ABOUT THE BOOK 30 Rock emerged from its first season into a changing comedy world. New leaders like Louis CK and Patton Oswalt were taking the standup world by storm. Even the pop-star status of Dane Cook, often reviled by hardcore comedy fans for his unadventurous material and impersonal style, represented a culture thinking about comedy as an essential need. This culture thought about comedy performers as distinct, individual voices to be followed loyally. On television, new shows like The Sarah Silverman Program and The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show debuted on Comedy Central. Silvermans show, in particular, was crammed with longtime alt comedy favorites like Brian Posehn, Jay Johnston, and Steve Agee. It was produced in part by Rob Schrab, creator of the cult classic comic book Scud: The Disposable Assassin. At the cinema, The Simpsons, once the standard-bearer for an advancing vanguard of hip, post-modern, ironic, anti-establishment comedy, completed its journey into the mainstream by releasing one of the top-grossing films of 2007. Oswalt received his first major motion picture starring role in Ratatouille, a movie which ended up sweeping the major awards ceremonies in the Best Animated Film category. MEET THE AUTHOR Jonathan Nathan is a writer, an editor, and a comedian living in San Francisco. His work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, California Northern, The Rumpus, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, BeyondChron, the Hutchinson News, and other publications. He's written about everything from politics to philosophy, from sports to cinema, from drugs to thugs. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK One of the elements that Tina Fey and other creative minds behind 30 Rock sought to bring more to the forefront in the second season of the program was the idea of the strong recurrent subplot. While narrative elements had certainly appeared and reappeared throughout the shows freshman season, they had been decidedly in the background. That changed in Season 2, as a very clear throughline emerged as the prominent focal point of the show: Jack Donaghys attempts to rise in the corporate ranks at General Electric. At the end of the first season, Donaghy had suffered a heart attack brought on by issues in his personal life stemming from conflicts with everyone in his life from his mother to his girlfriend to Liz Lemon. He comes back strong in the premiere of the second season, having had a winning offseason as a television executive. He and Lemon are both certain that this will be their year. Donaghy, in fact, is quite sure that he has a shot at becoming the next chairman of GE. The current head of the company, Don Geiss, has been sending signals that he plans to retire soon, and Donaghy believes he has a strong chance at becoming his hand-picked replacement. However, Donaghy is thwarted by his old nemesis from the first season, Devon Banks. Banks, a gay man, has connived a brilliant plan. He narrowly worked his way through a pray the gay away program, Banks has seduced Geisss probably mentally challenged daughter, and is preparing to marry into the Geiss family. Its a smart move, and one that keeps Donaghy on his toes throughout the season. Banks and Donaghy trade jabs and blows back and forth throughout the season, and although its clear that Geiss favors Donaghy as his replacement, tragedy inevitably strikes. CHAPTER OUTLINE Quicklet on 30 Rock Season 2 + Troubles Brewing: A Sophomore Slump? + Tina Fey: A Life in Comedy + Main Characters + Key Terms + ...and much more 30 Rock Season 2

ABOUT THE BOOK 30 Rock is an NBC television series that has ruled Thursday nights in a way no half-hour sitcom has since the days of Friends. Created by former Saturday Night Live head writer and Weekend Update anchor Tina Fey, the show initially had trouble finding an audience. That changed practically overnight after Fey returned to SNL to play then-vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin with whom Fey shares a resemblance. The show, now in its sixth season, has won many awards and continued to dominate televisions comedy genre. After garnering critical and commercial success for her work on SNL, Tina Fey surprised many in the television world by leaving the venerable sketch comedy show show in May of 2006 to work on her own NBC sitcom called 30 Rock. The show was inspired by Tinas own experience working as a writer on SNL, with 30 Rock about the behind-the-scenes craziness of an NBC late night sketch comedy show. MEET THE AUTHOR Kent Page McGroarty is a freelance writer. She is a frequent lifestyle contributor to online magazine EDGE Publications and Demand Media sites LIVESTRONG.com, eHow Home and Garden and Local.com. Kent also works as a blogger and copywriter, including for her own site, A Natural Day.net. She has a B.A. in English from Saint Joseph's University. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK 30 Rock follows the life of 30-something Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), the head writer of The Girlie Show, a Saturday Night Live-type show filmed at NBCs 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York. When the series begins, Liz has been informed of the death of her old boss and his subsequent replacement, the business-minded Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin). Jack has little experience producing television shows as he has previously worked in GEs corporate offices only, though GE owns NBC. He is initially unconcerned with the show as he oversees numerous other projects, but realizes he needs to drastically change The Girlie Show if the show is to remain on the air. Jack therefore hires Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan), a movie actor known for running through the streets of New York in his underwear among many other random acts of goofiness. Liz is against the hiring the minute Jack mentions the idea because she knows Tracy is insane, but Jack goes ahead and hires Tracy, anyway. Liz realizes the veins of Girlie Show star, Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski), will explode at the thought of another actor coming in to proverbially throw up all over her spotlight. But, Liz promises Jenna she will take care of it. Taking care of it doesnt go so well when Jack re-names the show TGS With Tracy Jordan. CHAPTER OUTLINE Quicklet on 30 Rock Season 6 + Introduction + About the Director and Producer + Overall Summary + Episode-By-Episode Summary and Commentary + ...and much more 30 Rock Season 6

