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Herc Heartily Endorses Tonight’s Oprah-Enhanced 30 ROCK!! Plus?? Did OFFICE Cut Out All Of Its Best Material Last Week??
SPOILER ALERT !!
I am – Hercules!!
Tonight’s Oprah-enhanced “30 Rock,” which seems to focus more on Liz than most, is one of the funniest ever. Liz puts on a Princess Leia outfit. Ratings are way up. Watch it already.
Last week’s “Office” was one of the worst I’ve seen. The only thing I laughed at was Dwight and Andy’s conference table tug-of-war. Then I felt dirty laughing at it, because it looked like two actors desperate to get laughs that couldn’t be found in the dialogue.
Did “The Office” leave all its best material on the cutting-room floor? Deleted from last week:
Tonight:
“Customer Survey.”
Dwight (Rainn Wilson) and Jim (John Krasinski) are shocked when they get the results of the annual customer survey report. Pam (Jenna Fischer) and Jim decide they want to spend every minute together using their bluetooth phones. Meanwhile, Angela (Angela Kinsey) and Andy (Ed Helms) pick an unusual location for their wedding.
Next Week:
“Business Trip”
Michael (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell) is ecstatic when David Wallace (Andy Buckley) decides to send him on a business trip to Canada. Andy (Ed Helms) and Oscar (Oscar Nunez) become unlikely friends when Michael decides to bring them along on the trip. Meanwhile, Jim (John Krasinski) is counting down the days until Pam (Jenna Fischer) gets back from art school.
Nov. 20:
“Frame Toby”
A mysterious person in the office has made a huge mess in the microwave and will not clean it up. Meanwhile, Michael (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell) has to come to terms with the fact that there have been certain personnel changes in his staff without his knowing.
“The Office”: 9 p.m. Thursday. NBC.
“30 Rock”: 9:30 p.m. Thursday. NBC.
Blu-Ray Players: $205.98!!
(They Play DVDs Too!!)
(Get Four Free WB Blu-Ray
Discs With Purchase!!) 
Three-For-Two Blu-Ray Sale!!
“Customer Survey.”
Dwight (Rainn Wilson) and Jim (John Krasinski) are shocked when they get the results of the annual customer survey report. Pam (Jenna Fischer) and Jim decide they want to spend every minute together using their bluetooth phones. Meanwhile, Angela (Angela Kinsey) and Andy (Ed Helms) pick an unusual location for their wedding.
“Business Trip”
Michael (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell) is ecstatic when David Wallace (Andy Buckley) decides to send him on a business trip to Canada. Andy (Ed Helms) and Oscar (Oscar Nunez) become unlikely friends when Michael decides to bring them along on the trip. Meanwhile, Jim (John Krasinski) is counting down the days until Pam (Jenna Fischer) gets back from art school.
“Frame Toby”
A mysterious person in the office has made a huge mess in the microwave and will not clean it up. Meanwhile, Michael (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell) has to come to terms with the fact that there have been certain personnel changes in his staff without his knowing.
Blu-Ray Players: $205.98!!
(They Play DVDs Too!!)
(Get Four Free WB Blu-Ray
Discs With Purchase!!)
Three-For-Two Blu-Ray Sale!!
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+ Expand All
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I don't know. The clips aren't available in my location.
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is this the supernatural talkback?
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I do agree that IASIP and supernatural should get a talkback over the office and 30 rock(barely) on thursdays.
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Is Herc's column the only part of AICN you read?
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Yes and no.I glanced in the zone for a supernatural talback and didn't see anything up to date.
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They needed more Joker scenes!
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tentist
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The Jim and Pam stuff was a little weak in the laughs (though it was interesting to see how Jim is actually pranking Dwight because he grew getting pranked by his brothers). However, the Dwight/Andy thing was comedy gold from the first minute he walked in with the Cornell shirt, as was Darrell's reaction to Michael's behavior in the van. And Creed's Joker was worth the price of admission.
