Whitlock earned laughs by calling his opponents "two of the brightest minds that dabble in sports," but quickly said he did not mean that in a denigrating way.
Ben's surprised — and expletive-laced — reaction earned laughs from the crew, but Mr. Weiss was dissatisfied, saying Ben should have been aware of the trend.
Another quirky character actress who has earned laughs on and off is Kristen Wiig, who was a featured player on the sketch show from 2005 12.
An inserted reference to President George W. Bush earned laughs, but the funniest moment in "Ruddigore" — a bit of gently lacerating self-parody in the scampering patter trio "My Eyes Are Fully Open" — belonged to its creators.
In 2008 Cruise earned laughs as an abrasive movie executive in the comedy Tropic Thunder, and he portrayed the historical figure Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, a German army officer who organized an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, in Valkyrie.
The mood of the show was quiet and reflective, but was lightest during King, an offbeat ode to Michael Jackson that earned laughs from the audience ("Is he walking on the moon?").
The veteran cinematographer and two-time Oscar winner, best known for his work on Braveheart, The Thin Red Line and Legends of the Fall, earned laughs and applause when he said: "We couldn't do what we do if we weren't just a little crazy".
"If this was in Florida there definitely would be a recount," added T.J. Osborne, which earned laughs from the crowd.
Barack Obama earned laughs from such stars as Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Lionel Richie during the 2011 Kennedy Center Honors, cracking jokes while giving a speech at the star-studded Washington, D.C. event.
So should you," he shot back, earning laughs and applause.
The vignette earns laughs as physical comedy and as a swipe at a rigidly hierarchical society.
