I Am A TV Junkie

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Tracy Morgan and a Notch Too Far: Why He's Apologizing For the Wrong Thing

This is not Tracy Morgan speaking with his image consultant. Or is it?

Nah, the pic comes from the movie Cop Out, which isn't such a bad film, btw, considering it got one star. Tracy, Bruce Willis and Seann William Scott directed by Kevin Smith, some solid laughs though possibly not the most solid script in the world. Whatev, that's not why we're here.

(Not why we're here, but here's the movie's trailer, anyway. LINK.)

You all know what Tracy said in Nashville ... blah blah blah stab my gay kid blah blah blah.

I don't for a second think that Tracy Morgan would stab his child with a knife if he were gay. What I think is that Tracy Morgan will say anything during a live show to get a laugh. That's the kind of comic he is.

I obviously wasn't in Nashville to see this show and I haven't found any video or audio, but I've seen Tracy work enough to know what he does on stage and with a crowd. More than some other comics Tracy will wander off from his usual set when something is working, and I'm presuming here that something he said got a response from the crowd that indicated to him that if he escalated the joke he'd get a bigger laugh.

I know Tracy has used that line "if gays can take a dick up their ass, they can take a joke" before, so we know he plays in this area during his act. I would bet that his gay material was doing really well on this particular night in this particular city and he thought he'd take it up a notch.

On this night, he would take it up a notch too far. And for THAT he should be apologizing.

I want Tracy Morgan to apologize for attempting to throw red meat to that crowd and not knowing when to stop. I've seen politicians do this much more judiciously and I haven't even liked it then.

When you say something unsettling like this to a group in that setting, there are two possible outcomes.

1. They go wild in response to the shock value and continue to laugh.
2. They turn against the performer and chaos ensues.

Sounds like a bit of both happened. And someone who is newly out of the closet was so offended that he took to Facebook to complain about it, but first called his mom to come out to her ahead of time (like I said, newly out).

And I'm sure he was offended. I just happen to be offended by something else.

So when Tracy runs to GLAAD to apologize and to Russell Simmons (?!?) to have a public conversation about the affair, I'm kinda just not feeling it.

To be frank, I don't think Tracy Morgan thinks about a lot more than Tracy Morgan. I don't imagine he sits and ponders the political issues of the day or the vast chasm forming between the haves (of which he is one) and the have nots or the travails of people who love each other but are not allowed by law to get married.

He certainly proved he doesn't think about his TV gig on 30 Rock while doing his stand up act during hiatus. He wouldn't be in this jam if he did.

The truth is probably that Tracy Morgan has not been much of a thoughtful person in his adult life. If his actions since the whole blowup result in him being a more thoughtful person? Great.

But I don't need him to apologize to GLAAD or Uncle Rush or Ellen or anyone else for what people think is homophobia. I need him to apologize for being an irresponsible comedian.

UPDATED: The Only Tina Fey Interview You Need, Tonight w/ Craig Ferguson

UPDATE: Watch the interview, it's in two parts: Part One here and Part B here. Thank you, once again, to RSA General Mal who provides the clips and all good things Craig Ferguson-related.

I know, this is a picture of the Olsen twins. Believe it or not, this came up when I searched Google Images for pics of Tina Fey + Bossypants, which is the title of her book (but then you already know that).

I have no idea why this pic showed up, I was looking for images of Tina holding the book. Well, here's the cover of the book, anyway.

I decided Tina would more than likely prefer I posted Mary-Kate and Ashley, though, so I am. As long as I'm posting the cover image, that is.

But about the Olsen twins, since they're here, when did they turn into Sally Kellerman in Back to School? Right?

Anyhow, do something now ... take a disco nap, set your alarm, set your DVR, do something, but make sure you see Craig Ferguson talk to Tina Fey tonight on his show.

If she's lucky, she'll get to do the Secretariat dance. And I'm interested to see what she'll make of Geoff who frankly is an acquired taste.

In your pants.

Of course all the comedy types with a memoir come to Craig since his great success with American On Purpose, which of course is still available at your local bookseller and from Amazon.com in print or for the kindle or even audiobook read by the author.

And here's a link to buy that and then a link to buy Tina's book in all it's various forms. The middle icon in each is the Kindle edition, the final icon for the audiobook.

 

And then after the jump you can watch a 30 Rock video of the cast celebrating their 100th episode and a recent Craig monologue, just because I wanna spread some love.

Craig's on tonight at 12:37 eastern on CBS. They care, you know.

Iraq War Enabler Rice Set for 30 Rock Guest Shot

We of course remember tha Condi Rice has comedy chops from this appearance in front of a Senate sub-committee when she remarked about the size of work husband George Bush's penis.

She'll play herself, who as we know in the 30 Rock world previously dated Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin). Catfight with Elizabeth Banks' Avery character? That would be epic.

No word on whether she'll do a scene where Tracy Jordan gets her pregnant ... just by looking at her.

Video -- What Else Tina Fey Said at the Kennedy Center: Whaddaya Mean What Else?

What I mean is that there was stuff cut, and PBS says it was not a content issue but a time issue.

But, when this is what is edited (.pdf file) ... you gotta wonder (boldface is mine):

I would be a liar and an idiot if I didn’t thank Sarah Palin for helping get me here tonight. My partial resemblance and her crazy voice are the two luckiest things that have ever happened to me. And, you know, politics aside, the success of Sarah Palin and women like her is good for all women – except, of course –– those who will end up, you know, like, paying for their own rape kit ‘n’ stuff.

But for everybody else, it’s a win-win. Unless you’re a gay woman who wants to marry your partner of 20 years – whatever. But for most women, the success of conservative women is good for all of us. Unless you believe in evolution. You know – actually, I take it back. The whole thing’s a disaster.

Watch the whole speech in a clip I've placed after the jump. Hat tip to Towleroad. Also there, Tina answering questions asked of viewers on the PBS site, Twitter and Facebook.

The Twain prize telecast is a favorite of mine. It's like a very upmarket Comedy Central roast only with better people who actually deserve to be feted by their comedy friends (I'm talkin' to you Flavor Flav).

Clips past the jump. Click over, enjoy.

Video -- Not Getting Arrested at the Today Show? Tina Fey (30 Rock Returns Tonight)

They're back tonight. And I have not only Tina Weena on Today with Matt but I have two preview clips after the jump (one with Matt Damon) AND a beautiful 30 Rock Top of the Rock black and white photo gallery with the show's stars taken by NBC's Art Streiber. The first image after the jump of Tina is just fabulous.

The clip is after the jump and this pic of Jack McBrayer below I just loved and had to include. It's also from Streiber.

And btw, these are the people who should have been arrested at the Today show this morning (LINK).

Tina Fey Wins Mark Twain Prize, Ceremony November 9 To Be Recorded for @PBS

Hat tip to Tom O'Neil's Gold Derby blog at the LA Times, which notes that just because some comics have received the prize in twilight of their careers doesn't mean it's a lifetime achievement award.

