TVSquad

Last week we mentioned that a lot of people were wondering where the season premiere of 30 Rock was? Fans thought that NBC might want to take advantage of Tina Fey's Emmy wins/Sarah Palin work and air the first episode of the new season a littler earlier than October 30, but that's not going to happen. But the network has put it online a week early, and we have it after the jump!

I'll have a full review next Thursday night, but let's just say you won't be disappointed. The show is just like it has always been: funny, unpredictable, and really clever. We even find out how a few plot points from the past actually turned out. The guest star in the first episode is Will and Grace's Megan Mullally, who plays an adoption agency rep who has to check out Liz's workplace to see if she's a suitable candidate to raise a child. Will Arnett also appears, as Jack tries to get his job back.

We really do live in a very different television landscape.

NBC has decided to put five of its shows online a week before they even premiere on TV, to build buzz. The network has decided to use Hulu to show the first episodes of new show Knight Rider and returning shows 30 Rock, Lipstick Jungle, Life, and Chuck.

Of course, putting episodes online is nothing new. All of the networks do it (sometimes they even "leak" the shows themselves to create buzz), but this seems to be a true attempt by NBC (which needs the help) to change the way they schedule, promote, and debut shows, a change in the way they program.

Just in time for tonight's second season premiere of Burn Notice comes this little piece of news from the studios at NBC.

Two guys on the staff of Late Night with Conan O'Brien are so ticked off at the ads for the USA show (USA is part of the NBC Universal family) that appear in the building that they decided to deface them. The insults range from dialogue bubbles that say "It 'Burns' when I pee" and "Thanks for the 'Notice' " to this entry on the Late Night blog where the staffers complain about the ads and explain their actions. It is kinda funny how many of these ads NBC puts in their own building.

Of course, the blog entry isn't all bad and acts as a nudge-nudge wink-wink push for the show. Despite the graffiti, the Late Night guys do say that the show is "awesome," "smart," and "funny," and they even want to make sure you watch the show tonight. (And I'd like to repeat that too - watch Burn Notice tonight at 10 on USA!)

If you didn't see it the other night, a woman with gigantic breasts/jugs/hooters appeared on NBC's America's Got Talent. I'm not sure what they showed and didn't show on the broadcast, but the Peacock Network's site has the complete uncensored version of her, um, "act."

A woman named Busty Heart (I'm sure that's her birth name) came on the show and crushed things with her giant breasts. The three judges seem shocked and amazed, as does most of the audience. Wow, America does have talent! Now I know why Jerry Springer hosts this season.

The video of Busty's bust busting is after the jump. Needless to say, it's probably NSFW (though she thankfully remains covered with her shiny top). Next week: a man with a giant penis lassos Sharon Osbourne as she tries to flee the theater.

Update: Here's what aired.

Tonight at 8:30 brings us the season premiere of NBC's 30 Rock (or should I say NBC's Emmy Winner for Best Comedy 30 Rock!). We'll have a review later tonight, but I found out that after the show airs, stars Tina Fey and Jack McBrayer (Kenneth) are going to have a live blog at NBC's site, and if you head on over there now you can post a question for the duo. Who knows, maybe they'll answer it.

There are already over 100 comments on the blog, so many of the questions that you might want to ask could have already been asked, but hey, take a chance. Come up with something imaginative involving meteorology, or maybe ask Tina Fey what her favorite lunch meat is. Or maybe you can take the route taken by one of the viewers who posted a comment, who asks Tina if she can get the cast of the old syndicated sitcom Small Wonder (remember, about the girl robot?) on the show. Ahem.

First of all, I didn't even realize that tonight was the season finale of 30 Rock (or the first day of May sweeps, for that matter). It's hard to keep track of this new world where various shows end their seasons in various months.

Anyway, show star Tina Fey is going to live blog the season finale at NBC.com. It starts at 9:30pm Eastern. You can go to the site now and leave questions for Fey and she'll answer some of them.

Now, I wonder if Baldwin asking to get out of his contract (in fact, he doesn't want to do television anymore, period) was timed this week for the season finale. Does Baldwin have a contract beyond this season? I would assume so, since NBC has said they are not going to let him out his contract. Maybe Baldwin should do the blog with Fey. Imagine the questions he'd get.

Update: As reader Ender mentions in the comments, the show starts at 9pm, so maybe this isn't going to be a live blog "during the show" but immediately following the show.

Let's face the brutal truth here for a moment: Saturday Night Live isn't really known for its live sketches anymore. I can't remember the last time I heard someone talk about how funny a sketch was on a past week's show. However, when it comes to their digital shorts, well, then they're the bomb (as the young generation is saying today). The trend began last year with the super-colossally popular Lazy Sunday short, followed weeks later by the semi-super-colossally popular Laser Cats. The digital short sensation continued this year with Dick in a Box and Peyton Manning for the United Way.

Thus, it comes as no surprise that NBC is trying to jump on the popularity of these shorts with a contest that will send one lucky participant to the season finale of SNL.