ABOUT THE BOOK In this day and age, the definition of "family" is not fixed. Modern Family shows that a family can represent the traditions of family even if they themselves are anything but traditional. The Pritchett family is made up of step-kids, step-parents, mixed races, same sex parents, and adopted children. Nonetheless, the foundations of family and do so in their own hilarious way. Modern Family is a mockumentary which showcases the Pritchett family and their loveable dysfunction. The Pritchett clan is made up of three separate families: Claire and Phil, with their three children Hayley, Alex and Luke, Claires father Jay and his second wife Gloria and stepchild Manny, and Claires brother Mitch and his husband, Cam, along with their adopted daughter Lily. MEET THE AUTHOR Megan Yarnall is a publicist and writer from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She studied English, creative writing, and Italian at Dickinson College, and wrote her thesis on the connections between humans, their bodies, and language. She graduated in 2010 after spending four years organizing all of her colleges concerts. Megan has lived abroad in Italy and loves studying foreign language, linguistics, and writing. Shes also spent some time working for an environmental company and writing about all things green. In her spare time she horseback rides, rock climbs, and travels. Megan also likes hiking through Acadia National Park, warm weather, photography, and doing her own DIY projects. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK The second season of Modern Family pictures the family developing further with more cross over between couples, sibling arguments and comical documentation of growing pains. The producers and writings do an excellent job of keeping the kids in line with the development you would see out of a TV show, rather than have them stuck in a certain age as happens with other shows. First and foremost, Alex and Haley begin showing the occasional sisterly bond, as rough as it may be at times. In one episode, Haley coaches Alex through a new friendship, and in another, through trying to get her first kiss. Though both instances end in disaster, Haley means well. It becomes clear that while Alex generally holds disdain for her sister, Haley can advise her on things like friends and boys. The sisterly fighting is still ever present, with Alex trying to expose Haleys fake job and with her comments about her sisters lackluster academic career. Haley also wont let Alex borrow clothes, and when Alex wears a sweater and accidentally ruins it, all hell breaks loose. CHAPTER OUTLINE Modern Family Season 2 + Introduction + Overall Summary + Episode by Episode + Character List + ...and much more

ABOUT THE BOOK The fourth season of 30 Rock, the brainchild of award-winning writer and actress Tina Fey, lives up to its reputation as a critical darling with a hardcore fan-base. 30 Rock, a three-time Emmy winner for Outstanding Comedy Series, returns with a 22-episode season continues to look behind the scenes of a Saturday Night Live-style comedy sketch show. Fey, an alum of SNL lives in New York, and the show is shot on location in Manhattan and at a studio in Long Island City. Fey first pitched the sitcom to NBC when she was the head writer for SNL in 2002. The original concept was in a cable-news setting, but she changed the focus to more familiar ground after discussions with the network. She remained as the head writer and a performer on the show until 30 Rock debuted in 2006. MEET THE AUTHOR Linda is a professional journalist with over 20 years of experience. Her first book, Hexes for Exes, was published in 2007 and is available everywhere fine books are sold! EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK The fourth season of 30 Rock follows two main story arcs as the latest season of The Girlie Show (TSG) with Tracy Jordan begins. It begins with the search and hiring of a new actor for the show, and delves into the personal life of head writer Liz Lemon and her search for what she wants in a man. As the season opens, executive Jack Donaghy is worried TGS is failing to connect with middle America, the people he calls real Americans. Jack feels his cast and crew have lost touch with their roots and have become too elite to know what flyover country finds funny. As usual, 30 Rock touches on major themes percolating in American society. At the time of its original prime time run in NBC (2009-10), the country was in a period of political upheaval. It was a year into the presidency of Barack Obama, and a serious backlash about taking back the country was forming in much of middle America. It was framed by the media and the right wing as the elite vs. real Americans. These themes are clearly indicated with 30 Rocks early storylines in the fourth season. Liz ventures out of her East Coast liberal cocoon in search of an actor who will satisfy Jacks desire for a new actor. CHAPTER OUTLINE Quicklet on 30 Rock Season 4 + About 30 Rock + About the Creator + Overall Summary + 30 Rock Season 4 Episode Guide + ...and much more 30 Rock Season 4

