TV personality

So I just watched NBC's "Office" marathon from Thursday night. Yeah, I've been busy, and since I knew all the episodes were going to be reruns, I wasn't in any hurry.

And I didn't need to be. To be honest, I mostly just fast-forwarded through the episodes. Not out of any lack of enthusiasm for the show -- rather, it was because I tend to watch at least an episode a day during the week, while I'm eating lunch or baking cookies or working out or whatever. So I've seen them all, many times, and I was more interested to see what they did with Toby (Paul Lieberstein, "Office" producer/writer/actor) as the host.

They were billing the marathon as "HR Nightmares," so it kind of made sense for Toby to host it, but it was kind of a disappointing choice. Wouldn't we all much prefer to see Jim (John Krasinski), Pam (Jenna Fischer) or Dwight (Rainn Wilson) host? Seriously, I wouldn't have waited until Saturday morning to watch if it had been one of them. Michael (Steve Carell) would have been awesome, but there's no way NBC could have gotten him. But the others? Yeah, they're huge TV stars now, and their film careers are taking off, but -- come on, somebody besides Toby must have been available. Right?

Anyway, those were my thoughts going in. And as it turns out, I needn't have worried. The "host" clips were so tiny, they barely registered. But they were, of course, hilarious -- this show always, always is. The one when Toby asks Kelly (Mindy Kaling) what it felt like to slap Michael (after he offended her in Season One's "Diversity Day" episode) was perfect. But there were so few of the clips, and they were so incredibly tiny, that they might as well not have been there at all.

And the sneaking in of episode of NBC's newest, "Any Barker, P.I."? That was extremely, unabashedly underhanded. I kept my finger on fast-forward the whole time. That show doesn't have a chance.

However, there was one really great reason to watch -- and it came during the commercials: station promos for the next all-new, super-sized episode. Oh my GOD! Looks like Roy (David Denman) really is going to go after Jim for kissing Pam in last season's finale. The drama! The excitement!

And the clip of Michael on the phone with corporate afterward: "This was a crime of passion, not a disgruntled employee -- everyone here is extremely ... gruntled." Good stuff. Is it Thursday yet?

Posted by Laura Marshall at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I love "Work Out," the Bravo reality series centered around gym owner Jackie and the various trainers in her employ. Until very recently, I had been afraid the show was going to be a one-season wonder; Bravo kept airing reruns of the first season with no indication whether or not any more episodes would ever be produced or shown.

Happily, that all changed last Tuesday, when I sat down with a healthy slice of all-organic, veggie-topped, whole-wheat-crust pizza to watch the premiere of Season Two.

And man, are we in for another bumpy ride! The whole cast of characters is back -- and I do mean characters. The egos in the SkySport gym are bigger than the guys' biceps, and there's such a wide range of personalities among the trainers.

One of the main storylines, though, is the please-break-up-already drama between Jackie and her girlfriend, Mimi, a self-centered brat who's the living definition of "high maintenance." She's also the living definition of "brat" and "psychopath" -- so as exhausted as I get watching the two strong-willed women bicker back and forth, it's still always a hoot to watch Mimi. You just never know what kind of crazy thing she's going to do or say next. Which is good for television, but not so much for poor Jackie. "Just leave her already!" I shout at my television, but for some reason Jackie doesn't listen.

The show is also inspiring -- watching people work out and talk about health and fitness always puts me in the mood to hit the gym myself, so I welcome the weekly chance to get motivated. It's the kind of show I like to watch when I'm on my stepper: It's got a sporty soundtrack, and I can look up at the end of the episode and marvel at how long I've been exercising.

I'm glad tonight's Monday, because that means I get to find out tomorrow what happens ...

Posted by Laura Marshall at 09:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I don't get networks.

What can NBC be thinking to take "The Office" off the air for weeks and weeks? It's a hugely popular show. They showed a couple reruns to pacify us fans, but this week -- nothing. What is this? I know they're trying to promote their new shows, "Andy Barker: P.I." and "Raines," but really, they should use "The Office" as a lead-in to the new programming. Kind of like the way Fox handled "House," airing it after "American Idol" to drum up viewers.

Speaking of Fox, they're pulling the same stunt. I'm so tired of their tendency to take "House" off the air for weeks and weeks and weeks and WEEKS in favor of other programs -- baseball (schmaseball) and "American Idol" (schmidol). They've even kind of acknowledged fans' chagrin by airing an extended promo after the last episode assuring us that, when the show comes back from "Idol" time, they'll give us "NINE WEEKS" of episodes in a row. (The all-caps is how the announcer said it, I swear.)

Come on, people. Give the public what they want. Namely, their favorite shows at consistent times. I know this isn't really possible, but I don't care. I want my shows!

On a related note, can you imagine being in program scheduling for a major network? You could design America's TV schedule around your own!

Posted by Laura Marshall at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If my calculations are correct, there are only two more episodes left in the fourth season of "The L Word."

My calculations could be completely off, since I was hardly a math major at university. But I'm pretty sure that, at the end of last week's episode, they said something like, "There are THREE EPISODES LEFT," in a dark ominous voice.

So after tonight's installment (which, since I'm here at work, as usual, I won't be able to see until 2 a.m.), there are only two.

How can that be? It feels like the season just got started. There are so many storylines the writers are going to have to wrap up quickly -- too quickly -- in order to end the season in two weeks. And they just brought back Marina last week. How can they do anything much with Jenny and her in only two episodes? They can't. Not that I care too much, except that that storyline will take away from the characters I actually care about.

