Ta-ta for now, '30 Rock'

"30 Rock" is officially done for the season, and so ends the most pleasant -- no, gleeful -- surprise on television all year. I was skeptical of the pilot last summer, but the show started growing on me almost immediately, and it got funnier and funnier as time went on. And deeper: just learned that the "Black Crusaders" storyline is almost certainly a reference to a crazy Internet theory (or prank) involving Chappelle's show. Hilarious online read here.

Last night's episode might not have been the season's best, but it still had me giggling -- especially at Elaine Stritch, who proved that she's Alec Baldwin's comic equal with her delivery of lines like, "Tell him his mother's here and she loves him. But not in a queer way." And I love the way the show always teeters on the edge of having a heart. Of course, Liz would be Jack's emergency contact because he knows she'd actually pull the plug. And of course, she'd joke about pulling the plug the instance he gave her a compliment.

My sincere hope for the future: Please, NBC, do not let Alec Baldwin out of his contract. Under any circumstances. This thing will blow over and he'll come to his senses, with or without the help of Dr. Phil. And a related thought: 24-hour news is bad for celebrities and the people -- and I'm glad to know there are others -- who really don't care about them. I've got CNN and MSNBC on in the background here, and I can't even count how many times today I've seen that clip of Richard Gere kissing the Bollywood star.

And one final thought: Remember "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"? NBC does, believe it or not. The network is putting it back on the air on Thursdays at 10, starting May 24. For those of you keeping score, that's after sweeps.