The Remote Island : Tina Fey

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]

Did Apple Steal the iPod Shuffle Idea From Saturday Night Live?

Olivia Purnell — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:00:00 GMT

SNL sooooo called it.

Seriously, a whopping four years ago, Fred Armisen was on Weekend Update as Steve Jobs talking about the iPod pequeno. Take a look:

View the video at Sangent

Jobs should prob call Tina Fey up stat, and see if she’ll consult for him on a part time basis. It’s not that we don’t think Steve is doing a crackerjack job on his own. He may or may not have worked out the techno kinks of that Shuffle idea all on his own. But Saturday Night Live was all over the small as the new necessity trend. Remember this:

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

We think SJ should turn to more SNL oldies but goodies as he continues to bang out new iPod models every five seconds. He should pay especially close attention the later Jeffrey’s sketches when Will Ferrell declares “big is the new small.”

Steve, are you listening? Will the next iPod be bigger than your head? Will you need a purse to carry it like the bag phones of olde? We hope so.

(macworld.com)

Previously:

Tina Fey Makes Rachel Dratch Incredibly Nervous

Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey Go Way Back

Jimmy Fallon Was Way More Lenoish Than We'd Expected

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

Tina Fey Makes Rachel Dratch Incredibly Nervous

Olivia Purnell — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:00:00 GMT

We have a soft spot in our heart for Rachel Dratch.

She goes to our gym, and we feel an affinity for anyone who hauls their cookies onto the treadmill beside us instead of eating cupcake icing out of the jar while watching Facts of Life reruns (which is what we’d like to be doing instead of jogging). We always want to strike up a conversation with Rach, but sweaty treadmill talks are never that intellectually stimulating. Also we kind of like to be left alone at the gym, and we know The Golden Rule, so we’ve never asked Rachel what she’s up to these days.

The paparazzi, on the other hand, are pretty sure that The Golden Rule doesn’t apply to them. The paps saw Rachel out and about recently, and took the opportunity to ask her about any possible return to SNL.

Rachel says, “Once you leave, you can never come back," in a hushed M. Night Shymalan voice, as though Lorne Michaels nurses young comedians to maturity and lovingly sends them out into the world, but subjects them to a level 8 ass-whooping if they try to return to the pack.

One of the paparazzi responds: “What about Tina Fey?” Rachel breaks into a near hysterical giggle fit, presumably at the comparison between her career and Tina’s crazy psychedelic superstardom. Or maybe the ladies have some Biggie/2-Pac type beef. Either way, it actually gets a little uncomfortable for us.

Click HERE for the video.

We love you Dratch. We’re bringing brownies next time we go to the gym. Nothing soothes nervous laughter and career anxiety like fresh baked chocolaty goodness . . . on a treadmill.

(tmz.com)

Previously:

Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey Go Way Back

Jimmy Fallon Was Way More Lenoish Than We'd Expected

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

Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey Go Way Back

Olivia Purnell — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Last night, Jimmy Fallon interviewed his old friend Tina Fey on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The two talked about SNL, and Weekend Update, and old times, blah blah blah. But lets take it straight to the source.

We’ve got the Jimmy/Tina Weekend Update screen test circa 2000 after the jump. You’re gonna want to see this. Tina's nude lipstick is so Winona Ryder it hurts and Jimmy Fallon is kind of hilarious.

Did we not tell you? Say our name again.

(latenightwithjimmyfallon.com)

Previously:

Jimmy Fallon Was Way More Lenoish Than We'd Expected
"Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" Gets Hot Interns
Bobby Jindal Gives Jimmy Fallon His First Comedy Exclusive...

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": 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.

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?

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"

Sarah Palin Wishes She Had Talked More To The Media, Reminding Us Again How Dumb She Is

Jake Kalish — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:18:00 GMT

So Sarah Palin did an interview with the conservative website Human Events, who named her their "Conservative of The Year" (That's how bad a year it was for conservatives) and in it she said her biggest regret was not doing more interviews. You know, interviews: those things where she said she reads all the magazines, and is a foreign policy expert because Alaska is close to Russia. The things Tina Fey made fun of. Yep, problem #1 was that she wasn't allowed to do enough of those:

The biggest mistake made was that I could have called more shots on this: the opportunities that were not seized to speak to more Americans via media. I was not allowed to do very many interviews, and the interviews that I did were not necessarily those I would have chosen. But I was so thankful to have the opportunity to run with John McCain that I was not going to argue with the strategy decisions that some of his people were making regarding the media contacts.

