Family Guy season 8
Family Guy Season 8 | |
---|---|
Season 8 | |
A cover of a DVD, with a cartoon, animated man with glasses, and a pioneer's outfit on, with three other pioneers behind him. | |
No. of episodes | 21 |
Release | |
Original network | Fox |
Original release | September 27, 2009 – May 23, 2010 |
Season chronology | |
Family Guy's eighth season first aired on the Fox network in twenty episodes from September 27, 2009 to May 23, 2010 before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. Family Guy follows the dysfunctional Griffin family—father Peter, mother Lois, daughter Meg, son Chris, baby Stewie and dog Brian, all of whom reside in their hometown of Quahog. The eighth season, which premiered with the episode "Road to the Multiverse" and ended with "Partial Terms of Endearment", was executive produced by Chris Sheridan, David Goodman, Danny Smith, Mark Hentemann, Steve Callaghan and series creator Seth MacFarlane. The season's showrunners were Hentemann and Callaghan.
The season received a mixed reception from critics, who cited a lack of original writing.[1] More positive assessments revolved around the "tail end of the season," which "threw out all its old conventions and tried something remarkably different."[1]
Season eight contains some of the series' most acclaimed episodes, including "Road to the Multiverse",[2] "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side"[3] and "Dog Gone",[4] as well as some of the most controversial episodes, including "Extra Large Medium", "Brian & Stewie" and "Partial Terms of Endearment".[5][6][7] It was the recipient of a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation and a Genesis Award for television comedy, and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.
The Volume Eight DVD box set was released in Region 1 on June 15, 2010, Region 2 on November 1, 2010 and Region 4 on August 17, 2010. Eight of the twenty-one episodes are included in the volume. The remaining eleven episodes of the season will be released on the Volume Nine DVD box set. "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side" was released in Region 1 on December 22, 2009, Region 2 on December 26, 2009 and Region 4 on December 23, 2009, and the banned episode "Partial Terms of Endearment" was independently released in Region 1 on September 28, 2010.
Production
Production for the eighth season began in 2008, during the airing of the seventh season. The season was executive produced by series regulars Chris Sheridan, David Goodman, Danny Smith, Mark Hentemann and Steve Callaghan, along with series creator Seth MacFarlane. The showrunners for the eighth season were Hentemann and Callaghan, who replaced Goodman and Sheridan, following the conclusion of the seventh production season.[8]
As production began, Steve Callaghan, Alex Carter, Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, Tom Devanney, Andrew Goldberg, Mark Hentemann, Patrick Meighan, Brian Scully, Chris Sheridan, Danny Smith, Alec Sulkin, John Viener and Wellesley Wild all stayed on from the previous season. Spencer Porter received his first writing credit for the series. Former recurring writers Kirker Butler and Gary Janetti returned to the series, with Butler leaving immediately afterward to work on The Cleveland Show. Matt Fleckenstein, who wrote two episodes for the show, left the series before the beginning of the eighth season.
Joseph Lee received his first directing credit for the season. Dominic Bianchi, Greg Colton, John Holmquist, Brian Iles, Jerry Langford, Pete Michels, James Purdum, Cyndi Tang and Julius Wu all stayed with the show from the previous season. "Blue Harvest" director Dominic Polcino briefly returned to the series to direct the episode's sequel, entitled "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side". Former recurring director Mike Kim left the series.
