TV personality

And right now in Los Angeles, Emmy after-parties are gearing up. In my own house here in the Berkshires, the party is winding down.

Here are some final thoughts on tonight's Emmy awards:

* As they announced the nominees for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, I said I'd be happy if any of the first three -- Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock"), Steve Carell ("The Office") or Ricky Gervais ("Extras") -- took the prize. But I never really expected it to go to Gervais. Not that he isn't a comic genius; I just didn't expect the Academy to recognize the incredible work the man does. Yes, sometimes I don't give the Academy enough credit.

* America Ferrera ("Ugly Betty") won for Actress in a Comedy. Quelle surprise. Everybody at my little party was gunning for Tina Fey ("30 Rock"), but we all knew Ferrera would win. Although we did get a little hopeful after Gervais' upset.

* Speaking of false hope, I forgot to mention that when Supporting Actress in a Comedy was announced, two of us sat up, faces alight, ready to cheer until the "J-" turned out to be "Jaime Pressly" instead of "Jenna Fischer." They psyched us out.

* James Spader ("Boston Legal") was, I thought, a surprise winner for Actor in a Drama. I thought that one was going to James Gandolfini ("The Sopranos") for sure.

* Come to think of it, "The Sopranos" didn't walk away with as many Emmys this season as I expected. Maybe the love-it-or-hate-it finale turned the voters off? But it did take Best Drama, so I guess it's all good.

* "The Office" was spurned pretty badly this year. And that's unfortunate, because I still maintain it's the best show on TV.

* But at least "30 Rock," the little comedy that could, won for Best Comedy. And that ended the night on a high note at my little party.

* I have to say that, fashion-wise, this was the blandest awards show I've seen in a long time. Nobody was wearing anything particularly hideous -- actually, the worst dress I saw, aside from some radioactive yellows on one of E!'s red-carpet greeters, was worn by someone I adore and admire who was denied her rightful Emmy, so I won't say.

Good night, all, and happy after-partying!

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A few commercial-break comments:

* YEAH to Greg Daniels for grabbing the comedy-writing Emmy for "Gay Witch Hunt," the Season Three "Office" premiere!

* Rainn Wilson + Kanye West + Wayne Brady = suprisingly funny

* Al Gore didn't actually invent the Internet, but he did apparently invent an Emmy-winning interactive TV network ... Wait, isn't that kind of like YouTube?

* When you're up against Dame Helen Mirren for anything, stay home.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 10:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Tony Bennett + Christina Aguilera + musical number = America can take a bathroom break.

Katherine Heigl got Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama, Conan O'Brien's writing team took a writing award, and they're handing out another one as I type.

That was a short musical number and, therefore, a short bathroom break for America.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 08:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

And just like that, all in the same segment, two of my biggest Emmy hopes were dashed.

Rainn Wilson lost out on the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy to Jeremy Piven, and Jenna Fischer lost out on the Supporting Actress in a Comedy to Jaime Pressly. Darn it. (Stronger language than that was used in my living room just now.)

Also, Terry O'Quinn took Supporting Actor in a Drama, and Thomas Haden Church took Supporting Actor in a Miniseries.

Oops, and now Ellen's presenting.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 08:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A couple more notes before the awards show gets under way:

* What is up with Ellen Pompeo's hair? It's worse than Sandra Oh's! It's all huge and high, so much so that it looks fake. And not in a Hollywood way -- more like a Bride of Frankenstein way.

Is that mean? I don't want to sound mean.

* I have my doubts about Ryan Seacrest's abilities to pull off a truly great Emmy show. For one thing, he's likely to interrupt the presenters and tell us we'll find out the winners "after the break!" For another ... well, he's no Conan. After last year's spot-on perfect intro, where can the Emmys go but down?

I guess we'll find out in just a few minutes.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 07:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Someday, I shall invest in wireless. And a laptop that actually works. And on that day, I shall be able to live-blog the Emmys from the comfort of my living room.

As it is, I'm taking notes, and I'll run upstairs to my study so I can share my exclusive little Emmy party with y'all. It's not really a live blog, but live-blogging is more difficult when I don't have access to the AP wire.