Tina's 40. Still deserving. And look at it this way ... we give it to her now and she's done, can't get it again, and you know eventually she would, so not a problem.

Gotta wonder what Sarah Palin has to say about this. She'll probably be spouting about how mean-spirited and anti-woman it is just ... about ... now.

Okay, maybe later, I just checked her Twitter feed and apparently she hasn't heard yet. I would tweet this post to her but there are some multisyllabic words here that might confuse her.

I will take this opportunity to post the 30 Rock season finale, click here for that. Features the outstanding talents of one Michael Sheen who is just everywhere these days; on film, on TV ... I expect any day he'll show up at my front door in a package from FedEx.

The money quote from Tina, via AP: "I assume Betty White was disqualified for steroid use."

More from Michael Cavna at his Washington Post blog at this link.

Full Episode Video Bonanza -- Watch Some (Though Not All) #WGA #TV Winners Here!

The Writers Guild of America had their awards show last night. Writers I'm guessing are not telegenic enough or recognizable enough to be on your TV.

(Though I think the writers I know are fine looking people ... right Greenstein?)

Anyhow, here are the winners, and link take you to full episodes or clips from the episodes ...

Drama Series -- Mad Men, AMC (Clip from The Gypsy and The Hobo )

Comedy Series -- 30 Rock, NBC (Episode posted is Klaus and Jenna)

New Series -- Modern Family, ABC (Episode posted is My Funky Valentine )

Episodic Drama -- House, M.D., Fox, Broken Pts. 1 & 2 (a trailer is the best I can do)

Episodic Comedy (TIE) -- 30 Rock, Apollo, Apollo (Clip, Liz's Acting History aka This is Bijou)

Episodic Comedy (TIE) -- Modern Family, Pilot (Clip, Lion King)

Animated -- The Simpsons, Fox, Wedding For Disaster (Clip, Mr. Romance)

Comedy/Variety including talk (TIE) -- Saturday Night Live, NBC (Episode posted is Jon Hamm)

Comedy/Variety including talk (TIE) --The Daily Show, Comedy Central (Episode posted is with guest Brian Williams)

Comedy/Variety Specials -- 2009 Independent Spirit Awards, AMC, IFC

Longform Original Drama -- Georgia O'Keeffe, Lifetime (Canadian trailer)

Longform Adapted Drama -- Taking Chance, HBO (Scene labeled "The Brother")

And there are more, but you're gonna have to find your own clips. More from Hibberd at his THR.com blog at this link.

2 Clips -- The Phenomenal Jan Hooks Tonight on 30 Rock (and a HUGE spoiler for next week)

That's Jan Hooks, far right above, who plays Jenna's mom, Verna tonight on 30 Rock. Catch two previews from tonight's episode by clicking here and here.

I have, however, a huge spoilery photo from the NBC press site from next week's episode. So huge is this spoiler that I can't run the image in the usual way, but it you click right here it will pop up thanks to the Apture.com plug-in.

I know! All in the same room? How could that have possibly happened? And what will Liz do?

(Bloggers, Apture is the shit, get it. Click here.)

Back to Jan, I was a huge fan of the Sweeney Sisters sketches Jan and Nora Dunn used to do on SNL. There was talk for a while back then that they were considering a sitcom spinoff or film for the lounge singers, but sadly it was never to happen.

Check out a sample of the Sweeney Sisters by clicking here. It's not an SNL sketch, as in their infinite wisdom NBC has none of the sketches posted. They did, however, open the 1988 Emmy broadcast on Fox and that's the clip at the link directly above.

BTW, SNL is a fresh one again this week with host and star of Twitter Ashton Kutcher and musial guests Them Crooked Vultures.

Other NBC Comedies Benefit From Pam & Jim's Wedding (but are nicer and kinder and I like them more)

As you may remember, I broke up with The Office this season. Unlike many people who break up with others, I didn't see fit to continue to honor my commitment to attend Pam and Jim's wedding last night, so I just stayed out of the way.

(The picture? I thought you guys might like it. Always thinking of you.)

(I'm sure it wasn't so incredibly cringeworthy as usual -- of maybe not, who can tell -- but I figure you should only show up to the party if you put in the time and I hadn't so I just watched infoMania from current on my DVR during that time).

However, I did catch up with Parks & Recreation and with Community (now at its new 8 pm slot on NBC Thursday) and there were some really funny bits and some lovely moments. I have clips after the jump.

I was reminded of such when I read TV.com's Conor Griff today in a piece titled, "Parks and Recreation: Too Good for Deathwatch" which also mentions our friends at TV By the Numbers today:

It's possible that audiences have dismissed Parks and Recreation after its inconsistent start last season. I was skeptical at first, because it seemed to be an inferior carbon copy of The Office. But I was wrong, and since it returned a month ago, every episode has been great. While P and R does use the same documentary-style format as The Office, and a shared sense of humor, the shows are very different. Amy Poehler's character of Leslie Knope is not a female version of Michael Scott, and the tone of the show, unlike The Office, stays away from "look how stupid these people are."

Instead, the tone is more "look how mean these people are," in the vein of Arrested Development or It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. And that tone is actually better! Last night's episode started with a politician confessing to an affair. "All I can say is, I wasn't just having sex," he says, "I was making love. To a beautiful woman. And her boyfriend. And a third person whose name I never learned. Furthermore, it was wrong for me to say I was building houses for the underprivileged, when I was actually having four-way sex in a cave in Brazil." This incites a contest at the Parks department to see who can dig up the most dirt on a co-worker. It turns ugly quickly and hilariously.

Go there and read the rest, it's a good piece.

And about those ratings, click over to TVByTheNumbers.com for all that statistical goodness.

Community actually gave me an ah-ha moment last night with Abed's explanation why he waited 26 hours for the test he was recruited for by Annie. He makes complete sense to me now.

It was a warm moment in an NBC comedy, which thanks to the events on P&R discussed above by  me and TV.com isn't as rare as it used to be.

I get that it's the comedy meme of the decade, the cringe-inducing thing and all, I just don't love it all that much.

Watch the Abed revelation and the Officer Dave scene from the end of Parks & Rec that matched it in that lovely, gooey warmth (ew, did I say that?) after the jump.

Louis C.K. is a great addition to the show, even if he's only recurring. And the Mark Sanford-inspired Parks & Rec subplot featuring the councilman was genius.

Hey gang, 30 Rock returns in less than a week now. Are you kvelling? Me too.

Tina Fey Is Our Best Diplomat? Yes She Is. Let's Make Her UN Ambassador

Broadcasting & Cable's Melissa Grego spoke to Tina about the Emmy sitch and other NBC related news. Check the amazing diplomatic skills in the following excerpts.

What do you think about The Jay Leno Show on NBC at 10?

