# Premium Channel Premieres: February 2009



## bdowell (Mar 4, 2003)

Getting an early start on February's information thanks to early news from Starz. I'll format it better later and add more info when time allows. 

_Note that I'll update this thread as information becomes available and of course appreciate any information you may be able to add (such as the always helpful Pablo has been able to provide :up. If you find the information useful, you may wish to subscribe to this thread so you'll receive e-mails as information is added _

*/salute to Starz!'s press office for distributing their information early. Much appreciated!* (sad faces and boos towards Showtime and HBO for not getting their information out earlier!)

All Premiere's on Saturdays, unless otherwise noted.
All times east unless otherwise noted.

Note please that I haven't confirmed that the programs I have listed are actually premiering for the first time on these channels. These programs may have been shown on channels, or on other nites before the dates shown. The information below is just a look at the list of movies and major programs that are upcoming and seem to be showing for the 'first time' (on the network that is shown) on the dates noted.

*Starz*
On Starz in February is "*Starz Saturday Premieres*" with hit movies including *21* (2/7) starring Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, and Laurence Fishburne; *The Visitor* (2/14) starring Richard Jenkins, Hiam Abbass, and Haaz Sleiman; *Prom Night* (2/21) with Brittany Snow, Scott Porter, and Jessica Stroup; *Redbelt* (2/28) starring Tim Allen and Emily Mortimer. Directed by David Mamet.
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February 7 - *21* starring: Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, and Laurence Fishburne (9pm)
February 14 - *The Visitor* starring: Richard Jenkins, Hiam Abbass, and Haaz Sleiman (9pm)
February 21 - *Prom Night* starring: Brittany Snow, Scott Porter, and Jessica Stroup (9pm)
February 28 - *Redbelt* starring: Tim Allen and Emily Mortimer. Directed by David Mamet. (9pm)

Encore Action has the *Saturday Action Zone*. Do you know where your action is? It's *every Saturday at 10 p.m.*

*Grindhouse Presents Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof* 2/7 - (Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, Rose McGowan)
*Grindhouse Presents Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror* 2/14 - (Josh Brolin, Freddy Rodriguez)
*Stargate* 2/21 - (Kurt Russell, James Spader, Jaye Davidson)
*Armageddon* 2/28 - (Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler)

Encore Westerns' six-gun salute for February is Gary Cooper, with a marathon of his movies on February 15 beginning at 6:20pm.

*Alias Jesse James* 6:20 pm - (Gary Cooper, Bob Hope, Rhonda Fleming)
*Man of the West* 8:00 pm - (Gary Cooper, Julie London, Lee J. Cobb)
*Vera Cruz* 9:45 pm - (Gary Cooper, Burt Lancaster, Denise Darcel)
*Dallas* 11:20 pm - (Gary Cooper, Ruth Roman, Raymond Massey, Phyllis Kirk)

In addition, Encore Westerns has _Autry Rides Again!_: Classic Gene Autry films, restored by Encore Westerns.

*Sons of New Mexico* 2/1, 2/4 at 12 pm - (Gene Autry, Gail Davis, Robert Armstrong)
*Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride* 2/8, 2/12 at 12 pm - (Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, June Storey)
*Mule Train* 2/15, 2/18 at 12 pm - (Gene Autry, Pat Buttram, Sheila Ryan)
*The Big Sombrero* 2/22, 2/15 at 12 pm - (Gene Autry, Elena Verdugo, Stephen Dunne)

Encore's spotlight for February shines on Bruce Willis with a marathon of eight of his films stacked *Saturday, February 21, beginning at 2:20 pm*:

*Death Becomes Her* at 2:20 pm - (Bruce Willis, Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn)
*Disney's The Kid* at 4:10 pm - (Bruce Willis, Spencer Breslin, Emily Mortimer)
*Perfect Stranger* at 6:05 pm - (Bruce Willis, Halle Berry, Giovanni Ribisi)
*Armageddon* at 8:00 pm - (Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler)
*Die Hard* at 10:35 pm - (Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia)
*Grindhouse Presents Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror* at 12:50 am - (Bruce Willis, Freddy Rodriguez)
*Twelve Monkeys* at 2:40 am - (Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, Madeline Stowe)
*Unbreakable* at 4:50 pm - (Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright Penn)

Encore will also be running a weekend long marathon of Bond films beginning Friday, February 6 at 7:00 pm, presented in letterbox. Saturdays following the marathon, Encore will air a Bond film at 10:00 am.

