fancylawn18: Lonely Island Liven Up Emmys

Monday, September 19, 2011

Lonely Island Liven Up Emmys

Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer wow awards show audience with medley.
By Kara Warner

Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone of "The Lonely Island" perform at the 2011 Emmy Awards
Photo: WireImage

Just when you thought the 2011 Emmy Awards were a bit lackluster — with the "Modern Family" dominance, host Jane Lynch keeping things clean and safe, and even Charlie Sheen coming out classy — the guys from the Lonely Island rolled in to liven things up with a lively, star-studded performance of their hits "Jack Sparrow," "3-Way (The Golden Rule)" and "I Just Had Sex," which all were nominated for Original Song Emmy this year.

The trio (Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer) — who sadly lost the Creative Arts Emmy to Justin Timberlake for his "SNL" musical monologue — kicked off their medley with a bang, beginning with "Jack Sparrow" and crooner Michael Bolton. Much like the original "SNL" Digital Short, Bolton sported a pirate costume and climbed aboard a makeshift pirate ship surrounded by gyrating dancers dressed like waves.

The next song, "3-Way (The Golden Rule)," was performed by special guest stars Ed Helms, Maya Rudolph and John Stamos. Helms and Stamos rocked the familiar shiny, sleazy guy suits worn by original performers Samberg and Timberlake, while Rudolph took over the Lady Gaga-originated role (and colorful costume).

The medley's final, censor-testing number was "I Just Had Sex," performed by Akon, who also sang the original. John Stewart later gave the Lonely Island guys a shout-out for the explicit lyrics in the song, saying he will have to explain them to his young kids.

After the performance brought down the house, follow-up presenters Lea Michele and Ian Somerhalder said, "Nothing we say is going to be funny now," as they approached the podium to present the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series.

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