TV personality

So I made an offhand prediction a couple entries ago that turned out to be surprisingly accurate. This is most likely the extent of my psychic abilities, but hey, I'll take it.

I said, if you recall, that there just wasn't the same chemistry in the Tim-Dawn relationship in the U.K. version of "The Office" as there was in the U.S. counterpart, though I did point out it was possible things could improve in the last few episodes of Season Two.

And improve they did.

The British series finale contained just the sort of gut-wrenching will-they-or-won't-they tension we've come to expect from the American version: Tim, in the middle of a "talking head" (wherein the characters talk one-on-one with the documentary cameras), suddenly realizes he's about to lose Dawn forever, and he flies up out of his chair, takes Dawn aside, turns off his microphone, and treats us viewers to some truly great suspense as he finally reveals his feelings. We can't hear what they're saying, or what the outcome is, and when they embrace, we dare to hope ...

The feeling of the scene was very much like the end of the American "Office" Season Two finale -- which I'll say again was the best moment in the series to date as well as the best cliffhanger I've ever seen -- when Jim at last declared his love for Pam. I was on the edge of my couch both times, holding my breath, hand at my throat.

Yeah, I'm a sucker for these sappy romances. What can I say?

So now I'm even more enamored of the British version of "The Office." And I've just got to rush home from work tonight and finish up the reunion special: After all, I've just gotten to the part where Dawn and her boyfriend are coming back, three years after they moved to the States, and I just have to find out what happens between Dawn and Tim. I'm an eternal optimist.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 09:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I might have to change my opinion of TBS.

Apparently the network is airing "Funniest Commercials in 2006" tonight at 9 p.m. The show, in its third consecutive year, allows viewers to watch and vote on the funniest ads of the past 52 weeks; the winners are announced at the end of the hour.

I love this kind of stuff! It reminds me of my days in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, when the now-defunct Princess Court cinema would screen "The World's Best Commercials," an annual international compilation of the hilarious and the heartwarming. No matter what kind of undergraduate exams I had the next day, or which papers were due, I trudged through the snow every year to catch the world's best. Having moved several times since then, I've missed that particular tradition.

So while I still think TBS' slogan "very funny" is less than inspired, I hope its "Funniest Commercials '06" is everything the title implies. And I hope the Geico commercials with the cavemen win big.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Recently, a fellow copy editor called out across the newsroom, "Hey Laura, is 'The Office' on tonight?"

"Yes it is!" I exclaimed. "And it's an hourlong Christmas special. I can't wait."

"So have you seen the British version?" he asked. And, as always, I had to answer in the negative. It's been a source of embarrassment for me, given my terminal Anglophilia and my perpetual adoration of the American version. How could I have gone so long without at least renting the British show?

But my coworker came to my rescue: He lent me his complete set of DVDs, including not just the first and second seasons but the reunion special -- which, he pointed out, is a Christmas episode, "so it's timely."

I'm up to the fifth episode of Season Two so far, and I have this to say ... It's so weird. The British sets look so very much like the American sets, and the writing style is very much the same -- the pilot episode is actually nearly word-for-word the same in both versions -- and I know all this has been done on purpose by Greg Daniels and the American crew out of love for the British series.

It's the alternate-universe -- actually, the orignal-universe -- version of the American "Office," and it's every bit as good as the show I've dubbed second-best on TV.

American Jim is so much like British Tim, in both appearance and mannerisms, that it's obvious actor John Krasinski was a fan of the British series before the U.S. copy was ever dreamed up. The resemblance is so uncanny I'd have known that even if Krasinski hadn't said so in the Season Two DVD commentaries.

I do have to say that, so far, the U.K. Tim-Dawn secret-love storyline feels, to me, much less compelling than its U.S. Jim-Pam counterpart. The chemistry between Brits Martin Freeman and Lucy Davis feels weaker than between Americans Krasinski and Jenna Fischer. Maybe that will change in the next few episodes; maybe not. Even if not, it's still sweet and funny, and the series as a whole is utterly deserving of all the accolades it earned during its run, and since.

And Ricky Gervais as the insensitive wannabe-comedian boss is brilliant, in every sense of the word. Of course, I think the same of American Steve Carell.

But I think a trip to the video store is in order, and soon, because I'm sure I'll want to watch the British "Office" again once I give the discs back to my coworker.

Unless, of course, I just don't give them back ...

Posted by Laura Marshall at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Don't you just love it when holiday wishes come true?

