Results tagged “30rock”

Today the cast and crew of 30 Rock took over the NY1 newsroom, and Pat Kiernan has done a terrific job of live-blogging and Twittering behind the scenes — including a note to his future self, saying, "Just had a nice chat with Alec Baldwin. Turns out he's a regular NY1 viewer. Must be nice next time there's a tabloid headline on In the Papers." Speaking of In the Papers, there was a missed opportunity for comedy gold by not turning over today's segment to Tracy Jordan. more ›

After months of talks, cable giant Comcast has made a deal with General Electric for NBC. According to the NY Times, "The agreement will create a joint venture, with Comcast owning 51 percent and G.E. owning 49 percent. Comcast will contribute to the joint venture its stable of cable channels, which includes Versus, the Golf Channel and E Entertainment, worth about $7.25 billion, and will pay G.E. about $6.5 billion in cash, for a total of $13.75 billion. For now, the network will remain NBC Universal, but ultimately Comcast could decide to change the name." Fun facts: GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt and other execs "intend" to keep their offices at 30 Rock and want the GE logo to remain at the top of the building. more ›

Some two years after the fact, folks are still asking Alec Baldwin about The Voicemail. This time around it's not quite the sprawling New Yorker piece, but a short Playboy interview. The actor told the magazine that following the incident, he trusted The View as a safe forum where he could "get a fair shake." However, he quickly turned his back to another NYC morning show, declaring, "I'm on an NBC show, and Today was considered vital. But when that voice-mail tape thing happened, Matt Lauer interviewed [TMZ's Harvey] Levin before he even called me. Lauer put Levin on Today, and they never phoned me. When it’s in their interest to reach me, they know how. I saw that and said, ‘My relationship with the Today show is over.’ I’ll never do Today again, ever. Life’s too short." And as for 30 Rock, he plans to retire in 2012 when, presumably, he'll begin living a fantasy life with a new family that is unaware of his past life as a celebrity. more ›

People around comedy have been saying "it's gonna happen" for Donald Glover for a long time now. His first job merely months after graduating from NYU was writing for 30 Rock just as it was getting started. Now he's leaving that job to step in front of the camera as a cast member in The Community, a sitcom set at a community college he stars in alongside Joel McHale and Chevy Chase. It's one of two new pilots that have already been picked up by NBC for fall, which means we'll be losing Donald any day now as he makes the leap to Los Angeles. more ›

On last week's 30 Rock we learned a little bit about Liz Lemon's past life where she pursued acting and starred in (at least one) phone sex commercial that aired in the "Greater Chicagoland" area. NBC has finally offered up the full commercial online—if you had 70 cents for the first minute and 6 cents each additional minute, would you call 1-900-OK-FACE? more ›

Local TV nerds likely have their TiVos set to record NBC at 9:30 tonight on both tuners to make sure they don't miss the debut of Man Men's Jon Hamm in his guest role as Liz Lemon's new love interest on 30 Rock. Last night Hamm was promoting his gig on Conan and revealed that he and Tina Fey were shooting one of their scenes when she spotted Flight 1549 flying low on its descent towards the Hudson two weeks ago. Conan wondered if Hamm's good looks could have been the culprit! Captain Sully and Don Draper? Hubba hubba. more ›

Alec Baldwin just can't keep his mouth shut, not when it comes to his daughter, or the Upper West Side...or his meal ticket. Star reports, "During a recent photo shoot on the set, the notoriously difficult actor sniped to the photographer, 'Get ready to do a lot of airbrushing.' Tina, who has a childhood scar on her left cheek, fired back, 'Something wrong with my face?' Alec upped the ante by saying it's her entire body that's the problem." A verbal spar with Tina Fey? Oh, Alec. She shot back saying "this was coming from a guy with a double chin who thinks Sarah Palin is hot," which allegedly had Baldwin fuming. Those close to the feud think that Fey, creator and star of 30 Rock, is finally gaining some confidence and beginning to call her co-worker out on things, though Gawker suspects the feud was created to drum up publicity for the show. Hmm, where's Oprah? Or that 12-year-old girl Pam? UPDATE: OK! Magazine disputes Star's rumor: "Alas, show insiders tell OK! that this is all just a mean-spirited dream. Not only was there no catfight during the photoshoot — there hasn't even been a photoshoot in months!" An insider adds, "There was no recent photo shoot with the two of them on set. The last shoot was back in October for TV Guide and nothing like what's being described in that story happened." more ›

The US Postal Service reopened a newly modified Operation Santa Claus yesterday after it had been temporarily shut down earlier this week following a "breach of security" when a postal worker discovered that a registered sex offender in Maryland "adopted" one of the hundreds of thousands of letters to Santa sent in by needy children this holiday season. more ›