My take is I have the fascinating curiosity of a 100% spectator. I'm going to be just really interested to see how the shows work together, that many hours of comedy and talk working together. I'm just curious. I think Jimmy [Fallon]'s doing really well. I'm glad for him.

And then ...

You got a ton of attention at last year's Emmys. Did you feel like you were the star of the show?

Goodness me, no. I felt like there was a vacuum last year. It's very exciting that the show this year will have Neil Patrick Harris as host. Maybe what you were feeling was a problem with that broadcast [featuring the now notorious multi-host format]. It was an embarrassment of riches at that show last year for us, and I don't think we'll ever have a year like that again. But we'll keep showing up as long as they'll have us.

And then ...

What are your thoughts on Ben Silverman, who just stepped down from NBC?

Ben was always very good to us and good to 30 Rock, and anyone who left us on the air is all right by me. We'll miss him, but all seems well with the new guy, too. I spoke to Mr. Gaspin last week and he seems like a good guy—so far. So far. I'm giving him 10…no, I'm kidding.

And then ... you had to click over the jump and see then "and then ..." clip.

3 Clips -- Parks & Recreation and Southland Preview Clips, Southland Star Cudlitz Interview by TVGuide.com

UPDATE: I apparently was misinformed and in turn misinformed all of you. There isn't an Office wraparound for Parks & Recreation tonight, My Name is Earl (a show on the bubble, btw) is airing right now. Sorry, gang.

I gotta say it right away, if you are not watching Southland you are missing the best cop drama I've seen since Hill Street Blues.

It kept me on edge, riveted and other terms like that the whole hour, right up until the grizzled Silver Lake training office played by Michael Cudlitz walks into The Faultline (or a reasonably facsimile, anyway), my favorite leather/levi gay bar in the neighborhood for a post-shift beer.

(Oh, and did you catch the reference to Barnsdall Park in the pilot? That really cracked me up, that place was notorious for years. I thought next time I was in town I would take pics of the huge signs they claim in the pilot script are now there warning about arrests for cruising there. And seriously, my gay brothers ... still cruising in parks? You should be having sex in places with towels and hot water. AND CONDOMS!!!)

Cudlitz was amazing. And very very brave of John Wells, episode scribe Ann Biderman and the crew in the writers' room to make the straight-laced white guy the gay cop.

How's he gonna deal with that beautiful Ben McKenzie riding shotgun with him? Hey, we're not all into the pretty boys, Officer John Cooper might be into bears.

(Me? I'd be distracted. Very distracted.)

Regina King turns in yet another remarkable performance. Her face says so much. Her diligent, world weary detective took us through every thought and every action with her whole being.

In this case the network hype is right, this is don't blink TV. I can't wait to see where this show goes, though I can wait until the daytime hours the day after it airs to watch it. It's so close to home for me ... the neighborhood is my old neighborhood, crimes like these are on our local news each night (if you can bear to watch the local news, it makes one really sad) and you just can't predict what's gonna happen next.

I wanted to write about the show earlier in the week, but I didn't think I could do it justice. I hope I did today.

Plaudits all around to the creative team and the performers.

Tonight on Parks & Recreation, Leslie and her team start to canvas the area about the possibility of their park going forward. Watch the clip to see what happens with one local homeowner and her case of NIMBY-ism.

It's funny because a lot of Americans are assholes. In fact, the woman they approach in the clip after the jump reminds me of a teabagger.

Good timing Messrs. Schur and Daniels. This show is coming at just the right time to comically expose a bunch of this country's hypocrises.

NBC is wrapping Parks & Rec with two eps of The Office again this week, so tune in early and stay there. 

Hey, can someone put Idris Elba in a car and send him to me? Please? Mmmmmm ...

30 Rock is brand new, too. Tonight we get to see what happens when Liz Lemon can't go to work. She's suspended for two weeks and you know that Liz without a show to put on is not a good thing.

Finally, you can watch NBC on a Thursday night again.

Maybe they're on their way back? Check their pilot orders at this Hollywood Reporter page and see what you think the prospects are for next year. Comments? That section is all yours. I'll hop in with a comment too, but you start.

Clip-o-rama after the jump.

30 Rock Video -- Liz Channels Her Inner Steve Jobs, and a Steve Jobs Update

Liz's presentation to consultant Brad (Roger Bart, who I'm over being mad at for being in that horrible torture porn film Hostel 2) looked a lot like the Apple's co-founder's Mac World events.

Clip after the jump, but first some news from CNET's Natalie Weinstein this week about Jobs and his medical leave from Apple:

Steve Jobs may be down, but he is by no means out, according to a report Saturday in The Wall Street Journal.

Apple's CEO has been on medical leave since January, but sources tell the Journal that Jobs is still running key parts of the company from his home.

He was, for example, specifically involved in the user interface for the latest version of the iPhone operating system, continues to review products, and is working on future projects, sources told the newspaper. He has made no public appearances this year.

Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook is running day-to-day operations until Jobs' planned return at the end of June.

Remember the Sandwiches on 30 Rock's Sandwich Day Episode? Want One? Read This!

You remember the whole thing with Liz Lemon and the Teamsters and the sandwiches, right? From the season two finale? Whaddaya mean buy "no?"

What? Not obsessed about food? I am, and so are Caroline and Leslie at DevilAndEgg.com, who, armed with cameras and appetites scoured the city in search of the culinary delight that some though was just a product of Tina Fey's imagination:

If you troll around the interweb, you'll read a lot of people theorizing that it's Defonte's in Red Hook, Brooklyn, which now has a location on Third Avenue in Manhattan. But in a happy and one might say, karmic, coincidence, I happen to have a very good friend who's husband works on the set of 30 Rock. And because we don't want to put the affable husband in the middle of some sort of angry Teamster sandwich, we have agreed to a veil of confidentiality, and my friend will henceforth be known as M and her husband as, The Husband.

Soon after seeing the 30 Rock episode in question, I contacted M and asked her if The Husband knew anything about this sandwich, whether it was in fact something that was shared with the cast and crew, and if so, had he tasted it and its accompanying sauce. At first, The Husband was cagey in response to our requests—a sure sign that we were onto something. But M applied all of her wifely skills of seduction and trickery to get The Husband to spill The Details.

And for the rest of that story, you gotta click over.

First time I've seen this blog, which makes my mouth water. But then, what doesn't?

Thanks to the ladies for sending this my way. Go visit them at the link above, but I warn you, like smoking weed, do not read their blog and then go food shopping, it could be hazardous to your waistline.

Hulu's Two-Minute Replay on the episode after the jump. Ironically, in the replay, not one mention of any sandwich.

30 Rock Video -- Liz Lemon's "Hi, I'm Bijou, Call Me" Gig (the full unexpurgated version)

People might also remember another commercial parody starring Tina from the SNL days. Does the word nerfherder mean anything to you? I would post the clip after the jump, but their embed code scares me (looks sketchy, might be a browser hijack or something malicious), so you can click over there to watch it at your leisure, at this link.

