Tag Archives: Alec Baldwin

Night Cheese and Ham: Celebrating ’30 Rock’ and Seven Years of Fantastic TV

As 30 Rock wraps up its 7 year run, it is very easy to mourn its loss. Instead, like any other good funeral, we should be celebrating the life of one of TV’s most recent great sitcoms. It is a show that has worked its way into many fan’s everyday lexicon and is full of one-liners that should stand the test of time.

It may not have been a ratings darling, but the fans of 30 Rock are a fiercely loyal group. For seven years we’ve followed the friendship of Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy. We’ve watched in wonder as Tracy Jordan and Jenna Maroney somehow found a way to top themselves. We’ve questioned what the hell was wrong with Kenneth. From the first season we’ve wondered if Liz Lemon was ever going to be able to save herself from herself and find the happiness she so desperately sought.

Like Liz Lemon, you will most often find us eating cheese at night and requesting that someone bring us some ham.

Haaaaammmm

Night cheese and ham. That right there is the secret to 30 Rock’s greatness. Why? Because it is unassuming, it’s ridiculous, and most of all, it’s smart. A show that you have to really watch to catch all the fast dialogue, and pay attention to get all the jokes. It’s a refreshing change.

Sadly, we live in the age of predominantly stupid television. There are obviously bright spots, but those are most often found in the drama category. Sitcoms are seen as a 30 minute package for the same old jokes week in and week out. You don’t really need to have a vested interest in a sitcom anymore. You can watch one episode every few weeks and not feel like you’ve missed anything because every episode they will tell you exactly why each joke is funny. Every week of Big Bang Theory sets up the guys as nerds, and every single joke stems from that simple concept. 30 Rock’s jokes were often like a long con. You look back and realize that they’ve been setting it up for seven years only to have the final payoff in the last scene of the show. There were always allusions to the idea of Kenneth living forever, but at the time it just seemed like weird Kenneth being weird Kenneth. Turns out, he does live forever!

Kenneth head of NBC

This is what set 30 Rock apart. It rewarded viewers for watching. It’s like we were let in on the inside jokes. Yes, there were obvious recurring themes like Liz’s love of bad food, and Jenna’s obsession with herself, but those were not the focus of the entire show. In the finale, there were plenty of throwbacks to old jokes and while watching it I felt like I was just playing a game of “hey, remember when?” with an old friend.

In every game of “hey remember when?”, there’s that moment where you get a little catch in your throat and realize that even though there are jokes and humor, at the same time there’s been a tenderness. EvenSally The Dick Van Dyke Show though 30 Rock never played up the drama side there was still a humanness to it that caused you to nod your head and realize, “yeah, I know exactly what that feels like.” That is what sets a great sitcom apart from a run of the mill sitcom.

Perhaps my favorite episode of a sitcom ever is “Where You Been, Fassbinder?” in season one of The Dick Van Dyke Show. It’s Sally’s birthday and through one funny misstep after another, she finds herself alone. Even her cat has ditched her! Of course it all works out and ends up being quite humorous in the process. I first watched that episode probably more than twenty years ago. It still makes me laugh and cry to this day. Twenty years from now I’ll probably think of Liz Lemon standing in the airport waiting for her newly adopted twins and have that same feeling. There aren’t that many shows that have that kind of impact, I can assure you people won’t remember much of Two and a Half Men beyond the basic premise decades from now.

Liz and Criss in airport

While I don’t think it was Tina Fey’s responsibility by any means, it’s undeniable that she has changed the face of women in comedic television. Everyone knows about Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Betty White, Mary Tyler Moore, and countless other funny women through history. Problem is, even though many of those women were also fantastic business and creative minds, they were mainly known for their performances on screen. Tina Fey turned the tide on that thinking. There are just as many people who see her as a funny writer, not just that funny chick who was Sarah Palin on SNL. Whether it was her intention or not, she has paved the way for an entire new generation of women created television.

So is 30 Rock a candidate for our Gone Too Soon category? No. It was time. The fact it had seven years really is amazing. The ratings were never very good, and they were dwindling as the years went on. However, for me and the ten other people who tuned in each Thursday, it will be missed.


Images: NBC

Countdown to Halloween #14: Beetlejuice

We’re almost in the home stretch, Halloween is just around the corner; what better time to summon everyone’s favorite bio-exterminator, Beetlejuice!

“Though I know I should be wary,
Still I venture someplace scary;
Ghostly hauntings I turn loose …
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!”

Continue reading Countdown to Halloween #14: Beetlejuice

Louis CK and the Diceman to Star in Woody Allen Film

Woody Allen has always been known for his somewhat offbeat casting, as well as working with pretty much every actor in Hollywood, but today’s casting news regarding Allen’s next film is both long overdue, and completely surprising. Comedians Louis CK and Andrew Dice Clay are both set to star in Woody Allen’s next film. With no title or any plot details released, the only thing we know is that the cast will also include Alec Baldwin, Cate Blanchett, and Peter Sarsgaard.

