Photo: Courtesy of NBC; Photo: Courtesy of Jojo Whilden/HBO; Photo: Courtesy of Darren Michaels/Epitome Pictures, Inc.
Hump: The entire 30 Rock live show. You heard me. It was like a lowbrow-yet-intellectual braingasm. A few highlights:
Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin portrayed "The Lovebirds" in a hilarious parody that turned the allusions to domestic violence The Honeymooners is known for into straight-up threats with no pretense whatsoever that they may never occur.
During Kenneth’s history of television, Jon Hamm made two separate cameos. He’s no stranger to 30 Rock — and was even on the first live show — but he has only appeared before as recurring character Drew Baird, M.D. (Moronic Dumdum).
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On Thursday’s live show, Hamm portrayed an exaggerated version of Disney’s Uncle Remus (the man whose Oscar-Winning performance of "Zip a Dee Doo Dah
" in Disney’s Song of the South is considered extremely racist) on a fake NBC comedy called Alfie & Abner. Hamm even wore blackface. I can’t wait to hear what the Internet has to say about this tomorrow. He also appeared as a chauvinistic 1960's news anchor who, along with Alec Baldwin, can’t believe the station accidentally hired a female reporter.
" in Disney’s Song of the South is considered extremely racist) on a fake NBC comedy called Alfie & Abner. Hamm even wore blackface. I can’t wait to hear what the Internet has to say about this tomorrow. He also appeared as a chauvinistic 1960's news anchor who, along with Alec Baldwin, can’t believe the station accidentally hired a female reporter.
When you take a step back to think about it, this episode depicted a surprisingly dark and racist evolution of the modern-day sitcom. So subversive, that 30 Rock. But I digress...back to the highlights:
Amy Poehler played a young Liz Lemon. I must also pause to mention that Amy Poehler both wrote AND directed this week’s Parks and Recreation. I could drool over that for hours, but I’ll spare you.
Other brief-but-awesome cameos:
— Donald Glover (Community) as a young Tracy Jordan.
— Jimmy Fallon as young Jack Donaghy.
— Will Forte dressed as an angel singing "Zou Bisou Bisou."
What an amazing episode. I’m going to watch it again before I go to sleep tonight. You heard me.
Marry: Hannah’s "boyfriend," Adam, on Girls...
ON OPPOSITE DAY.
That guy is the worst. I mean, we’ve all been 24 and done stupid things and maybe/possibly/definitely repeatedly slept with someone who made us feel horrible about ourselves (hi, Mom, if you’re reading this!). In interviews, Lena Dunham — the wunderkind writer, director, and star of the show — notes how unapologetic the Adam character is. She acknowledges he demonstrates a particular type of horrible-for-her guy to which a woman of Hannah’s age would repeatedly return, seeking approval, intimacy, and any recognition of mutual affection.
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Although Dunham acknowledges this off the show, her character still has to live through the painfully slow acceptance of Adam’s bitter rejection on the show. And boy, is it painful to watch.
Kill: Have you guys heard about that new show The L.A. Complex on the CW? No? Well, let me tell you why it’s already the best thing ever — and why it’s definitely not long for U.S. airwaves.
On the first episode, which premiered this Tuesday, Manny Santos from Degrassi: The Next Generation (here, playing an aspiring actress named Abby):
1. Breaks into the apartment from which she just got evicted to steal her stuff back from the landlord, who responds by chasing her down the fire escape and breaking her rear windshield as she drives away.
2. Serendipitously meets a cute aspiring stand-up comedian who invites her to live with him (because that’s just how life works).
3. Moves into an apartment complex based loosely on L.A.’s famed Oakwood residence (read: Chock-full of pretty, young things trying to make it in La-La Land).
4. Meets aspiring stand-up’s former roommate, whose room she’ll be moving in with. He’s moving out because his pilot just got picked up, and his agent told him to invest in a house.
5. Sleeps with a former roommate — who just so happens to be an adorable Australian chap — on the roof of the aforementioned apartment complex. (Did I mention she still sorta-kinda has a boyfriend back home in Toronto?)
6. Realizes sexy Australian didn’t wear a condom, so she asks him to buy her the morning-after pill because she’s broke. Since he’s a true gentleman, he also offers to buy her breakfast — and they say romance is dead.
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7. Takes the morning-after pill in the street, like a true champion.
8. Finally has a successful audition...until she throws up in front of the casting director because, you know, the morning-after pill can do that.
9. In the preview for next week’s episode, all signs point to Abby becoming a stripper, even though she claims to be an illegal immigrant who cannot work in the U.S. (is this The Proposal? How does she expect to get an acting job — marry the director?). Tale as old as time, folks.
The L.A. Complex was originally conceived as a Degrassi spin-off (hence the presence of Cassie Steele, who played aspiring actress Manny Santos on the show), but the producers decided to nix that idea and instead sneak in little Degrassi references. For example, the show’s aspiring rap producer sneaks his beats to Drake, aka Aubrey Graham, aka Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi. I see what you did there, L.A. Complex writers. Just don’t bring Liberty back.
Unfortunately, the show is a little too epic, as evidenced by the ridiculous turn of events in the first episode alone — and that was just one character’s story. The show actually focuses on five or six different people trying to make it in Hollywood (I couldn’t keep track of them all). It’s just too much, and it looks like viewers agree. According to
Entertainment Weekly
, the L.A. Complex debut was the lowest-rated in-season broadcast drama series debut ever. As I said earlier, this show is not long for our televisions. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be YouTubing the rest of the season that already aired in Canada, mind you.