Results tagged “30rock”

Second City Alum Tina Fey and her outstanding comedy 30 Rock got a whole lot of love from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences today when the show earned a whopping 22 Emmy nominations, the most of any show this year. Fey also garnered another nomination for Lead Actress in a Comedy and her Sarah Palin imitation grabbed a Guest Actress nomination. What other Windy City connections got nominations?

You might know him as the "Hug Guy" or the "Hat Guy" or as Frank, everyone's favorite TGS writer on 30 Rock. But Judah Friedlander is first and foremost a stand-up comedian, often performing at clubs several nights of the week even when he's shooting 30 Rock. We're lucky enough to have him in town this weekend performing his World Champion stand-up tour at the Chicago Improv. World Champion of what? Hockey, soccer, martial arts, picking up chicks, being a role model for children... world championships. Chicagoist got to know a little bit more about the world champion of the world; from his influences to what he's excited to do in Chicago to the $25 can of SpaghettiO's he's selling.

It's Thursday and with such gorgeous weather, it's hard not to think about the weekend, but remember that tonight's episode of 30 Rock - featuring a few Second City alums you may be familiar with - will also feature footage from actor Tracy Morgan's 2007 visit to WGN's morning show, further proving that the line between fiction and reality has been blurred beyond imagination. The episode airs tonight on NBC 5 at 8:30 p.m. [Thanks to our pals at WGN for the original tip]

We needed some good news this morning, and any news that enables us to watch the amazing clip below (which we've probably run at least two or three times already on the site) is good enough for us.

Ah, Tina Fey, you always make us laugh. And, in this clip from last week's episode of 30 Rock, she also gives a shout-out to her former home, Chicago.

Yeah, we're a little slow on the uptake here at Chicagoist sometimes, but at least we're finally caught up. Yesterday, our commenters shared the view of many over the interwebs that during the GOP response on Tuesday night, Gov. Jindal sounded an awful lot like Jack McBrayer, a.k.a., Kenneth the Page on NBC's 30 Rock. Luckily, folks on YouTube have gotten in on the act, as has McBrayer himself, who made an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. (In Jindal's defense, having seen him tussle through several elections during my Louisiana days, I can confirm that Jindal has never been known for his oratory prowess.)

A big Chicagoist congratulations to Second City alum Tina Fey, who brought home some more hardware at last night's Golden Globes by taking home awards for Best Actress (Television - Comedy or Musical) and Best Television Series (Comedy or Musical), both for 30 Rock. [Alec Baldwin also won, giving the show three awards in all]. And leave it to Fey to find a hilarious way to tell the haters on the interwebs to "suck it" without sounding like she's whining.

Ah, 30 Rock, one of our favorite shows - and, hey, it features a few Second City Chicago alums, including Tina Fey and Jack McBrayer. And now, it's been crossed with one of our favorite shows as kids, the incomparable Sesame Street. The mash-up happened earlier this fall but just now caught our attention [via TVgasm].

In honor of tomorrow's holiday and tonight's season premiere of 30 Rock, here's the full version of the seasonal classic, "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah." Check out the original clip from the show here.

The best part about DVR-ing ABC’s 60th Primetime Emmys last night was that you could fast forward through Josh Groban’s embarrassing theme show montage and could rewind and re-watch the Gervais/Carell game of comedy chicken. Cheers, technology.

Yes, our Thursday night sitcom dreams might come true. Oprah is in final talks to guest star on NBC's this fall. Rumor has it that she is slated to appear as herself in the season's second episode to air November 6. Further speculation notes that she will be playing all her scenes opposite Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) and it that her story would also play into a feud between Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) and Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski). After Tracy Jordan hosted the Source Awards as Oprah, and Liz Lemon declared Oprah to be her religious adviser (above), we hoped it was only a matter of time before Ms. Winfrey herself made an appearance.

