30 Rocks

I'm thinking I should start watching "Sesame Street" again...In fact, why'd I ever stop?

Baby Mama

The season premiere of "30 Rock" isn't until next Thursday, but Hulu has posted it online today!

You can watch it below, or go over there to see a higher res version.

The Line-Up

For those without TiVo or TiFauxs, note that "30 Rock" has been moved to a new time, swapping with "Scrubs." So, "30 Rock" is now at 9:30 and "Scubs" is now at 8:30.

Got it?

Good.

Also, there's a new episode of "Lost" tonight as well, and it's also moved times. It's now on at 10pm, which I'm kind of annoyed by. Not because it's late and I'm old and I'll fall asleep (although, who am I kidding, that's bound to happen) but because I've been enjoying the season so much, having to wait until 10 to see a new episode is a bit of torture in my primetime line-up.

By Special Request...

The Return of the Psycho Ex-Girlfriend?

Last night I watched "30 Rock"--the last episode of the season, unless the strike is settled, like, tomorrow--and loved it. Of course. During one scene, Liz Lemon starts to drunk dial a co-op board because they haven't called her back about the apartment she wants to buy. During one moment, she's on the floor of her bathroom and says, "I'm going to the hospital! I hope you're happy!!" and...well, click here and watch the clip. I can't figure out how to steal it and embed it here.

Back? OK. So, I immediately recognized that bit about going to the hospital as words spoken by the infamous Psycho Ex-Girlfriend whose crazed voicemails were on the Interwebs back in 2001. You can listen to them all here. Story was, this chick just left voicemail after voicemail on this guy's phone--about 50 messages, I think--each more crazed than the last. He posted them on a Web site, and a sensation was born. Oh, the innocent days of the Web! Anyway, I, like many people who listened to them, became a little obsessed by it. Were they real? Was it all a hoax? They certainly sounded real to me. But the alleged ex-boyfriend never divulged the ex-girlfriend's name, and she never showed up anywhere angrily screaming about how that jerk had embarrassed her on the Internet. (Of course, it probably would have been a smart move to keep your mouth shut about it.)

So, when I heard Liz Lemon channelling the Psycho-Ex Girlfriend, I started to check around and see if there was any further news about her. I found that someone on YouTube had posted all the original voicemails as videos, with helpful transcripts. Here's the one with the hospital bit:



Then I saw that someone else on YouTube had posted some psycho-ex girlfriend voicemails, different ones, saying that he thinks his ex is the same woman as the infamous voicemail ex. And I'll be a monkey's uncle, but the woman really does sound EXACTLY like the same chick. Here's one of the videos. Sound is pretty crappy, so be warned.



I commented on the video, asking if it was real, and the guy responded. (You can read the exchange on the YouTube page.) He insists they are real. Now, I know it's not unheard of for people to go through a lot of trouble to create a minor hoax on the Internet. But let's assume for a minute that this is real, and this woman did the same thing to this guy that she did to the original guy. That's weird enough. But here are some other "facts."

* She was apparently older than the guy she was dating during the original voicemail insanity. He was 25, and I think she was in her late 30s. The guy with the new voicemails is 26, and says he dated her two years ago, when he was 24. She must have been close to, or in her 40s at that point. Which, you know, fine. She likes 'em young.

* She is still leaving crazy voicemails. Which would mean she either never heard about all her voicemails turning into an Internet sensation, or she knows about it, and really doesn't care. Which would lend credence to the "psycho" part of her moniker.

* If you listen to some of this new guy's further voicemails (here and here) she starts talking about having his baby. What's THAT about? Did she have his baby? Or was that another "I'm going to the hospital" ploys to get him to call her back?

I guess I could engage in further exchanges with the guy on YouTube, but I'm reluctant because if it is a hoax, I don't want to seem like a total rube that bought into it. Even though that's totally what I am.

So, my obsession with the psycho ex-girlfriend continues. Is she real? WHO IS SHE? How can she be so crazy? And how can she be so crazy and continue to snag young guys into her crazy web of lunacy?

And if anyone ever finds out who she is, please don't give her my phone number.

Cajun Style!

Because Hillary won New Hampshire, and because James Carville is one of her advisors, and because my dad is currently in Louisiana, I present this clip from "30 Rock."

I've Called This Meeting to Discuss What Happened Last Night at Kenneth's Party

I was just granted beta access to yet another online video site, called Hulu. It's got Fox and NBC programs, and that's about it for now, but I wanted to test out its embedding feature, which allows you to create your own clips from episodes to embed. Here's one of my favorite moments from "30 Rock" this season.



