The Remote Island : 30 Rock

"30 Rock": Everybody Was In "Kidney Now" [VIDEO]

Jake Kalish — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:05:00 GMT

Everybody - and we mean everybody - was in that fake benefit song in the season finale of 30 Rock. Elvis Costello, Clay Aiken, Sheryl Crow, the Beastie Boys, Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, Mary J. Blige, Wyclef, Talib Kweli, Moby, Norah Jones, Cyndi Lauper, and more. Plus, the song had catchy lyrics:

This country has six million kidneys/and we really only need half/that leaves about three hundred million kidneys/Do the math.

Check it out...

PREVIOUSLY:

Judah Friedlander, World Champion [VIDEO]

Salma Hayek Likes To Sync Her Weddings With Her "30 Rock" Appearances

NBC: Incompetent Would Be A Step Up [VIDEO]

NBC: Incompetent Would Be A Step Up [VIDEO]

Jake Kalish — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:44:00 GMT

Apparently NBC's promo department can't distinguish between Tina Fey and Liz Lemon, the character she plays on 30 Rock...

A new promo, which discusses what's happening to various characters in various Peacock shows, says "Tina gets played in an all-new 30 Rock." No, she doesn't. But perhaps Liz Lemon does. Don't know if NBC's promotional people have always had a problem distinguishing between fantasy and reality, but just in case:

1) ALF is not real

2) KITT cannot talk, so stop asking it questions

3) That Japanese guy from Heroes isn't able to travel back in time, so don't keep requesting "cool Samurai stuff."

PREVIOUSLY:

Conan O'Brien Will Love This

We Called It: "Chopping Block" Has Been Chopped

Judah Friedlander, World Champion [VIDEO]

Salma Hayek Likes To Sync Her Weddings With Her "30 Rock" Appearances

Tracy Jordan Officially Is Tracy Morgan [VIDEO]

Salma Hayek Likes To Sync Her Weddings With Her "30 Rock" Appearances

Lindy Parker — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Salma Hayek returns to 30 Rock tonight! And, to celebrate she's planning another weekend wedding to husband François-Henri Pinault -- maybe since she cut her honeymoon short to make it to the set last time, she made a deal with F-HP that everytime she guests on the show, they'll renew their vows...

Salma Hayek and new husband François-Henri Pinault will say "I do" again this weekend in Italy...Word first got out when Antonio Bandera announced at a press conference in Spain that he and his wife, Melanie Griffith, would be attending the ceremony in Venice.
The celebration will kick off Friday with a rehearsal dinner, according to People en Español. The ceremony will be held Saturday at the Palazzo Grassi, a 18th century white marble palace owned by the Pinault family since 2005. (TV Guide)

Congratulations guys, really. Maybe this time you can squeeze in a real honeymoon. In honor of your nuptials (round 2), here's a clip from Salma's past visit to 30 Rock...

Previously:

Salma Hayek Honeymoons With 30 Rock

Helloooooo, Nurse!: Salma Hayek TONIGHT on 30 Rock!

Alec Baldwin Has Something To Say About Salma Hayek

Judah Friedlander, World Champion [VIDEO]

Jake Kalish — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:05:00 GMT

In addition to co-hosting Saturday night's TV Land awards with Neil Patrick Harris, the man we know and love as Frank Rossitano on 30 Rock has a new satellite radio show airing every Wednesday at 5 on "Raw Dog Comedy", Sirius Channel 104 and XM channel 150. The New York Post's Pop Wrap interviewed him about the show, humbly titled Judah Friedlander's World Champion Radio.

Among his revelations: Frank is no longer gay for Jamie...

PW: Your show tends to be very call-in heavy. Was that the plan?
Judah: I wanted to it be real loose but stand-up comedy-oriented. So I play a lot of clips from my shows that haven't been heard anywhere but during my sets. But my fans call in a lot to battle with my World Champion persona.

PW: For people who don't know, please explain who that is.
Judah: It's me as the greatest athlete in the world and a sex symbol. Callers like to challenge me to see if they're better at anything. Or some just want advice from the champion. Today someone wanted to talk about killing skills, another person asked me to marry her and someone else wanted to challenge me at golf. It's a lot of fun.

PW: What's the best World Champion story you've come up, I mean, lived recently?
Judah: This one time a guy at a comedy club thought they were a better fisherman than me so I started talking about how I won this surfing tournament by a lot and got bored, so I started fishing. Someone called out that they caught a 100-pound Tarpon, so I told them that I caught a whale, cut it open and found 40 Tarpon inside. Mostly in the 120-140 pound range, but I thanked them for offering up their subpar skills.

