Full thoughts tomorrow, but...

Wow. WOW! Best episode yet (well, this season)! Absolutely HILARIOUS, and it only eliminated the person I was almost positive wasn't the Mole, and it increased my suspicions toward certain people who were pretty far down on my list. Ooh, that was fantastic!

1/4th of the way through this week's episode...

...oh yes. Who smells it. CRAZY!Mark emergence!!!!

HOLY CRAAAAP!

Wall-E is #6 on the IMDb top 250!

I know it's a dumb popularity contest but goddamn! I need to see this movie. I think I'm going some time this week! YAAAYYY!!!!!

Mole Monday in 6...5...4...3...2...1... (minutes, of course)

Happy birthday, Melora Hardin!

Though I'm now totally about Micholly or whatever their couple name is, I'm so psyched for some more "Jansanity," as I read in someone's post over on OfficeTally, in Season 5. Melora is gorgeous, totally talented, and has captured, amazingly well, every varied swerve of Jan's personality from Day 1. She submitted "Dinner Party" for her Emmy tape, and if the voters actually watch the tapes instead of just voting by name, she should be richly awarded with a nomination. Happy birthday, Melora! June is a great month for Office birthdays. :)

Emmy Shortlist Thoughts.

Click here for the lists. Keep in mind, I haven't seen the full seasons of almost any of these shows.

COMEDY
Curb Your Enthusiasm (I like this show enough, but it's not really brilliant. It's broad humor done by the guy who did Seinfeld, so it reads as non-broad. If it's chosen, though, I'm not really offended.)
Entourage (I love Entourage, mostly for Jeremy Piven, and he's fantastic in the episode they chose, "The Day Fuckers." I think it's his submission tape. That said, it wasn't the best episode ever.)
Family Guy (I used to love it, but it's really a stupider, broader Simpsons. It's better than The Simpsons is now, but can't compare to it at its height. Though, yeah, I can't deny it's, in its better moments, really funny.)
Flight of the Conchords (Hilarious, zany, and pretty brilliant. My third favorite in this category, but I don't think it has a chance in hell at the nomination and I'm amazed it even made the shortlist.)
The Office (Duh. Best show on television.)
Pushing Daisies (I'm not as enamored of it as others - it rips off Amelie and Burton's aesthetic a lot - but it's totally charming and sweet. And it's got Raul Esparza.)
30 Rock (Second-best show on television. I maintain it has no right beating The Office, but it will anyway.)
Two and a Half Men (one of the worst shows on television. Its continued inclusion in the Emmy nominee list explains why the Emmys are considered such a joke.)
Ugly Betty (it's terribly enjoyable, but it had an awful sophomore slump.)
Weeds (the past season was terrible, but Mary-Louise Parker is fantastic as ever.)

I'm glad they left off Desperate Housewives, which I've hated since the beginning. Scrubs is incredibly uneven, but I wouldn't have complained if they put it over Two and a Half Men. Fuck, they should have put anything over Two and a Half Men. How I Met Your Mother would have been a great choice.

DRAMA
Boston Legal (I've never watched an episode in my life. This is still on?)
Damages (Glenn Close is fantastic, and the show seems pretty darn good.)
Dexter (never watched. Michael C. Hall, be on some show that doesn't creep me out.)
Friday Night Lights (only watched once and it was good, heard great things)
Grey's Anatomy (very weak pre-strike, quite strong post-strike)
House (a glorified procedural, like Law and Order. Hugh Lawrie bores the shit out of me.)
Lost (I haven't ever tried watching this show. The Office sucks up enough of my time.)
Mad Men (what I saw was great, but I think, like Judd Apatow, the creators/producers of this show either have great dirt on or gave an amazing blowjob to the fellows at Entertainment Weekly magazine, because it's always proclaiming how AMAAAAZING Mad Men is, and how it's one of the all-time great shows. After one season. That's what people said about Heroes last year, guys, so let's just hold the applause for now, okay?)
The Tudors (it's okay. Entertaining. Not really great.)
The Wire (I've never seen any consecutive episodes, but I've seen a few here and there and what I saw was really, really good.)

PREDIX
Comedy - 30 Rock, The Office, Pushing Daisies, Two and a Half Men, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Drama - Boston Legal, Damages, Grey's Anatomy (Lost?), House, Mad Men

Jon Kelley's a funny guy.

The Mole blog.