*Dr. No* at 7:00 pm - (Sean Connery, Ursala Andress, Joseph Wiseman) - 2/28 at 10 am
*From Russia With Love* at 8:50 pm - (Sean Connery, Robert Shaw) - 2/21 at 10 am
*Goldfinger* at 10:50 pm - (Sean Connery, Honor Blackman, Gert Frobe)
*Thunderball* at 12:45 am Saturday, February 7 - (Sean Connery, Adolfo Celi)
*A View to a Kill* at 3:00 am - (Roger Moore, Christopher Walken, Grace Jones)
*Never Say Never Again* at 5:15 am - (Roger Moore, Barbara Carrera)
*The Spy Who Loved Me* at 7:35 am - (Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curt Jurgens)
*Octopussy* at 9:45 am - (Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Louis Jourdan)
*You Only Live Twice* at 12:00 pm - (Sean Connery, Donald Pleasence)
*The Man With the Golden Gun* at 2:00 pm - (Roger Moore, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland)
*Goldfinger* at 4:10 pm - (Sean Connery, Honor Blackman, Gert Frobe)
*For Your Eyes Only* at 6:05 pm - (Roger Moore, Carole Bouquet, Topol)
*Diamonds Are Forever* at 8:15 pm - (Sean Connery, Jill St. John, Charles Gray)
*Licence To Kill* at 12:30 am Sunday, February 8 - (Timothy Dalton, Carey Lowell, Robert Davi)
*On Her Majesty's Secret Service* at 2:45 am - (George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas)
*Dr. No* at 5:10 am - (Sean Connery, Ursala Andress, Joseph Wiseman)
*Moonraker* at 7:05 am - (Roger Moore, Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale)
*From Russia With Love* at 9:15 am - (Sean Connery, Robert Shaw)
*For Your Eyes Only* at 11:15 am - (Roger Moore, Carole Bouquet, Topol)
*The Living Daylights* at 1:30 pm - (Timothy Dalton, Maryam D'Abo, Jeroen Krabbe)
*Diamonds Are Forever* at 3:45 pm - (Sean Connery, Jill St. John, Charles Gray)
*Thunderball* at 5:50 pm - (Sean Connery, Adolfo Celi)
*The Spy Who Loved Me* at 8:05 pm - (Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curt Jurgens)
*You Only Live Twice* at 10:15 pm - (Sean Connery, Donald Pleasence)

*HBO*
From (shudder!!) commercials/blurbs on HBO there's word that a new show called *East Bound and Down* is coming up in February. The new seasons of *Flight of the Conchords* and *Big Love* should also be hitting the mid-point of their seasons. *Real Time with Bill Maher* should also be returning in February 2009.
From info in HBO/Cinemax's January downloadable guide: in February, expect HBO to have *10,000 BC* (which ranked highly on many of the 'worst' of the year lists ). Also expected in February, from HBO Films, *Taking Chance*.
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February 7 - *Aliens vs. Predator Requiem* starring Steven Pasquale, Reiko Aylesworth, John Ortiz, Johnny Lewis, Ariel Gade, Kristen Hager, Sam Trammell, Robert Joy, David Paetkau, Tom Woodruff, and Ian Whyte (8 p.m.)
February 14 - *Fool's Gold* starring Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, Donald Sutherland, Ewen Bremner, Alexis Dziena, Kevin Hart, Ray Winstone, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Brian Hooks, Roger Sciberras, and David Roberts (8 p.m.)
Sunday, February 15 - Series Premiere of *East Bound and Down* starring Danny McBride, Ben Best, Andrew Daly, Katy Mixon, John Hawkes, Jennifer Irwin, Steve Little (10:30 p.m.)
Will Ferrell apparently executive produces. Video interview clip can be found at HBO's website. Looks to be something aimed at fans of _Step Brothers_, and _Talladega Nights_ and the like. Check the video for more information.​
February 21 - *Taking Chance* starring Kevin Bacon, Paige Turco, Sarah Thompson, Tom Wopat (8 p.m.)
_In 2004, Lt. Col. Michael Strobl volunteered to escort home the body of a 19-year-old Marine killed in Iraq. It would prove to be a life-altering experience. Kevin Bacon stars as Strobl in this profoundly moving HBO Films drama that looks at the military rituals for honoring its war dead from the perspective of one fallen soldier named Chance Phelps. Strobl never knew Phelps before taking the assignment, but as he journeys across America, he discovers the great diligence and dignity in how the military handle such dark duties--and comes to grips with his own issues of guilt when he meets Chance's gracious family and friends. Directed by Ross Katz; screenplay by Lt. Col. Michael R. Strobl, USMC (ret.) and Ross Katz, based on the journal by Lt. Col. Michael R. Strobl, USMC (ret.) (NR)_​
February 28 - *10,000 BC* starring Steven Strait, Camilla Belle, Cliff Curtis, Joel Virgel, Ben Badra, Mo Zainal, Nathanael Baring, Mona Hammond, Marco Khan, Reece Ritchie, Joel Fry, Omar Sharif (8 p.m.)
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*HBO Boxing events:*