But if I would have been in charge, I would have wanted to speak to more reporters because that’s how you get your message out to the electorate... I was in a campaign in which I did not know the people individually running the campaign. So I had to put my life, my career, my family, and my reputation in their hands. That’s kind of a scary thing to do when you don’t know the people you are working with.

Wow. "Wasn't allowed"? You were going to possibly take over as POTUS for a 72-year-old guy with face cancer and you weren't "allowed" to do interviews? And then the interviews you were "allowed" to do were the wrong interviews? Because Katie Couric asked about your foreign policy credentials? How about that interview you chose to do? You know, the one with the guy slaughtering turkeys?

And your life and reputation were in "their hands?" How about your hands? You don't see Maverick McCain or Hilldog placing all the blame on their handlers. You were qualified to be Vice President but you weren't qualified to make decisions about interviews? Oh, sorry, you weren't qualified to be Vice President.

PREVIOUSLY: Our Palin Archive

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

This Tina Fey Article (And Accompanying Video) Hurts Us In Our Crush Bone

Bryan Christian — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:42:00 GMT

Everyone's been talking about Maureen Dowd's profile of Tina Fey in Vanity Fair because it revealed the secret of The Scar, and to a lesser-if-more-indignant degree, because it seems to be obsessed with how Tina lost 30 pounds before taking over the on-screen role of Weekend Update anchor on SNL, implying that it was this, and not her epic intelligence and scabrous wit that paved the way for her fame.

To which we say: 1) isn't reductive, supposedly-feminist-but-vaguely-retrograde analysis Maureen Dowd's whole goddamn raison d'etre? and 2) does any of that really matter when you're faced with the overwhelming power of a video of Tina dancing to Beyoncé after the jump??? We'd like to think "Yes," but who are we kidding?

See for yourself!

You gotta imagine the Beyoncé, probably a rights thing, but you get the idea, right? LOVE HER!!! Also, as our wife noted the other day -- nice gams.

PREVIOUSLY:
The Secret Of Tina Fey's Scar -- Revealed!

The Secret Of Tina Fey's Scar -- Revealed!

Bryan Christian — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:39:00 GMT

Tina Fey's husband has spilled the beans on what gave Tina Fey that scar that you generally only see at awards shows and stuff. One more national secret revealed by the intrepid reporters of Vanity Fair!

Click through for the strange story!

In an interview in Vanity Fair, Jeff Richmond says a stranger slashed Fey's face when she was 5 years old. He says the incident occurred in the front yard of her house.
Says Richmond: "That scar was fascinating to me. This is somebody who, no matter what it was, has gone through something. And I think it really informs the way she thinks about her life."

Thanks to the magic of lighting, makeup, and the fact that whenever she does or says anything she's so awesome no one cares about a stupid scar, we bet there are people out there that don't even know Tina Fey's got a scar. Of course, there are people who don't know she's got a show, either. Whatevs! We were trying to figure out a way to love her more, and now we got one. Huzzah!

UPDATE: No, we didn't see Gawker's note on this before writing ours. Weird, huh?

Alec Baldwin Has Something to Say About Salma Hayek

Olivia Purnell — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Salma’s time filming her 5-episode run on 30 Rock (as Alec’s love interest) has come to a close. Single tear. Alec told People Magazine that Salma is “literally the most fabulous woman that I’ve ever worked with” (people.com).

That’s quite the compliment considering Alec Baldwin has worked with some serious contenders, including Jennifer Aniston, Kim Basinger (although we hear that didn’t end well), Jessica Lange, and Tina effing Fey.

Despite the heavy competition, we think Salma might deserve this “most fabulous” honor. Let’s remind ourselves of her fabulosity.

Pics after the jump . . .

Fab. U. Lous.

Happy People Don’t Watch Television?

Olivia Purnell — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:25:00 GMT

Leave it to the damn New York Times to crap all over our happy place, the TV screen.

