Audition Day
Encyclopedia
"Audition Day" is the fourth episode of the fourth season
of the American television comedy series 30 Rock
, and the 62nd overall episode of the series. The episode was written by supervising producer Matt Hubbard
and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller
. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company
(NBC) network in the United States on November 5, 2009. Guest stars in this episode include Craig Castaldo
, Nick Fondulis, Daniel Genalo, Marceline Hugot, Angela Grovey, Michael Mulheren, David Perlman, and Brian Williams
. There are cameos by Gilbert Gottfried
, Martin Scorsese
, and Christopher Walken
, though, the three did not appear as themselves, but provided their voices in the episode.
In the episode, Liz Lemon
(Tina Fey
) and Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
) attempt to rig The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS) auditions to guarantee that their preferred candidate (Fondulis) will be selected by their boss, Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
). Meanwhile, Jack learns a valuable lesson about humanity when he becomes infected with bedbugs.
"Audition Day" has received generally good reception from television critics. According to the Nielsen Media Research
, it was watched by 5.940 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 2.9 rating/7 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic.
(Tina Fey
) and producer Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
) of the show TGS with Tracy Jordan have decided to rig the TGS auditions—in which they are in search of a new cast member on the show—by planning to add bad actors so that their preferred choice, Jayden Michael Taylor (Nick Fondulis), gets hired by their boss, Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
). TGS cast member Jenna Maroney
(Jane Krakowski
) learns that the auditions are taking place and worries that her position on the show will be lessened with the arrival of a new actor. Although Tracy Jordan
(Tracy Morgan
), the star of the show, reassures Jenna that the two have nothing to worry about, she remains uneasy. Later, Jenna discovers that Liz and Pete want Jayden to be cast, but she pleads with Liz to pull Jayden out of his audition. Jenna hates him for humiliating her after working together on a play, but Liz does not change her mind about Jayden. Jenna eventually figures out what Liz and Pete are scheming, so she and Tracy go out and find people (Angela Grovey and David Perlman) and bring them to the TGS auditions.
Meanwhile, Jack learns from NBC page
Kenneth Parcell
(Jack McBrayer
) that he has bedbug
s. As a result of being ostracized by his condition, and now feeling passionate, Jack tells Liz to give everyone a chance to audition, after catching her trying to get rid of people trying out. During the audition process, Jack, Liz, and Pete witness auditions from TGS staff writers Frank Rossitano (Judah Friedlander
), James "Toofer" Spurlock (Keith Powell
), J.D. Lutz (John Lutz
), NBC news anchor Brian Williams
, Kathy Geiss (Marceline Hugot), the daughter of General Electric
(GE) CEO Don Geiss (Rip Torn
), "Dot Com" Slattery (Kevin Brown
), former TGS cast member Josh Girard (Lonny Ross
), and a robot street performer (Daniel Genalo). During Jayden's audition, Liz realizes that Jayden's supposed references—Gilbert Godfried, Martin Scorsese
, and Christopher Walken
—were not legit and that Jayden impersonated them. She confronts him about this, however, Jayden plans to blackmail Liz with a camera marked by her fingerprints—that features provocative photos of Jayden, to make it look like Liz would only hire him if he would let her take pictures of his genitals. Liz tries to stop Jack from casting Jayden, though Jack has made up his mind in hiring the robot street performer. Jack casts him after he shook his hand without being concerned that Jack had bedbugs.
"Audition Day" was written by 30 Rock supervising producer Matt Hubbard
, his first episode for the fourth season
, and his eighth writing credit overall. The episode was directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller
, making it her eighth for the series. "Audition Day" originally aired in the United States on November 5, 2009, on NBC as the fourth episode of the show's fourth season and the 62nd overall episode of the series. This episode of 30 Rock was filmed on October 29, 2009.
