Archives for 30 Rock

Alec Baldwin Hosting ‘Saturday Night Live’ Season Finale

How can Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels possibly top Betty White as host for the Mother’s Day weekend SNL? Well, obviously, he can’t.

But, getting Alec Baldwin to host the SNL season finale the following week (May 15)? Pretty awesome. NBC has yet to confirm it, but Baldwin himself spilled the beans about his hosting gig at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner on Saturday night.

Baldwin is one of the all-time great SNL hosts, and the May 15 show would mark his 15th (!) time as host, which ties him with his Oscar co-host, Steve Martin, for the SNL hosting record.

The May 15 episode will mark Baldwin’s first time making the SNL opening monologue since … last season. He hosted the Valentine’s Day 2009 episode, with musical guest the Jonas Brothers.

One wish: That Baldwin busts out his Tony Bennett for a Tony Bennett Show skit. Hilarious!

Channel Surfing – April 28, 2010

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

- He’s contractually obligated to not appear on TV until after May 1, so Conan O’Brien won’t talk about the Tonight Show saga … until May 2, on 60 Minutes, in an interview with Steve Kroft.

- There’s certainly no lack of famous types in need of rehab after public meltdowns, and TMZ.com says that means the producers of VH1’s Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew are going after big names like Heather Locklear, Charlie Sheen and wife Brooke Mueller and the trainwreck that is Lindsay Lohan to join the cast for next season.

- West Wing star Allison Janney will guest star in the May 11 episode of Lost, but the bigger news is that that episode will finally, supposedly, answer all our questions about the Locke-ness monster.

- If you’re a 30 Rock fan and you’re in New York, here’s a great way to spend a few hours: Time Out New York magazine’s 30 Rock Walk.

- Adam Lambert has been the best guest mentor on American Idol this season, and I think he’s the best candidate so far to replace Simon Cowell at the judges’ table next season, but alas, he’s not interested.

- Add another TV name to the upcoming Smurfs big-screen movie: Paul “Pee-wee Herman” Reubens.

- True Blood fans, no need to wait ’till June 13 for new episodes. There’s a new minisode at HBO.com right now.

- James Franco did it, Julianne Moore did it for a day and David Hasselhoff is going to do it; now add Sean Young to the list of big-screen stars who’ve gone to daytime, as Young will be joining the cast of The Young and the Restless in June.

- Buzz is that Desperate Housewives may be renewed for two more seasons on ABC, after which it would ride off into that big TV graveyard in the sky. Anyone else think it’s sort of played out already? How many big mysteries can one little neighborhood have? Really, Marc Cherry.

- Glee fans are lovin’ the show’s music, and Billboard mag points out that there have been plenty of other TV series that have used music as part of their success stories.

- Is America’s Got Talent judge and Celebrity Apprentice alum Piers Morgan the next Babs Walters?

- Former NBC and now TNT cop drama Southland will live on for a third season.

- He’ll be a part of the Parks and Recreation cast next season, and Brothers and Sisters star Rob Lowe is making a guest stop in Californication first. Lowe will play an actor who’s a leading candidate to play Hank Moody (David Duchovny) in the movie version of Hank’s book.

- If all the foodie programming on Food Network and TLC still aren’t satiating your appetite, get ready for the Cooking Channel, which launches on May 31.

- And fantastic news: Mrs. Dexter, a.k.a. Jennifer Carpenter, says her hubby, her Dexter co-star Michael C. Hall, is fully recovered from his battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Jon Hamm Returns to ‘30 Rock’ … With his Fellow Jamaican Receptionists?

The Mad Men star returning to 30 Rock, with Jason Sudekis and Dean Winters? That’s more awesome than Don Cheadle on a bed of rice!

That reference, of course, is a nod to one of this season’s best 30 Rock episodes, “Anna Howard Shaw Day,” which featured that trio of actors as Liz Lemon’s (Tina Fey) ex-boyfriends, and, in a Liz hallucination, that trio of actors playing Jamaican receptionists working in her dentist’s office and gossiping about their Don Cheadle fantasies.