There are simply too many major characters to follow -- which is fine, except that, now, there's not enough time left in which to follow them. And I predict the season finale will leave us bitter.

Not because of a well-done cliffhanger that makes us hungry for me, like last year (Crazy Bette kidnapping baby Angelica? Perfect!), but because it'll feel empty. And, worse, rushed.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 10:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Tuesdays at my house are dubbed "Hughsdays," and we make pizza and desserts to enjoy while we watch Hugh Laurie and the rest of the Fox drama's cast tackle their latest medical mysteries.

Until "American Idol" season, that is. Then "House" gets shoved aside by the network, leaving its millions of devoted fans empty and frustrated. Even when I was an "Idol" enthusiast, I still got grumpy with Fox for bumping such a great show. And I'm amazed it still has any viewers at all, given how erratically it's aired. On again, off again. It wasn't on tonight, for example, so I don't have a happy "House" tape to go home to.

That's okay, though -- this one time -- because instead of a "Hughsday," we have a "Date with Kate" night.

I've mentioned before that we're Kate Winslet fans. But we couldn't bring ourselves to see "The Holiday" in the theater because not even our ardent fandom could overcome our chagrin at the presence of the obnoxious Cameron Diaz and Jude Law in this film. There are going to be Diaz-Law sex scenes, ew. Add to that the reviews I'd read of Diaz' "spastic" performance and, well, we just couldn't do it.

It came out on DVD today, though, and we're going to give it a try. There's no "House" this evening, and it's a Kate Winslet flick, and besides -- there's always fast-forward if it gets really annoying.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This weekend, in a fit of nostalgia, I suggested we get out our "X-Files" DVDs and watch a few favorites. I had no trouble picking my top three episodes of all time:

3. "Triangle" (Season Six): The cinematography alone -- I'm a huge fan of complex single-take tracking shots, which are used in abundance here -- puts this one way up there. I can remember, back when this originally aired, sitting on the edge of my seat and cheering out loud at one of the Scully scenes, which spans almost the entire time period between commercial breaks in a single, convoluted, tail-chasing take. To think of all the planning that must have gone into that, the perfect timed set changes and prop changes that had to take place to make the scene work ... It just boggles.

2. "X-Cops" (Season Seven): This cross between "X-Files" and "Cops" is one of the best crossovers I've ever seen. From Scully's suspicion of the cameras to the wacky secondary characters to Mulder's long, rambling monolgue as he drives around the city -- the antithesis of the usual "Cops" driver-seat philosophy -- it's a near-perfect blending of the two shows.

1. "Bad Blood" (Season Seven): This one has to be my favorite of all time. Every time I watch it, I find myself laughing out loud. I love it when shows are confident enough in their character development and their actors to play around with their perceptions of each other and of themselves, and this one takes the cake. After an unfortunate event, the two agents try to tell each other their versions of what happened, and the audience follows first Scully, then Mulder. The tiny subtle details that differ in each agent's story are what make this eppie priceless: Down to the inflection and phrasing, they each make the other sound as obnoxious as possible, and since we're watching the re-enactments, we're treated to some character stretching by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.

Great eppies all, and I highly recommend the series as a whole. Even though I much prefer the one-off episodes to the "mythology" and conspiracy stories, they're really all good.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I hate to say it, but I've gotten sick of "American Idol."

I'm starting to see in it the same qualities I saw before I became a fan: the cheesiness, the ill-spiritedness, the bloated hype-monster. Maybe it's the contestants -- there are some who stand out, kind of, but I just can't find the energy to get enthusiastic about any of them, or about who is and isn't gonna win.

Have I gone off reality TV?

Not that I was ever really on reality TV. I used to watch "Trading Spaces," back when it was good, but I never kidded myself -- that was not reality. Same with "Queer Eye." I love "Work Out" on Bravo! and I can't wait for the new season to start at the end of this month, but it's not the same as, say, "Survivor" or "The Amazing Race."

Oh my gosh -- I just figured out what it is I don't like about those last two shows, and about "Idol." It's the competition. I'd rather watch so-called reality series that focus on people, not winning. Stories, not prizes.

I didn't even remember to tape "American Idol" last night, so I don't know who got kicked off. And you know what? It doesn't bother me in the slightest.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 08:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In honor of "House" coming back tonight -- it's been three very long weeks since the last episode -- I thought I'd try a little poll:

Do you think House and Cuddy will get together?

Please comment with your response. Feel free to elaborate; you don't have to stick just to "yes" or "no."

Posted by Laura Marshall at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

A quick recap of last Sunday's Oscars: It went on way too long, thanks to a number of little extra things thrown in for pageantry -- the creepy dancers, anyone? -- and could easily have held to the allotted time frame if just a few cuts had been made in those special features -- the creepy dancers and the special-effects choir, anyone? And the various unnecessary film montages? Even the writing-tribute one, which I enjoyed, could have been left on the cutting-room floor.

But it was still a fun, if whirlwind, night.

I didn't get a chance to share with you my favorite fashion blunder of the night, though, and I just have to now.

The Associated Press, when they started running red-carpet photos, sent out a picture of a beaming woman in big square earrings with Leonardo DiCaprio's face on them. She was one of the many fans that line the arrivals carpet for these awards shows.

Seriously, you have to be one crazy fan to a) spend time making earrings with a celebrity's face on them, b) wear them to an event where said celebrity will most definitely be in attendance, and c) not only allow an international news organization to take your picture in them, but GIVE THEM YOUR NAME. Wow.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 08:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)