February 14 - (info from Fightnights.com) or (info from HBO) HBO Boxing After Dark: Ricardo Mayorga vs. Alfredo Angulo (Middleweight) and Nate Campbell vs. Ali Funeka (IBF WBA WBO Lightweight title) location to be announced (10 p.m.)
February 21 (Pay-per-view? not listed on regular HBO schedule) - Miquel Angel Cotto vs. Michael Jennings (welterweight) and Kelly Pavlik vs. Marco Antonio Rubio (WBC WBO middleweight title) venue to be announced, reportedly in New York
February 28 - (info from Fightnights.com) or (info from HBO) Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz (Featherweight) Toyota Center, Houston, TX (10 p.m.)

Note that there may be a few other mid-week premieres on HBO but of course the guide data for February may not yet be searchable so finding those isn't so easy 

*Cinemax*
From info in HBO/Cinemax's January downloadable guide: in February, expect Cinemax to have *Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay* and *Shutter*.
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February 7 - *Disturbia* (already aired on HBO in January 2009) starring Shia Labeouf, David Morse, Sara Roemer, Carrie-Anne Moss, Aaron Yu, Jose Pablo Cantillo (8 p.m.)
February 7 - *Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay* starring John Cho, Rob Corddry, Roger Bart, David Krumholtz, Kal Penn, Eddie Thomas, Jack Conley, Paula Garces, Eric Winter, Neil Patrick Harris, Danneel Harris, Jon Reep, Missi Pyle, Mark Munoz, James Adomian, Beverly D'angelo, Christopher Meloni, Ed Helms (10 p.m.)
February 14 - *I Could Never Be Your Woman* starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Rudd, Tracey Ullman, Saoirse Ronan, Sarah Alexander, Stacey Dash, Fred Willard, Henry Winkler, Graham Norton, Sally Kellerman (10 p.m.)
February 21 - *27 Dresses* (already aired on HBO in January 2009) starring Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Malin Akerman, Judy Greer, Edward Burns, Melora Hardin, Josh Casaubon, Maulik Pancholy, David Castro, Alexa Havins, Brian Kerwin, Alexa Gerasimovich, Jennifer Lim, Anne Fletcher, Yetta Gottesman, Ronald Gutman (10 p.m.)
February 28 - *Shutter* starring Joshua Jackson, Rachael Taylor, Megumi Okina, David Denman, John Hensley, Maya Hazen, James Kyson Lee, Yoshiko Miyazaki, Kei Yamamoto, Erica Leerhsen (10 p.m.)

Same note for Cinemax as for HBO... there may be some mid-week premieres that aren't showing up here because the guide data isn't as easy to find currently.