If my aunt reads this blog entry, she'll learn that I tore open the box of Christmas gifts she sent as soon as I received it. You know, instead of putting them under our retro aluminum tree and waiting for Dec. 25. I could make excuses, say something like, "But my naughty cat, Frances, would have eaten the tissue paper out of the bag," or something, but in truth I just couldn't wait to see what awesome stuff she'd sent. So -- I'm sorry, Aunt Sher, but I have the patience of a 3-year-old. A really-excited-about-presents 3-year-old.

And on Thursday, when I picked up a wrapped gift that felt like a DVD, I squealed. I started to tear the paper off, and my love said, "Oh man, is that -- "

It was. Aunt Sher had sent just what I'd hoped for: "All I Want," a documentary on Rufus Wainwright, my absolute all-time favorite musical artist. I'd suspected she might get us this for Christmas, since she was the one who introduced the two of us to his music not long after we moved to the Berkshires. "Just give him a chance," she said. "At first I wasn't sure about his voice, but now I HAVE to listen to him every single day." She was right. She always is.

Anyway, it was noon, and I tried to convince myself to call in sick -- so I could spend the afternoon watching the DVD -- but, alas, I'm too conscientious, so we had to postpone the screening until after I got out of work at midnight.

But it's all I want, heh, in a music DVD: feature-length documentary, separate live performances, bonus interviews, music videos ... whew! We had to split it into Thursday-night and Friday-night viewings. It's highly recommended.

It really was all I wanted for Christmas. The one specific material thing I'd really hoped would end up under the tree (even if it didn't make it there after all). Everything else I might get on Monday is a bonus. And none of it really compares to spending time with family. Because that's what all of it -- even my obsession with television -- is all about.

PS: To make this entry even more TV-related -- hey, you watch DVDs on your TV, so it counts, right? -- the Rufus song that finally and forever sealed his fate as my favorite musician was his simply gorgeous cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," which I first heard on the Season One soundtrack for "The L Word."

Posted by Laura Marshall at 08:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ah, the holidays. They sneak up on us -- I think it's the way they play Christmas music in stores before Halloween nowadays. It's a subtle thing, to put us off our guard, and then WHAM! Suddenly it's just a few days before the Big Eve and I'm still waiting on eBay and Amazon.com purchases to arrive.

Luckily, my shows are on holiday hiatus, so I've got lots more time to buy and wrap, right? Er, not quite. We can't forget all the seasonal goodies that must be consumed before they've spoiled -- and I mean the viewables, not the edibles.

One of these is "Miracle on 34th Street." It's a classic. Used to be on 'round-the-clock this time of year when I was a kid. At least, that's how I remember it. But I've never seen it all the way through. It would always be 15 minutes in, or 45, or else it would be 20 minutes from the ending. Snips and snaps, here and there. A holiday sampler.

But not this year. At 30, I'm finally going to see "Miracle on 34th Street" in its entirety. And if I can't find a time when it's on and I'm at home -- this is, after all, a busy season -- well, it happens to be a recent addition to our holiday DVD collection.

Tonight, though, NBC is airing "an encore presentation" of last week's Christmas-party episode of "The Office." Normally I would consider this cheating -- two weeks in a row, come on -- but it's my second-favorite show, and this installment was yet another example of how much better this great little program could be if given a 60-minute time slot every week. The festivities begin (again) at 9 p.m.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I don't know what's gotten into me -- holiday-induced depression, perhaps? But this past Friday I found myself on the couch, remote control in hand ... flipping channels.

I never do this.

But there I was, in my yoga pants and my sweatshirt, chomping on a Boca-brand meatless chicken pattie sandwich -- the spicy ones are divine -- and really, actually channel-surfing. Instead of chanting my usual refrain, which is something like "So what are we watching? Is there anything on? What are we watching?" and is my subtle way of hinting that I do NOT flip channels, I just hung on for the ride.

Granted, once I was done eating dinner, I did pick up a book and half-watch, half-read. We wandered through the Travel channel and sampled the Food network, and I'll admit it was kind of fun to check out how the other half lives. The channel-surfing half.

But I think I still prefer my television-with-a-purpose watching style. Station-skipping is just too dangerous for someone as easily hooked as I am. And I don't have time for any new shows.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 01:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

How did it get to be Golden Globes Nomination Day without my noticing?