Welcome to TV Squad Lists (formerly 'The Five'), a feature where each blogger has a chance to list his or her own rundown of things in television that stand out from the rest, both good and bad.

NBC's My Name Is Earl officially centers on the lives of 5 characters: Earl, Randy, Joy, Catalina, and Darnell. However, there is a 6th character. Not a person but something that is as important as Earl in this series: Earl's list. Without the list, what would the series be?

Since the series premiered, fans across the world tried to keep track of all the items on his list. The "The List (My Name Is Earl)" page at Wikipedia is probably one of the most complete and comprehensive one out there. When I stumbled on it I couldn't help myself but to read all the items and giggle at a few entries.

Well, to be precise, he seems to be a fan of the technology but not a fan of the fact they still haven't lived up to their promise of making filters that would catch copyrighted videos.

Zucker, who was promoted to chief exec of NBC Universal a few days ago (replacing Bob Wright), plans to really push NBC into the digital world, getting their content "in front of new eyeballs" and "new platforms." But he wants to do it the right way:

"YouTube needs to prove that it will implement its filtering technology across its online platform. It's proven it can do it when it wants to," Mr Zucker said, referring to the site's controls to block pornography and hate speech. He added: "They have the capability. The question is whether they have the will."

Anna told you earlier today about NBC pulling Kidnapped off of the Saturday schedule (wow, how bad do ratings have to be to have that happen twice in a matter of weeks?), and now comes word over at TV Guide that the remaining eight episodes of the drama will be shown on NBC's web site.

The show is being pulled and will not be seen again on the small screen after sweeps (we're at the start of the all-important sweeps period right now), but will be shown on your even smaller screen, your computer.

The show is filming its 13th episode even as you read this. Oh well. At least fans won't have to wait and see what's going to happen to the show and will be able to see the kidnapping plot reach its conclusion and not left hanging.

If you're doing something on Wednesday night, and you don't want to miss the series premiere of 30 Rock, no need to fret. You can watch the entire premiere, right now, at NBC.com. I guess it's part of the big promotional push the network is making for its other show about late-night sketch TV. And, judging from what people -- including me -- have seen from the pilot, it has the raw ingredients to become a very strong show. It just isn't quite there yet.

NBC not only released their fall schedule today, but they also unveiled two new web sites.

DotComedy will, well, feature video of comedy shows, including Late Night With David Letterman, Saturday Night Live, The Office, Coach, Leave It To Beaver, and Jay Leno. The web site will also feature original comedy programming, blogs, and podcasts.

FirstLook.com will be where we can see the first episodes of certain TV shows before they appear on the NBC networks (NBC, Bravo, Sci-Fi Channel, USA).

But that's not all! NBC is really pushing the web aspect of all of their shows. Not only will Law and Order: CI have a web game that you can play (apart from the TV show), and not only will Deal Or No Deal and The Biggest Loser have web games you can play, but starting this summer, the network will stream 30 original shorts of The Office.

This is a smart strategy. It's no secret that NBC isn't doing too well ratings-wise, and this could be the thing to give all of their shows a watercooler buzz, and something that fans will want to investigate during the rest of the week while they wait for the new episode to come on the following week.

[via TV Tattle]

This is great: the mysterious banker from NBC's Deal Or No Deal has started a blog! On the contestant's IQs:

"You probably think I'm going to bust on our player's IQs. I don't do that. I don't think the people who come to face me are stupider than I am. Everyone is stupider than I am so there really isn't a point in singling out the contestants."

On starting a blog in the first place:

"The 'geniuses' at NBC have asked me to write a blog about the show...Frankly, I'd prefer to stick a fork in my own eye rather than waste further energy on any of you."

[via Defamer]

It's as though The Office is going off on a tangent. This summer, while star Steve Carell is off shooting movies, some of the actors in the smaller roles will get their own web-only episodes of The Office. There will be ten, whodunit "webisodes" on NBC.com starring the accounting staff of Dunder-Mifflin. The premise of the series is that the accountants can't account for $3,000 and they go on a mission to find out who's responsible. The series will star Angela, Kevin and Oscar, and will include special appearances from Dwight (Rainn Wilson) and Phyllis. Should be cute.

Like many TV viewers, I get a little miffed every couple of years when the Olympics take over a network's schedule. I don't begrudge the athletes their TV time, it's just that the Olympics take a couple of weeks, and that means that shows you like are going to be preempted.

NBC has the Olympics again, starting February 10 and running through the 26th. Which means that shows like The Biggest Loser and Joey and E-Ring are taking a couple of weeks off. Oh, wait a second, maybe this isn't a bad thing...

Of course, I'm kidding, because NBC also happens to have The Office, My Name Is Earl, Scrubs, and The West Wing too (the Surface season finale airs this Monday). But if you're not into the Olympics, it's just something you'll have to live with until late February/early March, when the shows return on a regular schedule. (Of course, I say this, but I know I'll get sucked into the Games...)

So, are you watching the Olympics this year? What events are you most interested in? Are people being too hard on Bode Miller? And if you have no interest in the Olympics, what shows are you going to miss the most?