Jezebel: the new york times

Liz Learns High-Def's A Deal Breaker On 30 Rock

Margaret — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:20:00 EST

Last night on 30 Rock, Devin Banks said Liz Lemon's talk show Dealbreakers was destined to fail because, "She's just a writer with zero performing experience." But, a certain writer-turned-actress gave the funniest performance since Jack and Tracy's therapy session.

The episode was even more laugh-out-loud than usual, with Frank morphing into Liz, Jenna dubbing text messages "business sexts," and Tracy Jordan going to Whoopi Goldberg for advice on winning an EGOT (an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony), which is "a great goal for a crazy person."

While Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan often steal the show from star/writer Tina Fey, the episode's most hilarious moments came from her character Liz Lemon, who had a breakdown while filming the Dealbreakers pilot. Though Liz fantasized that as a TV star she'd be a glamorous blonde carrying on an affair with Astronaut Mike Dexter, in reality, she got a terrible makeover and her insecurities about acting made her so awkward that she forgot how to perform basic moves like waving and smiling. Jenna explained that "Regular Liz" had been transformed into "Performer Liz," and that Jack must then "lie to her, coddle her, protect her from the real world." Or as he put it, "Treat her like the New York Times treats its readers."

Although Anthony Lane criticized Fey's acting in The New Yorker's review of Baby Mama last year, saying, "she hasn't yet made up her mind how funny her body is meant to be," in the clip below, Fey shows off her physical comedy chops as Liz attempts to film the intro for Dealbreakers.

What really did Liz in wasn't her robotic performance or Jenna-like tantrums, but what her face looked like in high-def:

At least she didn't look as bad as Pete:

Once again, we saw that in his soul, Kenneth belongs on Sesame Street:

And of course, the only person who actually looked better in high-definition was Alec Baldwin:

The full episode is available on Hulu.

Switching Places [The New Yorker]
"Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001" [Hulu]

Nun Explains Why Running Is Her Habit

Margaret — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:20:00 EDT

The NY Times has added Sister Mary Elizabeth Lloyd, who runs marathons in her habit, to its "Running Voices" feature. She wears her habit to let people know she's raising money for orphaned children. Yes, she is awesome. [NY Times]

Editor Of The Nation Weighs In On Hillary Clinton (Almost) Word For NY Times Word

Dodai — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Early this morning, a tipster clued us into the appearance of the formidable Katrina Vanden Heuvel — editor, part-owner, and publisher of The Nation — on MSNBC's Morning Joe, where she discussed why Hillary Clinton should speak out about sexism directed at Senator Clinton during presidential campaign. And, well, much of what Ms. Vanden Heuvel said sounded very familiar! She seemed to be reading notes. From the New York Times' Sunday Op-Ed section perhaps? Even the wording, "a woman in Wichita, Kansas or Watts" was eerily reminiscent of something we have read very, very recently. [My two cents: A little annoying, a little amusing, very flattering. -Ed.] Clip above.

Related: Clinton’s Next Campaign [NY Times]

Natalie Portman Purses Lips Behind Pages Of Grey Lady

Anna — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 16:15:00 EST

[LAX, December 26. Image via Bauer-Griffin]

Antler-Chic Quite Possibly Result Of Iraq War, Disney Film

Jennifer — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 16:47:09 EDT

Normally, we love NY Times style writer Eric Wilson. But the alarm bells went off the moment he began a Thursday Styles piece today with the phrase "Nature is so in."

Specifically, says Eric, when it comes to home and fashion design, antlers are en vogue. Could be a protest against the Iraq War, says one trendsetter. Perhaps it's a return to nature, says another. But Eric has other ideas!

Still, many people seem to like them as florid decorative embellishment, though they are not exactly sure why, or whether they are politically correct. One may recall that it was the oafish Gaston, in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast," who delivers the line in song, "I use antlers in all of my decorating." So does most of Brooklyn.

Next week: Cathy Horyn's takes on the trend of the shell-bra among momzillas on the Upper West Side, as inspired by The Little Mermaid.

If There's a Buck in It Somewhere [NYTimes]