The main cast consisted of Seth MacFarlane (Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Brian Griffin, Quagmire and Tom Tucker, among others), Alex Borstein (Lois Griffin, Loretta Brown, Tricia Takanawa and Barbara Pewterschmidt, among others), Mila Kunis (Meg Griffin), Seth Green (Chris Griffin and Neil Goldman, among others) and Mike Henry (Cleveland Brown and Herbert, among others).[9]
Several new characters were introduced in season eight. The character of Jerome—Peter, Joe and Quagmire's official replacement for Cleveland Brown, who left the series to star in his own spin-off entitled The Cleveland Show—was introduced in the episode "Jerome is the New Black".[10] He was voiced by The Cleveland Show cast member Kevin Michael Richardson. Quagmire's dad, Dan Quagmire, later renamed Ida after undergoing sex reassignment surgery, was also introduced, and voiced by series creator Seth MacFarlane,[11] as well as Quagmire' daughter, named Anna Lee, voiced by Mae Whitman.[12] Other guest stars who made multiple appearances as recurring characters from previous seasons were Carrie Fisher as Peter's boss Angela[13] and Mike Henry as Cleveland Brown, who briefly returned in "The Splendid Source".[14]
During the sixth season, episodes of Family Guy were delayed from regular broadcast due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Series creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane sided with the Writers Guild and participated in the strike until its conclusion.[15][16] Because of this the seventh season consisted entirely of hold-overs.[16] "Road to the Multiverse", the eighth season premiere, was the first episode to be produced and aired after the strike ended. The season featured the series' 150th official episode, entitled "Brian & Stewie", which broke from the show's usual reliance on cutaways and cultural references and featured only Brian and Stewie trapped together in a vault.[17] The season included a banned episode, entitled "Partial Terms of Endearment" for the first time since season three's "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein." The episode centered on Lois becoming a surrogate mother and being conflicted over whether or not to abort her best friend's baby, after her best friend dies. The episode was inependently released on DVD on September 28, 2010, shortly after the ninth season premiere of Family Guy.[18]
Reception
The eighth season premiere "Road to the Multiverse" received a 5.2 rating share in the Nielsen ratings among viewers age 18 to 49, attracting 10.17 million viewers overall, the highest rated episode of the season.[19] Both of these figures were significantly higher than those of the seventh season finale.[20] In the weeks following "Road to the Multiverse", viewership ratings hovered around 7 million. Aside from the premiere, "Family Goy", the second episode for the season, garnered the most views with 9.66 million, a high for the eighth season.[21] The episode "Dial Meg for Murder" received the lowest amount of viewers for the season with 6.21 million viewers.[22]
Episodes of the eighth season won and were nominated for several awards. On July 8, 2010, the song entitled "Down Syndrome Girl" from "Extra Large Medium" was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards. Series creator Seth MacFarlane and composer Walter Murphy were nominated for their work on the song's lyrics and music.[23] On July 24, 2010, MacFarlane gave a live performance of the song at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International,[24] to an audience of nearly 4,200 attendees.[25] At the Creative Arts Awards on August 21, 2010, "Down Syndrome Girl" lost to the USA Network series Monk.[26] Greg Colton, director of "Road to the Multiverse", was awarded the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for storyboarding the episode.[2] In February 2010, "Dog Gone" won the Sid Caesar Comedy Award, at the annual Genesis Awards, for television comedy.[27]
The Parents Television Council, a frequent critic of Family Guy, branded "Family Goy",[28] "Dial Meg for Murder",[29] "Extra Large Medium",[30] "Go Stewie Go",[31] "Brian & Stewie"[32] and "Quagmire's Dad"[33] as the "worst show of the week." In response to this criticism executive producer David Goodman claimed that Family Guy is "absolutely for teenagers and adults", and that he does not allow his own children to watch the show.[34]
The season received varied reviews from critics. Ramsey Isler of IGN wrote mixed comments about the season, saying, "There was a time when [Family Guy] was one of the funniest shows on TV; it was comedy gold. But somewhere along the line, the show's shine faded, its image was tarnished, and the magic disappeared", but added, "That's not to say that FG hasn't been good at all lately. Season 8 certainly had a few good episodes including the season opener, "Road to the Multiverse", which had a clever premise that was executed well. But after the first episode, the quality of the stories started to decline".[35] He listed "Brian's Got a Brand New Bag", "Jerome Is the New Black", "Go Stewie Go", "Peter-assment" and "April in Quahog" as the worst episodes of the season.[35] Isler praised the "tail end of the season", however, citing "Brian & Stewie" as "one of the better efforts the show has ever put out."[35] In his review for the Family Guy volume eight DVD, Frank Rizzo of DVD Talk said, "The episodes stand on their own, whether you care about the dependence on easy gags and gimmicky concepts or not, because they are simply funny." Rizzo commented on the DVD release: "Fans of "Family Guy," or any of MacFarlane's series for that matter, have to be concerned that the very reason the series continues to air, the DVDs the fans buy, are getting diluted and weakened, especially when you're getting less extras, less MacFarlane, and, for the first time, less of the commentaries that give you a peek into the show's creation."[36]
Episodes
- Key
- In the # column, the number refers to the episode number within its season
- In the Total column, the number refers to the order it aired during the entire series .
