TV personality

I didn't get to watch the "Office" marathon last night -- the VCR in my bedroom isn't working properly, and that's the only room in the house with air conditioning, and it was really hot in my house last night.

It still is, actually, even though it's deliciously cooler outside. Not sure what's up with that.

But I watched it this morning, and -- wow! The little marathon-hosting clips with Brian Baumgartner, Angela Kinsey and John Krasinski were everything I'd hoped for when Steve Carell hosted recently. They were snappy and funny, and even though they were short, they were fun enough that I didn't mind.

Carell, when he hosted, seemed very ... "off." Maybe it was the hideous set in which they'd stuck him; maybe it was the lack of human interaction. He's usually so much funnier and more alive than that. I don't know -- it seemed like maybe they'd kept him caged in that room for several weeks before filming the segments.

Also, here's the "Office" quote of the week ...
The quote: "Dancing ... is ... a primitive art form... used in ancient times to express oneself with the body!"
Who said it: Michael (Steve Carell)!
Episode: "Booze Cruise."

Posted by Laura Marshall at 08:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last night, I found myself scooched back into the couch cushions, clutching a pillow over my chest, my eyes widening in horror. I couldn't speak for several minutes, and when my voice returned, it had one thing to say: "This is way too scary for television!"

The "Ghost Hunters" had struck again. It's those darn EVPs -- the disembodied voices that show up on recording equipment. They freak me out. Scare the bejeezus out of me.

Yeah, it's entirely possible -- even probable -- that the sounds could be altered or edited in, that they never really existed in the first place. "Ghost Hunters" is, after all, a TV show, and ratings are king in TV land. So maybe the EVPs aren't even real.

But I don't care. It's not the fact that the TAPS crew claim to be investigating real places and sharing the real evidence they find -- I mean, it's not the "reality" part of the show that scares me.

It's those sounds! They're just so incredibly creepy -- they force tears from my eyes and send my heart into palpitations. And because when they find them, they usually play them over and over and over again, I usually end up covering my ears and humming to drown them out. Yes, really. I just can't take it.

And yet I love the show. The EVPs are my favorite part. I'm not big on horror movies -- not a fan of violence and gore -- but who needs those when there are new "Ghost Hunters" episodes?

Posted by Laura Marshall at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Some thoughts on this week's "On the Lot":

* Will and Zach are easily my two favorites. Every time one of their films is set to be screened, I cross my fingers and talk to my television set. "Come on, Will," I say. Or, "Make me happy, Zach." And they always do.

*Zach's film this week was especially good; it was nice to see what he could do without relying on his special-effects background. His workplace hyperdrama hit all the right notes.

* I'm glad Jessica got voted off. Her "horror" movie was terrible. And not scary at all.

* I was a little offended by the sperm-bank holdup flick. It was nice that the director got a pretty complex story into a two-minute film, and that it had the beginning-middle-end combo sought by the judges, but ... well, the line at the beginning? About how "lots of women who can't get dates" use sperm banks? I was surprised more people, among the audience and the judges, weren't put off by that.

* In general, the offerings this week were far superior to last week's. I think the contestants had a lot of fun with their assigned genre, comedy. I'll admit, though, that I'm a little apprehensive to see the horror movies to come next week.

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

One of my favorite things about my job is writing headlines.

And headlines related to television? Even better.

And headlines about "The X-Files"? Top of the heap!

Today's paper had a story about local "X-files," unexplained things here in the Berkshires. And the design of the package was done in advance, but I have to take credit for the final headline above the package: "X-Files of the Berkshires: Truth is out here."

I really wanted to say "The truth is out here," but unfortunately, "The" just didn't fit.

Still, I was thrilled to be able to get an inside reference to one of my favorite shows.

If you want to read more about our local X-files, head on over to Derek Gentile's blog.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

New on DVD this week -- and new in my house this week -- is 1980s sitcom classic "Silver Spoons."