My favorite episodes of every citizen of The Office

Amy Adams: Booze Cruise (S2)
Leslie David Baker: Did I Stutter? (S4)
Brian Baumgartner: Chair Model (S4)
Creed Bratton: Halloween (S2)
Steve Carell: Business School (S3)
David Denman: Cocktails (S3)
Jenna Fischer: Beach Games (S3)
Kate Flannery: Fun Run (S4)
Melora Hardin: Dinner Party (S3)
Ed Helms: The Return (S3)
Rashida Jones: Back from Vacation (S3)
Mindy Kaling: Product Recall (S3)
Angela Kinsey: Traveling Salesmen (S3)
David Koechner: Sexual Harassment (S2)
John Krasinski: Casino Night (S2)
Paul Lieberstein: A Benihana Christmas (S3)
BJ Novak: Night Out (S4)
Oscar Nunez: Gay Witch Hunt (S3)
Craig Robinson: The Negotiation (S3)
Amy Ryan: Goodbye Toby (S4) (obviously.)
Phyllis Smith: Launch Party (S4)
Rainn Wilson: Dwight's Speech (S2)

And hey, look at that, no repeats! Too much S3/S4?

I'm watching Wedding Crashers

and HOLY SHIT. JOHN MCCAIN. Where the heck did that come from?!!?!

(applause)

This is a joke post, but it's fantastic. I think Colbert would have been a good Michael Scott, actually! And Paul Rudd in anything... yum yum yum. Though I feel I would like Ryan a little too much for being hot.

You win on this one, Hathaway.

You can practically hear the "SQUEEEE!!!" over her just seeing Steve and Jenna talk from here. Which is, in fact, exactly what I would do. Dammit, Hathaway!

is it sad...

...that when, on aol.com today, the top celebrity news was Bill Murray divorcing, and the one right under that was Obama denying he was having an e-mail "affair" with Scarlett Johansson, I thought of Lost in Translation and got all excited?

Amusing old Mole observations.

Everyone else gets like, their husband/wife/fiancee/sibling/child... Jim got an ex. (Also, note ACoops checking Jim out for a second when Jim says Joe is "[his] ex.")

Because I haven't posted about my Jim/Pam obsession for a while.

I love how everyone thinks they're gonna break up all the time.

In "Fun Run," they were gonna break up because Jim wasn't happy about carrying Pam's lamp or something, and because he looked "out of it."
In "Dunder-Mifflin Infinity," they were gonna break up because the "is the magic gone" conversation was "prophetic."
In "Launch Party," they were gonna break up because Pam didn't want to go through with Jim's prank.
In "Money," they were gonna break up because Jim had a weird look on his face when he came in and kissed Pam.
In "Local Ad," they were gonna break up because he was OMG AN ASSHOLE THAT DIDN'T SUPPORT HER DREAMS OMG. And also because she gave him an annoyed look that disappeared .0005 seconds later.
In "Branch Wars," they were gonna break up because Jim didn't read Angela's Ashes.
In "Survivor Man," they were gonna break up because Jim was being insensitive over the birthdays.
In "The Deposition," they were gonna break up because she was being demanding.
In "Dinner Party," they were gonna break up because OMG HE WAS GOING TO ABANDON HER OMG!!!! (except, you know, he tried to take her with him, and you know he would have found some way of getting her out of there. Oh, and apparently everyone forgot about when Pam "ditched" him in "Local Ad," because if there's one thing you can't do in The Office fandom, it's insult Pamela Morgan Beesly in any way, shape, or form. But that's a rant for another time, maybe not ever because I like her a lot.)
In "Chair Model," they were gonna break up because she gave him a weird look after the proposal conversation.
In "Night Out," they were gonna break up because he didn't beat up Toby (but you know if he had, everyone would have been like OMG HE'S JUST LIKE ROY WHAT AN ASSHOLE. Jim just can't get a break.).
In "Did I Stutter?", they were gonna break up because he didn't immediately run over to tell Pam that Ryan had threatened him (I loooove the crazy conspiracy theory that someone on the IMDb [of course] boards had, where NBC had "lied" in their synopsis and, in fact, Pam was sleeping with Toby the night before and just didn't want to tell him. LOL. I love IMDb.).
In "Job Fair," they were gonna break up because Pam had such chemistry with the mysterious art school booth guy.