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ive been saying angela and andy are getting married at schrute farms. I need that prediction on the record. Very excited by the 30 rock descripts. Too bad earls no good and Scrubs got shit canned, thursdays could have been formidable. Obama should be on the office. I'm done now.
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The semi-sappy stuff will make food for the Steve Carell Emmy mix tape.
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DAMN IT
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he had some great stuff there...
also, we really truly do want a talkback for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia...I wrote you a really sweet email about it... -
Sir:
THE Oprah would like to remind Hercules or whatever the peon writer's name is that that her eminence should be referred to properly. The Oprah furthermore declares that tonights 30 Rock shall be the best TV show ever due to her grace's presence. I know as your brain is quite small(as you are one of the little people) these omissions are not your fault, therefore The Oprah in her generosity has decided to pardon you this one time as long as the necessary changes are made to your report. If the changes are not made in an expeditious manner our lawyers and the Oprah Rapid Deployable Security Force will be paying you a visit. Thank you for your swift attention to this matter, The Oprah blesses you.
Thomas J. Hayden Esq., attorney exclusively to Her Eminence, The Oprah -
I didn't realize that Pam's new friend was Harry from Mad Men until tonight! He certainly looks different.
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That was the best laugh I had all night. (So far) Thx!
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Did anyone else get the feeling that different writers and a different director did that one? Funnier than last week, but I cringe at all the Pam and Jim stuff - wish they'd leave well enough alone.
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from her show...to this. Tyra (as in slop model until they get rid of the hot ones for the ones who are 'fashion models') I take at times, but Oprah, not
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I hope that fat, sanctimonious c**t drops dead.
This will be the first 30 Rock I have intentionally missed. -
Is this the Supernatural thread too? if so, it was great tonight!
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Why is it that no one else saw how effing TERRIBLE that episode was. Nothing made sense (they tried to play it with michael and hollie that they both wanted to end the relationship and also wanted to stay together, moving back and forth between the two to whichever one set up a joke). Everything was forced. Don't get me started on the weird un-funny "practical joke" thing from Jim's brothers. This episode straight up SUCKED.
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I liked Kelli in this episode. She was very much in character and her and Micheal laughing in his office was my favorite part of the show. I'm a little bit meh about the whole tiny bluetooth ad placement, I mean, premise. It seemed rather broad for the show, and pay off was predictable. I had hoped they weren't going to play this games with PB & J.
I had a better time watching Kenneth and Jack on 30 Rock tonight. Their storyline was tight, man. The goofy tetherball set up had me worried at first but they pulled off a progression that was completely satisfying. -
Yup, I also agree that Smallville has gotten better. They're 'this' close to basic Superman lore, he's at the Planet, working with Lois and Jimmy, and he's living in Metropolis..sorta..well all the stories are set there anyway.
Wonder how much the WB paid for that 'anywhere in Metropolis' set that they can reuse over and over again.
Oh and they're getting Welling out of those damn check shirts and jeans...jeeez.. -
You are correct, sir. I'm so glad they followed up what could have been their worst episode ever, with one of the best ever - and the best of the season. Tonight was excellent. In my opinion, of course.
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One of the things I have always liked about The Office is that it doesn't feel like just another sitcom; it feels like a completely new format of show that kind of straddles the line between comedy and drama, and doesn't fit in the regular categories of show types.
But tonight's episode gave me this strange sensation that I've never had watching an episode of The Office before: I felt like I *was* watching just another sitcom. The plot where Kelly sabotaged Jim and Dwight's sales numbers because they didn't go to her party--that felt like it could have been lifted from an episode of Friends. I am really worried that whatever was once special about The Office is starting to wear off.
That said, this was not the worst episode I've ever seen. Kelly's immediate "I was raped" defense was both funny and in character for the woman who manipulated Ryan by pretending to be pregnant. The dynamic between Angela and Andy is funny, if only because the two actors do such a great job of not having the slightest bit of chemistry with one another. The practice phone call between Dwight and Jim and Michael was carried by the three actors' delivery.