I barely remember the show, especially the early years, but while watching episodes this weekend, I'm finding it to be somewhere in between "Family Ties" and "Punky Brewster," in terms of quality.

It's got that kid-friendly tone and focus, but at least a token effort was made to have the show appeal to adults as well, meaning it translates a little better 20-some years later, even if the fashions don't.

I think the fashions are my favorite part -- I love the preppy sweater vests sported by the male characters in almost every scene, and it's too much fun to mock the disastrous dresses worn by Erin Grey in, well, almost every scene.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I forgot to post this week's "Office" quote during Thursday's marathon, so here it is ...

The quote: "Costa Rica will still be there ... when I'm 65."
Who said it?: HR front man Toby, played by producer Paul Liberstein.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 07:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Lesson learned from last night's installment of "On the Lot," which by some miracle I got my VCR to record properly: Talking back to Carrie Fisher will get you voted off so fast, you'll actually hear the little zipzipzip as the movie of your life fast-forwards.

Or something like that.

I hate the new format for that show. Kicking people off in the first couple minutes the next week, instead of holding a separate results show the night after the voting, isn't so bad -- it spares us the "You'll ... find out who's leaving after the break!" stuff I loathe. But I don't like the way they're showing films by groups of contestants each week.

I had a problem when "American Idol" went that route -- boys against girls, and each gender group has someone voted off each week. No! Compare everybody's work to everybody else's. If all the guys do really well one week, and the girls are all off-key, it seems unfair that one of the guys has to go home while the poorer singers get to stay just because they're in the other group.

For example, I don't think Jason Epperson, who last night screened the confused "Blood Born" and, previously, showed us the extremely offensive "Getta Rhoom," should get to stay just because Jessica Brillhart's "The Orchard" was so terrible.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Okay, so I've put it off long enough. Here it is, my big confession: I've been watching episodes of "Punky Brewster" on DVD. A couple a night, while eating my dinner after work. Let the scoffing commence.

Hey, this was my favorite show back when I was in elementary school, and I'm curious to see how it holds up. I'm also curious to see how many of my quirks were influenced by the television programming of my childhood.

I have to say, the second season is far more ambitious than the first, in terms of educating us young'uns. Nearly every episode so far has been "heavy," dealing with issues like kidnapping by non-custodial parents; the perils of shoplifting; gender discrimination; acceptance of diversity; and so on.

It seems like every installment, I lean over and say, in a solemn voice, "This is a very special episode of 'Punky Brewster.' "

So does the show hold up? Well, it's no "Family Ties." The kids can't really act all that well, and the writing is -- well -- aimed at children. But it's fun to relive my past. Now leave me alone already.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I have to make a confession. I wonder how many blog entries I've started with that line? I guess I watch a lot of guilty-pleasure things. But that's not the confession.

The confession is this: In a fit of nostalgia, I've been watching a number of programs from my childhood lately. We bought the first season of "Family Ties" on DVD, and I found that I even remembered a couple of the episodes, kind of. And I found that the show really was fun, funny and really well-done -- not just in my memory. Definitely a candidate for the "better TV shows" category, 1980s subdivision.

So that's not even the confession. After all, why feel guilty about re-watching good programming?

No, the confession is ... well, maybe I'll take a cue from "American Idol" and tell you all tomorrow.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I was reminded this weekend why, even though I love going to the movies, I so rarely ever go. Especially not on weekend nights, if I can help it, and especially not at the mall.

I went to see "Spider-Man 3" at the Berkshire Mall -- the film is barely in theaters anymore, so we figured it would be safe. All the obnoxious talkers would be off at other films, like "Shrek the Third" and "Knocked Up." Right?

Wrong. Several rows back, on both sides of the theater, parties decided that, instead of actually watching the movie they -- and we -- had paid almost $20 to see, they should hold hissed conversations with each other.

