Liz is in Demand on Back-to-Back Episodes of "30 Rock"

January 26, 2010

Although “30 Rock” ended their fall season in early December, there hasn’t been a lack of “30 Rock” news.

We’ve learned that “Grizz” Chapman actually does need a kidney now and that Jon Hamm will reprise his role as Liz’s love interest/baking doctor beginning in February. “Mad Men” (and Jon Hamm) fans, rejoice. More pressing however, is that “30 Rock” returned to the tube on January 14th, with back-to-back episodes.

The first episode, “Greta and Klaus,” started the new season with a strange and hilarious bang. Actor James Franco guest starred as himself, but with a penchant for a Japanese body pillow named Kimiko (more on that in a minute), Jack realized that he and Nancy may indeed have a future together, Jonathan and Kenneth vied

for Jack’s attention, Tracy got his wife pregnant over the holidays, and Liz outed her cousin, Randy, to the Lemon family on New Year’s. So, there’s a lot going on there. Let’s break it down, shall we?

Although the show’s A-plot was the possible relationship between Jack and Nancy, hence the name of the episode (it was their names in their high school German class), it was honestly kind of boring. Jack recruited Kenneth to help him break into Nancy’s house to delete a message he left her at 3:42 AM on New Year’s and realized that her voicemail code spelled his German name, Klaus (awwweeeee). The side plots were far more fun.

Jenna began a fake relationship with James Franco because he needed to dispel tabloid rumors that he was in love with a body pillow adorned with an anime lady. Hilariously, he was indeed in love with a body pillow adorned with an anime lady. Jenna loves the paparazzi attention at first, but then, after a kiss for the cameras, she realizes that she doesn’t want a high-profile fake relationship–she wants something real. After explaining this to Franco, he agrees that they should both be happy and he decides to no longer hide his love for Kimiko, the body pillow.

In the other fun story-arc, Liz’s newly-outed cousin Randy comes to see her in New York. Liz tries her best to protect Randy from the lust dungeons that are NYC’s gay bars, but Randy sneaks around and locks her in a closet (haha) so that he can go be gay in New York. However, Liz convinces Randy to move back home after she, James Franco, and Kimiko come out of her bedroom wearing mismatched pajamas, begging the question, did Liz Lemon sleep with James Franco and a body pillow?

In the next episode, “Black Light Attack!” Jack and Danny (Cheyenne Jackson) have a bromance that is interrupted by Liz and Danny’s inter-office relationship. Jack and Liz have a battle royale and Jack prevails because he tells Danny (wait for it) …..that he is in love with Liz!!!!!! It must be noted that he says it jokingly and mostly so that he can win, but still! He said it! That’s step 1 right?

Also, in this episode, Tracy decides to add a woman to his entourage so he can practice being a dad to a daughter (the pregnancy is far too early to know the gender, but Tracy is convinced it’s a girl) and Jenna reveals her true age (41) on an episode of Gossip Girl.

Although the second episode was not nearly as fun as the first, at least Liz is finally in demand. With Hamm back in the cast, and Jack’s announcement that he (jokingly) loves Liz, hopefully we’ll finally see Liz with someone who isn’t a pathetic loser. Perhaps Hamm and Baldwin will have a battle royale….

Favorite Quotes

“Greta and Klaus”

“5 dates a week, 1 fight a month, and because of a product placement deal with Jamba Juice….the fight will be in a Jamba Juice.”–James Franco, negotiating relationship with Jenna

“I’ll see you at dawn so you can get caught coming out of my apartment. I’ll loan you a shirt, try to look like you just got drilled. You know the deal.”–Franco to Jenna

”Now you just have to hope it’s a girl.” –Liz to Tracy, upon announcement of Angie’s pregnancy
“I know it’s a girl! I know it because I yelled Susan B. Anthony at the moment of conception!”–Tracy

“Kenneth! You’re haircut is disrespectful to lesbians. Dot Com! Do you ever read books by women?”–Tracy
“But George Eliot was a woman.”–Dot Com (oh, Dot Com. How we love you.)

“Hey Liz. We’re playing the Today Show drinking game. You take a shot every time they give a dumb travel tip.” –Frank

“Black Light Attack!”

“I want to be TGS’ Steve Nash. Come down from Canada, work hard, make the black guy look good.” – Danny to Jack

“My biggest problem with quidditch is, if the snitch is 150 points, why does anyone bother with the quaffle?”–Toofer

“She has really thin lips, but she makes up for it with tongue girth.”–Danny to Jack, about Liz

My Obsession with (Fictional) Librarians

January 5, 2010

Don’t you love days when you discover something about yourself?

Well, depending on the discovery, I do. My most recent one was that I unabashedly love (fictional) librarians.

It’s a widely known fact that I love to read, which leads to a love of books and everything pertaining to books. Walking into a library or a book retailer turns me into a giddy little girl. The endless possibility of so many stories makes me tingle with excitement and I can be seen dashing from one section to another, before I settle in one particular section that captures my fancy. Once I decide upon a genre (lately it’s been cultural affairs or humor) I stand there for hours reading titles, summaries, and sometimes whole chapters of books.