Quote of the evening so far, from Amy Norkus (writer, business analyst and one of my lovely Emmy-party attendees): "We're eating our way through the Emmys." And we are: It was Boca-brand "Chick'n" sandwiches and Newman's Own chocolate sandwich cookies to start, with chocolate bars and potato chips free for the grabbing. Later on, for the main event, it'll be organic vegan pizzas and all-natural fruit sodas.

Yeah, at my shindigs, it's all about class.

So! Thoughts so far about E!'s red carpet coverage:

* I hate the new "stiletto cam." But that could be just because I hate stilettos, especially peep-toe stilettos, and I don't want to see them any more than I absolutely have to.

* I hate the telestrator thing less than I did last time -- but maybe that's because the E! hosts are being way less obnoxious about it than last time.

* Jennifer Morrison has some weird fringe thing going on with her dress this evening. And I'm not sure about the blonde hair.

* Joely Fisher's sparkly sequin shoes are some of the most hideous I've seen in a long, long time. They look like the shoes you find in the girls' dress-up kits at toy stores.

Of course, my own ensemble is basic and oh so chic: blue flannel pajama bottoms with bright yellow ducks and a UMass history department T-shirt I got at a thrift store. And a semiprecious bracelet I made myself, and my filthy pink hiking watch, and old socks with hearts on them. And messy, frizzy hair, because hey -- I hiked six miles today, and I'm not on the red carpet, so I can afford to be lazy.

* Actually, Sandra Oh's hair looks a lot like mine tonight. And I don't mean that as a compliment, poor thing.

And now I should go, because I'm missing things -- I just had to run downstairs twice (once to see John Krasinski's interview, and again to see Jenna Fischer's, which was followed by Hugh Laurie's), so I think that's my cue to get back down to the party.

I'll be back with more in a little while.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 07:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I had promised myself that, apart from last night's quotes, I wasn't going to post about "The Office" again until the premiere. Except for the Emmys, which are this Sunday.

But then I got home from work Wednesday to find a bag of nifty gifties waiting for me on my couch.

It seems Target -- right now -- has a whole line of "Office" goodies ... in the One Spot dollar bins. So my nifty gifty bag was chock full of pens, mechanical pencils, magnets, notepads, mini-dry erase boards and stress balls (two with quotes and one replica of Dwight's bobblehead head).

Oh my God. It's two of my favorite things: "The Office" and office supplies.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 07:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

At least the presidential address didn't completely pre-empt "The Office."

Our quotes for the week, chosen by the one and only Ms. Kerry Sullivan, are ...

The quote: "I want today to be a beautiful memory that the staff and I share after I have passed on to New York. And if Toby's part of it, then it will suck."
Who said it: Michael Scott (Steve Carell), who loathes harmless Toby (Paul Lieberstein) to the core.

The quote: "You can't say? Or you can't pronounce it?"
Who said it: Why, Jim Halpert (John Krasinski), in one of his snarky little comments.

The quote: "Oh my God, I have never seen that look in a man's eyes, ever. I thought that I might die. On Beach Day."
Who said it: Jim again, after getting trounced by Stanley (Leslie David Baker) during inflatable-suit Sumo wrestling.

The quote: "I'm kind of looking for a way out of that relationship anyway. I might try girls for a while. Angela thinks I can cross over."
Who said it: Oh, Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez). Poor Oscar.

Kerry says she can't wait for the premiere. And neither can I!

Posted by Laura Marshall at 07:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I have this much to say about Britney Spears' return at the MTV Video Music Awards:

1) Her performance was embarrassingly awful. Not only for Britney herself, but for anyone watching.

2) Leave her physique out of it. The woman has had two kids and some difficult years.

3) That said, somebody should have talked her out of that bikini. Not because she's "gotten fat," but just because that kind of outfit is so rarely flattering on anybody. When you're making your big-splash return to pop music, don't you want to wear something that won't get you roasted in the press and on YouTube?

Posted by Laura Marshall at 04:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

And that's it. Less than a week, and I've gone through each and every one of the episodes and special features from "The Office: Season Three" boxed set.

