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Books

Books to Give Every Kind of Mom on Mother’s Day

By Emily Temple on

Mother’s Day is this Sunday, and everyone should be thinking of ways to make the lady that gave birth to them smile. We’ve already given you a heads up on some last-minute Mother’s Day gifts that don’t suck, but if what your Mommy dearest really craves is a good book, well, we’ve got you covered there as well. We’ve limited ourselves to recommending books that have come out since last Mother’s Day (since we’re sure last year you picked the perfect book), so click through to see our picks of what books to give every kind of mom this weekend. And we know, we know — your mom probably fits into a number of these categories. Looks like you’ll just have to pick her up a whole pile of books, then. She’s worth it. … Read More

Celebrity

A Selection of Famous People’s Yearbook Quotes

By Victoria McNally on

Well, it’s that time of year again. Colleges and high schools across the country are about to kick their overachieving students out into the world. Here comes the biggest question for every graduating class, though: What are you going to put in your yearbook bio? After all, if you become insanely successful people are going to look back on that quote from Mark Twain or Oscar Wilde and judge you for it. Check out what some of your favorite movie stars, musicians, and politicians put down in ink for their fellow classmates to remember them by, and maybe you’ll be inspired — or, if you’ve already graduated, jealous. … Read More

Comedy

Zach Galifianakis' 'Between Two Ferns' Coming to Comedy Central

By Judy Berman on

Looks like Funny or Die is the new Comedy Central testing ground. Earlier this month, we learned that the network was adapting Drunk History as a half-hour series. And now, Scott Aukerman has announced on his Comedy Bang Bang podcast that he just directed a 30-minute episode of Zach Galifianakis’ Between… Read More

Books

10 of the Most Hilarious Memoirs You’ll Ever Read

By Emily Temple on

This week saw the release of Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir), by internet-famous comedienne Jenny Lawson, whose tagline is “Like Mother Teresa, Only Better.” Well, we don’t think we’re quite ready to give an opinion on that, but the release of Lawson’s hilarious memoir got us thinking about how much we love a good true-to-life rib-cracking tale. In truth, many of the most successful memoirs are funny, if only because the trials and tribulations of any human life always tend to have a little bit of absurdity to them, and because any good memoir cuts the pain a little bit with a joke or two. But these go above and beyond the usual wry self-deprecation, and are guaranteed to have you giggling to yourself long into the night. Click through to read our list of the funniest memoirs we could think of, and be sure to suggest your own favorites in the comments. … Read More

Television

Watch Tina Fey Talk About the End of ’30 Rock’

By Judy Berman on

This morning on ABC’s The View, Tina Fey joined the ladies on the couch and addressed a topic that’s been very much on the minds of her fans: the fate of 30 Rock. “The end of the show is visible on the horizon,” she said, responding to the hosts’ inquiries about Alec Baldwin’s recent insinuation that he’s leaving NBC. “We can’t do this for, like, 35 years… You don’t want to see me with a gray stripe, eating a slice of pizza, going on dates.” Although this time last year, as the show wrapped up a strong fifth season, we would have dreaded the thought of 30 Rock ending. But since this season, while thoroughly watchable, has rarely reached the comedic high points of previous years, we think we could actually stand to watch it wrap after one more round of episodes. (In fact, it hasn’t even been renewed for the fall yet, and the ratings are even lower than usual.) There’s nothing sadder for a TV fan than watching your favorite show cannibalize itself after it’s run out of ideas.

Thankfully, it wasn’t all gloom and doom from Fey. HuffPost reports that another Queen of Jordan episode — yes, the faux Bravo reality show starring Tracy Jordan’s wife, played by The View co-host Sherri Shepard — is in the works. Watch a clip from the segment after the jump. … Read More

Comedy

Watch Tina Fey Teach You How to Dance

By Judy Berman on

Is there anything more wonderful than watching Liz Lemon on the dance floor? In a new “Ask Tina” video, a fan writes in to say that every time Fey busts a move “an angel gets its wings,” and wonders how she accomplishes such feats of grace. Ever a good sport, the 30 Rock star gets up and schools us. “It’s about feeling the music or whatever’s happening,” she says, explaining that the rhythm “comes from my core, and whatever’s happening in my core eventually gets out into my limbs, and usually by the time it gets into my limbs, it gets kind of martial and military.” But you don’t want to just read her advice — you want to see her demonstrate. Do so, make your Friday just a little bit more bearable, and learn about how Fey would deal with a zombie apocalypse as a bonus, after the jump. … Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. If you’ve ever been curious about who would win in a potato sack race between Michelle Obama and Jimmy Fallon — well, now you know. The hilarious bit was part of the First Lady’s effort to promote her Let’s Move campaign.

2. Nicki Minaj will be performing her new song “Roman Holiday”… Read More

Television

’30 Rock’s’ Disappointing Tracy Jordan Homophobia Episode

By Judy Berman on

Soon after the news broke, in June of last year, that Tracy Morgan had launched into a homophobic rant during a stand-up performance, it occurred to us that the incident might turn up in the next season of 30 Rock. Over the years, the show has often addressed real-life controversies involving its cast — a great episode last year, for instance, tackled a dizzying array issues related to women in comedy, from the double-edged sword of Jezebel (known in the episode as “Joan of Snark”) to female comedians who infantilize themselves and use their sexuality to get ahead.

So we weren’t surprised when, earlier this month, we learned that Morgan’s outburst would indeed be worked into the 30 Rock plot. “They’ve incorporated [Morgan's rant] into the Tracy Jordan storyline,” MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts, who is gay, told The Huffington Post. “Liz Lemon writes Tracy’s apology on the show and says he’s not a homophobe, he’s an idiot. That offends idiots, so while NBC is being picketed by the LBGT community, now it’s also being picketed by idiots led by Denise Richards. She’s the leader of the idiots.” That’s a fairly accurate summary of what happened on 30 Rock last night, but to be honest, the episode sounded far more satisfying when I first read Roberts’ description than it actually turned out to be. … Read More

Television

The Best Moments from Betty White’s 90th Birthday Special

By Margaret Eby on

Last night, NBC honored Golden Girl Betty White with a 90-minute birthday-palooza before the debut of her Punk’d-but-with-old-people candid camera show, Betty White’s Off Their Rockers (just what the world has been waiting for!). The ever-charming White blew kisses to the celebrity presenters, like Amy Poehler and Mary Tyler Moore, who toasted and roasted her with various degrees of success (“I call her a pioneer,” said Poehler, “because 90 years ago she literally arrived to California on stage coach.”) While most cracked wise about her age, some questioned her stance on nude photography, and others just went straight for the make-out session. We’ve filtered through the whole birthday party, from Carl Reiner’s heartfelt birthday note to Jennifer Love Hewitt’s dewy-eyed fan letter, and here are the highlights of the night. … Read More

Television

The Best Unscripted Moments from the 2012 Golden Globes

By Judy Berman on

Let’s face it: We all tuned in to tonight’s Golden Globe Awards to watch Ricky Gervais rip into celebrities. Unfortunately for those of us hoping to indulge in some Hollywood schadenfreude, aside from a few delicious digs in his opening monologue, Gervais didn’t really have his spear sharpened. But that doesn’t mean the entire evening was without its memorable, unexpected moments. Although you never can tell exactly what comes from the script and what’s spontaneous on an awards show, we’ve pointed out a few highlights we’re pretty sure weren’t planned, from Tina Fey photobombing Amy Poehler to Michelle Williams’ touching acceptance speech. … Read More