Tracy Morgan

NBC Renews PARENTHOOD; Orders 13-Episode Final Season of 30 ROCK [Updated]

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 10th, 2012 at 2:33 pm

Two on-the-bubble NBC shows have officially been given the order for new seasons.  The critical favorite yet ratings challenged drama Parenthood has been renewed for a 15-episode fourth season (per TV Line).  Showrunner Jason Katims is no stranger to ratings issues despite favorable reviews, as he led the stellar Friday Night Lights through five seasons of “will it be renewed?” drama.  I’m a fan of the ensemble and tone of Parenthood, but Katims will most likely have his hands full next season as his medical pilot County is said to be close to a pick up.  That show will star Jason Ritter, who led the doomed The Event and has been a frequent guest star on Parenthood.

Hit the jump for news regarding renewals for The Office and a final season for 30 Rock, as well as speculation about the fate of Community and Parks and Recreation. [Update: The Office hasn't officially been renewed yet, but with deals almost done for the main cast members a renewal is expected]

Alec Baldwin Says 30 ROCK’s Upcoming Seventh Season Will Be Its Last

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: April 16th, 2012 at 3:40 pm

This afternoon at a gathering of The National Press Club, during some lobbying for Americans for the Arts, a nonprofit group that advocates for increased federal funding of the arts, The Huffington Post reports that Alec Baldwin dropped some good and bad news for fans of the NBC comedy series 30 Rock. Apparently the actor will definitely be sticking around for the series’ entire seventh season this fall, but apparently that season of the Tina Fey show will be the last. Honestly, it makes sense considering the show would really lose one of its strongest parts if Baldwin were to really leave, and seven seasons is enough for almost any series, especially a comedy that runs an average of 24 episodes a season. The series is still going strong with outrageous jokes and hilarity, and while I’ll be sad to see it go, I’d rather see it finish on top rather than puttering out and getting canceled.

30 ROCK Plans Another Live Episode for April 26th

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: March 29th, 2012 at 12:06 pm

Just as the series did back in 2010, 30 Rock is going even more meta again as the series, which has a sketch show similar to Saturday Night Live inside of the series (Inception!), will be doing another live episode. Tina Fey took on the task back in 2010, and now on Thursday, April 26th, the show will again be live from Studio 8H.

When their Kabletown bosses announce they will no longer pay for TGS to be a live show, Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) and Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) realize their lives will actually be easier if they shoot canned episodes fast and cheap. Only Kenneth the Page (Jack McBrayer) objects, urging that nothing can replace the communal experience of live television. He tries to convince the TGS staff to fight for their right to be live by taking them and our audience through a magical look back at the illustrious history of Studio 6H. See what they did there? The episode will be done twice so both East and West coast audiences get the live treatment. The first live episode was a great success and it was clear the cast was having a lot of fun. There were plenty of cameos as well and this one should be no different.

Sundance Film Festival Adds PREDISPOSED, JOHN DIES AT THE END, THIS MUST BE THE PLACE, and OSLO AUGUST 31ST; First Images from the Films

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 19th, 2011 at 2:25 pm

While earlier this month the line-up for the 2012 Sundance Film Festival was announced, the fest has added four more films to the fest. Predisposed, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Melissa Leo, and Tracy Morgan will screen as part of the Premieres line-up and John Dies at the End starring Paul Giamatti, Chase Williamson, and Rob Mayes has been added to the Park City at Midnight line-up. Additionally, This Must Be the Place starring Sean Penn, Frances McDormand, and Judd Hirsch and Oslo, August 31st starring Anders Danielsen Lie, Hans Olav Brenner, and Ingrid Olava will screen as part of the Spotlight line-up.

Hit the jump to check out the first images from the films as well as a brief synopsis for each. The 2012 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 19 – 29th. Click here for all our coverage.

