|
Post by Admin on May 20, 2020 19:17:05 GMT
30 Rock was the show that really, truly launched Donald Glover’s career, even before he was cast on Community. Fey and her collaborators had the good taste to hire Glover essentially straight out of college. In addition to writing for the show and, especially, helping to flesh out the character of Kenneth the Page (Glover, too, was raised in Stone Mountain, Georgia), he made a few cameo appearances, including as a young Tracy during a flashback in the live 30 Rock episodes in 2010. Childish Gambino fans, please note that Glover also wrote, spoke (as the producer character), and sang (doing his Tracy Morgan impression) on “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah.”
Posted sporadically to the NBC website (and, if I remember correctly, included on the 30 Rock DVDs), Ask Tina was an off-the-cuff segment where Fey answered questions from fans, mostly about 30 Rock trivia but occasionally containing helpful life tips, like this tidbit about Chicago: “Chicago is a real city. Manhattan is like Epcot Center. Chicago is a No-Joke City. If you are in a neighborhood where you’re like, Hey, this might be a bad neighborhood, you’re right. Get out of there.”
Yes, it’s another SNL commercial parody about the particulars of the adult female body (I wish I could find a link to the one about moisturizer for your coin slot; at least we have this fan-made remake). 30 Rock fans will note that Avery Jessup takes another brand of get-your-period-once-a-year birth control, Dodecacil, though for plot reasons she gets pregnant anyway.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on May 21, 2020 2:06:25 GMT
Television is a collaborative medium. Your favorite 30 Rock joke may not have been written by Fey at all. For instance, “I want to go to there,” a Liz Lemonism from episode five’s “Generalissimo” and season three’s “Reunion,” was coined by her daughter, Alice.
Some more daughter trivia: Alice Richmond is also responsible for the line “Hello, beautiful eyes, do you mind if I party with you?” It was never on television, but it’s worth quoting anyway. You might remember her from that time she became a meme. More recently, Alice and her sister Penelope have been spending quarantine putting on talent shows, creeping out Jimmy Fallon, and making fun of Seth Meyers.
Given their chemistry behind the “Update” desk (2004–6), it was only natural for Fey and Amy Poehler to pair up on the big screen, and Baby Mama is a very enjoyable, if safe, entry into the odd-couple genre of buddy comedies. 2015’s Sisters, in which they play sisters, has some funny scenes but not enough plot to sustain itself, and 2019’s Wine Country has a handful of funny moments and almost no plot at all. (For the sake of completism, they’re also both in Mean Girls, and they’re both great in it, but they don’t interact.) If you’re a fan of the Poehler-Fey friendship and looking for a movie to watch, Baby Mama is the one to watch (their press tour for the movie is also charming).
|
|
|
Post by Admin on May 21, 2020 21:05:09 GMT
Fey was great behind the “Update” desk: smart and sharp next to Fallon’s looser, goofier style from 2000 to 2004, then warmer and giddier alongside Poehler from 2004 to 2006 (the first and so far only female co-hosts of the segment). But topical jokes aren’t built to be revisited decades later, and while many bits are still funny, the enduring image of Fey as faux newscaster comes from an appearance after her time as a writer and cast member, when she returned to comment on, among other topics, Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the 2008 Democratic nomination. Without getting into Clinton’s merits as a candidate, Fey points out the illogic of some of the media’s criticisms of her before conceding the overarching point: “Maybe what bothers me the most is when people say that Hillary is a bitch. Let me say something about that: Yeah, she is. And so am I. And so is [Poehler] … Bitches get stuff done.”
A thousand “Nasty Woman” tote bags later, reclaiming sexist insults doesn’t pack quite the punch it used to. But at the time, offering a counter definition of the term — bitch, noun: person who gets stuff done — was a smart way to get around questions of likability. It’s territory Fey knew well. During her tenure as SNL head writer, Colin Quinn called her a c*nt (he apologized), likely a familiar experience for women working above employees not used to having a female superior. I see this moment, more so than the incident’s later fictionalization on 30 Rock (season one’s “The C Word”), as Fey’s final word on the patriarchy’s bitterness toward women in power.
