Brendan McMullen/Michael Schwartz/Getty ImagesHeard word that auditions for the new season of Saturday Night Live were held just last week in, duh, New Yawk. (Where'd you expect, Toledo?) Twenty funnyguys 'n' gals were handpicked from across the country to do five minutes of their best stuff in front of Lord Lorne Michaels and other NBC suits at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
One lucky guy was Bobby Moynihan, a teapot-type (short 'n' stout) who was asked to join the cast for season 30-friggin'-4. Said one UConn alum who partook in plays with the new SNL castmember, "Bobby was always funny...a great character actor." Looks like the dude's finally getting his due, congrats.
Tho we wonder, with pint-size comedy queen Amy Poehler leaving the show after the election, why not cast a woman to take her place? Hope there's more than one new addition in the fall.
One not-so-lucky guy from the casting session? T.J. Miller, whose voice you're prolly more familiar with than his face. TJM played Hud, the lovelorn lad holding the camera in JJ Abrams' fab sci-fi creature hit Cloverfield. Teej was one of Variety's Top Comics to watch in '08, and he impressed enough peeps to get flown out to audition for the late-night sketch show.
But poor T.J.'s audition essentially went outer-space-creature splat:
Our sources, who are way tight in the humor universe, said T.J. was dutifully preparing his material the night before like a pro. But day of, get this, the guy shows up for his audition apparently feeling no pain at all, tsk-tsked our SNL eyes. "He was like, 'Lorne, take my picture!' while standing on the stage, acting extremely obnoxious...Lorne was definitely not amused," continued our source. "All the other auditioners sat there and watched him destroy his shot at fame, what looked like on purpose."
Did this usually funny fella chuck his chances for a damn good story to tell his buds? 'Cause word is that's all anyone in the New Yawk comedy scene could goss about the whole weekend.
Tho, all press is good press, perhaps? There's always Mad TV.