[MADtv] Jill-Michele Melean

[Miss Information]

Full Name: Jill-Michele Meleán [news]
Date of Birth: June 29th, 1979
Place of Birth: Miami, FL
Height / Weight: <unknown> / <unknown>
Seasons on MADtv: 7-8 (2002 - 2003)

Recurring Characters:

• Vicky Chan

Celebrity Impressions:

• Asia Argenta
• Britney Spears
• Drew Barrymore
• Jenna Bush
• Jennifer Lopez
• Kelly Osbourne

Biography:
Jill-Michele Melean was the first Latina "MADtv" cast member. Among all the regular cast members in the show's history (that is, not counting featured players who never achieved full repertory status), her stay was the shortest. Fearing that the series was trying to pigeonhole her as its "token Latina," Jill decided to take the high road by leaving abruptly in the middle of Season Eight, which was her first season as a full-time cast member. Clearly, she felt that she had much more to offer her fans than the stereotypes that "MADtv" was trying to force on her. Since her departure, Jill has focused on her ever-growing standup comedy career and taken numerous supporting roles in television shows. These meager showbiz facts, however, tell only a small part of Jill's story. Who she is and how she arrived where she is now is a fascinating tale in itself.

Jill was born in Miami, FL, and considers herself "Cuban by association." Her father arrived in the United States from Cochabamba, Bolivia. "No, he can't get you cocaine," she jokes, perhaps as a reference to the numerous "MADtv" efforts to stereotype her. Although Jill's mother is of Irish descent, she grew up in Miami. Jill is quick to point out that her mother also has a "Latina attitude" despite her ethnicity. Regardless of her parents' traditional values and the love that Jill has for her family, she sees herself as somewhat of a rebel, at least by her parents' standards. When she was only three years old, Jill told her parents that she would one day be on "Saturday Night Live" and would soon after be hoisting her first Oscar. Well, being on "MADtv" is "pretty close" to the "SNL" declaration, she notes; and to this day, she continues her acting pursuits, hoping to follow through on the second declaration.

Jill's move across the country to Los Angeles, CA, to pursue her dreams of stardom was also not an item on her family's to-do list. In fact, as Jill notes, such a bold career move is rare in a Latin-American home. After high school, Jill left behind Miami and her first real job at Chuck E. Cheese, dreaming of the very showbiz goals that she had held dear throughout her childhood. At first, she tried standup comedy; however, because she was only nineteen when she started, she found it difficult to relate to the audience. As a result, she temporarily put standup aside in order to pursue sketch comedy. After a couple of television guest appearances ("Manhattan, AZ"; "Taina"), "MADtv" showed interest in hiring the rising comedian and actress. Toward the end of the show's seventh season, Jill was added to the cast as a featured player. Although her time on "MADtv" was brief, she did contribute some noteworthy sketches, one of which features her Britney Spears impression: the video parody "I'm Not a Child." As a matter of fact, Jill is a huge Britney fan: "Call me a cheeseball, but I love her music. It makes me happy and want to chew gum." Who knows? If Jill's star continues to rise, then in the interest of being careful about what one wishes for, she may indeed have the golden opportunity to meet Ms. Spears someday.

After leaving "MADtv," Jill decided to give standup another shot. This time, however, she was ready; in fact, she is now a highly sought-after touring comic. Even though her acting career is still relegated primarily to television guest apperances, such relative hard luck seems to be the fate of "MADtv" alumni anyway. For now, Jill is happy with the fame she has achieved and the lessons she has learned during her showbiz journey. One of the most important lessons pertains to the fickle nature of the very business that is now such a huge part of her life: "There are many ups and downs in Hollywood. One minute you don't have a job and the next minute you're on the cover of every magazine shopping for your dream home." The sacrifices that Jill-Michele Melean has made for her dreams may be immense, but it is no equal for her drive to succeed. Here's hoping that numerous opportunities to pursue that Oscar in earnest will open up for her very soon.

Where are they now?
As of February 2008, Jill is currently doing a national stand-up circuit. She has also recently appeared on the FOX show "Til Death" and has just released a stand-up DVD entitled "Guys Have it Easy."

