30 Rock

8 Disastrous Valentine’s Days…

I have never been a big fan of Valentine’s Day. I do not really understand the point of this holiday. In high school, one boyfriend took me on a date to see the movie My Favorite Martian. So romantic. However, I do enjoy watching other people make fools of themselves in the name of romance. Which is why, this year, I made a list of my favorite episodes in which people’s holidays do not go as planned.

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”
It is bad enough to be single on this holiday, but to also be tormented by your ex-boyfriend (who happens to be a soulless vampire), only makes things worse. Also, after Cordelia breaks up with Xander, he blackmails Amy to get her to do a love spell for him. Unfortunately, the spell affects every woman *but* Cordelia, and things turn deadly as the women fight each other for his affections.

2. Friends “The One With The Candy Hearts”
Joey accidentally sets Chandler up on a blind-date with ex-girlfriend Janice. Ross and his date end up at the same restaurant as his ex-wife Susan, and he invites her to join his date when she gets stood up. Meanwhile, Rachel, Monica and Phoebe have plans, so they agree to take part in Phoebe’s cleansing ritual, which has them setting fire to items from their ex-boyfriends. Rachel throws in a bottle of grappa, and the fire department has to be called.



3. Smallville “Persuasion”
Clark accidentally ingests gemstone kryptonite, which makes everything he tells someone he *wants* into a reality. This might sound ideal, but not when it turns your career-oriented girlfriend into Suzy Homemaker, and sets your best friend on a mission to break the two of you up. Also, Zod figures out what is happening and uses Clark’s new ability against him, which puts Tess in danger.



4. Happy Endings “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre”
Penny is waiting until after Valentine’s Day to break up with the guy she’s been dating, and then convinces Dave that his girlfriend is doing the same to him. Brad makes big plans for himself and Jane, but goes to the dentist before his big evening and ends up having to be drugged because of a cavity. Alex is the only one excited about the holiday but, while on her way to a party, gets mistaken for a hooker and gets arrested. Meanwhile, Max spends the evening driving his limo and ends up picking up ex-boyfriend Grant.

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8 References to the Birthplace of Freedom…

Tomorrow is Independence Day and, since the Declaration of Independence was signed in my home city of Philadelphia, this week I have decided to give you a list of my favorite Philly references.

1. 30 Rock Tina Fey grew up in Upper Darby, which is a suburb of Philadelphia, so there are several scenes I could have chosen. Aside from the below clip, there is also an episode featuring the Phillie Phanatic and an episode where, after being asked to do Jack a favor Liz says, “If I’m doing this for you, guess what buddy? I get your Yankees tickets on ARod bobblehead day! And I’m gonna throw that thing in front of a train. Go Phillies!” which just makes me laugh every time!

2. Bones David Boreanaz is also from Philadelphia and he represents his Philly pride well with Seeley Booth. There are lots of Flyers references throughout the show, but my favorite episode is the one where Booth finds seats on the side of the road from the old Veterans Stadium. He tries to take them home, only to have the power go out and he and Brennan get stuck in an elevator.

3. American Dreams This show was set in Philadelphia on the set of American Bandstand in the mid-sixties when it was at the height of its popularity. The Pryor family are big Eagles and Phillies fans, JJ Pryor attends Lehigh University and their Uncle Pete works for the Philadelphia Police Department. The show even deals with riots that took place in Philly during the summer of 1964 and the Northeast blackout in 1965.

4. Boy Meets World Creator Michael Jacobs is actually from New Jersey, but we will let that slide since the Matthews family lives in Philly and are big Phillies fans. Cory even dressed as his favorite player one Halloween.

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