The season was even better when watched all at once, and the special features -- oh, the special features. The blooper reel (my favorite extra on any DVD) alone got me nearly all the way through my workout yesterday. And the commentaries, the cast interview and all the little thoughtful add-ons ... It's all perfect.

But now it's over. I mean, I can -- and likely will -- re-watch them all the time, especially when I'm working out (there's just something about "The Office" that makes 20 minutes on my mini-stepper fly by). But I want more already!

At least it's just a couple weeks now until the Season Four premiere. I'll be on vacation that day, so I'm all set to have a major "Office" party.

And in the meantime, I've still got the entire first season of "30 Rock" to get through.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's been a few days since I last posted. But I have an excuse: We've been holding an "Office: Season Three" marathon of sorts at my house. Also, I've been working overtime at the paper, keeping the Web site updated and designing our special three-day breast cancer series in addition to other sundry tasks.

So, essentially, I've been working all day, then rushing home to make dinner and throw on a little "Office" before I collapse into sleep.

Maybe more than a few, actually -- we've already gotten through all the special features (except the commentaries, which we're saving for last) and moved on to the episodes. And we're already on the third disc of four.

I have to say this: I think I was a little thrown when the installments were first aired by the way the show branched out at the beginning of the third season. I remember being a little bit unsure whether they would hold up to be as classic as the first two seasons' episodes.

But you know what? There's no question anymore. They absolutely do.

I said in my last entry that I'd let you know what special treats were included in the Target version of the Season Three set. Well, when we got to the Berkshire Mall, we parked outside Best Buy -- we figured we could check out the extras with their deluxe set, then compare them to the extras over in Target.

And Best Buy almost had us. Their special "Gift Set" included a Dundie award and a mini Dwight bobblehead. We lingered and hemmed and even hawed, but then we went to Target, just to see what their Deluxe set contained.

And we ended up going with Target's "Nifty Gifty" set. It didn't have the toys, but it did have an exclusive fifth disc containing a 23-minute Q&A with the cast. It was cheaper, too, not that that would have been the deciding criterion. No, it's the extra screen time that will always win me over, no matter how much I wanted a Dundie and a bobblehead for my desk.

"So yeah," as Pam (Jenna Fischer) said in Season Two's "Yankee Swap" Christmas episode, when she traded the video iPod she had won to get back the teapot Jim had originally gotten her, "I think I made the right choice."

On a side note, I logged in to MySpace today to read a message from Fischer: She and her husband, James Gunn, are splitting. Best of luck to both of them.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 09:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is it. Today's the day. At long last -- after months of waiting -- it's Tuesday, Sept. 4, and as soon as I get out of work, I'm flying over to Target to pick up the third season of "The Office" and the first season of "30 Rock" on DVD.

Why Target? Well, because when I was there last evening to pick up some essentials, they already had the empty shelves set up for the incoming shows. And there were two separate slots for "The Office" -- regular and something called "Deluxe."

I'm not sure what "Deluxe" means, but as long as it's something good, I'm in.

I'll let y'all know tomorrow what bonus gift earned that set the extra-special title. If, that is, the "Deluxe" sets aren't all sold out by the time I get there.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 01:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Matt Sprague, the newest addition to The Eagle's sports team, has requested that I post an "Office" quote -- any quote -- from Creed Bratton, one of the so-called minor players, without whom the show could never have succeeded as wildly as it has.

I love Creed, and he's got one of my favorite quotes from the show, ever: I say it every time I go to the grocery store and pass the bean sprouts.

It's from the second season, I think from the "Conflict Resolution" episode. A past complaint from Oscar (played by Oscar Nunez) that Creed has "a distinct old-man smell" is read aloud, but Creed isn't offended. He explains that he sprouts mung beans on a paper towel in his desk, and he says ...

The quote: "Very nutritious, but they smell like death."
Who said it: Why, Creed Bratton (played by, of course, Creed Bratton).

Posted by Laura Marshall at 09:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Just to torture us devoted "Office" fans, nbc.com has uploaded a little clip called "Summer Vacation." In it, each character tells us how his or her summer went.

Which, after the Season Three cliffhanger finale, we're all dying to know.

So maybe this isn't torture after all, even if the weeks we'll have to wait for the Sept. 27 Season Four premiere will be.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 08:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)