30Rock-related stories
Posted Nov 5th 2009 1:07PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Music and Variety, Celebrities, 30 Rock, Reality-Free
Well, we know that the singers from
Glee were not welcomed into the
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade thanks to NBC's territorial attitude. Still, that doesn't mean we won't be watching on Turkey Day.
NBC, in fact, will feature one of their own prominently that morning --
30 Rock's
Jane Krakowski will be singing an original song on a float.
It will not be a typical Jenna floppola, either. It's a song being written by the Emmy nominated team of Wesley Whatley and William Schermerhorn. And in case you don't know, Jane's a Tony-winning star who is not only hilarious as Jenna, but a really fine singer/dancer/actress.
That's not all. Alan Cumming is also set to perform in the parade, and it sounds like a doozy, too. He'll sing the Sinatra classic, "That's Life" on the M&M float. What the song, Cumming and Sinatra have to do with M&M candies is anyone's guess.
Continue reading Big plans, big stars set for NBC's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Posted Nov 4th 2009 9:28AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Celebrities, 30 Rock, Casting, Reality-Free
Wouldn't you love to know who's giving actor
James Franco career advice these days? I'm not knocking him or her, but I'd love to figure out the strategy. Or maybe this is just Franco being Franco (like Manny being Manny, for you baseball fans out there)?
James has just started filming his two-month arc on
General Hospital -- check out the first pic (right) -- and now Michael Ausiello reports that
James Franco will do a guest spot on 30 Rock.
How's that for a career trajectory -- from box office bonanza (
Spider-Man) to Oscar feature (
Milk) to daytime soap (
General Hospital) to Emmy-winning sitcom (
30 Rock). He's like a human pinball machine looking for a perfect score!
Continue reading James Franco goes from movies to soap to 30 Rock
Posted Oct 28th 2009 10:56AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, House, How I Met Your Mother, The Office, 30 Rock, Dexter, Reality-Free, Mad Men, The Mentalist, TV Squad Ten, Glee
Rules are meant to be broken... especially for these ten television characters. For them, the rest of the world has one standard to live by and they have another. It makes them interesting and fun to watch... you just wouldn't necessarily want to be the person having to deal with them because they could drive you to distraction. Here's my ten pack of characters who live in a world of their own, according to no rules except their own. From the not-too-bad to the really bad.
10. Patrick Jane, The Mentalist
You would think that as a consultant to the CBI -- California Bureau of Investigation -- Patrick Jane would be compelled to uphold the rules and regulations of the department. However, Jane is a free spirit when it comes to office protocol. He does his own thing. For instance, bugging the office of a CBI higher-up is definitely not kosher. Jane doesn't care; he did it anyway and will probably get away with it.
Continue reading TV Squad Ten: TV's biggest rule breakers
Posted Oct 25th 2009 2:01PM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Site Announcements, Reality-Free
The folks at our sister site
Cinematical are working hard to give you news and reviews of the best -- and worst -- the silver screen has to offer. Here are some of their musings on the latest blockbusters, indies, and everything in between:
- I have zero interest in the Saw franchise, but Paranormal Activity looks super-creepy. Apparently America agrees with me, because Paranormal Activity beat Saw VI at the box office on Friday.
- I remember renting the 1988 version of The Blob on VHS from our library when I was a kid. Now you can see it for free, just like I did! Except instead of VHS, you can totally watch The Blob on SlashControl.
- Vampires may be the new hot thing, and as Jenna Maroney told us on 30 Rock, werewolves may be next, but after that? Witches are the new hotness.
- I've always felt a kinship with Amelia Earhart, ever since I put on my mom's riding pants, boots, scarf, and a short wig for biography day in the 5th grade. So maybe that's kind of a sad reason to want to see Amelia, but there it is. You can read Cinematical's review of Amelia here.
- Speaking of Amelia Earhart, Cinematical Seven has 7 biopics worthy of their subject. And Amelia isn't the only film on the list featuring Hilary Swank.
Posted Oct 5th 2009 9:00AM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Early Looks, Reality-Free
Sherri, premiering tonight on Lifetime, is a very confusing show. It has flashes of genius, with several lines that made me laugh out loud ("Screw me once, shame on you. Screw a white woman -- we done"). At other times, however, it's bogged down with over-the-top dialogue and atrocious acting.
