I wrote the album’s delightful title track as an homage to my favorite things about the holidays. “This album is a nod to the swing sound of the 50s and 60s but with a modern twist. Gasteyer developed comedy experience with the Los Angeles improv – sketch comedy group The Groundlings. 14. https://ew.com/tv/2019/12/11/snl-lorne-michaels-schweddy-balls-ana-gasteyer “We set out to make a new Holiday album with a throwback feel,” said Gasteyer. Ana Gasteyer, who stars in Netflix’s Wine Country, cracks Us up. I love game nights, but I get in trouble for talking too much. Recorded in New York’s iconic Bunker Studios in Brooklyn, Sugar & Booze features a percussive band, horn section and is a blend of jazz, pop, soul, funk, blues and comedy. Although she's equally famous for impressions of Celine Dion and Martha Stewart, the theme of the conversation, like that of the most famous version of that sketch about "Schweddy Balls," was the holidays. I still play the violin in my jazz act because that’s the only place my family allows me to play, and because I find it amusing. That came out early November, I think, of my first season… I definitely feel very grateful that they have an annual association and that people find them funny [and they have had longevity].”. People were questioning themselves. Hola, amigos. There are plenty of jokes (and a lot of great singing) on her new holiday album. Even though we have a higher threshold for silliness in holiday music, Gasteyer tried to avoid her own pitfalls. She also made cameos on SNL on March 6, 2004 during the "Nightline" sketch impersonating Martha Stewart, on May 8, 2010 where she made several appearances and on May 12, 2012 during the "Alternative Prom" sketch where she reprised her character, Bobbi Mohan-Culp. “It was kind of a happy accident that I ended up writing a lot of material at the holidays,” she recalls. Ana Gasteyer, Actress: Mean Girls. Guys like Darrell Hammond and Jimmy Fallon are savants. It’s so amazing for a writer-performer to sit down and have 14 genius comedy writers pitch jokes for your sketch and make it better. I taught myself to make linguini and clams when I was on Saturday Night Live, and now it’s my picky son’s favorite food. It took three entire business days to figure it out, but it was worth it. In 2018, Gasteyer performed as Miss Hannigan in the Tony-winning musical Annie at The Hollywood Bowl alongside David Alan Grier, Megan Hilty, Lea Salonga and Roger Bart. The Ridgefield Playhouse is a nonprofit performing arts center located at 80 East Ridge Rd. Everything will open up for you if you do the Groundlings.” So I went to a show, and it was Lisa Kudrow and Mindy Sterling and Kathy Griffin and Jennifer Coolidge — so many funny women creating their own material — and it was such a strong showing of women for the ’90s in particular that I immediately enlisted. I just had a sense that if I did comedy, I could find my own way. After her retirement from SNL, she became well-known for her roles as Betsy Heron in the 2004 teen comedy-drama film Mean Girls and currently stars as Sheila Shay on the ABC sitcom Suburgatory since 2011. In the expanded role of “Mrs. After her retirement from SNL, she became well-known for her roles as Betsy Heron in the 2004 teen comedy-drama film Mean Girls and currently stars as Sheila Shay on the ABC sitcom Suburgatory since 2011. 13. Box Office, Tom Petty’s Daughter, Adria, on the Excavation of ‘Wildflowers’: ‘It Feels the Closest to Who He Really Was’, Kanye West Responds to Issa Rae’s ‘SNL’ Joke: ‘I’m Praying for Her and Her Family’. It’s possible “Schweddy Balls” would have sunk into obscurity if NBC’s standards and practices department, which evaluates shows to help decide what is appropriate to air, had its way. SNL's Ana Gasteyer Sings About 'Sugar And Booze' In A New Holiday Album Saturday Night Live alum Ana Gasteyer's new Christmas album, Sugar & … I have a lot of hair and never use extensions. In addition to her celebrated work as a television actor and on “SNL,” Gasteyer is a trained singer who has starred in multiple Broadway and televised musicals. Ana Gasteyer (Full name- Ana Kristina Gasteyer) is an American actress who was born on May 4, 1967, Washington, D.C., U.S. She is most famous for her time as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2002. On "Secret Santa," Gasteyer duets with her former SNL colleague, Maya Rudolph. Gasteyer recently released a holiday album; it's called Sugar & Booze. SNL’s Ana Gasteyer brings her Sugar & Booze tour to The Ridgefield Playhouse on Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 8 p.m., with a night of holiday cabaret that harkens back to … But it almost was banished to the late hours of the night, according to Gasteyer. My first TV gig was in the “Soup Nazi” episode of Seinfeld [in 1995]. https://snl.fandom.com/wiki/Ana_Gasteyer?oldid=29562. That’s hard to do in this day and age, but we sought arrangements that utilized a proper band, including horn and percussion and created as full and lush a sound. Ana Gasteyer (born May 4, 1967) is an American stage, film and television actress who was a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2002. Her love for the holidays doesn’t end with SNL. But [Michaels] so correctly understood that the characters were naive to the usage of the word ‘balls’ that he fought really hard and successfully to have it air before midnight, which I really appreciated. I recorded a Christmas album! When we did Martha Stewart, it was a palpable shift. Gasteyer was first mentioned in Variety on Sept. 5, 1996, for joining the “SNL” cast. 6. It’s a total extra talent. I learned to ride a bike as a kid, then forgot, contrary to the adage, “You never forget how to ride a bike.” I learned again in my 30s. We Insist: A Timeline Of Protest Music In 2020. I don’t know if that’s still the case. She starred as Elphaba in Wicked in both the Broadway and Chicago productions (earning a Jefferson Award Nomination for her performance in the latter). Read Next: ‘The Vow’: What the Finale’s Surprise Twist Means for Season 2, ‘Saturday Night Live’ Sketch Sees Issa Rae Voting for ‘Everybody Black’ — But ‘F’ Kanye West, ‘Saturday Night Live’ Recreates Presidential Town Halls with Alec Baldwin and Jim Carrey, ‘What the Constitution Means to Me’: Heidi Schreck on Asking Global Audience to ‘Reimagine’ the Systems That Aren’t Working, Brian Wilson Disavows Trump’s Beach Boys Benefit in California (EXCLUSIVE), Beastie Boys License a Song for an Ad for First Time Ever, for Joe Biden Spot Focused on Live Music Shutdown, ‘Avengers’ Cast Assembles for Joe Biden Fundraiser, ‘The Vow’: What Happened to Keith Raniere, Allison Mack and Other Key Figures, ‘The Vow’: What the Finale’s Surprise Twist Means for Season 2, Bruce Willis Stars in Commercial for ‘Die Hard’ Car Batteries, Liam Neeson Thriller ‘Honest Thief’ Leads Cratering U.S. Sugar & Booze was produced by New York’s Downtown nightclub supernova Julian Fleisher and features original songs written by Gasteyer, such as the modern nostalgic title track “Sugar & Booze,” in addition to classics like “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Let it Snow.” The first song to be released from Sugar & Booze is the original song “Secret Santa,” featuring Maya Rudolph. Gasteyer has been busy spreading cheer this year, dropping a holiday album and an Audible Original comedy series, both titled Sugar & Booze. Gasteyer began her career at Northwestern University; she initially enrolled as a voice major, but later switched to theater studies when she started to get involved with the campus' improv comedy group. “Lorne very graciously fought for ‘Schweddy Balls,’” Gasteyer tells EW. So that’s a huge honor.”. I could feel myself belonging. "It's the most nauseating idea in the world: a comedian in a gown leaning against a baby grand without making a joke," Ana Gasteyer says.