I thought there was something of a missed opportunity with the Jim storyline. What if it actually were true that Jim's smug self-importance had been turning customers off? Now that he has Pam and doesn't have anything to be depressed about, he does seem like kind of an asshole as he constantly makes snippy remarks about everyone around him. I wouldn't mind a storyline about how a lot of the others in the office don't particularly like him. It could be an interesting direction to go with a character who thinks he's cool and likeable, but might actually just be Michael Scott fifteen years earlier.
Jim's character just worked a lot better when he wanted Pam and couldn't have her and mocked everyone and everything around him just to make his situation livable; Pam's character worked a lot better when she was a mousy and unassertive doormat who wasn't confident enough to get what she wanted out of life. Of course, keeping that dynamic going year after year without changing it would have gotten tedious, so what are the writers going to do? Spreading the heartbreak to Michael and Dwight is probably a good move, but their characters have become so broad and outrageous that it's hard to really feel for them the way we used to for Jim and Pam. I would hate to see the Office go off the air, but I also definitely see the wisdom of going out while you're still going strong (see Lost) instead of wearing out your welcome and making people forget what they ever liked about you (see The Simpsons). -
Mraig, I think the writers are intentionally doing just what you are suggesting with Jim. There has been plenty of suggestion, especially last season, that Jim could become Michael very easily. They could have played that up tonight.
I enjoyed tonight's episode, but what worried me a bit was the introduction of conflict into the Jim/Pam storyline. It seems to me that past shows built on a will-they-won't-they romantic premise have failed once the couple first gets together, and usually they fail by having them break up and introducing a lot of forced conflict into the relationship.
Last season, it seemed like the writers just decided, "Let's not do that, but instead let's just make them a happy, stable couple and put that storyline into the background." I think this is the best strategy. Why not just let the relationship continue, have them get married, and be happy but not the main focus? I don't like the dragging out. I realize stories must have conflict, but there must be plenty of human conflict to explore without the tired relationship cliches. -
about tonight's mini bluetooth commerical in tonight's Office, Earl's for Jane Seymor's new Kay Jewler's heart necklace was way worse, last weeks Earl was good this weeks was just...sucked
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The tension isn't whether Pam's going to ditch Jim, but rather whether she's going to pressure him to move to NYC. That guy might have the hots for her, but he wasn't making a play for her, but rather for her to pursue an art career. That's how I read it. the phake phone call was great, classic Jim/Dwight. They need more of that. And Creed. Does it seem to anyone else that they're kinda ignoring a lot of the secondary characters this year? They do little with Creed, Stanley, Phyllis, Temp, or Oscar anymore. I guess they'll do some next week, but I miss the old days were all the action took place in the office and thus everyone had the chance to chime in. When it's Michael and Holly moving or Pam and Jim bluetoothing, that aspect is lost.
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look for it in next year's 'New editions to the Enclyclopedia' feature.
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I agree with your post - v good points
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I'm in complete agreement. Keep it FAR away from the "on-and-off" Ross and Rachel shit! Shrug off the pressure to make it like that just for the ratings! Be the better show!
I will be so upset if Pam actually questions how much she loves Jim. I want to see Mad Men Harry get closer and closer to Pam as a friend, come on to her, only to have Pam cold reject him instantly.
Or better yet, how about a man who actually ONLY wants to be Pam's friend and not cause conflict?! That would be novel! But probably too anti-dramatic for the regular audience... -
Nov 06, 2008 11:18:04 PM CST
So many great lines, I need to watch 30 Rock again!
by flim springfield
Love Tina, love the show.
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No Lana is a good thing but I am surprised I haven't missed Lex and Lionel as much as I thought I would.For the first time I am really wondering WTF is up with Chloe.Is this Buffy type forshadowing of who will be the badguy at the end of the season?She really reminding me of Giles when she gave that guy a stroke last episode too.
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Hilarious. Ted Raimi! And I'm going to have nightmares about that teddy bear...