Actress Marceline Hugot made her seventh appearance on the show as Kathy Geiss, the daughter of GE CEO Don Geiss, after appearing in the episodes "Jack Gets in the Game
", "Succession
", "Sandwich Day
", "Cooter
", "Do-Over
", and "Reunion
". News anchor Brian Williams, of NBC Nightly News
, made his second appearance as himself with this episode, in which he auditions to become a cast member of TGS. He first appeared in the season three
episode "The Ones
". In one scene of "Audition Day", a homeless man keeps his distance from Jack Donaghy after Jack said he had bedbugs. The homeless man was credited as Moonvest and played by Craig Castaldo, or known as Radio Man
. Castaldo has made numerous appearances on 30 Rock. At the end of the credits, Gilbert Gottfried, Martin Scorsese, and Christopher Walken are credited as doing their actual voices on Liz Lemon's phone.
Jack hiring the robot street performer in "Audition Day" was first introduced in the fourth season premiere episode "Season 4
". Actor Cheyenne Jackson
made his 30 Rock debut as Danny Baker in "The Problem Solvers
", the next episode. Jackson did not play the robot in this episode, instead actor Daniel Genalo played the character.
... this February on NBC." Realizing Kenneth might know what is going on with the TGS auditions, Jenna floats towards him with the wind in her hair, and when Kenneth sees her he calls her "Vampyr!". Later, Jenna reveals to Liz that she has been brought into auditions, similar to what Liz and Pete are doing with rigging the TGS auditions, to make actress Kim Cattrall
seem grounded and human.
During her audition, Kathy sings as Scottish amateur singer Susan Boyle
who gained worldwide attention for her performance of the song "I Dreamed a Dream
" from the musical Les Misérables
on the reality show Britain's Got Talent
. Kathy's performance gets Liz and Jack teared up, similar to Boyle's performance on Britain's Got Talent. It is revealed that Dot Com once portrayed the character Boris Alexeyevich Trigorin in Anton Chekhov
's play The Seagull
. When Kenneth refuses to embrace him, Jack asks him "Et tu
, Kenneth?", prompting Kenneth to explain in Latin
why he will not embrace Jack due to his bedbugs.
During his meeting with fellow GE executives, in which Jack is not allowed to be with them due to his bedbugs condition, a telepresence
system—a television screen in which the executives can be seen—is placed in Jack's office to witness the meeting. One of the executives (Michael Mulheren) asks Jack if he likes the Cisco Systems
equipment, which he does, calling it "the gold standard by which all business technology is judged. Cisco: The Human Network", then after an argument with the executives, they mute him, prompting Jack to say "Did you just mute me!? Did you just use Cisco's cutting edge sure mute technology to mute me!?" Some reviewers wondered whether or not 30 Rock continued doing more product placement
with the addition of Cisco Systems, as they have done in the past with Snapple
, Verizon
, and SoyJoy.
, "Audition Day" was watched by 5.940 million households in its original American broadcast. It earned a 2.9 rating/7 share in the 18–49 demographic. This means that it was seen by 2.9 percent of all 18–49 years olds, and 7 percent of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This episode constituted a six percent drop in viewership from the previous week's episode, "Stone Mountain
". During its original broadcast, "Audition Day" ranked third in its 9:30 p.m. slot, behind CBS
' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
and ABC
's Grey's Anatomy
.
