TV personality

Fans can't be fooled.

Tom Tripicco, The Eagle's deputy managing editor and longtime "Law & Order" fan, knows "SVU" must have a new writing team.

How can he tell? "It's cheesy and trite and predictable," he said this week. "What were they thinking? The show used to be clever and believable -- the twists were clever, and you never saw them coming. "

He and paginator Mike Leonard agreed, however, that at least the new "half-hour of law, half-hour of order" structure does add something to the NBC program. Tripicco said he was "slow to come around to it," but admitted it works now.

Perhaps, though, if the writers were to come up with better material, "SVU" wouldn't need a gimmicky new format.

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Do you have a TV rant to share? Leave me a blog comment now.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Kerry Sullivan, official quote-chooser to "TV personality," sent me the quotes on time last night, but I was watching the show in real time yet again. I could get used to that.

Anyway, she chose some great ones --

The quote: "I signed up for Second Life about a year ago. Back then, my life was so great that I wanted a second one."
Who said it: Dwight (Rainn Wilson), whose Second Life differed only from his first in that he could fly.

The quote: "Actually, I don't get paid by the hour anymore. I get paid by the year."
Who said it: Michael (Steve Carell), setting the admakers straight when they say they know his time is valuable.

The quote: "I find the mystery genre disgusting. I hate being titillated."
Who said it: Prudence McPrude -- I mean, Angela (Angela Kinsey), of course.

The quote: "Break me off a piece of that Grey Poupon!"
Who said it: Andy (Ed Helms), trying in vain to remember the last three words of the Kit Kat commercial.

I have to say, I thought last night's episode was great. Going back to the half-hour format really did inject some new energy, as I had hoped. I wasn't crazy about the "10 days later" fade-in, but I did understand why it had to be done.

I was, however, crazy about the ad Michael and crew produced. The corporate one was stuffy, the kind of thing that would make me throw the remote at the TV on, oh, the third viewing. If that was intended to be a representation of professional advertising, I'm in the wrong business.

Actually, if most commercials that really air on television these days are a representation of professional advertising, I'm in the wrong business. Hmm.

Prediction: Michael sent the ad to corporate, right? And they rejected it. But I think Pam (Jenna Fischer), in upcoming episodes, is going to get some recognition for her graphics and animation skills. A job offer? A promotion? Who knows. But I think something should come of that.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I just noticed that the entry I posted earlier today was No. 300.

I also just noticed that as of tomorrow (Wednesday, Oct. 24), I'll have been writing this blog for a year. Happy birthday, "TV personality"!

To celebrate, here's a look at the very first post.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 10:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A logic problem:

Suppose "House" is a weekly show, meaning the length of time between episodes is a week.

If it's been a fortnight since the last episode,

then it's been a really, really long week.

Corollary: Tonight is the start of the weekend!

Okay, I skipped into (N.Y.) Regents Honors math I in the middle of the first term of Grade 8, so I missed the entire logic section. Which, possibly, explains why I'm so rarely a very logical person.

But I'm really looking forward to tonight's episode of "House." It looks like it'll be so Halloweeny, with the patient who sees ghosts. I hope they advance the hiring story arc this week, too -- last week it felt a lot like they were spinning their wheels.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 01:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This week's "Office" episode felt ... a little lacking, to be honest. It felt inconsistent and choppy, and it felt like the editing was just off somehow. It almost seemed as if no one involved knew what to do with the full-hour time slot anymore. Which is sad, because I've always said "The Office" is a show that really needs an hour.

Still, there were some great moments -- Pam and Jim at Schrute Farms; Andy catching the stray cat for Angela; Jim's stairwell confession to Dwight. Even Michael's telemarketing second job, which hit home for me because I've been there.

The show goes back to its regular half-hour format this week, I believe, and I'm hoping the compressed time slot will add new energy. Plus, it's called "Local Ad," which offers endless opportunities for hilarity -- could it be Michael's big chance at stardom?

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

That's right, folks, it's the weekly "Office" quotes game! Only I feel like a cheater, because I got to watch the episode in real time last night, for once, and I'm going to get them all right.

At any rate, official quote-chooser Kerry Sullivan has handed me the envelope, so ...

The quote: "He loves Meryl Streep, so I shouldn't be surprised he identified with her character."
Who said it: Pam (Jenna Fischer), after taking abuse from Michael (Steve Carell) a la "The Devil Wears Prada."

The quote: "You are incorrect. I was recently scrubbing my room of memories and I didn't see it there."
Who said it: Dwight (Rainn Wilson), telling Angela (Angela Kinsey) that he didn't have her figurine.

The quote: "We will be requiring a bedtime story. What, not even Harry Potter?"
Who said it: Jim (John Krasinski) to Dwight as he and Pam check into the Schrute Farms bed and breakfast.

The quote: "I would have been chief of surgery. Or a cowboy."
Who said it: Michael, talking about what he would have done "back home" after a telemarketing coworker tells him he had been a doctor in his country.

The quote: "Oh my God. What century is this?"
Who said it: Pam, boggled by the backwardness of Schrute Farms.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The quote: "I can't do that. It's really hard for me to let things go."
I guessed: Nearly every member of the cast except --
Who said it: Andy (Ed Helms)!

