Will Forte and Jason Sudeikis celebrate sports on 'Saturday Night Live'

Will Forte (pictured at left) and Jason Sudeikis

Twinkle and Stink are coming back. Those are the names of the two hilarious ESPN Classic sportscaster characters created by Will Forte and Jason Sudeikis of "Saturday Night Live." Pete Twinkle and Greg Stink make their return to television when Sudeikis and Forte host the special "SNL Presents: Sports All-Stars," which features favorite sports-themed sketches from late night’s "SNL," as well as brand-new material with Forte and Sudeikis. The two-hour special premieres January 31 on NBC at 8 p.m. Eastern/Pacific Time.

During a recent telephone conference call with journalists, Forte and Sudeikis revealed some of what people can expect from watching the special. The two comedians also talked about their encounters with football icon Peyton Manning; which basketball star Forte calls "naturally funny"; and what late-night material they had to tone down for their prime-time special.

Jason Sudeikis and Will Forte in "Saturday Night Live"

Where did you get the idea for "SNL Presents: Sports All-Stars"?

Sudeikis: Do you know, Will?

Forte: I don't know. Do you know?

Sudeikis: I’m going to assume that it was from one of ["Saturday Night Live" executive producer] Lorne Michaels’ dreams. I'm going to assume that he dreamed it up one night when he was in his footy pajamas and he was like what do people want to see? They want to see all the sports sketches in the, you know, in the history of "SNL." And he woke up and he made it so.

Forte: I do know that he has a tape recorder by his bed for ideas.

Sudeikis: Yeah, like an old one too ...

Forte: He doesn't turn it on and then when he has an idea he just records throughout the night in case he talks in his sleep too.

Sudeikis: Everything.

Jason Sudeikis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jenny Slate, Will Forte and Kristen Wiig in "Saturday Night Live"

What are some of your favorite sporting events or sports sketches?

Forte: Mine has got to be the pretty hands down the synchronized swimming sketch with Martin Short and Harry Shearer. I love that so much.

Sudeikis: That’s a goodie.

And why do you like it so much?

Forte: Just everything about it; there’s nothing about it I don't like. But if I had to boil it down to exactly what I liked it’s just Martin Short, the way he looks and his hair.

And the nose plug?

Forte: Yeah, the nose plugs and, yeah, just everything about it, his floaties; it is perfection.

Sudeikis: I would say I'm a big fan - we reference this actually in the show of the Stuart Smalley with Michael Jordan.

Zac Efron and Jason Sudeikis in 'Saturday Night Live"

Why do you think people want to take their time to tune in and watch the show?

Sudeikis: Oh gosh.

Forte: Because of Jason.

Sudeikis: I don’t know. You should interview them. You should interview all those people that watch it; they would know better than me. I don't want to speak for the entire nation which I can only assume will watch this but I think because Sunday is a good time to laugh at millionaires making fun of themselves.

What sports do you live and die for, if there are any?

Forte: Oh man, rhythmic gymnastics ... Actually, that was a joke but I actually do love rhythmic gymnastics. Somehow I got stuck watching it a couple Olympics ago and love it so much. But no, my sports are football, basketball, baseball … I'm a Raiders, A’s fan and a Los Angeles Clippers fan. And I went to UCLA, so all Bruins teams too.

Sudeikis: And I, Jason, follow primarily and solely the basketball team of Kansas University Jayhawks.

Jason Sudeikis in "Saturday Night Live"

And it’s a coincidence that you probably went to that university, right?

Sudeikis: I did not go there … how about that? Curveball city; again, another sports reference. I did not, I went to the basketball camp in 6th grade. No, I went to Fort Scott Community College and then dropped out. But you can't follow their basketball team because they don't play on TV because they’re not very good.

Care to make any predictions of who will win this year’s Super Bowl: the Colts or the Saints?

Forte: I don't know. I would be happy if either team won, because once it gets outside of the Raiders then I just start looking at the teams I like. There are many things to like about each time. They’re two very likeable teams.

Peyton Manning hosted the show ["SNL"] a couple years ago, so we love the guy, and there are a lot of things in this show that are from his show … The Saints coming in, they've never been to a Super Bowl. I want each team to win. I want a tie.

Sudeikis: I hope neither of them win, I hope we never get to the game.

Forte: You’re such a jerk.

Sudeikis: That’s what I hope. I hope it’s just one long halftime show.

Forte: Well in the year 2012 that might just happen. We might not have the Super Bowl.

Sudeikis: It’s all the Mayans — just the Mayans with the spectacular fire show. You can put that in the books. The Mayans by 3 if they get a last second field goal.

Forte: We'll defeat the Incans by 3.

Jason Sudeikis and Will Forte in "Saturday Night Live"

What do you guys like most about Twinkle and Stink?

Sudeikis: Oh man, so nice to hear someone else call them that. It’s so satisfying … I would say it’s a joy to write with Will and also our friends John Solomon and John Lutz, two of our writers on staff because the writing, while it takes a little bit of time, it’s fairly effortless and then we laugh a lot on the way while we’re writing it. It tickles us all the way through the writing to the performance I think is the most fun. And I think you'll see that quite largely in ["SNL Presents: Sports All-Stars"]. You know, we had a really good time.

