Who is The State's most successful alum?

[Slumbag]

Arguing with an old friend over the weekend. Me and her were about the only two people to religiously follow The State when I was growing up, and our conversations usually go that way after too long whenever we hang out.


I was saying Thomas Lennon. The guy has a steady TV show, and he is constantly getting his shit made into movies. He writes, directs, and acts.

She was saying Michael Ian Black, simply because he now has the most recognition from doing those shitty VH1 "celebrities watching clips" shows that they do.

[burrben]

I was saying Thomas Lennon. The guy has a steady TV show, and he is constantly getting his shit made into movies. He writes, directs, and acts.



i agree. reno 911 is great. hes great in general.


and he is the reason i saw 17 again. jk, i so saw it for zac efron

[TheMojoPin]

Thomas Lennon and the guy that plays Junior on R911. Though they tend to write shitty movies, they get hired all the time to do them and most of them have gone to be pretty big blockbusters.

That's if you're talking about box office success. I think in terms of being the most consistently funny and putting out the most funny projects, I go with David Wain.

[Marc with a c]

wain

[burrben]

I go with David Wain.

he directed role models, i almost forgot that

[Slumbag]

Thomas Lennon and the guy that plays Junior on R911. Though they tend to write shitty movies, they get hired all the time to do them and most of them have gone to be pretty big blockbusters.

That's if you're talking about box office success. I think in terms of being the most consistently funny and putting out the most funny projects, I go with David Wain.

I rarely see David Waun anymore. I wouldn't even know who he was if he didn't do the one State intro where he changed the song to just say his name over and over.

I think consistently funny would be Joe Lo Truglio. He kills with every walk on role he does.

[TheMojoPin]

I rarely see David Waun anymore. I wouldn't even know who he was if he didn't do the one State intro where he changed the song to just say his name over and over.

I think consistently funny would be Joe Lo Truglio. He kills with every walk on role he does.

Wain co-wrote and directed Wet, Hot American Summer, The Ten and Role Modes.

He was also the driving force behind the Stella TV series and has a ton of awesome online series and shorts.

[drusilla]

thomas lennon. i love michael ian black more, but he can't compete with thomas lennon's career.

[GreatAmericanZero]

the problem with Lennon/Garant is that if you look up the movies they made they suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. They have written some of the worst movies of the past tne years ("Taxi", "night at the museum", "balls of fury", "herbie the love bug" from memory). With David Wain, he got successfully and into the mainstream while still staying true to his form of comedy. So i think Wain is more successful, even though he does not have as much money he still makes money as a director and he still has artistic integrity. I think if anyone had the choice between "major success with shit" or "pretty successful but does what they want" they would choose the latter.

[MIKEYDAKEN]

integrity has nothing to do with success

[GreatAmericanZero]

integrity has nothing to do with success

why not? Success isn't a definite. I view someone that lives their life making money doing what they want to do to be more successful than someone who makes a lot of money selling out. No one has ever said success is defined by "amount of money earned compared to another person's money earned".

[MIKEYDAKEN]

true but i think the op was talking mainstream success

[NewYorkDragons80]

Arguing with an old friend over the weekend. Me and her were about the only two people to religiously follow The State when I was growing up, and our conversations usually go that way after too long whenever we hang out.


I was saying Thomas Lennon. The guy has a steady TV show, and he is constantly getting his shit made into movies. He writes, directs, and acts.

She was saying Michael Ian Black, simply because he now has the most recognition from doing those shitty VH1 "celebrities watching clips" shows that they do.

I love Thomas Lennon, but I'm gonna go with Michael Ian Black on name recognition alone. MIB is the Mike Myers to Lennon's Phil Hartman

[drusilla]

the problem with Lennon/Garant is that if you look up the movies they made they suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. They have written some of the worst movies of the past tne years ("Taxi", "night at the museum", "balls of fury", "herbie the love bug" from memory). With David Wain, he got successfully and into the mainstream while still staying true to his form of comedy. So i think Wain is more successful, even though he does not have as much money he still makes money as a director and he still has artistic integrity. I think if anyone had the choice between "major success with shit" or "pretty successful but does what they want" they would choose the latter.

just because you think something sucks, doesn't mean middle america does too. look at what was number 1 at the box office this weekend. 17 again co-starring thomas lennon.

[MisterSmith]

Nobody has mentioned Michael Ian Black's role on the series "Ed" which garnered a lot of attention. Add that to his other stuff and he is pretty recognizable.

However, I would have to vote for Thomas Lennon as the most successful. He has had several series (MDs, Viva Variety, Reno 911, etc.), and has a ton of movie credits. But he also isn't a household name - I can see people saying "Hey, it's that guy again," when they catch him on a show or movie.

[burrben]

I love Thomas Lennon, but I'm gonna go with Michael Ian Black on name recognition alone. MIB is the Mike Myers to Lennon's Phil Hartman

when i think of michael ian black, the first thing that comes to mind are those "I LOVE the (insert decade)" vh1 shows

[Freitag]

Last time I saw Ken Marino, he was on "Angel". He looks like a long-lost Baldwin brother.

[Freitag]

Lennon is currently in the #1 movie in America. Michael Ian Black is trying to get a Comedy Central show with Showalter off the ground. Thus then, Lennon is more successful.

[MisterSmith]

Last time I saw Ken Marino, he was on "Angel". He looks like a long-lost Baldwin brother.

Marino has actually been in a lot of stuff, but nothing I really watch. The two biggest recent series where he had recurring characters were Veronica Mars and Reaper. He has done many other shows with one or a couple of appearances as well as a movie role here or there.