*Showtime*
Showtime has series seasons of *The L Word*, *The United States of Tara* and *Secret Diary of a Call Girl* in full swing.
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February 14 - *There Will Be Blood* starring Daniel Day Lewis (wouldn't it be great if Showtime would publish that information on their schedule web page?) (8:30 p.m.)
February 21 - *The Great Debaters* (9 p.m.) note that this first airs on Feb. 6 @ 6:45 p.m.
February 28 - *A Mighty Heart* (yup, still doesn't include any detail information about stars and such) starring Angelina Jolie (9 p.m.) first airs 02/13/09 at 7:00 p.m.

*Showtime family of channels Boxing/MMA/EliteXC events:*
February 7 - Vic Darchinyan vs. Jorge Arce (WBC WBA IBF Flyweight Title) The Pond, Anaheim, California

*The Movie Channel*
It looks like The Movie Channel will be continuing their *Splatterday* on Saturdays line-up of horror themed films (double feature of horror themed movies on Saturday nites actually) for February.
(If you aren't a horror fan then it seems that The Movie Channel is going to have slim pickin's for you )
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February 7 - *Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh* starring some clueless victims (10:30 p.m.)
February 14 - *Desert of Blood* starring the blood of course! (10:40 p.m.)
February 21 - *Dead Mary* starring Steven McCarthy with Maggie Castle whoa! they actually did publish some info on this one! (9 p.m.) first airs on Showtime Beyond and other Showtime channels
_A group of old college friends, accompanied by one young newcomer (Dominique Swain), travels to a remote cabin in the woods for some reminiscing and bonding, but a parlor game summoning the demonic spirit of a murderous witch soon turns their reverie into a bloody slaughter._​
February 21 - *Urban Legends: Bloody Mary* starring Katie Mara, Robert Vito, Tina Lifford and Ed Marinaro star in this sequel directed by Mary Lambert wow! that makes two in a row they published some info on (10:45 p.m.) first airs on Showtime Beyond and other Showtime channels
_The vengeful spirit of a murdered high school girl returns to wreak havoc on a new generation of jocks and their friends, "urban legends" style, for this third entry in the long-running horror franchise._​
February 28 - *Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation* starring the Chainsaw and the Next Generation, duh! (9 p.m.)
February 28 - *Vegas Vampires* Daniel Baldwin, Alex Wilkinson, Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Glenn Plummer and Richard Roundtree star in this imaginative thriller {their words, not mine!} directed by Fred Williamson. (10:35 p.m.)
_When the lights of the strip go up but the sun goes down, the city of Las Vegas is being slowly taken over by bloodsucking vampires, a fact that the city's detectives are trying keep secret while they hunt Q, the vampire leader who is looking for a bride with whom he can found a dynasty._​

*HDNet Movies sneak previews* (info normally found here, scroll down as necessary)
Not to steal the thunder of the regular HDNet and HDNet Movies info that gets posted, but hopefully this advance warning will help keep people from missing some of these sneak previews (releases of films that are headed to theatres but which are sneak previewed to HDNet Movie subscribers before or at the same time they are released in theatres, meaning free to HDNet Movie subscribers while movie goers get to pay regular prices at their local movie houses).
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*Wednesday, February 11* - *Two Lovers* Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, and Isabella Rossellini. Directed by: James Gray
_Two Lovers_ is a modern-day romantic drama set in New York. It tells the story of Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix), an attractive, placid and depressed young man who moves back in with his parents (played by Isabella Rossellini and Moni Monoshov), following a recent heartbreak. An aspiring photographer, Leonard works part-time at his father's dry-cleaners to save enough money to buy a camera. Meanwhile, his concerned parents try to set him up with Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), the sweet and caring daughter of a close family friend. A big family dinner serves as their introduction and Leonard arranges to see her again.
But then late one night Leonard looks out his bedroom window and notices a ravishing young woman he has never seen before. Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow) recently moved into an apartment in his family's building-an apartment that's underwritten by the wealthy married man she's seeing. Leonard is instantly attracted to Michelle, an attraction that quickly becomes an obsession. He ardently pursues her in the hope she will break-off her affair.
As Michelle begins to fall for Leonard and Leonard discovers hidden depths in Sandra, Leonard is forced to make an impossible decision...​
*Wednesday, March 18* - *The Great Buck Howard* Starring: Colin Hanks, John Malkovich, and Emily Blunt. Written & Directed by: Sean McGinly
In the comedy _The Great Buck Howard_, recent law school dropout Troy Gable (Colin Hanks) answers an ad for a "Road Manager and Personal Assistant for Celebrity Performer," thinking it will break him into the entertainment industry. In actual fact, he has signed on to work for Buck Howard (John Malkovich), a has-been magician trying to revitalize his waning career. With the help of a fiery publicist (Emily Blunt), Troy and Buck embark on a cross-country tour in hopes of staging the comeback of a lifetime.​
Note schedules subject to change. For informational purposes only. Updated as information becomes available. Enjoy everyone.