Yeah, it's Monday. But turn those frowns upside-down because the 11th Annual Chicago Improv Fest kicks off tonight with a performance by Scheer & McBrayer, a team composed of, well, Paul Scheer (MTV's Human Giant, Best Week Ever) and Jack McBrayer (30 Rock, Talladega Nights). What they lack in name originality they more than make up for when they bring the funny. But the fun doesn't stop there: shows will continue all week at a number of venues throughout the city, featuring cast members of 30 Rock, madTV, The Colbert Report, and more. Chicago is, of course, famous for its comedy and improv scene, so now is as good a time as any to check out the renowned Improv Fest.

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Sixty years ago today, David Mamet was born, and we get a kick imagining the first word out of his mouth once he acquired the ability to speak being "fuck." To be fair, anyone who watches The Unit on CBS 2 Tuesday nights knows that Mamet doesn't need to swear to get his dialogue across. But sometimes it's just funner. In honor of Mamet's birthday we look back at one of his classic scenes:...

While SFist cringed at the fatal dose of crime littering the Bay Area, it found solace in Hillary Clinton's San Francisco campaign headquarters opening, which featured loads of exposed mammary glands. In other news, SF Taxi Commission ruled that Satan's cab must keep its (in)famous medallion number, 666; and in an un-fashion-forward frenzy, San Francisco Fashion Week (chortle) bars bloggers from covering and getting smashed at their shows and parties, respectively. Also, they found a...

Just when we thought we were out of the bad place with “30 Rock”, the worries start anew.

Things are looking up for some Chicagoans on the boob tube, and for some, the yellow brick road of fame has ended suddenly, let’s recap:

30 Rock's Jack McBrayer

30 Rock's Scott Adsit

NBC is counting on a new rhyme to advertise its Thursday night lineup, “Comedy Night Done Right”. It’s not quite as catchy as "Must See TV," and it sounds a bit …simple, but Vince Manze, President and Creative Director of The NBC Agency says, “It has all the great ingredients: It says there's a night of comedy and, of course, it rhymes.” The lineup includes "Scrubs," "My Name is Earl," "The Office" and "30 Rock."...

It's easy to watch a lot of crappy comedy on TV. "The Daily Show" is always reliable for some laughs, and "30 Rock" and SNL have their moments. But by and large contemporary TV comedy is a wasteland of retreads, anemia and laughless vulgarity. We're becoming increasingly convinced that the future of television isn't television at all. It's the internet. Because there's plenty of really funny stuff online, and most of it is even free.

It’s been an unusually active week for Chicago-related TV: first there was the announcement of an alliance between NBC and Second City, then the premiere of “30 Rock,” and now the new reality show from Mr. T “I Pity the Fool” which premiered on TV Land Wednesday night. He sure has come a long way from Robert Taylor. All right, snicker all you want to about gold chains, Mohawks, and superduper black vans. Perhaps...

Its concept isn't much of a stretch: Fey plays Liz Lemon, head writer of a late-night comedy sketch show (!) called “The Girlie Show.” Everything is going just fine until a new network VP (Alec Baldwin) is brought in to vamp up ratings. Idea #1 is to bring loose-cannon star Tracy Morgan, err Jordan, onto the show since he appeals to the missing demographic of “males between 18 and 49.” And Dratch plays a cat wrangler.

Five Second City theaters around the country, including Chicago, will now serve as a comedy testing ground for NBC/Universal TV as part of a two-year deal. NBC writers will be allowed to visit any Second City theater to see performances of scripts they have in development or watch as characters they’ve created get workshopped for the best way to deliver a funny catchphrase that everyone will be sick of in six months. NBC will also...

The wait is over folks. The final cast for “Saturday Night Live” has been announced. There were a few surprises (Chris Parnell is gone? Seriously? He was just getting good), along with Horatio Sans (no surprise there). Horatio is a friend of Chicagoist, a damn funny guy, and has one of the dirtiest minds we’ve ever known, but sometimes, the kid just laughs too much at his own jokes. We hope he comes home though; Chicago hasn’t been the same without him.