Rather than ease you into my favorite characters gently with someone agreeable like Ron Swanson, I’m going to go with my true personality and smack you right in the ass off the bat.
Karacter: Liz Lemon, 30 Rock
Karacter Kompendium: Liz Lemon is a 30-something, single, Manhattanite TV writer. She’s the head writer on a fictional SNL parody (a parody within parody, I suppose), dealing with her own quirks and foibles, as well as those of everyone around her, from corporate VIPs, to Teamsters, to temperamental actors.
Yep. That’s right. You totally hate her now, I know. Leftist, elitist garbage person. Except she’s not. With only a few exceptions, I am Liz Lemon. She is me. And I’m going to tell you why.
Principles Uber Alles
The opening scene of the very first episode of 30 Rock shows Liz Lemon attempting to buy a hot dog from a dirty water vendor in NYC. As she patiently waits her turn (because she has fucking manners!), someone approaches from the other side and orders a hot dog. A Karen-fight ensues and our heroine ends up buying the entirety of the vendor’s inventory. I love this scene, because we see someone who is principled and believes in unwritten workings of human interactions. But we also see someone who has a tendency to be too rigid and is perhaps trapped by the very principles that make her tick.
Later in the series, Liz’s feminism explodes in a smorgasbord of rules and edicts intended to produce absolute male/female equality. As expected, Liz’s rigidity backfires and we’re treated to this delightful comeuppance
(apologies for the quality – NBC did not see fit to make this scene an “official” clip)
The Trouble With Men
Oh, boy. Liz just does not know how to pick ’em. Throughout the series, we see a veritable Seinfeldian struggle with mate-choosing. Liz feels a need to have a partner, but is also misanthropic and set in her ways. She wants to have closeness, but hates having her space invaded. This leads to some…mismatches, as she tries to find the balance she seeks. We have Dennis, the rowdy loser; the young coffee delivery guy that wants her to go out at 10pm; and Floyd, the recovering alcoholic lawyer from Cleveland, whom she gives up to stay in NY, partially because she loves NY more than Floyd, and partially because she’s terrorized by change.
Here we see Liz’s meta conflict between her need to stay in her safe sandwich-eating bubble, and her desire to express herself and be close to a man
Fooooooood
The last video is a good segue into Liz’s relationship with food. Liz’s knowledge of a vast array of junk food becomes a running joke throughout the series. She consumes her sandwiches, Cheesy Blasters, and Night Cheeses with both gusto and guilt. I’m not sure this has any deep allegorical meaning other than a running joke, but, well, I can relate. Don’t mess with her Sabor de Soledad! And don’t mess with my Sno-balls!
Self-Deprecation
The one overarching trait that I love most about Liz, is despite her rigidity and tendency to self-seriousness, she really does want to be a nicer/better/more generous person. She wants to enjoy her fellow humans. She sometimes recognizes her own faults, and sometimes her friends and colleagues point them out to her. I love seeing Liz overcoming awkward encounters and major hang-ups and learning her way through life.
So, yes. Liz Lemon is a leftist elitist New Yorker. But she’s nerdy, and quirky, and fun, and principled, and complex.
Am I first?
Yep.
Good. BWad must be busy.
Really just first loser. And have no idea what this show is. Was that the one with the guy with my last name?
(Well, akshually, some people are going to object to the fact that your post wasn’t “relevant,” or didn’t reference the topic of KK’s post; fuck ’em.)
Yes, I’m drunk. Plus feisty.
I’m exceptionally caffeinated. Got another 12 hours of work left in my day that started eight hours ago.
I’ve never seen 30 Rock. ??♂️
I don’t even own a TV.
You, sir, are blessed above all of God’s angels.
Me neither.
Tina Fey? Would.
I never saw 30 Rock either. I pretty much stopped sitcoms when they decided that the rubric for them changed so you were supposed to hate the protagonist. Think how much easier it was to like The Dick van Dyke show, for example, by comparison. You could empathize and root for the main character. Seinfeld wasn’t bad, but that show is what led to that change.
By the way, did they ever give Liz Lemon a sister named Lulu? Seems like a natural.
Me neither.
/shrug
What are the other 29 rocks?
The 29 floors below 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Probably where Cuomo’s minions toiled in Dante-esque conditions.
They are somewhere in the carpet. If you stay up all night, you might find one.
I’ve seen portions of a couple episodes. Didn’t really hold my interest. Not the biggest fan of Tina Fey. I don’t hate her, but I never got the adulation.
I struggle with enjoying the awkward type of humor involved in those types of sitcoms. Parks and Rev falls in that category. It was best done in The Office, but I didn’t really get into that show, either.
It’s a good show, and I say that as someone who isn’t a fan of the other two shows mentioned. (Ron Swanson is great, but not great enough to carry the rest of parks and rec, and every incarnation of the office is insufferable)
The boss guy is hilarious. And Tina is hot.