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Pretentious, horses ass comedy peppered with mouth-breather pop-culture quips. I think 30 Rock fanatics are looking at the show thinking it’s purposely lame because it’s a tongue-in-cheek indictment of television. However, when you scrape off all the underlying bullshit it’s a tragically unfunny sitcom perpetuated by a fledgling NBC network. Tina Fey is to comedy as, well, insert your stupid analogy here. I’d rather watch a Wings marathon followed by Becker… but only a few episodes of that shitball. Even I can take so much.
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You, sir, posted my anti-'30 Rock' comments when they won an Emmy or some such egregious display of Fey lovin'. To be blunt and drunkenly brazen, fuck this show. Fuck it up it's dumb ass. Good night, and kick rocks. Just tell me why this show is funny? Something. Anything. Other than Alec Baldwin. To be honest, Baldwin would be great on that goofy Jay Mohr sitcom. And to get off point, where is a 'It's Always Sunny In Philidelphia' thread, good sir?
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30 Rock is SEVERELY overrated as is Tina Fey. Alec Baldwin is the only positive in the show.
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...is not starting out well.
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30 Rock is fantastic. Incredibly well-written and consistently hilarious. The Oprah scenario last night was just brilliant. When the non-Oprah young, fat black chick came bounding through the door saying, "It's Liz LEEMMMMOOOONNNN"...comedy gold.
Friggin' chimps. You haters roll around in the dorito-pocked bowel-droppings of a lupus-ridden Rosie O'Donnell. Go shove a yack spleen up your shit pipe while sniffing Dom Deloise's unwashed taint after a quarter mile run through the Sahara.
You all disgust me. I despise you with the burning, white hot heat of a thousand suns, you misery-loving gaggle of flea-infested tick splooge. -
...love 30 Rock to death, but this season has been pretty weak from the get-go. not very impressed.
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So far this season and I thought it was great. It was a big improvement over the last few of last season with the criminally misused Will Arnett. What I like about the show (not necessarily present in this episode) is the sheer meanness of it. 30 Rock is probably the meanest, most unforgiving network sitcom since... I dunno man. I don't really watch most of that crap anyway. But check out last year's Christmas episode guest starring Andy Richter for some good stuff.
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Michael- You can't just yell rape and expect all f your problems to go away.
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I saw MIAMI BLUES on cable the other day. Oh Dear Lord the man has let himself go.
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That's what I've noticed most this year. He used to be a jerk with JUST enough sweetness to keep you rooting for him. But starting late last year, when he slammed Pam at the job fair, he just became a straight-up asshole, and that kinda sucks. The show's still funny...HE'S still funny...but the assholedness definitely sucks some enjoyment out of watching.
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"It's a million dollar sale." Classic.
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I thought it had great elements: As mentioned the sales call with Dwight, Jim and Michael. The selection of Schrute Farms for the wedding site. Kelly's I was raped comment. Jim talking to Pam and pissing Dwight off. Andy arguing with Jim about his mug. Jim discovering that everyone in the office got a stupid face mug. I don't know, for me I have loved these characters for so long, that I find them hilarious for some of the subtle little things. The episodes may not be as laugh out loud as they have been in years past, but one of the major complaints from last season was that they were getting far too outrageous and ridiculous, i.e. driving into a lake cause the GPS said so, dressing up as Super Mario plumbers to prank Utica, etc. And mraig, they pretty much did the "people are tired of Jim's jerkiness" in the episode where he takes over the office in Michael's abscense and tries to combine the birthday's and everyone freaks out. It was brilliant cause it not only showed how Jim could be headed on his way to being Michael, but also how utterly insane some of these office people are.
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When the show is all said and done, I would love to see some of these things take place...Michael ends up with Jan and gets a new job as senior sales associate with another company (presumably selling a dying technology, but yet more exciting than paper) Jim takes the reigns of the Scranton office and realizes he has become like Michael, but is okay with it. Pam is a little depressed that her art career never took off, but stays at home to raise their twin boys. Life is good until Dunder Mifflin goes under, and Jim is forced to get a job working for...wait for it... Michael Scott at his new company Dwight ends up stealing Angela from Andy, they marry, have a brood of kids, and ultimately start up a new community similar to the Amish, only the people are allowed to sleep around, listen to heavy metal, and read Harry Potter. Angela supports Dwight by opening up a Kitty farm on the Schrute property where she sells kittens to Petco. Andy enters politics and becomes a high ranking New England senator, and lives out his dream as an upper crust WASP enjoying the privaleged north-eastern snobby lifestyle. Ryan gets his big break working for an investment company, gets arrested for fraud, but this time is hired as a CEO of another large company, then is fired for poor performance but gets a huge golden parachute. The rest of the cast pretty much lives out their days until the closure of the Scranton branch, at which time they all part for differing opportunities.