The Times says:

Happy people spend a lot of time socializing, going to church and reading newspapers — but they don’t spend a lot of time watching television, a new study finds.

That’s what unhappy people do. (nytimes.com)

Although, The Times procures their supposed ‘data’ from a study performed by professor John Robinson of the University of Maryland, we would like to disagree with their findings.

We're happy. It’s not that we don’t enjoy newspapers and friendship, we just like television too. And TV brings us a few joys that reading, socializing, and churching do not.

Like this:

And this:

And definitely this:

Even the stills make us smile.

"SNL" Gets Some Girls

Olivia Purnell — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:20:00 GMT

In the wake of Tina Fey’s Palin magic, Saturday Night Live has looked more and more like a boys club . . .

Amy Poehler left. As you may know, her departure rocked us to the core. We were bitter yet congratulatory when she popped out her kid (picture us with pasted on smiles saying “Oh it’s a boy yay . . . . “ and biting down on a chewing gum cigar with obvious chagrin). Because really without Fey’s glorious guest appearances and Poehler’s Weekend Updates, the cast looked pretty lady-less. Kristen Wig and Casey Wilson are still around. Thank the Lord for Kristen Wig. She is brilliant. Who doesn’t love the Target Lady? But who the F is Casey Wilson. No offense Casey, but they’ve got to write you some more stuff. We had to look on the SNL website to remind ourselves what you looked like.

Oh, yeah . . .

Anyway, the SNL gods have decided that two women can't carry the vagina mantle alone. So, they’ve brought a couple more comediennes on board. The Hollywood Reporter says SNL’s newest featured players Abby Elliott and Michaela Watkins will hit the ground running this week, debuting their skills this Saturday night. We’re hoping these two can really bring the lady-fire with the lady-humor and the lady-jokes. We’re expecting lady-laughs, lady-gags, lady-comedy and again, lady-fire. Bring it, ladies. Bring it.

Previously:

Wake Up And Smile: Is Amy Poehler Coming Back to "SNL"?
Wake Up and SNiLe: Were We The Only Ones Smelling Schweddy Balls This Saturday?

"SNL" Retrospective: James Franco Takes On "Gossip Girl" and Loses

Lindy Parker — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:20:00 GMT

So we hunkered down to watch SNL this weekend to see how the first post-election opening sketch measured up to the inspired genius of some of the election coverage. Turns out it was the James Franco re-run, but it still reinforced our belief that Remote Bryan was so right. It's hard to compete with the immortal genius of Tina Fey. A couple things about Saturday's re-run: first of all, the opening sketch was a let down. Second, James Franco couldn't have been less funny -- we feel pretty strongly that he's not cut out for live comedy. Even the Gossip Girl bit fell flat. At least, that was our opinion. Let us know if you agree. Here's the sketch:

Wake Up And Smile: World Officially Upside Down As Fox News Calls Out Racist Ralph Nader

Bryan Christian — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:37:00 GMT

Could it be? Yes, it could, ladies and gents -- Campaign 2008 is truly over and we've got the apeshit to prove it: Ralph Nader going fullblown asshole and Tina Fey retiring her Sarah Palin outfit. What more could you want? Well, how about the latest on who won the ratings battle election night, Jaime Pressley breaking up with her real-life Crabman, ABC breaking up with Alyssa Milano's new show, how Transformers 2 is totally ripping off Battlestar Galactica, CNN's election night holograms being total crap, and yet another former ER cast member is returning to County General.

-- The video of Ralph Nader calling Obama an "Uncle Tom" is up there. Watch it if you don't have anything to be infuriated about in the next ten minutes.

-- Tina Fey has declared she is through playing Sarah Palin now that, well, there's not much need to. Sarah Palin, on the other hand, is working on some great Tina Fey material, and hopes to become a regular on Fox's MadTV if there's an opening.

-- My Name Is Earl's Jaime Pressley has split from her DJ baby daddy. Apparently they were just pals and gave in to temptation for a few years! Wow, isn't it great when famous people make the same mistakes we do?

-- ABC has taken a pass on Alyssa Milano's sitcom owing to creative differences with the show's creator. Guess that's showing them which one is the boss! Oh wait, can we do that one again?