Seriously, this was the season where everyone overanalyzed the shit out of everything (though I dunno, have you ever read the S2 episode recaps on Television Without Pity? Jesus Christ, man, the show's a comedy!). I do think what happened in "Goodbye Toby" was more serious than all this bullshit that turned out to be nothing, but I don't think Pam would be like, in the car, "I HATE YOU NOW JIM AND WE ARE BREAKING UP." Oh, and can we stop the debate of "OMG Jim's the worst employee ever" and "OMG Jim's such a fucking jackass" that seems to be going on a lot lately? If Jim's the worst employee ever, I don't want to know what Creed is. If Jim's a fucking jackass, I don't want to know what Michael is. He happens to be great at sales... but he doesn't like his job. He happens to be a nice guy... but in his own words, he's not perfect, because nobody is.

Whew.

I LOVE I LOVE THE NEW MILLENNIUM!!!!!

Office reference!!!! Office reference!!!! Office reference!!!!

Happy birthday, Miss Angela Kinsey!

For my money, she should be winning Best Supporting Actress - Comedy Series (or whatever it's called) at the Emmys this year. The amount of depth she brought to Angela, while stealing every freaking scene she was in with her hilarity, was just the kind of stuff awards were made for (but unfortunately never recognize). I hope she's spending a wonderful day with the surely lovely baby Isabel!

I think, when Jim Halpert grows up, he's going to become Jon Stewart. Just saying. It's the faces Jon makes.

6/23 Mole wrapup.

Well, damn. "I think the Mole just left the game!" -someone in S2 IIRC. I have no idea who it is now...which actually makes the game way more fun. :) My friend, who's insanely Victoria-For-Mole, is convinced they're gonna bring her back, which they did in a foreign Mole IIRC... but that'd be far too obvious, no? But she was awfully smiley when she left, and she said she had "a feeling" (the producers telling her?)... oookay, I'll stop. Really. The only one I'm pretty sure it's not is Kristen, because she's a beast that seems to add all this money to the pot.

I am sad we were deprived of the extreme comedy of Bobby trying to climb the mountain. Or, heck, Bobby trying to put the bricks in his backpack.

I think the problem everyone can't quite articulate with Jon Kelley (other than OMG HE'S NOT ANDERSON!!!!!) is that he's sooooo serious all the time. I still kind of love him though. I think it's because he reminds me of the Chili's manager in "The Dundies," and because if you read his blog on The Mole's site on abc.com he's very, very funny.

I LOLed at Paul's grammar error. Moron. I was pleasantly surprised, though, that he didn't freak out at Craig and actually let him rest. I definitely don't think Craig's collapse was fake or Mole sabotage or whatever. I'm 21 and in shape, but I'd be dead as any dead animal who has ever died at the top of that mountain if I had to hike up it.

Excitingness next time - Paul-Free in Van #2! And did they really burn the diaries? Remember the bags/clothes in S2?

Happy birthday Mindy Kaling!

She wrote "The Dundies"!!!! And the way she says daaaaaaamn in "Goodbye Toby"!!!! WOOOOORSHIP.

Dear I Love the New Millennium,

Can we not get nostalgic about TV shows that are STILL ON* ?

* The Office can be an exception in 2005/2006 if you so desire

This weekend proved it:

Steve Carell >>>>>>>>>>>> Mike Myers + universe

Rainn Wilson will do anything for a laugh.

And I totally love him for it.

Oooh, James McAvoy looks goooood on The Daily Show right now...

...mmmmm... oh, and a post on The Mole tomorrow. Except it BLEW MY MIND!!!! and I have no idea who the mole is now. DAMMIT VICTORIA!!!!!

Mole Monday!

(Okay, not nearly as great as Office Thursday.)

Uh, VH1?

Do you really have an "I Love the New Millennium"? REALLY????? You couldn't wait until 2010? WTF.

Oh, I just love Ed Helms.

Don't you?

HAH!

On said Saturday Night Live repeat, it turns out Steve Carell is hosting, and it's right before the S2 premiere of The Office in summer 2005. And he just made a joke about how they were going to cancel it because nobody was watching! Ohhhh, so funny. He's funny.

ETA: The episode also references beet salad and people checking their hotel rooms with blacklights for sketchy stains. Yay!

:,(

I'm watching a repeat of an old Saturday Night Live and they have someone playing Tim Russert, and it made me really sad. :( :( Heck, the article they had about him in People made me all teary-eyed. He was a fantastic newsman (is that a word...?) and, by all accounts, a great person. Though it's a tad late, RIP, Tim.