For those of you who haven't seen it it includes Paris Hilton as Tom Baker's Doctor (see photo).

That may either amuse you or sicken you.

If it sickens you, I can do nothing but suggest you swallow that in favor of Tina, Rachel Dratch and Amy Poehler. 

I'm kind of surprised that no one has bought the domain name 1-900OKFACE.com yet.

At least they haven't so far. 

Hey, speaking of Amy, did you read the article in the NY Times on Parks & Recreation? It's at this link. Show starts a week from Thursday, NBC giving it a big launch with a wraparound of two new episodes of The Office.

Speaking of Paris, she was in a barfight yesterday. Seriously. (SOURCE)

Speaking of Rachel Dratch, she has a movie with Amy and Parker Posey coming out, but alas it's straight to DVD ... The Smoking Gun has a mugshot of the real-life Debbie Downer (or a reasonable facsimile, anyway).

And I got nothing else. Click over the jump for the clip.

Video -- More Jon Hamm on 30 Rock Tonight, Watch Liz Sour on Him in Front of Your Very Eyes

Oh Liz Lemon, you kill me. You want the gorgeous guy with the total package but when push comes to shove you find any way possible to ruin it.

You remind me of ... me.

Sadly enough.

Tonight, Liz realizes that Dr. Drew (not that Dr. Drew, the one Hamm plays on the show) seems to get along better in life because of how stunning he is. And he is stunning.

I betcha it's what breaks them up. Liz is gonna get all righteous and indignant and then say something really ... wrong.

Because I know Liz Lemon like I know myself.

After the jump, two clips, but no Liz (sorry, there isn't a preview clip this week). I have Kenneth the Page's latest webisode and then Jack McBrayer on the Today show this AM with Meredith Viera.

Jimmy Fallon Video -- Piyush "Bobby" Jindal, the Republican Frontrunner (for about five seconds, "death" by pop culture)

Not actual death. I'm just saying his time came, and then it went. And it was fast.

Faster than you can say viral video. This is from a Late Night with Jimmy Fallon test show from last night with 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer, his voice double.

LINK

Start your late night career with a viral video clip watched by many? Fallon show, you just might get on my DVR series manager after all.

Per Gawker, And To Salute Piyush "Bobby" Jindal's Response to Obama Last Night ...

... I have the latest Kenneth the Web Page clip from NBC and 30 Rock.

Click over to this Gawker post for more on the opposition response to the President's speech and the remarkable comparison.

But watch this below first. You need some reference material.

Piyush? That's his real name. Hey, I had to listen to Barack Hussein Obama from the other side for two years, I'm calling this guy Piyush Jindal.

LINK

Tina Fey's Not on Twitter & McFlurry was Not Product Placement, She Tells New York Magazine

But if I get all horny over a McFlurry ad when I'm watching cartoons on Saturday morning I can still blame 30 Rock, right?

NYMag.com:

(W)hile we strongly believe that the conversation on this subject has only just begun, we now turn the floor over to Tina Fey, who just sent Vulture this statement (by way of an NBC spokesperson):

"It gives me great pleasure to inform you that the references to McDonald's in last night's episode of 30 Rock were in no way product placement. (Nor were they an attempt at product placement that fell through.) We received no money from the McDonald's Corporation. We were actually a little worried they might sue us. That's just the kind of revenue-generating masterminds we are."

Also, Tina doesn't have a Twitter account. She says so herself. "Also, whoever is writing my Twitter account is pretty funny, but it's not me."

So if you're obsessively following that? You could stop now. But whoever is writing it? You got some serious props from the funniest woman on TV (except for maybe Catherine Tate).

Okay, funniest woman on American television.

Hey Billy Bush, Whaddaya Doin' Down There?

Hey buddy, whatcha doin'?

Something down there you like?

After the jump, Judah Friedlander from 30 Rock riffs on Billy's foot, ankle, shoe, toenail polish and calf fetish for VH1's Best Day Ever this past Wednesday.

30 Rock Valentine Video -- Worst First Date EVAH! But Jon Hamm? Mmmmm!

Just call him Jon Hammmmmmmmmmmm!

But you gotta know that Liz is gonna screw this up. And, she is currently one of only two humans beings on the planet that knows her new fella's sister is really his Mom.

And I think the baking pediatrician Dr. Drew will handle the news poorly. Well, wouldn't you?

Poor Liz.She just sucks at this. I so empathize.

I love those glasses he's wearing. Very David Tennant.

Also, in the latest Ask Tina clip, she's right about this donut she's talking about, it's remarkably good. I know my donuts.

I would have posted after the jump as well, but some brainiac at NBC put link code where the embed code is supposed to be, and then went home for the weekend.

D'oh!

BTW, while I'm posting a Hulu clip after the jump, congrats to my email pal Jason Kilar the head honcho at Hulu, who showed up in my mailbox on the cover of Fast Company (see image above left). Hulu is the third ranked company in the Fast 50 for 2009.

Click here and you'll go right to the Hulu feature there.

It's a great service, I used it all the time.

Audio Clip -- Scandal Hits Sheinhardt Wig/NBC/GE Show TGS Star Jordan With Tirade

Listen to it right now, here. Shocking, scandalous, expletive laden.

LINK

30 Rock Preview Clip -- Jon Hamm (Choirs Sing to His Beauty) & Jack's Doppelganger Stars In a Telenovela

It's mere moments of Jon Hamm, but even a moment is worth a look, right?

More later, I'm about to head out for a while but I wanted you to see this.

LINK

Confirmed: Jon Hamm's 30 Rock Appearances Start February 5

And, writing about Jon Hamm provides excuse for posting pics of Jon Hamm.

Mmmmmm.

Okay, snap out of it. Mo Ryan at the Chicago Tribune has confirmed with NBC that Hamm's arc on the Emmy-winning comedy will start Feb. 5. He'll play a doctor (pediatrician?) on the show, living in Liz's building and he'll look like Jon Hamm, which is great for Liz, huh?

Hamm shot two eps in the Fall and is coming back this month for another.

I know this is very shallow, but I wonder what they'll do with his hair on the show. I like the non-Don hair.

Hamm as James Mason from his SNL appearance after the jump.

Kenneth the Page 30 Rock Webisode -- Getting Ready for the Tracy Jordan Roast

Kinda hard to explain, just watch the clip.

30 Rock is all new this week, as I've told you previously, and features the beginning of the Salma Hayek arc as Jack's mom's nurse.

And here's Kenneth.

LINK

30 Rock Video -- First Look at Salma Hayek, Tracy's Moneyshirt and Goldkicks, Jenna's Joplin

How interesting is it that Salma's Ugly Betty runs on ABC Thursdays at 8 and starting this Thursday she'll also appear in 30 Rock on a competing network on the same night for an extended arc as Colleen Donaghy's nurse?