Jack Donaghy is one of my all-time favorite characters. I may do a sketch of him, but there’s others in line before him.
And you’ll have to fite me on Parks & Rec, because I thought it had very few soft spots (Tom Haverford could have been interesting played by someone else with chops; Councilman Jamm was a very poorly-draw caricature), including the first season, which everyone else seems to hate.
Ron Swanson is great, and so is Aubrey Plaza’s character, along with Rashida Jones.
And you are totally correct about The Office. I hate the main character so much that it destroys every other aspect of it.
Long story short, I find Parks & Rec to be The Office done better.
Aubrey Plaza. <3
The British version of The Office is better.
I watched a lot of Parks & Rec as a shut-in last year and liked it enough to shell out for the box set.
I sometimes catch The Office on teevee and, well, it doesn’t hold up for me. Especially when it turned into Jim Loves Pam. And it didn’t help that I loathed the Dwight character.
Parks & Rec saved me when my Ma was dying. I mean, I had watched it before, but I re-watched a few episodes every night for the couple weeks she was in hospice. It was like an anchor and a Xanax at the same time. It’s a really meaningful thing to me.
Well now I just feel like a dick.lol
Shit, man – everyone has their own tastes.
I don’t mind the Jim loves Pam angle until they get together. Then it sucks as any “will-they-wont-they” does. Dwight is kinda funny, and they make it work by him being a decent salesman. The Boss guy though, man is that grating in a way that no boss has ever grated in life. Just so incompetent that I can only see him as a caricature. And in my eyes, that is not even a little amusing.
I didn’t find the first clip funny. So I didn’t bother with the rest.
I guess that’s why I never watched 30Rock.
I was a regular viewer of Mad About You and Seinfeld. Eventually I got really tired of the whole neurotic New York schtick. Can’t stand any of them now.
I quite liked Mad About You. Seinfeld left me cold.
I liked Mad about you when it was on the air. Didn’t like Seinfeld. I like Seinfeld now. Don’t care for Mad about you.
And then there was Rules Of Engagement.
Great comedy. Constantly screwed over by feckless program managers endlessly rescheduling it. Amazing that it lasted for six seasons, more or less.
“George, Mad About You is on!”
/Susan
*pained expression on face*
/George
That one scene neatly captured Mad About You for me too.
Dude… In the ’90s, Mad About You aired opposite The Simpsons. Cable tv was a luxury that few of my college friends had, so finding a place to watch the wee yellow boy sass authority figures was important. We would often all gather at a particular friend’s apartment but he lived with his girlfriend. When they were fighting, which was more often than not, she would wait until the opening credits started, storm out of the bedroom and insist she had to record Mad About You and take the tv and vcr into the bedroom. Good times…
Here’s how The Simpsons in their prime took on their competition from Mad About You:
https://youtu.be/JBKacspW2e0
Shit’s getting sketchy,
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/weather/2021/02/14/state-power-grid-warns-of-rotating-outages-if-electric-demand-overwhelms-supply/
All according to plan, whilst Biden takes the weekend off to play Mario Kart and eat pudding cups.
Needs moar windmills.
Rotating brownouts/blackouts.
Welcome to the 21st Century, suckahs. We’re gonna Californicate yo’ ass off!
In my neck of the woods they want to pull out four dams. Again. They have been after that for thirty years now.
One of the guys I go snowmobiling with is a power dispatcher for Avista. He’s had a few arguments with greenies that claim the dams don’t produce much power.
There’s a reason Canulkistanis call it their ‘Hydro’ bill…
The Canadians predicted that.
Nice explorer, btw. I’m half assed looking for one. They’re 1500 bucks or so around here.
Never seen the show, but ya, never leave a sandwich.
This guy gets it
Unless you are in England and then good chance the sandwich is butter and cucumbers and totally ok to leave it. Or kill the person who made it.
In the 1840s, when cucumber sandwiches in Britain first became a “thing,” cucumbers were stupidly expensive.
I’ll let you guess why cucumber sandwiches became a thing. (Hint: Thorstein Veblen.)
This guy continues to get it
Yeah, I ordered a roast beef sandwich there. Half inch of bread, quarter inch of butter, eighth inch of meat, ‘nother quarter of butter and ‘nother half of bread. I asked for mustard and they charged me an extra buck for it, like it was a side. Fucking starved until I got to Wales.
Slutty Sunday: extra slutty edition.
https://archive.li/ywVTp
Nice opener.
An overall good gallery.
And no face diapers!
So her men have woman hands?
I met this girl at a Starbucks on Ventura Blvd once and Tina Fey was there getting coffee. The girl I met was from Tennessee and she got all excited. I was like, “Well, they gotta get coffee too, right?”
They could just make their own coffee and bring it in a thermos or somesuch.
Not in L.A., they couldn’t!
It’s against the law.
Plus, you have to belong to a gym. It’s the law.
