Dick in a Box

Pop-ups (50 · 4 fan picks from YouTube comments)

1. Dick in a Box as the trilogy finale

   0:12

   Seth frames this short as the completion of a trilogy beginning with Lazy Sunday and Natalie Rapp, a stretch the hosts consider a high point of the SNL Digital Shorts run.

   This was the completion of a trilogy. Began with Lazy Sunday, and then Natalie Rapp, and then today's Digital Short.

2. Fans point here

   1:12

   2 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 25 likes.

   Right, which is why I think everybody should watch the film In Bruges. We know that's your favorite. Which is like right around 90 minutes. Isn't Bruges that short? No way. I think it might be. Look it up, Keev. Okay.… — Seth

3. Censored mouth and the wrong word

   2:08

   The blur censorship made the word harder to hide, and some viewers heard cock in a box rather than dick. A bit of 'as with all censorship, it makes it worse' humor.

   Actually, no, there were a lot of people who thought it was cock in a box because of the blur.

4. The rooster in the box theory

   2:26

   Some viewers thought the box held a rooster, a joke the hosts link to a famous M*A*S*H episode where the box contained a baby.

   But some people thought it was a rooster. Right. Right. I forgot that.

5. Timberlake's first SNL hosting

   3:28

   The hosts were fans of Justin Timberlake before he hosted SNL, watching from home. Omeletteville was the first sketch of his that they remember.

   Well, Omeletteville was the first one he was on.

6. Early 90s R&B as the starting point

   5:28

   Timberlake's visit to their office led to talk of early 90s R&B they all loved, and that common ground pushed the team to make a track in that style before the premise existed.

   we all talked about how we love early 90s R&B and we were like, we should do something like that.

7. Seth's Nintendo Wii pitch

   6:09

   Seth suggested a sketch about two guys waiting in line for a Nintendo Wii; the hosts say it helped them rule out that idea and steer toward their own.

   that should be two guys in line waiting to buy a Nintendo Wii that had just come out.

8. Fans point here

   9:19

   1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 7 likes.

   So it seems like timeline then is Thursday is when Jorma cracks the premise here? Yes. Yeah, it must have been. I think it was late Thursday. Exactly. That I was in a corner talking to myself, just being like, what if… — Seth

9. The premise cracked from Diner

   9:23

   Jorma came up with the dick-in-a-box premise late Thursday, inspired by a popcorn-box assault scene in the film Diner.

   what if a present was a dick inside a box like in that movie Diner?

10. Diner's popcorn-box scene

    9:44

    Seth points out the Diner scene is an assault, while the short presents the box as a gift the women can accept or refuse, a key difference in tone.

    Whereas in this digital short, it is always presented as a gift.

11. The arrest at the end

    10:34

    The hosts note the short ends with arrests, a detail that many viewers forget.

    They get arrested at the end, Seth. It's pretty clearly assault in this video as well.

12. Writing speed under deadline

    10:54

    The song and premise came together quickly, a rare pace that the hosts describe as fast even by their standards.

    I think by our standards, kind of yes. The ideas did start flowing.

13. Timberlake's full confidence

    12:08

    The hosts presented a rough first verse to Timberlake in a hallway outside his dressing room, and he was fully confident it would work.

    And he was like 100% confident.

14. Idolizing Timberlake

    12:25

    Jorma admits he idolized Timberlake, even copying his haircut and style, which made the hallway pitch nerve-racking.

    Yeah, he was my idol. Like, I would dress like him. I had my hair cut like him.

15. Huey, Dewey, and Louie sound

    12:43

    Akiva describes the three hosts' nervous sounds as similar to Huey, Dewey and Louie sleeping, a Donald Duck reference.

    It's a little bit like when Huey, Dewey, and Louie sleep.

16. Returning to Hudson River locations

    13:20

    The team reused familiar Hudson River waterfront and basketball court locations, including the spot later used for United Way with Peyton Manning.

    There's a moment, I think you do it, is the basketball hoop where we later shoot United Way with Peyton Manning?

17. Shoot permits and timing

    13:52

    Filming Friday morning meant pulling city permits overnight, which is why the shoot stayed outdoors on the Hudson River.

    You can't pull permits from the city of New York at like three in the morning Thursday night for a nine in the morning Friday morning shoot.

18. Gray weather and Philly R&B look

    14:20

    The flat gray weather matched early 90s R&B videos, many of which were shot in Philadelphia.

    Very Philly weather. Yeah, they're part of Motown Philly, these guys.

