TV personality

So I haven't watched the Screen Actors Guild Awards yet -- that's on tap for tomorrow evening, when I can sit down with some herbal corn and all-natural root beer and really enjoy them.

But I did monitor the Associated Press wires all evening, for two reasons: 1) I love to watch the arrivals photos and snark at all the fashion faux pas, and 2) I had to kep track of who was winning what so I could run the story on tomorrow's Berkshire Eagle page A6.

Of course, the AP didn't compile a convenient list for me, so I had to rush to the SAG Web site and do it myself. Here they are:

FILM
Male Actor in a Leading Role: Daniel Day-Lewis, “There Will Be Blood”
Female Actor in a Leading Role: Julie Christie, “Away From Her”
Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Javier Bardem, “No Country For Old Men”
Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Ruby Dee, “American Gangster”
Cast in a Motion Picture: “No Country For Old Men”
Stunt Ensemble: "The Bourne Ultimatum"

TELEVISION
Male Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries: Kevin Kline: “As You Like It” (HBO)
Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries: Queen Latifah, “Life Support” (HBO)
Male Actor in a Drama Series: James Gandolfini, “The Sopranos” (HBO)
Female Actor in a Drama Series: Edie Falco, “The Sopranos” (HBO)
Male Actor in a Comedy Series: Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock” (NBC)
Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Tina Fey, “30 Rock” (NBC)
Ensemble in a Drama Series: “The Sopranos” (HBO)
Ensemble in a Comedy Series: “The Office” (NBC)
Stunt Ensemble: "24" (FOX)

44th Annual Life Achievement Award: Charles Durning
SOURCE: www.sagawards.com

One thing I actually like about working on awards nights is getting to see the AP wire photos, because you get to see behind-thescenes stuff. You also get to see when AP screws up -- for example, when they send along a photo of the "Office" cast accepting their "Best Ensemble Cast" win and identify them as the cast from "30 Rock." Oops!

More on the awards show itself when I've actually seen it ...

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I love Office Tally. Easily my favourite Web site ever. So much so that I've reverted to spelling "favorite" the way I did when I was living in Canada.

Tanster, who runs the site, is seriously dedicated to making sure we "Office" fans get every single snippet of show-related goodness available, and goes to great lengths to keep us updated. To the point where she's currently walking the picket lines with the WGA writers right now and posting live audio blog entries from her cell phone. Wow.

Even better, she keeps us updated on merchandise! Without her, I never would have known about the valentines at Target, and I never would have been able to procure three boxes for myself.

Don't worry, fellow Berkshirites: I left one box on the shelf. You can duke it out. Or you can buy them at target.com. As long as they're in stock.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We used to have a guy in The Eagle sports department who was a fellow "L-Word" fan, and we used to deconstruct the episodes every week. "What's Tina going to do next?" we would muse. "Can you believe Jenny? Augh! And Bette -- I never expected that from her."

Now that he's moved on to another job, I miss gossiping with him about all the crazy drama on Showtime's lesbian soap.

Especially because this season has been amazing so far. It really has. I was skeptical, because Season Three was really hit-or-miss, and I was afraid maybe it had just outrun any chance of ever being good again. But Four started off strong, and it's only gotten stronger in the three episodes that have aired.

For one thing, they've returned somewhat to the cold-open format of old: Originally, the show would open with a scene that related somehow to the episode, but didn't necessarily contain any of the characters and wasn't even necessarily in present day. It was more a reflection of the themes of the episode, or of the mood. It was very ambitious and probably pretentious in an artsy-fartsy kind of way, but it worked for the series. And then, somewhere, they kind of dropped the opening, or it fell apart somehow. And as it did, the show did too.

But now it's back in the form of Jenny's film: Because her script is based on the girls around her, each show opens with Jenny and her team playing with a scene from the movie, tweaking the action and popping new people in when the dynamic is wrong. It's very self-reflexive, very industry-insider, very wink-wink ... and very fun. Last's night's "Charlie's Angels" spoof was hilarious.

For another thing, well ... the show is fun again. Last season, there was a lot of drama, but it felt like no one was having any fun with it. There were fun moments, and I was hooked enough to keep watching, but most of the time I just wanted to jump through the TV screen and kill Jenny.

For another other thing -- finally, you're definitely supposed to want to kill Jenny! YES! I've always hated her, from the first season, when she was supposed to be the innocent, wide-eyed ingenue. I always saw her for the cold, selfish, manipulative ... uh, witch she is. But now that the writers have embraced her inner witchiness, it's fun to hate her again; it used to be that there were so many subplots that I'd forget about her, and when she appeared on screen I'd groan. Now I can laugh with glee, waiting to see what outrageous thing she'll do next.

