The FX animated series Archer, created by Adam Reed, revolves around ISIS, a private espionage company populated exclusively by venal, self-centered sociopaths and degenerates.  On any other series, the character of Cyril Figgis would be the butt of every joke, nothing more than a sweater-vest-wearing do-gooder.  Even in the comedy's first season, the unadventurous accountant and comptroller showed himself to be in their league as a betrayal-prone sex addict with serious Freudian issues.  With the series in its third season, Cryil, voiced by Chris Parnell, has been promoted to Field Agent, allowing Parnell to play whole new levels of awkwardness. 

Even if you don't know Parnell by name, it's almost guaranteed that he has made you laugh repeatedly over the years. A veteran of the improv institution The Groundlings, Parnell was a castmember on Saturday Night Live from 1998 to 2006, where he threw down regular recurring characters and notable impressions.  At the show, he became inextricably associated with the emergence of the viral video thanks to "Lazy Sunday," the insanely-popular SNL Digital Short starring Parnell and Andy Samberg.  In addition to Archer and Saturday Night Live, Parnell's extensive television credits include series such as Suburgatory, Big Lake, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and 30 Rock, on which he appears as the beloved Dr. Leo Spaceman.  On the cinematic side, he has appeared in films such as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Hot Rod, and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. 

As Cyril on Archer, though, Parnell is now an indispensable part of television's most delightfully deranged series.  IAR and a number of other outlets were lucky enough to participate in an interview with Chris Parnell, who discussed his relationship to the character, SNL, table reads, Funny or Die, screenwriting, and what's coming up on Archer.

Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve.  For two consecutive years, director Garry Marshall and screenwriter Katherine Fugate served up holiday-themed ensembles unreasonably packed with bankable movie stars and romantic comedy cliches.  Had New Year's Eve been a bigger hit, you can only imagine that we have spent the next several years besieged by these novelty offerings until the holidays were finally exhausted.  That could still happen, actually.  But even if it does, we'll always have MLK Day, a parody trailer for a fictitious romantic comedy that expertly eviscerates the cloying, manipulative style of those films.

Now that Dunder Mifflin Regional Manager Michael Scott has departed NBC's The Office, your Steve Carell-fix will have to come from the former Daily Show correspondent's film appearances.  Burt Wonderstone, which would star Carell as the eponymous Las Vegas magician, has been seeking right director since talks with television veteran Charles McDougall ceased in early April.  According to Deadline, fellow TV director Don Scardino has signed on to make his feature directorial debut with Burt Wonderstone.

When Tina Fey's Saturday Night Live-inspired series 30 Rock debuted in 2006, it was the underdog of two SNL-themed shows premiering on NBC that season.  The other was Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, created by Aaron Sorkin, who also created The West Wing and Sports Night, and wrote the films A Few Good Men, An American President, and Charlie Wilson's War.  His hour long drama/comedy starring Matthew Perry proved to be the less popular series, finishing its run in just one season, while 30 Rock  is currently in its fifth season.  Fresh from winning a Best Screenplay Oscar for The Social Network, Sorkin made a cameo appearance on last night's 30 Rock, spouting off his usual rapid-fire dialogue in one of his trademark walk & talks.  Watch the clip right here.

You know how, after a young person commits an unspeakably violent act, attention inevitably falls on the kid's parents?  In Beautiful Boy, Michael Sheen and Maria Bello play upper middle class parents whose 18 year old son goes on a murderous rampage at his college before committing suicide.  The couple, whose marriage was far from perfect before, must struggle with guilt, grief, and the focus of an accusatory media.  A trailer for the film debuted at Yahoo Movies (via Collider), but you can watch the drama right here:

Tiny Fey's Saturday Night Live interpretation of 2008 vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin is the most recognizable take on the former mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, but the 30 Rock star is about to be in good company, as Oscar nominated actress Julianne Moore has signed on to portray Palin in the HBO movie Game Change, according to The Hollywood Reporter.