The quote: "So I googled 'how to deal with difficult people,' and I got all of this. So we're going to try some new things today."
I guessed: Michael, because he's always googling things.
Who said it: Phyllis (Phyllis Smith)!

The quote: "If you want to win, you've got to fuel like a winner."
I guessed: Jim, playing a prank on Dwight.
Who said it: Dwight himself.

The quote: "It appears that the Web site has become alive. It sometimes happens to computers and robots."
I guessed: Dwight.
Who said it: Dwight!

At least I got one right, right?

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

My esteemed quote-chooser, Kerry Sullivan, of Virginia, e-mailed me before the end of this week's "Office" episode with the lines she'd selected.

And then she reported she was going to bed early. "Hope the rest of the episode rocks!" she wrote.

Sacrilege! Still, I'll forgive her, because she sent me some real stumpers.

The quote: "I can't do that. It's really hard for me to let things go."
Who said it: I really can't say with no context. Angela (Angela Kinsey)? Dwight (Rainn Wilson)? Kelly (Mindy Kaling)? Jim (John Krasinski) or Pam (Jenna Fischer)? Michael (Steve Carell) or Jan (Melora Hardin)? Ryan (B.J. Novak)? There are so many characters who could have said this. Even Toby (Paul Lieberstein) or Karen (Rashida Jones, who I heard was going to be coming back for two episodes this season).

The quote: "So I googled 'how to deal with difficult people,' and I got all of this. So we're going to try some new things today."
Who said it: Michael. I'm going with Michael.

The quote: "If you want to win, you've got to fuel like a winner."
Who said it: Jim, playing a prank on Dwight?

The quote: "It appears that the Web site has become alive. It sometimes happens to computers and robots."
Who said it: Sounds like Dwight to me ...

I'll update with the correct answers after I go home and watch the episode. And I should be leaving work very soon to do just that!

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Two notes on last night's "House" episode:

* This one felt a little more ... chaotic than the last two. Choppier. Less well-plotted, or perhaps less polished.

* But it still made me cry. The scene where the dying patient asks for his dog? Oh, man. I bawled. That's only happened on one other "House" episode -- the one from the second season, I think, when the guy has to decide whether the doctors should save his wife or their unborn child? And then they show him, later, caring for the baby? Alone? God, I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it. That one makes me cry every time.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 01:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

From last night's "Office" quotes game:

The quote: "What if we don't want to use a Blackberry because they are stupid and pointless?"
Who said it: I guessed Michael (Steve Carell), but said Dwight (Rainn Wilson) was a possibility. I was right on the second one.

The quote: "Oh, sorry, I didn't know you guys were in here. I couldn't see your hands."
Who said it: I guessed Michael, but it was really Phyllis (Phyllis Smith). Who knew?

The quote: "That is what Ryan is like. A fake brother who steals your jeans."
Who said it: I guessed Michael, and I was right! Yeah!

The quote: "Well, I hope you're still committed, because I'm pregnant."
Who said it: I thought it was Kelly (Mindy Kaling), and again, I was right! Yeah!

So I got a 50 on last night's game. That's the cutoff for a passing grade in Canada ...

Also, I have to point out that this was another superb effort from the "Office" team. And the "30 Rock" premiere? Brilliant.

It's going to be a good year for TV.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's that time of year again, when I no longer know for certain who said the weekly "Office" quotes because I'm at work when the new episodes air. So I'm back to guessing ...

Quotes have been selected, as always, by the illustrious Ms. Kerry Sullivan, former Berkshire Eagle copy editor.

The quote: "What if we don't want to use a Blackberry because they are stupid and pointless?"
Who said it: Okay, I'm going to guess Michael (Steve Carell) here, because of his previous technological difficulties (Season Two's "E-mail Surveillance" password-protection joke). But Dwight (Rainn Wilson) might feel the same way -- he still carries a pager, after all.

The quote: "Oh, sorry, I didn't know you guys were in here. I couldn't see your hands."
Who said it: Michael again? I'm guessing that only because I saw a promo online that showed him in the breakroom with Pam (Jenna Fischer) and Jim (John Krasinski).

The quote: "That is what Ryan is like. A fake brother who steals your jeans."
Who said it: Man. Michael?

The quote: "Well, I hope you're still committed, because I'm pregnant."
Who said it: Okay, I really hope I'm right on this one, because I saw her say this in the same online promo -- Kelly (Mindy Kaling)?

I'll update later with the correct answers. You know, after I've seen tonight's show.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 09:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I need new glasses. Mine are permanently smudgy.

But it's been a good week for TV so far.

* Another great episode of "House" on Tuesday, and promos for next week's installment have us waiting with bated breath. It seems the show is back in a very big way. I'll be honest, I'd read a lot about the "Survivor" tactics House (Hugh Laurie) was going to use to replace the staff that left in last season's finale, but I was skeptical: Would it work? Well, so far, I think the answer is a resounding "Yes!" In a way, it's a lot like the format of the show's best-ever eppie, "Three Stories": House as Socrates, with a whole chorus of other doctors to belittle -- and bounce ideas off. I'm interested not so much in who's staying in the hiring race as in how House tests them.