It looks like the whole episode is actually up there, it just jumps to the part I specified when you play it. But I think you can then jump around the whole episode or watch the whole thing by going back on the time bar. Which, is cool. I guess.

A "Talking Like This" Contest

Don't forget, "30 Rock" returns tonight with a new episode, and Will Arnett from "Arrested Development" is a guest star. (And later you can see Tony "Buster" Hale on "Andy Barker, P.I."!)

"30 Rock" is on at a goofy time, 8:44pm, so if you don't have a TiVo and aren't watching the 44-minute long episode of "The Office" beforehand, turn on that TV at 8:43. Just in case.

Sad...Happy!

I still don't have my PowerBook back here at work (any minute! They promise!) so I have been forced to use a PC all day. I've already cursed the thing a dozen times and had three programs crash on me. PCs are SO AWESOME!

Anyway, here's some brief news of interest: In the sad department, Bob Clark, the director of "A Christmas Story," was killed in a car crash today.

In happy news, "30 Rock" was renewed for a second season!

Where's 30 Rock?

If you're wondering where "30 Rock" has gone to tonight, and where it will be for the next six weeks, the answer is, nowhere. Which is to say, it's nowhere else. It's just gone...to make way for the new Andy Richter comedy "Andy Barker PI." Which isn't the worst case scenario. "30 Rock" will be back, and in the meantime you can watch a pretty funny sitcom in its own right.

Or, if you'd rather get the entire series out of the way in one sitting, you can watch all six episodes online now. (That's kind of a weird choice by NBC, don't you think?)

You Have to Fire Ten Percent of Your Staff

As seen on "30 Rock" tonight.

What Am I, a Farmer?

I like Andy Richter and all, but I can't say I'm happy to learn his new show, "Andy Barker, PI," is going to be taking over "30 Rock"'s timeslot for five weeks starting March 15th.

Damn it, NBC! You know I love my big beef and cheddar!

Goddamn Cows

I just ate my second Skinny Cow chocolate fudge cone of the evening. The whole low fat, only 150 calories thing kind of goes out the window after one, doesn't it?

In totally unrelated news, Liz Lemon's reaction to the Hair's asking her out on a date on tonight's "30 Rock" had me laughing for about five minutes. I think this is the first series of the season that I might have to buy when it comes out on DVD.

Speaking of Which, Where's "30 Rock"?

Well, it's moved to Thursday nights, with a 40 minute episode airing tonight at 9:20pm. Next Thursday there's a two-hour (TWO HOURS?) episode of "Deal or No Deal," because people can't be expected to actually have to think after eating five pounds of turkey, but "30 Rock" will be back the following week, along with "Scrubs," woo!

NBC Scrambles

"30 Rock" and "Scrubs" will be moving to Thursday nights on November 30th, giving that night two full hours of comedy as lead in to the gut-busting laugh riot that is "ER" at 10 o'clock.

This is a good sign for "30 Rock," as it means the network is actually thinking it will still be on the air a month from now. But putting it up against "CSI" and "Grey's Anatomy" is probably not going to mean better ratings, so the show is still basically on shaky ground.

There's been a lot of talk about NBC announcing they are all but giving up on producing more comedies and dramas to air during the eight o'clock hour, and will instead air reality and game shows. I had just been thinking how refreshing it's been that there are relatively few reality shows on network TV this season (comparatively) and here NBC comes along saying they want to change that. Frankly, I think reality TV hit its peak a while ago, and NBC's investing more into the genre is just a step backwards. NBC also has one of the only new dramas that can be called a hit ("Heroes") so I don't know why they aren't taking something away from that.

But the way networks work will always be a complete mystery to me. Like, why does NBC insist on running little spots at the end of shows that say something like, "Stay tuned for more '30 Rock'!" making us think there will be previews for next week, or a little stinger before the end credits, when it fact there's nothing but commercials. That's just sleazy!

State of TV: Wednesdays

Wednesday. Please, please don't call it hump day.

I'm sure some kind of hump/"America's Next Top Model" joke can be made (involving, no doubt, Fergie), but I'm just too tired to come up with it. So let's instead talk about Tyra's huge ego. Seriously, girl needs to get over herself. It's especially amusing when she gives the girls modeling advice like, "You're smiling, but you're dead in the eyes. You need to be less like this-" opens her eyes and stares ahead, "and more like this-" opens her eyes and stares ahead. Yeah. Thanks Tyra. You're brilliant. And I think anything else I have to say about the show I say every week with my locals recap on SFist.