PW: So do you think Frank is still pining for Jamie?
Judah: No, he's over Jamie. Frank is no longer gay for Jamie. Uzebia, the cleaning lady, really got him over Jamie. That's the real reason he's been hooking up with so many chicks on the "TGS" set -- Frank had to get over Jamie!

Here's a video clip of Friedlander doing the radio show:

PREVIOUSLY:

"30 Rock" Star Is Looking For Love

Neil Patrick Harris As Pam Anderson Strangely Makes Us Want To Watch The TV Land Awards [PHOTO]

Tracy Jordan Officially Is Tracy Morgan [VIDEO]

Alec Baldwin Dating The "Stylista"?

Jake Kalish — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 20:04:00 GMT

Alec Baldwin took 29-year-old Johanna Cox, the winner of the CW Reality Show Stylista and thus now a fashion editor at Elle, to the premiere of his new movie Lymelife. Where they were reportedly canoodling. We're reporting this so we can type the word "canoodling." Canoodling....

Here's the word:

Onlookers are convinced the date, which took place two days before Baldwin's 51st birthday, was a love match.

A source tells Us Weekly, "They acted like a couple. They were holding hands."

Holding hands! That's third base! Man, if he also put his arm around her she's totally pregnant!

PREVIOUSLY:

"Stylista": Kind Of Like High School, But Bitchier

Alec Baldwin Wants Michelle Obama On "30 Rock"

Top 5 Things Alec Baldwin Should Do Next

Alec Baldwin Used To End His All-Night Benders In The '80's By Playing "Galaga"?

Tracy Jordan Officially Is Tracy Morgan [VIDEO]

Jake Kalish — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:33:00 GMT

What line between actor and character? There is no line. In August 2007, Tracy Morgan appeared on WGN Chicago's morning show. Among many other ridiculous things, he laid down on the news desk, lifted up his shirt, and did an impression of a pregnant woman. And the April 23rd ep of 30 Rock will air that WGN Chicago pregnant woman impression, as it actually happened - with the only change being that the person doing the impression will have two different letters in his last name. We'd say this is art imitating life, but it's art being life. And it's a great decision by 30 Rock, because this clip is incredible...

PREVIOUSLY:

Tracy Morgan vs. Jimmy Fallon Tonight

Tracy Morgan is All About "Karate And Getting Females Pregnant"

Tracy Morgan Is A Great Interview, Maybe A Terrible Date

We Want What Tracy Morgan Is Having

Alec Baldwin Wants Michelle Obama On "30 Rock"

Lindy Parker — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:00:00 GMT

When we first heard this news, we were relatively nonplussed -- after all, everyone else in the world has been on 30 Rock so it doesn't seem like that big of a stretch. But then, Alec Baldwin made it weird...

When asked what role Michelle Obama would play, Baldwin teased: "I think my character falls in love with Michelle Obama, of course." He jokingly added, "You know, if it doesn't work out with Barack ..." (People.com)

For some reason, this makes us feel creeped out. For one thing, we're not at all sure that Alec Baldwin doesn't toss back a few shots of Jack Daniels before he comes to work, and the idea of him showing up to the set soused, and shamelessly hitting on Michelle Obama is uncomfortably easy to imagine. Maybe Michelle's guest spot could invovle a romatic interlude with Liz Lemon instead? It seems safer to keep the First Lady out of Alec Baldwin's pervy clutches.

Previously:

"30 Rock": Thank God Liz Lemon Seems To Want Sex Again

Meryl Streep on "30 Rock"?

"30 Rock" Crossing Way Too Far Into Stunt Casting With Oprah, "Gossip Girl" Appearances

Salma Hayek Honeymoons With "30 Rock"

Salma Hayek's First TV Commercial [VIDEO]

Jake Kalish — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:30:00 GMT

The unbearably gorgeous Salma with ridiculous '80's hair and headband, in an ad for Burger Boy, a Mexican fast food chain.

Much love to BuzzFeed for the heads-up...

PREVIOUSLY:

Salma Hayek Honeymoons With "30 Rock"

Salma Hayek Breastfeeds Random Baby On "Nightline"

Hellooooo, Nurse!: Salma Hayek TONIGHT On "30 Rock"

Alec Baldwin Has Something To Say About Salma Hayek

Who Would You Rather: George Clooney Vs. Jon Hamm?

Olivia Purnell — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Tonight, George Clooney and Jon Hamm are back-to-back in primetime. Clooney will be on re-rocking his old scrubs as ER gets ready to go out in a blaze of glory, and Jon Hamm finishes up his 3 episode run on 30 Rock as Liz Lemon’s sexy/geeky love interest. Both play doctors. Both are, to use the technical terminology, super-duper hot.