Television - Starring Roles:

• Harmony Street - Carla

Television - Guest Roles:

• 101 Craziest TV Moments (2005) - Herself
• 40 Dumbest Celeb Quotes... Ever (2006) - Herself
• Inside Joke: "Mike and Amy" - Herself - Hostess
• It's So Over: 50 Biggest Celebrity Breakups (2005) - Herself
• Latino Laugh Festival: The Show: "Mike and Amy" - Herself
• Latinos Locos (2003) - Herself
• Manhattan, AZ: <various episodes> - Miss Vega
• Reno 911!: <various episodes> - Margaret the Bus Driver
• Taina: "Star Struck" - Erica
• The Barry Z Show: "The 2006 Tourette Syndrome Celebrity Fundraiser" - Herself
• The Parkers: "The Mack Is Like Wo!" - Jennifer
• Til Death: "The Hockey Lie" - Hockey Girl
• Under the Pink Carpet: "Cowboys, Comics and High-Kickers" - Herself

Film - Starring Roles:

• <none at this time>

Film - Supporting Roles:

• El Viaje: The Journey (2004) - Young Rita
• Hunting of Man (2003) - Ingrid
• King Rikki (2002) - Clara
• Mud Show (2006) - Willie

Other Credits:

• <none at this time>

Fun Facts:

• <none at this time>

Famous Catch-Phrases:

• <none at this time>

Memorable Quotes:

• <none at this time>

Pertinent Links:

• JillyOnline.com [OFFICIAL]

Special Thanks:

• ef_7 - Title Banner
• mizzimad - Biography

Sources:

• Planet MADtv
• IMDb
• Popcrazy
• The Cultural Connect

__________________________________________________

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[Kwaf]

Was born in Miami in 1979.

[ashcan05]

who do people think had the best britney spears impression over the years?

nicole sullivan's was the first so I give her big props, and she was hilarious in politically incorrect, and her lick my baby back behind really put her on the map

nicole parker's was good and she looked physically similar, but I think that Jill's, although she didnt look as close, did have the funnier and overall better impression (and she did it without Mo's help)

nicole sullivan gets my vote overall for basically setting the gold standard by which all other impressions are measured by

[ashcan05]

conspiracy theory #1 - my reason why jill left: some producer asked her to fill in for nicole, since she had just left, in the lida and melina sketches, which play on latina stereotypes. jill refused to play the new lida or whoever they made for her, and that led to her quick dismissal. any thoughts on this?

[ef_7]

Originally posted by ashcan05
conspiracy theory #1 - my reason why jill left: some producer asked her to fill in for nicole, since she had just left, in the lida and melina sketches, which play on latina stereotypes. jill refused to play the new lida or whoever they made for her, and that led to her quick dismissal. any thoughts on this?

Is this a guess? or a fact? 'Cus I'm not so sure the producers would try to replace a recurring character, especially not one of Nicoles. But if it were Lida's sister maybe... I dunno. I know she left cus she didn't want to play stereotypical latinas

[Mad Dog]

Well that could be the reason she left but more or less likely she wanted to do a recurring "smart" latina character and refused to do degrading latin characters and got into a fight over it with the producers and was asked not to come back.

[ashcan05]

its just a guess, but i do think that this is probably where the friction occurred, i cant really see a "smart" recurring character, given that the show is designed to make fun of stereotypes. the only recurring characters that are smart are supporting roles, such as dot's sister karen... oh wait, i guess rusty is considered smart, but that really isnt a positive portrayal of a stereotype (nerd/loser)...

[Dartanian]

I really miss Jill. She was an awesome addition to the cast and I'm glad, for whatever reason, they decided to bring her back, and not Kathryn (Or I'm glad Kathryn decided to leave- or whatever!) Jill reminded me alot of Nicole Sullivan, strangely enough. I wish she had stayed long enough to leave a lasting impression in everyones else's mind, but she definitely did in mine. I've laughed at every sketch I've seen her in and I believe she has a tremendous talent. Whatever she is doing now- I hope she doesn;t regret leaving the show, even though it could have been her stepping stone into a promising future. Plus she was hot.

[Dartanian]

IMDB Biography Information

Mini biography
Jill-Michele Melean was born and raised in Miami, Florida. During her childhood, she often visited Cochabomba, Bolivia, where her father was born. She began her comedienne lifestyle in Miami, and eventually moved to Los Angeles, where she worked on the world famous Laugh Factory and Comedy Store clubs. Jill got her big break in 2002 when her first episode as a featured player on "Mad TV" (1995) aired. Her first skit, a parody on Britney Spears, quickly gained her fans and a contract as a full cast member for the coming year. Although Jill was a part of the cast for the 2002-2003 (8th) season of "Mad TV" (1995) she appeared sparingly throughout the first half of the season, and quickly disappeared as 2003 began. She is currently touring with Luke Torres and Carlos Oscar on the Latinos Locos tour and promoting her latest movie, Hunting of Man (2003), which won the ALMA award.


