Thirty Rockefeller Plaza, the TV Show
30 Rock is long overdue for a thread of its own, and since I haven’t posted anything new yet this month, here you go. Plus the Random Show thread is getting out of hand again, so moving all the related comments will help clean things up a bit.
So all things Liz Lemon, Jack Donaghy, Tracy Jordan, etc. shall go here, with a special emphasis on quotes, clips, and pictures of Tina Fey looking brainy and cute. And if you don’t know who those people are, now’s your chance.
I really do think this is a show for all you who appreciate good writing. In my opinion it’s the best written comedy on right now. So if you’ve never given 30 Rock its fair shot, I suggest you check out the DVDs from the library before the branch near you closes due to massive budget cuts. With some hard work you can be caught up in time for the season 4 premiere this fall.
Anyone been watching Studio 30 (Tina Fey, Tracey Morgan and Alec Baldwin)? We gave it a chance, we wanted to like it, but it was just too poorly written. Baldwin’s character is funny, but not enough to carry the show. Anyway, I think we’re done with it.
Actually, I think the name of the show is 30 Rock.
And clearly it has differentiated itself from “Studio 60 on Sunset Strip”. Which is good, because at least they aren’t doubling up on lame show ideas this season.
Anybody seen the newest previews for CSI: East Lansing or Law & Order: Traffic Enforcement Division?
Saw it for the first time this week. I actually liked it quite a bit. I’ll watch it again…
I also meant to tape Ugly Betty (never seen it) this week — on at same time as Lost, I think — but I forgot. Granted, my main reason was b/c Salma Hayek was on it this past week… Interestingly enough, I noticed on IMDB that she has producing credits on that show (just the one ep?)
Actually, Ugly Betty is on the same time as Earl/Office. It’s worth taping. Or watching and taping Earl/Office. Either way it works well.
I never weighed in on 30 Rock. I am quite enjoyed with it. Nice casting with Parnell as Dr. Spaceman.
I’m with you Scott. I think I said earlier that it was not good. The past 4-5 shows have been very good.
I agree. It’s been pretty solid lately. Consistent.
Did anyone happen to see the 30 Rock Valentine’s Day episode? It was extremely solid. That show really brings out the Alec Baldwin from SNL. I particularly liked Rachel Dratch in that ep: “Happy Valentimes Day!”
A bit from 30 Rock this week…
I looove the 30 Rock episode about product placement. The outtakes from Jack’s video made me laugh out loud. “This pen doesn’t work– is that OK?” “Is it like this [awkward walk] or like this [same awkward walk]?” And the Snapple bottle showing up everywhere was pretty funny too.
Some more 30 Rock magic:
Lemon out.
I can’t read, Liz Lemon!
30 Rock:
(Jenna) “That guy wanted to buy you a drink!”
(Liz) ” Really? I already have a drink… do you think he would buy me mozzarella sticks?”
(Tracy) “You like Phil Collins?”
(Jack) “I’ve got two ears and a heart, don’t I?”
(Frank) “I’d love some ironic accessories” in response to Liz’s boyfriend Dennis coming in to sell beepers
Julie says:
Do you like Phil Collins? I’ve been a big Genesis fan ever since the release of their 1980 album, Duke. Before that, I really didn’t understand any of their work. Too artsy, too intellectual. It was on Duke where Phil Collins’ presence became more apparent. I think Invisible Touch was the group’s undisputed masterpiece. It’s an epic meditation on intangibility. At the same time, it deepens and enriches the meaning of the preceding three albums. Listen to the brilliant ensemble playing of Banks, Collins and Rutherford. You can practically hear every nuance of every instrument. In terms of lyrical craftsmanship, the sheer songwriting, this album hits a new peak of professionalism. Take the lyrics to Land of Confusion. In this song, Phil Collins addresses the problems of abusive political authority. In Too Deep is the most moving pop song of the 1980s, about monogamy and commitment. The song is extremely uplifting. Their lyrics are as positive and affirmative as anything I’ve heard in rock. Phil Collins’ solo career seems to be more commercial and therefore more satisfying, in a narrower way. Especially songs like In the Air Tonight and Against All Odds. But I also think Phil Collins works best within the confines of the group, than as a solo artist, and I stress the word artist. This is Sussudio, a great, great song, a personal favorite.
Geez, talk about thread hijacking…
Yeah, I disagree. I prefer the Peter Gabriel years. Phil was still there for part of it, doing what he does best: drumming. Yes, they put out some great stuff after Gabriel left and Collins took over the vocals, but IMO the earlier stuff was much better overall.
But my fav Collins Genesis song is Mama. The best song on Invisible Touch is Domino.
AHAHAHAHAHA
Oh god, I can’t stop laughing right now. Where is Julie when I need her?
Oh is that all part of the quote?
I wish I’d spent my life memorizing even more TV…
It’s not part of the 30 rock quote, it’s from American Psycho. But to be fair, I do pretty much constantly go on about Genesis. If only I had posted this in a thread where one would expect to find quotes instead of musical analysis.
I was 2 when this album came out.
I jot down good lines from shows on the “stickies” application on my laptop.. time to share:
this batch all from 30 Rock:
“Hey, nerds! Guess who’s got two thumbs, speaks limited French, and hasn’t cried once today? This moi!” (I love this one, I may start saying it every time I enter a room.. brace yourselves.)
“I’m going to go talk to some food about this.”
“never go with a hippie to a second location.”