Television columnist Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger
noted "I use the phrase 'funny forgives a lot' in my 30 Rock reviews when an episode fails to cohere but is still entertaining. [...] That changed with 'Audition Day', which still wasn't 30 Rock at its peak but which had one perfect, hilarious sequence that almost singlehandedly redeemed the episode for me." He enjoyed Jack's scene in the subway, calling it "the funniest moment" from the episode, and "one of the funniest things Alec Baldwin has done on the show in a long time". TV Squad's Bob Sassone
wrote that he did not enjoy Jack's plot, explaining that the bedbug bit "got to be a little too much", and much preferred Jenna and Tracy's storyline "because it fit in with the auditioning plot." Time
contributor James Poniewozik
opined that this was an "amusing episode overall", and was glad that it gave Scott Adsit's Pete "something to do" here. Los Angeles Times
' s Meredith Blake was favorable towards "Audition Day", writing it was a "fine return to form", following the airing of "Stone Mountain", in which she disliked. IGN
contributor Robert Canning said this episode of 30 Rock had fun, comedic chaos, and that it "worked well, but never quite reached the hilarity tipping point." He disliked that Brian Williams' cameo was ruined by the promos "because the surprise of the bit would have been far funnier than what the bit actually turned out to be." Canning said the auditions were "fun, though not a complete knockout", enjoyed the fact that Kathy participated in the auditions and her Susan Boyle reference "had great timing", and was "let down" by the revelation that Jayden was psychotic, noting it "[s]eemed like a bit of a cop out to the story as a whole." In conclusion, Canning gave this episode an 8.2 out of 10 rating.
The A.V. Club
' s Nathan Rabin said he did not laugh much during the broadcast of "Audition Day", but admitted he grinned during the closing segment of the episode in which Jack is in the subway along with a group quartet
. Rabin said he enjoyed Brian Williams's "array of characters", during his audition, and gave this episode a B- grade rating. Sean Gandert of Paste
wrote that the episode "had a good premise ... but I wasn't really feeling the whole thing." Gandert reported that the new cast member angle was "predictable and not too interesting, as well as the audition process in general."
30 Rock (season 4)
The fourth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 23 episodes and began airing on October 15, 2009, on the National Broadcasting Company network in the United States...
of the American television comedy series 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, and the 62nd overall episode of the series. The episode was written by supervising producer Matt Hubbard
Matt Hubbard
Matt Hubbard is an American television writer and screenwriter who has worked on many television shows. He graduated from Beverly High School, in Beverly, Massachusetts in the class of 1996, where he excelled in the English Department. He later went on to attend Harvard University where he was an...
and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller
Beth McCarthy-Miller
Beth McCarthy or Beth McCarthy-Miller was the director of NBCs Saturday Night Live starting in 1995. She left SNL in 2006 at the end of season 31, replaced as director by Don Roy King...
. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
(NBC) network in the United States on November 5, 2009. Guest stars in this episode include Craig Castaldo
Radio Man
Radioman is the nickname of a former homeless man in New York City who has gained notoriety from making cameo appearances in a number of films and TV shows....
, Nick Fondulis, Daniel Genalo, Marceline Hugot, Angela Grovey, Michael Mulheren, David Perlman, and Brian Williams
Brian Williams
Brian Douglas Williams is the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, the evening news program of the NBC television network, a position he assumed in 2004...
. There are cameos by Gilbert Gottfried
Gilbert Gottfried
Gilbert Gottfried is an American actor, voice actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his trademark comedic persona of speaking in a loud, grating tone of voice. He has played numerous roles in film and television, perhaps most notably voicing the parrot Iago in Disney's Aladdin , and...
, Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
, and Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
, though, the three did not appear as themselves, but provided their voices in the episode.
In the episode, Liz Lemon
Liz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon is the main character of the American television series 30 Rock. She is portrayed by Tina Fey, who is also the creator of the series and its showrunner.-Personal history:...
(Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
) and Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit is an American actor, writer and improvisational comedian. He is currently co-starring as Pete Hornberger in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock and worked in the Adult Swim stop-motion animation programs Moral Orel and Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.-1990s:After attending Columbia College Chicago,...
) attempt to rig The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan (TGS) auditions to guarantee that their preferred candidate (Fondulis) will be selected by their boss, Jack Donaghy
Jack Donaghy
John Francis "Jack" Donaghy is a fictional character on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He is the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric and later Kabletown....
(Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
). Meanwhile, Jack learns a valuable lesson about humanity when he becomes infected with bedbugs.
"Audition Day" has received generally good reception from television critics. According to the Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
, it was watched by 5.940 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 2.9 rating/7 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic.