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Could be because this week's episode was directed by Stephen Merchant - co-creator of the original UK Office.
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Nov 07, 2008 5:41:46 PM CST
I thought Michael was more likeable than usual last night
by catlettuce4
At least as he's portrayed lately. Instead of a complete imbecile he was insecure, to the point of lying about his relationship with Holly (until getting caught), but when it was time to deal with Jim and Dwight (and Kelly) he was almost competent. It was the proper balance of cluelessness and competence, as opposed to some of the more recent episodes where he makes Homer Simpson look like a genius. At some points you need to show us why Michael still has a job and last night's did that.
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Nov 07, 2008 8:51:53 PM CST
I think all things considered Jim's a pretty decent, tolerant gu
by ace of knaves
He holds back a lot, when you take into consideration those he surrounded by, theyre too self absorbed for his chides to register half the time, and he really only bltantly talks shit to the camera, he mostly just glibly points out his officemates absurd actions, which are usually damn hard to ignore. These people are in his face all day asking for it, hard, tell me schrute didnt deserve every last brilliant prank. I felt the same way about jim's smugness in the beginning, but now that ive completely absorbed the series im on his side
hes incredibally soft on michael and the gang. -
also gets more likable as time goes by, theyve come to show him as less of that puffed up , self interested blowhard of the first two seasons, we deeply know this mans fears and weaknesses by now, after the crucible that was "the deposition", hard to see michael as anything but a wounded puppy these days.
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The halloween stuff could have carried the entire episode but instead we get 3 minutes of it. That's what pissed me off.
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Someone said it best. NBC is hard up so they push this show like it's Cheers/Cosby Show/Seinfeld. 30 Rock and The Office are all they have so they have to oversell them. As far the Emmy, 30 Rock is one of those pseudo-shows that only people in the entertainment business or critics like. Like Almost Famous, Clint Eastwood movies, or any documentary. It's basically critic-proof.
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In the first two seasons she wisely let Baldwin and Morgan carry the ball and let her character be, primarily, a support character/straight woman. Now, with the Emmys and her (justifiably praised but one-note) Palin impersonation, she's feeling her oats and the show is getting more "Lemoncentric." Unfortunately, Fey doesn't have the chops to pull that off. So you get tired cliched crap like "Liz wants to adopt a baby and calls her co-workers her 'family'" or "Liz gets wasted on an airplane and acts goofy in front of Oprah while Fey tries to be the next Lucille Ball." Lorne needs to pull her aside and remind her that her real talent is behind, not in front of, the camera.
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"Dwight, Get Out of My NOOK"
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but only 9 months to become a Tental Assistant :-)
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You are way off in your criticism of 30 Rock, I love the show and last I checked I am not a critic or work for the entertainment industry. I am sorry the show doesn't do it for everybody. Intelligent writing can do that (see: Journeyman). Also, The Cosby Show, while enormously popular, was pandering crap that showcased a comedian who used to be funny.
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It's always 3rd or 4th place in its time slot. The public is just intolerant of an egocentric ice princess and a child abuser. The ratings are still in the cellar and now the series is desperate enough to recruit over-the-hill guest stars (Oprah slumming it by playing herself, a TV star whose entrance will prompt the flash of an "Applause" sign). Fey wrote a couple of chick flicks but she's definitely no Naomi Foner. She has zip sex appeal and cruises on an artificial intelligence. As for Baldwin, he should find a thin partner, slip-on a baseball cap and start rehearsing "Who's On First?"
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