(And all the personal trainers look like clones of Gavin Newsom [sp?]. )
I saw Madonna and Shawn Penn having an argument in a gas station in Ventura once. Even socialists need gas, apparently.
Yeah, they’re always running out of other people’s gas.
When my wife had black hair…ahe looked like Liz. Fun read!
And I just started a series rewatch based up[on this article; thanks KK. 30 Rock is one of my all time favorites. 2006 -2008 found me working on commercials at Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, on the soundstage across the hall from 30 Rock. Their cast would often come by and try to sneak food from my tables because my crafty was far superior to the crafty they were getting. Due to the lively political commentary I encouraged around my set-up and my full-throated advocacy of anarcho-capitalism, Alec Baldwin called me a “NAZI who makes such delightful canapes.” Tracey Morgan is one of the sweetest, friendliest, funniest humans I have ever met. And, all of the backstage folk you see on the show are actual crew from different departments who happen to have a free moment; the Teamsters in the sammich episode are the real Teamsters who work the show.
LOVE IT!!!
This has to be some kind of badge of honor. I’ll have to come up with some tacky certificate for you
+eleventy
Great anecdote.
I’m jealous that you got to be free with your politics. I try very hard NOT to talk politics at work.
So Baldwin really is that stupid.
But funny.
Kristen,
Great article, great character to write about, and a fun show to discuss.
Liz Lemmon is well written and a funny character.
https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/1fZZrJjqQumC3Y6OOjXLTQ.ei0YKgE-cd5gq-U8jwFxwW
My mom sent me this today.
😀
Mike and Joe series
“Say goodnight, Joe”
Your Mom may be the Greatest Mom Who Ever Lived.
LOL
Also LOL
And I love that it’s on Amazon servers.
🙂
The filets for dinner came out perfect.
https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/fbERdPfKS5qLtaY6bTUCtw.n0N3VrB2OTsGX–LLU1aUc
This was the side before putting it in the oven.
Excellent. We are doing Chicago dogs tonight with baked fries and homemade brownies tonight.
“Mmmmm, I love the perfume of exhaust from crew-serviced 20mm Gatling guns on my dinner main. Smells like . . . victory.”
Had grilled pork chops with black beans and rice.
Nice
Doge is lit’rally screaming at me for dinner
Well then why aren’t you making his dinner?
Oh, I thought it was because you were having your dog for dinner, like some kind of Chinese delicacy. Don’t forget the side of shark dick.
I’m torn on how to act with people who break the little rules of a polite society. Cutting in front of Liz at the hot dog stand is bad. Buying the whole inventory, though, seems stupid. You never know if the person just made an honest mistake. I’ve screwed up many times breaking the rules here and a few people have jumped down my throat while others have kindly corrected me. Balance in everything. I like these kind of articles, KK. Getcha thinking.
Dick move. It wasn’t me.
Lol, I read that as being about Liz Cheney and the Dick move was getting a shotgun to the face.
Isn’t cutting in line cause for seppuku over there? You just hand the guy a sword.
You get a bunch of narrowed gazes. *waits for someone to step on joke*
That’s why I could never go over there. There’d be a thousand narrowed gazes behind every blade of grass.
Uffda. I have used the Ugly American card to get away with a lot of shit in Japan.
Once I got held up at lunch so that by the time I got to the fast food joint, all my coworkers had already gotten their food. The line to get food was super long and they told me that they would share. I told them not to worry.
The line was one of those deals where it was a single line and when you got to the front you just went to the next open cashier. I timed it so I walked past the entire line and right up to a cashier just as the guy before me left. The cashier tried to tell me that I was supposed to go get in line. I pretended I didn’t know a lick of Japanese and kept saying “I want a #3 meal” and holding up three fingers. I just got louder and louder as they tried to set me straight. Finally they got me the #3 meal and I went back to sit down with my coworkers. They were all ashamed of me (and a little awed that I had the guts to do that).
They asked me what would have happened in America if they had tried that. I told them that someone from the line would have grabbed them and pointed to the back of the line and if they didn’t get it, probably popped them in the nose. To be fair, I wouldn’t have tried that stunt in Korea. They would have popped me in my nose for that.
On the other hand, I have done Good Ugly American stuff too. I can’t tell you how many times, I have given up my seat to women on a bus or a train when no other Japanese guy did.
My favorite story about that was on a trip home to Kobe from Tokyo. The Shinkansen was packed and I had a seat in the front row. I saw a woman with a small kid and got up to give her my seat. While I was assuring her it was ok, some slimy salaryman slipped in and sat down.
When I turned around and saw him sitting there, I said “aah hell no!” and grabbed his tie and threatened to yank him out of the seat if he didn’t leave. He slunk away and the woman and her kid sat the rest of the way.
All the stories I hear about Americans interacting with people in Japan make them sound like a culture of 14 year olds.