30 ROCK Season Five DVD Review

by Rob Wieland    Posted: December 11th, 2011 at 6:39 am

30 Rock has come a long way from being the “Untitled Tina Fey Project”. While it hasn’t been a ratings blockbuster, it’s crawled its way inside pop culture in a way other shows would kill for. It’s also launched (and relaunched) the careers of its leads, Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin. The fifth season of a show is a milestone of its success, since it now has enough episodes to sell to syndicators. Being able to sell the same work multiple times is always a good feeling. Does the show still have what it takes? Hit the jump to take a look at how season five pans out.

Jesse Eisenberg, Melissa Leo, and Tracy Morgan Are PREDISPOSED

by Jason Barr    Posted: February 28th, 2011 at 6:27 pm

Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Oscar winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter), and 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan have reportedly signed on to star in the indie comedy Predisposed. According to Vulture, the trio will play a Julliard-hopeful, his drug-addicted mother, and said mother’s drug dealer, Sprinkles, respectively. Predisposed will be directed by Oscar nominated scribe/co-writer Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia) with Philip Dorling sharing co-writing credit as well. Briefly, the comedy will center on the dysfunctional relationship between Eisenberg and Leo’s mother and son pair. The story is set on a day in which the son is interviewing for Julliard while his mother is busy feuding with her drug-dealer/checking herself into rehab while intoxicated so as to overcome her lack of health insurance.

Leo should be well prepared for her role as Eisenberg’s junkie mom as she made the same turn when Predisposed screened at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival as a short directed by the aforementioned Philip Dorling. Shooting on this promising feature length version of Predisposed is set to begin this summer.

THE SON OF NO ONE Trailer

by Bill Graham    Posted: January 20th, 2011 at 6:04 pm

The Sundance Film Festival kicked off today and while reviews/news will be pouring in for the next ten days, the trailer for the closing-night film, The Son of No One, has hit the Internet today. Written/directed by Dito Montiel (Fighting), the crime drama tells the story of two friends (Channing Tatum and Tracy Morgan) who must face the consequences of a murder they committed.

In addition to Tatum and Morgan, the film features an impressive cast that also includes Al Pacino, Katie Holmes, Ray Liotta, and Juliette Binoche. One of the more noteworthy aspects of the film is that Morgan, best known for his wild antics on the hilarious NBC comedy 30 Rock, will be playing the film straight.  While fans of him rubbing his bare belly may be disappointed, co-star Tatum told MTV, “I think Tracy Morgan is going to shock the world. Nobody has ever seen him do drama or anything like that.” Hit the jump for the full (mysteriously edited) trailer and synopsis.

Sundance 2011: First Images from Dito Montiel’s THE SON OF NO ONE Starring Channing Tatum

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 8th, 2010 at 1:33 pm

We have the first images from Dito Montiel’s new drama The Son of No One, which is set to premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival at the closing night film.  The plot centers on two men in post-9/11 New York who are forced to relive two murders they committed as young boys. Their lives start to unravel by the threat of the revelation of these shocking and personal secrets.  The film stars Channing Tatum, Al Pacino, Juliette Binoche, Ray Liotta, Katie Holmes, and Tracy Morgan.  Tatum also starred in Montiel’s previous two films, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints and Fighting.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 20 – 30th.

New Trailer for RIO Starring the Voices of Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 8th, 2010 at 8:37 am

A new trailer has gone online for the animated film Rio.  Like this year’s animated family film Alpha and Omega, Rio centers on a pair of animals who are trying to fuck.  Okay, that might be a bit of an over-simplification.  They’re a pair of rare macaws (voiced by Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg) who are brought together to mate but are then kidnapped so they can be sold on the bird black market.  Judging by the trailer, it could be amusing.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also stars the voices of George Lopez, Jemaine Clement, Tracy Morgan, Leslie Mann, will.i.am, and Jamie Foxx.  It’s set to open in 3D on April 8th.