Since I have a deep love of books, it only seems natural that I also love librarians. And though I’ve always appreciated these supervisors of stories and enjoy speaking with them–if you’ve never had a legit conversation with a librarian, you’re missing out. They know EVERYTHING–I’ve never really considered that I truly love librarians.

And how did I come upon this epiphany you may ask? Well, that’s where this self-discovery becomes kind of wonky.

Aside from my deep love for all things literary, I also love made-for-TV movies. I love their melodramatic plot lines, the overacting, and the lack of editing for content. So, on Christmas night I flipped on TNT to watch a particular favorite made-for-TV movie series–The Librarian.

If you’re unfamiliar, do yourself a favor and put all three movies in your Netflix cue immediately. This trilogy is about a librarian, played by Noah Wyle, who is not just a man who spends his days reciting the Dewey Decimal system and helping people find a copy of the newest James Patterson novel. He is actually more of an Indiana Jones type–he is knowledgeable and good looking and surprisingly agile. Thus, he goes on quests for artifacts that require him to travel the world.

Doesn’t this look great?!

So, while watching these (obviously awesome) movies for a second time, I had an epiphany–not only do I love this fictional librarian, I love many fictional librarians.

There’s Giles, the watcher/librarian on Buffy the Vampire Slayer whose Britishness never failed to make me happy. And Laura Bush (okay, not fictional) a librarian turned First Lady. And Marian from “The Music Man” who can both sing and alphabetize by title or author. And Mary in the alternative world in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” who, despite living in a sinister alternate world without George Bailey, is still lovely.

As you can see, this is an illustrious and varied group. And how can you not love them? Each is awesome, intelligent, and compassionate in their own way. They are people we should all strive to become. (That’s right, I said it.)

So while others spent their holiday breaks gaining weight and making resolutions to lose that weight, I contemplated my love for librarians while wearing pajamas with gnomes on them.

WIN.

Arkie expats find Southern solace in NYC’s Brother Jimmy’s BBQ

December 15, 2009

Published by Ozarks Unbound

Moving twenty hours away from home to attend graduate school was a big decision and one that I knew would be difficult from time to time. Although I’ve dealt with the requisite homesickness and living off of a (very) small bank account, what I’ve missed most (besides my family and friends) are the culinary delights of the South.

Although New York does have food stuffs I was otherwise unaware of in Arkansas (Kosher pickles are sooo much better) there is a lack of some of my favorite things.

Fried chicken just isn’t the same, there is no Shiner to be found either in a bar or in a liquor store, and the barbeque is pitiful, despite the fact that Dinosaur BarBQue pretends to be great and has somehow duped people into agreeing with them.

My Southern taste buds are not fooled.

Even though Syracuse does not have much to offer this wayward Arkie when she is craving Southern food, New York City is a different story.

With entire neighborhoods of the city dedicated to different nationalities, New York City is a foodie dream. From Chinatown to Astoria, Little Italy to Brighton Beach, it is difficult to become bored with the culinary attractions. Luckily, this includes Southern offerings.

I met up with two U of A alum friends in New York last weekend, and nestled within our itinerary of Broadway shows and holiday sights, was a stop at Southern Hospitality, the Memphis-themed restaurant and bar that Justin Timberlake partially owns.

On the subway to Southern Hospitality, the three of us talked about what we hoped they served. My friends, who are currently living in Washington, D.C., were hoping for SoCo (Southern Comfort) and Dr. Pepper.

I was praying that somehow a distribution deal was worked out with Shiner.

When we arrived, every SEC game being played that night, as well as a brutal UFC fight, was broadcast on a high definition television, but there was a surprising lack of patrons for a Saturday night in NYC. Although the menu at Southern Hospitality seemed legitimate in their offerings, the bar was disappointing. There was no Dr. Pepper nor Shiner.

So, we settled for a round of beers–Magic Hat 9, Newcastle, and Blue Moon respectively.

After our round, we decided to tab out and venture back into the cold, windy streets of Manhattan. Luckily, we did not have to walk for long because we spied a neon sign across the street that read Brother Jimmy’s BBQ.

As soon as we walked in the door, we knew that this was the place for us.

The decor consists of exposed hard wood floors, Southern license plates adorn the walls, and the staff wears t-shirts with the slogan “Put Some South in Yo’ Mouth.” A sign over the bar informed us that on Wednesdays a Southern ID gets you 10% off and it doubles as Ladies Night. Unfortunately for us, it was Saturday.

Like Southern Hospitality, Brother Jimmy’s had the football games on, but the difference was that there were actually people in the bar. We pushed our way to the bar and ordered PBR — maybe not the tastiest choice, but a cheap one.

After awhile, we found a table and were approached by the too-cute-for-words waitress, Katie. She let us know about the drink specials, which included Swamp Water (served in a fish bowl with many straws), Bourbon Lemonade (my choice for the night), Plantation Punch, and The Battle of Antietam Bloody Mary.

Brother Jimmy’s Bourbon Lemonade

At the end of the night, when my friends and I were already convinced that Brother Jimmy’s is a great bar, we saw a sign that read “Y’all Now Leaving Hog Heaven.”