The idea of these two titans touching timeslots [UPDATE: Guess not, actually; thanks Chicago Tribune! Annnnnywayyyy...] brings up a very serious question for us, a question we will be passing on to you. Search your soul and answer carefully. Who would you rather: Clooney on ER or Hamm on 30 Rock?

Just to remind you, here’s what we’re working with:

George Clooney plays Dr. Doug Ross, a sultry silver fox doctorman presumably schooled and skilled in all things anatomical.

Or Jon Ham's funny Clark Kent-type Dr. Drew Baird who’s both chisled and slightly nerdy (an elusive combo that is oh so difficult to find in the wild).

Obviously this is not an easy choice. Ladies, gentlemen, vote with your hearts:

Previously:

WTF Happened to Jon Hamm?

Jon Hamm Protects Us From His Handsomeness

Jon Hamm And His Problem Hair

"ER": Dr. Ross And Nurse Hathaway To Get It On Again March 12 [SPOILERS]

Juliana Margulies Gives Us a Nasty Case of Nostalgia

Susan Sarandon Will Join George Clooney On "ER"

First Photos of George Clooney's New Scrubs

Tracy Morgan vs. Jimmy Fallon Tonight

Jake Kalish — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:11:00 GMT

Tracy Morgan appears on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon tonight, which won't be as comfy for Fallon as you might think. See, even though Jimmy Fallon and Tracy Morgan worked together on SNL, they are not BFF's. Or don't you remember what Tracy said about Jimmy in the October 2007 issue of Penthouse?

The "30 Rock" star tells the October issue of Penthouse that his castmates were bothered during skits by Fallon's "laughing and all that dumb [bleep] he used to do - he wouldn't mess with me because I didn't [bleep]ing play that s - - t. That's taking all the attention off of everybody else and putting it on you, like, 'Oh, look at me, I'm the cute one.' I told him not to do that s - - t in my sketches, so he never did."

Oh dip. Tracy must have seen how harsh that sounded, so he was softening his remarks a couple weeks later, in an interview with The Onion's A.V. Club:

It wasn't meant to be malicious or anything, just an observation. It was annoying to everybody, I guess. I just said it. I don't know if he knew he was doing it. I don't have anything against Jimmy Fallon. I love Jimmy Fallon. He's my dude.

Aw, Tracy shouldn't have made nice. We want a battle. No violence, mind you; we'd just love to see them both come out with their guns blazing in a comedy shootout. We suspect The Greatest Talk Show Guest Alive would be the only one left standing.

PREVIOUSLY:

Our Jimmy Fallon Archive

Our Tracy Morgan Archive

Top 5 Things Alec Baldwin Should Do Next

Olivia Purnell — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:29:00 GMT

In addition to being an actor, SNL diva, radio personality, blogger, and certifiable pimp, Alec Baldwin has now added Film critic/host to his resume. Alec’s gonna be the host of a Turner Classic Movies show called Essentials. Pimp Baldwin will offer his expertise and semi-serious commentary on the Classics like Rocky and Ben Hur.

Honestly, the man does it all and we love him for it. But this latest gig has us asking ourselves, what’s next for the Baldwin that already does it all? Street juggling? Teaching rhythmic gymnastics to troubled youths? Traveling the world with Bridget Marquardt’s bikini beach show? (We bet he looks great in a two piece).

We’ve got some ideas for the next step, Alec. 5 of them to be exact.

5. Designer. Create a line of specialty Jack Donaghy suits to be sold at Men’s Warehouse locations nationwide. The line would be reminiscent of Kelly Kapoor’s Office collection (if Mindy Kaling ever designs such a miraculous feat of fashion), but with a dapper Alec twist. The country is crying out for this.

4. Parenting Expert. Baldwin should author a Parenting Manifesto. Look, we’re only half kidding here. We know the Baldwin parent-child voicemail incident caused an outrage. But have you heard Dan Savage’s defense of Alec’s parenting (This American Life, “How To Talk to Kids”)? Dan says, more or less, kids need authority figures to loose their shit from time to time. We find his argument interesting (if not slightly unhealthy) and we’d love to see more on parenting from the man who went absolutely bonkers on his teenage daughter’s answering service.

3. New Father. Have babies with Hayek. We know this is only a pipe dream. Salma just finished pushing one out a year ago, and married her billionaire baby daddy. But we still think that it could be on a list of Alec’s long-term goals. Right around 2015, Salma might be tired of life as a billionaire wife and looking for an aging SNL pro-host with shiny hair and a collection of Men’s Warehouse suits.

