Seven sesaons, 138 episodes and about 10,000 jokes later, NBC's "30 Rock" has its curtain call tonight at 8 p.m. (January 31).

And look at sweet-grinnin' Kenneth now!

Once a lowly page (and briefly in the janitorial arts), he enters tonight's one-hour finale as president of NBC. It's a glorious rise, thanks to Jack Donaghy, who (Willy Wonka style) handed the reigns to the smartest-dumb guy ever.

I spoke with former Conyers resident Jack McBrayer earlier this month about his time on the show, especially Kenneth's oddly long, multi-year stint as a page.

"In reality, most don't go for even a year," McBrayer said. "We took some creative liberties."

In the early days of the show, McBrayer does remember one issue that was a problem: his hair. "The lady who does my hair season two or three said I use too much conditioner," he said. The result: "It looked like sprayed-on tan on my hair. Greasy!"

What made Kenneth so darn useful to the other key members of the TGS team? "They liked to have someone to dump all their garbage on," he said. "I was the least dangerous of all the other members of the TGS family... He played a good foil. Being the sunshine goof against the calculating Jack Donaghy, the loose cannon Tracy Jordan, the self-centered Jenna Maroni. I could play off any of those."

He also realized his friends and family in Conyers would watch "30 Rock' only because he's in it, not because they wanted to. And strangers in Conyers? They are more likely to know him from a Will Ferrell movie about NASCAR. "I guarantee 90 percent of the people in my hometown would not recognize me from '30 Rock.' " he said. "I was at this bar in Conyers. I went to the bathroom. This guy came sidling up to me at the urinal. He said, 'Excuse me, I like to go fast!' That's a quote from Talladega Nights. That was six years ago!"

His parents still live in Conyers. His sister and brother both graduated from UGA and now work in Athens. (Random fact: his sister married a musician who tours with the Drive-By Truckers.) He visits Georgia twice a year.

Taping the finale, which airs tonight (January 31), was a naturally emotional affair, he said. "It was right before the holidays," McBrayer said. "I was a mess. The good thing is the writers knew the end was coming so they were able to resolve story lines accordingly, which is a luxury. We're grateful for that. The writers did a great job."

In fact, critics said the show in its final sprint has picked up after some creative lulls seasons five and six. And Kenneth, he promises "would be happy with the ending. Then again, he'd be happy with anything. They took good care of him. The poor kid. I'm going ot miss that dummy!"

While McBrayer is obviously not Kenneth, he has always been bemused by him: 'Even after we wrapped the show, I'm not even positive he's a human. Is he a goat? Is he a hallucination or a dream?"

We got to talking about TV actors in iconic roles who were able to find new ones. Don Knotts came up and I compared McBrayer to him. He was honored. "That could be one of the biggest compliments," he said. "That's a weird thing to say but it's absolutely true. That dude was funny and he made me laugh but he was not meanspirited. There are so many things I loved about him."

Though McBrayer never got to work with Knotts before he died in 2006, he did get to work with Tim Conway when he guest-starred on "30 Rock." "We became buddies on set. I have lunch with him every now an dthen. He'd tell me stories about Don Knotts. That's a great kick."

For now, he has moved back to Los Angeles after a long stint splitting time between New York and L.A.

He is doing animated voice work for a Disney TV show. He also played Fix It Felix in "Wreck It Ralph."  He isn't sure what his next step will be though he plans to go back to improvisation for kicks. And Conan O'Brien will surely ask him to do a skit or two again. "He's one of the main reasons I'm on television," McBrayer said of  Conan.

"I just want to keep working as long as America wants me," he said.

Last question: what did he take as a souvenir from "30 Rock"?

"I received in the mail a page jacket," he said.

So will he hang it on the wall? "Please. I'll be wearing it next month at the grand opening of a Wal-Mart in Pomona, Calif."

Kidding, of course. (Though there is actually a Wal-Mart in Pomona, Calif.)

TV preview

"30 Rock," 8 p.m. January 31, NBC (series finale)