Ya'll know I love the Spider-Man series.

But Peter's aunt/grandmother person/whoever is SO LAME AND HORRIBLE AND GAHHHHH.

Ang Lee's such an ass.

Hey! I'm gonna make another film about gay people! Because I'm still bitter over what happened with the last one! I'm the best director on the planet and it was the greatest film ever made!!!!

(The lead guy in that movie's gay, which is where this comes from. Really, there should be more homosexual representation in movies, but because it's Ang Lee, I gotta take swipes at him. Sorry.)

Another EW list...

The New Classics: Stage. I've commented on the ones I'm not like "huh, what is this?"

50. Chess
Oh no. There are so many better musicals to choose.
49. Topdog/Underdog
48. Fool for Love
47. Burn This
46. Rabbit Hole
It's a great play, but I wonder if I'd like it if Cynthia Nixon hadn't been so amazing.
45. Sunday in the Park with George
Well, it's Sondheim. Of course I love it.
44. Wit
I only saw it on HBO, but it was fantastic there.
43. Spring Awakening
It's neither THE GREATEST THING TO EVER HIT BROADWAY!!!! nor a piece of overrated crap. It's just a good musical. It deserved Best Musical last year, but that's because the nominees were totally below average. I don't mind it being here. At least it tries to be daring and different.
42. subUrbia
41. Cirque de Soleil: O
40. Fires in the Mirror
39. Grey Gardens
Way overrated. Not that great.
38. Noises Off
37. This Is Our Youth
36. The Substance of Fire
35. Stomp
A ton of fun.
34. Brighton Beach Memoirs
Eh... we did this at least three times in high school in some way (as a lab show, as a mainstage, and in my drama class). I'm not that crazy about it, probably because every time we did it the guy who played the lead, though a different person every time, was a smug fuck who I wanted to punch in the face. Wow, that was angry!
33. Hairspray
I love it. It's just one giant bundle of fun.
32. Prelude to a Kiss
31. Three Tall Women
30. City of Angels
It's very underrated ("You're Nothing Without Me" is one of the most spectacular showtunes ever written), but I don't think it belongs so high.
29. The Piano Lesson
28. Speed-the-Plow
27. La Cage aux Folles
Meh. I'm still bitter about Jerry Hermann insulting Sondheim when he won with this.
26. Dinner with Friends
It's quite good. I feel like I need a drama teacher to walk me through all the subtext and story arcs and whatever, though.
25. Falsettos
Oh God, Falsettos is so incredibly beautiful. One of my favorites.
24. Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk
23. M. Butterfly
22. Into the Woods
Again: Sondheim. Of course I love it. That second act is easily one of the most twisted things ever written in theater, and it's so great.
21. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
I hated the movie - it was a mess - but the show itself is glorious and campy fun.
20. Three Days of Rain
The play's really not that great, Julia or not...
19. Six Degrees of Separation
18. Elaine Stritch at Liberty
17. Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de la Lune
16. Wicked
I despise Wicked so, so much. The music and lyrics, "Defying Gravity" aside, are terrible. Words can't decide how happy I am that it lost Best Musical.
15. Les Miserables
I know Les Miz is schlocky crap, but I don't even care. It's my unabashed favorite musical, and one that's influenced my very life in many, many ways. I love it and can't listen to it without crying hysterically. It's just... it's special to me, you know?
14. Frost/Nixon
13. The Lion King
Back before Disney was debatably ruining Broadway, The Lion King existed. And oh my God, it was simply breathtaking. The amount of imagination and sheer wonder that went into it is simply amazing. The other Disney stuff on Broadway can die, but this is just...amazing.
12. The Phantom of the Opera
Cheesefest, but at least the music is kind of pretty and it's nice to look at. In terms of the BIG musicals, it should be obvious which one I prefer. That said, at least it beat Cats for longest-running musical.
11. The Coast of Utopia
10. The Producers
The original cast was quite literally one of the funniest things I've ever seen. That shitty movie (the 2005 one, not the original 1968 one which is amazing) has tainted my thoughts on it, but it's still so, so funny. That said, I'm not sure if it's the cast or the actual material.
9. The Heidi Chronicles
I hate most things feminist, but The Heidi Chronicles is a terrific play.
8. Avenue Q
My favorite musical of the 2000s, bar none. And it's not even close with anything else (well, okay, Urinetown).
7. Glengarry Glen Ross
Such a great play.
6. Fences
This one, too. I cried like a little bitch.
5. Jersey Boys
I don't think it should be this high, but it really is terrific and definitely deserved its Best Musical Tony. It was incredibly well-crafted, and notice I didn't need to put "for a jukebox musical" before that. It's just great.
4. Doubt
I remember kind of thinking it was a smudge overrated, and if I'm honest I like The Pillowman more (and think it belongs on here!). That said, it's really fantastic.
3. August: Osage County
Still haven't gotten around to seeing or reading it.
2. Rent
Before the hype, before the stunt casting, before the terrible movie, before all that bullshit, there was a musical that could, and though it wasn't perfect and pretended to be all bad-ass, it really had a huge heart. That musical was Rent, and all things considered, it was pretty amazing and revolutionary and, yes, Justine Credible loved it. Wow, that was awful, but yeah, Rent is spectacular and totally deserves its place here.
1. Angels in America
Absolutely. Angels in America belongs up there with, I'm not even kidding, stuff like Macbeth; it should be a classic of theater forever, not just recognized as a great contemporary play. It works and exceeds on so many levels.

