TVSquad

Here come two more lists of the ten actors and actresses that are finalists for Emmy nominations in the supporting comedy categories. As with the other awards, there are some surprises on the list, and some notable omissions. For the ladies, the headline is that last year's winner, Jaime Pressly (My Name Is Earl), didn't make the cut. Surprise finalists include Conchata Ferrell (Two And A Half Men) and Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Live). I don't mind seeing Conchata on the list because she is consistently funny on the show, but I don't know that there is enough to her role for her to actually garner a nomination when you consider the competition.

On the other side of the coin, the defending champ, Jeremy Piven (Entourage), is back. None of the boys over at SNL managed to make the leap from Variety to Comedy that Poehler did.

(S02E14) "This smells like hill people milk!" - Kenneth, during the drinking contest

Is it just me or was the first part of tonight's 30 Rock a little ... lacking in something? It just seemed to me to be off a little bit, from the change in the opening (no opening scene before the credits, just straight to the credits then the start of the show immediately following) to the lack of really laugh out loud lines (except for Jonathan's singing "I Will Remember You" to Jack and making him a bizarre collage), it seemed to be rather pedestrian, for a 30 Rock episode anyway. Maybe it was because there weren't too many Jack/Liz scenes.

But then halfway through is picked up and got better.

NBC is becoming quite the experts at creating real products from the made up products and companies you see on their TV shows. Sure, every network's site has hats and shirts and mousepads that have something from a TV show on them, but the Peacock Network seems to be taking things one step further. We've seen Sheinhardt Wig t-shirts and Me Want Food t-shirts for 30 Rock, and now, after Thursday's episode, the network has quickly put up for sale MILF Island t-shirts! It's pretty much the Survivor logo, only with three hot chicks. I'm sure parents are just going to love seeing their kids wearing these.

(S02E09) "That's not a Christmas tree. It's a way to lure tourists into the basement for $20 salads." - Kenneth, about the Rockefeller Center tree

I'm a sucker for Christmas episodes. The plots, the lessons learned, the music. And it doesn't matter if it's a corny, traditional type of holiday episode or a modern, irreverent look at the holiday. This 30 Rock episode is more the latter, but it doesn't mean that there isn't some crazy traditional aspects to it too. These characters - even the ones who get on each others nerves - care about each other in their own way. When Jenna sings "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and you see a montage of people arguing and Guatemalan kids destroying their Christmas gifts, that's a nice mix of the old and the odd, and the capper of having Jack and his pain in the ass mom wish each other a Merry Christmas just fits so perfectly.

(S02E08) "I got a squeezer from an Indian girl on a bunk bed, so I think I got the whole Harvard experience." - Frank

This episode has two plots we haven't seen much of this season: a solid plot involving the writing staff and a return to the whole Tracy/Jenna battle that was a main part of the first season. And that's good to see, since it was tilting to all Liz/Jack stuff or guest star plots. Not that this episode didn't have a lot of Liz and Jack and guest stars (the return of Edie Falco and a really bizarre cameo from political strategist James Carville), but 30 Rock has always shown a knack for balancing all of the plots really nicely. And for once I was glad to see Kenneth for the most part take a little breather.

Oh, and if you're wondering, I'm doing this review Cajun Style.

(S02E07) "Where did you two meet, an Amber Alert?" - Jack, to Liz

On a night when almost everything else I watch is a repeat, it's great - comforting even - to see that there's a new 30 Rock. It's truly one of the very few shows that I look forward to so much that I actually get slightly bummed out when it's a repeat. It has become "that sitcom from the woman who used to be on Saturday Night Live and will probably be canceled" to a new classic. It's monumentally funny and is still running on all cylinders. It's the best comedy on TV right now. And that's my review. The end.

No, just kidding. There's more...

(S02E06) "We Parcells are neither wealthy nor circumcised, but we are proud!" - Kenneth, trying to find money to replace Jack's missing pants

This show is less than a half hour long but I have a harder time reviewing it than I do two-hour season finales. How do you review a show that has 25 awesome one liners and a bunch of great comedy bits and scenes without simply repeating everything that just happened to people who have already seen the episode? How do you even pick one funny quote from those 25 lines and put it at the top of the review? The one above might be the funniest, it might not be, who knows. It just stands out to me.

So there's a writers strike in Hollywood. That doesn't mean you can't see your favorite comedy stars performing!

Stars of NBC's Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock will be performing at the New York Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre on, November 17 and 19, respectively. The SNL show will go on Saturday night at 11:30 (of course) and will feature all of the cast performing sketches from the show. And as an extra added bonus, the show will be hosted by Arrested Development and Superbad star Michael Cera. (Don't even think of getting tickets; this one's sold out.)

The 30 Rock show will go on Monday night at 8 and will feature Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, and Jane Krakowski (a very limited number of tickets for this one will be available at the door).

So you probably won't get to see these shows... but maybe you know someone? The shows are a benefit for the WGA.

(S02E04) Notice I don't have a quote above like I usually do? More on that after the jump.

This week we discover what happens when one of the NBC page jackets is damaged, why Tracy shouldn't be involved in dogfighting, and what might happen to Liz in 20 or 30 years if she doesn't start saving money.

(S02E03) "I could never pay an English-speaking woman that little - they'd starve!" - Jack, about his household staff

This year many of us here at TV Squad have been featuring our favorite quotes at the start of each review. Most of the time it's pretty easy to pick out the best line (on a show like Bionic Woman they stand out), but it's not the easiest thing to do on a comedy like 30 Rock. There's always at least six laugh out loud lines and about 5 lines that aren't hysterical but are bizarrely clever. That was true of tonight's episode too, and I hope you agree the above comment was one of the better ones.

First the apology, then the early look.

Dear Tina,

I've always liked 30 Rock, but I've never loved it. Maybe it was because my concentration was on Studio 60 or maybe it was because I wasn't in the right frame of mind when I watched the pilot. Or maybe I just didn't try to get into it because Thursday nights are really jam-packed (would it upset you to tell you that I watch Ugly Betty too?). I just never gave the show a chance to grow on me, though I did enjoy Alec Baldwin's performance as Jack.