More "30 Rock" love

I loved NBC's "30 Rock" when it debuted last year, and I think the show, which won the Emmy for Best Comedy, is even funnier this year. The writers have really outdone themselves with hilarious plots, some of which definitely have a ripped-from-the-headlines quality to them.

Some of my favorites include the episode where Alec Baldwin's Jack takes over an inner-city Little League team in New York's worst neighborhood (An inspired allegory of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. I kid you not!) and his passionate love affair with a Vermont congresswoman, played by a very funny Edie Falco.

I also laughed very hard at the shows where Tina Fey's Liz suspects that her neighbors across the hall are terrorists, (Hey, if we don't laugh, the terrorists win), when she invites her idol, a comedy writer played by Carrie Fisher, to be a guest writer on the show, and when her family comes for a visit.

I'm already looking forward to buying Season 2 on DVD. I might have to stop by the NBC store on my next trip to New York City to pick up a Kenneth the Page Talking Bobblehead. (With 12 catch phrases!) And there's a great interview with Tracy Morgan on the USA Today blog Pop Candy. Morgan has reached No. 18 on blogger Whitney Matheson's list of the Top 100 People of 2007.

Morgan, despite his spoiled, self-absorbed celebrity persona on "30 Rock," comes across in the interview as a pretty likable guy, and a very caring dad to his three sons. He tells Matheson that although there's some room for improv, the show is largely scripted. Despite the writers' strike, the cast members have been staying in touch. (They all went out for sushi last week).

About the strike, Morgan says, "We're family. We're just gonna ride it out, and we just hope it all gets resolved. We just wanna get back to making good TV, that's all we want to do. I just feel like we're being deprived, and somebody has to think about the humanity and get these people back to work. There's a lot of people out of work right now, and it's really devastating."

I hope the show can get back into production soon. If the first part of the season is any indication, I have a feeling that "30 Rock" is going to have a terrific second half.