They didn't stop. For nearly three hours. Honestly, every single line of dialogue, every action sequence, every dazzling special effect had a backdrop of "HISS hiss hiss hiss hiss!" Followed, of course, by "Hiss hiss hiss."

By the time the final credits rolled, I felt like I was wearing the evil black Spidey suit.

Which is why, I remembered, I tend to wait for the DVDs. Unless it's a movie I really want to see. Which means I'll be really torn when the new "Harry Potter" comes out next month ...

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's not difficult to make me cry. My tears flow freely at the drop of a hat, so to speak -- especially when it's a hat I really like and it falls into a mud puddle. Believe it or not, this has actually happened to me more than once.

I know people who cry when they're frightened -- it's more a watering of the eyes than true crying -- but I'm not usually a producer of that kind of tear. Last night, however, I was so creeped out, I found my eyes watering.

There was a new episode of "Ghost Hunters" on last night, and it really delivered all the cool freaky things that make me love the show, particularly in the audio department. The Atlantic Paranormal Society was in the U.K., investigating Hellfire Caves, and they found so much cool evidence this time that they concluded unanimously that the place is haunted.

It was the EVPs that got me, though. I've blogged about them before -- electronic voice phenomena, when a recording device picks up speech that wasn't heard by the people in the room at the time. Scary stuff. And last night, there were three big EVPs -- one that sounded like, "Helloooooo," and two that were incomprehensible.

I'm not sure which scared me more, to be honest, but after that experience, I had to retreat from my living room couch to the safety of my well-lit bedroom and the comfort of "Family Ties" on DVD. And only then could I stop crying.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 09:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You know what's no fun? Having your New Summer Show diluted to one night a week.

You know what's even less fun? Missing your New Summer Show because you were misinformed about the one night a week it's now on.

Yeah, I missed "On the Lot" again this week. Maybe next week, the stars will align and I'll actually get to find out what happens ...

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I never had any interest in "Hell's Kitchen" -- it's a Fox reality show, and those tend to be pretty cheesy. With the exception of "On the Lot," of course. Actually, all reality shows tend to be pretty cheesy, which is why I usually have little to no interest in them.

But I caught a couple episodes last night, while flipping through some magazines on the couch, and it's pretty entertaining. A little formulaic, as these things always are, but fun enough: Oh, the drama! The backstabbing! What is it about these competition shows that brings out the nastiness in people?

And what is it about us that we enjoy watching it?

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Okay, so when I was poring over The Associated Press wires for red-carpet fashion photos during the Tony Awards last evening, why were there no shots of Martha Plimpton?

Seriously, that green thing she was wearing, with the -- what, zebra? -- striped puffy sleeves? That was hideous. I didn't even notice it until I got home from work and watched the awards on tape, but man. That took the prize, right there.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The 61st Annual Tony Awards were tonight, but I have to say thered-carpet fashions were a little disappointing.

Disappointing because there were no huge faux pas, no shower-scrubby dresses or outlandish tuxedo stand-ins. Everybody was pretty low-key and classy, especially the guys.

So tonight's criticisms are a little tamer than usual, but still heartfelt.

To the designer of Felicity Huffman's generally nice dress: Was it really necessary to put those three bows at her waist? Did you look at your one-bow sketch and think, "I don't know -- it just needs more?" Trust me, it didn't. One bow would have been just fine.

And since I've never, ever been a fan of contrast stitching, Jennifer Ehle's dress was a miss, in my opinion:

And to Bebe Neuwirth -- I love you, darling, but your gown looks like it was designed by The Mummy. You look great, and you're fabulous, but I'd rethink the ancient Egyptian designer next time.

All photos by The Associated Press.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Kerry Sullivan, who used to work as a copy editor on the news desk here at The Eagle with me, but who left this week to pursue another opportunity down in Virginia, nevertheless has kindly agreed to keep sending me "Office" quotes.

Quote: "Grief isn't wrong. There's such a thing as good grief. Just ask Charlie Brown."
Who said it: Michael Scott (Steve Carell)!

