Andy Samberg to Host 2009 MTV Movie Awards Live on Sunday, May 31st From The Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California

16 Mar 2009 16:30 Africa/Lagos

Andy Samberg to Host 2009 MTV Movie Awards Live on Sunday, May 31st From The Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California

NEW YORK, March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresh off his record-breaking album Incredibad, SNL star Andy Samberg is set to host the eighteenth annual MTV MOVIE AWARDS, premiering LIVE on MTV, Sunday May 31st from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA. This is Samberg's first time hosting the awards show, while Emmy Award(R) winning producer Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice) returns for the third year as executive producer. With the legendary golden popcorn up for grabs in such unconventional categories as "Best Kiss," "Best Villain," and "Best Action Sequence," the 2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS promises more over-the-top moments and stand-out musical performances.


"Andy's connection with the MTV audience is so strong...it's electric," said Stephen Friedman, General Manager of MTV. "The Lonely Island's digi-shorts are genius. We can't wait to see what subversive take he'll have on our audience's favorite movies of the year. We, like Andy's many fans, are thrilled he's decided to grace MTV with his unique talent."


"I'm super excited to host the movie awards," said Samberg. "I grew up watching the show and a lot of the past hosts are heroes of mine. Plus my friends and I were writers for the show prior to working at SNL, so it will be a sweet and satisfying homecoming. I can't wait to act really important."


Samberg joins the ranks of past hosts such as Ben Stiller, Jimmy Fallon, Mike Myers and Justin Timberlake to name a few. The celeb-filled event is MTV's bold nod to the typical awards shows celebrating the year's best in movies,. Hailed for clever, one-of-a-kind film parodies, sexy lip-locking moments (from the likes of Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen), and outrageous acceptance speeches (Mike Myers' ode to Austin Powers with a mojo-induced dance number), the MTV Movie Awards has produced some of the most unforgettable and outrageous moments in award show history.


Samberg, along with his Lonely Island partners Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, have recently released their first full-length album, "Incredibad," which was released by Universal Republic Records on Tuesday, February 10th. The album quickly became the first comedy album to hold the title as the top selling album on iTunes. "Incredibad" features favorites as well as new musical creations featuring a diverse arsenal of guest-artists including hip hop impresario T-Pain, Grammy(R)-winning superstar Norah Jones, The Strokes' Julian Casablancas, and comedic legend and Tenacious D-veteran, Jack Black. In addition, Samberg is currently starring in his fourth season as a cast member on "Saturday Night Live." Samberg, and SNL writers and sketch directors Schaffer and Taccone, are best known for their innovative SNL Digital Shorts which have re-invigorated the series. The trio's most praised shorts -- "D**k in a Box" and "J**z in My Pants" -- are currently reigning over Hulu.com, and are among the Top five selling videos on iTunes. The three have also served on the writing teams for two previous MTV MOVIE AWARDS.


With a diverse range of comedic talents, Samberg has emerged as a captivating and hilarious leading man in both television and film. Samberg starred in his feature debut in Hot Rod and will next be seen in I Love You Man for Paramount Pictures which will be released March 20, 2009. Additionally, Andy will lend his vocal talent in the upcoming film "Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs. Prior to joining "Saturday Night Live," Samberg performed stand-up comedy in both New York and Los Angeles for seven years.


Nominees for the 2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS will be announced in the spring. The official 2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS site launches on March 16. For more on MTV's ongoing movies coverage, check out http://www.mtv.com/movies/.


Mark Burnett serves as Executive Producer for the 2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS. Audrey Morrissey is Co-Executive Producer. Lee Rolontz is Executive Producer for MTV, Garrett English is Executive in charge for MTV and Jane Mun serves as Producer. Robin Reinhardt-Locke is Celebrity Talent Executive.


About MTV


MTV is the dynamic, vibrant experiment at the intersection of music, creativity and youth culture. For over 26 years, MTV has evolved, challenged the norm, and detonated boundaries -- giving each new generation a creative outlet and voice that entertains, informs and unites on every platform and screen. On-air, MTV has been the number one rated 24 hour ad-supported cable network P12-24 for 16 straight years. Online, MTV.com scored double-digit growth in 2007 and MTV launched ten dynamic online communities and six new virtual worlds. On the go, MTV Mobile is the #1 music brand in the wireless space -- delivering 90% more streams than in 2006. And MTV's successful sibling networks MTV2, mtvU and MTV Tr3s each deliver unprecedented customized content, super-serving music fans, college students and young American Latinos like no one else. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE: VIA.B) , one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Wanna know more? Come on in...www.mtvpress.com.


About Mark Burnett Productions


Mark Burnett is a leading executive producer for primetime television, cable and the internet, and has produced over 1,100 hours of television programming which regularly airs in over 70 countries around the world. Mark Burnett (President of MBP) revolutionized television with hits such as Survivor (CBS), The Apprentice (NBC), Rock Star (CBS), Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (FOX), which is currently being produced in 52 countries, and the daytime syndicated hit Martha. In the summers of 2007 and 2008, MBP entered the world of Award Shows, when Mark Burnett served as executive producer for the MTV Movie Awards. Since 2001, Mark Burnett Productions has garnered a total of 51 Emmy nominations and Mark Burnett has 2 Emmy wins and has won 4 People's Choice Awards. Mark Burnett has been named one of the most influential people in the world by TIME magazine and named TV Guide's most valuable player. He has won both BRANDWEEK'S Marketer of the Year Award and the prestigious ROSE D'OR FRAPA Format Award. In 2007, Mark Burnett was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame. In 2008, Mark was honored with the announcement that he is to receive a star on the Hollywood walk of fame.


Source: MTV

CONTACT: Stephanie Berman, MTV Press, +1-212-846-7175,
Stephanie.berman@mtvstaff.com; or For Andy Samberg, Carrie Byalick of IDPR,
+1-212-334-0333, CByalick@ID-PR.com


Web Site: MTV MOVIE AWARDS