# | Total | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod.[37] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 127 | "Road to the Multiverse" | Greg Colton | Wellesley Wild | September 27, 2009 | 7ACX06 | 10.17[38] |
2 | 128 | "Family Goy" | James Purdum | Mark Hentemann | October 4, 2009 | 7ACX01 | 9.66[39] |
3 | 129 | "Spies Reminiscent of Us" | Cyndi Tang | Alec Sulkin | October 11, 2009 | 7ACX03 | 8.88[40] |
4 | 130 | "Brian's Got a Brand New Bag" | Pete Michels | Tom Devanney | November 8, 2009 | 7ACX02 | 7.38[41] |
5 | 131 | "Hannah Banana" | John Holmquist | Cherry Chevapravatdumrong | November 8, 2009 | 7ACX05 | 7.73[42] |
6 | 132 | "Quagmire's Baby" | Jerry Langford | Patrick Meighan | November 15, 2009 | 7ACX04 | 8.28[43] |
7 | 133 | "Jerome Is the New Black" | Brian Iles | John Viener | November 22, 2009 | 7ACX08 | 7.38[44] |
8 | 134 | "Dog Gone" | Julius Wu | Steve Callaghan | November 29, 2009 | 7ACX07 | 8.48[45] |
9 | 135 | "Business Guy" | Pete Michels | Andrew Goldberg & Alex Carter | December 13, 2009 | 7ACX11 | 7.67[46] |
10 | 136 | "Big Man on Hippocampus" | Dominic Bianchi | Brian Scully | January 3, 2010 | 7ACX09 | 8.10[47] |
11 | 137 | "Dial Meg for Murder" | Cyndi Tang | Andrew Goldberg & Alex Carter | January 31, 2010 | 7ACX12 | 6.21[48] |
12 | 138 | "Extra Large Medium" | John Holmquist | Steve Callaghan | February 14, 2010 | 7ACX14 | 6.42[49] |
13 | 139 | "Go Stewie Go" | Greg Colton | Gary Janetti | March 14, 2010 | 7ACX15 | 6.72[50] |
14 | 140 | "Peter-assment" | Julius Wu | Chris Sheridan | March 21, 2010 | 7ACX16 | 6.65[51] |
15 | 141 | "Brian Griffin's House of Payne" | Jerry Langford | Spencer Porter | March 28, 2010 | 7ACX13 | 7.27[52] |
16 | 142 | "April in Quahog" | Joseph Lee | John Viener | April 11, 2010 | 7ACX18 | 6.93[53] |
17 | 143 | "Brian & Stewie" | Dominic Bianchi | Gary Janetti | May 2, 2010 | 7ACX20 | 7.68[54] |
18 | 144 | "Quagmire's Dad" | Pete Michels | Tom Devanney | May 9, 2010 | 7ACX19 | 7.22[55] |
19 | 145 | "The Splendid Source" | Brian Iles | Mark Hentemann | May 16, 2010 | 7ACX17 | 7.59[56] |
20 | 146 | "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side" | Dominic Polcino | Kirker Butler | May 16, 2010 | 6ACX21/ 6ACX22 | 6.13[57] |
21 | 147 | "Partial Terms of Endearment" | Joseph Lee | Danny Smith | June 20, 2010 (UK) Unaired (US)[a] | 7ACX10 | N/A |
Notes
- a Fox has stated this episode has been refused airtime on their network.[58] However, it premiered on British television on June 20, 2010 on BBC Three, marking the first time an episode has premiered in the United Kingdom before the United States. An airdate has not been given for the United States, but it was released on DVD on September 28, 2010.