-- In other ABC news, ABC News got the highest ratings on Election Night. This despite being utterly without holograms, Will.i.am, and senseless racism... which we're sure will somehow mean that next time around, we'll get a double helping of all that crap.

-- Speaking of those holograms, um, yeah... about that.

-- Lest you think that Anthony Edwards was gonna have the fun, Eriq La Salle will also return for a spin around ER before they leave the air. One significant difference: La Salle'll be behind the camera. George Clooney will spend the same week counting his millions on a bed of Italian supermodels.

-- The Michael Bay Transformers franchise is getting way more Cylon-y with their "robots hidden in sexy lady costume" plotline. Except for that one sexy lady costume that's got a penis; that's ripping off something else entirely.

Wake Up And Smile: Sarah Palin Pinning Her 2012 Hopes On Tina Fey

Bryan Christian — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:28:00 GMT

Click through for the whole story, plus the latest on Joe the Plumber NOT making out with an SNL regular, whatever the heck's up with King of the Hill, whether Jennie Garth's visiting the new Melrose Place, the sad, funny life of Johnny Carson, and how Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman took their breakup semi-public.

-- If you guessed that Sarah Palin would be unhappy with her portrayal on this week's Saturday Night Live, you'd be partially right. She's at least pissed enough about it to essentially cede today's election to the Democrats and start talking about 2012, but she's not so pissed that she'll pass up on any free publicity that SNL or Tina Fey might give her between now and then. There's that dash of high-school bitchy!

-- While we're on weird election stuff, there was a rumor that Joe the Plumber got to make out with an unnamed SNL cast member at the afterparty this weekend, but a close examination of the original note on the subject seems to indicate that whoever broke the story wouldn't know an SNL cast member if they walked right up to them and called them "an ignorant slut." [via Videogum] UPDATED: This story gets even more ridiculous.

-- Fox has cancelled King of the Hill, but ABC still has creator Mike Judge's new animated family show, The Goode Family, on the burner for next year -- and they might even spring for a few more seasons of King of the Hill while they're at it, which would make King the second used sitcom they'd bought off another network after Scrubs. Come on, guys, was Cavemen really so bad that you've just given up?

-- We love how TV Guide asks whether Jennie Garth will be coming to the new Melrose Place reboot, even though the answer -- no -- is, like, a sentence into the article.

-- Sometimes we feel ancient because we remember how great Carson was. And now someone's gonna write a book about how much of a douche he actually was. Thanks.

-- And speaking of crying-on-the-inside talk show hosts, we missed this when it happened, but former couple Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel had a weird, awkward reunion on his show last week. Between this and Kimmel's kind of sadsack interview in GQ this month, we're sort of loving this guy a little.

Wake Up And SNL: Wherein We Are Reminded That We Once Liked Sen. John McCain

Bryan Christian — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:31:00 GMT

We are tempted to say that Tina Fey's wicked portrayal of Sarah Palin as a backstabbing faux-naif upstaged Sen. John McCain (R-Fail) in their joing appearance on SNL this weekend. But that doesn't do justice to Sen. McCain, who say what you will about his politics and temper, is one of the few politicians who can actually tell a joke. Anybody that willing to goof on his own reputation AND he's willing to bring his wife to the party gets our vote... for comedy! Click through for some of his finest moments from this week and years past and a special behind the scenes look at his latest appearance.

We tried to get stuff from his 2002 appearance and it's all not embeddable! What's that about?

In Search of A Great Barack Obama Impression

Jake Kalish — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:27:00 GMT

There's been a lot of hubbub and hullabaloo about whether or not Barack Obama will appear on SNL this weekend - and, according to Lorne Michaels, nothing is signed, and if it was, he wouldn't tell us. But if Obama does appear, things between him and Fred Armisen might be only slightly more cozy than that Palin/Fey hugfest. Barack apparently doesn't think Fred Armisen's impression of him is all that funny, saying

... compared to Tina Fey and what she's doing with Gov. Palin, my imitator isn't doing as great of a job. I do know that my ears have been getting bigger and bigger on that show each episode. I'm sure they'll get it right over time.