ABOUT THE BOOK “I like to describe Portland as a city with a lot of self-esteem, filled with people with a lot of self-doubt. Portland is a really kind place, with all kinds of people who will go to tyrannical lengths to show you how kind they are, to the point that it actually feels kind of mean. I think a lot of our characters are trying to navigate that.” – Portlandia co-creator Carrie Brownstein, quoted in The Daily Beast “You remember the 90s, when everyone was pickling their own vegetables, and brewing their own beer? People were growing out their mutton chops and waxing their handlebar moustaches. Everyone was knitting and sewing clothes for their children. People were wearing glasses all the time, like contact lenses had never been invented.” “Wait, are we talking about the 1990s?” – Jason From LA and Melanie, Episode 5, “The Dream of the 1890s” If you haven’t heard the joke, then you haven’t been going to the right bars in the right cities with the right people. Hang around enough cool, plugged-in, young, urban progressives - “hipsters,” as they’ve been termed in the last few years - and you’re bound to eventually meet a couple of them who are self-aware enough to have latched on to it. The joke is dry, bitter, self-deprecating. It indicts the entire hipster scene for a sin, one which is simultaneously inconsequential and monumental, that has characterized American progressives - young and old, hip and square, urban and rural - for decades. “Hey, are you a hipster?” “No.” “OK, you’re a hipster.” Hipsters are becoming notorious for their self-loathing. The internet is lousy with Tumblrs, blogs, and entire websites dedicated to bashing the hipster phenomenon. But who are the people hanging out long enough to make all these observations in the Mission, in Williamsburg, in Silver Lake, in Wicker Park, in Capitol Hill? It generally takes one to know one, when it comes to hipsters, and the joke is that one of the first identifiers of a hipster is denial of membership in the group. It’s a social identity literally built around participants’ pretending to not be participants. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK “Hey, are you a hipster?” “No.” “OK, you’re a hipster.” Hipsters are becoming notorious for their self-loathing. The internet is lousy with Tumblrs, blogs, and entire websites dedicated to bashing the hipster phenomenon. But who are the people hanging out long enough to make all these observations in the Mission, in Williamsburg, in Silver Lake, in Wicker Park, in Capitol Hill? It generally takes one to know one, when it comes to hipsters, and the joke is that one of the first identifiers of a hipster is denial of membership in the group. It’s a social identity literally built around participants’ pretending to not be participants. It’s not new, this progressive self-hatred. Its roots run deep. Liberals have always seemed uneasy with their own ideals. Conservatives rarely engage in the same degree of public, brutal, hilarious, humiliating self-flagellation. Recent studies have confirmed that conservative politics are bolstered by what is termed “low-effort thinking.” Firmly attached to a relatively simple, black-and-white worldview, a conservative does not see enough complexity in the issues of the day to see the funny side of his or her own perspective. But philosophical self-mutilation is so deeply entrenched in the left that progressives even do it in their daily lives. They wryly adopt and self-apply the most insulting terms hurled at them from across the aisle. Bleeding heart. Flaming liberal. Treehugger. And so on and so forth.

From viral Instagram sensation, lifestyle photographer, and mommy blogger Laura Izumikawa comes Naptime with Joey, a ridiculously delightful photo book of her now internet-famous daughter dressed up in various pop culture costumes—a perfect gift for new parents everywhere. Lights, Camera…Nap! Joey Marie wears many hats (or, rather, wigs): she’s dressed up as Inigo Montoya, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Pikachu, Anna Wintour, Moana, and Barb from Stranger Things. She’s taken trips to Hawaii, baked croissants, and blasted off to the moon as an astronaut (at least, in her dreams). She’s held occupations such as pizza chef, aerobics instructor, and handy-dandy-fixer-upper (figuratively, of course). She’s inspired a parenting blog, been the face of her mom Laura Izumikawa’s Instagram account—and for the first time, she’s taken the leap from the ranks of internet-baby-snoredom to the pages of a book. Naptime with Joey is chockablock full of over a hundred deliciously adorable photos of Joey dressed up as various pop culture characters, movie stars, musicians, vacationers, and holiday-goers, making this the most fun, festive, and downright delightful gift under the sun!

The timeless guide to achieving the state of “relaxed concentration” that’s not only the key to peak performance in tennis but the secret to success in life itself—now in a 50th anniversary edition with an updated epilogue, a foreword by Bill Gates, and an updated preface from NFL coach Pete Carroll “Groundbreaking . . . the best guide to getting out of your own way . . . Its profound advice applies to many other parts of life.”—Bill Gates, GatesNotes (“Five of My All-Time Favorite Books”) This phenomenally successful guide to mastering the game from the inside out has become a touchstone for hundreds of thousands of people. Billie Jean King has called the book her tennis bible; Al Gore has used it to focus his campaign staff; and Itzhak Perlman has recommended it to young violinists. Based on W. Timothy Gallwey’s profound realization that the key to success doesn’t lie in holding the racket just right, or positioning the feet perfectly, but rather in keeping the mind uncluttered, this transformative book gives you the tools to unlock the potential that you’ve possessed all along. “The Inner Game” is the one played within the mind of the player, against the hurdles of self-doubt, nervousness, and lapses in concentration. Gallwey shows us how to overcome these obstacles by trusting the intuitive wisdom of our bodies and achieving a state of “relaxed concentration.” With chapters devoted to trusting the self and changing habits, it is no surprise then, that Gallwey’s method has had an impact far beyond the confines of the tennis court. Whether you want to play music, write a novel, get ahead at work, or simply unwind after a stressful day, Gallwey shows you how to tap into your utmost potential. In this fiftieth-anniversary edition, the principles of the Inner Game shine through as more relevant today than ever before. No matter your goals, The Inner Game of Tennis gives you the definitive framework for long-term success.