine Rattray, producer of “Imogene,” told the blog that Darren will play “a younger love interest” of Kristen’s character in the film. This will be Darren’s big screen debut.

“When Kristen goes back home from New Jersey she falls for someone,” the producer added, not clarifying if that person was Darren’s as-yet unnamed character.

However, Vulture reported there will be some lip-locking between Kristen and Darren.

As for Annette’s character, she “is a tacky ‘Jersey Shore’ mother,” the producer told the blog.

“Imogene” is expected to hit theaters in 2013.

From:
http://www.accesshollywood.com/darren-criss-to-play-kristen-wiigs-love-interest-on-the-big-screen_article_51527

Kristen Wiig's Bridesmaids - Box Office Report

So we all know that Bridesmaids was a hit, but here's how much...



Domestic Total as of Aug. 11, 2011: $166,809,375

Domestic: $166,809,375 65.0%
+ Foreign: $89,800,000 35.0%

---------------------------------
= Worldwide: $256,609,375


Production Budget: $32.5 million

So they spent $32.5 million making it and made $257 million from it (does not including theater costs, so not all that money goes back to the studio).

That makes it the #3 wedding movie, behind My Big Fat Greek Wedding and the Wedding Crashers...

1 My Big Fat Greek Wedding IFC $241,438,208 4/19/02
2 Wedding Crashers NL $209,255,921 7/15/05
3 Bridesmaids Uni. $166,809,375 5/13/11
4 Runaway Bride Par. $152,257,509 7/30/99
5 Mamma Mia! Uni. $144,130,063 7/18/08

Full list:
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=wedding.htm

It's also the #1 alumni debut (and Kristen Wiig is still on SNL). It beat out Wayne's World (Mike Meyers), Animal House (John Belushi), 48 Hours (Eddie Murphy), Old School (Will Ferrell), Foul Play (Chevy Chase), Meatballs (Bill Murray), Running Scared (Billy Crystal), Billy Madison (Adam Sandler), Hot Rod (Andy Samberg), and Macgruber (Will Forte).

Full list: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=snldebut.htm

Of course, Wiig's supported a ton, but this is her first starring role.

It's also the #1 Judd Appatow produced film, beating out Knocked Up, Superbad, and 40-Year Old Virgin. See more here: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/showdowns/chart/?id=apatowvs.htm

The bottom line is that this was a huge hit, and Kristen Wiig should follow it up with a sequel. However, she has to make it an Austin Powers 2 or Hangover 2, not a Waynes World 2. =^)

In other words, go bigger and take it to the next level. Take Hangover 2 for example. How do you go bigger than the Hangover (trying to figure out what happened in Las Vegas)? They could have done the same thing again in Las Vegas or any other city. Instead, they did it in Thailand and went wild with it. It was similar, but it was also bigger and taken to the next level. The Hangover 2 was down a little in the US, but due to worldwide sales, it was up over a hundred million dollars above the original.

Enjoy!

Imogene - Glee star Darren Criss to star opposite Kristen Wiig

Glee's' Darren Criss to Play Kristen Wiig's Love Interest in New Film

Darren Criss:



The actor was cast in 'Imogene,' set for a 2013 release.

Darren Criss has got a lot on his plate! The Glee star, who was officially made a series regular in June, and has the show's Glee: The 3D Concert Movie premiere August 12, also signed on to take over Daniel Radcliff's How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying role on Broadway January 1, 2012.

The actor has been cast in his first feature film, Kristen Wiig's post-Bridesmaid's project, Imogene (she'll star and executive produce).

The film, set for a 2013 release, tells the tale of a woman who fakes her own suicide to get an ex-boyfriend back, but instead, ends up living back with her mom (a gambler) in New Jersey. Criss will play Wigg's love interest.

Last week it was announced that Annette Bening will play Wigg's mom.

The film will be co-produced by Anonymous Content and Celine Rattray and Trudie Styler's new production company Maven Pictures (it will be their first feature film production). Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini will co-direct.

"He’s been such a breakout star on Glee and we are excited to work on his big screen debut which continues to showcase his incredible musical and acting talents,” Rattray and Styler said of Criss in a statement released today.

From:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/glees-darren-criss-play-kristen-219507

Enjoy!