Well, yes, that's true, Mister future Television Critic-In-Chief - Armisen's impression isn't very good, which is too bad, because Fred Armisen is funny. But his voice isn't nearly deep enough, and his comedic wheelhouse is more confused, earnest, and goofy than confident, eloquent, and cool. Also, he overdoes Obama's staccato delivery and somehow makes him sound a little bit like a Jewish retiree. Still, Senator, isn't your answer supposed to be a chuckle, or just a gracious "it's funny"? To be fair, this is the question, as posed by reporter Derek McGinty of WUSA9 in D.C.:

Are you disappointed at all that the person who parodies you on Saturday Night Live just isn't very funny?

Well, isn't that a bit leading? Still, Derek McGinty and Barack Obama himself point out the great flaw of a potential Barack Obama presidency -- no one is doing a very good Barack Obama impression right now. And that is what we so desperately need, in a time like this? We are the Remote Island, and we approve this blog post.

-- Jake Kalish is the author of Santa vs. Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights

The Weekly Rewind: Seriously, Is This Election Over Yet?

Ben Kallen — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:30:00 GMT

Nope, not yet! TV's still all about politics -- and, on the other hand, distracting ourselves from politics -- as we'll find out when we recall the highlights of the week.

We watched hot Sarah Palin on SNL, and she was funnier than the average guest host. Coming soon: Ellen Show dancer Barack Obama. Too bad one of these two will be elected soon -- we smell comedy team! (Don't forget to add this guy.)

Opie Cunningham came back through time from 30-plus years ago! (To, um, tell us how to vote today.)

We watched the season premiere of 30 Rock -- before it aired on TV! The Internet is cool.

We heard that someone still doesn't like the looks of Dancing With the Stars' Cheryl Burke. Someone crazy.

...Or else maybe Dancing is cursed.

We set Lance Bass against Joey Fatone, and Dwight against Gareth. Remember, no talking about Fight Club!

We heard that Lindsay Lohan's having problems -- and this time, it's personal.

We saw the new CSI tech naked, which probably means she'll be murdered off soon.

We heard that William Shatner got into a spat with George Takei. Did you know they used to work together?

Just like Desmond, we predicted what's going to happen next on Lost.

We saw a preview of 50 Cent's new show, and it was kind of like business school. Heck, the guy's name is money.

We got mad at Fringe for being too much like other shows, but then realized that without other shows, it wouldn't be about anything.

What the hell, AMC? You say you're bringing back Mad Men, but neither the creator nor the actors have contracts yet? Is that any way to treat the best show on TV?

We wondered why anyone would want to dress like this lady anyway.

More Dexter, yay! More Knight Rider -- huh?

We saw Se cond Becky give a loud kiss-off to Ted on How I Met Your Mother. We love ya, sister, but please do not get back with J.D. on Scrubs.

And we noticed that House and Gray's Anatomy have figured out what we really want in a medical series: girl-on-girl action.

But not this kind.

Previously:
The Weekly Rewind: Everyone's a Comedian

Watch Next Week's Season Premiere of "30 Rock" Now!

Ben Kallen — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:50:00 GMT

The fun folks at NBC have put the much-awaited season premiere of 30 Rock online a full week before it's scheduled to air on your TV. What does the ever-more-famous Tina Fey have in store for us? Click through to watch the complete episode.

(Hulu alert: If the video doesn't work, you can find the episode here.)

Previously:
30 Rock Fever Reaching, Um, Fever Pitch
All about Tina Fey

Tina Fey on Sarah Palin: She’s “Better-Looking Than I Am”

Olivia Purnell — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:02:00 GMT

Tina Fey doesn’t think she’s as hot as Sarah Palin. Here’s what she’s got to say about it:

"When I first saw her, I didn't think we looked alike at all," she says. "Then during the convention, I started to think, 'Ok, maybe a little.'"

Now Fey wishes she looked more like Palin.

"I'll tell you, that lady is five times better-looking than I am," she admits. "She's 44? She's got none of that droopy s--t. She's keeping it tight!" (USmagazine.com)

Okay Sarah Palin’s probably . . . “keeping it tight,” we guess (blech). However, we take issue with Fey and this “five times better looking” crap. Tina Fey is utterly fly. Banging, even. Which begs the question:

Who’s hotter?

Compare hot pics of Sarah Palin and Tina Fey after the jump:

Classic Fey:

Palin in Uniform:

Slightly Slutty Fey:

Old School Pagent Palin:

It’s a close call. Judges?

