Over the past two decades, Amy Poehler has amassed one of the most impressive resumes in comedy history. Not only did she play a significant part in America’s largest comedy institution, Saturday Night Live, she also co-founded the UCB, a venerable comedy institution in its own right and one that grows in influence every year. If those were Amy Poehler’s only accomplishments, it’d still be pretty damned impressive, but, for the past three years, she’s produced and starred in Parks and Rec, arguably the best sitcom on TV. Throw on top of that recurring roles on Arrested Development and Late Night with Conan (before it was a hit) and [...]
Lost Roles is a weekly column that takes a particular comedic performer or writer and dives deep into all of their movie and TV projects that came close to happening but didn’t for one reason or another. This week, we turn our attention to The Office's Rainn Wilson.
On The Office, Rainn Wilson created one of the most beloved sitcom characters of the past decade with Dwight Schrute, a character that’s proven so popular that he’s been chosen to be the show’s Frasier Crane (and hopefully not its Joey Tribbiani). Outside of The Office, however, he’s had a tough time making his mark in the movie industry. When [...]
Lost Roles is a weekly column that takes a particular comedic performer, movie, or show, and dives deep into all of the casting possibilities that almost happened but didn't. This week, we turn our attention to the classic 80s high school comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Not just one of the best high school movies ever but one of the best movie comedies of all time ever, Fast Times at Ridgemont High turns 30 this year, but it’s aged better than a lot of other 80s movies. The film, the screenwriting debut of Cameron Crowe and directorial debut of Amy Heckerling, launched the movie careers [...]
Lost Roles is a weekly column that takes a particular comedic actor or writer and dives deep into all of their movie and TV projects that came close to happening but didn’t for one reason or another. This week, we turn our attention to Trey Parker and Matt Stone, just in time for the premiere of South Park's 16th season next week.
One of the biggest duos in modern comedy, Trey Parker and Matt Stone have developed and refined a distinct style that emanates from all of their projects. From The Book of Mormon to South Park, That's My Bush! to Team America, Parker and Stone's trademark blend of raunch [...]
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.
As you may know, Bill Murray's never been keen to the fakeness of the movie industry, so much so that he fired his agent and manager years ago and only takes offers via a voicemail system that's hooked up to [...]