I do my best. But there are so many rules and so many subtleties that at some point you have to realize that you can’t win and go with best effort.
It is weird to live where societal pressure is so great that you see things that would never work here. Beer machines on the corner of a block where there is a Junior High for example. I was trying to explain to my coworkers why I thought that was so funny and it was a complete missed connction.
Me: If they had a beer machine outside a school in the US there would be a line around the block
Japanese: But don’t you have to be 21 to drink in the US?
Me: Yeah
Japanese: But why would the kid line up? It is against the law!
Last time I visited I was stunned to realize that when you bought beer in the self checkout lane, they only popped up a little button that said “Are you old enough to buy beer?” and you just clicked “yes’ and went on with your purchase. No store clerk had to come over and check your ID to verify your age.
Gaijin smash is real.
Could be. I never had any troubles. I think I’m just ugly enough that most Japanese guys don’t want to start anything.
Also, most of my experiences in Japan were in the ’80s and ’90s. Back when Japan really was foreign and weird.
Since the 2000’s most of my time has been spent with my in-laws as guides and I have also gotten older and mellower.
Good stories, Jimbo. I don’t ever pull the gaijin card anymore just out of principle. Except when the NHK guy comes around to shake us down for money. Fuck him and NHK.
This was not the case in this scene…there was a Karen-fight before the hot dog-buying occurred.
Didn’t she give everyone behind her a dog except the asshole?
Yes, and a few dozen people on the street (who all threw them away LOL)
You and KK make a point, but I’m talking about that kind of behavior in general. The hot dog cart thing would be a case where I’d “choose my battle”.
The question that echoes through my mind is “can I do anything to actually improve the situation” and “have I been substantially enough harmed to bother fighting a out it”. Turns out that 90%+ of the time, the harm was a few minutes of inconvenience at most, and the only thing I can accomplish by confronting the person is stoking conflict. Not very principled, but it’s highly pragmatic.
Not rocking the boat unnecessarily is definitely a principle.
Yeah, I struggle to keep my cool with rude people in public. The vast majority of the time it’s just not worth the agita. The one time in recent memory I lost it was some woman who bitched at me that I wasn’t fast enough with my MetroCard at the subway station token booth. I turned around and snarled at her. And… she apologized! That was unexpected.
The pragmatic angle definitely goes into my equation, too. The other thing I add when it comes to this stuff is to ask myself “what is my motivation?” If you’re in a pissy mood to start off with, it’s harder to judge a proportional response.
I’ll make some remark like “Go right ahead. Your time is obviously so much more important than mine.”
This is part of the complexity & learning process of the character that I absolutely LOVE. By the end of the series, she still fights her rigidity, but is so much looser & open-minded. The way they accomplished that over the course of the series is really some great writing. If I do an article on Ron Swanson, I’ll probably talk about the ham-handed 90 degree (not a full 180) turn they did to him in the final (shitty) season.
BTW, I love this comment. It’s analytical challenging. It’s what the article is intended to be.
*analytical & challenging
I’ll try not to make it a habit.
Hey, what’s shaking?
?
Now I got that. That was quite the jolt. Felt it on the train. Never had that happen before.
Do they still hand out train delay certificates in the era of covid? I have yet to collect one for my scrap book.
遅延証明書？ I think so.
Maybe I’ll get one when 新鎖国 ends. ?
I’ll send you one next time it’s late.
I will never forget you, Rural Juror!
The insurer’s allure for valor were pure Kari Wuhrer
Confession: the Rural Juror song/scene brings a tear to my eye
I also love the O Holy Night scene/song/episode (“Christmas Attack Zone”). But that’s racist.
Pretty sure Jane Krakowski’s emotions were very real singing that…just fantastic. One of the best final episodes ever. My only issue was how was Donaghy supposed to go on a round-the-world boat trip when he has a toddler? I hate when the drop entire story lines like that.
I’ve actually known people who’ve done that. (I was in the MBA program in the mid-to-late 80s at the University of Alberta with a fellow student who spent his entire young life (starting when he was a baby) traveling around the globe on a sailboat before he came to the U.of A. Business School for his MBA. Fascinating guy, and one of the most well-rounded individuals I’ve ever met. I envied him.).
I can’t hear of Jane Krakowski any more without thinking she’s My Pillow’s ex.
The hilarious thing is that is 100% something her 30 Rock</eM character would do
Stoopit tags
Kari Wuhrer?
TOTALLY WOULD.
Yup.
I clipped the audio from the Rural Juror song and made an MP3 LOL
It could probably be made better by repeating the first verse, but I can’t be arsed.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SCcJTcUF4wYQNS15MHAjdnlailEEZGrV/view?usp=sharing
(I just noticed at the end of the song the little musical reference to “Pam The Overly-Confident Morbidly Obese Woman”, which was the song playing behind the hot dog vendor scene)
Krakowski has made me feel funny in my pants ever since Go!