Seriously, how interesting is that? I haven't decided. Help me decide.

Peter Dinklage also appears in the new episode Jan. 8 and The View's Sherri Shepherd recurs as Tracy's wife.

AP via Yahoo!s OMG blog:

Tina Fey is the entertainer of the year? You betcha. Fey was voted The Associated Press' Entertainer of the Year, an annual honor chosen by newspaper editors and broadcast producers across the country.

Fey was selected by AP members as the performer who had the greatest impact on culture and entertainment in 2008.

The 38-year-old comedian bested runner-up Robert Downey Jr., whose comeback was capped with the blockbuster smash "Iron Man," and the third-place vote-getter, Heath Ledger, who posthumously wowed audiences as the Joker in "The Dark Knight."

Yes, Tina is wonderful and very funny. Why don't more people watch 30 Rock? I have a feeling we're finding out slowly but surely that people are getting too stupid to GET comedy.

Yes, I really believe that. But, now that people will have more time because they are either ...

1. Unemployed
2. Underemployed, or
3. Too Broke to Do Stuff

... they will return to things like reading and thinking and they will learn once again how to follow a joke and find the funny.

At least that's my wish for them.

Clip? After the jump, of course.

Video -- As Close To a Tina Fey Christmas Special as You'll Get (this year)

But we can be hopeful for next Christmas, can't we? Maybe something live from Philly with musical guests Hall and Oates and special guest Kelly Ripa, all Philly-area locals.

Seth Green and Kat Dennings could do sketches with Tina about stuff like the King of Prussia mall, followed by Will Smith hooking everyone up to an e-meter and auditing everyone.

Okay, the Will Smith part was a downer, but the rest sounds pretty choice.

And, some guy (maybe Tom Bosley) playing Benjamin Franklin in a sketch about the Liberty Bell.

LINK

Around the Horn Video Edition -- A Holiday Trip to See Our Web Friends

Here's a little Christmas season voyage around the web to send our regards to our pals out there.

First up is Lyle Masaki who blog at AfterElton.com and also at his personal blog Crocodile Caucus. At the latter today, he delights in Tina Fey's bold entrance into the zeitgeist with a Sesame Street character very appropriately named Liz Lemon (and there's a shoutout to Rockville Centre, NY, childhood home of Dave Attell and Ted Demme and the former home of a great Swenson's Ice Cream location when I was a kid).

But I'm gonna make you click over there for it. That link above will open in a new window.

Next up is Brent McKee who writes the blog I Am A Child of Television, and he's writing about a show that if you only read this blog you probably wouldn't know it existed, Eleventh Hour on CBS.

He writes in a post called The Doctor and His Companion (no, not that Doctor and companion, but keep reading for something on them, too):

Key to this series is the relationship between Jacob Hood and Rachel Young. It has to be since they are the only two characters who are constants in the series. When I titled this post The Doctor And His Companion and then added "No, not that one..." the reference was quite deliberately to Doctor Who. One of my brother's girlfriends – it may even have been my ex-sister-in-law – once asked me what the purpose of the Doctor's companions was. My response was that their purpose was to be threatened by the menace of the serial, and to allow the Doctor to explain things to someone which brings the audience up to speed on the situation. Like Dr. Watson in the Sherlock Holmes stories, the Doctor's companions are a surrogate for the audience. In some cases Doctor Who companions also had a third role. Sometimes a companion would do physical things. That was particularly true during William Hartnell's period in the role and to a lesser extent in Patrick Troughton's. Hartnell was playing a version of the Doctor who was elderly (and his own health wasn't particularly robust), so the physical action was usually taken on by a younger male companion (Ian, Steven, Ben). I bring this up because Rachel's relationship with Hood fulfills two of these three "purposes;" she is our surrogate, the individual of essentially average knowledge that Hood has to explain the science to in a manner that we can understand, and she is the one who does things that her "Doctor" can't do – everything from chasing down a suspect to getting subpoenas, to invoking the Patriot Act to get information.

It's a long post, this is just part of it, so click over for more. Maybe I try getting into this show again? Maybe you do? I was gonna try to post an entire episode of the show after the jump, but CBS has pulled down all their full eps for some reason right now, so I only have a clip and it's after the jump.

Finally, something about the Doctor and companion you know, the one is the blue police phone box. The Who-Philes has a clip today that I'm posting after the jump, but there's also this:

Yep, today being December 1st (or 1 December as some of you people who drive on the wrong side of the road put it :op) and that means the official countdown has started for the Doctor Who Christmas Special, The Next Doctor. Over at the official Doctor Who website they have started their annual Advent Calendar. The first one is a video of David Tennant sharing his Christmas wishes. However the grinches over at the Beeb have decided to Scrooge the rest of us Who fans by not allowing anyone outside the UK to watch the video (and thus insuring it will be pirated to Youtube not too long from now).

So instead of a clip from the Advent calendar that you can't see, there's something you can see, and it's after the jump, a lovely Christmas season montage suitable for watching and rewatching as we wait to see this year's The Next Doctor.

I believe that it uses the Manheim Steamroller track Carol of the Bells, and it fits well.

And that's after the jump also.

We'll all take a trip tomorrow as well, okay?

Well, nothing that entails sugarcubes and lysergic acid.

Unless you're holding.

30 Rock Video -- Tracy Jordan: "Time is Neither an Event Nor a Thing!"

All of life's questions can be answered, you just gotta know where to send the questions. For instance, ask a fictional TV character something and you're bound to get answers that are appropriate given the source.

Like, for example ... How high is the sky? You see my answer would be, "So high it thinks it can fly, dude!"

So, after the jump, ask your questions of TV's Tracy Morgan playing TV's Tracy Jordan, and you might just get exactly what you're supposed to get.

And how often can you say that in the world these days.

And watch as all new 30 Rock this Thursday at 9:30 on NBC.

Around the Horn -- Off-Season Mad Men Stuff From NYC and Beyond

So, did you click on this link somewhere on the web today and do a double take? That pic of Don Draper and Liz Lemon (Liz Lemon? Yes, Liz Lemon!) is just an illustration, but they do have details in that Vanity Fair story we discussed yesterday on Tina Fey about what Jon Hamm will be doing on 30 Rock in the near future.

(Notice my discipline in not glomming that image from them and posting it here. I'm a responsible blogger, well, I am right now, anyway. Catch me on a day there's a copyright protected clip of Katie Couric mounting an antelope to really test my mettle.)

They say:

When Fey and her clever band of writers conjure up Liz Lemon, her 21st-century Mary Tyler Moore New York career girl, they put in a lot of Rhoda-like neuroses and insecurity about looks and food jokes and epically bad dates—though this season she’s upgraded to Mad Men’s sexy Jon Hamm, who plays a pediatrician who impresses Lemon with his love of pie-making documentaries and ice-cream makers.

