Bill Hader

Bill Hader, Kate Hudson, and Josh Gad to Voice DreamWorks Animation’s ME & MY SHADOW

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 31st, 2012 at 1:19 pm

Bill Hader, Kate Hudson, and Josh Gad will lend their voices to the upcoming DreamWorks Animation film Me & My Shadow.  Per THR, the fantasy film stars as a bored shadow (Hader) who is tethered to a timid human (Gad), but gets the excitement he yearns for when a crime in the shadow community propels them into adventure to stop a shadowy villain from taking over the human world.  Hudson will voice Grubb’s love interest in the real-world.

When we reported on the film back in December 2010, Mark Dindal (The Emperor’s New Groove) was set to direct, but he’s been replaced by How to Train Your Dragon‘s head of story, Alessandro Carloni, who will make his directing debut on Shadow.  The film will blend CGI animation (the human world) with hand-drawn animation (the shadow world), and I’m excited to see the result.  Me & My Shadow is due out November 13, 2013.

Zoolander Meets Stefon on Last Night’s SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Hosted by Ben Stiller

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: October 9th, 2011 at 8:26 am

Last time Ben Stiller host Saturday Night Live, it was 1998, aka the pre-Zoolander era.  By the time Stiller returned to host SNL last night, the show had created the perfect counterpart for Stiller’s male model character in flamboyant New York scenester Stefon (played by Bill Hader).  While all involved are trying to get Zoolander 2 going in features, Stiller revived the character for an appearance with Stefon on last night’s Weekend Update.  Get your Zoolander fix in the clip posted after the jump.

As a bonus, look for the show’s Moneyball parody, in which Billy Beane (Taran Killam doing a great Brad Pitt impression) turns to steroids instead of statistics.

Trailer for SOUTH PARK Documentary 6 DAYS TO AIR Premiering on October 9th

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: September 28th, 2011 at 10:08 am

It’s no secret that a lot of work goes into an episode of an animated series, but when it comes to Comedy Central’s long-running series South Park, you might be shocked to learn that each episodes is completed in just under one week. This explains how the series from longtime collaborator Trey Parker and Matt Stone remains so topical and relevant every single week, but it also means that when South Park is in production, the pressure is on to deliver, just like an episode of Saturday Night Live. Perhaps that explains why someone like SNL cast member Bill Hader is on the writing staff and makes several appearances in this promising new documentary 6 Days to Air which will premiere on Comedy Central on October 9th.

Despite the obvious stress of putting together a half-hour animated comedy in just a week, Parker and Stone seem to be enjoying themselves immensely and always make time to joke around. Other highlights include a professional sounding conversation about characters shitting into each other’s mouths and someone farting into the PA system at the South Park offices. The new season of South Park premieres October 5th at 10/9c, but see the trailer for what looks to be an eye-opening look behind-the-scenes of the series after the jump.

Lucasfilm Launches STAR WARS “Use the Force For Good” Cancer Benefit Video Featuring Emma Stone, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen, Zach Galifianakis and More

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: September 15th, 2011 at 8:47 am

Star Wars: The Complete Saga hits Blu-ray tomorrow, which means the Lucasfilm marketing machine is in full swing. While many may be deriding the changes that The Almighty Tinkerer has made this time around, not everything Lucasfilm does is nerd-angering. The studio has launched an initiative to benefit the charity Stand Up to Cancer, and they’ve recruited some big names to help out. The Use the Force For Good intiative has kicked off with a video tribute featuring a number of celebrities reenacting scenes from the series. The clip is actually pretty funny, and includes Aziz Ansari, Zach Galifianakis, Bill Hader, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, Jaime King, Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg, Emma Stone, and of course Samuel L. Jackson.

Hit the jump to watch the video. Unsurprisingly, Hader is the highlight, as his penchant for impressions leads to some fantastically goofy reenactments.

Nike Auctioning Off 1,500 Pairs of the BACK TO THE FUTURE-Inspired MAGs; See Images and Commercial Starring Bill Hader

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: September 8th, 2011 at 8:39 pm

Nike is indeed releasing a line of sneakers inspired by Back to the Future, but there’s a couple catches.  First, the self-lacing feature that made the kicks so futuristic is not included on the Nike MAGs.  That seems like a waste to me, but I’d never own a pair anyway thanks to the second catch: Nike is producing just 1,500 pairs to auction off over the next week.  The auction begins over at Nike’s Ebay page tonight at 8:30 PST and ends September 18.  All of the net proceeds go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation to research Parkinson’s disease.

