XOXO, Michael Scott here...

The sixth (can you believe it?) season of The Office premiered last night, and while it wasn't one of the series' stronger episodes, it was instantly rewarding to have my well-loved characters back on screen. The episode started off with an excellent cold open in which Michael, Andy, and Dwight demolish the office while trying to film their own parkour stunts. Jim had an awesomely smug line, saying, "Parkour is all about getting from Point A to Point B as creatively as possible, so yes, what they are doing is parkour, if Point A is delusion, and Point B is the hospital." (paraphrased)

Michael Scott was in fine form in last night's episode, obnoxiously trying to ingratiate himself into each of his employees' lives and relationships. Hearing the interns' rumors about Stanley having an affair, he accidentally discovers it to be true, but doesn't realize that spreading this news about the office is a bad idea until Jim tells him so. In trying to cover his trail, he spreads rumors about every one of his employees throughout the day. The rumor that Andy's gay makes him think he might in fact be gay, sending him to Oscar for advice. I sometimes forget about Oscar's character, but when he bemoans his role as counselor to "insecure heterosexual men," he reminds us why we love him.

The rumors fly, that Toby is a virgin, that Kelly is an anorexic,* and that Dwight buys store-bought manure. Oh, and that Pam is pregnant! Of course, she and Jim have been trying to keep this under-wraps, but when they realize it's just a rumor, they end up revealing the truth to the office as a means of protecting Stanley's secret. While this type of reveal was clever, I thought they could have done more with coworkers speculating about Pam's pregnancy, but I hope they'll have a lot of fun with what happens now that everyone knows. Maybe Jan will come back to compare baby notes!

The episode was lacking in big laughs, and veered a touch too close to the bizarre that alienated me a few seasons ago when Michael drove into the lake. We all love Creed's wackiness, but him asking, "if I can't SCUBA, then what has this all been about?" was a little too out there for me. It did have some good quips though, such as Ryan's instantaneous reply to Pam's pregnancy announcement, "Don't vaccinate it!"

*Intern, thinking Kelly was an anorexic: I'm so glad you're eating again!
Kelly, unaware of the rumor: Me too!
(I love Kelly.)

The Office airs Thursday nights at 9pm on NBC.

Almost as appetizing as Julie & Julia

It would be wrong of me to pretend as if I am impartial towards the newest animated offering opening this weekend, Chris Miller & Phil Lord's Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. I don't want to go into too much detail about my job on this blog, but as I work for Sony Pictures Animation, I can't quite gloss over that detail. However, this film was completely wrapped before I even applied for a job here, so I can promise that I had nothing to do with its creation. In fact, the first time I saw a trailer for it was before seeing Up in 3D the weekend before I came to work at SPA.

I had a chance to attend the cast and crew screening of the film earlier this week, and I intend to save any spoilers for after the movie's release. But I want to express how pleasantly entertained I was by a movie I knew practically nothing about before seeing it. I must have missed the boat when I was a kid, having never heard of the 1978 children's book by Ron and Judi Barrett which the film is based on. I'm told that there are many differences between it and its adaptation, but I was extremely grateful for Clone High creators Miller & Lord's absurd elements throughout.

Primarily, the movie is a really fun time for kids, and one I think is much more enjoyable in 3D. I am still new to seeing things in 3D, and while wearing glasses over my glasses for over an hour is not exactly my idea of a good time, it added so much depth and richness to an already visually stunning movie. The colors are so highly saturated, and the frame so filled with action, 3D helps to sift through the mise en scène.

As someone with a pretty absurd sense of humor myself, I was entertained the whole way through, by some excellent sight-gags, a few jokes at the movie's own expense, and a lot of acknowledgment of what kind of a ridiculous movie you're at, so that parents and teenagers would not be bored by a kids' movie. THERE ARE CATS SINGING PUBLIC ENEMY.

I took my mom to the screening with me, and I don't think she was all too eager to see a 3D kids' movie, but she laughed the whole way through, and I think was very impressed.

Please take your kids to see this movie, and even teenagers and wacky adults will find a lot to enjoy in this movie.


On a personal note, sitting in a huge audience filled with the 500 animators and technicians who created the movie, raucously applauding their years of work, was very touching. Even though I am a recent addition to the company, I felt very proud, and felt like it was "our" movie. Also, there is praise of nerdy, bespectacled girls in the story, and I had to love that!

Season Six!

Close on the heels of Jeanine's (disappointing) win of the last summer season of So You Think You Can Dance, the show's first fall season premiered last week. The format was much the same as it's been, the season starting with "open" auditions, last week's in Los Angeles, which were filmed during last season's "Top 20" weeks. It was wonderful to see tapping featured, as I think it is one of the great classic American dance styles, and (like most dance), considerably harder than it looks.

Mary Murphy and Adam Shankman were annoying as always, but I won't really have too much to say about the season until we get down to the top 20. I just wanted to check in and remind everyone that, for the next few weeks,

So You Think You Can Dance airs Wednesday nights on FOX at 9pm.

This is not going to go well...

Very belated, I would like to share a few thoughts on this years "most anticipated new show," Fox's Wednesday night addition, Glee. I quite liked the pilot, when it aired at the beginning of the summer, but I wasn't really sucked in until the second episode which aired last week. Glee is created by Ryan Murphy, who brought us Popular and Nip/Tuck, and a lot more of his biting humor was present in the second episode than in its PG predecessor.