Pie making isn't doing really well on TV these days, though. But ice cream is always a crowd favorite.

Next up, we go to the source, Basket of Kisses, the Lipp sisters' blog about the show, where they get actual interviews with people on the show. I would do that, but you actually have to talk to people to interview them, and I'd rather just look at 'em on the teevee.

Roberta has her interview with Elisabeth Moss up (after days of transcription, you should thank her) and she includes this tasty nugget, details on how she ended up on that Mad Men sketch on Saturday Night Live:

So I got a text from her saying Amy just went into labor, can you come tonight, and I called her and I said absolutely. I went over in between my performances, and rehearsed a couple of times. They wrote a new joke for me because now it was like a guest appearing. So Seth Meyers wrote me a great joke. It was crazy. I wasn’t even nervous because I was like in shock. And then the great thing was that, during rehearsal, the SNL cast members kept looking around and being like, This is so cool, it’s like stepping into your favorite tv show. Because they’ve got the set and there are both of the Johns [Hamm and Slattery] and I was there. And I would just look back and be like, Are you kidding me? I’m on SNL! What are you talking about?!

So cool! Go now to Basket of Kisses and read the whole thing. Not just the whole interview, the whole blog, everything Deb and Roberta have written. NOW!!!

Are you back? You read fast! Finally, Adam Sternbergh at New York Magazine is having withdrawal symptoms:

I’m suffering from Quality Show Fatigue.

It’s not Mad Men’s fault. I recognize that it earned a Sopranosesque sixteen Emmy nominations this year. I accept that everyone around me, like brain-hungry zombies, now seems to have only three objectives in life: (1) eat; (2) watch Mad Men; (3) persuade me to watch Mad Men. I’m also aware that, while it feels like about 2 million people have tried to convert me to this show, there are, ironically, only about 2 million people watching the show each week—or roughly 11 million fewer people than watch House, a show that no one has ever tried to force me to embrace.

Yet this relentless Mad Men campaign has done little to sway me. If anything, it’s the reason I’ve held out for so long. Because I can’t help wondering: As viewers, we’re more atomized than ever, with more options, more channels, and less inclination to hunker down en masse. For a lot of us, our TV-watching habits don’t even involve actual TVs. So why do we still feel this manic need to all coalesce around a single show?

Why Adam? I'll tell you why, but I'll have to tell you after the clip which is after the jump. The clip? Just for fun (and because Elisabeth mentioned it) I have the SNL Mad Men sketch posted from Hulu.

Video -- Tina Fey's Husband Jeff Richmond Talks About Her Scar to Vanity Fair

First time I've ever heard the story. Doesn't really matter much, but you'll find the story horrifying for young Tina, who was five years old and playing in her front yard when a stranger just slashed her face.

I'm absolutely filled with rage about this. And I realize it was a long time ago and I don't know Tina Fey but I'm still just fuming.

How could anyone do that to a child? A child you don't know! Not that that's better than a child that you DO know ... I'm just in fits over this.

I'm trying to convince myself that maybe without this happening in her life Tina Fey wouldn't have been the woman she is today. I'm sure that's true, in fact. But I just wanna hold little five-year-old Tina in my arms.

And then I wanna find that guy and ... bring him to justice? No. Worse. And I know that's bad and wrong and all that but that's how I feel about such things.

Crimes against children really upset me.

Picture to the right is Tina, Jeff and their daughter Alice with Snow White at Disney World.

The story in the January issue is at this link and written by Maureen Dowd, the NY Times op-ed columnist.

Headline-centric excerpt:

“That scar was fascinating to me,” Richmond recalls. “This is somebody who, no matter what it was, has gone through something. And I think it really informs the way she thinks about her life. When you have that kind of thing happen to you, that makes you scared of certain things, that makes you frightened of different things, your comedy comes out in a different kind of way, and it also makes you feel for people.”

I wonder how the scar affected Fey in high school. “She wasn’t Rocky Dennis developing a sense of humor because of her looks, like in Mask,” says Damian Holbrook, laughing. Liz Lemon’s blustery Republican boss, Jack Donaghy, played with comic genius by Alec Baldwin, tells Lemon, “I don’t know what happened in your life that caused you to develop a sense of humor as a coping mechanism. Maybe it was some sort of brace or corrective boot you wore during childhood, but in any case I’m glad you’re on my team.”

On the lighter side, there's some great video at the Vanity Fair site of the photo shoot that resulted in all the pics including the cover shot above, and it's after the jump.

30 Rock Webisode -- Kenneth the Page Plays Hide-N-Seek With Tiki Barber's Niece

I guess time does fly when you sit quietly in the same position for hours.

Tiki's niece punks Kenneth.

LINK

Full Episode Video -- 30 Rock Season Low Actually Beats CSI in 18-34 Demo With Aniston Appearance

TV By the Numbers' Robert Seidman:

The Office and 30 Rock hit season lows, but to in fairness, 30 Rock is performing much better than anyone (including NBC) could’ve hoped for, and The Office is hurt by two things: massive DVR viewing, and having Kath & Kim as its lead in.

Hey, I can't give you all good news. Though I don't quite understand the deal with this episode not rating as high as Oprah. Oprah casting is a big stunt, Aniston casting is a bigger stunt and she can and is willing to do more. Why wouldn't more people watch last night's episode?

30 rock scored a 7.51 with a 3.6/8 in the 18-49 and a 3.8/10 in the 18-34, beating CSI in that final demo by half a rating point.

To compare, the Oprah episode rated a 8.0 with a 3.9/9 and a 4.6/12.

Well, you can still watch it, you know, and in fact you can do that right here, after the jump. It was a riot.

And, how 'bout that Night Court reunion? Markie Post looks great!

Video -- Every Jennifer Aniston 30 Rock Clip (Four of 'em) I Can Get My Hands On!!!

But I have to put them all after the jump, because otherwise they really slow down the load time on my homepage.

So, I'm trying to come up with something pithy to say that will take up enough space (with what I'm sure will be a fab pic of Jen) so that it doesn't look so pitifully short before you have to click over.

How 'bout this, I'll search around the web for some appropriate remarks on this episode?

30 Rock, Thursdays at 9:30 on NBC. You'd better watch, I'll be checking up on you.

Video -- Just Released! Oprah on 30 Rock

I just happened to cruise over to the 30 Rock website (which you should do, I dunno ... daily?) and there it was.

LINK

Thursday at 9:30. I must insist that you watch.

30 Rock Video -- He Is Kenneth Ellen Parcell and He Approves This Message

Ellen? Yes, Ellen, it's a family name.

What really surprises me in the clip here is that Kenneth gets such great play in the press.

Even Matthews, Olbermann and Maddow are ... well, you'll see.

LINK

Ausiello at EW: Jon Hamm Circling 30 Rock Multi-Ep Guest Shot

Which would just be so very very cool. And why shouldn't Liz Lemon get a love interest as hot as Jon Hamm?