2. Governor. Run for office. You’ve got that natural Reagan about you.

1. Hair Care Specialist. Let’s talk about the kind of product you’re using in those greasy delicious locks of yours. Straight Olive Oil? Nothing else, just the oil? Okay, well we can figure out a way to market that.

(ccinsider.comedycentral.com)

Previously:

Alec Baldwin Gets Killed Off Conan

Alec Baldwin and Daughter From The Crazy Voicemail Reunited

Alec Baldwin Has Something to Say About Salma Hayek

Tracy Morgan Is All About "Karate and Getting Females Pregnant"

Olivia Purnell — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:01:00 GMT

The Nerve editors have blessed us with a compilation of The Twenty Weirdest TV Interviews of All Time. And of course, our boy Tracy Mo made the list.

Back in January of 2008 when the election was in it’s infancy, the world of entertainment was rocked by the Writer’s Strike, and Tracy had just been freed from the shackles of a DUI-induced ankle bracelet, Mr. Morgan thought the time was right for him to make an appearance on David Letterman. A wasted appearance. Of course, who’s to say whether Tracy’s inebriation was staged (Joaquin is just borrowing tactics from the master). But who cares. His timing is still kind of flawless.

He actually gets Paul Schafer to cosign on doing karate and getting women pregnant . . . at the same time. Paul says, “That’s just how we do!”

See how Tracy do, after the jump.

Oh, Tracy, Tracy, Tracy how we love you, let us count the ways.

See the rest of the weirdest of the weird celeb interviews HERE.

Salma Hayek Honeymoons With "30 Rock"

Olivia Purnell — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:30:00 GMT

Salma Hayek has been a busy lady lately. She’s impressed the hell out of Alec Baldwin on 30 Rock. She breastfed a random baby in Sierra Leone in front of Nightline’s cameras. And, and Salma married her baby daddy/French Billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault City Hall style on Valentine’s Day in Paris. (How much more romantic can you get?)

After all that, Salma deserved a private, relaxing, uber-luxurious vacay with her new husband She thought of just the thing: A 30 Rock Honeymoon . . .

The ever-chatty Alec Baldwin told Usmagazine.com, "She flew right from her wedding to come shoot with us again." Alec is very happy for the newlyweds and says this Pinault character is a “genius.”

We’re happy for Salma too. But, we’ve gotta admit, we kinda wish she and Alec could have given it a go. They’re so funny together and cute. Looka here:

They look so happy. Well, she looks happy. He looks a like he stepped in Central Park poop. Is it canine . . . . . or is it human? You never know. It’s Central Park.

Still. We like them as a couple.

(usmagazine.com)

Previously:

Alec Baldwin Has Something to Say About Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek Breastfeeds a Random Baby on “Nightline”

Separated At Birth: Kenneth The Page And Gov. Bobby Jindal

Bryan Christian — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:08:00 GMT

Hey, there appears to be a trend turning up in the coverage of Bobby Jindal's disastrous response to President Obama's address last night...

Tonight, in all fairness, would’ve been tough to pull off even if Bobby Jindal didn’t sound like Kenneth from “30 Rock”... [The New Republic]
Within an hour of the speech, a Google search for "jindal kenneth 30 rock" yielded almost 75,000 hits. [Swampland]

75,000 hits... that's like the entire 30 Rock audience!

PREVIOUSLY:

Bobby Jindal Takes On Barack Obama... [UPDATE: ... And Fails]

Tracy Morgan Returns to Host SNL March 14

Lindy Parker — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:01:00 GMT

Tracy Morgan is coming back to SNL, people! To host! For the first time! We're not sure why we're so excited about this -- we just love listening to Tracy Morgan's voice. We find it soothing. If we could get TM to record a message that would play each morning to wake us up, our days would all start off a little brighter. He'd be like, "Eh! Lin-dee! Get up and ouuuttt!" And we'd sit up, stretch, smile at the alarm clock, and say, "Sure thing, Tracy" and hop out of bed. That's right, we said hop. To celebrate T. Morg's return, let's look back at some memorable moments from his SNL past...

Tracy Morgan's Apartment Catches Fire; Fish Casualties Abound

Lindy Parker — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Why is it that everything that happens in Tracy Morgan's actual life always seems like it belongs in a comedy sketch?

A faulty fish tank sparked a smoky fire that damaged the Upper West Side home of "30 Rock" funnyman Tracy Morgan yesterday, law enforcement sources said. Fire officials said that 25 units and 78 firefighters responded to the blaze, which was declared under control at 9:01 a.m. Fire sources said that when they arrived at Morgan's apartment, a sprinkler inside had already extinguished the blaze. (New York Post)

Seriously? 25 units? Two questions: First, how do you fit 25 fire trucks in one street ("units" means "trucks" right)? Second, if our apartment catches fire, and 78 fireman arrive at our door, how many of them will be single?

