Go-Green “30 Rock” Rawks | OPEN THREAD
By SusanUnPC on November 9, 2007 at 9:35 PM in Current Affairs, Environment
If I’d known that Al Gore was going to do a “cameo” on “30 Rock” last night to help NBC promote its GREEN WEEK, I’d have told you all to watch. John at Crooks & Liars has video of Al. ALSO: NBC offers free video airings for one week — check 30 Rock’s official site to watch the entire episode. And here’s the review from Television Without Pity:
30 ROCK
Schwimming In It
{Weecap} It’s Green Week at NBC, which you may not have noticed when every single show started shutting off the lights and composting. Here, in addition to recycling David Schwimmer, Tina Fey advocates the importance of good writing by making Al Gore funny. Positively union-busting…with laughter!
If you’ve never been to TVWithoutPity before, it’ll amaze you to learn that there are people there who write up every single detail of all of the popular TV shows, every day. For example, the full recap of this week’s 1/2-hour episode of “30 Rock” is four full pages long. Here’s an excerpt from the long-form recap:
… It’s in the main plot thread where we get treated to Jack’s first appearance on the show; it’s the first episode since his brilliant, scene-stealing 5-person impersonation of slightly racist ’70s sitcom characters in the previous episode. Liz asks him about the odd superhero costume that has just walked by her in the hall and Jack lets her in on NBC’s corporate-wide “green” initiative. Of course, this is a real initiative at NBC, so what we get to experience here is commonly known as synergy. On Friday, Deal or No Deal models are wearing recyclable suits! See? Synergy. Anyway, Jack introduces Lemon to Greenzo: “Saving the earth while maintaining profitability!” Lemon chuckles nerdily. Greenzo, real name Jarrett, is played by David Schwimmer. You might otherwise know him as one of the breast men from Breastmen or as one of the pallbearers from…I forget the name. It’s yet another “Must See Thursday” alum for 30 Rock. But Schwimmer, unlike Jerry Seinfeld, gets to not play himself. Also unlike Jerry, Ross seems to slide unforced into Rock’s kinetic pacing. Say what you will, I always felt those kids from Friends had good timing…and they were cute. Greenzo is an environmental superhero with oversized mitts for hands and a yellow cape against a green body suit. He believes in the cause of the environment, but not in that pinko liberal agenda type of way. “The free market will solve global warming, if that even exists” he says.
Jarrett’s last real “gig” was in an attack ad for Rick Lazio’s ill-fated Senate campaign, but things are different now, Jack tells Lemon. As NBC’s environmental mascot Greenzo will be releasing an endangered falcon at halftime of the Knicks game and (as if that weren’t enough) he’s been booked onto The Today Show. His appearance goes swimmingly. He does the Greenzo dance for the kids, and when Meredith Viera tells him that he’s saving the world, Greenzo slowly looks up as if realizing only for the first time how special he must be. Given the success of Greenzo’s Today Show appearance, Jack asks Lemon to write some punchy material on the heels of Greenzo’s smashing success. …
See what I mean by detailed, blow-by-blow descriptions?
Yes, there really are people — tens of thousands of them, actually — who read the full recaps, and then discuss every facet (EVERYTHING!) of the shows on TVWithoutPity’s forums.
Since TVWithoutPity usually features the less-well-written but more popular shows, I’m glad to see that they’re now including a well-written and superbly-acted show like “30 Rock” that doesn’t usually get great ratings.
Q FOR YOU: WHAT DO YOU DO TO BE “GREEN”?
, the basis for the Best Motion Picture Nominee (Golden Globes) starring Brad Pitt.
, the novel by John Le Carre, a new motion picture starring Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.
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