Vanity Fair’s January cover story is on “America’s New Sweetheart” Tina Fey and (being Vanity Fair and all) it primarily focuses on how Fey transformed from being the frumpy 25-year-old virgin who one agent assumed was having an affair with Lorne Michaels to the sexy librarian The New Yorker recently called “the sex symbol for every man who reads without moving his lips.” more ›

The blog Eat Me Daily posted a video clip yesterday from the opening of Thursday's 30 Rock where Gavin Volure, the eccentric billionaire played by Steve Martin asks what the good cupcake spots are in New York. Tina Fey's food crazy Upper West Sider Liz Lemon quickly fires back, "77th and Amsterdam, 68th and Columbus, 125th and President Clinton Boulevard." The blog noted that the uptown Magnolia Bakery is actually at 69th and Columbus, but they weren't aware of anywhere at 77th and Amsterdam. Could she have been talking about Crumbs on 75th and Amsterdam? And while we know that there's no President Clinton Boulevard (yet), could Lemon have meant Make My Cake on Adam Clayton Powell Blvd? Not to be all cupcake conspiracy theorist, but maybe Fey was trying to maintain her cupcake credibility without blowing up all her favorite spots. Why else would she not have mentioned Soutine? more ›

Tina Fey has been making her 30 Rock promo rounds (the season premiere airs tomorrow) and appeared on Conan last night, where the first segment was all about that other show: SNL. (She says her recent stints at her old gig have been akin to "moving back in with your parents.") more ›

Did you know that getting into the NBC page program is ten times as competitive as admission to Harvard or Yale? The Times takes a look into the position currently brought to life by Jack McBrayer as the character Kenneth on 30 Rock. The program's humble job description includes working six days a week and getting paid $10 an hour to "photocopy, fetch coffee and often stand sentry outside studio doors in empty hallways." (There's no mention if pages have to clean Brian Williams's dressing room before he gets back from the liquor store as Kenneth does.) The Times even suggests that competition to be a page is so cutthroat that in real life, the naive- but-gung-ho Kenneth might not make the grade. Meanwhile, McBrayer admits to the paper that when he is mistaken for an actual page around the building, he simply plays the part saying, “Instead of giving the whole spiel, that I’m an actor in a fake show, I just look down at the phone list and type ‘2379, Marci Klein.’ ” more ›

30 Rock is pulling in the big names for their upcoming season (which begins October 30th). Jennifer Aniston was just shooting an episode (pictured), Will Arnett is also reprising his Devin Banks role, and now word is coming in that Oprah Winfrey herself will even be making an appearance. E! reports that the episode "is tentatively set to air Nov. 6. According to reliable insiders, the initial plan (subject to change) is that she will be playing herself, with all of her scenes opposite Tina Fey's fabulous Liz Lemon." Earlier this year Fey said, "I still want Oprah to play my best friend. I want to spend time with Oprah. And I don't know what I need to do to make that happen." She also said, "We would love to work with Britney. I worked with her twice on 'SNL' and she was very professional and nice." more ›

Last night at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, a group of journalists and entertainers were honored for their work in 2007 at the ceremony for the 67th Annual Peabody Awards. This year's awards, administered by the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and selected by a board, are considered one of the most prestigious awards in electronic media (films intended for wide theatrical release are not allowed), were given to 35 different recipients--many of them NYC-based entities, like the series 30 Rock and Mad Men, the mock-news show The Colbert Report, reality show Project Runway and WNYC's The Brian Lehrer Show. more ›

Should Mayor Bloomberg consider acting after leaving City Hall? He's appeared on Law & Order (twice), he's supposed to be appear in the upcoming Sex and the City movie, and he just had a cameo on a 30 Rock. The 30 Rock cameo is pretty hard to beat, as Bloomberg presents a medal to a subway hero--recalling how he honored actual subway hero Wesley Autrey--except the show's subway hero is the sleazy Beeper King ex-boyfriend of Liz Lemon (played by Dean Winters). Yes, the ex-boyfriend who was ensnared in a Dateline To Catch a Predator segment. Here's the part with Mayor Bloomberg: more ›

Finally, our wait is over! A new 30 Rock airs tonight at 8:30 p.m. followed by a new installment of The Office. more ›

Due to the Writer's Guild of America strike, Hollywood's party, the Golden Globes Awards were transformed from a boozy, fun dinner party to a press conference where presenters from entertainment programs like Extra! and E! News got to announce the winners. Yes, it was as painful as it sounded (Giuliana Rancic, it's not about you); many said they couldn't believe they were announcing the winners but said they would prefer it with the stars. Inside Edition's Jim Moret struck a classy note when he acknowledged the Hollywood Foreign Association (the organization that doles out the Golden Globes) President Jorge Camara. more ›