Tina Fey On That "30 Rock" McFlurry Business: Not Product Placement?

Jake Kalish — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:49:00 GMT

30 Rock has always toed the line with product placement, usually ending up on the "funny" side of the line. But the show got a whole load of criticism for Thursday's "McFlurry" storyline, in which Alec Baldwin and Salma Hayek talk about the profound greatness of Mickey D's dessert. Tina Fey has heard the complaints, and she wants us all to know that was not what you thought it was.

It gives me great pleasure to inform you that the references to McDonald's in last night's episode of 30 Rock were in no way product placement. (Nor were they an attempt at product placement that fell through.) We received no money from the McDonald's Corporation. We were actually a little worried they might sue us. That's just the kind of revenue-generating masterminds we are. Also, the upcoming story line where Liz Lemon starts dating Grimace is just based on a recurring dream I have. Seriously, though, it's not product placement. Also, whoever is writing my Twitter account is pretty funny, but it's not me.

PREVIOUSLY:

"30 Rock" Star Is Looking For Love

"30 Rock": Thank God Liz Lemon Seems To Want Sex Again

Tina Fey's 3-Year Old Daughter Alice Writes For "30 Rock"

"30 Rock" Star Is Looking For Love

Jake Kalish — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:29:00 GMT

30 Rock star Judah (Frank Rossitano) Friedlander is searching for a mate. Friedlander was part of Time Out New York's "Date These New Yorkers" piece, from their "Dating In New York" issue. Read Judah list all of his good qualities, see his full dating survey, and give his contact info. (Via our friends at Scanner)...

If you want marriage, kids, an outer-borough nonhipster residence, a guy that was just voted 'Worst Dressed' at the Emmy’s and the SAG Awards, does stand-up comedy just about every night, who is also the greatest athlete in the world, is banned from China because he’s too good at karate, collects 'amazing art' and bad movies, plays lots of Ping-Pong, was kicked out of the porn industry because he was too sexually powerful, and is a role model to children—then I’m your man.

And here's Judah discussing his ideal date:

At midnight, we go to the top of the Empire State Building, have my spaceship pick us up and take us to the to the top of the Cyclone roller coaster in Coney Island, and as it’s moving, drop us off in the last car. Then get hot dogs at Nathan’s. Then hit the beach at 3am, where I wrestle a giant octopus. Then go back to Queens for some Croatian food and bagels. And then play Ping-Pong and Pac-Man.

Love letters can be sent to judah_f@yahoo.com.

PREVIOUSLY:

Our 30 Rock Archive

Salma Hayek Breastfeeds Random Baby on "Nightline"

Olivia Purnell — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:15:00 GMT

Salma Hayek, 30 Rock all-star and mother of a one year-old, went to Sierra Leone with Nightline to bring attention to the problem of children in poverty. Salma encountered an ill infant along the way. She promptly breastfed the infant while the cameras rolled.

We just don’t know how we feel about this.

Check out the video for yourself:

So, there’s something beautiful about giving of yourself so earnestly to a hungry and sick child. In a way, this is generosity in its purest form. Right on Salma. Right on!

On the other hand, you let a hungry and sick random child latch onto your boob. And also, this is a familial tradition? Letting children you don’t know suck on you? Isn’t there such a thing as baby formula? Or a breast pump and a bottle? Can’t the Hayek family pass down some sort of a family crest or brooch or something?

Thoughts?

(videogum.com)

Previously:

Alec Baldwin Has Something to Say About Salma Hayek
Hello, Nurse!: Salma Hayek TONIGHT On “30 Rock”
Guest Spots on “30 Rock” Are So Overdone That P. Diddy Wants One

"30 Rock": Thank God Liz Lemon Seems To Want Sex Again

Bryan Christian — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 18:42:00 GMT

Well, who wouldn't with that guy around.

If there's been one development on 30 Rock that's distressed us over the last three years, it's that there's not enough Pete, Frank, or Cerie. If there are two distressing developments, it's that first thing and that Jenna sings too much. But if there are three distressing developments, it's those first two things and also it's how despite being played by one of the brainiest and beautiest women in TV, Liz Lemon was somehow becoming kind of unappealing. We'd still be rooting for her, you understand, but with her obsession with having a baby, coupled with we were concerned that, well, she was turning into the kind of person that we try to avoid in the real world.

