A new 30 Rock thread because I can't find the old one

yeah...sharp comedy writers coming with one with cleverly scripted jokes one after another just can't hold a candle to actors improvising a purposefully bad joke, and then staring sullenly at the camera while the other people in the scene respond with awkward silence.

would you like some ketchup with those onion ZINGs?

bro not only do i know that robin tunney is on prison break i also know this celeb tidbit which i would no doubt work charmingly into my review, perhaps as a cold open that i would then weave into a larger metaphor about her acting on the show:

Reviews have cold opens now? MORE SOULLESS CORPORATISM AT WORK???

30 Rock needs to forget those cleverly scripted jokes and get back to mainlining non-sequiturs.

I fells the Human Macarena line last week was a little too clever. I still laughed like a drain though, so who cares?

The scripted nature of this is precisely why I like it more than The Office, so I guess that just saying something about preferences -- I enjoy dialog that's transparently "written," I don't really understand the whole TV/film attachment to "naturalism" on this front, and I like the breezy way this show tosses away that attachment and lets itself be arch and artificial at times. (Overall I suspect that not enough television allows itself to do this, not just with dialog but with so many other things!)

The Office is probably the second-best show on NBC, and yet I could even imagine watching it regularly. I find the "story" elements completely boring, and its dramatic moments unearned. Which is too bad, because the peripheral characters are hilarious, and Pam is cute.

yet I couldn't, rather.

One of the things I've laughed hardest at on 30 Rock was Tracy in therapy -- and the highlight of that scene, Jack's rapid-fire parade of voices, was definitely very scripted. But it was also something that felt very situational and in character. I think most of the jokes that don't work for me are Tracy or Kenneth delivering these Bruce Vilanch-style verbosely witty one-liners that seem at odds with the naivete of their characters. (Maybe that contradiction is why it's supposed to be funny, I dunno.)

Bruce Vilanch????????

I think most of the jokes that don't work for me are Tracy or Kenneth delivering these Bruce Vilanch-style verbosely witty one-liners that seem at odds with the naivete of their characters. (Maybe that contradiction is why it's supposed to be funny, I dunno.)

One of the things I've laughed hardest at on 30 Rock was Tracy in therapy -- and the highlight of that scene, Jack's rapid-fire parade of voices, was definitely very scripted. But it was also something that felt very situational and in character.

― jaymc, Monday, December 1, 2008 8:31 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

thats it right there - the show is super scripted but still glows cause it employs such GREAT ACTORS - a big chunk of the cast can just completely act their asses off

watch kenneth work just watch him work he isnt just standing around waiting to deliver a line guy is always reacting

office doesn't feel any less scripted to me!!

Max you know ilu but you sir are no kelefa.

Ftr, I would only recognize craft girl from craft or empire records. This is why k&i are meant to be together. Well, one of the reasons.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20243538,00.html?cnn=yes

the scar story is pretty fucked up

that's crazy

"She was quite round," Richmond says of his wife's pre-fame days in Chicago, But "in a lovely, turn-of-the-century kind of round – that beautiful, Rubenesque kind of beauty."

But after a makeover and going on Weight Watchers during her SNL period, Fey, who is half-Russian and half-Greek, knows what her greatest assets are.

"Because of the Greek-girl thing, I have, like, boobs and butt," she says. As a result, she adds, "I only have two speeds – either matronly or a little too slutty. I have to be steered away from cheetah print."

would love to see liz lemon wearing cheetah print

"I only have two speeds – either matronly or a little too slutty."

Ha, she knows what her key demo are after.

So this morning I walked past an actor I had almost entirely forgotten was even on this show -- remember Josh the impressionist, from the first season? Poor dude was sent packing with such finality that it took me a second to recognize him. (Also, due to this show, my first thought was "hey, it's Jimmy Fallon, except not.")

Haha wait a second:

P.S. I had actually forgotten there was even a character named "Josh" until he reappeared here. Him and Twofer = screwed lately

― nabisco, Friday, November 9, 2007 12:46 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark

^^ so maybe this just happens yearly, I dunno

ya what the hey, he always had some funny lines... gaybraham lincoln ("fourscore and seven beers ago")... the tracy impression... the ep where he renegoshes his contract

Yeah why'd they get rid of him? The worm vs the crab was one of the best episodes. Everybody who's saying the regular cast is getting shortchanged is right.

maybe he is still on the show, or in denial
When OK! saw hilarious rookie actor Lonny Ross, who plays the goofy comic Josh Girard, at the premiere of Soul Men in New York, we wanted to know what it was like working with stars like Jennifer Aniston.