Wake Up And Smile: The Palin/Fey/"SNL" Edition

Bryan Christian — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:31:00 GMT

Now that Governor Sarah Palin has actually shown up on Saturday Night Live -- and did a scene with 30 Rock's lefty bloviator Alec Baldwin, even! -- where the hell else can either NBC or the GOP take this thing? Oh, we don't know, maybe having Palin and Tina Fey actually exchange anything more than a frosty glance? Jeez, people, not since Heat has there been a meetup more underwhelming. Don't believe us? Click on through for the video clips and a special news roundup...

-- Ah well, NBC sure ain't complaining, since Saturday marked SNL's highest ratings since the mid '90's.

-- Obviously this is a win for SNL, but what about Palin? Did this do anything for her this year or, maybe in a future election year? The answer is probably no, unless you count the possibility of her getting her own show down the road.

-- Guess Gov. Palin thought it would be important to get serious after all that goofing off and schmoozing with New York media elites. Her next stop was Roswell, NM, which never had anything funny happen there.

-- BTW, only one-third of people who've seen any of these Palin bits are watching them during broadcasts. The rest are checking them out online.

-- Who here actually buys the notion that Gov. Palin was supposed to deliver that rap herself? The Guardian, for one, but we're not so sure. We have a feeling that even if she hadn't been 14.5 months pregnant, Amy Poehler'd just managed to deliver it with the appropriate amounts of gusto and diction, and she does crap like this for a living.

The Weekly Rewind: Everyone's a Comedian

Ben Kallen — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 21:40:00 GMT

The comedians made fun of the candidates, the candidates went on comedy shows, and everyone seemed to think that being serious was the same as raising taxes. Meanwhile, the new TV season was still going strong, except that maybe nobody was watching. We'll try to make sense of it all -- and be funny! -- as we bring you the highlights of the week.

We decided that whoever wins the popular vote, comedy will take the election. We were hoping for a late-night foursome, but still enjoyed seeing John McCain finally make it to Dave Letterman's comedy hot seat. We enjoyed the debate, but were a little disappointed by the inevitable follow-up spoof on Saturday Night Live. We watched as Tina Fey tried to beg off impersonating Sarah Palin, but she couldn't help telling Dave how she does it. And it didn't matter, because Sarah Palin's coming to SNL herself -- and she'll probably take over 30 Rock next.

We were surprised when Mark Wahlberg lost his sense of humor entirely. But we had to admit, that was kinda funny, too.

We read all about Maureen McCormick's life of sex, drugs and Marcia Brady. Then we heard her talk about it, and, wow. Just wow.

But while Marcia got Davy Jones to come to her prom, the High School Musical kids had to settle for Tom Cruise.

We were happy that the fashion world agrees with our passion for Mad Men's curvy dynamo Christina Henricks. But we worried about the show itself.

We noticed that The Profiler still cuts a great profile. And Lisa Bonet made us think of a pun that we'll keep to ourselves.

Despite the fact that 15-year-old Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen seems defensive about her weight and still dresses like a 30-year-old model for Mode magazine, we decided she's probably better-adjusted than we are. As for 15-year-old Miley Cyrus, we're not so sure.

And George Hamilton's tale of 12-year-old stepmother sex? That was some time ago, but yikes.

We saw photos of some kids playing Star Trek, and hoped the actual movie would look a lot better.

We saw Cinemax's new zilly, zmutty zex-fest, and decided that literary porn is just like regular porn, but boring.

We thought it was cute that the stars of Gossip Girl think we care what they think.

We heard Blake Lewis deliver a smackdown on American Idol. (Remember? He was that beatbox guy? With the vests?)

And we saw Paris in London, but couldn't figure out how to get them to keep her.

Previously:
The Weekly Rewind: Like Kissing Your Sister

Tina Fey on Tonight's "Letterman": Sarah Palin's Voice Is a Combination of "Fargo," Reese Witherspoon and Her Friend's Grandma

Ben Kallen — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 19:20:00 GMT

Busy Tina Fey has pretaped her interview on tonight's Late Show With David Letterman, and we have an early clip. The multitalented comedian and everyone's favorite crush object spends several minutes on her fantastic impression of Sarah Palin, saying the Alaska governor's voice is as unique as Billy Bob Thornton's in Sling Blade.

