30 Rock starts again on October 15th! Less than four weeks! A lot of people don’t care for Jenna, but I think Jane Krakowski is a comic genius.
television
31
Aug 09
Feyvision
Here at the mitchco a go go, we love Tina Fey with the sort of burning intensity that’s usually reserved for describing late-stage STIs. To get your Monday started off right, here are links to four Tina Fey interviews that we enjoy visiting again and again:
- Alec Baldwin interviewing Tina Fey, soon after Mean Girls was released and when 30 Rock was still just a twinkle in her eye (if you love 30 Rock, this one is a treat!)
- An interview with Tina Fey from a 2003 issue of The Believer
- Writer and Actress Tina Fey, on Fressssh Air, right after Mean Girls had come out, April 28, 2004 (audio)
- Tina Fey: Sarah Palin And ‘Saturday Night’ Satire, talking about her Palin parody and 30 Rock on Fressssssssh Air, November 3, 2008 (audio)
Whew! We hope that was as delightful for you as it was for us.
10
Apr 09
No Sleep Till Moscow
What’s kind of like a cross between the World Cup and American Idol, and has been broadcast annually since 1956? Besides your mom, that is. If you don’t know (this seems to be a particularly American affliction), then you’re missing out on one of the largest secrets of Europe (as well as the Maghreb and Levant), what between 100 and 600 million people watch every year. It’s called Eurovision, and we are currently a mere one month and six days from the live broadcast of Eurovision 2009 from Moscow.
If you’re wondering what the fuck I’m talking about, here’s a quick rundown:
Eurovision has been broadcast annually since 1956. It was conceived as a way to help rebuild morale in postwar Europe by frenchman Marcel Bezençon.
Seven countries participated initially, and in 2009 we’re up to 42! Only 25 compete in the final competition, though, which means that there are also two semi-finals (May 12 and 14).
Participating countries can select their representative song either through public competition (most do this) or internal decision.
Four countries (Germany, Spain, France, and the UK) don’t have to compete in the semi-finals, because they provide so much financial support. They always go straight to the finals, as does the host country’s (last year’s winner’s) entry.
And you can’t vote for your own country.
It used to be that the host country had to provide a live orchestra, in case anyone needed it to back them. In fact, it was this way until 1998, but now no longer. The only thing required to be live now is vocals (both lead and backing), but everything else can be pre-recorded.
Since you’re trying to curry the favor of pretty much all of Europe, most entries are pretty bland bubble gum type pop music. In 2006 Finland broke damn near every rule, however, with Continue reading →
20
Mar 09
You can have a town, why don’t you take it?
I know that I said I don’t watch much tv, but let me amend that– I don’t watch much tv NOW. When I was growing up, I was a complete Nick at Night junkie.
When I was in junior high, Nick at Night had “Block Party Summers,” and Monday nights were “Mary Mondays,” with six episodes of the Mary Tyler Moore Show in a row. Between those and other odd bits of programming, after a year or so I’d seen all seven seasons.
It was a sweet cultural immersion in the mores of 1970s Minneapolis (not to mention a perfect distraction from my own puberty), and most fabulous of all, it was one of those rare, character-driven sitcoms that makes you feel like each episode is a colorful missive from your old friends. (As an added bonus, which I didn’t realize at the time, I was also being inoculated with second-wave feminism. Hurrah!).
Fast forward to now. Most television gives me hives, but one show that I (and most of my friends) watch with no small fanaticism is 30 Rock. It’s also a character-driven sitcom, with absurdly witty writing and more than a touch of contemporary feminism. And like the Mary Tyler Moore Show, it’s also about the behind-the-scenes production of a fictional tv show. And also satirizes contemporary media. Actually, the similarities stack up so eerily that last night I had a realization: 30 Rock IS an updated version of the Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Let’s examine this further. Continue reading →