Fox will appear on Late Show with David Letterman tonight to talk more about the shoes and the auction.  In the meantime, hit the jump for another commercial that shows off the features of the shoe (lots of lights!).

[Update: We've added a commercial featuring Bill Hader and Christopher Lloyd plus new images after the jump.]

PAUL Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: July 28th, 2011 at 8:29 am

Greg Mottola’s Paul is like a nerd’s version of Ocean’s 11. Written and starring Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, the duo play sci-fi fans who run across an alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen), and have to get him to his ship. There are government agents after him – played by Bill Hader, Justin Bateman, Sigourney Weaver and Joe Lo Truglio – and the boys meet a love interest (Kristen Wiig) along the way. Part wish-fulfillment science-fiction, part road movie, Paul works best if you – like the characters – are well versed in nerdom. Our review of the Blu-ray of Paul after the jump.

New Set Photos from THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, WRATH OF THE TITANS, and MEN IN BLACK III

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 10th, 2011 at 1:26 pm

Do you want to see images from major upcoming films?  Do you want them to be out of context, out of focus, and barely indicative of the movie they’re from?  Then you’re going to want to check out some set photos from The Amazing Spider-Man, the tentatively titled Wrath of the Titans, and Men in Black III!  Hit the jump!

HOODWINKED TOO! HOOD VS. EVIL Review

by Bill Graham    Posted: April 29th, 2011 at 6:16 am

Hoodwinked Too! Hood Vs. Evil comes out during a time when unoffensive animated films just aren’t good enough anymore. For the film watcher, this is a great time with the likes of Pixar and Dreamworks upping the ante, with a few dark horses here and there and some old mainstays like Disney still staking a claim. Unfortunately, Hoodwinked Too isn’t a shining example of the current times. Instead, a bizarre plot, uninspired animation, and worst of all, a lack of more than a handful of laughs keep this sequel from pushing the genre forward. The shame is that there is some quality work done by some of the voice cast, but the rest of the film falls flat around them. Hit the jump for the full review.

Bill Hader’s Top 10 Criterion Double-Features

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 18th, 2011 at 9:29 am

Bill Hader isn’t just a great comedian—he’s also a film buff.  In June, he’ll be hosting The Essentials Jr. on Turner Classic Movies with a great line-up of The Adventures of Robin Hood, The General, Stagecoach, and Singin’ in the Rain.  He also recently stopped by Criterion Collection headquarters, dug through their magic DVD closet, and gave them a top 10 list of double-features from their library.  Usually, when people give Criterion a Top 10, it’s only ten films, but Hader explains, “I couldn’t pick ten . . . sorry. So I programmed Criterion double features, which is what I tend to do on Sunday nights anyway.”

Hit the jump for some of his double-feature pairings and comments on some of the films he picked.

PAUL Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 18th, 2011 at 7:19 am

This year, passes to the geek Mecca known as Comic-Con sold out almost instantly.  Movies based on geek-centric properties like superhero movies and sci-fi sequels are worth hundreds of millions of dollars.  With so much money and attention already being paid, does geek culture need a tribute?  I’m not sure, but Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Greg Mottola have made one anyway with their new film, Paul.  The film is a giant road-trip movie that travels not between destinations, but from one geek reference to the next.  The jokes are mostly clever and inventive, but as the film wears on into its third act, the references become predictable and unworthy of the comic talents of everyone involved.  Additionally, despite the great performances of the entire cast, there’s hardly any character development and the only reason we care about the leads is due to the charisma and delivery of the actors.  Paul may be a film for geeks by geeks, but geeks shouldn’t expect a film at the level of Pegg and Frost’s previous collaborations.

Bill Hader Exclusive Interview PAUL; Updates on Future Projects, SNL, SOUTH PARK, and a Lot More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: March 17th, 2011 at 11:57 am

Over the last week, we’ve been posting parts of my exclusive interview with Bill Hader (how he’s a writer on South Park, updates on The Hand Job and other future projects, and SNL).  The reason I got to speak with this very talented comedian is that he has a supporting role in director Greg Mottola’s Paul – which stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.  In the film, Hader plays a Federal Agent who is tasked with helping to locate Paul.