Well, good news: In the May 13 episode of 30 Rock, Hamm and Winters return to play Liz exes Drew and Dennis, who she visits in hopes of sparking a reunion so she’ll have a date for the wedding of another of her exes, Floyd (Sudekis).

In the same ep, Michael Sheen also returns as Liz’s alleged “Future Husband,” while Elizabeth Banks and Julianne Moore also return as part of Jack’s (Alec Baldwin) love triangle. And Tracy (Tracy Morgan)? He enlists Kenneth’s (Jack McBrayer) help in his never-ending quest for the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards).

Good times.

Channel Surfing – April 1, 2010

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

- It’ll be a Precious episode of Saturday Night Live, as Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe is set to host an upcoming show (no date has been set yet).

- I thought this was an April Fool’s story, but it’s not: WE is debuting a reality series called Sunset Daze, a sort of geriatric version of Jersey Shore, featuring one mature lady who likes to talk about “Bob,” which is her name for her um, personal pleasure accoutrement. OK, sex toy. Read if you dare.

- Two more shows on the WE horizon for later this year: Mother Knows Best? (the question mark is part of the title, not any sort of commentary), a reality series in which Joan Rivers moves to Los Angeles and into the home of her daughter Melissa; Wayne’s World, a reality show that will revolve around Vegas legend Wayne Newton and his life on and off the stage; and Staten Island Cakes, about a 19-year-old named Vinny, who runs an Italian bakery with his family (and yes, this is obviously WE’s answer to Cake Boss).

- Next week’s Masters might be the highest-rated golf event ever, not just because of the 3D broadcast, but also, of course, because it marks TigerWoods‘ first event since The Scandal.

- Band of Brothers and Desperate Housewives star Neal McDonough has reportedly lost his role in an ABC series because he refuses to do sex scenes, in deference to his family man status and religious beliefs. If it’s true, you have to admire the commitment, especially with the Tiger, Jesse James, etc. scandals …

- Glee, Modern Family and the perpetually underrated Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson are among this year’s winners of the prestigious Peabody Awards.

- Speaking of Glee, if you’re between the ages of 16 and 26 and have dreams of being on the show, they’re looking for fresh talent.

- Oh, and the Glee gang is on the cover of the new Rolling Stone.

- Oscar nominee Julianne Moore makes her special As the World Turns guest appearance on Monday, April 5. Moore will reprise her early-career role of Frannie Hughes, as she helps celebrate Bob and Kim’s big anniversary and vows renewal. Especially with the classic soap in its last months before the series finale in September, big points to Moore for remembering her soap roots and agreeing to the guest spot.

- RIP journalist, TV writer and, apparently, George Clinton expert, David Mills, who died on the set of his upcoming HBO series Treme earlier this week. EW.com writer Ken Tucker (one the best TV writers/critics ever, IMHO) wrote a sweet tribute to Mills, putting a personal and more informative touch on the rote obit.

- Last year’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia live performance of “The Nightman Cometh,” the upcoming Conan O’Brien comedy tour, the upcoming Glee concerts … I love this trend of our favorite shows hitting the road. The latest: Aqua Teen Hunger Force Live!

- Matt Damon on 30 Rock …. it’s happening.

- 24 producer Howard Gordon says fans should be patient with the Dana Walsh character, who most fans have been hating on this season. I’d argue, though, that it’s not just that the character is annoying. So is Katee Sackhoff’s wooden acting in portraying her.

- Law & Order is in danger of not making it to a record-setting 21st season. Will fans start a “save our show” campaign?

- And no, you were not the only one ticked off about that annoying V countdown clock ABC ran during this week’s Lost episode.

Channel Surfing Weekend – October 9-11, 2009

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

- The campaign to get 30 Rock Emmy nominee Tracy Morgan on Twitter has been successful: Morgan launched his official Twitter account on Thursday. And if the hope was that the comedian would share some of his trademark off-the-wall thoughts on Twitter, his followers didn’t have to wait long. Morgan’s second Tweet, isn’t quotable on a, ahem, family blog, so suffice it to say it describes, using Star Wars references, his little Tracy. Or not so, as the Tweet alludes ….