I never watched 30 Rock regularly, but every time I’ve seen it I’ve always had a great time. Tina Fey is very funny but I have a confusing (good) issue with her. I love Seinfeld. Looooove it. (Good Simpsons is still GOAT.) I KNOW That Costanza is just Larry David through and through. I don’t know how much of Liz is Tina which I find fascinating. Me likey.
Arrrec Baldwin and Tracy really are fantastic in 30R. Exceptional show from what I’ve seen.
I’ve never watched it, but I’ll add it to the list.
I don’t recall you posted the video with The Pretty Reckless, but I am now obsessed.
So thanks for that.
And the glass of my intentions turns to sand
@KK: I This is such a fortuitous post to see from you! I’ve been meaning to submit more travel articles and other stuff that goes on in my odd existence, but I’ve been stubbornly procrastinating. Last night I told myself that I needed to get onto it and finish off more stuff for Glibs.
I’m posting something in the SHINY NEW GLIBS FORUM so we can have little back-and-forths, should be something excitin’ for all. I’ll post it around cuz of the Sunday eve V-Day time, and hopefully you guys can help me out first and then we can all help each OTHER out. (But first me…)
I’m asking what my next travelogue should be. I’ve put up about 15 places that I could work on next. I have everything worked out for Cambodia but it’s not nearly done-done yet. But hopefully soon.
Exciting!!
So, yes. Liz Lemon is a leftist elitist New Yorker. But she’s nerdy, and quirky, and fun, and principled, and complex.
“Leftist elitist New Yorker” is such a deal breaker the other stuff wouldn’t matter.
+1
Besides, elite leftist NYer pretty much precludes being principled and having complex thought patterns at this point.
Oh for the days when comedy consisted of June telling Ward he “might have been a bit hard on the Beaver last night.”
She’s mostly always wrong, though. And Donaghy is (the “Republican”) is almost always right.
“Liz’s rigidity backfires and we’re treated to this delightful comeuppance”
Sounds like somebody needs to be cancelled.
So, did anyone read the morning links about people getting cancelled for being ‘racist’?
Does it bug the hell out of anyone else that nothing about the allegations are revealed in the articles. Almost like we’re being conditioned to just accept any accusation as proof,without hearing any specifics.
It’s scary AF.
The NYT employs an army of stringers who do nothing all day but scour social media for evidence of wrongthink by the Enemy. They aim to literally destroy the lives of all of whom they disapprove, and it’s working.
No worries; in 200 years no one will remember that any of us ever existed anyway.
https://imgur.com/DtYzbBu
NSFW.
Expounding a bit: we expect way too much from humans.
Humans are stupid, shit-flinging monkeys. Expecting principles, intelligence and critical thought are expecting far too much. Some small minority of humans do this, like cats using the toilet. However, being moronic, mushbrained, hate-filled sheep is all too human and fully within historic patterns. Why would we all think that things were somehow different amongst our neighbors?
Because they know of such virtues and even profess some of them. But I’ll never forget in highschool, all the leftists were already intolerant of intolerance 20 years ago. Just sucks to be in the crosshairs of their book burning tribalism.
“nothing about the allegations are revealed in the articles.”
Yes, in today’s paper’s sports section: Headline: “Jaguars split with accused racist coach Chris Doyle.” What did he do? Article simply says he’s an “embattled strength coach” whose new presence with the Jax Jaguars was “assailed” by a “prominent diversity group.” Of course, the Jaguars caved and accepted his resignation. The guy must have really been despicable? Nevertheless, the Jags “wish him the best as he moves forward n his career.”
The diversity group comment is even more chilling. Did he just get fired for milquetoast political views or being white when the diversity group wanted a black strength coach? Who knows. The news isn’t there to inform but to tell us what we’re meant to believe.
Funny show. Good character. Good article, KK. More please.
My all-time, number one, favorite TV character would probably be Jim Rockford.
Lately, mine is Lt. Columbo.
… Just one more thing.
I’m starting up record label, and am seriously leaning towards “Columbo Records”. Because, Columbo.
Or Bret Maverick
Good choices. So is Robert Conrad in either Wild Wild West or Baa Baa Black Sheep.
How about when he’d dare you to knock the battery off his shoulder in that commercial?
Hell yeah!
I binge watched all 6 seasons of the Rockford Files over the last couple of weeks. I love that guy. But it’s hilarious to me how often the chase scenes intermix the old and new(er) Firebird.
I just started rewatching Rockford on DVD and that is one thing that drives me nuts. In the most recent episode I was watching in season 1, the cop car chasing him kept changing from an AMC Matador to a Ford LTD. At least in season 1, the Firebird remains consistent. Took a couple of seasons for the firebirds to notice the differences.
Here’s something else that’s fun. The bad guy cars have about 5 different license plates they rotate through. And frequently, Jim will be in someone’s apartment and need to use their phone, and it has the same number as his phone.