During our extended interview, Hader talked about working with Pegg and Frost, how much was in the script and how much was improv, how Mottola told him to prepare for the film, filming on a very famous street in New Mexico, and a lot more on making Paul.  Hit the jump for the interview and remember to see Paul this weekend!

Bill Hader Talks about Writing for SOUTH PARK

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 14th, 2011 at 2:55 pm

Anyone who has seen Bill Hader on Saturday Night Live or his supporting work in films like Superbad and Adventureland knows he’s hilarious.  But did you know that Hader also writes for South Park?  I did not and now I do and I think we’re all better for the experience.

Steve recently interviewed Hader (who’s doing press for Paul) and asked how he came to be credited as a creative consultant on season 12.  Hader explains how the writing behind the show works and that he’s still on board as a consulting writer and will be going on a three-week retreat in April where showrunners Trey Parker and Matt Stone hash out their ideas.  For those curious as to how the South Park machine works, hit the jump.  The 15th season of South Park premieres Wednesday, April 27th at 10pm on Comedy Central.  You can expect Steve’s full interview with Hader this week.

Scott Porter, Dominic Dierkes, and DC Pierson Join THE HAND JOB; Plus Role Descriptions of Previously Announced Cast

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 10th, 2011 at 8:03 am

Yesterday, we reported that a stellar cast was joining the outstanding Aubrey Plaza in Maggie Carey’s comedy The Hand Job.  A cast that includes Plaza, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Donald Glover, Connie Britton, Mae Whitman, Alia Shawkat, Johnny Simmons, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse is already a must-see.  But now Variety is reporting that more talented actors have signed on.  The cast will now include Scott Porter (Friday Night Lights) and Mystery Team co-stars and co-writers Dominic Dierkes and DC Pierson.

For those unfamiliar with the plot, The Hand Job stars Plaza as a valedictorian who wants to become more sexually experienced before she heads to college.  While we reported the majority of the current cast yesterday, we now know which roles they’ll be playing.  Hit the jump for more.

Bill Hader Says Andy Samberg, Donald Glover, Connie Britton, and More are Attached to THE HAND JOB – UPDATED

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 9th, 2011 at 10:34 am

Steve recently spoke with actor and writer Bill Hader about his upcoming projects.  One movie he might try to shoot while he’s on hiatus from Saturday Night Live is his wife’s Maggie Carey’s script, The Hand Job.  The script landed on the 2009 Black List (a list of the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood) and we reported back in October that Aubrey Plaza was attached to play the lead role of a 17-year-old who wants to learn about various sexual activities before she goes to college.  Hader says that he, Andy Samberg, Donald Glover, Connie Britton, Alia Shawkat, Mae Whitman, and Johnny Simmons are attached to co-star, and if that cast doesn’t make you excited, then you must not recognize these actors by name.  You should work on that.

Hit the jump for what Hader told Steve about the project as well as a more dramatic film he may do called The Skeleton Twins with Anna Faris and Mark Duplass.  Click here for what Hader had to say about his SNL character “Stefon”, and be sure to check back later today for more of Steve’s interview with Hader.

UPDATE:  Steve here.  Just spoke to Bill Hader again and he told me that Chris Mintz-Plasse is now attached to Hand Job as well!  Hope this thing gets made this summer.

Bill Hader Says He’s Coming Back Next Season on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE; Plus Any Chance of a STEFON Movie?

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: March 9th, 2011 at 2:12 am

One of my favorite cast members on Saturday Night Live is Bill Hader.  Over the past six seasons, Hader has done awesome work and his impressions of Al Pacino, James Carville, Julian Assange, Eliot Spitzer, and Charlie Sheen have all been spot on.  Thankfully, when I got on the phone the other day to talk about his great work in Greg Mottola’s Paul (look for the full interview soon), he told me that he’s definitely back next season!  Which is awesome news.

However, while his impressions have been great, it’s a certain flamboyant gay character on Weekend Update that has become the talk of the show: Stefan.   If you’ve seen Hader perform Stefon, you know that he has great difficulty keeping a straight face while delivering his lines.  That’s because SNL writer John Mulaney (who helped create the character) will often change the lines between rehearsal and the live show.  As a result, Hader is sometimes reading the lines for the first time on air.  Which results in him breaking on camera.  It’s very funny to watch.

With the popularity of the character, I decided to ask Hader if he’s be willing to play Stefan in a feature film, as many other popular SNL characters have gotten films.  His answer after the jump:

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