Liz Lemon is getting married and you’re invited.
Fans of “30 Rock” might have reasonably assumed that Lemon, the harried TV producer played by Tina Fey, would ride out the series’ seventh and final season as a perennial bachelorette unlucky in love. But Miss Fey, who also is the creator and producer of the NBC comedy, clearly thought otherwise.
In the “30 Rock” episode airing Nov. 29, Lemon will wed, The Associated Press reports.
Who’s the lucky guy? He’s Liz’s latest fella, Criss Chross (played by guest star James Marsden), a Peter Pan-ish would-be entrepreneur who hatches ventures such as an organic gourmet hot-dog truck.
On Thursday, NBC made the grand announcement that Ms. Elizabeth Miervaldis Lemon, 42, would be presenting herself to be married to Mr. Crisstopher Rick Chross — but “not in a creepy way that perpetuates the idea that brides are virgins and women are property.”
The invitation also specifies that guests (i.e., you viewers) should plan to “bring your own snacks.”
No preview of the episode has been made available.
The series, which airs at 8 p.m. Thursdays, will conclude early next year.
“30 Rock” is the saga of Lemon, the overextended producer of a fictitious comedy show loosely inspired by “Saturday Night Live” (where Miss Fey worked for nine seasons as a cast member and writer). Liz is surrounded by kooky comrades including company boss Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) and Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan), her boisterously unhinged star.
A recurring theme of “30 Rock” has been Lemon’s comically flawed love life. Short-lived boyfriends have included quirky airline pilot Carol Burnett (played by Matt Damon), immature businessman Dennis Duffy (Dean Winters) and dim-witted pediatrician Dr. Drew Baird (Jon Hamm).
ESPN makes 12-year deal for Sugar Bowl rights
The Big 12 and Southeastern Conference have agreed to a 12-year deal with ESPN for the rights to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
A person familiar with the contract said it was worth about $80 million per year through 2026, according to The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because terms of the agreement were not being made public and details were still pending.
The Big 12 and SEC recently picked the Sugar Bowl as the site of their new marquee game, starting in the 2014 season.
The champions of each conference will play in the game, unless those teams are selected for the four-team playoff that also starts that season. In that case, other highly ranked teams from the Big 12 and SEC will play in the game.
The Sugar Bowl will be one of six sites in the playoff rotation, along with the Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl and three more still to be announced. How often each bowl hosts a semifinal is still to be determined. ESPN’s deal with the Sugar Bowl calls for it to broadcast the game even in years it hosts playoffs.
ESPN earlier this year reached a similar 12-year deal, for about the same price, with the Pac-12 and Big Ten for the rights to the Rose Bowl.
The person said a 12-year agreement between ESPN and the Orange Bowl will likely be announced soon.
ESPN.com previously has reported that the network will pay about $55 million per year for the rights to the Orange Bowl, which will match the Atlantic Coast Conference champion, or another highly ranked team from the league, against either an SEC team, a Big Ten team or Notre Dame. The ACC struck a deal with the Orange Bowl during the summer.
ESPN also is working on a 12-year deal for the entire playoff package of 24 semifinals and 12 national championship games, along with the other three host bowls, that has been reported to be worth around $500 million per year.
Three networks to air Sandy specials Sunday
Less than three weeks after Superstorm Sandy came ashore on the East Coast, three television networks will offer the chance to relive the experience on the same night.
PBS’ “Nova” series will air a one-hour special on Sandy on Sunday evening, the same night that History is scheduled to run “Superstorm 2012: Hell and High Water,” The Associated Press reports. The National Geographic network first aired its Sandy special on Thursday but is rerunning it on Sunday night.
Two of the specials, on PBS and National Geographic, will directly compete with each other at 7 p.m.
Still, many of the people affected by the storm will be unlikely to see the TV specials. Thousands of homes remained without power Thursday.
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