Splitsider

It's the one-year anniversary of "Lost Roles," the column where we take a different comedian, comedy writer, or comedic performer each week and dive deep into the movie and TV projects they almost became involved with but didn't. This column began with "The Lost Roles of Bill Murray."Even though that piece detailed over 25 roles Murray almost played, there were still enough left to easily fill another post. READ MORE

You saw him this past weekend in a Super Bowl commercial, mocking the heroes of the civil rights movement by turning a firehose on a guy singing a bad version of a bad Maroon 5 song. Howard Stern is a beloved broadcaster, the self-proclaimed King of All Media, and yes, America's Got Talent's newest judge. We've all seen the directions his unpredictable and highly-successful career has gone, so let's turn our attention to the paths Stern almost took in the entertainment industry by examining all of the TV and movie projects he's turned down, wanted to be a part of but couldn't, and the stuff that never saw the light of day. Throughout his career, Stern has been involved in or been close to being involved in a whole slew of intriguing projects, including superhero movies starring both Batman and Fartman, his unaired late night talk show, and the animated series that would have seen Michael Cera voicing a young Howard Stern. READ MORE

Every year during TV's pilot season (it's happening right now!), each network develops three times as many shows as it actually needs, seeing what works and what doesn't before deciding which shows to pick up. While most of the rejected shows are turned down for a reason, every once in a while, TV networks let a show slip by that could have turned into something special. Let's take a look back at 10 TV series that networks passed up, including the shows that spun off Spinal Tap and Between Two Ferns, the community college comedy that's not Community, and a show that's been described as "Reno 911! in space." READ MORE

While Harold Ramis isn’t quite a household name, he absolutely should be. As a writer/director, the man shaped the big screen personas of Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, John Candy, and Rodney Dangerfield, amongst others, defined the comedic tastes of a generation, and had more of an effect on American film humor than just about anybody in the past few decades. Before conquering Hollywood, Ramis performed at Second City Chicago, on The National Lampoon Radio Hour, and on SCTV (where he also served as head writer). Ramis then went on to write, direct, and/or star in a string of hit comedies that includes Animal House, Caddyshack, Stripes, National Lampoon's Vacation, Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, and many more. READ MORE

Whether you know Ricky Gervais best as a writer, an actor, or a brave, envelope-pushing purveyor of Kim Kardashian zingers, it's safe to say you’ve heard of the comedian who turned  the world on its head Sunday with a performance as Golden Globes host that completely delivered on promises to shock and alarm viewers.  The streets are still filled with rioters in the wake of the Golden Globes ceremony, during which Gervais sent the masses into a frenzy by taking aim at sacred cows like Kim Kardashian’s short-lived marriage, Justin Bieber, and the movie Norbit. While you’re barricaded in your home to keep safe from the anti-Ricky Gervais mobs that have taken to the streets, why not join me as I take a look back at all of the movie and TV parts Gervais has turned down over the years? READ MORE

After making the transition from one American comedy institution (Chicago's Second City Theatre) to another (Saturday Night Live), Tina Fey spent nearly a decade on SNL as a writer (and later a cast member) before creating a comedy powerhouse of her own: the critically-acclaimed NBC sitcom 30 Rock. Fey followed in Conan O'Brien's footsteps by pulling off an unusual and unexpected shift from writing comedy to performing it under Lorne Michaels's watchful eye, and she subsequently established herself as one of the leading comedic voices of her generation. From SNL to Mean Girls to 30 Rock, Fey has navigated her career wisely, creating a resume that's free of any major missteps. READ MORE

It only happens every few years, but whenever a late night talk show host leaves his or her post, it's a crucial decision by the network to choose the right replacement and has a ripple effect on the rest of the late night landscape. Since David Letterman is considering retiring next year and Jay Leno will have to leave The Tonight Show eventually (either by choice or in a bodybag), it's an appropriate time to examine the process of hunting for a replacement talk show host. Late night talk show history is prone to repeat itself, as proven by 2010’s Tonight Show dust-up between Leno and Conan O’Brien, which echoed the 1992 fight for the chair between Leno and Letterman. Examining what went wrong and what went right with past network hunts for a new late night host offers a nice preview of what to expect in 2013, when Letterman is considering retiring, and in the year 2032, when Jay Leno leaves his show behind to go to that big garage in the sky. READ MORE

I began writing the column "Lost Roles" for Splitsider in February, taking a different actor, actress, filmmaker, movie, or TV show each week and examining all of the that entity's alternate casting possibilities that almost came to be. Sure, it's fun to imagine what it would have been like if Tim Burton went through with his whim to cast Bill Murray as Batman or if Danny DeVito had played George Costanza or if Marc Maron had been given the Weekend Update anchor job that Lorne Michaels considered him for, but looking at the "lost roles" of various performers also offers a deeper insight into who these comedians are and who they aim to be. By studying an actress or actor's passion projects that never materialized, the roles he or she wanted but didn't get, and the parts he or she flat-out turned down, we're able to gain a better understanding of how this person crafts his or her body of work and how his or her comedic persona changes from role to role. Below is a collection of all the "Lost Roles" pieces I've written this year, covering everyone from Tom Hanks to Judd Apatow. READ MORE

Before he became America's top movie star with a pair of back-to-back Oscar wins in the mid-90's, Tom Hanks spent over a decade as a primarily-comedic actor, starring in an array of sitcoms and movies that were met with varying degrees of success. It seems absurd to imagine now, but Hanks spent the better part of the 1980's fighting to distinguish himself in audience's eyes from Steve Guttenberg, Judge Reinhold, and Michael Keaton. Tom Hanks proved to be better cut out for drama than humor, as proven by his two most recent comedies, Larry Crowne and The Terminal. Still, throughout the 80's and into the 90's, Hanks was a sought-after comedic actor. Tom Hanks saw the strength of his comedic abilities increase after he grew out of the "impersonating Bill Murray" stage of his career (Bachelor Party) when he began to find roles that were perfect for him (Big) and became a frequent SNL host in the show's brilliant late 80's era, dropping by about once a season to work alongside such greats as Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey, Jan Hooks, and writers Conan O'Brien, Robert Smigel, and Bob Odenkirk. READ MORE

This week marks the 25th anniversary of Three Amigos, one of the best-regarded comedies of the 1980's and one that brought together a half-dozen of the greatest comedic minds going at the time. Three Amigos starred Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, and Martin Short, was written by Steve Martin, Lorne Michaels, and Randy Newman (who also composed the music and did the voice of the Singing Bush), and was directed by John Landis, who even hired a pre-SNL Phil Hartman and Jon Lovitz for supporting roles. Few comedies can boast a team that is so remarkable and that made such a significant mark on comedy, both separately and together. The film's cultural impact still shows today, with more recent comedies like Galaxy Quest and Tropic Thunder, two funny movies in their own right, using similar premises. READ MORE