Kristen Wiig - 7 Minutes in Heaven with Mike O'Brien

So Mike is attempting to do what Zach Galifianakis did with Between Two Ferns (interview celebrities in weird ways to get famous).

Regardless, it's funny, and Kristen is great:



Kristen Wiig, star of "Bridesmaids" and "Saturday Night Live," swings by the closet to chat with Mike.

Mike is an SNL writer, and this is a Web series by NBC.

I think it's funny that it's called 7 minutes of heaven, and he meets with the celeb for 7 minutes in a closet, but he cuts it down to about 4 minutes to just include the funny or interesting bits.

Of course the kiss is super awkward. I like the way Kristen enters and exits.

Enjoy!

Kristen Wiig is returning to SNL for Season 37

We're back! Since Kristen is now a hit-maker with Bridesmaids, our goal is to post on this site at least three times a week!



Wikipedia makes it blatantly clear that Kristen Wiig and all the other cast members are returning for season 37, by piecing together all the Web information...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Live_(season_37)

In addition to Lorne saying "everyone will return" in a press conference, Bill, Seth, Jason, Andy, and Kristen (all the hottest stars, basically) have said they'd return in separate interviews.

--



Here is that press conference where Lorne mentions everyone will return...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/02/lorne-michaels-says-all-snl-cast-members-returning_n_916013.html

For the first time since 2009, no "Saturday Night Live" cast members will depart the show before the next season. According a tweet from TV critic Roger Catlin, executive producer Lorne Michaels made the announcement at the Television Critics Association press tour.

Michaels also added that he would hold auditions for new cast members the end of August. "SNL" featured player Jay Pharoah announced on Twitter that the premiere would be Sept. 24, although the tweet has since been removed.

========================
 
So Kristen and pals are obviously coming back. It's also interesting that Lorne is holding more auditions in August. He might be looking for one or two last minute featured players to add. It sounds like he knows he's going to lose all his big brass for Season 38, and he wants to get as many potential stars in there as possible.
 
It seems that Andy, Bill, Kristen, and Jason all signed to work through Season 37. So all four will likely leave for Season 38, especially since...
 
1. Kristen Wiig hit big with her first starring role turning into a blockbuster (Bridesmaids), and she's already lined up Friends with Kids and Imogene (she's producing and starring in the latter).
 
2. Andy Samberg is booking starring films opposite Adam Sandler (I Hate You Dad) and Rashida Jones (Celeste and Jesse Forever), and he could easily do another album or show.
 
3. Jason Sudeikis was off to a bumpy start when starring in Owen Wilson's Hall Pass, but he's proved he can hit gold by starring opposite Jason Bateman in Horrible Bosses. (He needs to follow it up quick.)
 
4. Bill Hader has the most successful supporting film career of the cast, and he's got his first starring role lined up in 2013's Skeleton Twins, opposite Anna Farris (Andy is in her "What's Your Number?" this year).
 
5. Seth Meyers is a little behind in the film world (he's racking up some supporting roles), so he wrote his own starring role in Key Party (2013). If his film career doesn't pan out, he can "retire" into a talk show host for as long as he wants.
 
And then Fred and Kenan are getting stale, but they can also pick up supporting TV roles when Lorne's ready for them to leave (Fred is voicing Brainy Smurf and can pick up other TV and supporting roles since it looks like Portlandia might not be working out). Lorne will probably ask them to stay (and they probably will, since SNL is their biggest thing) for a year to three after the big guns leave (Andy, Kristen, Jason, and Bill).
 
That leaves the future of SNL squarely on the shoulders of Bobby Moynihan, Abby Elliott, and newbies: Jay Pharoah, Taran Killam, Paul Brittain, and Vannessa Bayer. Jay has the biggest potential, if he can learn to build out more characters. Second is Taran if he can be more aggressive getting his characters and impressions on air (it seems like he and Lorne are waiting for the others to leave to feature Taran more by necessity). Paul also has a lot of potential. Vanessa and Jay shone bright their freshman year due to their impressions (Vanessa's Miley was the biggest).
 
However, Abby and Vanessa aren't enough of a woman team, especially since Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, and Kristen Wiig shone so bright).
 
So I can see how Lorne's thinking of the future. He's likely targeting funny woman (something he's been focusing on for years, thus the high turnover of ladies lately). He might do well to bring back Michaela Watkins as well as bringing on a new woman(especially in Wiig's absence).
 
Enjoy!