30 Rock: Subway Hero - VIDEO
(S02E12) “Save it for your iVillage blog, Lemon.” - Jack, to Liz
Tonight’s episode of 30 Rock had more jokes and one-liners - the kind where you actually smile and laugh out loud - in just the two minute opening teaser than According To Jim and Unhitched have in an entire season (combined). It got me thinking that the show is sort of like the live version of Family Guy: lots of crazy one-liners and non-sequiturs, often punctuated by a bizarre, seconds-long flashback. And I mean that comparison in a good way. There’s no other comedy that’s running on all cylinders like 30 Rock is right now.
While Liz deals with having Dennis back in her life, Jack looks for a new celebrity spokesman for the Republican party and Kenneth gets involved with an old TV star.
Guest star Tim Conway plays the old TV star, Bucky Bright (great name), who is the person called in when Jack is looking for a new celebrity spokesman to represent the GOP (Bruce Willis and Jim Belushi were both turned down because, well, they both wanted to sing). When Jack tells Bucky that he just isn’t right (no one even remembers him except Kenneth), Bucky just leaves the office. But Kenneth loves the guy and decides to show him around the studio.
This was an odd guest role for Conway. When I first heard he was going to guest star, I thought he’d have a really big role, getting involved in one of the main plots of the show with Liz or Jack (like Carrie Fisher did earlier this season), but after a brief moment with Alec Baldwin, Conway just roamed the halls with Jack McBrayer, remembering the old days and completely freaking out innocent Kenneth with stories of keeping opium pipes in his pocket and having relations with men in his dressing room (back then in wasn’t gay, it was just men being men). I think they showed an old picture of Conway and the rest of the cast from McHale’s Navy, but they blur it out so you can’t quite see what it is. But the mental image makes an impact nonetheless. Conway is very funny playing it oddly straight.
Jack finally gets his spokesman - Tracy. He isn’t sure if he should do it at first (a black celebrity endorsing a Republican??), but he changes his mind after being visited in a dream by Richard Nixon (another great Baldwin impersonation) and Sammy Davis, Jr. (Toofer!), who was secretly Republican. I’m not sure if this piece of history is even accurate, but it gives Keith Powell a funny scene. The PSAs don’t really go too well until Jack gets the idea to have Tracy tell blacks not to vote.
If you’re wondering how Dennis, last seen on To Catch A Predator, comes back into Liz’s life (personal and professional), he saves someone’s life in the subway and becomes a media star. Jack gets him to guest star on TGS, which doesn’t thrill Liz until she starts getting used to having him around again (and calling her “dummy” - what is he, Fred Sanford?). She learns her lesson though and is even backed up by Jack, who says that Dennis’ 15 minutes are up. Did I notice a slight smile on Jack’s face after he told Liz that Dennis wasn’t going to be on the show after all, a smile that said that he was doing this for her and not just for the show?
It’s really hard to keep track of all of the great lines on this show, but here are several that stood out:
- “It’s the same model that’s keeping Larry King alive.” - Liz, about a humidifier
- “Food Network doesn’t have a news show.” - Liz, explaining why she doesn’t watch the news
- “Thank you Michael Bloomberger…Stern rules! Baba booey!” - Dennis, accepting his award
- “We’re like Ross and Rachel, only not gay.” - Dennis, about him and Liz
- “I can have any women I want…and not just the fatties and butterfaces!” - Dennis
- “Dennis is like those off brand Mexican Doritos.” - Jena, about the generic chips Liz is addicted to
- “400% of my sodium? I should not be eating these.” - Liz, about the chips
- “My cologne is distilled from the bilge water of Rupert Murdoch’s yacht.” - Jack, after being told he smelled like money
- “I didn’t run into another person…except a gigantic lesbian. Who’s Conan O’Brien, and why is she so sad?” - Bucky, after staying in the studio all night
- “We used to call this ’The Jew Room.’” - Bucky, about the writers room
Star Wars Deal or No Deal
“Star Wars” Deal or No Deal created by NBC
The Pitch: This week’s “Deal Or No Deal” is a “Star Wars” themed two-hour special featuring the 26 gorgeous models dressed up in Slave Leia outfits like Carrie Fisher from “Return of the Jedi”, Darth Vader is The Banker, and Carrie Fisher, Chewbacca, and R2D2 make appearances.. Collider has some video clips.
On The Lot: Eli Roth and Mark Waters to be Guest Judges?
I think I’m one of the only people still watching Fox’s filmmaking reality show On The Lot. And I’m not quite sure why I’m still watching, they’ve done everything they can to make it an unenjoyable experience. And last week the Marty Martin, the most gifted filmmaker of the bunch was voted off because the public thought he was arrogant. Imagine if Hollywood kicked out all arrogant directors… We’d have no Star Wars or Godfather films.
Reality TV Magazine are reporting that “Mean Girls” director Mark Waters and “Hostel Part II” director Eli Roth will serve as the next two guest judges alongside regulars Carrie Fisher and Garry Marshall. Waters will be on tonight judging six comedy films, and Roth will guest next week to judge six horror films. I’m wondering if any of the remaining filmmakers will include torture porn in their short film to get on Roth’s good side?
Brett Ratner Leaves On The Lot: Did He Get FIRED or Did He RUN AWAY?
Okay, so Steven Speilberg’s new filmmaking reality tv show isn’t doing so well. And that’s unfortunate because it’s such a great idea but so badly executed. The ratings are hugely disappointing, the show is uninteresting at best, and now the two night “event” is being slimmed down to a one night show. It also doesn’t help that the show skipped an entire episode. Did anyone else notice this? Last week’s episode left off with a cliffhanger, and without notice or explanation, this week jumped a head a week or may-be even a couple weeks to the American Idol like stage show (am I wrong?).
Not only that, but HACK director Brett Ratner completely disappeared as one of the show’s judges. What happened? Did Ratner run away from yet another bomb? Or did the network fire him after they realized he was not connecting with the audiences. And if so, why is Carrie Fisher still there?