Wednesday marked the date that 1,500 students were waiting for: it was the day before Syracuse played Butler in the Sweet Sixteen. Oh, and Andy Samberg was here to kill time while we wait.
Despite a few rocky moments, many of which the host, Davis Haines, manufactured, the Q & A provided a lot of laughs. Props to UU and, specifically, Directors of Performing Arts Drew Sullivan and Amanda Shaw for bringing such a highly demanded comedian to SU. After all, no one is bigger right now than the man who put his dick in a box alongside Justin Timberlake, later graduating to the role of Justin’s Motherlover. This was further proven by the fact that some students had been camping out for the event since their return from Spring Break. Either they were going through withdrawal due to a lack of sellout basketball games to camp out for, or they really, really like Andy Samberg. In an unhealthy way.
After a compilation of Andy Samberg clips, the show began with Mr. I’m-On-A-Boat Samberg proudly strutting onto the stage showcasing a personalized football jersey to thunderous applause. It then progressed through various questions from moderator Davis Haines, including asking Samberg to lead us all in prayer and inquiring, “Have you ever had sex?” Samberg took all of the questions in stride, regardless of how seemingly irrelevant or over-the-top, showing how well he can roll with the punches, as all great comedians should be able to do.
Note: if anyone read the DO article about the event, they will be under the impression that the show focused more on Haines than it did Andy. While Samberg did mention that he had enough information to write Haines’ “700-page biography,” he seemed pleased with his moderator and mentioned that he was having a great time talking with Haines.
Still, everybody’s a critic. And yet once the audience started asking questions during the public Q & A, everyone turned into a bunch of junior high schoolgirls trying to get Andy to pop their respective cherries. Haines did a fantastic job of keeping the show funny, whether through debasing himself or through awkward silences brought on by some jokes found extremely offensive by the stick-up-its-ass audience. Davis was interviewing a man who, as a boss, claimed to, “Meet a giant fish,” and “Fuck his brains out.” So really, where is the line? UU picked him because they knew he would entertain, and entertain he did. Sure, at times I wanted to yell, “I don’t give a shit about your androgynous sex-friend from Montana/Alabama, ask more about Andy!” But I didn’t. Because I wouldn’t know how to entertain a crowd of 1,500 people either. Other than through my usual striptease involving a gorilla, leopard-print lingerie, and a jar of Nutella.
All in all, there isn’t much to criticize. Those who attended the event got to see some unaired material, including a hilarious digital short involving a rabid kangaroo that Will Ferrell would sic on any up-and-comers who he feared would get in his spotlight. The highlight of the sketch involved Kenan Thompson, for whom the kangaroo was coming, saying, “So then Kel said, “More like Bad Burger!'” right before the kangaroo went for his jugular.
Samberg may or may not have wished to use the kangaroo on Davis Haines, since Haines did, once or twice, attempt to steal the spotlight. But give the kid some respect: he hosted a great show, kept it funny, and, best of all, he didn’t jizz in his pants.
At least, not that I know of.