Ausiello Files, EW:

Sources confirm to me exclusively that Mad Men star Jon Hamm is in advanced talks to do a multi-episode arc on 30 Rock.

Cross your legs -- there's more!

I'm told Hamm, who presumably got bit by the 30 Rock bug last week while hosting Saturday Night Live, would be playing a potential love interest for Tina Fey. Word is he's Liz's neighbor.

Cross my legs? Isn't Hamm a leg-opener?

I'm on this like Stewie Griffin on a plan for world domination. More as it develops.

Tina Fey Talks to Conan About the Bristol Palin Babysitting Offer, 30 Rock, Aniston, Oprah, More

But most of all, you gotta watch this because Tina's daughter still can't tell the difference between Mommy and Hockey Mommy. Watch Tina talk about the VP nominee offering up her daughter Bristol to babysit Alice.

30 Rock premieres tomorrow night at 9:30. You can watch it right now on this blog at this link, you can click over to NBC.com or Hulu to watch it as well. You can catch up with last season's finale as well.

Anything that you would like to do short of being on the show is available for you online or in front of your TV. No, I can't send Tina Fey to your house. I've actually already asked people to send her to me and they say her schedule precludes such things.

Damn.

Tina's busy after all. Although it seems her VP candidate imitating days are just about over, she is also the Six Million Dollar Man Author, having signed with Little, Brown to publish a book of comic essays.

Tina's appearance in two clips after the jump.

UPDATED: Watch it Now!!! Right Here!!! 30 Rock Online Premiere!!!

UPDATE: Outstanding return. Worth the wait. Will Arnett is a riot, again. You gotta see it! I'll post more fully later in the week.

And I'll watch it while you do. If you click over to Hulu, instead of watching it here, you can see it full screen.

LINK

SNL Sarah Palin Stunt This Weekend Will Do Wonders For 30 Rock Promo

This is the only time ever that you will hear me say, "Thanks, Sarah Palin!"

You will see a gazillion 30 Rock promos this weekend as Palin makes an appearance, certainly with Tina Fey in tow, Saturday on the show hosted by W star Josh Brolin.

Of course, 30 Rock returns a week from this Thursday on October 30, but you can catch a sneak preview of the season premiere of the show with guests this fall including Jennifer Aniston, Oprah Winfrey, Megan Mullally and Steve Martin.

NY Mag Blog Headline: "So Why Isn’t ‘30 Rock’ Back Yet?"

Because that tower in Universal City is inhabited by idiots.

Their entire schedule should have been ready to go right after the Olympics. There is no excuse for all the Fall shows promo to go to waste by waiting 45 days (approximately) for the new shows to air.

NY Mag's Vulture blog (Lane Brown):

"If we knew then what we know today about how hot Tina was going to be, would we do it differently? Maybe," says NBC wunderkind Ben Silverman. Even though the network has several episodes of Rock already completed and could easily have run one last Thursday instead of the series premiere of Kath & Kim, Silverman says that would've undone NBC's original strategy, which was apparently to wait until the impending Fey backlash reduces her profile to pre-Palin levels and America forgets all about the Emmys 30 Rock won last month.

Case in point, most of the reviews for My Own Worst Enemy pilot were good, but all the promo happened during the Olympics and by now TV fans have forgotten that there might be a show that they would like more than CSI: Miami (or at least the final season of Boston Legal).

TV By the Numbers:

Both Heroes and Chuck were up slightly versus last week’s fast affiliate numbers but that’s probably little consolation for NBC, especially with My Own Worst Enemy debuting to a last place (in terms of viewers) 7.3 million at 10pm. Enemy came in second among 18-49 year olds.

Note: Worst Enemy is still on my DVR waiting to be watched. I'll have my take on the show in the next couple of day.

Ben Silverman, following in the footsteps of Jeff Zucker, mucking up the works and sucking at his job since 2007.

First Look Video -- Set a Spring Date With Edie Falco as Nurse Jackie on Showtime

I was at Showtime's clip page and noticed they had posted this and wanted to get it to you ASAP.

Nurse Jackie is Edie's return to pay cable, where you can tell these kinds of stories warts and all and not worry about the problems of advertisers, the Parents Television Council (as you know not good friends of mine), network too-many-cooks situations and the like.

Jackie is a nurse in a NYC hospital. The question all the promo materials ask is this: Is she saint or sinner.

You'll see from the clip after the jump that they never really let you know.

Things I do know? It's a half hour, shot on location, and will show up sometime in the Spring. Also, Eve Best, who won an Olivier in the UK for her Hedda Gabler is aboard as well, so they are taking the casting here very seriously.

Of course, we most recently saw Edie on TV in those great 30 Rock guest appearances as Cici, Jack Donaghy's secret Democratic Congresswoman girlfriend (image left).

Clip after the jump. If anyone knows more, use the comments and tell me.

Two 30 Rock Clips, Deleted Scene From S2 and Preview of S3 (Which Premieres Online on 10/23)

You know, that show that Tina Fey does in between her Sarah Palin impersonations.

First of all, you need to know that the season premiere of the show will preview online starting October 23 (a little bit of an early B-day present for you pal Joe, apparently).

And today, you can run like the dickens (a phrase I've never seen in print before this moment) and pick up your Season Two DVD box set ($26.99 from Amazon) with deleted scenes like the one after the jump where Jack goes to interview for a job with a small start up (or is it a hippie commune in Brooklyn?).

Another deleted scene on YouTube right now for your viewing features Kenneth and Jenna.

Of course, you might have heard in the last few days about Tina's book deal as well. Ms. Fey will get eight figures (that's millions of dollars, split between her and her agents, managers, attorneys, and gray market Mallomars dealer) to write a book about ... about what, exactly?

NY Times:

Her impressions of Ms. Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, on “SNL” have helped drive ratings for that show’s first four episodes up 49 percent this season compared to those for last year, and in September Ms. Fey won an Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her work in “30 Rock.” Representatives for Ms. Fey and Little, Brown would not say what the book is about, when it will be published or how much it sold for; they said the deal included a gift to the nonprofit group Books for Kids to build school libraries in the New York area.

The show's other performance Emmy winner, Alec Baldwin, has a book out on divorce and fathers called A Promise to Ourselves which is already on stands.

Clips after the jump.

Video -- Tina Fey's Daughter Saw Sarah Palin on TV and Thought It Was Her

That's a riot, unless you're Tina Fey. She wasn't so thrilled.

And there's more, from winner Paul Giamatti (for HBO's John Adams), the cast of Mad Men, Bryan Cranston and Glenn Close for Damages.

LINK

Tina's Writing Win for 30 Rock -- Write Hulu and Makes Them Post the Ep Online!

I have  a three-minute replay, but not the episode. But you can help me get the whole episode posted up at Hulu by sending email to ...

... content@hulu.com.

Make sure you mention the episode title, Cooter, season two, episode 15, and the original air date was May 8, 2008.