Light in the Piazza and ESPECIALLY Urinetown should be on here. Maybe Ragtime, The Secret Garden or The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

Today in really fuckin' obvious things,

Steve Carell has a weird nose. It's also huge. Seriously, every time I see him in profile - and I do, like, a lot (you might have heard I'm a fan of this TV show he's in) - I'm a little shocked anew.

EW's New Movie Classics.

Part 4 (25-1), and the list as a whole.

And, of course, the bitching commences... now.

100. South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut
Yes yes very yes. I still say this is easily one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, and it's smart and incisive too. I'm not such a fan of the series - it's verrrry uneven, even in the earlier seasons - but this is just amazing.
99. The Blair Witch Project
I never really liked it, but it is a horror classic already.
98. The Talented Mr. Ripley
The more I think about this movie, the more I like it. It's beautiful and layered and well-acted. Plus, it introduced most of us to Jude Law... *drools*
97. Glory
It's okay. I haven't seen it in a while. Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington are terrific, of course.
96. Far from Heaven
I'm glad it's so low. It's a good movie, but very overrated.
95. In the Mood for Love
Now this should be higher. Gorgeous and affecting.
94. Full Metal Jacket
Haven't seen it in a while. Don't remember liking it all that much.
93. Ed Wood
I LOVE THIS MOVIE. I think it really speaks to how good it is that it's a movie with Johnny Depp, directed by Tim Burton, and I still squeal over how much I love it.
92. Menace II Society
It's okay. Again, I don't remember it all that well.
91. Back to the Future
Oh, it's soooo amusing. I need to rewatch it soon. (That's the case with a lot of these films, no?)
90. Napoleon Dynamite
Ugh, I haaate this shit. One of the worst movies I've ever seen, easily. I know I bitch about The 40-Year-Old Virgin, but even that was way better than this. That said, this movie did make a pretty significant social impact.
89. Breaking the Waves
Vaguely offensive like the rest of Von Trier's films, but damn if Emily Watson isn't effing amazing.
88. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
I won't pretend this isn't funny, but really? This over, like, The Shawshank Redemption?
87. Swingers
It's very entertaining - who doesn't love Vince Vaughn? - and still fairly culturally relevant.
86. Y tu mama tambien
I really liked it; it's very sexy. That said, I've seen people call it the greatest movie of all time, which is totally ridiculous.
85. The 40-Year-Old Virgin
No. Just no.
84. Sideways
If this list was done in 2004/early 2005, this would be like #25. Remember how big it was? And how it's now like 90% forgotten? Anyway, it's a really good movie, but I simply can't relate to it in any way at this point in my life.
83. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn
I love the Evil Dead movies, but that's entirely because of Bruce Campbell. They're really not the best of movies.
82. Lost in Translation
OBVIOUSLY. I've gushed about this more than enough and the fact that it's only 3 spaces above The 40-Year-Old Virgin and stuck in the 80s offends me greatly.
81. Moonstruck
It's entertaining and cute, but not really great.
80. Michael Clayton
Going for the "intelligent sort of political thriller" thing here, right? It's a great film.
79. Waiting for Guffman
YES YES YES YES YES. SO FUCKING FUNNY.
78. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
I haven't seen it in a really long time. I remember it being good, but not great.
77. Sid and Nancy
Not a very good movie. Really, I'd only recommend it for Gary Oldman's performance.
76. The Departed
FANTASTIC. God, could this movie be any more awesome.
75. Out of Africa
I liked it a lot, but I dunno...
74. Drugstore Cowboy
Never seen.
73. Office Space
I got all confused, as you can imagine is my automatic response nowadays when I see the words "office." But yeah, it's pretty funny. The Office, though, is still better.
72. Thelma & Louise
I do love it, but its crazy fans scare me a little. As do crazy fans of, well, almost everything, really, so I can't really give these crazy fans a hard time in particular.
71. Unforgiven
Totally great. These kind of movies are why I love Clint, excess of Oscar love be damned.
70. Broadcast News