Forte: Yeah, exactly what Jason said. A couple years ago, for some reason Jason and I didn't really write together until a couple years ago. And then once we started writing stuff together, I just have so much fun doing stuff with him. And I can't believe there was ever a time when we didn't write together because it’s so enjoyable. And yeah, we'll write some stinkers every once in a while, but it’s never not fun.

Sudeikis: Yeah, I think Lorne was just trying to pit us against each other.

Forte: He does that. Please get in this interview what a bad person Lorne Michaels is.

Sudeikis: Yeah really, he pits people against one another. It’s the strongest survive.

Forte: Oh he’s here, he’s here! Shh!

James Franco, Will Forte and Fred Armisen in "Saturday Night Live"

With the 2010 Winter Olympics just around the corner, how much of the show will focus on that?

Sudeikis: I don't think at all. Do we even have a sketch in there … ?

Forte: I bet there’s probably some Olympics-related sketch in there. But it wouldn't be a new one. Like most of it is just the classics from the past but the only new stuff are the things …

Sudeikis: I will say that I don't believe there’s anything in regards to the upcoming Winter Olympic Games , because obviously since we work for NBC and they already know who wins everything, there’s like a compromising situation we'd be putting ourselves in, obviously. Comcast and GE and the nation and the Olympic Committee, we'd be putting them in a pickle, as they say. But just keep an eye out, because we did pretty well this year.

Forte: And very obviously it’s on our minds throughout all the new stuff that we are doing. We don't very talk about it, but you can just tell we’re thinking about it.

Jason Sudeikis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Twinkle and Stink, do you feel like you’re going to need to tone it down for prime-time TV?

Sudeikis: Tone it down. .. I think we do. It’s just more innuendo … I think it feels dirtier because it rhymes. But I think we get a few in there. I mean, Will, do you know anything? Have we pushed any buttons?

Forte: I don't think so. I mean, we even through in some crazy stuff like there’s this product called F*ck Detergent.

Sudeikis: We never taped that one.

Forte: Oh, we didn't tape that one. We didn't tape that one.

Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers and Jason Sudeikis in "Saturday Night Live"

As far as your favorite sports stars to impersonate or mimic, is there anyone that you really like when you get into that character?

Sudeikis: I played Bobby Knight once and that was a lot of fun because I got to yell at Seth. I got to wear like a red sweater and they put me in a white wig and made my nose a little red and then I just got to yell my head off. That was pretty fun. I didn't throw a chair or anything but, you know.

Forte: I'm a very bad impersonator so I can't even remember if I've ever done a sports person. I mean, I think I was Bruce Jenner once but I don't think I said anything in the sketch I was just sitting there in a like a bronze track suit. No dialogue. They don't trust me with dialogue.

Twinkle and Stink, back to those guys. Can you preview anything from "SNL Presents: Sports All-Stars," and what’s your favorite sketch?

Sudeikis: Do we have any previews? It’s just the - a lot of the same confusion, a lot of the same understanding that Twinkle has for Stink when Stink gets confused and all to of the same just boyish enthusiasm that Stink has for anything Twinkle says.

Forte: My favorite part of the sketch is the period in between when Jason, excuse me, Twinkle delivers the sponsor little jingle and then it’s after the last word he says in between that word and when he caps it off with Tampax. Or something. That’s the sweetest. I wish that lasted forever and oftentimes it does. But that’s my favorite part is the waiting for the one day in the sand. Oh, there it is.

Bill Hader, Taylor Swift and Jason Sudeikis on "Saturday Night Live"

Conan O’Brien’s props and gags are property of NBC. Do you think "Saturday Night Live" might use Triumph the Insult Comic Dog or the masturbating bear or anything like that?

Sudeikis: God, I don't know if we could use them any better than they've used them …

Forte: It would be like trying to remake the movie "The Jerk." It’s been done to perfection … I would never want to use them. They’re his.

Sudeikis: You know, maybe Broadway, maybe do like "[A] Streetcar [Named Desire]," and have the masturbating bear play Stanley, you know. I'd use it in a different setting. Maybe something like that or just put a paintbrush like in Triumph’s mouth and have him paint a picture.

Forte: That sounds good. That sounds good.

Are sports stars generally funny because they’re so bad in these sketches or are they funny because the sketches are written so well?

Forte: You know what? It depends. It’s different for each one. There have been some, like Peyton Manning is a legitimately funny person who was funny in the sketches because he’s a funny person. And then, you know, there have been other people who haven't been as funny who have come on the show who maybe just sound maybe just they’re bad acting maybe helped out a little bit.

Sudeikis: Yeah, had I know what I know now I would have written much funnier sketches for like pep rallies in high school because it’s always fun to get someone. I think it has a little bit to do with just putting them in the right situation having the right premise. And then we've really nailed it with this format, because we’re only taking like the best sketch and best moments from their sketches … so everybody comes out smelling like roses.