How Long?
Until the Biden admin goes after this kid?
Halfway through the Sowell documentary on Amazon Prime. It’s absolutely awful on the technical merits, but Sowell’s genius shines through. Recommend, with reservations.
Ugh. Bubba Wallace is in 3rd at this point.
Bubba Smollett can rot.
I had to change the channel…his asshole must be the cleanest in NASCAR
Bubba Smollet.
Heh.
Back to 7th now. What happened?
It’s restrictor plate racing….as long as you’re in the lead draft, you can go up and down in position frequently.
Rubbin’ is racing.
What ever happened to if you ain’t cheating, you ain’t racing?
It’s like computer controlled dragsters bracket racing. Boring!
Did Bubba win? Don’t leave us hanging!
It’s live right now!
I was making a “hanging” joke. Until it happens, it’s knot noose!
Random commercial that amuses me: GEICO Insurance.
The look on the daughter’s face when dad starts dancing along with mom — priceless.
Commercial that sends me diving for the Mute button on my remote: GrubHub.
Judging from the ratio and the YooToob comments being turned off, I’m not the only person who finds this ad annoying.
Hah! I just saw that commercial today and had the same laugh. The daughter/dad played it perfect.
That one is fun (and now I know, based on the theme o f the ad, that I am firmly in the insurance-buying demographic)
I also loved the “Ratt Problem” commercial
“I also loved the “Ratt Problem” commercial”
That was good.
+2 “We have aunts” and “The Pipes are making strange noises”
My pick: “The neighbors’ fencing”
I have a feeling all those ads are working a ton for GEICO, based on the mail we get at the credit union verifying borrowers’ car insurance.
“Round and Round” is a good tune.
All ads are black now.
Also if you noticed the change you are a racist.
A lot of them are half black, because the couple is mixed.
Yeah, if aliens are analyzing ads to determine our demographics for their invasion planning, they will be in for a big surprise.
We are not 80% black and 60% gay and 45% trans.
Sprinkles!!!
https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2020/05/25/when-will-americas-last-world-war-ii-veterans-pass-away-infographic/?sh=280e43ed1682
A rare Chaucer reference spotted in the wild.
~swoon~
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLQS6xo40kI
Ladies and gentlemen, I have just made my first batch of paneer cheese, a fresh Indian cheese that has the merits of being grillable/stir-fry able (it doesn’t melt), being low sodium (40mg per cup), and an excellent meat substitute for anyone needing to cut back on meat. The Instant Pot turns this from being a chore (ever tried to boil a gallon of milk on the stove top?) to being a breeze.
For my next trick, I’m going to attempt Paneer Butter Masala in the instant pot, where the paneer will be added near the end.
https://pipingpotcurry.com/paneer-butter-masala-instant-pot/
I…
I don’t think I’ve ever regarded that as a positive feature of a cheese. I just like some melty cheese too much.
Jet fuel can’t melt cheese!
Grilled halloum FTW
^^^ this guy gets it ^^^
I remember it being a lot nicer than halloumi. I didn’t like the squeakiness of halloumi. Paneer was much better.
Used to make paneer all the time. Now I just buy the great big one kilo blocks from Costco, dice ’em into one-inch cubes, fry ’em up until they’re golden brown, package ’em in half-kilo portions in bags, and freeze ’em ’til I need ’em.
Soooooo much easier than making it myself. (I do like the fact that I know how, though . . . )
Followup: the paneer was tasty but a little more crumbly than I’d hoped. I’ll probably just stick to store-bought.
The Indian dish was very tasty. Would be good with chicken breast or paneer.
Kinda sucks cooking for one though.
30 Rock was a pretty funny show indeed. The mention above of the Rockford Files got me thinking of great television theme tunes. A top ten of no particular order would be, The Rockford Files, The Jefferson’s, The Dukes of Hazzard, Good Times, CHiPs, The A Team, The Fall Guy, Knight Rider, Dallas, and the Pink Panther. Obviously I am from the 70’s with such a list, but that was the era of particularly awesome theme tunes. Did I miss any?
I already left out Magnum Pi, which I’d put in place of Dallas or Knight Rider.
M*A*S*H, SWAT, Sanford and Son, Taxi, The Greatest American Hero, Miami Vice, and (a silly quirk of mine) Welcome Back, Kotter
I absolutely loved The Greatest American Hero as a kid, also a very solid theme tune.
Barney Miller
+ funny as hell show. Also, Welcome Back Cotter.
“Where the Hell’s he get the atomic bomb?”
+1 Kotter – great tune
Miami Vice.
Absolutely with Barney Miller and Miami Vice. The bad ass bass player in a band I used to play in would rock the bass line to Barney Miller as a vamp now and then.
that theme is a jam.
Jack Soo was a funny dude.
re: F1, from a couple posts ago – I got hooked by “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” on Netflix and 2020 was going to be the year where I started watching the racing.