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## bdowell (Mar 4, 2003)

Before I forget to give a decent plug to the film *The Visitor* (February 14 on Starz), I definitely recommend that one as a movie that is good for people that don't mind a movie that will have you thinking. It is a bit of a bleeding heart style film, but it's well worth watching. Not an action flick, and not terribly fast paced, but very, very good.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Yeah, "The Visitor" is making me rethink canceling Starz in February, particular when I add in David Mamet's "Redbelt". Alot of film festival recognition for "The Visitor" and Roger Ebert says:


> This is a wonderful film, sad, angry, and without a comforting little happy ending. But I must not describe what happens, because the whole point of serious fiction is to show people changing, and how they change in "The Visitor" is the film's beauty. So much goes unsaid, and unseen. Events in Walter's professorial job happen off-screen. We are left to listen to the silences and observe the spaces.


And then I was planning dropping the tier (Dish Network) that has HDNet Movies until I saw "The Great Buck Howard" in the Sneak Previews for March. I really don't know if I can be comfortable not recording a movie that has Colin Hanks (paired in a couple of scenes with his dad Tom Hanks) and John Malkovich. Maybe I need to sign up for Netflicks....


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## Dario33 (Dec 15, 2008)

Heard great things about The Visitor as well -- also looking forward to checking out Redbelt.


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## bdowell (Mar 4, 2003)

Pretty crappy month for HBO, though *Taking Chance* might be a decent film. Both *Fool's Gold* and *10,000 BC* ranked highly on many lists of the worst films of 2008. I've seen Fool's Gold and put up a review at Amazon. I skipped 10,000 BC and really have no plans to see it.

Cinemax offers up a couple of flicks that already aired on HBO (_27 Dresses_, which I had reviewed at Amazon among them and _Disturbia_). _Harold & Kumar escape..._ was pretty funny (it picks up right where the first one left off), at least if you were a fan of the first one. I also reviewed that one at Amazon after watching the Blu-ray.


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## bdowell (Mar 4, 2003)

Hopefully Showtime will get their information posted in the next few days. HBO surprised me a little by flipping the switches on the New Year's holiday, but at least it helps fill out the information for February.


I reformatted things slightly (as seen above) to bullet list the air dates for the titles that have now been filled in and hopefully help make them stand out a little better.


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## russ9 (Jan 28, 2004)

bdowell said:


> Pretty crappy month for HBO, though *Taking Chance* might be a decent film. Both *Fool's Gold* and *10,000 BC* ranked highly on many lists of the worst films of 2008. I've seen Fool's Gold and put up a review at Amazon. I skipped 10,000 BC and really have no plans to see it.


They can't be any worse than AvP: Requiem. It is on my top 10 list of worst movies ever.


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## Dario33 (Dec 15, 2008)

russ9 said:


> They can't be any worse than AvP: Requiem. It is on my top 10 list of worst movies ever.


Haha -- being the Alien completist that I am, I actually DVR'd and watched this the other day. It was pretty awful.


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## pablo (Oct 11, 2007)

Any news on SHO?


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## bdowell (Mar 4, 2003)

pablo said:


> Any news on SHO?


I sent them an e-mail (via their website, which is not the most user friendly system ever ) complaining that they didn't have any schedule information for February up as of late last nite. As usual either their webmaster and/or their publicity department are slacking  I really wish the powers that be there would kick their current staff to the curb and make an offer to the people that work for Starz!/Encore.