For example, we can't have been the only ones who've been a little disappointed with Liz's story arc this year: becoming so obsessed with having a kid that she winds up stealing baby clothes and dating a dwarf. Funny stuff, to be sure, and yet, between that, her increasingly squeamish attitude towards sex, the disappointingly traditional twists, turns, and resolution of the Fey/Poehler adoption comedy Baby Mama, and the disconcertingly bifurcated relationship with sex that Tina Fey herself has demonstrated in interviews -- she loves to play strippers, she says, but thinks that strip clubs shouldn't exist; she downplays and undermines her looks, yet admits that tweaking her appearance was a major step in her career -- we were starting to feel a little weird about rooting for Liz Lemon like we do. Rooting for... what, exactly? Eschewing enthusiasms for everything other than work, junk food, asexual reproduction, and discomfort in one's own skin?

Really? We know this is a comedy, and everyone's a little eccentric on the show, and granted, we also try to avoid corporate boors, self-obsessed actresses, and the mentally ill in our daily lives, but Liz is different than Jack, Jenna, and Tracy, right? She's the main character, our "in" on the show, and although everything on the show is played for laughs, we were still unnerved by the degree to which we were coming to regard her life as not just a little sad, but also misguided. Like, why does she need a baby exactly? What's the deal with her dating hangups really? Is she a feminist hero, a feminist anti-hero? A feminist anything? Are these character issues that we'll explore, or gags that will tossed away like so many muffin tops and eventually exasperate us? The mental gymnastics required to handle all this was starting to dry up our mindgrapes.

More importantly, how long are we all supposed to act like Liz Lemon isn't actually hot and doesn't know it -- doesn't know she can get any man she wants, anything she wants, when she dresses great, has great hair, great glasses, and is the funniest, smartest person in a room. On the one hand, we deeply admired Tina Fey's attempts to create this somewhat awkward, unappealing variation on the anti-hero; on the other, we were reminded of mid-decade Charlize Theron roles and the supposedly unattractive sorority girls in The House Bunny who were actually starlets in sweats and glasses. Like, a little bit of this is interesting; years of it is disingenous.

Well, thank God that as of last night, Lemon is finally getting interested in someone, acknowledging and using her sexuality, showing a little bit of desire to even out that endless skepticism and rapier-sharp scorn, etc. We know -- Jon Hamm's only got a 3 episode arc. Also: it's a bad idea to get involved with your neighbors. But still, it's so great to see Liz enthusiastic about another person who's a grownup, because really, the last time she actually crushed on anyone was what... Floyd? Two real crushes in three years? Sure, we'll buy that. That sounds like people we know. And that's all we're asking for here -- a the occasional, realistic enthusiasm on Lemon's part, something to flesh out her weird, angry, frumpy, asocial impulses. Like, we're not saying that any of that stuff has to go away -- it shouldn't, it's who Liz is. It's just, you know, that stuff can't be all of her -- she needs to have other stuff come into play. Because how long has it been since anything's changed with Lemon, really? Maybe Dr. Drew will bring out a side to Lemon that we know is there and have rarely seen, and flesh out a character that despite her killer line readings was threatening to become a bit of a one-dimensional bummer.

"30 Rock" Or "Grey's Anatomy": Who Won The Hamm/Westfeldt Battle Last Night?

Jake Kalish — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:39:00 GMT

Jon Hamm's live-in girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt was part of the Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice crossover event last night. And Hamm, of course, was on 30 Rock. Which means from 9:30-10 p.m., the lovers, who've been together for a decade (where's the ring, Chief?) were in a head-to-head battle, on network TV! Dammit, why didn't we find this out until it was too late?

So here's what we want to know, from all of you who watched one and Tivoed the other: who won? We're not talking ratings, that's no judge. We're saying, who was better, Hamm or Westfeldt?

While you're thinking about that and readying your response, you can watch Jennifer Westfeldt's surprise lesbian kiss from the film she co-wrote and starred in (with a supporting role from Jon Hamm), Kissing Jessica Stein...

PREVIOUSLY:

Our 30 Rock Archive

Our Grey's Anatomy Archive

Tracy Morgan Wants Airport Security To Know He's Got A SAG Award

Jake Kalish — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:22:00 GMT

LAX Airport, Monday, January 26th. Image courtesy of Jezebel. You gotta love both Tracy Morgan and Tracy Jordan, if there is a difference between the two.

