Bill Hader Retires from SNL, Joins T-Mobile

WSJ All Things Digital reports that comedy actor Bill Hader, who recently announced he’s retiring from Saturday Night Live after his ninth season, will be the new spokesman for the mobile telecom brand.  Hader got his big break when Megan Mullally saw him perform at an improv show and introduced him to Lorne Michaels.  For his SNL audition, Hader relied on the ol’ standby scene — James Mason ordering donuts with an expired gift certificate.

The funniest commercial in the series is “Rice,” which co-stars Brian Huskey, who was in my first improv class at Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater.

I say bring back Catherine Zeta-Jones.

T-Mobile Mobile Makeover Commercial w/ Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Mays Business: “Funny Man”

After seeing my humiliating failures in bold print on the pages of the press — bombing on stage at StandUp New York comedy club, I’ve decided I will never again grant this type of unfettered  access to any reporter from The Rolling Stone or my alumni magazine.

Chrystal Houston’s interview took me on a journey, mostly fun, back to the epiphany when I realized I had an obligation to get over my fear and pursue comedy, to the terrifying first UCB improv class at Solo Arts theater,  to the failures at the early attempts on stage and finally on to some fun.

Read the article here.

Reel Comedy

Updated with Catherine Zeta-Jones T-Mobile ad, the Onion News Network, Conan O’Brien sketch; “Bad Math” and “Filibuster” commercials

I am NOT a Horndog

In David Griner‘s post on ADWEEK’s blog, AdFreak, “Horndogs hit on Zeta-Jones in T-Mobile ads” he writes:

I know I shouldn’t encourage the “Husbands are ugly imbeciles” ad cliché, but I laugh at the T-Mobile spot above every time I hear the guy tell Catherine Zeta-Jones, “I like it when you say things.”

While I’m tired of being labeled by the Press as a “horndog” (Wall Street Journal, Poughkeepsie Democrat, Christianity Today)  I can’t really argue against the “ugly imbecile” tag.

T-Mobile Commercial: “Invisible”