And what about the politics of spoofing the candidate?

"I've seen [Democrats] who say, 'Oh, no, you're helping them... because it makes them seem too nice,' " Fey says. "Or the Republicans say it's sexist.... But that's just crazy, because you have to be able to goof on the female politicians just as much, or you really are treating them like they're weaker or something. And Sarah Palin is a tough lady. She kills things. Big animals, bigger than me and you together."

Check out the whole clip here.

Previously:
Sarah Palin's Coming to SNL
Video Fun: SNL Spoofs the Final Debate
McCain to Letterman: "I Screwed Up"

Sarah Palin's Coming to "SNL"

Olivia Purnell — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:00:00 GMT

It's happening . . .

She's making an appearane on Saturday Night Live.

The Hollywood Reporter says:

The McCain campaign confirmed Friday that the GOP vice presidential candidate will appear on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, the Associated Press reported. There were no more details available, and NBC didn't respond to requests for comment.

Our DVRs are primed and ready for this little bit of goodness. We’ve also stocked up on canned goods, bottled water, and other miscellaneous fallout gear, just in case the universe implodes when Sarah Palin and Fey as Palin come face to face.

Now the Election Belongs to "SNL"

Ben Kallen — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:25:00 GMT

Now that the debates are over and the pundits have had their say, it's time to turn our political process over to the comedians. Tonight we've got possibly all the candidates sharpening their talk-show one-liners, but it's Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers and the rest of the gang at Saturday Night Live who'll be determining what's funny from here on out.

To keep you up to date, here's the latest news from over at 30 Rock:

-- The writers and performers are scrambling like crazy, because this is the first week in which tonight's half-hour episode of Weekend Update Thursdays will be followed by a new SNL this Saturday night.

-- There's still no definitive word as to whether Tina Fey (who's busy with her sitcom) will return as Sarah Palin -- or, for that matter, whether Palin herself will be on the show.

-- W. star Josh Brolin, who's hosting the show on Saturday, is expected to play the president in at least one skit. We don't know where that leaves Jason Sudeikis, but we'd be happy to see a "dueling Bushes" routine.

-- And what about Joe the plumber, the guy John McCain referred to so many times during the debate? One website is suggesting a walk-on by The Shield's equally bald Michael Chiklis, but we have an even better look-alike in mind: Democratic consultant (and former 30 Rock guest star) James Carville.

Previously:
Video Fun: SNL Spoofs Another Debate, and It's Friggin' Hilarious
Tina Fey for President !

Sedaris is Back, Bitches!

Olivia Purnell — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:20:00 GMT

Listen, we love the ladies of comedy. If you hadn’t noticed, we’ve had raunchy Sarah Silverman and Palin-perfect Tina Fey on the brain lately. At a time of economic distress and political upheaval (read: oh shit we have no money and don’t understand why), these two women have soothed us with their acerbic one-liners and their dirty judgy jokes. Their election comedy has really eased the hearts and minds of the American people. But despite that . . . something has been missing. We’ve been longing for the perfect combo of Silverman’s vulgar antics and Fey’s knowing wit. Who could fill that void?

Amy Sedaris, that’s who!

She’s been away from the blinding glare of the spotlight for a while; so we’ve included a picture of her boobs above, in case you forgot what they looked like. Apparently, Sedaris and her breasts will be returning to television soon!

More details and naughty Sedaris pics after the jump . . .

We lurve her.

Although Sedaris has been busy promoting her book I Like You and filming an extended guest run on TNT’s The Closer, she somehow found time to have a little chat with 20th Century Fox TV. The Hollywood Reporter says:

One of the most sought-after comedians, Amy Sedaris, has inked a deal with 20th Century Fox TV to create, write and star in a comedy series project.

Sedaris will pen the script with her writing partner Paul Dinello, who also is attached to direct.

[ . . . ]

The project will be taken out to the networks in the next few weeks, with Sedaris and Dinello hoping it will land on cable.

Here, here! Perhaps a little more bad-girl Sedaris to celebrate the good news:

Mmmmm . . . Frosting. Give that girl some more sprinkles.