The premise behind
Sherri is basically
Sherri Shepherd's actual life. Both the real and fictional Sherri has held down jobs at a law office while working as a comedian and an actress, with bit parts on television shows. They both got married and had a son, only to find out that their husband was cheating on them.
Continue reading Sherri -- An early look
Posted Sep 25th 2009 9:00AM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Spoilers Anonymous, Reality-Free
This is
Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at
TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our
tips form or by emailing us at
tvsquad at gmail dot com, or call and leave a message at
(775) 640-8479. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.
This week we have spoilers for:
24, 30 Rock, Damages, Desperate Housewives, House, Lost, Melrose Place, Private Practice, and Ugly Betty. (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)Continue reading Spoilers Anonymous
Posted Sep 22nd 2009 2:28PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Saturday Night Live, Celebrities, 30 Rock, Casting, Reality-Free
I'm sure she'd say she's too old for regular television work, or that she's having too much fun guest-starring on every television show and half of the movies, but I just can't get enough of Betty White on TV. With it coming out now that
Betty White has signed for a guest spot on NBC's 30 Rock, she might as well start making room on the mantle for her latest Emmy.
After all,
30 Rock gets all the nominees for guest star in a comedy (though White did get nominated for
My Name Is Earl this past year). Reportedly White would play herself, which works well considering the premise of the show.
30 Rock does amazing comedy with their guest stars, and when you get someone as brilliant and talented as White, can it be anything but perfect?
Luckily, White wouldn't have to compete for that Emmy with another hot prospect for the folks at
30 Rock. After his Emmy-winning turn hosting
Saturday Night Live, why wouldn't they want to nab Justin Timberlake as well?
Posted Aug 26th 2009 1:29PM by Annie Wu
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, OpEd, Animation, Emmys, Reality-Free
Last week, our own Mr.
Bob Sassone posted
Family Guy's Emmy campaign video. It was a wee bit aggressive towards both
The Office and Brian (who just wanted to relax after a nice shower, poor fella), and now it looks like Stewie isn't quite done yet. Videos were made for the rest of the nominees, including
30 Rock, Entourage and
Weeds.
All the new videos are available
here. Although it's pretty repetitive -- nay, incredibly repetitive -- it's kind of amusing to hear the jabs against each show.
Continue reading Stewie still really wants an Emmy
Posted Jul 22nd 2009 1:02PM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Late Night, Video, Celebrities, 30 Rock, Emmys, Reality-Free
Despite the fact that before
30 Rock Alec Baldwin had primarily been known for his dramatic work, he has long been beloved in the comedy world. He's one of the most frequent hosts of
Saturday Night Live, and has become somewhat of an unofficial cast member over the years. He's proven that he has no shame when it comes to comedy, which goes pretty far to explain why he went on
SNL alum
Jimmy Fallon's show last night in an all-white getup accented by a gold lame scarf, gold boots, and even a gold fanny pack.
Continue reading Alec Baldwin shows Jimmy Fallon exactly why he's nominated for an Emmy
Posted Jul 17th 2009 2:03PM by Danny Gallagher
Filed under: Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, Awards, Emmys, Reality-Free
Tina Fey's surprise return to
Saturday Night Live as
Sarah Palin was one of the ten greatest TV moments of 2008 (and quite possibly the decade, the century, the millennium and the eon).
So it's no surprise that Fey's name and show
30 Rock came up so many times in the recent list of Emmy nods. I'm no longer convinced that she's a woman. I'm convinced she's an experimental humanoid prototype designed by studio executives solely to win awards like Tom Hanks (aka "Project Red Shoe").
It's also no surprise that one of the two acting nods she scored included
her Palin performance on SNL.
Continue reading Tina Fey's Sarah Palin earns a big 'You betcha' from the Emmy people
Posted Jul 16th 2009 2:44PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, OpEd, The Simpsons, Watercooler Talk, 30 Rock, Awards, Emmys, Breaking Bad, Reality-Free, Mad Men, The Big Bang Theory
Now that the excitement has died down, I've been scouring
the complete list of nominations. Here's a few observations... Then, let me know what you think.
-- Why bother with the Outstanding Mini-Series category? There were only two nominees worthy of a nomination. Exactly how many mini-series are even produced anymore? This is an outmoded TV format. Kill the category.