There's only one way they can mess this show up for me, and I'm afraid they might do it: getting rid of Helena. She's been my favorite character since Dana died, and now that she's going on the lam with Dusty, I just hope the cameras take a detour now and then to check in with them. Or I hope the writers find some way to keep Helena in L.A.

I suppose we'll find out next week ...

Posted by Laura Marshall at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The writers strike hurts. It hurts a lot. It hurts everybody: the writers, the cast and crew, the networks -- and, of course, the families of everyone involved.

But most of all, it really, really hurts me. I mean, I watched bits of "American Idol" this week. Folks, it's gotten that bad.

And now that the studios have canceled the writers' contracts -- what's next? Everything is so up in the air. Will "The Office" be closed next year? A "House" to come home to? And what do I do in the meantime?

I could give in and watch the "reality-based" programming the networks are trying to shove down my throat. But whenever I see those ads for "Moment of Truth," all I can think of is the cheesy reality shows Nicole Kidman's TV exec character hawks at the beginning of "The Stepford Wives." At least in the movie, those were intended to be funny; "Moment of Truth" is supposed to be a real show! And Fox thinks we'll accept this as a replacement for "House"? Um, no thanks.

So, to ease the pain, I've been turning to my extensive DVD collection a lot lately. And here are a couple recommendations:

My favorite movie, probably ever, is "Adaptation." It's the single best depiction I've ever seen of the creative process. There have been lots of movies and books about writers, but no one has nailed it like this. And I wasn't even that crazy about it the first time I saw it; this is one of those films that sticks with you, and a few months later you just have to see it again. And then, if you're like me, it ends up in permanent rotation at your house, until you watch it once a month or so. Which is great, because every time you do, you notice one more clever little thing you missed the last hundred times.

The recent DVD release "Once," last year's musical from Ireland, bears repeat viewings as well -- not just because it's a sweet, perfect little film, but because the music is sublime and will have you either humming or singing at the top of your lungs in the car. Not that I would do the latter.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Wait -- the Golden Globes were Sunday?

Ha, just kidding. I knew that. But I was working, and too busy to blog.

Oh, and I was also too bored by the format and too underwhelmed by the results to show much enthusiasm. Steve Carell, Alec Baldwin, Ricky Gervais and Hugh Laurie got shut out in their categories (though the first three probably canceled each other out).

But I'm happy "Extras" got best comedy, considering "30 Rock" didn't get it and "The Office" wasn't in the running, which was a travesty in itself. I can't wait to see what Gervais does next.

And I'm thrilled Tina Fey picked up best actress in a comedy series for "30 Rock." Go Liz Lemon!

Posted by Laura Marshall at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I went to Delaware last weekend for a concert. Some -- the snooty concierge at the Hotel DuPont, Wilmington's poshest accommodations, for example -- would say it was a long way to go for a concert.

I, however, would say it was well worth it.

For one thing, it was a Rufus Wainwright concert, and Rufus is one of my personal heroes. And he didn't disappoint, even if he didn't play "Go or Go Ahead," my all-time favorite song. Or "Want," my all-time second-favorite. There were plenty of other favorites, and his music is so brilliant and inspiring that, really, just being in the audience was a thrill. Also, he did play "Hallelujah," which was the song that really hooked me on him.

For another thing, I got to visit my Aunt Sher, whom I hadn't seen in years but who was responsible for introducing me not only to Rufus' music but to many of my other favorite artists growing up -- she helped shape my musical tastes, really, because while other kids were listening to Pearl Jam in the '90s, I was listening to Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, for better or worse. I like to think it was for better.

Anyway, while we were there this weekend, Aunt Sher played two episodes of a new-to-us show ... and totally hooked us. It's an HBO "musical" sitcom, "Flight of the Conchords." Have you seen it? It's about a novelty folk band from New Zealand trying to make it in New York, these two goofs who are totally sweet and clueless, and I love them.

On the basis of those two episodes, we had to stop and buy the first season on DVD on our way back to Massachusetts. And we had to watch the whole thing in one sitting. It's that good.

And for one final thing: I've always said that before I die I'd like to stay in a really ritzy hotel, someplace that doesn't have ugly reddish-brownish floral-patterned scratchy coverlets on the beds, someplace like you see in the movies, in a suite with room service and lots of pillows and a bathroom the size of my study. Well, I've stayed at the Hotel DuPont. I can cross that one off my list.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1/7/08 7:40 PM Inches: 0.8 Bulletin
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Hollywood Foreign Press Association says Sunday’s traditional Golden Globe Awards ceremony has been canceled and will be replaced with a news conference format.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 07:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This just in:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A person close to the Golden Globes broadcast says organizers and NBC are preparing to scrap the traditional show format — which would be picketed by striking writers — in favor of a news-conference approach.

... That's all I know. The Associated Press NewsAlert didn't contain anything else.

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