'30 Rock,' 'Kidney Now': It doesn't hurt that bad

Seeing the list of musical guest stars for the "30 Rock" season finale a few weeks ago made me a little apprehensive -- how was the show going to fit in the likes of Elvis Costello, Mary J. Blige, Sheryl Crow, Clay Aiken and Adam Levine without it overwhelming the episode?

The answer to that turned out to be "very effectively." Jack's quest to get his dad a kidney balanced nicely with Liz "getting hers," and even the C-story with Tracy speaking at his old high school had some good moments. For a show that doesn't always know how to end episodes, it's done really well at ending seasons.

Kidney Now!

Jack is initially skeptical/apprehensive about possibly donating a kidney to the dad he just met: "He's writing a three-volume biography of Jimmy Carter, and if I give him one he could finish it." Dr. Spaceman is his usual helpful self -- giggling at the word "kidney" ("I think it's the hard 'k' sound") and confusing who's giving whom an organ -- but it turns out Jack is not a match. Whew.

Except: After Milton tells him he wants to get to know Jack more than he wants a new kidney, Jack is inspired to find one for his pops. Milton is too old for the donor list, "and since Giuliani left it's gotten harder to harvest hobo organs," so he comes up with the next best thing -- a benefit song solely for Milton.

He strong-arms Mary J. Blige ("Who got you out of a 20-year exclusive contract with SeaWorld?"), Clay Aiken ("Your cousin Kenneth Parcell" -- hee! -- "already promised me you'd do it") and Elvis Costello ("or should I say, Declan McManus, international art thief?") and then sweet-talks Sheryl Crow and Adam Levine. Costello and the Broadway-seasoned Aiken are clearly the most natural actors of the group (and got several good lines), but all five seemed pretty game.

And the benefit song itself? Well, that was just a bucket of awesome. The lyrics are here, and the list of people lending their voices to help find Milton a kidney -- including Steve Earle, Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz, Norah Jones, Talib Kweli, Michael McDonald and Cyndi Lauper ("I'm one of the drunk ones!") -- can be found here. I think I'll be singing "Milton Greene Milton Greene Milton Greene Milton Greene" for most of the weekend.

Continued dealbreaking

NBC has asked Jenna to appear on the sub-Springer, sub-Maury "Vontella" show to promote "TGS," and her past appearances have not gone well (cue clips of Jenna brawling with her half-sister). If she's going, though, she insists that Liz come with her, since Liz seemed to like the publicity so much when she was giving birth to rubber chickens at last week's photo shoot.

Vontella doesn't have anything nasty planned for Jenna -- half-sister Courtney is dead -- but because of the "Dealbreaker" sketch, she does want Jenna to answer the audience's relationship questions. She freezes up a little, and Liz jumps in -- and proves surprisingly adept (and hilarious) at dishing out bite-sized, "He's just not that into you"-style advice. "Your fiance's gay ... classic case of fruit-blindness." "He thinks he deserves a vajayjay upgrade? He doesn't. He's not Tom Brady. Shut it down." "There's no such thing as bisexual -- that's just something they invented in the '90s to sell hair products."

Her performance makes waves, and soon Tracy's and Pete's wives, along with most of the women in the "TGS" offices, are seeking her out, and a book agent is calling her about a deal. That's great, Jack tells her -- because "TGS" has maybe two years, tops, left in it (hmm ...), and she's finally doing what he's been telling her all along, getting what's hers.

Which is great, but her advice kind of stinks. She tells Pete's wife not to accept him not going on vacation to her parents' -- but as Pete informs her, "It's a working farm, and I'm the only one with hands big enough to guide the bull during mating."

And as for the hotel room Angie says Tracy is renting twice a week, it's "to poop in peace -- no kids banging on the door, no phone ringing. It's my time!" Tracy explains. No matter, though -- Liz is forging ahead, and doing so gives her "this weird loose feeling in my shoulders." Enjoy that while it lasts, Liz.

Tracy vs. graduation

Tracy's sort-of alma mater, Frank Lucas High School, has asked him to speak at its graduation, but Tracy refuses to go back because of the bad memories he has of the place -- a drug dealer named Campbell tried to get him to cut a snitch, he says, and he dropped out rather than do the deed. That's not quite how it happened, though: Grizz and Dotcom explain that "Campbell" was actually science teacher Mr. Campbell, and the snitch was a biology class frog.

After a heart-to-heart with Kenneth -- and seeing a former tough-guy classmate delivering food to 30 Rock -- Tracy decides to go back and give his speech, where he tells the graduates that if they just stay true to themselves, every last one of them can be president someday. Not much plot-wise there, but some good lines, which will lead the bullet points:

• Kenneth: "You can't be ashamed of that kid -- it's you." Tracy: "Nuh-uh. I changed into a badass adult. I have a wolf-dog, two bad knees and a gun -- that I lost."
• Milton, observing Tracy bawl about the frog-dissecting incident: "A guy crying about a chicken and a baby? I thought this was a comedy show."
• Kenneth: "Science was my most favorite subject -- especially the Old Testament."
• Jack: "Elvis, haven't you said that if a song reaches just one person, you've done your job?" Elvis Costello, in perfect deadpan: "No, I've never said that."
• "When someone starts talking in the middle of a song, you know it's serious."
• I don't think I want to read anything into the "'TGS' only has two more years" comment as it relates to the future of "30 Rock." It's already coming back for next season, and I'm guessing as long as the quality stays high and the ratings don't completely bottom out, the show can pretty much write its own ticket. That said, five really good seasons would probably be better than tacking on a couple extra ones when people's hearts aren't in it as much.
• Jack's flash of inspiration: "I have the entire liberal media at my disposal. It's the same machine that got all those people to vote for Barack Obama and donate money after Rainstorm Katrina."
• Sheryl Crow and Liz Lemon, who we've been told repeatedly is in her late 30s, as fifth-grade classmates doesn't really work agewise. But the chronological fudging was worth it for the class-A shunning Crow gave Liz at the benefit taping.

Did you enjoy the "30 Rock" season finale? What did you think of all the musical cameos?