- More 30 Rock news: Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) wants a duplex apartment, but there’s something standing in her way … an upstairs neighbor, who’ll be played by former Daily Show correspondent Nathan Corddry in the show’s sixth episode this seasson.

- And more naughty primetime TV star behavior: Marge Simpson will be the Playboy mag cover girl for November, and yes, she will be nekkid. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Simpsons, Playboy will also feature a Q+A and data sheet on the blue-haired Simpsons matriarch, but, as E! Online points out, readers are probably going to be more interested in those naked drawings, to see if “the rug matches the (blue) drapes.” D’oh indeed.

- CBS is re-making the cop drama Hawaii 5-0, while TNT is mulling a remake of the Ewing oil drama Dallas. The new Dallas would focus on Ewing offspring John Ross (J.R.’s son) and Christopher (Bobby’s son).

- Project Runway the TV show will become Project Runway the Wii videogame.

- Modern Family, The Middle and Cougar Town have gotten full-season pick-ups from ABC. Not so much for Kelsey Grammer’s Hank, the worst-reviewed, least-watched of ABC’s new comedy offerings.

- West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip star Bradley Whitford is headed back to the tube in Jack and Dan, a new Fox buddy cop action-dramedy created by Burn Notice creator Matt Nix.

- It’s not a Desperate Housewives spin-off, but DH creator Marc Cherry is developing a new drama for ABC, and it will have the same tone as the soapy DH.

- Food Network, make room for the Cooking Channel.

- Jerry’s the only one who had the same job throughout the series, but Mainstreet.com points out the many job-hunting lessons we can learn from the Seinfeld gang.

- Showtime will premiere Dexter: Early Cuts, a 12-part animated series of Webisodes that unfolds some of the serial killer’s early years, on Oct. 25.

- And this weekend in primetime:

FRIDAY
- The ninth season of Degrassi: The Next Generation premieres on TeenNick at 8PM ET
- Snoop Dogg is in the hizzouse on Brothers (8PM, Fox)
- Eli’s dead mom reveals a secret after his dad has a heart attack on Ghost Whisperer (8PM, CBS)
- Dead men don’t travel with bags of money, which leads to a kidnapping investigation on Law & Order (8PM, NBC)
- On Smallville (8PM, The CW), Lois in infected with a zombie plague, and Clark has to risk revealing his identity to Zod to help her
- Eddie’s new boss is one of his former students on ‘Til Death (8:30PM, Fox)
- I’m Alive (9PM) is Animal Planet’s new series that unfolds the stories of people who’ve survived animal attacks
- New season of the Dog Whisperer on NGC at 9PM
- Echo and Victor mix it up on Dollhouse (9PM, Fox)
- Hilarity and a murder investigation ensue when Monk (9PM, USA) joins group therapy
- Babs Streisand is interviewed on Friday Night With Streisand and Ross (9PM, BBCA)
- Allison suspects foul play when her cancer-stricken friend dies on Medium (9PM, CBS)
- New Stargate Universe at 9PM on Syfy
- The second season of Sanctuary premieres on Syfy at 10PM
- The Rescue Ink Unleashed (10PM, NGC) guys try to locate a doggie who was stolen during a robbery
- David Naughton (An American Werewolf in London) guest stars on a Psych episode (10PM, USA) in which Shawn and Gus work on the case of a guy who believes he’s a werewolf
- More contestants try to win cash to get out of debt on BET’s game show Pay It Off (10PM)
- A ’70s-themed birthday party at an NYC museum in on the slate tonight on Wedded to Perfection (10PM, TLC)
- New Numb3rs at 10PM on CBS
- NFL legend Terry Bradshaw is the guest on The Jay Leno Show (10PM, NBC)
- Sarah Silverman is among the guests on Real Time with Bill Maher (10PM, HBO)