"She's a sitcom veteran," said Lonny, "so she gets the (long) hours and how much work goes into a show like that. It's great when you get to work with someone like that," he said.

Cool! So you got to do some scenes with her?

"No," said Lonny. But added, "I heard she was great."

How about Oprah then? Any scenes with her?

"No.

"They keep us away," he confessed, referring to the novice stars, like Lonny, Keith Powell, aka Toofer, and Katrina Bowden, who plays Cerie.

"They don't want us bothering her."

So were there any guests at all you were excited about this season?

"Yes – Steve Martin," he beamed. "I mean, Steve Martin – that's the best there is.

"Another guy I didn't get to meet."

That is sad.

haha yeah imdb doesn't list him for any episodes since the end of season 2, wtf.

and it's not like Frank and Toof are on much either

trucker hat moron is still on too much

but he's still technically on the show, right? maybe hanging around in the writers' room scenes, without any lines?

I don't think he has many lines any more but they usually incorporate his hats into a gag here and there.

He kinda sucks but it was great when he wore the fancier hat earlier this season.

yeah that was a good joke

he had a couple good moments when he thought he was gay (or not gay, but gay for jamie).

who needs josh when you have JOSH HARTNETT http://www.okmagazine.com/news/view/5141

blergh

ughhh larry king's doing a guest star this season too

Yuck.

i never actually watched this bullshit but isnt this xxactly what the show will & grace was all about with the endless celebrity guest stars??? why are they doing this???

maybe the whole writing staff has rabies and they are not making good decisions because of the rabies

if its not a 2 second cameo from joy behar talking bout her vagina being a weird scary flower i dont wanna see any more famous ppl on the show this year

do more people genuinely watch shows because of celeb cameos? the shows that do that alot seem to be the ones where you can see a direct link to more celebs >>> less viewers (will and grace & simpsons come to mind) as its basically just admitting you are giving up on just being funny anymore. oh, and the last couple of seasons of friends until the last when they went back to storytelling. only show i can think of that done it properly was arrested development's LOL obvious joke of needing rubbish c list guests because of no ratings.

maybe network honchos are forcing the show to trot out the guest stars to increase ratings, unaware of a hoy hoy's research findings.

chill out dude. steve martin and aniston were funny, oprah had some lols, there's nothing really wrong with gratuitous cameos as long as the writers have a good idea of what to do with them.

xpost - i dunno how much cameos have meant for 30 Rock, but I know How I Met Your Mother had a big ratings jump with the Britney stunt. like i said upthread, though, 30 Rock gets a lot of its Emmy nominations/wins from celeb guest stars, so i think that's also a big motivating factor for them.

charlize theron is a c-list celeb? bitch won an oscar, no?

ok, i was thinking of zach braff and co (pre-shitty indie movie).

zack braff was funny on AD

do more people genuinely watch shows because of celeb cameos? the shows that do that alot seem to be the ones where you can see a direct link to more celebs >>> less viewers (will and grace & simpsons come to mind) as its basically just admitting you are giving up on just being funny anymore. oh, and the last couple of seasons of friends until the last when they went back to storytelling. only show i can think of that done it properly was arrested development's LOL obvious joke of needing rubbish c list guests because of no ratings.

― a hoy hoy, Tuesday, December 2, 2008 2:05 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

yeah and i mean the celeb guest stars in the big guest star heavy last few episodes was like andy richter, richard belzer, gary cole - not xxactly oprah and jennifer aniston

If guest stars help keep my show afloat and they continue to be well written and fun, I have no complaints. The only two I genuinely hated were Seinfeld and Sean Hayes.

no but scott baio, henry winkler, zack braff, james lipton, etc. xxxxposts

i kind of don't mind 30 rock not using every character every week. AD felt that way sometimes, like they HAD to give everyone facetime even if they gave them a lame joke or whatever