Plot
Head writer Liz LemonLiz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon is the main character of the American television series 30 Rock. She is portrayed by Tina Fey, who is also the creator of the series and its showrunner.-Personal history:...
(Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
) and producer Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit is an American actor, writer and improvisational comedian. He is currently co-starring as Pete Hornberger in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock and worked in the Adult Swim stop-motion animation programs Moral Orel and Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.-1990s:After attending Columbia College Chicago,...
) of the show TGS with Tracy Jordan have decided to rig the TGS auditions—in which they are in search of a new cast member on the show—by planning to add bad actors so that their preferred choice, Jayden Michael Taylor (Nick Fondulis), gets hired by their boss, Jack Donaghy
Jack Donaghy
John Francis "Jack" Donaghy is a fictional character on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He is the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric and later Kabletown....
(Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
). TGS cast member Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, played by Jane Krakowski.-Fictional biography:Jenna was born Ystrepa Grokovitz on February 24, 1969 and grew up in Bakersfield...
(Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy...
) learns that the auditions are taking place and worries that her position on the show will be lessened with the arrival of a new actor. Although Tracy Jordan
Tracy Jordan
Ogbert Jordan, better known by his stage name, Tracy, is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, based on and played by Tracy Morgan.-Brief overview:...
(Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan is an American comedian who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.-Early life:...
), the star of the show, reassures Jenna that the two have nothing to worry about, she remains uneasy. Later, Jenna discovers that Liz and Pete want Jayden to be cast, but she pleads with Liz to pull Jayden out of his audition. Jenna hates him for humiliating her after working together on a play, but Liz does not change her mind about Jayden. Jenna eventually figures out what Liz and Pete are scheming, so she and Tracy go out and find people (Angela Grovey and David Perlman) and bring them to the TGS auditions.
Meanwhile, Jack learns from NBC page
NBC page
An NBC page is a person usually in his or her early twenties working in various departments of the NBC television network during a one-year period as a training ground for careers in television broadcasting and entertainment...
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Ellen Parcell is a fictional character in the comedy television series 30 Rock. He is portrayed by actor Jack McBrayer and first appeared on television in the 30 Rock episode "Pilot" on October 10, 2006...
(Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer is an American actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"...
) that he has bedbug
Bedbug
Cimicidae are small parasitic insects. The most common type is Cimex lectularius. The term usually refers to species that prefer to feed on human blood...
s. As a result of being ostracized by his condition, and now feeling passionate, Jack tells Liz to give everyone a chance to audition, after catching her trying to get rid of people trying out. During the audition process, Jack, Liz, and Pete witness auditions from TGS staff writers Frank Rossitano (Judah Friedlander
Judah Friedlander
Judah Friedlander is an American actor and comedian, known for his trademark trucker hats, oversized glasses and unkempt appearance, which he retains in many of his screen roles.-Early life:...
), James "Toofer" Spurlock (Keith Powell
Keith Powell
Keith Powell is an American television actor who is best known for his role as James "Toofer" Spurlock on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock.-Career:Powell was the Producing Artistic Director of Contemporary Stage Company, a summer theater in Wilmington, Delaware...
), J.D. Lutz (John Lutz
John Lutz (television writer)
John Lutz is an American actor, writer and comedian.-Biography:The son of a Lutheran minister, Lutz grew up in suburban Chicago and Detroit. He attended Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana, where he was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, majoring in psychology and minoring in...
), NBC news anchor Brian Williams
Brian Williams
Brian Douglas Williams is the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, the evening news program of the NBC television network, a position he assumed in 2004...
, Kathy Geiss (Marceline Hugot), the daughter of General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
(GE) CEO Don Geiss (Rip Torn
Rip Torn
Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn, Jr. , is an American actor of stage, screen and television.Torn received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1983 film Cross Creek. His work includes the role of Artie, the producer, on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated...