It's okay. Cute. Holly Hunter's great.
69. All About My Mother
I still like Talk to Her better, but this is a fantastic Almodovar movie.
68. Witness
I just rewatched this a little while ago, and yep, it's really good. I love Harrison Ford in it, so much. He really can act, he just... chooses not to a lot of the time.
67. Donnie Brasco
Meh.
66. Natural Born Killers
Easily one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Ever. Ever ever ever. That said, you can't deny that Oliver Stone had some huge balls in making it, but it's still just so bad.
65. Dirty Dancing
I haven't seen it in ages. I so love the music, though.
64. No Country for Old Men
Yes, this one is going to be a total classic in the future. It's so good and creepy and atmospheric and all that.
63. Big
It is delightful indeed.
62. sex, lies, and videotape
Another one I need to see again soon. I do remember thinking it was great, though.
61. Beverly Hills Cop
...really? Over a large number of movies already on this list and a bunch that aren't?
60. Scream
It certainly is a horror classic. It's not really a great movie, but it's very entertaining.
59. L.A. Confidential
Yep. Also, it should probably be even higher.
58. Ghostbusters
Everyone knows I love everything with Bill Murray, right? Right.
57. There's Something about Mary
I still totally love this movie. It's hilariously offensive in the best of ways, and Cameron Diaz is beyond charming and lovable.
56. The Lives of Others
I love that this is on here, but Pan's Labyrinth isn't. That said, if this list is "classic" movies of the past 25 years, this one isn't so applicable, great as it is, because it's already forgotten.
55. Risky Business
How adorable was Tom Cruise here? Really. That said, the movie relies on his charm and isn't very good otherwise.
54. Fatal Attraction
Great Glenn. Lousy movie.
53. The Truman Show
Very smart and funny. Plus, one of the very few Jim Carrey performances where I don't want to staple something to his head (he still didn't deserve an Oscar nod for it, BTW).
52. The Naked Gun
Haven't seen it.
51. There Will Be Blood
Absolutely. Fantastic movie, and totally audacious.
50. The Piano
I saw this for the first time... last summer? and I was surprised by how much I liked it, honestly. I thought it was going to be feminist bullshit, but it was incredibly alive and, yeah, kinda sexy, even when you consider that was Harvey Keitel's dick you saw.
49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Easily one of the best martial arts films ever, quite frankly. Ang Lee is so much better when he sticks with non-English.
48. Scarface
Again, a film that's totally audacious and has gigantic balls, but actually has the quality to back it up too.
47. Men in Black
I so love this movie, but it's not great.
46. Children of Men
As I revisit it, it occurs to me that it's kind of overrated, or at least those long shots are. It's still totally terrific, though, and one of the best of the new millennium.
45. Rain Man
I hate it. I also think Dustin Hoffman is awful in it.
44. The Player
... but you made up for it with this one, Entertainment Weekly. It's fairly forgotten already, but God, it's so great and smart. Tim Robbins is awesome.
43. Gladiator
Screw the haters, I think it's terrific. Russell Crowe pretty much defines "force of personality" here.
42. Clueless
Oh my God, I love this movie so much. It's very funny and totally sweet. Plus, Paul Rudd = HOT.
41. Dazed and Confused
Eh.
40. Speed
It's definitely a good action movie, but it's not really a great movie, if you know what I mean. It still deserves its place on the list, because it'll be watched for years to come.
39. The Sixth Sense
Absolutely. I'm amazed by how affecting this movie still is today, in the wake of how lousy M. Night Shamaylan's other movies are. What the hell happened to him, anyway?
38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Abso-fuckin'-lutely. In fact, it should be even higher. I wouldn't complain if it was top 10.
37. Pretty Woman
It's an okay movie, but Julia Roberts is totally charming and wonderful in it. That's about the only aspect I can recommend it for, though.
36. Spider-Man 2
Even after how effing fantastic Iron Man was, this is still my favorite superhero movie of all time. It's so great and utter fun.
35. The Incredibles
So deep in analyzing the lives of superheroes that it's almost boring. Not bad, but any Pixar movie save Cars is far better.