DVD release
The remaining episodes of the seventh season and the first eight episodes of the eighth season were released on DVD by 20th Century Fox in the United States and Canada on June 15, 2010. The DVD release features bonus material including two featurettes, "Road to "Road to the Multiverse"" and "Family Guy Sings-A-Long Karoke", along with audio commentaries and deleted scenes.[59]
Family Guy Volume Eight | ||||
Set details[59] | Special features[59] | |||
|
| |||
Release dates | ||||
Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||
June 15, 2010[59] | November 1, 2010[60] |
Something, Something, Something, Dark Side | ||||
Set details | Special features[62] | |||
|
| |||
Release dates | ||||
Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||
December 22, 2009[63] | December 26, 2009[64] | December 23, 2009[65] |
Family Guy: Partial Terms of Endearment | ||||
Set details | Special features[66][67] | |||
|
| |||
Release date | ||||
Region 1 | ||||
September 28, 2010[66] |
See also
References
- ^ a b Isler, Ramsey (2010-06-02). "Family Guy: Season 8 Review". IGN. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
- ^ a b "2010 Creative Arts Emmy Winners Press Release" (PDF). Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 2010-08-22. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
- ^ Isler, Ramsey (2010-06-02). "Family Guy: Season 8 Review". IGN. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ^ "The Genesis Awards – Winners and Nominees". The Humane Society of the United States. 2010-04-24. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
- ^ "'Family Guy' Mocks Sarah Palin's Son Trig For Having Down Syndrome". The Huffington Post. 2009-02-15. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ^ Roberts, Soraya (2010-05-05). "'Family Guy' creator Seth MacFarlane slammed by Parents Television Council for 'feces-eating' show". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ^ Cullum, Paul (2009-08-13). "The Banned 'Family Guy' Episode". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ^ Schneider, Michael (2010-09-02). "'Guy's' Goodman reups at Fox TV". Variety. Retrieved 2010-10-23.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Graham, Jefferson (1999-01-29). "Cartoonist MacFarlane funny guy of Fox's 'Family' Subversive voice of series is his". USA Today. p. E7.
- ^ Haque, Ahsan (2009-11-23). "Family Guy: "Jerome Is the New Black" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-11-24.
- ^ "Family Guy - Quagmire's Dad Cast and Crew". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
- ^ "Family Guy - Quagmire's Baby - Cast and crew". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2010-09-17.
- ^ "Carrie Fisher: Credits". TV Guide. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
- ^ Isler, Ramsey (2010-05-17). "Family Guy: "The Splendid Source" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
- ^ "Pencils Down"". Writers Guild of America, West. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
- ^ a b Haque, Ahsan (2008-05-13). "Family Guy: Season 6 Review". IGN. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
- ^ Isler, Ramsey (2010-05-03). "Family Guy: "Brian and Stewie" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2010-05-04.
- ^ White, Cindy (2010-09-29). "Family Guy "Partial Terms of Endearment" DVD Review". IGN. Retrieved 2010-09-30.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2009-09-28). "TV Ratings: Sunday Night Football Wins; Cleveland Show Large; Housewives Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2009-05-18). "Sunday Ratings: ABC Wins; Desperate Housewives, Survivor Finales Hit Lows". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2009-10-05). "TV Ratings: Sunday Night Football Wins; Three Rivers Runs Dry". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2010-02-01). "TV Ratings Sunday: Grammy Awards Drown Out The Competition". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- ^ "62nd Primetime Emmy Awars nominations" (PDF). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 2010-07-08. Retrieved 2010-07-08.
- ^ Collins, Scott (2010-07-24). "Comic-Con 2010: Seth MacFarlane does 'Family Guy' live". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
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(help) - ^ "Comic-Con Magazine" (PDF). San Diego Comic-Con International. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
- ^ O'Neil, Tom (2010-08-21). "Emmys Creative Arts: Winners list". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
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(help) - ^ "Nominees for the Genesis Awards". The Humane Society of the United States. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
- ^ ""Family Guy" on Fox". Worst TV Show of the Week. Parents Television Council. 2009-10-09. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
- ^ ""Family Guy" on Fox". Worst TV Show of the Week. Parents Television Council. 2010-02-05. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
- ^ "Family Guy on Fox". Worst TV Show of the Week. Parents Television Council. 2010-02-26. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
- ^ "Family Guy on Fox". Worst TV Show of the Week. Parents Television Council. 2010-03-19. Retrieved 2010-03-19.
