TV personality

Last week's "Office" quotes, courtesy of Ms. Kerry "Ker" Sullivan, as always:

The quote: "Guess what? White and eggshell white are the same color."
Who said it: Michael Scott (Steve Carell), in one of many sniping sessions he and Jan (Melora Hardin) started during their dinner party

The quote: "Hunny, I have the best trophy right here, aside from my Dundies."
Who said it: Michael again, trying to flatter Jan, his "trophy girlfriend"

The quote: "In Spain, they don't even start eating until midnight." "When in Rome..."
Who said it: Jan, making excuses for her late dinner, and Michael, trying to help

The quote: "Sometimes I think she holds onto faxes."
Who said it: Accountant Angela (Angela Kinsey), trash-talking receptionist Pam, who was also a guest at the dinner party and, in fact, only inches away

The quote: "I don't care what they say about me. I just want to eat."
Who said it: Pam

The quote: "You can buy a new apartment, but you can't buy a new dinner party!"
Who said it: Pam, begging boyfriend Jim (John Krasinski) not to abandon her at the train-wreck of a party when Michael says they don't both have to leave to check out Jim's "flooded apartment"

Many thanks to Kerry, and to the writers of "The Office" -- it's so lovely to have episodes to quote again.

Posted by Laura Marshall at 11:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

It's great having constant access to the Associated Press wires, and all the other news services to which we subscribe here at The Eagle.

But sometimes it can blow my mind.

Like today. I was happily working away, finishing up this Sunday's Book Page and getting ready to dive into some of the special projects mentioned in my ridiculously long job title, "senior editor in charge of special projects," when I saw a story in our queue slugged "nbc plans09." (Slugs, for those who don't speak journalism jargon, are like file names for stories.)

Well, when I saw that, of course I had to open it up and read it. It was a story for tomorrow's TV page, written by Joanne Ostrow, of The Denver Post, and it contained the following paragrah:

"An as-yet untitled spinoff of 'The Office' will be launched in the post-Super Bowl slot. Why? Because the original is working. NBC is going to require so many episodes of 'The Office' plus four padded, hour-long episodes, that everyone should be burned out on Dunder Mifflin well before the spinoff emerges."

While I disagree with Ostrow that anyone could ever get sick of Dunder Mifflin, I too am dubious about the spinoff's potential for success.

What has made "The Office" so successful is its combination of great casting, with actors who play perfectly off each other; great writing, with storylines that manage to be both outrageously hilarious and somehow very real; and great, truly consistent production values.

Most other shows don't have even a third of what makes "The Office" such magic, and even a spinoff is far from likely to capture any of it. All that will happen is that good people will be taken from the original series, splitting up the cast and/or crew that make the show so great. And altering the dynamic could prove fatal for both series.

And I'm not the only one who thinks so: Eagle reporter and fellow rabid fan Amy Carr, to whom I relayed the news as soon as my brain was done exploding, said she actually cried a little at her desk.

That's another great thing about working for a newspaper: There's always someone to sympathize with you.

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