30 Rock

[billynord]

It may be nothing, but in the News & Notes section of this week's Entertainment Weekly there was a tiny piece about NBC now needing to fill the post-Superbowl void since Amy Poehler/Greg Daniels' show wont be ready. It read:

The cast of 30 Rock had previously considered whether to pitch a live telecast after it successfully performed an episode at New York's Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre last winter. Says a network insider: "It's unclear at this point, but we're gonna put the best asset we can in that slot"

That would be hot.

[andrearunge]

I hope they do fireworks.

[BillBrasky]

n/m

[Berliner]

Thanks, I've been waiting for this!

[crimestick]

Thanks, Brasky!

[Kentock]

Having watched the original pilot, I have to say I think that recasting Rachel Dratch was probably the right move for the show. I am a big fan of hers, but Jane Krakowski does a better job putting across the self-absorbed, pathetic primadonna character.

[yumitree]

i found this (and a ready-to-burn dvd version) on piratebay in june and thought i was way late to the game until hound told me you were going to upload this to myspleen.
i'm definitely glad that this got recast and reshot because, as much as i complained about krakowski early in the show, she's grown into her role and i definitely don't think the show would have survived with dratch playing that part.

[rabbitandox]

Krakowski is more believable as a dopey primadonna, but watching Dratch, that was the first time I believed that Jenna and Liz were friends.

[BillBrasky]

I was going to put it on myspleen, but I forgot that I don't have the program anymore on my new computer to create torrents, so this was easier. If you really want me to, I guess I can put it up. Plus, as you said, this is available elsewhere, and I wasn't sure if you're supposed to put stuff on myspleen that's available on other trackers.

I agree with all of you. I think Dratch and Fey are more believable as friends who've known each other a long time and have a history doing sketch comedy together (because, duh, that's what they are). But as the show has developed, they've sort of eliminated that aspect of their relationship, and now the character of Jenna has become more about her vanity, her self-absorption; she's an older woman trying desperately to be young and hip. I think Jane has done a great job with that, and I don't know if Dratch would be able to pull that off as well (picture Rachel trying to do that whole plotline where she gains weight doing "Mystic Pizza: The Musical"; it just would have seemed mean instead of funny).

Plus, I think Dratch was funny doing all the different little character roles. They wouldn't have been able to do the episode where she was Elizabeth Taylor, or the one where she was Barbara Walters; it would have been weird to have her playing Jenna and those other parts too. I just wish they had kept her during the second season.

[BillBrasky]

Jennifer Aniston will return home to NBC, the TV network where she became a breakout star on the hit sitcom "Friends."

She's currently filming a guest appearance on the network's "30 Rock," Aniston publicist Stephen Huvane confirmed Friday.

There were no immediate details on the role Aniston will play — as herself or a fictitious character — or the episode's planned air date.

The New York-based series, which begins its third season in October, stars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin.

[brianpalmer]

There's a great profile of Alec Baldwin in The New Yorker wherein he discusses 30 Rock and a lot of other things.

Alec on 30 Rock:
“If the show does succeed, it’ll be something of a fucking miracle, because NBC hasn’t done a fucking thing to help this show at all. This show is the red-headed stepchild in the lineup. They’ve gone out of their way to wring the last drops out of ‘My Name Is Earl’ and ‘Scrubs.’ Those shows are done! They’re cooked! Yet they do a one-hour episode of ‘Earl’! You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”

[BillBrasky]

http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/9/h...before-tv-does

It looks like NBC U really does believe some of its hype about the Web not detracting from TV. To wit: the network is putting five shows on Hulu.com a week before they air on broadcast TV to build buzz for their premieres.

This isn't too big a gamble: three of the shows -- Lipstick Jungle, Chuck and Life -- are struggling second-year shows lucky to be back on the air in any form this year. The fourth, Knight Rider, is a new show that dearly needs any kind of buzz NBC can generate. The fifth, 30 Rock, isn't coming back until the end of October, and NBC will need all the promotion it can get to remind its fans it still exists.

It's unlikely Hulu will have these shows exclusively for the week -- NBC will no doubt also air these on NBC.com. And it's not really unprecedented: NBC.com has been airing exclusive Webisodes of The Office this summer. But it is a coup for Hulu, which has a bigger audience than NBC.com, and for the first time gets some new network TV that hasn't yet appeared... on TV.

[disl]

does anyone know why 30 rock is starting so late? unless this means that there will be fewer off weeks, i just don't see why it has to start a month later than everything else, especially since it's the best show on the network.

[BillBrasky]

The only reason I can figure is because of the SNL "Thursday Night Live" shows, which start October 9th, the same night as "Kath and Kim". They air for three weeks leading up to the election, in the 9:30 slot. I guess we should be happy there aren't four of those shows, then the new season wouldn't start until November 6th.

Then again, there's no reason they couldn't have delayed the premiere of "Kath and Kim" until October 30th and put "30 Rock" in the 8:30 slot.

[BillBrasky]

Spoiler for an upcoming episode:

Spoiler:  

Following up on the previously-posted news that Jennifer Aniston will guest star on NBC's "30 Rock," NBC has revealed that the former "Friends" star will play the free-spirited, Fatal Attraction-like stalker Claire Harper, Liz Lemon's (Tina Fey) former roommate from Chicago who randomly shows up in New York and attaches herself to Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin).

"What a thrill to have Jennifer back on NBC on a Thursday night. She is the perfect comedic talent to work with the Emmy-winning '30 Rock' cast," said Teri Weinberg, Executive Vice President, NBC Entertainment. "This promises to be a memorable, hilarious night of comedy."

"Jennifer is not only incredibly lovely to have around, she also has what the young people would call 'mad skills.' We're very excited that she's joining us," said Tina Fey, creator, executive producer and star of "30 Rock."

"30 Rock" premieres on October 30 (Thursday, 9:30-10 p.m. ET).

[Mutant Despot]

That's not such a big spoiler.

[BillBrasky]

Ok, how about this?

Spoiler:  

Gossip Girl frenemies Leighton Meester and Blake Lively have closed a deal to guest-star in a November sweeps episode of NBC's increasingly stunt-happy 30 Rock. The dynamic duo will play former high school classmates of Liz Lemon's in a flashback sequence that reveals a shocking and deeply ironic truth about Tina Fey's morally superior alter ego: She was a Mean Girl!

The Gossip-inspired flashback coincides with Liz's 20-year high school reunion, which means we're also going to meet the adult versions of Meester and Lively's characters. (In a kicky twist, Rock execs are talking to Blake's older sis, Robyn Lively, about playing the latter part.)

[Chaza8]

I watched the pilot with Dratch, and I am very glad they got rid of her and the original Suri. They did not add much to the show, and I'm glad NBC mucked up the pilot.

[JKwac]

Yay to 30 Rock for winning a bunch of very deserved Emmys on Sunday, including...

Comedy Series (Having won last year as well)
Comedy Actor (Alec Baldwin)
Comedy Actress (Tina Fey)
Comedy Writing (Tina Fey)
Comedy Guest Actor (Tim Conway)
Casting
Sound-Mixing

Yay!

[stephan]

I've been rewatching season 2 to get ready for season 3 and every single episode is great. There's not a weak one in the bunch. Plus, everyone on the show gets to be funny, and then Alec Baldwin seals the deal.

These next 31 days are going to take forever, financial meltdown or not.