* Last night's "Ghost Hunters" freaked me out to no end. TAPS was investigating a baby-supply store because the owners thought a former employee was looking out for them. Instead, some other entity left some creepy distorted messages on the tapes: "There is no Jean here" and "Please just leave us alone." I'm telling you, I couldn't even pass the front window to go up the stairs to bed. Which was okay, because there was no way I was going to fall asleep for hours.

Tonight, it's the "30 Rock" premiere ... and another hourlong episode of "The Office." I've already got my lens cleaner standing by.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Apparently I forgot that X comes before W in the reverse alphabet when I wrote the last post's title. Ah well.

Anyway. I haven't mentioned this here because I wasn't sure how big it was going to be, but it appears Scranton is going to host the first "Office" Convention this month, and nearly all the major characters except the leads have confirmed they'll be attending. Here's the list:

* Leslie David Baker (Stanley)
* Brian Baumgartner (Kevin)
* Creed Bratton (Creed)
* Kate Flannery (Meredith)
* Mindy Kaling (Kelly)
* Angela Kinsey (Angela)
* Oscar Nunez (Oscar)
* Bobby Ray Shafer (Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration)
* Phyllis Smith (Phyllis)

I'm very seriously considering attending now; before the cast presence was announced, I was a little uncertain. But now I think I'll be checking out Scranton-area hotels and looking into the various convention ticket packages.

Really, just the chance to meet Creed would be enough to lure me there. But this is almost everybody. Hmmm.

My source: www.officetally.com
Official convention site: www.theofficeconvention.com

Posted by Laura Marshall at 03:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Ahh, vacation.

That blissful time when there's no alarm in the morning, nothing that has to be done, and nowhere you have to be ... except in front of the TV at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for Premiere Week.

We went to Maine last week; we spent the first half in Bar Harbor, exploring Acadia National Park, and the second half in Ogunquit, exploring the beach. And the antiques shops. We were actually off for 17 days straight, and it was a much-needed respite from the rest of our lives.

But that didn't mean we were going to give up TV. Vacation is a time to indulge, after all, so each night we'd bring scrumptious snacks back to the hotel room and watch as our favorite programs started another season.

* "House" (Fox, Tuesdays at 9)
The season opener was a doozy -- everything I loved and missed about the show during last season's choppiness. The scenes between House (Hugh Laurie) and Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) were perfect. Wilson kidnapping House's guitar? Priceless.

* "Ghost Hunters" (SciFi, Wednesdays at 9)
The TAPS crew returns to rustle up ghosts around the country, to the delight of scaredy-cats like me. This installment didn't feature a lot of EVPs (electronic voice phenomena, the main reason I watch the show), but the one with the humming was pretty darn creepy.

* "The Office" (NBC, Thursdays at 9)
Dunder-Mifflin has reopened, and the Season Four premiere was everything I'd hoped: witty and hilarious, with lots of romantic intrigue. I'm thrilled to death that the writers have introduced real depth to the affair between Dwight (Rainn Wilson) and Angela (Angela Kinsey) -- even though, as a cat person, I was horrified that Dwight euthanized Angela's favorite cat. And Pam (Jenna Fischer) and Jim (John Krasinski) are finally together? They looked so glowy and happy I just kept swooning, though I can't help but wonder what kind of obstacle the plot-masters are going to throw in their path.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 02:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As always, esteemed former Eagle copy editor Kerry Sullivan has selected the "TV personality" "Office" quotes of the week:

The quote: "Jan made me breakfast. Well, she bought the milk. It's soy!"
Who said it: Michael (Steve Carell), proud in his domestic bliss.

The quote: "The doctors tried to save her life. They did the best they could. And she's going to be fine."
Who said it: Michael again, announcing to the staff that he had hit one of them with his car.

The quote: "It's only Meredith."
Who said it: Dwight, trying to make Michael feel better.

The quote: "There's bad blood. Jealousy. Cliques."
Who said it: Angela, on why her other cats couldn't keep the sick one company.

The quote: "Occasionally, I'll hit someone with my car. So sue me. Wait, no, don't sue me. That's the opposite of the point I'm trying to make."
Who said it: Michael, hah!

The quote: "She's in a better place. Actually, the place that she's in is the freezer, because of the odor."
Who said it: Dwight, gently breaking the news of Sprinkles' death to Angela.

The quote: "I'm not superstitious, but I am a little stitious."
Who said it: Michael. God, this episode had too many great lines.

The quote: "I've been involved a lot of cults, both as a leader and a follower. It's more fun being a follower, but you make more money being a leader."
Who said it: Good old Creed (Creed Bratton).

The quote: "If there was a God, then Ryan and I would be married by now."
Who said it: Poor lovesick Kelly (Mindy Kaling).

The quote: "Like PB and J. Pam Beesley and Jim. Oh, what a waste. What a waste."
Who said it: Kevin (Brian Baumgartner).

The quote: "Almost marrying Roy Anderson is as close to being Pamela Anderson as I ever want to be."
Who said it: Everybody's favorite receptionist, Pam.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 01:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)