Because I really wanna see the ep again before the Fall premiere.

LINK

Aussie News Report -- Aniston Plays Stalker Role, Oprah Also Shoots Guest Spot on 30 Rock & the Alec Baldwin Rant

From the Daily Telegraph:

Oprah will play herself and Jennifer Aniston will play a stalker on 30 Rock, the show Alec Baldwin refers to as the "red-headed step-child that NBC's network scumbags haven't done a f****** thing to help''.

Imagine Baldwin's rant if he found out that Seven throws away his show down under at 11.30pm on Mondays (tomorrow it's MILF Island, 30 Rock's send-up of Survivor-type reality shows).

Yes, Alec said that. I would hope that if I was in his position that I would be able to just sit back and enjoy the work as it comes, but I have a big mouth, too, and I think I might do the same.

And I've been complaining about the treatment the show gets from the network since it debuted.

Yet, I do realize that if you're gonna play with corporate America, you gotta suck some of that stuff up.

Note to Australians, there is a We Wanna See MILF Island page at Facebook, and it's at this link.

BTW, Oprah will play herself.

Aniston as a stalker? Who is she stalking? Can I dream and believe very quietly to myself that she's stalking either Liz Lemon or Kenneth? 'Cause they would be the two best ideas, I think.

Actually, Jen stalking Tracy, maybe as one of those music video girls, would be a kick, too. See her all painted up and pushed up and wacky? That's something we don't see from our girl Jen too often.

Jennifer Aniston Currently Shooting 30 Rock Ep in NYC

Anyone with details, please let me know what they have Jen doing, I'm half hoping she's playing herself and half hoping she's playing Angelina (or a doppelganger, anyway) though I think she's too classy for that.

If I could choose the character, I would be playing a woman with an outsized sense of herself that buys entire nations so that she can push out babies in private and then sell the pics for big money (no whammies) to fund the charitable endeavors that cover up the fact that she has an outsized sense of herself.

And her importance.

And her celebrity.

You know, like that chick who married Brad Pitt just so that she had someone pretty to look at carrying around her kids and her luggage.

Beside Amy Poehler Series, Silverman Says There Will Be An Office Spinoff

Josef Adalian at TV Week:

While "The Office's' producers, Greg Daniels and Mike Schur, are now focusing their energies on creating a new show for "Saturday Night Live" star Amy Poehler, the spinoff is also on tap, Mr. Silverman said.

Without providing a timetable, he said, "We're also going to be pursuing an 'Office' spinoff."
Mr. Silverman said the producers' first priority is the Poehler show.

"For the moment, Greg and Mike are focused on this show, which is more in the kind of style of 'The Office,' but it's not like the Jeffersons appeared in 'All in the Family,'" he said.

This leaves that post-Super Bowl slot that either a Poehler show or the Office spinoff was going to fill. I guess there needs to be another plan in place now.

How about a very special 30 Rock?

How about a very special 30 Rock where Liz is put in charge of the Super Bowl halftime show and, ahem, complications ensue?

In other NBC comedy series news, I noticed right after asking aloud if Kath & Kim was in trouble that the network started running promos for the show.

They certainly don't look the same as their Australian counterparts, but there wasn't a chance that they could get Selma Blair to look fat. But honestly, even the house and the furnishing look a little better than they should.

Whatev. We'll see. Also today, reports from NBC that they will flip the timeslots of K&K and 30 Rock once again. Can they not make up their minds?

THR:

NBC originally scheduled "Kath" on Tuesday night back in April. In May, the network moved it to the post-"The Office" Thursday 9:30 p.m. slot.

"Kath," whose original order was recently upped from six to 13 episode, has been deemed more compatible with "Earl," which led to the switch to 8:30 p.m.

Based on an Australian format, "Kath" stars Molly Shannon and Selma Blair as brassy mother and daughter who prefer the finer things in life like acrylic nails, big hair and faux diamond chips.

The only thing that happens because of this change is that all those TV parent watchdog groups that are fronts for churches will be screaming about how 30 Rock isn't a family hour show, they're already complaining about how the MILF Island episode ran before 9.

Not that I care what any of those people say, because I'm just so frickin' sick and tired of people telling me what I should see, what I shouldn't, what I should do, where I should put my ...

... Well, we don't have to get into all of it now.

TV Critics Award Mad Men, 30 Rock, John Adams, The Wire

You may have seen a little feature in New York Magazine called The Backlash Report. On a sine curve, they plot those things that are getting huge press, those things that have gotten huge press and those things straining under the weight of, yes, their huge press.

And Mad Men is sitting right on the downward slope labeled "overhyped."

But you really can't blame AMC, they do have in their hands the most critically praised drama of the season. And last year, you people (that's right, you people) didn't come out in enough numbers so what's a cable network to do?

Honestly, I still don't think the hype is too much. The show is remarkably good on every level. And now, in addition to its Golden Globe awards (plural) and Emmy nominations (16), it has three Television Critics' Association awards, for best drama, best new show and best show, period.

And my dad gives Christine Hendricks, above, the award for looking most like the women of his glory years. (No statue for that award, strangely enough.

Tina and 30 Rock also take honors, along with the HBO mini John Adams, and The Wire gets a going away award, the association's Heritage Award.

And no award for The Hills? Really?

I think the TV Critics should point out the best AND the worst in each year. We gotta start making these TV people accountable for shit like Tila Tequila and doing decade recap shows before the end of the decade, right Viacom?

TCA winners listed here.

Season Two promo after the jump

NBC Picks Up Back End of Kath & Kim 13-Ep Order, Already!

And that's very promising. Depending, of course, on who's the decision maker. If they know their comedy, it's a very good thing. Apparently, the network loves what they've seen so far. I don't know if it's being tested in front of focus groups, but if it is and you are someone that just happened to see it, send me a note, will ya?

Of course, I'm the guy whose always looking at the possible downside. Let's see if you can find what the problem will be for me, your TV Junkie.

THR via Yahoo!:

The pickup comes shortly after the mother-daughter comedy starring Molly Shannon and Selma Blair shot the first episode of its six-episode order. The show is scheduled to go back into production next month on the remaining segments.

(snip)

It is slated to premiere October 9, in the plum Thursday 9:30 p.m. slot following "The Office."

Did you find it? Yeps, that's right! If the show hits, I just betcha that NBC is gonna keep it in that timeslot, a timeslot normally reserved for your pals at 30 Rock. Just the Emmy-winning outstanding comedy of 2006-7 is all.

So, what happenes to Tina, Alec, Tracy and the TGS gang if Kath & Kim hits in its timeslot? Well, I dunno, they hardly ever consult with me, though they should.

But if I were Lorne Michaels, I would be having my people work the phones today to see what the hell in going on. And, I'd make sure I got to see some of the dailies to see if I had anything to worry about.

But I can get kinda tense about these things.