According to Film Drunk, Louis CK hired story editor, Susan E. Morse, a woman who used to work for Woody Allen. In an interview regarding the film, she had this to say:

“I think it would be absolutely great for those two guys to work together and to collaborate on some level. I think they would appreciate each other. They have different and similar personalities; it would be interesting to see them together. I think one of the things Woody would love about Louis would be the fact that there’s no way in hell Louis would be trying to “do Woody,” if he were to take on the “Woody Allen role” in a film. That was always an exasperating thing that would happen when people were trying to carry that lead role, they would often try to mimic Woody’s delivery, whereas he encouraged them to be themselves. He was always happier if they took whatever he wrote and put it in a vocabulary that was natural to them, rather than to say things literally, the way he had written them. Nothing was to be taken as though it was etched in stone.”

The casting of notoriously foul-mouthed Dice Clay is still a surprising turn of events, but considering Allen has worked with everyone from Owen Wilson to Alan Alda to Will Ferrell to even Leonardo DiCaprio, I’m sure he can make it work. Fresh off of winning an Oscar for his 2011 film Midnight In Paris, Allen’s next film, To Rome With Love, is set to be released on June 22nd of this year, but that hasn’t stopped Allen from getting right back to work on his 2013 film.

As for Louis CK, well, there’s no doubt that it’s going to spark comedic gold. Although 2009’s Whatever Works wasn’t Allen’s best film, there’s no question that Larry David’s committed performance wasn’t a near-perfect meeting of the minds. With that being said, I wish Allen would use CK for a more dramatic role, something I know he’s capable of. The 2000s gave fans of Allen two great dramas, Match Point and Cassandra’s Dream. I think it’d be pretty cool if Allen went against expectations and, instead of bringing a bunch of funny people together to do a comedy, he did a drama instead. Still, this probably won’t be the case and I’m excited for any collaboration between Allen and CK.

Movie Trailer Roundup: Wrath of the Titans, The Dictator, Lock-Out and MORE!

Wrath of the Titans

Perseus embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, who has been targeted for capture by his traitorous son, Ares, and his brother, Hades.

Stars: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Bill Nighy, Rosamund Pike, Edgar Ramirez, Danny Huston

Release Date: March 30th, 2012

Continue reading Movie Trailer Roundup: Wrath of the Titans, The Dictator, Lock-Out and MORE!

NBC’s Thursday Nights: Community, Parks and Rec, The Office, 30 Rock and Whitney

Thursday night on NBC has an amazing history of being home to some of the most popular comedies. From Cheers and The Cosby Show to Friends and Will and Grace. They had a few shaky years at the end of Friends, but they have slowly built back what was a respectable comedy lineup back on Thursday nights with Community, Parks and Recreation, the Office and 30 Rock. Unfortunately, all these shows haven’t hit their stride at the same time to build that viewership base and the ratings for these sometimes great shows has suffered.

Continue reading NBC’s Thursday Nights: Community, Parks and Rec, The Office, 30 Rock and Whitney

Beetlejuice Returning to the Big Screen?

Growing up my sister and I had a VHS with both Beetlejuice and Short Circuit 2 on it. We watched the shit out of that tape, and for that reason, I was excited when I heard that Short Circuit was getting some new life breathed into the franchise. I got nostalgic and intrigued, but now, news of a possible Bettlejuice sequel moving forward dwarfs that. Beetlejuice was for sure one of my favorite movies as a kid.

It also spawned a cartoon I actually enjoyed too. Even if it didn’t make any sense…

If you’ve not seen Beetlejuice because you’re either too young or an idiot, let me fill you in. It stars one of the most underrated actors of all-time – Pre-Batman Michael Keaton. He plays a poltergeist for hire who haunts houses for other ghosts. The newly deceased couple that hires him to rid their home of the pesky living who moved in are played by Jack Donaghy Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis.

The family they are trying to push out, the Deetz family, is portrayed by Jeffrey Jones, as his wife Catherine O’Hara, and their daughter, the one who can see the ghosts, is the lovely Winona Ryder.

It’s been 23 years since the first movie came out, and there have been plenty of rumors about a sequel since then. The most recent come from Worst Previews:

We’ve been hearing about a “Beetlejuice” sequel for years. Even Michael Keaton and Geena Davis have been looking for ways to get the second installment off the ground.

Now comes word that David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith have just signed a two-year first-look producing deal at Warner Bros and one of their first projects is expected to be a sequel to “Beetlejuice.” The new film will not be a remake. The intent is to reboot it by advancing the storyline of the original.

“We first got to know Seth through his fantastic work on ‘Dark Shadows,'” said the studio. “And it immediately became a priority to expand our relationship with him. Seth introduced us to David. We firmly believe in their talents and are extremely excited to welcome them to the Warners family.”

Both Grahame-Smith and Katzenberg were attached as co-directors for “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” before Craig Gillespie got the job. 

Thank You FilmDrunk! Sheen/Gibson/Bale/Baldwin Mashup!

Oh Charlie Sheen, you’re the gift that just keeps giving.

I’d like to point out that since my ‘Two Men and a Crackhead‘ piece, it’s been nothing but downhill for the show that’s so easy to hate. It now appears as though the show may be coming to an end and I couldn’t be happier. And apparently neither could Charlie Sheen seeing as he just wont shut up. He went on yet another radio show, and below is some of said audio. Thanks to our friends over at Filmdrunk have just created a masterpiece.