34. Fargo
Yes, it's definitely already a classic, and even with how damn good No Country was, it's still probably my favorite Coen brothers film. Oh, Steve Buscemi.
33. The Breakfast Club
I thought it was a pretty bad movie, but it is a classic, unfortunately. Everyone should see it.
32. Fight Club
Though this movie isn't necessarily as smart as it thinks it is, oh dear lord it is so funny. It definitely deserves its place here, as well, as people still talk about it, and will for a long long time.
31. Brokeback Mountain
I'm pleased it's so low; I thought it would be top 10 for sure. That said, yes, people will be discussing it for years to come, but the same goes for Crash.
30. When Harry Met Sally...
Best romantic comedy ever?
29. The Bourne Supremacy
Far too high, but these three movies are still great.
28. Wings of Desire
It's an amazing movie, but totally forgotten by the viewing public.
27. Aliens
Yep, this movie kicks ass. I can't ever decide whether I like this one or Alien better, though.
26. Hoop Dreams
It's a really good movie, and actually pretty underrated.
25. Shrek
I love that EW doesn't hate it, because it's become sadly trendy to do so. I still think it's wonderful, funny, and full of heart.
24. A Room with a View
... I guess? This movie is totally forgotten and not all that great (though it's good and all).
23. Memento
It's definitely influenced many films since it, so I guess it's a classic. It's a really good movie, too.
22. Rushmore
WTF? Does anyone remember this movie? I love it, but it's far from a classic.
21. Schindler's List
Only #21?! That's bullshit. If any sort of real "classic," embraced by the public and all that, emerged from the time period EW is looking in, it's either this movie or The Shawshank Redemption.
20. The Lion King
YES. Screw Beauty and the Beast or The Little Mermaid (not that those two movies aren't amazing), this is my favorite Disney movie of all time.
19. Casino Royale
#19? WOW. I like this movie and all, but could it be more overrated here?
18. Do the Right Thing
YES. Everyone knows I love Crash and all that, but this is the ultimate movie about race relations. It's amazing.
17. Jerry Maguire
Totally sweet and charming. I love Tom Cruise in it. I'm not sure it deserves to be quite so high, but it is a great movie.
16. Boogie Nights
God, do I ever love Boogie Nights. I just took it out of the library at my college and rewatched it right before I left in May, and it's so great, funny, touching, and well-acted. Plus, a giant prosthetic penis! Who doesn't love that.
15. Edward Scissorhands
I don't care for it, of course. I just think it's kind of... meh.
14. Crumb
I've never seen it, because I really don't like that guy's work. No one ever talks about this movie, so yeah... if you were going for documentaries with impact, you could have chosen Fahrenheit 9/11 or whatever.
13. Goodfellas
YES. This should have been top 10, easy.
12. The Matrix
It's not a good movie at all, but it deserves its place here for its cultural impact.
11. This Is Spinal Tap
HAHA HOW MUCH DO I LOVE THAT THIS IS #11. SO MUCH. Yes, this movie is so awesome.
10. Moulin Rouge!
Oh my GOD, YES!
9. Die Hard
Maybe the best action movie ever. I'm thrilled to see it so high.
8. The Silence of the Lambs
It might be a little overrated, but it's definitely high-quality and constantly discussed, so I can't complain.
7. Hannah and Her Sisters
I'm thrilled EW recognized this, as it's nearly as good as Manhattan or Annie Hall, but it doesn't get a lot of people talking about it like those two. That said, I think I prefer Crimes and Misdemeanors, but either is A+.
6. Saving Private Ryan
As a great movie on its own? Yes. Over Schindler's List? No fucking way. And it's not this great. Shakespeare in Love did, indeed, deserve that Oscar.
5. Toy Story
YES. It literally has everything you could want in a movie (except maybe sex, for obvious reasons).
4. Blue Velvet
It's a little high here, but I love the hell out of this movie. It's so fucked-up that I can't help but love it.
3. Titanic
Duh. I don't care what y'all say, I think this movie is terrific and totally affecting despite some pretty clunky dialogue.
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy
I don't love them, but they are really good movies, and undeniable classics.
1. Pulp Fiction
Oh HELL yes. And that's all I gotta say to that.

