On Wednesday, SNL mastermind and 30 Rock executive producer put a positive spin on the decision to demote star Rachel Dratch from a lead character to a "wide variety of roles," telling Variety, "The way it's been rewritten, it's a much funnier part." Of course, what he meant to say was, "The way it's been recast, it's a much blonder, more conventionally bimbonic part." Reports today's THR:

Jane Krakowski has joined the cast of NBC's upcoming comedy series "30 Rock."

The former "Ally McBeal" actress will play the star of "The Girlie Show," a network variety show that serves as the backdrop for the workplace comedy, which stars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin.

In the original pilot, Rachel Dratch played the star of "Girlie Show." She is now set to appear in multiple episodes, playing different characters.

Luckily, Dratch's stubborn refusal to address the network's note to make her character "more like the Ally McBeal secretary who lost weight and got all that plastic surgery after their show went off the air...what? She's available? Let's just get her," didn't cost her a job. In fact, she'll still play an integral part in the rejiggered cast, as SNL mentor Michaels and fellow EP Tina Fey have already supplemented Dratch's "cat wrangler" role from the pilot with appearances in future episodes as "spinster with dozens of cats," "crazy pet store clerk with unhealthy interest in cats," and a scene-stealing part as "woman with psychological disorder that causes her to groom herself with her tongue and shred furniture with her nails."

• Krakowski to headline '30 Rock' [THR]
• Previously: Debbie Downer Demoted [Defamer]

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