Despite the ‘vid screwing with the season, I still looked forward to the races. Mercedes dominance made the midfield the only interesting bit – the Italian GP that Gassley won was unbelievably exciting to me, as a newbie.
Hamilton is the most boring champion imaginable though I suppose that’s something of a compliment – Tom Brady is also boring, since his life consists of playing football or preparing to play football. I suspect Hamilton may be boring for similar reasons.
See: men’s tennis
Right on, yes , that was a great race. Bahrain was also a highly entertaining race that George Russell should’ve won if not for them putting the wrong tires on.
That was heartbreaking for Russell – he should have won that.
It illustrated to me how much of a difference the car makes – Russell is clearly a talented driver but switching cars moved him from a bottom-dwelling driver with zero points to a near win.
Yup, the car is huge in F1, quite a bit different than Indy Car where they are all racing pretty similar vehicles. I’d like to see one race a year where the cars and drivers all switch places. It’ll never happen but fun to imagine.
Just start with Mike Post’s credits.
Simon & Simon, for starters.
“Raise your right hands!”
**HEAVY SIGHS** ”We’re deputies.”
Good theme and show. They guest starred in a pretty sweet Magnum episode as well.
Cheers
I identify as Cliff when I show up at Glib zooms.
That doesn’t work where everybody knows your name.
Little known fact.
Taxi
I think our 401(k) Third Party Administrator uses that as their hold music.
Now that’s some good hold music. Somehow it feels appropriate to waiting for someone.
Hart to Hart
“When dey met, it was moiduh!”
Dat’s Missus Hart; she’s gorgeous…
What a soopuh lady!
/they ditched that after S01 it was so stoopid
Once, a waitress asked my wife if she wanted soup or salad. My wife said, ” no just a regular salad, not super”.
?
Another fun fact I noticed during my shut-in period last year… the pilot has a totally different, lame and boring theme. The jazzy theme that was used from E02 and on appeared only during a chase scene in the pilot.
Good catch. Time well spent. 🙂
Magnum also had a jazzy theme tune for the first season that paled in comparison to the rocking theme we all know and love. I think it was the outro music for that first season.
Shit, man. The Simon & Simon theme beats them all.
Andy Griffith. I’m biased because it’s one of my favorite shows, but I think a lot of people can still whistle to the theme.
It’s also hard to beat Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Sealab 2021 solid tune https://youtu.be/Y1Q8a2jmfMk
Ha! That was my ringtone when I was still living on my boat.
Kristen’s column actually reminded me of a favorite show of mine from Back In The Day, which had pretty cool theme music.
The best band in the world playing the best theme song ever https://youtu.be/Ks0to2QuJtM
I wish there was a proper recording of that.
Down the rabbit hole…
I have always hated that theme.
Try this one instead.
Puddles rocks.
*falls off chair*
Obligatory
I’ve been to some TV parties with those guys.
Jesus, how’d we all miss this one?
Fun fact: an old-school tiki joint that DblEagle has recommended serves as a frequent hangout in the reboot of the series.
Of course, there’s always the forgotten ones…
https://youtu.be/hrot4rRCBwE
All in the Family
Laverne and Shirley
DIff’rent Strokes
Silver Spoons
The Golden Girls
The Love Boat
Three’s Company
I prefer ones with lyrics.
All solid lyric ones. Gilligan’s Island should make that list as well.
Gilligan’s Island is one of the 60s sitcoms where the theme song was infinitely better than the show itself. Adding to that list of themes falsely promising a better show:
F-Troop
I Dream of Jeannie
Magilla Gorilla
Top Cat
I know there’s more, give me a minute.
The Munsters
Please Don’t Eat the Daisies
The Courtship of Eddie’s Father
That Girl
The Mothers-in-Law
More from the bottom of the barrel
https://youtu.be/dtvaTdc_qIc
Shoulda been an 80’s theme song
https://youtu.be/dtWvQJxP0W0
Did anyone postNight Court yet? I aced the claves part.
I have trouble with youtube links in my phone.
No love of Night Court?
Markie Post was absurdly hot.
She was, but unlike her predecessor she was never vocally banged by Meat Loaf 😉
(and yes I know that clip is only her voice)
I am surprised the bike buying clip
hasn’t been posted, it’s usually a crowd pleaser
Tina Fey doesn’t seem to be on the woke train. That’s a definite plus.
It seems like she is avoiding it entirely. I suspect that it’s partly a career move.
‘Splosives:
I didn’t respond yesterday so I apologize; I’m very sorry for the situation with your husband. Take my advice for what it’s worth, which is not much, but it certainly sounds like he has clinical depression. Whether he gets treatment is ultimately his choice as he’s an adult, but I’d encourage him any way you can. I’ve had friends who went down that path and it’s nearly impossible to pull yourself out once you reach that point. Whatever is going on with him, I hope he finds a way out. Sorry again for what you’re dealing with.