-- What's going on with the writers?
30 Rock dominates the comedy category and
Mad Men dominates the drama category. What are the chances that the lone nomination in each category wins? I'd say slim and none. I call for limitations; only two episodes per series. Writing is such a subjective thing anyway. If you like
30 Rock's scattershot humor, you're more likely to vote for it compared to a traditional sitcom like
Big Bang Theory. The latter should have snagged a nom for
The Lizard-Spock Expansion episode.
Continue reading Some random thoughts on the Emmy nominations
Posted Jul 15th 2009 4:29PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, How I Met Your Mother, The Office, 30 Rock, Awards, Weeds, Emmys, Reality-Free, The Big Bang Theory
When it comes to the Primetime Emmy nominations, there are scads of terrific supporting performances to choose from in the comedy field. The difficulty is narrowing it down to just six actors and six actresses (which is better than last year's five each). Maybe the Emmys should take a page from the Academy Awards and double the number of nominations -- this year's Best Picture will include ten noms. That's not going to happen, but that doesn't mean my wish list discussion can't mention all those worthy comedy performers.
Last year's comedy winners,
Jean Smart for
Samantha Who? and Jeremy Piven for
Entourage, were both multiple winners. In Jean's case, it wasn't all for the same role, but Jeremy has been pulling a John Larroquette/Don Knotts in this category. (Larroquette and Knotts dominated this category; the former winning for
Night Court from 1985-88, while Knotts won five times for
The Andy Griffith Show from 1961-67). My wish list would start by shaking things up.
Continue reading Emmy Wish List: Supporting Categories - Comedy
Posted Jul 15th 2009 2:31PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Celebrities, Awards, Weeds, Emmys, Reality-Free
Let's be honest. There are really only four or five real contenders for this category, and most of them were nominated last year. But it's not like the talented Tina Fey (
30 Rock), Mary Louise-Parker (
Weeds), Julia Louise-Dreyfus (
The New Adventures of Old Christine) and America Ferrera (
Ugly Betty) don't deserve the recognition. They all fit the bill, and most of their shows were damn good this year.
I'd be happy to see any one of them go home with the gold on Emmy night. I'd also love to see some recognition for Christina Applegate's work in
Samantha Who?, a great show that got the ax earlier this year.
Continue reading Emmy Wish List: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Posted Jul 14th 2009 6:05PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, The Office, 30 Rock, Awards, Emmys, Chuck, Reality-Free, The Big Bang Theory
I know what many of you are thinking. Alec Baldwin is probably gonna win for
30 Rock again so what does it even matter? Hollywood is in love with that show. Which is true, but not entirely undeserved. Baldwin still commands a scene like almost no one on television. But I don't think he was as dominating a comedic force as last year, and he was part of a
30 Rock sweep, so I don't think Emmy intends to repeat that.
Pushing Daisies was still sweet in its last year, but I'm going to have to snub Lee Pace and replace him with
Chuck's Zachary Levi on the ballot. He balances comedy and drama so convincingly you can't help but root for him.
But there was a looming shadow in comedy this year that no one could escape. I don't see how Emmy could ignore the work of Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper on
The Big Bang Theory. He's so convincing in the role that when you see him in interviews you fully expect him to demand his spot on the couch and condescend the host at every turn.
Continue reading Emmy Wish List: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Posted Jul 8th 2009 1:29PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Industry, Programming, OpEd, Pickups and Renewals, 30 Rock, Reality-Free
Let's hear it for Tina Fey. Along with critical success for
30 Rock, the series is being syndicated by Comedy Central and WGN America for a
whopping $800,000 per episode. Not quite the record since it's a fee paid between two networks but it's a fair chunk of change, particularly in a down economy.
I'm a fan of the show and am happy that this deal was struck. It guarantees the show will run for another few years. Of course, it would have run for a few years anyways. I don't see Tina Fey wanting a show she created to end and Alec Baldwin is chained to his contract
until 2012, after which he's apparently going to run for Mayor of New York.
I'm a fan of Comedy Central as well and look forward to seeing Liz Lemon on the network. I can only hope they put it on the schedule between
South Park and
The Daily Show to guarantee that I'll be watching.
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