19. Unrecognized on set

    15:04

    Timberlake wasn't recognized by passersby during the low-fi shoot because of his outfit.

    Because he was so unrecognizable in that outfit.

20. Basketball ladder reference

    17:10

    The basketball scene's ladder was planned as a nod to an earlier music video, a Bell Biv DeVoe or Bad Boy style reference.

    It's BBD or something or another bad creation. Yeah.

21. Escalating visual heightens

    17:33

    Seth notes the basketball visuals escalate across the song, a structure that makes the laughs bigger.

    So it's an incredible heighten from the first time.

22. Timberlake's vocal stacking

    18:10

    Timberlake stacked around 16 vocal tracks and mixed them in the room, teaching the hosts Pro Tools; vocal stacks layer many takes to create a fuller sound.

    Just the stack he did in Pro Tools, a stack for those who don't know is like many vocals stacked on top of each other.

23. Album mix and lowered vocals

    19:57

    When the hosts put the sketch on their album, Andy's vocals had been lowered in the mix, a detail they joke about.

    There's many times where we did that. He got lowered a little bit.

24. Madison Square Garden in-ear disaster

    22:23

    Andy's in-ear monitors fell out as he stepped onto the stage at MSG, and he started the song five octaves too high, a moment the hosts recall with laughter.

    I take one step off the platform and both my in-ears fall out.

25. Stage monitors and big arenas

    24:45

    Akiva explains that stage monitors don't work well with huge audiences, so sound bounces off the back wall and drifts off beat.

    we know that like the monitors on stage do not work when you're with a huge audience.

26. Seth's Hurricane Sandy benefit

    26:04

    Seth recounts a Hurricane Sandy benefit at MSG where Chris Rock questioned following The Who with a sketch, a story told to comfort Andy.

    And Chris Rock walked over and saw the two of us.

27. Music shows aren't comedy rooms

    26:40

    Andy argues award shows are wired for screaming fans listening for their favorite songs, which makes them poor venues for comedy.

    There's certain shows that comedy just cannot happen.

28. The musical cutout that leaves room

    28:50

    Seth praises the moment about thirty seconds before the end when the music drops out and the cast raises hands for 'Dick in a Box.' Such pauses let an audience think the piece is finished, which makes the reveal of more song land harder.

    leaving room for people to laugh. That is one of the great moments in a digital short because it leaves room for people to think it's over.

29. The cast's honest reaction to the live show

    29:48

    Andy admits they felt the piece was going great and were giddy. The moment is later described as one of the happiest on the show.

    I will not pretend like we didn't feel like it was going insanely great and we were gassed as fuck.

30. The famous photo of the three

    30:05

    A photo captures Samberg, Schaffer and Taccone watching the monitors and audience during the live broadcast. Akiva calls it one of their happiest moments on the show.

    It's so nice and crazy to have a photo of the exact moment. It's us and we're watching the monitors and the audience while it's playing live.

31. Paul Thomas Anderson in the photo

    30:23

    Paul Thomas Anderson, Maya Rudolph's partner, is also in the photo, laughing with the cast. Seth describes him as one of the greatest living directors.

    Paul Thomas Anderson, Maya Rudolph's partner, is there. And he came to the show.

32. Barry Gibb Talk Show reveal

    30:57

    After Dick in a Box, the cast discovers Jimmy Fallon is there for Barry Gibb Talk Show, which Andy calls one of the best sketches he ever did.

    going out of that into Barry Gibb talk show where they realized Jimmy was there and it was Barry Gibb talk show

33. Studio 60 comparison

    31:35

    Akiva compares the energy of the live studio to the fictional Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, a rock-show version of SNL.

    it felt like the Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip version of what they would hope SNL would be

34. Fans point here

    33:00

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 28 likes.

    I mean, this is, as episodes go, it's a banger. Yes. It's a Christmas show. So people, I think, again, Christmas show audiences are in general better just because it's Christmas season. Everybody's in a good mood. Saw… — Seth

35. Michael McDonald's McDonald's: the cut sketch

    33:52

    A Colin Jost-written spot featuring Timberlake as a fake McDonald's owner was cut from the show that night in favor of a serious piece on the Duke lacrosse case.

    Colin Jost wrote a sketch called Michael McDonald's McDonald's.

36. Writers' rewrite memories

    36:37

    Seth recalls the rewrite day for the McDonald's sketch as the most fun he had, with writers who could not sing pitching couplets, later framed and given to Emily Spivey.

    it was the most fun SNL rewrite day I've ever had because it was just writers who couldn't sing sitting around pitching two line.