- ^ "Family Guy on Fox". Worst TV Show of the Week. Parents Television Council. 2010-05-07. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
- ^ "Family Guy on Fox". Worst TV Show of the Week. Parents Television Council. 2010-05-14. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
- ^ "Criticism Of Family Guy". UNCCD Project Management. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
- ^ a b c Isler, Ramsey (2010-06-02). "Family Guy: Season 8 Review". IGN. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
- ^ Rizzo, Francis III (2010-06-15). "Family Guy, Vol. 8". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
- ^ "20th Century Fox – Fox In Flight – Family Guy". 20th Century Fox. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2009-09-28). "Updated TV Ratings: Sunday Night Football Wins; Cleveland Show Large; Housewives Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2009-10-05). "TV Ratings: Sunday Night Football Wins; Three Rivers Runs Dry". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2009-10-12). "TV Ratings: Of Course, NBC & Football Win; Three Rivers Ratings Flatline". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2009-11-09). "TV Ratings Sunday: Cowboys Point NBC To Win; Housewives, Brothers & Sisters Hit Lows". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2009-11-09). "Cowboys Point NBC To Win; Housewives, Brothers & Sisters Hit Lows". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2009-11-14.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2009-11-16). "TV Ratings Sunday: Football Wins For NBC; Housewives, Three Rivers, Cold Case All Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2009-11-23). "TV Ratings Sunday: American Music Awards Rivals Football; Cold Case No Better At 9pm". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
- ^ Gorman, Bill. "TV Ratings Sunday: Of Course Football Wins; Fox Animation Bounces Back; ABC Slumps". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
- ^ Gorman, Bill. "TV Ratings Sunday: Football Wins, Oprah's Christmas Rates Below Brothers & Sisters". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2009-12-14.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2010-01-04). "TV Ratings: Sunday Night Football Finishes On Top; Simpsons, Housewives Return Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2010-02-01). "TV Ratings Sunday: Grammy Awards Drown Out The Competition". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- ^ Seidman, Robert. "TV Ratings Sunday: Olympics Take Night, But Undercover Boss Strong in Second Outing". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2010-02-15.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (2010-03-15). "TV Ratings: Undercover Boss Beats Trump's Apprentice; Sons Of Tucson Orphaned". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2010-03-15.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2010-03-22). "TV Ratings: NCAA Overrun Boosts CBS; Amazing Race, Undercover Boss Strong". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2010-03-29). "TV Ratings: Basketball Elevates CBS; Undercover Boss Still In Charge". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2010-04-12). "TV Ratings: Undercover Boss Still Calling The Shots As CBS Wins". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2010-05-03). "TV Ratings: Conan Boosts 60 Minutes A Little; While ABC Wins A Slow Sunday". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2010-05-10). "TV Ratings: ABC Wins Another Slow Sunday; Amazing Race Lowest Finale Ever; Celebrity Apprentice Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2010-05-17). "TV Ratings: Survivor Finale Tops ABC's Finale Sunday, Celebrity Apprentice Ties Series Low". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (2010-05-24). "TV Ratings: Lost Finale Ratings Season High, But Not Epic, Celebrity Apprentice Finale Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
- ^ Itzkoff, Dave (2010-07-19). "How 'Family Guy' Tried to Talk About Abortion". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
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(help) - ^ a b c d e f g "Family Guy – This Just In: Volume 8 DVD Announced to Retailers, with Complete Details". TVShowsonDVD.com. Retrieved 2010-04-03.
- ^ "DVD – Family Guy: Season 9". Play.com. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
- ^ "Family Guy – Season 9". EzyDVD. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
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(help) - ^ a b "Extras for Family Guy — Something, Something, Something Dark Side". TVShowsOnDVD.com. 2007-05-25. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
- ^ "Announcement for Family Guy — Something, Something, Something Dark Side". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
- ^ "Family Guy Presents: Something Something Something Dark Side". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2009-12-24.
- ^ "Family Guy: Something, Something, Something Dark Side". EzyDVD. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
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(help) - ^ a b "Family Guy DVD news: Announcement for Family Guy – Partial Terms of Endearment". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
- ^ McCutcheon, Dave (2010-08-23). "Family Guy's Endeared". IGN. Retrieved 2010-08-30.