BLUE MAG

I’m not exactly plugged in to the whole music scene. I couldn’t bring myself to watch the Grammys last night, despite a modest desire to see the Police reunion. So I have nothing to say about that. What I do want to say is that I have only very recently been acquainted with Chris Brown, the R&B/rap artist (right), and come to realize that he was the young man recently appearing on “The OC.”

Which resolved for me the question of why that young man was such a terrible actor: he was not a terrible actor at all, merely just not an actor at all. This is what passes for an epiphany where the hip-hop world and I are concerned.

According to Kristin over at E!, Rashida Jones, who plays Karen on The Office, has been cast on the new Fox comedy The Rules of Starting Over. (Darn Kristin for stealing the OOTO joke from everybody else!) This, of course, comes as close to spoiling the Jim-Karen-Pam triangle (JarenKam?) as possible without completely spoiling it (especially after the cute scenes between Pam and Roy last night. Kristin confirms this by pointing out that Roy ain’t going anywhere). The new Fox show stars Craig Bierko, who I have always loved on TV. He is a great guest on Conan for example, and I think it will be fun to see him carry a show again.

I have a friend (he was my boss, actually) who gave me his DVD copy of the British Office because he didn’t like the show. He explained that it just made him feel uncomfortable, and that he couldn’t laugh.

I never quite understood what he meant until last night, about the time when Michael loudly and prematurely announced Bob and Phyllis for the first time ever. That might not have been enough had I not so recently recovered from Michael walking the wheelchair down the aisle or asking Phyllis if she broke wind.

Don’t get me wrong: it was a fabulous episode.

Continue reading The Office, “Phyllis’s Wedding” (3×15)

Note: For the purposes of this blog, a “Review” indicates that I have seen the episode already, and therefore there shall be no such thing as spoilers. Be warned once now and forevermore.

You had me at “Previously.” I don’t expect this episode to put the kibbosh to the Lost backlash, but overall I thought this was a fabulous comeback ep. The one thing I could do without in this episode is Elizabeth Mitchell’s face. I know that seems harsh, but she doesn’t seem to know what sort of emotion she is supposed to provide in a given scene. There was a moment in her confrontation with her ex (Zeljko Ivanek) where she turned back to him with a giggly smile like she was in on some joke. And then she is one of those actors who when she wants to look tough she just lets her face go limp, and it just doesn’t work for me.

Continue reading Lost, “Not in Portland” (3×7)