The adult roles on the show are Will Schuester, played handily by Matthew Morrison (whom I recognize only from an episode of Ghost Whisperer that I watched by accident) as a passionate and optimistic loser. He has a lot going for him, but many obstacles between him and happiness. One such obstacle is his neurotic wife Terri (played by the always-welcome Jessalyn Gilsig - another Nip/Tuck presence), whose financial woes, hysterical pregnancy, and controlling behavior make me wonder how she and Will ever got together in the first place. I think they were supposed to be high school sweethearts, which just makes it even more tragic.

In stark contrast to Terri, there is Will's coworker Emma, the school's obsessive compulsive guidance counselor. The adorable Jayma Mays (Heroes! Ugly Betty!) is wonderful in this tight-lipped but hilarious role of the girl who's hopelessly in love with a married man, but adult enough to know better.

Will's ultimate foe is Sue Sylvester, as played by Jane Lynch, whom I want to accompany me everywhere in my daily life, I am such a fan of hers. She is absolutely wicked to the core, and brings her negative energy to her job as the "Cheerios" cheerleading coach. As the school funds are balanced precariously between her team and the fledgling Glee Club, her one mission is to bring Will down, but I think he is hardy enough to hold his own against her. Sue also has about 90% of the show's best lines, and I heard Jane Lynch (who is a wonderful improviser) say in an interview that she never feels the need to improve on the script.

The kids are, frankly, less interesting. Our main girl is Rachel, who is awesome. She's played by Broadway star Lea Michele, who originated the role of Wendla in Spring Awakening, which I think is inspired casting. She's so much more talented than most of the primetime teen show actors, and her voice is incredible. Her character is such a hilarious exaggeration of an archetype that it's just like a giant wink to the audience the whole time. She's desperate to become famous, and in her mid-teens, feels she's almost too old for success (embarrassingly, I totally empathize). She'll be ruthless in her pursuit of fame, but is dealing with nerdiness, insecurity, and a desperate crush on Cory Monteith's Finn, the bumbling jock with a bitchy Cheerio girlfriend and a wonderful voice.

The other kids in the show are just cookie cutters, and I really think that this needs to be worked on. Mercedes, the plus-sized black diva; Artie, the paralyzed nerd; Tina, the stuttering Asian-American Hot Topic customer; Kurt, the effeminate gay kid; and Quinn, the Christian blonde Cheerio who is Finn's girlfriend. There is pretty much no depth to these supporting characters beyond their stereotypes, and if any one of them is going to get fleshed out, it is likely to be Quinn, which I think is a disservice to the rest of the diverse cast.

I am very excited to tune into the show's third episode tonight, which I think will feature more of Gilsig. Also, I would like to remind everyone of last week's best exchange (paraphrased):

Emma: Rachel, are you throwing up in there?
Rachel: No.
Emma: Then what's that next to you?
Rachel: The girl who was throwing up in here before me left that there.
Emma: Rachel...
Rachel: I tried throwing up, but I couldn't! It's like I have no gag reflex or something.
Emma: You may find that comes in handy later on.

I hate to laugh at bulimia jokes, but I do anyway.

Finally, if you are wondering about this post's cryptic title, I am worried about this show. It is unique, and hilariously well-written, and has a rabid fan base. And it's on Fox. If that network does to this show what it did to Arrested Development, Firefly, Futurama, and Family Guy (for a time), then I think many "Gleeks" will be very disappointed. It's currently on just before SYTYCD, but in a few weeks, that show will be switching to a 2-hour format, so where will that push Glee? Friday night at 10pm or something horrible, I'm sure. I am not optimistic about it's chances if it moves around without a solid lead-in.

Glee airs Wednesday nights on FOX at 8pm.

Pain Don't Hurt

I feel it's important to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of Patrick Swayze, who at age 57, succumbed to his ongoing battle with pancreatic cancer yesterday evening. To most people, he was Johnny Castle, the hardened dance instructor and love interest from Dirty Dancing, or Sam the clay-covered spectre from Ghost. To others he was the inadvertently comic tough guy from Road House or Red Dawn, and in later life, he may have been a joke to some.

Patrick Swayze was a wonderfully talented dancer who managed to parlay his skill into a decades-long career as a film and television actor, with roles that will be remembered long after his death.

Like most girls, I will remember him as Johnny the most. I loved his performance in Donnie Darko, and will always cherish To Wong Foo: Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar.

I'll end this on a half-joking note. I think Swayze had a sense of humor about himself, and I promise that my intentions are good, so I will wistfully say...

Patrick Swayze: He's like the wind.

Uh oh.

Today's sign I'm getting old: I fell asleep during Gossip Girl last night. The season premiere of Gossip Girl. Gossip Girl, you guys!

Seriously, just let me get through this week. I want to write about Glee, True Blood, and all the week's premieres! And the latest Mad Men which was awesome! Ack!

D:

Blog! I have not abandoned you. It is just a ridiculously crazy few weeks at work as I am helping my boss get everything wrapped up before she heads out on maternity leave. Hence, the dearth of recaps of individual shows lately. However, as new shows are coming back now, I promise I will get back into that as soon as things slow down. Also I finally saw Julie & Julia and owe you a review. Soon, friends!