I already knew this, of course, because the episode was a repeat. But during the summer months, the quotes of the week are more about sharing the great moments of the best show on TV than the guessing game.

Ah, "The Office." It's too bad we have to wait 'til September to find out what happens ... In the meantime, though, it's cool to remember what went on way back at the beginning of the season.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

According to Entertainment Weekly, my new summer show is dying a slow, painful death.

It turns out that even though I missed this week's episodes, thanks to VCR fiascos, I didn't really miss all that much. The show this week was just a bunch of the contestants' submission videos, the ones they made ages ago to try and earn a spot on the program. Nothing new. Disappointing, because I think the videos are viewable on the official Web site, the one that crashes my computer.

But the reason behind it makes it all the more disappointing. It seems "On the Lot" is doing so poorly in the ratings that the network has decided to retool the entire production. It's going from Monday and Tuesday nights, a total one-and-a-half hours, to a single hour on Tuesday nights.

I can see how this would happen -- it's a show only a film geek could really love, and even we film geeks barely had it on our radar until, oh, a day or two before the first installment aired. It just wasn't hyped.

But it's my Big Show of the Summer! And I've loved it so far. Well, maybe I still will, but I'm not sure how this new one-hour format is going to work. Do viewers vote people off during the show, or ... ? I guess we'll find out.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Okay, this time there's no excuse, like "my remote is getting old and I set the VCR wrong."

I set the VCR right. It was all ready to tape last night's half-hour "On the Lot" results show. I was going to get caught up on the stuff I missed in Monday night's episode, when my VCR remote rebelled and set the wrong record date.

I sat down with my pizza and my root beer last night, and pushed "play," and ... nothing.

This is a great argument for getting DVR. Sure, it won't work right every time either. But then I'll be able to tape things on my DVR and on my VCR, as a backup, so something should actually work.

I'm grouchy now, though. Now I have to wait until Monday for the next installment of my summertime show.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 08:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I set my VCR wrong again.

I got home at midnight last night, after a long evening at work, two days into a six-day work week, with little more to look forward to than an hour of escapism with "On the Lot." I sat down to rewind the tape ... only to find it wouldn't rewind. It didn't need to -- it hadn't recorded anything.

Thanks to my ailing remote control, I had set the wrong record date, so my aging VCR had not taped my show after all.

"Don't worry," I was told. "They'll recap tomorrow, so we'll get caught up."

I know, but I'm still devastated. Recaps aren't the same, and I'd been waiting all week for another installment of this highly addictive program. Still, I'm going to double-check my VCR today, to make sure I don't come home to the same disappointment tonight. A recap is better than nothing.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I hate those Avis commercials. You know the ones I mean? Where the guy comes up to the rental-car desk and opens his mouth to have obnoxious music pour out? And the rental agent does the same, and they converse in stupid expressions and snippets of music?

Ugh.

Then the tagline: "Avis. We try harder." More like, "Avis. We try too hard."

Posted by Laura Marshall at 01:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If a finale is supposed to be the sum of a season, last week's "House" episode did a bang-up job.

If a finale is supposed to be good -- well, not so much.

I hate to write that, but it's true. I love the show. It's one of the best on TV, and Hugh Laurie is one of the best actors around. The writers, for the most part, deliver great plots and surprising twists and all-around superb work. At least, they did in Seasons One and Two.

But Season Three has been all over the map, so to speak, and so was the finale: It felt jumpy and choppy and kind of phoned-in. Not the acting, but the writing. And it left so many topics untouched. Where was the House-Cuddy scene, or the House-Wilson connection? I know they're trying to show how House is isolating himself, withdrawing from everyone and pushing them away, but there should have been more of Wilson and Cuddy. They used to be such major players, and they were reduced to mere footnotes in this episode.

Ah well. As I always say, what can ya do. Except wait for next season, and hope it will be better.

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