Ludachristmas
"Ludachristmas" | |
---|---|
30 Rock episode | |
Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 9 |
Directed by | Don Scardino |
Written by | Tami Sagher |
Featured music | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" performed by Jenna Maroney played by Jane Krakowski |
Cinematography by | Vanja Černjul |
Production code | 209 |
Original air date | December 13, 2007 |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"Ludachristmas" is the ninth episode of the second season of the television series 30 Rock and was first broadcast on December 13, 2007, on the NBC network in the United States.[1]
The episode was written by Tami Sagher and directed by Don Scardino. Guest stars in this episode include Kevin Brown, Kay Cannon, Grizz Chapman, Anita Gillette, Buck Henry, John Lutz, Maulik Pancholy, Andy Richter, and Elaine Stritch.[2]
In this episode, Liz Lemon's (Tina Fey) family (Anita Gillette, Buck Henry, and Andy Richter) visit her for the holidays and Jack Donaghy's (Alec Baldwin) mother, Colleen Donaghy (Elaine Stritch), also visits him for the holidays. The cast and writers of TGS with Tracy Jordan, a fictional sketch comedy series, prepare to attend their annual Ludachristmas party. Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) is ordered by a court to wear an alcohol monitoring device.
Plot
Jack is delighted when he thinks his mother, Colleen, is unable to visit him for the holidays due to her flight from Florida being grounded by Hurricane Zapato. Unexpectedly, Colleen arrives because she was able to travel by bus to
Meanwhile, the cast and writers of TGS are preparing their annual Ludachristmas party in the writer's room, which will involve a heavy amount of debauchery. Tracy is annoyed because he is unable to attend due to a recent order from a courtroom judge which requires him to wear an alcohol monitoring ankle bracelet.
The episode ends with the TGS cast and crew celebrating Christmas with each other and while at the dinner with the Lemons who are still arguing Jack says to Colleen "Merry Christmas Mother" revealing that he's happy to see the Lemons aren't so perfect after all.
Production
The storyline in this episode, which features Tracy having to wear an ankle bracelet to monitor alcohol levels in his sweat due to a driving under the influence arrest, is based on events which actually happened to actor Tracy Morgan, who portrays Tracy Jordan.[3][4] Morgan has twice been arrested for drunk driving: once in December 2005 and once in November 2006. He was sentenced to 36 months probation, fined US$390, and mandated to attend an alcohol education program at the 2005 arrest.[5] As a result of the 2006 arrest, Morgan was fined US$1000 and had his drivers license suspended for six months.[6] Morgan was also ordered to wear a Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring (SCRAM), "an ankle bracelet worn to test for alcohol vapors that come out of the skin".[7]
NBC billed this episode on its press releases as "Episode 209".[1] The episode had been unofficially titled "Ludachristmas",[8] until it was confirmed by the second season DVD.[9] Similarly, the following episode also remains unnamed and is officially known as "Episode 210".[10]
Kay Cannon, a writer for 30 Rock,[11] appears in this episode as a Human Table at the Ludachristmas party.[2] Cannon previously appeared as an unnamed wife character in "Fireworks", an episode of the first season.[12][13] Cannon co-wrote "The Head and the Hair", an episode of the first season,[14] and "Somebody to Love", an episode of the second season.[15] Both episodes were co-written with the series creator, Tina Fey.[14][15]
Reception
The episode brought in an average 5.6 million American viewers upon its original broadcast in the United States, achieving a 2.8/7 in the key 18- to 49-year-old demographic. The 2.8 refers to 2.8% of all people of ages 18–49 years old, and the 7 refers to 7% of all people of ages 18–49 years old watching television at the time of the broadcast. It ranked second place in the 18–49 demographic and tied with CBS's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode "Lying Down With Dogs" for first place among men aged 18–49.[16]
Matt Webb Mitovich of
Elaine Stritch was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for this episode.[20]
References
- ^ NBC Universal Media Village. Retrieved August 19, 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "30 Rock: "Episode 209"". Yahoo. Retrieved August 18, 2008.
- ^ a b Canning, Robert (December 14, 2007). "30 Rock: "Episode 209" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2008.
- ^ Wilson, Michael (January 6, 2008). "Humor Sliced and Diced". The New York Times. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
- ^ Mahan, Colin (November 28, 2006). "Tracy Morgan arrested for drunk driving". TV.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
- ^ Keller, Julie. "Tracy Morgan Cops to Uncool Charge". E!. Archived from the original on August 5, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
- TMZ.com. April 28, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
- ^ ""Ludachristmas": 30 Rock". Hulu. Archived from the original on June 10, 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
- NBC Universal. 2008.
- NBC Universal Media Village. December 2007. Retrieved January 18, 2008.[permanent dead link]
- Writers Guild of America, West (Press release). December 13, 2006. Archived from the originalon December 5, 2007. Retrieved March 7, 2008.
- ^ "30 Rock – "Fireworks" – Season 1 – Episode 4 – Synopsis, Credits, Companies – Variety Profiles". Variety. Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Retrieved August 16, 2008.
- NBC Universal. Event occurs at 01:47.are a writing team that original penned this episode.
Those are two of our writers. That was Dave Finkel and Kay Cannon, in fact Dave Finkel and Brett Baer
- ^ a b "30 Rock – "The Head and the Hair" – Season 1 – Episode 11 – Synopsis, Credits, Companies". Variety. Retrieved August 19, 2008. [dead link]
- ^ a b "30 Rock "Somebody to Love" Season 2, Episode 6 | Original Airdate: November 15, 2007". Yahoo!. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
- ]
- ^ Webb Mitovich, Matt (December 13, 2007). "Episode Recap: "Episode 209"". TV Guide. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved August 18, 2008.
- TV Squad. Retrieved August 18, 2008.
- ^ Labrecque, Jeff (December 14, 2007). "30 Rock: Just Say Noel". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
- ^ "The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards and Creative Arts Emmy Awards Nominees are..." Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. July 17, 2008. Archived from the original on July 18, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
External links
- "Ludachristmas" at IMDb