), "Dot Com" Slattery (Kevin Brown
Kevin Brown (actor)
Kevin 'Dot Com' Brown is an American comedian, film and television actor, best known for his role on the series 30 Rock as "Dot Com".Brown also appeared as the lead in Marq Overton's one-man play Die Laughing in 2008 at the Diversity Players of Harlem and as an actor and executive producer of the...
), former TGS cast member Josh Girard (Lonny Ross
Lonny Ross
Lonny Ross is a comedy actor and writer. He was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for his work as Josh Girard on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock...
), and a robot street performer (Daniel Genalo). During Jayden's audition, Liz realizes that Jayden's supposed references—Gilbert Godfried, Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
, and Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
—were not legit and that Jayden impersonated them. She confronts him about this, however, Jayden plans to blackmail Liz with a camera marked by her fingerprints—that features provocative photos of Jayden, to make it look like Liz would only hire him if he would let her take pictures of his genitals. Liz tries to stop Jack from casting Jayden, though Jack has made up his mind in hiring the robot street performer. Jack casts him after he shook his hand without being concerned that Jack had bedbugs.
Production
Matt Hubbard
Matt Hubbard is an American television writer and screenwriter who has worked on many television shows. He graduated from Beverly High School, in Beverly, Massachusetts in the class of 1996, where he excelled in the English Department. He later went on to attend Harvard University where he was an...
, his first episode for the fourth season
30 Rock (season 4)
The fourth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 23 episodes and began airing on October 15, 2009, on the National Broadcasting Company network in the United States...
, and his eighth writing credit overall. The episode was directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller
Beth McCarthy-Miller
Beth McCarthy or Beth McCarthy-Miller was the director of NBCs Saturday Night Live starting in 1995. She left SNL in 2006 at the end of season 31, replaced as director by Don Roy King...
, making it her eighth for the series. "Audition Day" originally aired in the United States on November 5, 2009, on NBC as the fourth episode of the show's fourth season and the 62nd overall episode of the series. This episode of 30 Rock was filmed on October 29, 2009.
Actress Marceline Hugot made her seventh appearance on the show as Kathy Geiss, the daughter of GE CEO Don Geiss, after appearing in the episodes "Jack Gets in the Game
Jack Gets in the Game
"Jack Gets in the Game" is the second episode of NBC's second season of 30 Rock and twenty-third episode overall. It was written by Jon Pollack and directed by one of the season's producers, Don Scardino. It first aired on November 8, 2007 in the United States...
", "Succession
Succession (30 Rock)
"Succession" is the thirteenth episode of NBC's second season of 30 Rock and the thirty-fourth episode overall. It was written by Andrew Guest and one of the seasons' co-executive producers, John Riggi; it was directed by Gail Mancuso. It first aired on April 24, 2008 in the United States...
", "Sandwich Day
Sandwich Day
"Sandwich Day" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of 30 Rock and the thirty-fifth episode overall. It was written by one of the season's executive producers, Robert Carlock, and one of the season's co-executive producers, Jack Burditt. The episode was directed by one of the season's...
", "Cooter
Cooter (30 Rock)
"Cooter" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of 30 Rock and thirty-sixth episode of the series. It was written by series' creator Tina Fey and was directed by one of the season's producers, Don Scardino. The episode first aired on May 8, 2008 on the NBC network in the United States...
", "Do-Over
Do-Over
"Do-Over" is the first episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the thirty-seventh episode overall. It was written by the series' creator, executive producer and lead actress, Tina Fey and directed by series producer Don Scardino...
", and "Reunion
Reunion (30 Rock)
"Reunion" is the fifth episode of the third season of American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 41st episode of the series overall. It was written by supervising producer Matt Hubbard and directed by Beth McCarthy. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company network...
". News anchor Brian Williams, of NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
, made his second appearance as himself with this episode, in which he auditions to become a cast member of TGS. He first appeared in the season three
30 Rock (season 3)
The third season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 22 episodes and began airing on October 30, 2008 on the NBC network in the United States...
episode "The Ones
The Ones (30 Rock)
"The Ones" is the nineteenth episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by co-executive producer Jack Burditt, and directed by Beth McCarthy. The episode aired in the United States on April 23, 2009, on the National Broadcasting Company . Guest...