30 ROCK Season 4 DVD Review

by Jake Lasker    Posted: October 15th, 2010 at 6:10 am

After winning 3 consecutive Outstanding Comedy Emmys, how do you stay fresh? This was the question facing NBC’s 30 Rock going into its 4^th season. For it’s 3^rd season, 30 Rock revolved most episodes around a big-name guest star each week. The show took a different approach for its 4^th season, focusing on more overarching storylines, with typically hilarious results. Even though it was shut out of it’s 4th consecutive Emmy by Glee, 30 Rock totally delivers in it’s 4^th season.  Hit the jump for my review:

NBC’s 30 ROCK Airing Live Episode October 14

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: July 31st, 2010 at 12:14 am

With so many writers and actors who graduate from the school of Saturday Night Live being a part of NBC’s Emmy nominated comedy series 30 Rock, it was only a matter of time before the show (which is actually based inside of a fictional sketch show similar to SNL) decided to go for a live broadcast. Today brought the official announcement from NBC’s press tour for the Television Critics Association which sets a live broadcast episode to air during the show’s fifth season on October 14th. If the live episode focuses on the live broadcast of an episode of the fictional live sketch show TGS with Tracy Jordan within 30 Rock then we’re in for some next level, Inception-type mind tricks (but with more laughs). More details after the jump.

COP OUT Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: July 20th, 2010 at 7:47 am

Alas, the long slow decline of Kevin Smith. 2010’s Cop Out was Kevin Smith’s first time directing a film that he didn’t write himself, and put him in a position to work with Bruce Willis in an action-comedy. On the commentary he references both Fletch and Beverly Hills Cop. Unfortunately he never gets close in delivering the goods as either an action movie or comedy. Willis stars alongside Tracy Morgan as two cops who get suspended after a routine bust goes bad. With no pay coming in Willis has to sell a rare baseball card that then gets stolen by Seann Williams Scott. This leads them to an evil bad guy named Po Boy (Guillermo Diaz). My review of Cop Out after the jump.

Danny Glover and Regina Hall Video Interview DEATH AT A FUNERAL

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 14th, 2010 at 3:01 pm

Opening this Friday is director Neil LaBute’s Death at a Funeral, which stars Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Zoë Saldaña, Columbus Short, Luke Wilson, Peter Dinklage, Danny Glover, Regina Hall, and Keith David.  The movie is a remake of the 2007 British film with the same name, and while most remakes recast everyone, Peter Dinklage is playing the same character again.  So if you’ve seen the 2007 film, you know who he plays and some of the twists and turns.

To help promote the movie, I got to sit down with Danny Glover and Regina Hall.  Hit the jump to watch the interview:

Tracy Morgan and Luke Wilson Interview DEATH AT A FUNERAL

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 13th, 2010 at 4:44 pm

I’ve always wondered if Tracy Morgan is playing himself on 30 Rock, or if it’s all an act.  Also, I’ve seen Morgan on David Letterman and have always wondered if he’s pulling an Andy Kaufman with the way he acts…or if it’s really him.  Based on the Los Angeles press junket for Death at a Funeral, I’m going to say it’s not an act.

The reason I can say that is while waiting in a hallway for my interview with Tracy Morgan and Luke Wilson, I got to hear Morgan saying some of the craziest things during other interviews.  Most of them are not safe to print – let alone say on television.  While we couldn’t hear everything behind the door, we heard enough that every journalist waiting and a few publicists were laughing a lot.   Actually, I felt added pressure walking in to my interview, as I was hoping to get some wild and crazy answers.  Hit the jump to see if I did….

James Marsden Interview DEATH AT A FUNERAL – Plus An Update on ENCHANTED 2

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 12th, 2010 at 7:51 pm

Opening this weekend is director Neil LaBute’s Death at a Funeral, which stars Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Zoë Saldaña, Columbus Short, Luke Wilson, Peter Dinklage, Danny Glover, Regina Hall, and Keith David.  The movie is a remake of the 2007 British film with the same name.  If you saw the previous version, the remake is the same story set in America.

To help promote the film, I recently got to speak with James Marsden.  In the film, Marsden gets accidentally drugged and spends most of the film dealing with vivid hallucinations.  While the film is a comedy, we talked about how he found the right balance for his performance.  He also told me about some of his deleted scenes, and I asked him what’s up with Enchanted 2.  Check out what he had to say after the jump:

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