37. Second Chance Theater pitch

    37:50

    Andy suggests the McDonald's sketch belongs on the Second Chance Theater segment, a Late Night bit that revives cut material.

    Is this a good second chance theater, Seth? Feels like a good one.
    Second Chance Theater

38. Target Lady and approved

    42:03

    Seth notes that he and his wife still shout 'approved' when they swipe cards, a nod to the Target Lady's cheerful catchphrase.

    I will say approved is something my wife and I will still yell when we swipe.

39. Seth's Corner: Dry Eyes

    42:57

    Seth introduces Dry Eyes, a game show sketch he wrote for Matthew Fox that Steve Higgins suggested Timberlake could play, and that Timberlake was skilled at almost crying.

    Dry Eyes, a game show sketch I wrote for originally Matthew Fox.
    Seth's Corner

40. Hip Hop Kids sketch

    44:27

    Seth recounts a Nickelodeon-style sketch where hip hop kids dance in a mineshaft and rocks fall, with Forte and Bill as Descent creatures.

    Do you guys remember Hip Hop Kids?
    Seth's Corner

41. Thursday pitch and Lorne's deadline

    45:46

    Akiva explains the Dick in a Box idea came on a Thursday, which made the group distrusted for later deadlines, since Lorne kept pushing them.

    the fact that we didn't come up with Dick in a Box till Thursday cursed the rest of our time at SNL

42. Digital Short TBD on the board

    47:52

    Akiva describes the planning board in Lorne's office, where a laminated digital short card appeared for the first time, a mix of pride and dread.

    there was a laminated digital short, it was both a moment of pride.

43. Seth's role in Dick in a Box

    48:35

    Seth jokes that he told the Lonely Island they had to make a short that week, and that Lorne would give some credit to him.

    But don't forget the fact that I told them they had to do one.

44. The cop car was not planned

    51:03

    Akiva reveals the NYPD officers were real on-duty cops who saw the shoot and joined in, and they agreed to pretend-arrest the trio.

    No, those cops saw a shooting and then realized who we were and just were like, hey, we'll hang out.

45. Arrest ending foreshadows Mother Lover

    51:36

    Seth notes the arrest ending sets up Mother Lover, which opens with the guys getting out of jail, and that the cop car could not have been arranged in time.

    And then to foreshadow, Mother Lover starts with you guys getting out of jail.

46. Dick in a Box as a Halloween costume

    52:35

    Jorma notes the guys' characters were easy to copy for Halloween, and some fans got fired from jobs trying the look.

    That's a pretty easy thing to build a box, get an old suit and put it on and become the Dick in a Box guys.

47. A fan's Halloween firing

    52:56

    Andy tells of a fan who got fired after wearing the Dick in a Box costume to a party, a cautionary tale.

    A guy did tell us he got fired from his job.

48. Andy's dumb-guy performance

    53:29

    Seth praises Andy's restrained, dumb-guy character and the way he achieved it without much facial movement.

    You are so good at doing a doofy, dumb dude, and this might be the dumbest dude I ever saw you play.

49. Fans point here

    54:27

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 4 likes.

    They were a good time. What else? I feel like there's got to be more. We can milk out a dick in a box, right? Honestly, there is, but it is a trilogy. And so there's more to come. Yeah, we will have more time to talk…

50. Dick in a Box trilogy

    54:30

    Akiva confirms the characters will return in a trilogy, and Seth says more time will be spent on their growth.

    Honestly, there is, but it is a trilogy.

51. Dick in a Box wins the Emmy

    54:54

    Dick in a Box won an Emmy for Music and Lyrics, the only Emmy The Lonely Island won in that category during their run, despite several nominations.

    The only Emmy we won in that category our entire run, even though we did get nominated other times.

52. Splitting the vote

    55:07

    Seth jokes he won an Emmy the next year because the three Digital Shorts nominated split the vote, and the Lonely Island are still angry about it.

    And because there were three digital shorts, I won the Emmy.

53. Legacy line

    56:05

    Seth says the guys would have a firm legacy after Dick in a Box alone, and that the music is still something people know forever.

    If you hadn't done anything else after this, your legacy would have been firm.

54. Next episode: LaserCats 2

    56:54

    The preview names LaserCats 2 as the first recurring digital short and Jake Gyllenhaal as the host of the next episode.

    Next episode, LaserCats 2, the first recurring digital short. Jake Gyllenhaal is the host.