While Six Sigma's goal-oriented blather and obsession with measuring everything was jarring, it was also weirdly familiar, inasmuch as it was strikingly reminiscent of my college Maoism I class. Mao seemed to be a good model for Jack Welch and his Six Sigma foot soldiers; Six Sigma's "Champions" and "Black Belts" were Mao's "Cadres" and "Squad Leaders." more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a bank robbery on Austin Rd. in Queens, another bank robbery on Church Ave. in Brooklyn, and a police car vs. scaffolding in Manhattan; the scaffolding has been compromised.
• A Queens high school was locked down this afternoon for two hours after a student's 'To Do' list was found listing seven students "To kill today."
• The projected cost of restoring the separate homes that constitute Admiral's Row at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
• Alcides Moreno, who fell more than 40 stories in an accident that killed his brother, has been yawning and moving his arms and legs.
• The owner of Central Park Carriage and Horse Stables and the managers of Wicker Park Cafe and Bistro and Penang on Columbus Circle were arrested for attempting to bribe a Consumer Affairs inspector, hoping he'd overlook multiple violations.
• A $10,000 security system is being installed at the Wollman Rink in Prospect Park after thieves broke into the skating facility's concession stand last week.
• The ad sales execs at NBC are getting tricky by placing AmEx bumper spots featuring cast members of Tina Fey's "30 Rock" that segue directly from the show.

SHOP: Still looking for that perfect gift? The Brooklyn Historical Society is holding the 4th Annual NY Creates Craft Fair, and they may have just what you're looking for. Check it out today and tomorrow, and it will be back the 22nd and 23rd for the real last-minute shoppers. more ›

Early this morning Hayden Panettiere and other Hollywood elite looked ready to hit the town for a night out even though it was 5:30am. They were announcing this year's Golden Globe nominees, often a good sign for who will be nominated for that other gold statue. All in all New York-based shows and movies fared well as the envelopes were opened sheets of paper were read from. 30 Rock (Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical... more ›

Christie's is finally getting on the overpriced vintage concert t-shirt bandwagon. Today they bring 30 rock tees to the block as part of their Rock and Pop Memorabilia auction, and all are expected to sell for up to $4,500 each. Remember when Stella McCartney was creating overpriced rock tees for Chloe? We sort of blame her for this."The fact that these T-shirts exist in such pristine condition is remarkable because most people didn't keep these... more ›

A look at some noteworthy television this week: Lincoln Center Tree Lighting 2007 (Monday, 5:30 p.m, WABC 7) Good Morning America’s Sam Champion and WABC’s Sade Baderinwa host the first televised tree lighting of the season. There will be some performances by Lincoln Center’s resident companies and some guest’s from channel 7’s owner Disney on hand for entertainment for the 8th annual Lincoln Center Holiday Tree lighting. America at a Crossroads (Monday, 9:00 p.m &... more ›

Saturday night viewers of NBC didn't get a new episode of Saturday Night Live, but 150 audience members at the UCB Theater did! Live and un-aired, the show was to help raise money for crew members affected by the strike. Amy Poehler, who organized the event, made this statement:"The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater is a second home to a lot of these performers and writers. We are doing this to raise spirits, raise awareness, and... more ›

City Councilman Simcha Felder's proposed legislation to fine people $1,000 for feeding pigeons has struck a nerve. Felder and other elected officials claim that pigeons' poop is harmful to New Yorkers and, therefore, various ways to limit pigeons' eating and procreating should be explored. But some pigeon lovers are unhappy with the level of vitriol directed at the city's unofficial bird. Hence the video from Animaniacs, "Goodfeathers" (it's 10 minutes, so settle in to... more ›

Wait a minute, didn't Brian Williams host Saturday NIght Live just two weeks ago, the one where Barack Obama appeared in the opening? Yes, but with the Writers Guild strike still on, Saturday Night Live decided to revisit the recent past, versus dig into old "Best of" clip shows. The unfortunate thing is that Page Six reports 90% of the SNL production staff was fired "until further notice" because of the strike. Other TV shows'... more ›

While the maple syrup smell remains a two-year-old mystery to us, 30 Rock entered the fray with a hypothesis. On last night's episode, Liz Lemon, who smells waffles from her Upper West Side apartment, calls Tracy Jordan to remind him to practice his Re-Run dance for the What's Happening! sketch. But Tracy, in his NJ home, says that the smell of waffles is distracting him. Then Liz gets another call - it's Jack Donaghy,... more ›

First amNewYork outs the secret bars around town, and now the NY Post is revealing the up-until-now secret shows happening soon at UCB. The casts of 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live, both taking part in the WGA strike (as the actors are also writers), are bringing their shows to the stage. Each will perform new episodes live, in the small 150-seat theater -- 30 Rock on Monday the 19th and Saturday Night Live on... more ›

A look at some noteworthy television this week: Art in the Twenty-First Century (Sunday, 10:00 p.m., WNET 13) Four artists - Robert Adams, Mark Dion , Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle Ursula von Rydingsvard – who explore the intersection between nature and culture. Billy Crystal: The Mark Twain Prize (Monday & Thursday, 9:00 p.m., WNET 13; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. WLIW 21) Billy Crystal receives the tenth annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center in... more ›