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Saturday, January 21, 2012

Lana Del Rey's 'SNL' Set Defended By Andy Samberg

' 'Video Games' is a great song,' he tells MTV News at Sundance about Del Rey's 'Saturday Night Live' appearance.
By Josh Wigler, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Andy Samberg
Photo: MTV News

PARK CITY, Utah — The critics have not been kind to Lana Del Rey following her recent performance on "Saturday Night Live." "Wack-a-doodle" was how Eliza Dushku described it, while actress Juliette Lewis likened the performance to "watching a 12-year-old in their bedroom when they're pretending to sing and perform." At times, it seems that just about everybody has it in for Del Rey.

But "SNL" castmember Andy Samberg is not so quick to criticize. Speaking with MTV News at the Sundance Film Festival — where he's busy promoting his romantic dramedy "Celeste and Jesse Forever" — Samberg acknowledged the outcry against Del Rey but took the opportunity to compliment her.

"People gave her a lot of crap. I saw it online. BriWi," he said when asked about Del Rey, referring to "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams' assessment of the performance as "one of the worst outings in 'SNL' history."

"But 'Video Games' is a great song," Samberg added.

Also there to offer support was Samberg's "Celeste and Jesse" co-star Rashida Jones, who doesn't envy anybody who has to grace the pressure-filled "SNL" stage. "It's a tough venue," she said. "You're not actually performing in front of an audience; you're performing in front of cameras. But I didn't see it, so I don't know."

"Yeah, I didn't see it either, so I can't really speak to it," Samberg quickly added, followed by a long pause and an uncomfortable look. (Perhaps there's something he's not telling us ... )

Samberg and Jones aren't the only two who have come to Del Rey's defense. Daniel Radcliffe, who served as "SNL" host during the singer's appearance, has already condemned the way people criticized her. "It was unfortunate that people seemed to turn on her so quickly," Radcliffe told the British media earlier this week. "I also think people are making it about things other than the performance. ... If you read what people are saying about her online, it's all about her past and her family and stuff that's nobody else's business. I don't think [the performance] warranted anywhere near that reaction.

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival is officially under way, and the MTV Movies team is on the ground reporting on the hottest stars and the movies everyone will be talking about in the year to come. Keep it locked with MTV Movies for everything there is to know about Sundance.

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