Also at 8pm is "Jericho" one of the only new dramas to get a full season order, meaning it's a hit. And for the life of me, I can't understand why. We're what--four? five?--episodes in and we still have no clue what went down with all those nuclear explosions, and instead have been stuck in a Kansas city town with a bunch of locals who are dealing with nuclear fall out and radiation poisoning. How fun! And these people just don't act like people would if nuclear Armageddon had broken out. The local teens hold a keggar, and the local adults almost take up arms when the possibility that the town saloon's generator may run out of gas. OK, sure, maybe this is the way real people would act, but the show doesn't manage to do it convincingly. No one seems that...concerned about what's really gone down. I can understand the desire to drink oneself silly if the nuclear bomb was dropped on a nearby city, but I think I'd either be sobbing, or completely slap-happy while doing it. I'd hope I wouldn't be a total bore like every last resident of Jericho seems to be.

"30 Rock" kind of tanked in the ratings, and the critics didn't seem to like it much either, which has me flummoxed. Of course I've only watched one episode so far, but I still think that one episode was funny. I really hope it doesn't get cancelled.

Which brings us to "Lost," which has also been losing viewers and pissing off critics. Me, I'm happy with the way it's played out so far. I like that this season has introduced a new set of characters, just as season two did with the Tailies. And I'm intrigued enough by the Others' shenanigans to remain hopelessly addicted to the show. I will say I'm disappointed they brought the "it might not be Jin's baby" plot into play. I don't like how that makes Sun a liar (well, more of a liar) and possibly removes the supernatural (or Other) explanation for her pregnancy. I also can't stop thinking about how there are only six episodes (three more to go!) before the show dissapears for months. Can they possibly give us (and especially viewers who are leaving) a good enough finale and/or cliffhanger to get us to come back in February? My faith remains in the show, but that doesn't mean I won't worry.

Following "Lost" is "The Nine" at 10pm, the drama about nine people who survive a bank robbery. While the nine tend to be more interesting than the inhabitants of Jericho, Kansas, they still aren't compelling enough to actually get me excited about the show. I keep watching because I want to see what happened in that bank and see how it plays out over the season, but something tells me the payoff is going to be disappointing. I also really dislike Tim Daly's character, which is a shame since his story has been getting more play than the others. But then when I do think about the other characters, I actually can't think of any I'd want to see more of, so I guess that criticism isn't really valid. I will say I thought the ending to last week's episode, with the teenage girl's realization about the 911 one call, was very effective. But it remains a small part of a bigger mystery that is, at this point, just not that riveting.

Finally, for one more week (meaning tonight) we've got "Project Runway." I'm glad to say that this reality show remains the best reality show on TV, and this season can only end up being better than last season's, since none of the designers is showing signs of having a collection as horrendous as last season's winner, Chloe Dao's. (Oh, the "Dynasty" nightmares those dresses gave me!) For the record, I'm rooting for Laura. She has a boring aesthetic I find quite pleasing. (And I think the previews showing jerkwad Jeffrey's breaking down crying are probably his crying with relief that he hasn't been disqualified for cheating. Although I'm kinda hoping he does get busted for something. He's just so ick.)

Following the finale of "Runway" is the premiere of "Top Chef," which was suprisingly good last season. Unlike "Hell's Kitchen" that other reality cooking show, the chefs on "Top Chef" have to have actual talent to win, and not just the ability to put together generic menus while someone screams at them and calls them donkeys. Unfortunately, the show is taking place in LA this year, instead of San Francisco; part of the fun of the show was seeing the local eateries and neighborhoods being featured each week. But maybe if this season does well they'll bring it back to SF for season three.

I Heart Alec Baldwin

My review of "30 Rock" is up on SFist. Go read it! And be sure to watch it tonight at 8pm on NBC! If there is any justice in the TV world, "Studio 60" will get the can, and "30 Rock" will turn out to be a huge hit.

Columbus Day Is Actually NOT Better Than Christmas

Yesterday was Columbus Day, which is a holiday, hence the no blogging. It was a great day off except for the having to work and go to school part. But no blogging gave me about 30 free minutes which was ALL PARTY baby!

"30 Rock" premieres tomorrow and I should have a review up on SFist tomorrow as well. But if you just can't wait, you can watch the pilot online at the show's NBC site. And let me tell you, it's pretty fracking funny. I want to have 100 of Alec Baldwin's babies.