". In one scene of "Audition Day", a homeless man keeps his distance from Jack Donaghy after Jack said he had bedbugs. The homeless man was credited as Moonvest and played by Craig Castaldo, or known as Radio Man
Radio Man
Radioman is the nickname of a former homeless man in New York City who has gained notoriety from making cameo appearances in a number of films and TV shows....
. Castaldo has made numerous appearances on 30 Rock. At the end of the credits, Gilbert Gottfried, Martin Scorsese, and Christopher Walken are credited as doing their actual voices on Liz Lemon's phone.
Jack hiring the robot street performer in "Audition Day" was first introduced in the fourth season premiere episode "Season 4
Season 4 (30 Rock)
"Season 4" is the first episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 59th episode overall. It was written by the series creator, executive producer and lead actress, Tina Fey and directed by series producer Don Scardino. The episode originally aired on the...
". Actor Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson is an American actor and singer. He started in regional theater when he moved to Seattle, and after moving to New York City, made his 2002 Broadway theatre debut understudying both male leads in the Tony Award-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie...
made his 30 Rock debut as Danny Baker in "The Problem Solvers
The Problem Solvers
"The Problem Solvers" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 63rd overall episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producer Ron Weiner and directed by co-executive producer John Riggi. It originally aired on the National...
", the next episode. Jackson did not play the robot in this episode, instead actor Daniel Genalo played the character.
Cultural references
In the beginning of this episode, Jack tells Liz "That's what I'm talking about. Human empathy, it's as useless as the Winter Olympics2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
... this February on NBC." Realizing Kenneth might know what is going on with the TGS auditions, Jenna floats towards him with the wind in her hair, and when Kenneth sees her he calls her "Vampyr!". Later, Jenna reveals to Liz that she has been brought into auditions, similar to what Liz and Pete are doing with rigging the TGS auditions, to make actress Kim Cattrall
Kim Cattrall
Kim Victoria Cattrall is an English actress. She is known for her role as Samantha Jones in the HBO comedy/romance series Sex and the City, and for her leading roles in the 1980s films Police Academy, Big Trouble in Little China, Mannequin, and Porky's...
seem grounded and human.
During her audition, Kathy sings as Scottish amateur singer Susan Boyle
Susan Boyle
Susan Magdalane Boyle is a Scottish singer who came to international public attention when she appeared as a contestant on the TV programme Britain's Got Talent on 11 April 2009, singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from ...
who gained worldwide attention for her performance of the song "I Dreamed a Dream
I Dreamed a Dream
"I Dreamed a Dream" is a song from the musical Les Misérables. It is a solo that is sung by the character Fantine during the first act. The music is by Claude-Michel Schönberg, with orchestrations by John Cameron...
" from the musical Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
on the reality show Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...
. Kathy's performance gets Liz and Jack teared up, similar to Boyle's performance on Britain's Got Talent. It is revealed that Dot Com once portrayed the character Boris Alexeyevich Trigorin in Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
's play The Seagull
The Seagull
The Seagull is the first of what are generally considered to be the four major plays by the Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov. The Seagull was written in 1895 and first produced in 1896...
. When Kenneth refuses to embrace him, Jack asks him "Et tu
Et tu, Brute?
"Et tu, Brute?" is a Latin phrase often used poetically to represent the last words of Roman dictator Julius Caesar to his friend Marcus Brutus at the moment of his assassination. It can be variously translated as "Even you, Brutus?","And you, Brutus?", "You too, Brutus?", "Thou too, Brutus?" or...
, Kenneth?", prompting Kenneth to explain in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
why he will not embrace Jack due to his bedbugs.
