TVSquad

Tracy Morgan is a busy man. Along with his role on the NBC comedy 30 Rock, now entering its third season, Tracy is also taking on the reigns of host of the SciFi Channel program Scare Tactics, also in its third season. Premiering on July 9th, Scare Tactics is a hidden-camera, reality-comedy hybrid that allows friends and loved ones to set up unsuspecting victims into a series of horror hoaxes that are staged with movie-style special effects and makeup.

Earlier this week, Tracy, who is the third host of the program after Shannen Doherty and Stephen Baldwin hosted the first two seasons, joined Tactics' Executive Producer Scott Hallock on a conference call to talk about this upcoming season.

As AOL Television continues their look at the 50 Best TV Comedies -- Ever with numbers 40-31, we here at TV Squad are also looking at them as well, but in a different light. Last week, we took a look at the top ten sitcom sidekicks. This time around we look at the stars of these shows. In particular, those stars that began their career between a brick wall (or a curtain) and a microphone.

We're talking about stand-up comedians. During the early days of television they were found very infrequently in situation comedies (yet, they were plentiful in variety shows). However, as the decades progressed, more and more of them found a home in front of three cameras and a live studio audience. Many of them became bigger stars then they ever were performing routines in front of a drunken audience at 1:00 AM.

We've compiled a pretty comprehensive (in my opinion) list of those stand-ups who made it big in the sitcom world. In order to keep the list down to under a thousand entries, we set a few standards: The sitcom needed to last at least two seasons, the show had to be a comedy and not a variety program, and the comedian needed to have a prominent role in the sitcom. Even with those rules the list is pretty extensive. So, without further pontification...

(S02E01) Seinfeld: "What if I just buy NBC and turn it into the biggest Lane Bryant in midtown?"
Jack: "Ha! You're going to buy NBC? Oh, right, like you have $4 million just lying around..."

The above bit of dialogue is one of the many reasons I love this show. They could have gone for the easy joke, which would have been to play off of the vast wealth that Jerry Seinfeld has and just say a figure like $4 billion or $20 billion or whatever real amount it would take to buy NBC. But they go one step further, cleverly saying $4 million, thereby insulting NBC, the very network this show runs on. That's great stuff. No wonder NBC renewed this show. Besides being a new classic, then get to look self-deprecating while having what amounts to a half hour infomercial for the network every Thursday night!

While Joel was covering the New Amsterdam premiere at the New York Television Festival on Thursday night, I decided to check out NBC's Comedy Short Cuts showcase. According to a press release, seven cast members (including Tracy Morgan) from 30 Rock were scheduled to appear at the event. It was also noted on the press release that "All Talent Subject to Change."

And change it did. Tracy was a no show unable to attend due to scheduling changes (as were Judah Friedlander, Scott Adsit, and Jack McBrayer). But Lonny Ross, Katrina Bowden, and Keith Powell were present and seemed happy to pose for a TV Squad photo. So now they're my favorites. (But don't worry guys, I still love all of you).

The "30 Rockers" were on hand not only to create a photo-op for NBC and the NYTVF, but to introduce eight independent short comedy films made by culturally diverse production teams and casts. NBC Universal produces this showcase in order to uncover diverse talent suitable for future development deals.

TMZ has a really weird picture of Tracy Morgan dressed like a flapper and holding hands with his wife. Apparently it's for a GQ magazine shoot, though I can't even imagine why he's wearing the skimpy dress. But, it's Tracy Morgan and we'll have to leave it at that.

On top of the slutty dress and the high heels (which he seems to be walking comfortably in), he's also sporting a lovely ankle bracelet that's a requirement of his DUI probation. The device is called a SCRAM, and it tests his skin for alcohol vapors and he's required to wear it for 90 days.

Check out the photo here. It'll make you laugh.

I've got to tell you, every time I hear Tracy Morgan interviewed on a radio show or hear about one of his drunk driving arrests, I start to wonder if his nutty character on 30 Rock, Tracy Jordan, is that far out of reality.

Case in point: Jordan just plead guilty to a misdemeanor drunk driving charge, for which he was arrested on November 28 in New York. The charges will be dismissed if he meets a number of conditions over the next few months, like completing an alcohol program, doing community service, and avoiding being arrested for six months. He was also fined $1000 and had his driver's license suspended for six months. Outside court, he apologized by saying, "Drinking and driving is not cool," which you can just hear spilling out of his mouth in that unique cadence of his. Surprised he didn't say "Yo" and "man" in there somewhere.

Which makes me wonder: does the real Tracy see purple blue men that look like Rachel Dratch when he takes the wrong happy pills, just like the fictional Tracy? I'm not sure I want to find out.

(S01E10) Just bottle that Alec Baldwin up and sell him. If he doesn't win the Golden Globe for this performance, I'll have no choice but to resign from my post at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. I'm glad that the whole conceit behind TV Squad's reviews is that they're written with the presumption that the reader has also the seen the show otherwise I'd have to get into this whole thing about the set-up and the delivery and the blah and the blah to explain Baldwin's genius when all I really need to say is, "Get me Maureen Dowd back on the phone, please."

(S01E01) Hel-lo! I think we have a hit! Out of all the new shows on television this fall, I'd say 30 Rock is the best new comedy. There's no mugging for the camera and no canned laughter or sitcom audience. The comedy is quick and witty... and Tina Fey's self deprecating character makes a terrific central figure in the show. (NBC Message board reviews are mixed)

Before I go any further, I'd like to call for an all-out moratorium on comparing 30 Rock to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. It should be obvious that they are not the same show. Yes, there's a similar premise of people coming in to stir up production of a show, but that's where the similarities end.

Former Saturday Night Live star Tracy Morgan is going to court over a DUI. He was picked up by cops in Los Angeles on December 2nd and charged with drunken driving. He pleaded 'not guilty' to the misdemeanor charge earlier this month. Tracy's in court again on February 23rd for a pre-trial hearing.

Morgan, 37, was on SNL from 1996-2003. He's currently working on a sitcom pilot with former SNL co-star Tina Fey.