John Gushue . . . Dot Dot Dot

Liz Lemon, patron saint of having it all

Imagine certain women of pop culture rendered as icons, literally; that is, the iconography of portraying saints. Here's a whole portfolio to consider. 

Kiss of Life

This is one of the tracks from Peter Gabriel's self-titled 1982 album (a.k.a. Security), and I played it quite a bit at the time. Kiss of Life doesn't necessarily age well, but it has a lot going on, and was way ahead of the curve for using samplers and multiple rhythms. Hard not to move during the last bit, too, even now. 

Blerg, gazerk, myirt!

It's a 30 Rock dictionary, with these and many other words and phrases, via Entertainment Weekly's website. 

 

 

 

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen | Century: 2009

This was a nice surprise: the latest instalment of Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's Century series of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was released today, so I downloaded it straight away through the Comics app. It's just $4.99 digitally. 

I've haven't read it through yet, but I was schoolboy-giddy enough to flick rapidly through the pages quickly, looking at how this one is put together ... and to see what winks, nod, in-jokes, allusions and asides are packed inside. There are quite a few, right at the surface, from Bond girls to 30 Rock to Doctor Who to the Lion King, of all things. I imagine it would really help, again, to be English to spot some of the background characters who pop up in these books! 

I'm setting it aside for the weekend. It looks like a treat, with the same attention to detail and sidebar production values (the fake ads are as complicated as anything else) as the preceding ones. 

Number one in its demo

"You want to cancel the only show on your network to star a 42-year-old woman, a show that is No. 1 in its time slot among men 18 to 49 ... months left in prison."
- Liz Lemon, as played by TIna Fey, in Thursday's 100th episode of 30 Rock

Pilots

"Do you know what the business model is in the entertainment industry? Make 10 shows and hope that one of them works. We produce more failed pilots than the French air force."
- Jack Donaghy, as played by Alec Baldwin, in last week's episode of 30 Rock

Licking envelopes, with Kenneth

"Licking an envelope is a sin, unless you're married to it. So I had to marry each envelope, and then divorce it."
- Kenneth, on 30 Rock last week

Kenneth talks to the animals, so to speak

"I can talk to animals. Well, not talk to 'em. I can take commands from them."

This line, from Jack McBrayer's Kenneth, aired on last month's 30 Rock episode Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning, which I got around to watching tonight. Many of Kenneth's lines are throwaway bits or comic beats, but McBrayer makes them sail.

What art is

"We know what art is. It's paintings of horses."

One of my favourite lines from 30 Rock this season, from the mouth of Jack Donaghy.

Giving the sensitive, acoustic treatment to Mariah Carey's Touch My Body

I didn't know that Mariah Carey's pant-a-thon Touch My Body needed to be covered; I saw this list of no less than 10, including the folk-flavoured pluck-out below. Yes, those lyrics do deserve the plaintive singer treatment!

You know it's sincere, because the came-with-the-computer editing effects make it look that way.

The original sounds quite a bit different ... it had that special combination of nasty-sweet that Mariah Carey has perfected. How well? Well, I recall one uncomfortable moment on a Saturday afternoon this winter, while I was waiting for my son's activity at a university building to conclude, and I watched two girls (about 10, I would reckon) pass the time waiting for a sibling to come out of the same program. At one point, they sang the lyrics to each other. Damn accurately, too. ("Touch my body/ Put me on the floor / Wrestle me around / Play with me some more.") Yeeesh.

In case you actually don't know what the original sounded like, here it is; smart on Carey et al. to recruit Jack McBrayer (Kenneth, the page, from 30 Rock) for comic relief.

TV notes, etc

If you'll indulge me, a few notes about shows I follow.

I was relieved to hear 30 Rock has been given at least another year to earn an audience; minute for minute, it's the new(ish) show I enjoy most. Meanwhile ... although I liked Studio 60 in the fall, I've lost interest, if not patience, with the show; I don't care much about the characters, a few of whom I find odious - and they're supposed to be the engaging leads. I appear to be far, far from alone.

(Which gives me an excuse to trot out this wickedly funny line, attributed to Tina Fey during an appearance at the Writers' Guild Awards: "I hear Aaron Sorkin is in Los Angeles wearing the same dress - but longer, and not funny." Ouch.

I watch Lost - well, when it's on. This year's hiatus was foolish, and the season itself has been a bit of finger-tapper. I know from water-cooler chatter that I'm not the only one waiting for the show to reveal something truly substantial. The cartoon at right comes close to the frustration. You can see more here. A confession: I watch Lost (like 24) on advanced speed through my PVR; watching it real time would be even more frustrating. (You also notice, this way, just how little dialogue is used to pad scenes.)