3rd Quadrant 9/17 '07

The Approval Matrix: Week of September 17, 2007

"30 Rock" on DVD

Plot Summary: Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), head writer of the sketch comedy show "The Girlie Show", must deal with an arrogant new boss (Alec Baldwin) and a crazy new star (Tracy Morgan), all while trying to run a successful TV show without losing her mind. (IMDb)

Kyle Braun of UGO relates,”… the DVD definitely comes with added bonuses for true fans of the show. Five episode commentaries headline the set ... The deleted scenes aren't bad by any stretch of the imagination ... A blooper-ish reel called "The Wrap Party" shows that the talent on the series is undoubtedly funnier unscripted than anywhere else, which is why they're so successful in this line of work. A standard "Behind the Scenes" look at the show will definitely appeal to fans, while the "Makin' it Happen" feature goes by so fast in 31 seconds, you'll wonder what you just saw.”


Chris Beaumont of BLOGCRITICS said, “Re-watching the episodes on DVD I have found it to be even better than I remember. The often times seriously off-kilter writing stands out even more when you can watch a number of episodes in rapid succession. This is definitely worth adding to your collection.”

Pedro Returns

The New York Observer reported that, “The results of Pedro Martinez’s return to a major league mound were heartening to New York Mets fans. He pitched well, giving up two runs in five innings, and got a win. But the numbers don’t begin to tell the story. The raw statistics from his return start on Sept. 3 against the Reds tell of an outing that is merely workmanlike. Martinez pitched 76 pitches over five innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs, walked three and struck out four. But one walk was intentional, two strikeouts came against the opposing pitcher, and of the five hits, one traveled about 40 feet and another was misplayed by Moises Alou.”

His rotator cuff surgery last fall forced him to miss the playoffs and the Mets' run to the National League Championship Series, which they lost in seven games to St. Louis. (ESPN)

"Dick in a Box" Performance on Emmy's?

Justin Timberlake, a four-time Grammy winner, won an Emmy at the Creative Arts Emmys for "Dick in a Box." Timberlake's win came in the Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics field.

Marc Malkin posted on Eonline that, “Timberlake and Andy Samberg have been negotiating to perform their Emmy-nominated number from “Saturday Night Live” during the live ceremony on Sept. 16. But the ditty’s racy lyrics continue to be a problem, my source reports. Just last week, I was told that Timberlake and Samberg had balked at the producers’ request to replace some of the adult-themed lyrics with more family-friendly verse.”

A New York Chihuahua

The 2-year-old, 4-1/2-pound Maddy the Chihuahua from New York City won the title of America's Fastest Chihuahua on Labor Day, leaving 14 rivals in the dust as she covered a 35-foot track in just two seconds. According to her owner Sue Yee, Maddy's key to success was "lots of love and intense training, including sprinting, racing up stairs and swimming." Yee said Maddy loves to walk the 36 blocks from their three-story walkup in SoHo to Yee's job as a Web designer at Eighth Ave. and 36th St. In addition to a year's supply of dog food, Maddy won a $300 gift certificate.
(Daily News)

Upset of the Century

The New York Times reported that one week after the most embarrassing loss in the program’s history, the Wolverines were humbled again Saturday, with nowhere to hide before 109,733 at Michigan Stadium. The final score — Oregon 39, Michigan 7 — did not fully reflect how one-sided this game was. Michigan’s defense was so inept, yielding 624 yards, that last week’s 34-32 home loss against Appalachian State, the two-time defending champion in Division I-AA, seemed somewhat less mystifying. Michigan’s defense tackled horribly Saturday, allowed huge plays, made mental mistakes and was manhandled at the line of scrimmage.

Could the Wolverines really have fallen so far, so fast? Last season, Michigan won its first 11 games and entered the regular-season finale against Ohio State with a chance to win the national title. But they lost that game, and then were beaten by Southern California in the Rose Bowl. After starting this season ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press preseason poll, they have suffered two psychologically damaging defeats.
(Photo courtesy of Gregory Shamus/Getty Images via New York Times)

"Frisky Dingo"

"Frisky Dingo" is an animated comedy television series from Matt Thompson and Adam Reed, co-creators of Sealab 2021. It debuted October 16, 2006 at 12:30 AM on Adult Swim and ended its first season on January 22, 2007. The second season premiered on August 26, 2007. (Wikipedia)

Plot Summary from IMDb: Xander Crews is a billionaire playboy whose alter ego is the superhero Awesome X. He'd much rather goof around as a superhero than tend to the everyday aspects of running a corporation. The only problem is that Awesome X has gotten rid of every super-villain in the city, and now his board head Stan wants him to retire as a hero and get down to saving the company he's been running into the ground with his superhero expenses. Coincidentally, a new super-villain named Killface appears. His goal is to destroy humanity using the Annihilatrix, a machine which upon completion will hurl the earth into the sun. The only problem is that he has no way of getting the 12 billion dollars needed to complete his doomsday device. Luckily there happens to be a billionaire playboy in town...