I arrived at my desk this afternoon to find the Associated Press wire was running the lists of nominees. So, of course, I quickly scanned for my favorites. And there they were ... (I've bolded my picks for your convenience.)

Actor, Drama: Hugh Laurie, “House.� He's up against Patrick Dempsey, “Grey’s Anatomy�; Michael C. Hall, “Dexter�; Bill Paxton, “Big Love�; and Kiefer Sutherland, “24.�

Actor, Musical or Comedy: I'm not sure for whom I should be rooting — Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock,� or Steve Carrell, “The Office� — but they're competing with Zach Braff, “Scrubs�; Jason Lee, “My Name is Earl�; and Tony Shalhoub, “Monk.�

Series, Musical or Comedy: “The Office,� NBC, is up against “Desperate Housewives,� ABC; “Entourage,� HBO; “Ugly Betty,� ABC; and “Weeds,� Showtime.

I have to say, "House" as a series got robbed — the Hollywood Foreign Press Association chose to recognize “24,� Fox; “Big Love,� HBO; “Grey’s Anatomy,� ABC; “Heroes,� NBC; and “Lost,� ABC, instead of TV's best program.

I'm not big on the nominees in the other categories — I've never even seen any of the shows listed for the Actress awards, and though I don't get to follow many miniseries, I'm going to cast my vote for Gillian Anderson in PBS' "Bleak House." Just because I still harbor a soft spot in my heart for Scully. Of course, her competitors are Helen Mirren (“Elizabeth I� and “Prime Suspect: The Final Act�) and Annette Benning (“Mrs. Harris�), so I don't know how far my single little vote will go.

And for Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Movie, I'll cross my fingers for Jeremy Piven, "Entourage," even though I don't have HBO and have never seen the show. I just like Jeremy Piven.

I'll only give one comment on the Motion Picture categories: How did "The Devil Wears Prada" get so many noms, including Best Picture in the Musical or Comedy slot? It was a fun, funny flick, but it fell more into the realm of "guilty pleasure" movie than, say, "Little Miss Sunshine" or "Thank You for Smoking." Still, Meryl Streep was divinely diabolical in "Prada," so I'm glad she's nominated for that performance.

By the way, I plan to update this blog every half hour or so when the awards air on Monday, Jan. 15., so stay tuned.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 04:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I love New Year's. It's probably one of my favorite holidays, right up there with my birthday.

I don't go out and party -- I don't even consume alcohol, and my best friends live far from the Berkshires. Plus, I usually have to work at night on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. But I love the whole clean-slate feeling of a brand-new year. And I love making resolutions.

My TV-related promises for 2007:

* I shall go through the enormous stack of formerly blank videocassettes collecting dust in my living room (and bedroom, and dining room, and study), classifying and labeling them and putting them in chronological order.

* I shall work out more while watching telly. I do this sometimes, especially in the morning, if I want to keep watching something but need to move for fear of my arms and legs falling off. But not as often as I should.

* I shall watch the news in the morning on my weekends. See, I'm exposed to so much news when I'm here at The Eagle that I don't watch it at home. The most I usually get is SNL's "Weekend Update," or maybe a few minutes of Capital News 9 while I'm waiting for "Weather on the 9s."

I have lots of other resolutions on tap, things like meditating and trying a yoga class and actually losing the 20 extra pounds I'm carrying around -- you know, same as every other year -- but they're not directly television-related, so I won't go into those.

And yeah, I'm early; New Year's isn't for another couple weeks. But is it ever really too early for life changes?

Posted by Laura Marshall at 09:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One of my pet peeves comes up this time of year: the office Christmas party. It's not that I mind gathering with coworkers to celebrate the season, especially if I'm on the clock at the time of the party. But as someone who loves comparative religion and prefers to include all faiths, the idea of workplaces decked out in nativity scenes rubs me the wrong way.

Yes, it's true: I'm one of those sticklers who insist on calling it "the office holiday party." I also insist on wishing everyone "Happy Holidays" and sending cards that say "Season's Greetings."

In spite of this, or because of it, I'm looking forward to this week's episode of "The Office." It's going to be a one-hour special dedicated to the Dunder-Mifflin bunch and their wacky workplace festivities. Entertainment Weekly says there will be not one but two parties thrown at the Scranton branch, thanks to creative differences on the party-planning committee.

That's something I love so much about this show: the way they can take a simple, mundane task like party planning and stretch it into an hour of hilarity.