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IMDb mini-biography by
cali4nia32@attbi.com
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Trivia
Knows martial arts.

Was a paid regular stand-up comic at both The Laugh Factory and The Comedy Store in Los Angeles.

Best known on "Mad TV" (1995) for her dead-pan impressions of Drew Barrymore and Britney Spears.

Was part of the Latinos Locos stand-up tour along with Luke Torres and Carlos Oscar.

Was the first ever Latina cast member on "Mad TV" (1995).

[Scorpiogrrl4405]

Upcoming Jill Michele appearance

The Street King (2002)


TMC Apr 13 12:00am
Movies, 95 Mins.
(Rated R)

An undercover policeman tries to thwart an old friend, now a Los Angeles gang leader. Adult Situations; Language; Nudity; Violence; Strong Sexual Content.

Cast: Jon Seda, Mario Lopez,Jill-Michele Melean , Danielle Camastra, Tonantzin Carmelo , Laura Ceron, Isabella Donato , John Eddins , Christopher Kendra , David Labiosa, Danny Lopes , Ricki Lopez, Irene Olga Lopez, Ana Mercedes, Alex Miranda, Ricardo Molina, Rolando Molina, Patrick Munoz , Yelba Osorio, Manny Perez.
Director(s): James Gavin Bedford.
Producer(s): Alec Costandinos , John D. Vaughan

[Scorpiogrrl4405]

unless you're a jill fan and really want to see her in it regardless of how long she was in it.

[Dartanian]

Interview from December 2000

http://www.popcrazy.com/features/melean.shtml

Jill-Michele Melean is cracking us up this season on MADtv. We got the chance to ask her a few questions, and were surprised to find out she's just as popcrazy as we are!

How long have you been a comedian?

Jill-Michele: Since the day I was born. I had the nurses in stitches! I put on shows for the family in Miami all the time.

When did you get into the business?

Jill-Michele: I started doing stand-up when I was nineteen. It was really hard relating to the audience at such a young age so I got involved in sketch comedy. A few years later I was ready to try stand-up again. Success!

On MADtv, you got to play Britney Spears. Have you ever met Britney, and if not, would you want to?

Jill-Michele: I've never met her but hope to soon. Call me a cheeseball but I love her music. It makes me happy and want to chew gum.

What other pop stars would you like to play?

Jill-Michele: Jennifer Lopez, Gwen Stephanie, Pink, Willa Ford, Alicia Keys, Faith Evans and The Man -- Eminem. That's just to name a few.

You also did a sketch as Drew Barrymore. Which of her movies has had the biggest impact on you?

Jill-Michele: I love that sketch! I think she is the greatest. I have to say her film Firestarter had the biggest impact on my life. Did you see the fury in her eyes? She was unstoppable. She made me feel like I could do anything.

Aside from the ones starring you, what's your favorite MADtv sketch ever?

Jill-Michele: Anything that Deborah Wilson is in. She is an incredible person and talent. I've always watched her and wanted to meet her. My first day she greeted me with open arms and made me feel part of the MADtv family.

What was the best part about being on MADtv?

Jill-Michele: I'm doing what I love and getting paid for it.

5/12/02


Pics of Jill at the www.dailyceleb.com

[ef_7]

Awww Jill likes Debra!!!
She just got bumped to number 5 for me

[Dartanian]

Hey everyone I'm still working on my project "Jilly at 27". I'm proud to announce the actors involved are ...Andrew Walker (Maybe it's Me, Sabrina the teenage Witch), Janice Garcia (co-host of Showtime at the Apollo), Mayte Garcia (Nip-tuck), Sandra Valls (15 min. of Fem) and Marty Belafsky (A Mighty Wind). The 10min film style project should be up for all your viewing on my site in August!


http://www.jillyonline.com/jlive.html

I guess Debra's not involved anymore.

[Dartanian]

Recurring Characters:
Vicky Chan

Celebrity Impression:
Drew Barrymore, Britney Spears, Jenna Bush, Asia Argenta, Kelly Osbourne, Jennifer Lopez

[BlondieFan]

Who's Asia Argenta?

[elscorcho]

Hottest picture EVER!

I just had to share it

it's from her website

[Dartanian]

I still like this one better:



Hottest picture ever!

[Cat_Named_CeCe]

LOL, yeah...gotta love that Britney pic. SO HOT.