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## bdowell (Mar 4, 2003)

Just checked their (Showtime's) website again, no change.  I swear they are just the most uncooperative/less-then-competent group when it comes to getting their schedule info out. No "highlights" in their printable guides to even have a clue as to what they think are their big premieres, no "coming next month" in their printable guides, etc. Given how relatively lame their schedule is for movie premieres, I guess they figure they shouldn't attempt to cheerlead for themselves, but given that we're 4 business days into the month prior, you'd think they'd get on the ball and get their schedule up. Perhaps they'll have it just in time for February 2, 2009.


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## bdowell (Mar 4, 2003)

It looks like my e-mail/web submission kick in the seat of the pants must have woke up the webmaster types as Showtime finally got their February schedule online. I've updated things above.

From what I see in looking at the Saturdays in Feburary, it seems that Showtimes big offering for the month is going to be episodes of their new series United States of Tara. (Well, that and *There Will Be Blood* and *A Mighty Heart* neither of which is really new...)


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## pablo (Oct 11, 2007)

bdowell said:


> It looks like my e-mail/web submission kick in the seat of the pants must have woke up the webmaster types as Showtime finally got their February schedule online. I've updated things above.
> 
> From what I see in looking at the Saturdays in Feburary, it seems that Showtimes big offering for the month is going to be episodes of their new series United States of Tara. (Well, that and *There Will Be Blood* and *A Mighty Heart* neither of which is really new...)


Good news, but when did _Blood_ premiere? I think it's brand-new. But, apart from that, looks like a slim month for them.


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## bdowell (Mar 4, 2003)

pablo said:


> Good news, but when did _Blood_ premiere? I think it's brand-new. But, apart from that, looks like a slim month for them.


I'm thinking it hasn't aired on any of the pay stations yet, but it came out on disc so long ago that it just seems old to me. I guess it's just that time is passing so quickly I can hardly keep track of it any more.


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## pablo (Oct 11, 2007)

Oh yes, it sure has been out for a while. But lately I've been waiting for movies to premiere on TV instead of getting the DVD or even sometimes skipping seeing it at the movies, which I've been doing less and less.


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## pablo (Oct 11, 2007)

HBO The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie 02/04 7:00 AM


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## pablo (Oct 11, 2007)

HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher returns on 2/20.

http://www.hbo.com/billmaher/


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## karlhenri (Sep 25, 2007)

bdowell said:


> Pretty crappy month for HBO, though *Taking Chance* might be a decent film. Both *Fool's Gold* and *10,000 BC* ranked highly on many lists of the worst films of 2008. I've seen Fool's Gold and put up a


Come on, 10,000BC is not that bad. Especially in HD. Once you set your expectations down a notch, then it's pretty okay.


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## pablo (Oct 11, 2007)

STZ CJ7 2/13 2:45 AM

(Sorry for the short notice.)


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## tony4ch (Dec 4, 2008)

Did NBC's _30 Rock_, akin to _Saturday Night Live_'s recent (and well-scrutinized) partnership with Pepsi, cross a line by conspicuously incorporating McDonald's into a storyline?As this week's episode opened, Jack (Alec Baldwin) and lady love Elisa (guest star Salma Hayek) reveled in the glory of "the world's greatest dessert," the McFlurry. Later, after their romance went south (blame the Catholic church), the couple patched things up at an actual McDonald's, even giving props to the fast-food franchise's founder, Ray Kroc.Organic storyline progression (Elisa's affection for the McFlurry had been established weeks ago) or overt product placement? In the following statement, _30 Rock_ lead and executive producer Tina Fey (winningly) sets the record straight:


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## bdowell (Mar 4, 2003)

tony4ch said:


> Did NBC's _30 Rock_, akin to _Saturday Night Live_'s recent (and well-scrutinized) partnership with Pepsi, cross a line by conspicuously incorporating McDonald's into a storyline?As this week's episode opened, Jack (Alec Baldwin) and lady love Elisa (guest star Salma Hayek) reveled in the glory of "the world's greatest dessert," the McFlurry. Later, after their romance went south (blame the Catholic church), the couple patched things up at an actual McDonald's, even giving props to the fast-food franchise's founder, Ray Kroc.Organic storyline progression (Elisa's affection for the McFlurry had been established weeks ago) or overt product placement? In the following statement, _30 Rock_ lead and executive producer Tina Fey (winningly) sets the record straight:


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