SATURDAY
- Animal Planet’s new series SuperFetch (8PM) is all about teaching all dogs, old and new, new tricks
- It’s the HBO premiere of Marley & Me at 8PM
- Back-to-back new episodes of History Channel’s What Went Down focus on Pearl Harbor (8PM) and The Alamo (9PM)
- Making His Band wraps season one at 9PM on MTV
- It’s a must-watch or TiVo episode of The Suze Orman Show (9PM, CNBC), as a viewer wants to know if Suze thinks a private concert with the band Cracker is a good expenditure
- New Robin Hood ep on BBCA (9PM)
- A woman asks The Locator (9PM, WE) to help her find her brother, who she hasn’t seen in 18 years, since she was just three-years-old
- Cheesy Syfy thriller of the week: Megafault (9PM), about a massive earthquake that would split the world in half!
- Dogs 101 (9PM, Animal Planet) focuses on English sheepdogs, Chow Chows and miniature schnauzers
- Soon-to-be talk show host Wanda Sykes debuts her latest stand-up special, Wanda Sykes: I’ma Be Me, at 10PM on HBO
- Ricky Gervais is among the guests on the sixth-season premiere of The Graham Norton Show on BBCA at 10PM
- It’s the 10th anniversary of Alton Brown’s Good Eats (10PM) on Food Network
- Drew Barrymore returns as host for the sixth time on Saturday Night Live (11:30PM, NBC), with musical guest Regina Spektor

SUNDAY
- One of the teams loses passports in Cambodia on a new ep of The Amazing Race (8PM, CBS)
- New Extreme Makeover: Home Editor on ABC at 8PM
- Marge is upset that the Punch, Kick and Choke Championships are coming to Springfield on The Simpsons (8PM, Fox)
- It’s all about sugar showpieces on the Food Network Challenge (8PM)
- Cleveland Jr.’s new friend Ernie (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Glenn Howerton) wants to move in to the Brown household on The Cleveland Show (8:30PM, Fox)
- JFK: 3 Shots That Changed America (9PM, History) is a new documentary on the Kennedy assassination
- It’s down to nine contenders on The Next Iron Chef (9PM, Food Network)
- Gaby’s old fling John (Jesse Metcalfe) returns on Desperate Housewives (9PM, ABC)
- Chevy Chase and Dan Ackroyd guest on Family Guy (9PM, Fox)
- Drop Dead Diva wraps its first season on Lifetime (9PM)
- NGC’s all about dinosaurs with Dinosaurs Decoded (9PM, NGC)
- On Three Rivers (9PM, CBS), a college student needs a lung transplant but may not be eligible for it
- Discovering Ardi (9PM, Discovery) unfolds the story of Ardipithecus ramidus, a 4-million-year-old hominid skeleton and the research to find out if it’s a human ancestor
- One super argumentative Bridezilla (9PM, WE) has it out with her florist – over 12 cents
- Dexter (9PM, Showtime) becomes a fan of the Trinity Killer’s methods
- Larry can’t go anywhere without stirring up trouble, and on tonight’s Curb Your Enthusiasm (9PM, HBO), he mixes it up with an ex-girlfriend and Christian Slater
- New American Dad episode at 9:30PM (Fox)
- Parker Posey guests on Bored to Death (9:30PM, HBO)
- Girls Next Door’s sixth season premieres on E! at 10PM
- Rick Springfield and Kathleen Turner guest star on Californication (10PM, Showtime)
- David says no to a winter wedding in spring on My Fair Wedding with David Tutera (10PM, WE)
- Army Wives third season finale airs at 10PM (Lifetime)
- Don and Sal have difficult business situations on Mad Men (10PM, AMC)
- Kitty decides to tell the fam about her illness on Brothers & Sisters (10PM, ABC)
- Lily meets up with ex-BF Eddie (Bobby Cannavale) on Cold Case (10PM, CBS)
- E!’s newest celebreality series, Leave It to Lamas (10:30PM), focuses on the warring Lamas fam, where papa Lorenzo is ticked at his son, who allegedly slept with Lorenzo’s ex-wife

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