[drusilla]

Nobody has mentioned Michael Ian Black's role on the series "Ed" which garnered a lot of attention. Add that to his other stuff and he is pretty recognizable.

However, I would have to vote for Thomas Lennon as the most successful. He has had several series (MDs, Viva Variety, Reno 911, etc.), and has a ton of movie credits. But he also isn't a household name - I can see people saying "Hey, it's that guy again," when they catch him on a show or movie.

commercials too. he used to do snickers commercials for a while.

[Marc with a c]

sierra mist. FYM!!

[GreatAmericanZero]

just because you think something sucks, doesn't mean middle america does too. look at what was number 1 at the box office this weekend. 17 again co-starring thomas lennon.

well...they didnt see "17 again" because Thomas Lennon is in it

but I think the most successful "State" alum would be someone who stayed true to the spirit of "the State" in their career. If you watch David Wain's movies "Wet Hot American Summer" and "The Ten" its the same exact humor of "the State". Even "role Models" where he stayed away from being too surreal still had those elements in it in addition to being a funny adult comedy

Now, the films Thomas Lennon has been a co-writer on:

Taxi (with Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah)
The Pacifier (with Vin Diesel as a Nanny)
Herbie Fully Loaded (with Lohan and a talking car)
Lets Go to Prison (a movie so bad that Bob Odenkirks involvement couldnt save it)
Night at the Museum (Ben Stiller in a museum that comes alive at night)
Reno 911 movie
Balls of Fury (as unfunny a movie can be about pingpong..i seen it)
Night at the Museum 2 (sequel to Ben Stiller in a museum)

I read an interview with him and he was saying that alot of these movies did have funny scripts before the studios and directors tuned it down. He also says that the reason he still does Reno 911 even though it doesnt pay well is because its where he can do what he wants. Be honest, those above films are embarrassments. They gotta be some of the worst movies ever made. David Wain's career has nothing he should be ashamed of

I'm viewing success through my eyes...not whose most popular to middle america or who has the most money, but who has the ideal career. Who is cooler and hipper. And I think David Wain is far and away the winner

[drusilla]

fair enough if we're going by your definition of success, but i still see it as otherwise.

i dont always have to like everything someone has done to bring them success to deem them successful

[JustJon]

Why is there no love for The Baxter? Sure, it was written and directed by Showalter, who also did the Michael Showalter Showalter, but also has David Wain and Michael Ian Black in it.

[GreatAmericanZero]

actually, Ian Black and Showalter are working on a new show for comedy central right now to air in July called "Michael and Michael have issues". Guess Wain's career is going to well for another "Stella" resurrection

www.michaelandmichaelhaveissues.com

[TheMojoPin]

Why is there no love for The Baxter?

Because it was terrible.

[Caseyelan]

that new show that Ken Marino is doing is fucking AMAZING funny.

Party down:


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I love watching these.



I always gauge success in one way.... Can I explain to my mother who you are?

I can explain michael ian black easier I think.

[GreatAmericanZero]

that new show that Ken Marino is doing is fucking AMAZING funny.

Party down:


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I love watching these.



I always gauge success in one way.... Can I explain to my mother who you are?

I can explain michael ian black easier I think.

ive seen every episode. Usually on sunday i look for a movie on ondemand and when i hit Starz! ondemand i see a new episode and check it out

i think its gotten better with every episode. I dig it

Lizzy Caplan is hot as hell too

[jab]

craig wedren <333

[Tenbatsuzen]

well...they didnt see "17 again" because Thomas Lennon is in it

but I think the most successful "State" alum would be someone who stayed true to the spirit of "the State" in their career. If you watch David Wain's movies "Wet Hot American Summer" and "The Ten" its the same exact humor of "the State". Even "role Models" where he stayed away from being too surreal still had those elements in it in addition to being a funny adult comedy

Now, the films Thomas Lennon has been a co-writer on:

Taxi (with Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah)
The Pacifier (with Vin Diesel as a Nanny)
Herbie Fully Loaded (with Lohan and a talking car)
Lets Go to Prison (a movie so bad that Bob Odenkirks involvement couldnt save it)
Night at the Museum (Ben Stiller in a museum that comes alive at night)
Reno 911 movie
Balls of Fury (as unfunny a movie can be about pingpong..i seen it)
Night at the Museum 2 (sequel to Ben Stiller in a museum)

I read an interview with him and he was saying that alot of these movies did have funny scripts before the studios and directors tuned it down. He also says that the reason he still does Reno 911 even though it doesnt pay well is because its where he can do what he wants. Be honest, those above films are embarrassments. They gotta be some of the worst movies ever made. David Wain's career has nothing he should be ashamed of

I'm viewing success through my eyes...not whose most popular to middle america or who has the most money, but who has the ideal career. Who is cooler and hipper. And I think David Wain is far and away the winner

Herbie Fully Loaded and the Reno 911 movie made money. Pacifier was a huge hit. Night at the Museum made TONS of money.

I'll grant you that Taxi was embarassing, but not Pacifier, and there's nothing to be embarassed about Night at the Museum.

[GreatAmericanZero]

Herbie Fully Loaded and the Reno 911 movie made money. Pacifier was a huge hit. Night at the Museum made TONS of money.

I'll grant you that Taxi was embarassing, but not Pacifier, and there's nothing to be embarassed about Night at the Museum.

but..but.. my whole point was that i don't give a shit what made the most money...read my posts again

[Slumbag]

that new show that Ken Marino is doing is fucking AMAZING funny.

Party down:


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I love watching these.




I started watching this on a GAZ recommendation from another thread, and it's a pretty great show. Ken Marino does a better David Brent type character than Steve Carrell tries to do on the US Office week after week. He's the best part of the show.