I have watched tonight's season finale twice, and I'm thinking of suing Tina Fey. The whiplash I have from so many hilariously neck-snapping lines and jokes is pretty painful. …

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Of anger management, sweeps and sandwiches, after the jump …

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"I got a hit, Schumacher, and Ruddy doesn't count any more."*

– Since I was the guy who asked NBC's Ben Silverman to explain how "My Name Is Earl" and "30 Rock" qualified as family-hour shows, it was with great amusement that I read a New York Times piece with an NBC executive admitting that the 8-9 p.m. slot isn't all that family on Thursdays. The exec told the Times that:

… the family-hour designation should be seen as offering "direction for program development," not "black-and-white expectations" for the audience.

"'It was not to be construed as a return to a strictly defined family hour," he said, featuring wholesome shows like “Little House on the Prairie,” a hit on NBC in the late 1970s and early ’80s.

By the way, the Times story managed to discuss the "MILF Island" episode without ever using the acronym "MILF." Although it did offer an explanation of the term: "referring to a teenager’s crude designation of someone’s sexy mother."

– "American Idol" has announced the finalists in its songwriting contest. The details are after the jump, but just looking at the song titles makes me think I've heard enough before I've heard anything. Examples: "Believe," "You Believe in Me," "You Believed in Me" (because past tense makes all the difference), "All You Will Need," "You Can Do Anything," "Dream Big."

– Is it just me, or was "Saturday Night Live" a humongous snore on Saturday? I'm usually willing to at least sit through sketches, but I found myself muttering "well, I can see where this is going" and hitting fast-forward.

– CBS has announced that the next season of "Survivor" will be shot in high-definition. Oh, goodie. Extra clarity for bug bites, skin tight over ribs and, of course, the pixels needed when swimsuits slip.

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I've had Monty Python's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" stuck in my head this morning, and it makes me smile, so maybe it will do likewise for you. I like the way this YouTuber used it. (Note: Some strong language in the song.)

More after the jump.

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Well, I have now watched the "30 Rock" version three or four times, and it's making me laugh even harder every time I see it. But, just so we don't forget Miss Gladys Knight, here's a performance of "Midnight Train" with the Pips from YouTube:

Here's the audio of the Knight original:

And, if only because it is weird on so many levels, Jessica Simpson in duet with Gladys Knight:

Miss Simpson should just forget it …

This is a rare night with lots of new episodes of scripted shows, and I have the DVRs running at full blast. Unfortunately, since this is a Thursday, I am also trying to work my way through some DVDs for my DVD column. Still, I managed to catch a chunk of "30 Rock," including the hilarious "Midnight Train to Georgia" sequence. Genius. BRING THE WRITERS BACK! NEGOTIATE! LISTEN TO TOM HANKS!

It's a night for giggles. I'm even watching the "Saturday Night Live" Christmas special, even though I have seen it and every sketch in it before. Hooray for the Chanukah Song! Bring on Pete Schwety!

And in the giggle mode, I found this the other day while looking up information about "The Bell That Couldn't Jingle," a Burt Bacharach tune.

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This is PROBABLY not the way Bacharach intended for it to be heard (or seen). But it gives me major grins. Perhaps more than tonight's "30 Rock," and that was a pretty funny "30 Rock." I was kind of bummed when Jack's mom broke through the Lemons' cheerfulness, but even that was done well.

Photo shredders for everyone!

Because I had a gigantic memory lapse last night, I neglected to record most of my Thursday faves, and only saw "Grey's Anatomy" in its entirety because we got home in time.

But, as title of this post indicates, I am catching up thanks to online viewing. Haven't gotten through all of "30 Rock" or "Earl" because, well, I am at the office and can't spend every second watching shows and laughing too loudly. But what I've seen of "30 Rock" has been plenty hilarious, even in the throwaway lines (Jenna's having to get out of bed at 4 a.m. and go home). Good start to "Earl," too, thanks to the Joy-Catalina dozens. As Tracy would say, "BANTER!"

I expect to add more later, assuming I remember to watch "Friday Night Lights."

I did get through "Earl," "The Office" and "30 Rock." I may post some longer thoughts late. For now, my amusement was at best piecemeal — the Joy stuff in "Earl," the trash-talking in "The Office." …

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Second recycling bin to the right, straight on till morning…

I should write at greater length about this, but I'm tired from putting together a John Waters story, not to mention trying to make a good song-lyric joke about James Taylor being on HSN. So, a short list of reasons:

1. In a week full of NBC's self-righteous self-promotion of its green initiatives, Tina Fey bites the corporation hard.

2. Al Gore's parting lines.

3. It's a new episode, and we need to enjoy them while we can.

That said, it's not a great episode, and David Schwimmer's story is pretty familiar, even if you never saw "Death to Smoochy" (and why would you?). But it has its moments. I mean, look at Schwimmer!