Jason Sudeikis and Fred Armisen on "Saturday Night Live"

Did you volunteer to be the hosts for this or if you were tapped because of Twinkle and Stink?

Sudeikis: The producers asked us, Lorne and Steve Higgins, they asked us if we wanted to do it and we said "no" and then they were like, "You have to contractually." And then we said, "No we'll quit." And then they said, "Oh seriously?" And we’re like, "No, we’re just screwing with you. Yeah, we'll do it."

Forte: Then they said "We don't want you to do it anymore," and then it was this long wooing-back process.

Sudeikis: And this is four years in the making. I mean, we didn't even have the characters on the show yet. They were just something we used to do while watching "Monday Night Football" at the offices. Ultimately they asked us.

James Franco and Jason Sudeikis in "Saturday Night Live"

Did Peyton Manning embrace the way he went against character in the United Way sketch? And on Will Ferrell, which would you rank higher his Harry Caray imitation or the cheerleader skits?

Sudeikis: I wasn't at the shoot when Peyton did the United Way thing.

Forte: I wasn't either. That was the digital shorts

Sudeikis: Wasn’t it almost like his kind of idea?

Forte: I don't know, I don't remember.

Sudeikis: I don't know either. I know there’s a specific story about that. I would say that he absolutely embraced it otherwise it never would have been filmed. They didn't trick him into doing that.

Forte: He was game for doing anything. He was so much fun to work with.

Sudeikis: Yeah, yeah. And Paul. And then for me, I love Will Ferrell’s Harry Caray. I think they may have missed a real hell of an opportunity that you’re bringing to light here and I like that about you, this is good reporting. They should have done Harry Caray as a cheerleader. And, you know, now that Will’s passed on… Has he passed on? I can't remember.

Forte: He died, yes.

Sudeikis: He did die. Okay, that’s too bad, that’s too bad because that would've been something to see.

Nasim Pedrad, Will Forte and Fred Armisen in "Saturday Night Live"

Who came up with the personas for Twinkle and Stink?

Sudeikis: I think it’s me just doing whatever I would consider a sportscaster to do, a play-by-play guy. And then Will, where did that guy come from?

Forte: You know what I was doing? A much more low-key version of a character. And then right after the dress rehearsal they said oh give it a little more energy and then it was pretty different from what I had been doing all week and …

Sudeikis: I would say so there are moments when we were writing it like when we, especially by the second one, that we did where when everybody — myself or John [Lutz] or John [Solomon] would be doing the impression of you like when writing lines for you he would always have like that kind. He'd always have like kind of that enthusiasm that I think is...

Forte: It wasn't there originally. I feel like your character has always kind of been solid as a rock in that like you kind of have that character from the get-go and we kind of had to settle into mine after awhile. But it was such a delight writing those things because originally Jason was going to write it with John Lutz and they luckily included me and John Solomon because I have so much fun doing it.

Will Forte on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon"

Sudeikis: It was originally supposed to be with Megan Fox. And it was like all based on Megan and Kristen [Wiig] being really meticulous with their pool cues and like setting up for the match and never quite getting anything. It was like a totally different kind of piece and then we just sort of came in and started talking like that and then the Tampax thing got layered in there.

The Tampax thing came as a mistake. We started writing — God, I love this — Les and I wrote the first page and then the computer blanked out. And then I went back in and then as a joke John went to the bathroom and we were all pissed and we had to bring in our IT gal to try to like save the script. I don't know if you even know this, Will. And then I just typed in Tampax Tampa to the Max, you know, ladies tournament, just as a joke to make John laugh because we just knew it was going to ladies billiards. And the whole Tampax thing sort of came about.

Forte: Oh, I didn't know that.

Sudeikis: Isn't that weird? Yeah, I totally forgot about that until right now. Crazy, yeah, it was totally done as a joke to make John laugh ... When you lose a script, you’re just so frigging mad and then you've just go to back in there and just like -spit it out before you forget it all. And I just added that in as a little joke and then we slowly started doing it …

Charles Barkley, Jason Sudeikis and Andy Samberg in "Saturday Night Live"

Have you ever been star-struck by any sports stars you have met?

Forte: I get super-excited meeting celebrities … We just had Sigourney Weaver host. And especially people like that that I kind of grew up watching and in movies. It’s still a big thrill. But I am a huge sports fan and spend a lot of my time away from work watching sports, going to sporting events, stuff like that. So it is a big thrill to see these people who I have so much respect for and to find out that they’re all really fun, super-nice people. It’s very exciting.

Peyton Manning, LeBron James … Just to go like, "I'm meeting a person who will go down as one of the legends of their sport and it’s really exciting." Charles Barkley was so much fun because he was getting into basketball; he’s always been such a fun character. And man, was he fun! Charles Barkley, everyone fell in love with him, he was just such a sweet guy. And everything that comes out of his mouth is so funny; he’s just so naturally funny. I love the guy.

Sudeikis: People won a lot of money off him, too. That’s another reason they like him so much.

Forte: Yeah, OK, you’re right.