“I have to do that thing that rich people do where they turn money into more money. Can you teach me how to do that?”
“you know I”ve always reminded myself of grace kelly”
“if reality tv has taught us anything its that you can’t keep people with no shame down”
“hugging is so ethnic”
“i’m in a quandary jack donaghy…. a quandary”
30 Rock. Good times.
All last week I had Tracy Jordon’s “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah” in my head. It’s still lurking so I was pleased to find a full-length version.
Here was a great moment from 30 Rock last week:
It turns out that NBC added a bunch of fake sports (beer pong, jazzercise, women’s soccer) to the Olympics and had Americans win them in order to boost ratings. So when Kenneth finds out that his hero Tyler Brody, tetherball silver medalist, is a fraud, it breaks his heart. He looks at his autograph book and says, “‘Believe in the stars’…it’s like that doesn’t even mean anything anymore.”
30 Rock
Tracy Jordan:
“Stop eatin’ people’s old french fries pigeon, have some self respect! Don’t you know you can fly?”
Speaking of Tracy Morgan, I forget who first showed me this clip/movie but I keep coming back to it. It looks like the movie itself is probably awful but Tracy has some genius material here, namely the very beginning where he pulls a Theo Huxtable with “jammin’ on the one.” I was in the store yesterday by myself and started laughing b/c I was picturing Tracy saying that.
Tracy Morgan in Totally Awesome
There was a detail in this week’s 30 Rock that I appreciated. Well, many details, but I especially liked how Billy Bob Thorton’s character in Sling Blade was referred to as “Sling Blade,” as in Liz and Jenna’s improv scene, “Sling Blade and Oprah on a date.”
Another great 30 Rock this week:
Nice guest spot by Tammi Littlenut http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0857215/
Jenna as Michael McDonald
black, white, and clear truffles
Yes, I agree, it was very good to see Tammi Littlenut. Too bad she couldn’t stick around.
I wouldn’t say this week’s was “great,” but it was good. They need to keep Liz out of a relationship. The dating stuff was just weighing things down. (Except for the toilet part, that was good.) She needs to remain a lovable loser.
Salma is more than welcome on the show, and just on my TV in general. It seems pretty obvious though that they wanted to have her on and wrote around that.
More 30 Rock gold (not to be confused with More ABBA Gold):
“Christmas was always a very busy time at the store. Throw in a late Hanukkah and the fact that I work in a Kwanzaa neighborhood, and it all made for a very stressful day.”
“Christine was late, as well as Harry S. They said it was a problem with the subways, but I suspect they were doing sex with each other.”
(Supposedly) Everything Tracy Jordan said in season 3 of 30 Rock
“They do that a lot in movies! An Affair to Remember. Sleepless in Seattle. And that remake of An Affair to Remember that I was in… A Blaffair to Rememblack.” — Tracy Jordan
Night Cheese
Since the 4th of July is around the corner…
Alec Baldwin eyeing Ohio governorship
I will vote for him regardless of his political affiliation if he closes each campaign commercial with his dramatic turn-around from the 30 Rock intro.
30 Rock has 22 Emmy Nominations
Check out the guest actors and guest actresses.. pretty impressive…
Here’s a fantastic Dr. Spaceman collection. (And here’s a backup from YouTube in case they take this down at some point.)
Some good moments from the premiere last week:
There’s also a nice moment when Liz tells the writers what’s going on and they all start freaking and in the confusion they show Lutz slamming his fists on the table and he says something that I think is meant to be along the lines of “Hulk smash.”
Both Cheesy Blasters and Johnny America are good names.
Another solid episode tonight, I thought…
And I’m sure that the best sandwich at the Fatty Fat Sandwich Ranch is the carp po’boy. Just be sure to take some Peppy Bismilk afterwards and wash it down with a Gatoroon or a Schwupps ginny pale.
I’ve had this quote in my head lately of Salma Hayek talking to Liz:
“Lemon, isn’t there a slanket somewhere you should be filling with your farts?”
I don’t know how she does it but she even manages to make the word “farts” come out kind of sexy. (<– yes, I had to go back and add “the word” to that sentence so it read right)
Earlier I quoted:
Life mimics art (sort of).
What the whaaaaaaat?
This is a nice nerdy sequence.
Liz: Work is awful. Everyone’s snippy and tense.
Jack: Well the lack of sun makes people depressed. It’s called “seasonal affective disorder.”
Liz: Oh, is that where the word “sad” comes from?
Jack: What? You think “sad” is an acronym invented by psychologists?
Liz: I’ve been stuck inside playing online Boggle. It’s messing with my head! STAR. RATS. ARTS. TARS.
Liz: I got rid of all my Colin Firth movies in case they consider them erotica.
Jack: That man can wear a sweater.
Tracy: What is this, Horseville? Because I’m surrounded by naysayers. Wordplay!
What was the context of this quote? I’m shocked that Colin Firth was mentioned on that show, and I’d hardly call his movies erotic, just romantic.
Liz is trying to pretend like there isn’t anything inappropriate in her life because she is being evaluated by an adoption agency so she can adopt a child. The statement was funny because obviously Colin Firth films are not erotica, women (and apparently Jack) just go berserk over him.
It’s probably best not to take anything seriously from such a sarcastically humored show-
Julie, makes much more sense now. The sweater line reminded me of this image.
Here are all the seasons:
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Bill didn’t notice Horatio’s guest role because he’s gotten so skinny
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3865217024/nm0764445