During his meeting with fellow GE executives, in which Jack is not allowed to be with them due to his bedbugs condition, a telepresence
Telepresence
Telepresence refers to a set of technologies which allow a person to feel as if they were present, to give the appearance of being present, or to have an effect, via telerobotics, at a place other than their true location....
system—a television screen in which the executives can be seen—is placed in Jack's office to witness the meeting. One of the executives (Michael Mulheren) asks Jack if he likes the Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, United States, that designs and sells consumer electronics, networking, voice, and communications technology and services. Cisco has more than 70,000 employees and annual revenue of US$...
equipment, which he does, calling it "the gold standard by which all business technology is judged. Cisco: The Human Network", then after an argument with the executives, they mute him, prompting Jack to say "Did you just mute me!? Did you just use Cisco's cutting edge sure mute technology to mute me!?" Some reviewers wondered whether or not 30 Rock continued doing more product placement
Product placement
Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
with the addition of Cisco Systems, as they have done in the past with Snapple
Snapple
Snapple is a brand of tea and juice drinks which is owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group and based in Plano, Texas. The brand was founded in 1972. The brand achieved some notoriety due to various pop-culture references including television shows.-History:...
, Verizon
Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications Inc. is a global broadband and telecommunications company and a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average...
, and SoyJoy.
Reception
According to the Nielsen Media ResearchNielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
, "Audition Day" was watched by 5.940 million households in its original American broadcast. It earned a 2.9 rating/7 share in the 18–49 demographic. This means that it was seen by 2.9 percent of all 18–49 years olds, and 7 percent of all 18–49 year olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This episode constituted a six percent drop in viewership from the previous week's episode, "Stone Mountain
Stone Mountain (30 Rock)
"Stone Mountain" is the third episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 61st overall episode of the series. The episode was written by co-executive producer John Riggi and directed by series producer Don Scardino. It originally aired on the National...
". During its original broadcast, "Audition Day" ranked third in its 9:30 p.m. slot, behind CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
and ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
.
Television columnist Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
noted "I use the phrase 'funny forgives a lot' in my 30 Rock reviews when an episode fails to cohere but is still entertaining. [...] That changed with 'Audition Day', which still wasn't 30 Rock at its peak but which had one perfect, hilarious sequence that almost singlehandedly redeemed the episode for me." He enjoyed Jack's scene in the subway, calling it "the funniest moment" from the episode, and "one of the funniest things Alec Baldwin has done on the show in a long time". TV Squad's Bob Sassone
Bob Sassone
Bob Sassone is an American writer. He was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, to Italian and Portuguese parents. He is the youngest of seven children....
wrote that he did not enjoy Jack's plot, explaining that the bedbug bit "got to be a little too much", and much preferred Jenna and Tracy's storyline "because it fit in with the auditioning plot." Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
contributor James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik is an American journalist and television critic. He writes Times Tuned In column and has a blog with the same name.Originally from Monroe, MI, Poniewozik attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, graduating with a BA in English. He subsequently attended the graduate program...
opined that this was an "amusing episode overall", and was glad that it gave Scott Adsit's Pete "something to do" here. Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
contributor Robert Canning said this episode of 30 Rock had fun, comedic chaos, and that it "worked well, but never quite reached the hilarity tipping point." He disliked that Brian Williams' cameo was ruined by the promos "because the surprise of the bit would have been far funnier than what the bit actually turned out to be." Canning said the auditions were "fun, though not a complete knockout", enjoyed the fact that Kathy participated in the auditions and her Susan Boyle reference "had great timing", and was "let down" by the revelation that Jayden was psychotic, noting it "[s]eemed like a bit of a cop out to the story as a whole." In conclusion, Canning gave this episode an 8.2 out of 10 rating.
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
Quartet
In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
. Rabin said he enjoyed Brian Williams's "array of characters", during his audition, and gave this episode a B- grade rating. Sean Gandert of Paste
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
wrote that the episode "had a good premise ... but I wasn't really feeling the whole thing." Gandert reported that the new cast member angle was "predictable and not too interesting, as well as the audition process in general."
External links
- "Audition Day," at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...