Last season, the holiday episode was fantastic. Michael (played by Steve Carell) — unhappy with the homemade potholder he received in the Secret Santa gift exchange — took over and declared it "Yankee Swap," forcing his employees to give up their gifts if someone else claimed them. Of course, there was an element of suspense, since Jim (John Krasinski) had put a card expressing his feelings for Pam (Jenna Fischer) inside her present and that present kept circulating among the staff, but it all worked out in the end, and it was a truly funny episode. Possibly one of Season Two's best, but it's so difficult to choose a favorite with the second-best show on TV.

So now I'm waiting on this year's holiday episode, set to air on Thursday at 8 p.m. on NBC. Set your VCRs or, if you're more sophisticated than I am, your TiVos and DVRs.

PS: According to my local listings, tomorrow night's "House" episode is titled "Merry Little Christmas," and I'll bet it's another that shouldn't be missed. 9 p.m. on Fox -- see you there!

Posted by Laura Marshall at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Okay, so I don't keep up with the soaps. Not the daytime ones, anyway. A cable-network melodrama will have me at hello (we're nearing the halfway point of the third season of "Queer as Folk" at my house right now), but I don't normally set my VCR for any of the major-network soap operas.

I think it's a question of pace: The few times coworkers have tried to pull me into daytime dramas, I found myself getting bored by the repetition, the hyperextension of every scene, the fact that the characters are still throwing their holiday parties in April. These aren't smart cliffhangers, which I love. They're just torture. Plus, I'm a stickler for atmosphere, and soap operas just tend to feel so ... cheesy. Not for me.

Still, I cheered when I read recently that ABC's "All My Children" has introduced a transgendered character. I mean, sure -- a trans character is featured on Showtime's "The L Word," but for a major non-cable show to show a transition story is a huge step.

It brings visibility to the trans community and -- more importantly -- it brings humanity to something many people know very little about, a very real something that very real people go through. It gives a face to it, and a name. And to ABC, "All My Children" and actor Jeffrey Carlson, I say, "Good for you."

One question, though -- if time moves so slowly in the soaps, how is it that the kids always seem to go from zero to 16 in a couple of months? Let's hope ABC won't gloss over the new character's development so quickly.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Am I the only one who thinks it odd that there's a TBS comedy series and a Morgan Freeman movie with the same name, both newly released at about the same time ... and completely unrelated?

"10 Items or Less" is a good title, definitely. But whenever I see a mention, I'm thrown. Does the critic mean the movie or the TV show? Which one has gotten good reviews? Which one has been panned?

Not that I plan to see either, if you want to know the truth. It's just one of those things.

TBS bugs me anyway: What kind of a slogan is "very funny"? The phrase is used so often in sarcasm that it seems the network is setting itself up for mockery.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I have known people who can't watch the same thing twice. "Haven't you already seen that?" they ask, and when I reply in the affirmative, their mouths pucker. "But you already know how it ends." These are the people who completely miss the art in television -- and movies, and books, and probably music. These are probably the people who believe you can actually have too much of a good thing.

I can definitely watch the same movies or shows over and over again. In fact, I prefer to. It's only in the re-viewing that we catch the best, subtlest details -- and life, my friends, is in the details. Especially if you don't have much of a life outside TV.

I was supremely disappointed to learn that tonight's episode of "House" is a rerun; after all, I want to find out what happens in the current storyline. But my disappointment ebbed away when I saw in the listings that they're re-airing "Three Stories," my so-far favorite "House" episode of all time. Actually, I'm being wimpy by qualifying that with "so-far." It's just my favorite episode of all time.

Everything works in this episode: The dialogue is snappy; the characters are true; the narrative devices used are brilliantly clever. I'm not the only one who thinks so -- this is the first-season episode that won an Emmy for writing, which is probably why Fox is airing this one instead of a newer installment.

So watch it tonight (9 p.m., Fox). Even if you've seen it before, it's still the crème de la crème from the best show on TV. Trust me -- I've seen it umpteen times.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 02:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I learned this week, with more than a little satisfaction, that CBS has canceled "3 lbs." just weeks after its premiere. The network's execs must have read the scathing pre-view in my blog.

But I can't really take all the credit. Maybe they realized — all on their own — that no one can do the cynical, misanthropic doctor thing better than "House." Stanley Tucci, while talented in his own right, is no Hugh Laurie. And the show seemed like such a copycat that, without Hugh Laurie, there was no way it could succeed.

It's so validating to be proven right. It really should happen more often.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 07:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)