We are officially fans–even if we only had the drinks.

So, if any of y’all are heading to NYC anytime soon, I highly recommend that you find one of the six Brother Jimmy’s Manhattan locations. You’ll feel right at home.

Please Leave Jane Austen’s Work Alone: A Desperate and Non-influential Plea

December 11, 2009

I am a fervent Jane Austen fan. I love her eloquent prose, her portrayal of social conventions during Victorian England, and her penchant for subtle criticism. And I think people need to leave her work well-enough alone!

As you may or may not know, because her work has been in the public sphere for more than a century, it is no longer covered by copyright. So, people can do what they will with it. And ohhhh have they.

In early 2009, Seth Grahame-Smith wrote a mash-up of the iconic and lovely Pride and Prejudice by infusing it with zombies. His novel, uncreatively titled Pride and Prejudice and Zombies consists of the original Austen manuscript, just infused with zombies and random woodland creatures. Even more, it has spurred other authors to try their hand at this style, with the release of Ben H. Winters’ Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. At least Winters attempted to alliterate the title.

Despite my distaste for these novels, there are plenty of people who love them. And now, a movie is being made of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Natalie Portman will star and it will be produced by Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly, which means that it will probably be a decent movie. *sigh*

Although I must admit that the idea is hilarious, it still crushes my soul a tiny bit. Pride and Prejudice was the first novel I stayed up all-night to finish because I couldn’t bear to put it down. I was 12. Every time I tried to place my bookmark, turn off the light, and go to sleep, I just couldn’t do it. I had to know what happened next.I devoured that book and the rest of the Austen oeuvre and they hold a very special place in my life. So to see someone rip apart the novels that I hold so dear is a hard pill to swallow.

However, these novels are written in a way that if you are unfamiliar with the original Austen novels, they are hard to follow and the irony of it all is lost. So, if these strange creations are leading new readers to the original Austen novels as well as the modern day versions, I guess I can deal with that. But, I’m still going to be indignantly annoyed by them.

30 Rock’s Real Drama

December 10, 2009

Published by Ozarks Unbound.
DECEMBER 6, 2009 AT 9:12 PM

By Bethany Larson

Thursday night’s 30 Rock, “Dealbreakers Talk Show 0001,” hit the sweet spot–the episode was so funny that I was snorting and laughing to the point of tears. From the shirtless Obama picture in Devon Banks’ (Will Arnett) office to Frank’s transformation into Liz, the oh-so-funny view of the HD camera as characters walked in front of it (Kenneth in HD is actually a Muppet. Awesome.) to Liz’s breakdown due to the stress of her upcoming “Dealbreakers” talkshow, this episode had it all, including appearances from Grizz and Dot Com, Tracy’s no-nonsense wife Angie (Sherri Shepherd), Dr. Spaceman, and Whoopi Goldberg.

Because the episode was, in my opinion, the best of the season, there is no way that I can do it justice in this review, so I will list my favorite lines from last night at the bottom of the article. All I can suggest is for you watch it. However, I will talk about some pressing issues–namely the sale of NBC Universal to Comcast and Alec Baldwin’s statement that he wants to quit acting.

On Thursday, GE and Comcast announced that their long pending deal for Comcast to become the major share holder of NBCU was completed. It was a long, arduous, and boring process consisting of the negotiation of valuation. Although the deal has been made and $38 billion has been transferred, this is a process that is far from over because of issues with regulation. Oh, how the words ending in -tion make life hard.

What this means for “30 Rock” is that Jack’s role as TGS director/Executive of GE’s Microwave Division, is perhaps a moot point. Yes, GE will retain a minority share in NBCU, but they will no longer own it, which is an issue I presume will surface on the show next Spring. I’m interested to see how Fey and the writers deal with this–perhaps Geiss (Rip Torn) will sell the television division to someone else? That is probably the most rational creative decision and I seriously doubt they go that route–let’s hope they do something more creative and ridiculous than I can surmise.

Now for Baldwin. He said in a recent interview that he is never satisfied with his acting, television or otherwise, and that he wants to quit acting at the end of this year. Not only is this act of self-deprecation annoying, it is plain rude.

“30 Rock” works because of Baldwin’s character, Jack Donaghey; without him, the series would be devoid of the requisite jabs at the Republican party and the capitalist system as a whole, and the subtle sexist jokes would most probably fall to Frank, and that just wouldn’t be as fun. Furthermore, the series would lose it’s (arguably) best character. He makes the show tick. Although Tina Fey’s writing is the soul of the show, Baldwin’s impeccable timing and dead pan delivery of the jokes are the heart. And a soul without a heart is nothing more than a ghost.

Favorite Lines

“FEMA sent you these because your show is going to be a disaster”– written on a bouquet’s salutation card that Banks sent to Liz

“I need to talk to you. I have an actress problem.” — Jack to Jenna

“Don’t try to move the body yourself!”–Jenna to Jack

And now for my personal favorite:

“I just listened to Kenneth tell cleaned up versions of Garrison Keillor stories.” –Jack