No apologies needed, good sir!
I can’t be sure of course, but I think he’s got leftovers of an actual illness (probably Covid since he has very affected taste sense and had shuddering fever and chills for days), and he hasn’t pulled himself out of the lying in bed all day.
I want him to go to the doc in hopes that the doc will recognize the possible of depression.
My favorite opening.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7S_yGWmtF2A
Best closing theme; ever! https://youtu.be/Dc15y22LOuE
Suicidal ending.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dbzdzU2FjSg
I was expecting NSFW
https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1361118478778986498?s=21
I’m glad there aren’t a legion of knee jerk twitter reactions to the comments here. Good lord.
My wife and I were reluctant 30 Rock converts. We weren’t interested at first because of the SNL connection and Alec Baldwin, but we watched it with family and were hooked, specifically after the Price Gerhardt episode (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKQEG9IZpc8). While a few episodes are hit or miss, I think the writing is tight and well done with a bunch of amazing one liners. (What is this, Horse-ville? ‘Cause I am surrounded by nay-sayers!). And while Liz can suck, she does stick to her principles, as misguided as they might be, usually to hilarious consequences.
What’s it on? I’m not getting Peacock.
Prime
Thx. I’m trying to avoid Amazon, so, sucks for me.
If you’ve ever read Tina Fry’s autobiographical Bossypants, you’ll learn that her father is a bit of a conservative, so she disagrees with him often but still loves and respects him.
She seemed open to maturing her political outlook over time. Maybe being disillusioned by the Dem party creatures will lead her into libertarian thinking.
Dennis Duffy, one of the greatest characters on 30 Rock.
Absolutely. Paved the way for Mayhem, too.
During one of the 30 rock seasons with Duffy’s recurring role, that actor, Dean Winters, had an awful illness that nearly killed him. He had had a fever, but just went back to sleep. Next day, he collapsed on the way to the hospital, and at one point his heart stopped for a few minutes. He was gray to blackish.
After weeks in the ICU, he got to go home, but then got gangrene. It ended up taking 2 toes and part of a finger and thumb.
So he’s a natural for the slightly beat up looking Mayhem.
Sub-way Hee-rooo!!!!! That’s the Beeper King alright ?
Television https://youtu.be/9uvQkpG–as
Television https://youtu.be/B7orAbvpzsI
Daytime Television https://youtu.be/NZGHG_Oi9HM
Wonder how long it will be before Hattie McDaniel is stripped of her Academy Award because of GWTW?
About when they ban West Side Story for casting a white chick as a Puerto Rican.
(Never mind the fact that the viewer is already expected to suspend disbelief about dancing, rhyming street gangs. The problem is Natalie Wood!!)
After 30 Rock, Parks snd Rec, Brooklyn 99, etc, I find it very difficult to look back at slightly older (or even contemporary) sitcoms that have laugh tracks.
I just can’t stand them anymore. Even if they ever remastered the audio to eliminate the laugh tracks, it would be weird because of the unnatural pauses for laughter would wreck the flow.
I can only watch so much Yes, Minister before I am laugh tracked to my limit.
Now that you mention it, I think this is one of the things that drove me away from watching TV 30-some-odd years ago. I started feeling like they were treating me like a trained seal, expecting me to respond to the cues when they sent them. I also had so many real-world hobbies that I found it easy to turn the tube off and go out to the garage and build engines, load ammo, build guns, study Kanji… Real life was just too much more interesting.
These days, with kids and work, about the only ‘me’ time I have is spent here on this site. Watching TV couldn’t seem to be further from practical reality for me.
Related.
Seinfeld is the only laugh track I could ever tolerate.
The rest make me ill.
VEEP_ because it is a actually a documentary of that class of “people”.
How could this theme song been omitted?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sto3p3eozg8
“That’s not a knife. This is a knife!”
https://youtu.be/Ut0GXMyFJi0
Tom Woods and guest James Delingpole on Covid and how it has been used to take our rights and redefine citizenship permanently.
https://tomwoods.com/ep-1834-citizenship-in-2021-obey-the-authorities-and-ask-no-questions/
Are we the crazy sheep?
I sure hope so.
As he described the meaning of the “mad sheep”, I thought also of mutant genes. Most of the time, if they’re not overtly harmful, they tumble along randomly along with all the “normal” genes.
But when some new environmental/external pressure comes to bear, it’s that mutant gene that may give the whole species a means to survive, and thus thrives and spreads throughout the population.
I don’t wanna go to work. ?
me neither, and work isn’t the problem,
There are some 30rock jokes that, to me, are at their funniest only if you worked for or with GE in the Jack Welch era.
Fortunately for me, it was the latter.
Im too old to stay up late chatting, but its so much fun…..
Mornin Glibbies,
sup’ fam
Mornin’
Lovely snow we’re having/have had/about to get more of.