PREVIOUSLY:

We Want What Tracy Morgan Is Having

Tracy Morgan Is A Great Interview, Maybe A Terrible Date

Tracy Morgan Won Every Golden Globe Kate Winslet Didn't Get

Tina Fey's 3-Year Old Daughter Alice Writes For "30 Rock"

Jake Kalish — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:30:00 GMT

Alice is the originator of the phrase "I want to go to there", which Mommy uses to hilarious effect upon meeting Jon Hamm in this week's 30 Rock. Alice may not see residuals, but she did get a huge shout-out from her mother at the SAG Awards. Upon receiving her award, Tina called her daughter "the funniest person in my family" and gave her credit for "I want to go to there", which has been used twice previously on 30 Rock.

PREVIOUSLY:

First Sniff Of Jon Hamm On "30 Rock" (Mmm...Frosting!)

SAG Awards Fashion: Letter To The Stars

Our 30 Rock Archive

Meryl Streep On "30 Rock"?

Lindy Parker — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:00:00 GMT

A better question might be: who will be the first to say 'no' to 30 Rock?...

Apparently, Alec Baldwin cornered Meryl Streep at the SAG Awards and took advantage of her win-induced good mood:

The actor, a winner for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, interrupted Streep’s giddy dance-athon to ask her to appear on “30 Rock” — and it didn’t take much for the star to agree. “Meryl was delighted with the idea of appearing on the show,” a well-placed insider tells us. “She said yes immediately.” (Daily News)

Well, of course she did, after that Mama Mia monstrosity, we're pretty convinced Meryl Streep is up for anything. Also, who wants to be the one to turn down the show Oprah said yes to?

Previously:

30 Rock Crossing Way Too Far Into Stunt Casting With Oprah, Gossip Girl Appearances

Guest Spots on 30 Rock are So Overdone That P. Diddy Wants One

Hellooooo, Nurse!: Salma Hayek Guest Stars on 30 Rock Tonight

Wake Up and Smile: Okay, Who Totally Called The John Hamm On 30 Rock Thing?

First Sniff Of Jon Hamm On "30 Rock" (Mmm... Frosting!)

Jake Kalish — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:27:00 GMT

Very very funny - especially when Liz Lemon says "I want to go to there." It's quite likely we Remote Islanders will be saying that the rest of the week, until our loved ones refuse to talk to us.

PREVIOUSLY:

Jon Hamm And His Problem Hair

Wake Up And Smile: Okay, Who Totally Called The Jon Hamm On "30 Rock" Thing?

Our 30 Rock Archive

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Alec Baldwin Used To End His All-Night Benders In The '80's By Playing "Galaga"?

Jake Kalish — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:27:00 GMT

See, we knew we liked Alec Baldwin. We just didn't know how much...

A new book called Moments Of Clarity, by Christopher Kennedy Lawford, contains celebs' personal discussions of their past addictions. Alec Baldwin contributes, and though his tales of hard partying aren't paricularly shocking, especially for the 80's, we were fascinated by the revelation that Baldwin would end his benders by going into a video arcade at 9 in the morning and playing Galaga for two hours. Check out this quote from the book, with Baldwin begging the arcade owner to open the arcade so he can get his Galaga fix:

You got no idea, Julian. Julian, I need you. I need you to get that key and open the f- - -ing door and let me in. I got to play 'Galaga.'

Damn. Good thing Baldwin got clean. It always starts with Galaga. By the time it gets to Frogger, you're too far gone.

PREVIOUSLY: Our "30 Rock" Archive

Tracy Morgan Won Every Golden Globe Kate Winslet Didn't Get

Bryan Christian — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:43:00 GMT

OK, maybe not, but between Morgan's brilliant, rambling acceptance speech on behalf of 30 Rock -- "A black man can't get no love at the Emmys!" -- to Winslet's winning in two categories -- damn, dude, has anyone rocked ~~roots~~ highlights longer and better than her -- to Colin Farrell pulling what we would call the biggest upset of the evening -- Slumdog Millionaire be damned, In Bruges was a longer (though no less deserving) longshot -- we're almost sorry we didn't watch last night's Golden Globes.

Except of course, we're not; we tend to develop hives on our very souls midway through any awards show, no matter how drunk or Foreign Press-y. Also: 24 came back last night, and there was no way we were gonna DVR an awards show and watch it later. That's like reheating McDonald's.

Anyway, the television winners list is after the jump. Mostly what you'd expect, except for a win by Anna Paquin for True Blood, which... hang on, we didn't just actually type that, right?

(More on the Golden Globes later, btw... For now, click through for the full list of television winners.)

Winners denoted with "*"

TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL

* "30 Rock"

"Californication"

"Entourage"

"The Office"

"Weeds"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES -COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Christina Applegate - "Samantha Who?"