A few months later, Clinton dropped out and the McCain campaign tried to scoop up her voter base by adding, apparently, the first woman they could find to the ticket, so Fey was called back to SNL to portray her political doppelgänger and you know the rest. Most of her Sarah Palin bits were written by Seth Meyers when they weren’t just lifted verbatim from Palin herself. Their resemblance was so striking that Fox News actually used a picture of Fey-as-Palin in a piece about the Alaska governor (or, you know, maybe the people who work at Fox just aren’t that smart).
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Jun 14, 2020 20:32:57 GMT
There are very few television duos more legendary than Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy, the characters that comedic actors Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin play on 30 Rock. The award-winning series, which was created by Fey herself, follows her character through her daily life working as the head writer on a variety show, which parallels Fey’s real-life experience as a writer for Saturday Night Live. http://instagram.com/p/B_pP4VGnuOd Fey is a comedic legend who’s been in the industry for over two decades. She started as a writer for world-famous Saturday Night Live in 1997, where she produced comedy gold until 2006. Who could forget her hilarious portrayal of 2008 vice-presidential hopeful Sarah Palin? She could have peaked there, but Fey’s talent and success in comedy have only grown exponentially since her SNL days. http://instagram.com/p/B-hrIC9n58t Fey has gone onto star in movies with SNL buddy and co-star Amy Poehler, but her most successful venture yet might be her years on 30 Rock. Fey not only starred on the show but also created it. Fey plays Liz Lemon, who is the head writer for the show-within-the-show and is constantly cleaning up after the show’s stars and executive producer. As might be expected from such a stellar cast, the results are hilarious! Although she credits the presence of co-star Baldwin for the show’s success, we think that her skills had something to do with it, too. There are very few television duos more legendary than Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy, the characters that comedic actors Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin play on 30 Rock. The award-winning series, which was created by Fey herself, follows her character through her daily life working as the head writer on a variety show, which parallels Fey’s real-life experience as a writer for Saturday Night Live. The best part of 30 Rock is inarguably watching Liz and Jack’s platonic relationship unfold and become stronger despite sometimes butting heads. But how about the actors who play these characters? Are Fey and Baldwin really friends, or is it all just acting? Baldwin has had such a prolific acting career that one might wonder why he decided to star on Tina Fey’s sit-com. Although he does more comedic acting now and even appears on Saturday Night Live, he started off as a very serious actor and has had a career that’s spanned decades. Many people don’t know that Baldwin started out on the Broadway scene, but he quickly made his way up to television and film. Toward the beginning of his career, he focused only on dramatic roles, but he impressed the world with his comedic skills when he was asked to host SNL in the 90s. His role as conservative and overbearing executive producer Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock really cemented his place in the comedy world. Fey has shared that she wrote the character specifically for Baldwin, but explained: “[N]one of us had the balls to talk to him about it.”
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Jun 17, 2020 23:57:49 GMT
On Thursday, July 16, the cast of the beloved NBC series will return for a special Upfront event, where they will celebrate the stories and talent featured in NBCUniversal's 2020-21 TV season.
Tina Fey (Liz Lemon), Alec Baldwin (Jack Donaghy), Tracy Morgan (Tracy Jordan), Jane Krakowski (Jenna Maroney), Jack McBrayer (Kenneth Parcell) and more will return for the hour-long, commercial-free event.
“We’re all happy to have this excuse to (remotely) work together again for NBC," 30 Rock Executive Producers Fey and Robert Carlock said in a statement. "To quote Kenneth the Page, there are only two things we love in this world, television and everyone."
The special — which will be directed by Saturday Night Live's Oz Rodriguez — will feature guest appearances from actors from across its platform and portfolio, as well as highlight new and returning programming from NBC-owned channels and networks.
"At NBCUniversal, we’re excited to produce an Upfront that reflects a new reality and celebrates our relationship with viewers and advertisers alike. Historically, this event is about the future of programming; this year, it’s about the future of our industry — a future where we can meet audiences wherever they are, with the stories that move them," Linda Yaccarino, Chairman, Advertising & Partnerships, NBCUniversal, said in a statement. "As the old saying goes ... when life hands you Lemon, have her host the Upfront!"
30 Rock aired for seven seasons from 2006-2013 on NBC and is the winner of 16 Emmy Awards.
The 30 Rock special Upfront event will premiere Thursday, July 16 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. It will also rebroadcast across USA Network, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, SYFY and CNBC as well as be available to stream on Peacock on Friday, July 17 at 9 p.m. ET.
|
|