The Associated Press

To combat the show's lack of success in winning a Daytime Emmy, they created the Rellys, which give Golden Stools - a trophy-size version of the show's seats for the hosts and their guests.

Last year, Philbin was snubbed for Best Regis - comedian Darrell Hammond's impersonation beat him.

08/18/2005 Good at Slimeballs By: Jim Boyle , TimeOFF Darrell Hammond, a 10-year veteran of Saturday Night Live, will perform at the Stress Factory in New Brunswick Aug. 19-20. Darrell Hamond will pull from his endless supply of celebrity impressions when he takes the stage at the Stress Factory Aug. 19-20.    Impressions are not meant to be taken seriously. They are merely exaggerations of public figures, funny caricatures of politicians and celebrities. So imagine Darrell Hammond's surprise when he found out that his uncannily accurate depiction of Al Gore's performance in the first 2000 presidential debate was being scrutinized by the Vice President before the second round.    "That was a surreal experience," says Mr. Hammond. "I couldn't comprehend the notion that a presidential candidate was studying me."    That newsmaking sketch is one of many crowning achievements in Mr. Hammond's 10 years and counting as a regular castmember of Saturday Night Live. In the classic variety show's 30-year history, impressionists have come and gone through the series' ever-revolving door, but there is a good chance that Mr. Hammond may go down as the best. His lockbox of characters includes Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Ted Koppel, Chris Matthews, Sean Connery, Jesse Jackson, Phil Donahue and, of course, Bill Clinton.    Some of these personalities will be on display when he hits the stage of the Stress Factory in New Brunswick Aug. 19-20. For the Melbourne, Fla., native, the two-night appearance is a return to his first love, stand-up comedy. Most Saturday Night Live castmembers are recruited from sketch troupes such as the Groundlings or Second City. Thanks mostly to his impression of President Clinton, Mr. Hammond was one of the few stand-ups offered a spot.    "I definitely got in through the side door," says Mr. Hammond. "I was doing a set at a club and did a line as Bill Clinton, and they brought me in based on that one line. When I auditioned, they asked me to do as many voices as I could. I did enough to convince them to hire me."    Mr. Hammond's first year on the show proved to be a rough one for the new face. He was coming in just as Phil Hartman was departing with his definitive Clinton impression, leaving pretty big shoes to fill. After braving through the first rocky months, Mr. Hammond soon had viewers laughing at his own completely different take on the President by playing up his womanizing persona, practically turning him into a horny frat boy.    "I was vaguely aware that I was brought in to do what Phil did," says Mr. Hammond. "Basically, I was there to fill in any holes in a sketch. If it was the last minute and they needed someone to deliver one line, they got me. The first half of that season I barely got on the show. Soon, everybody started coming around and I was able to make my mark. It was hard coming from a stand-up background, because I was used to writing for one person. I didn't know how to write sketches and get other people involved in a scene."    Although he was new, Mr. Hammond was well aware of the main rule for an impressionist on Saturday Night Live. The character has to be funny. It's not enough to just be authentic. In some cases, such as Chevy Chase's Gerald Ford or Will Ferrell's George W. Bush, accuracy is thrown out the window for pure comedy.    "I watched the show growing up," says Mr. Hammond. "They were the first ones to have that standard. Prior to 'SNL,' people were happy if you were really authentic, but didn't have any jokes. I won't put a character in my act if it isn't funny. It's happened at least once a week where I'll be working on a character on Wednesday and have to abandon it by Friday because I ran out of time."    As the longest-running castmember in the show's history, Mr. Hammond has seen plenty of other faces come and go. While some have lasted longer than others, Mr. Hammond never doubts that the new actors won't be able to handle what many consider one of the toughest schedules in show business. Articles, books and television specials have been devoted to the grueling amount of work needed to put together Saturday Night Live, from late-night writing sessions and blistering last-minute script changes.    "I've always felt part of Lorne Michaels' genius is his ability to find people that can handle that," says Mr. Hammond. "Not everybody can do that show. It's not like any other experience. It's remarkable how he always finds people that can do it. Lorne always scores."    Despite the stressful schedule, Mr. Hammond has been able to find time to stretch out, appearing in films such as Scary Movie 3 and Agent Cody Banks, and television shows such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. He is set to appear in an upcoming episode of the new FX comedy, Starved, and just finished shooting a guest role on Vegas.    "I played a nutcase on 'SVU,'" says Mr. Hammond. "And I played a slimeball on 'Criminal Intent.' I play another slimeball on 'Vegas,' so I guess I must be pretty good at playing slimeballs. I'll have to look into that. Vincent D'Onofrio is a for-real actor, I was very intimidated by him. He and Katherine Erbe were very welcoming and they helped me along, but they are trained stage actors. I put on fake noses and wear wigs every week." Darrell Hammond will perform at the Stress Factory, 90 Church St., New Brunswick, Aug. 19-20, 8 and 10:30 p.m. Tickets cost $21.50. For information, call (732) 545-4242. On the Web: stressfactory.com