America Ferrera - "Ugly Betty"

* Tina Fey - "30 Rock"

Debra Messing - "The Starter Wife"

Mary-Louise Parker - "Weeds"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES -COMEDY OR MUSICAL

* Alec Baldwin - "30 Rock"

Steve Carell - "The Office"

Kevin Connelly - "Entourage"

David Duchovny - "Californication"

Tony Shalhoub - "Monk"

TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

"Dexter" (Showtime)

"House" (Fox)

"In Treatment" (HBO)

* "Mad Men" (AMC)

"True Blood" (HBO)

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

Sally Field — "Brothers and Sisters"

Mariska Hargitay — "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit"

January Jones — "Mad Men"

* Anna Paquin — "True Blood"

Kyra Sedgwick — "The Closer

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

* Gabriel Byrne — "In Treatment"

Michael Hall — "Dexter"

Jon Hamm — "Mad Men"

Hugh Laurie — "House"

Jonathan Rhys Meyers — "The Tudors"

MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

"A Raisin in the Sun"

"Bernard and Doris"

"Cranford"

* John Adams"

"Recount"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Judi Dench — "Cranford"

Catherine Keener — "An American Crime"

* Laura Linney — "John Adams"

Shirley Maclaine — "Coco Chanel"

Susan Sarandon — "Bernard and Doris"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Ralph Fiennes — "Bernard and Doris"

* Paul Giamatti — "John Adams"

Kevin Spacey — "Recount"

Kiefer Sutherland — "24: Redemption"

Tom Wilkinson –"Recount"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Eileen Atkins — "Cranford"

* Laura Dern — "Recount"

Melissa George — "In Treatment"

Rachel Griffiths — "Brothers and Sisters"

Dianne Wiest — "In Treatment"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Neil Patrick Harris — "How I Met Your Mother"

Denis Leary — "Recount"

Jeremy Piven — "Entourage"

Blair Underwood — "In Treatment"

* Tom Wilkinson — "John Adams"

"30 Rock": Jenna Maroney, You Are The Weakest Link

Bryan Christian — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:29:00 GMT

Dear 30 Rock,

Please give Jane Krakowski things to do other than sing. She's a funny, resourceful actress with a great voice, but for Chrissakes, please for the love of Pete, if you'd bloody well let her date someone once in a while or be wooed by another network or any of the other marginally funny plotlines available to her or anything other than just fucking sing awful music, she might be worth more screentime than she is, and we wouldn't cringe every time we see her in advance of whatever demeaning, cringy thing it is you're gonna make her warble. And then we wouldn't be so angry about Pete Hornberger not getting any lines.

Love,

The Remote Island

PS: Jesus, was Salma Hayek hot last night. Nice work.

Hellooooo, Nurse!: Salma Hayek TONIGHT On "30 Rock"

Bryan Christian — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:38:00 GMT

[NOTE: We're re-running this post to remind you of Salma's 3-ep appearance starting tonight -- now with another preview, featuring a ton more Salma-cleavage and Alec doing a Salma-impression to Salma's face! Brave, man!]

From the kinda sappy ending of 30 Rock's mid-season closer, we were certain that Jack Donaghy's mother -- played by the ever-devilish Elaine Stritch -- was going to kick the bucket first chance she got in the new year. But thankfully, this is not the case, as Jack has apparently been forced to hire an in-house nurse for Colleen... said nurse being played by Salma Hayek.

Click through for video and, in case you were somehow unawares, proof that Salma's still plenty hot after having that kid.

Now, we like nurses scrubs and all -- no really, we know a sexy nurse or two in the real world -- but we must ask: Will 30 Rock be giving Salma the chance to fox up her pink jammies or will she be unleashing her glam self a little, like she did here, just four months after giving birth?

We're good either way, probably.

BONUS: New promo video below:

[via PopCrunch]

Tina Fey Named Entertainer Of The Year BY The AP

Jake Kalish — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:51:00 GMT

She better thank her lucky stars McCain didn't pick Mitt Romney...

Tina Fey has been named the Entertainer of The Year by The Associated Press, edging out "Iron Man" Robert Downey Jr. and "Dead Man" Heath Ledger - who did give one hell of a performance as the Joker, before everyone did the posthumous psychoanalysis and prescription pill inventory .

Fey can also thank teh interwebs - viral video of her Palin performances (and not 30 Rock or Baby Mama) got her this plumb position. And her gigantic book deal. She can only pray her semi-literate doppelganger stays a media darling in 2009; which could happen, if Palin gets a cut of the Fey action. We know how Caribou Barbie has expensive tastes.

PREVIOUSLY: Our Tina Fey Archive