Okay. 1983-2008, and they don't have American Beauty, The Shawshank Redemption, Amadeus, or Forrest Gump? I know these movies have their critics and I often see where they're coming from, but these are undoubtedly new classics that will be watched and discussed for years, more so than Casino Royale (I still can't get over that it's #19) for God's sake.

And of course, I've got a bone to pick with the TV list. The Office is only #61, getting beaten by crap like Desperate Housewives and Xena: Warrior Princess, while the original is #17? And 30 Rock is #47? I know 30 Rock is the new NBC critics' darling, but come on. Freaks and Geeks is #13? Really, Entertainment Weekly, how much did Judd Apatow blow you? (That was repulsive and inappropriate, and I don't care)

But, overall: pretty good list. I don't think you can have these kinds of lists without someone somewhere bitching about them.

EW's 100 New Classics.

Part 1 (100-76).
Part 2 (75-51).
Part 3 (50-26).

The top 100 films of the past 25 years. Part 4 coming, I assume, tomorrow, and then I'll bitch about the list as a whole, of course. My bets: Pulp Fiction, Shawshank, one of The Lord of the Rings, or Schindler's List as #1 (those will probably all make the top 10). Maybe American Beauty or Forrest Gump? I feel like one/both of those came up already and I'm just not remembering them... I'm pretty shocked (and thrilled) Brokeback Mountain isn't higher.

The Office and Emmys, pre-S4.

Don't you looooove this picture?! IIRC it's post-Emmys when they won Best Series.

So we analyzed the crap out of what episodes The Office actors should submit for the Emmys in S4, but what about the best episodes in the past seasons for the actors? S1 doesn't count so much. That said, I think S4 was the best so far in terms of getting as many actors as possible a good episode. Keep in mind I haven't seen parts of S2 or S3 in kind of a while, so if there's something really blatant I'm missing...

Season 2
Steve Carell: Booze Cruise
Obviously he's hilarious, but he's also got that incredible scene on the deck with Jim. I can't believe he was the only one acting-wise to get nominated in S2, but it's bullshit that Tony Shaloub won for the 2860948609486th time.

Rainn Wilson: Dwight's Speech
"Dwight's Speech" is kind of a one-joke episode, but that one joke is extremely funny. The episode revolves entirely around him, giving him a boatload of screentime too.

John Krasinski: Casino Night
How does anyone not fall in love with him, utterly and totally, after this? My only worry is that it might have been too serious and not comedic enough, but that's never stopped them from fawning over Felicity Huffman on Desperate Housewives in the past. That said, he could also go for "The Secret."

Jenna Fischer: Boys and Girls
Heart. Broken. Again, this might be too serious, but S2 Pam wasn't really incredibly funny, so, and her acting is just too damn good here.

BJ Novak: The Fire
RY-AN STARTED THE FIRE!!! I'm also a big fan of that face he makes in "Michael's Birthday," but that's like 4 seconds long.

Angela Kinsey: Christmas Party
She's typical tight-ass Angela, but she also shows her softer side and you feel really bad for her for, at least for me, the first time.

Melora Hardin: The Client
Everyone likes to see an ice queen shatter.

Leslie David Baker: The Dundies
From throwing out his Dundies to "it's this person whose hand I'm holding, Michael?" to the speech, it's all fantastic.

Brian Baumgartner: Casino Night ?
I might be the world's biggest Kevin fan, but he didn't have much in S2.

Creed Bratton: Casino Night
Oh, he just loves to steal things. I recently re-watched some episode in S2 where I was like "haha he's so GREAT here!" but I don't remember which one it was.

Phyllis Smith: Office Olympics ?
Again, she usually doesn't have all that much.

Kate Flannery: Christmas Party
BAHAHAHA THE SCENE WHERE SHE FLASHES MICHAEL AHAHHAHA.

Mindy Kaling: The Carpet
After all, it's the first episode where Kelly has a personality. Oh, and what a personality it is...

Paul Lieberstein: Casino Night
I so love his face when Michael bitches at him.

Oscar Nunez: The Secret ?
Did he have anything better in S2? I wonder if Dwight will ever get his favor... it'd be hilarious if some S5/S6 episode revolved around it, randomly. Oh man, what if Oscar's the one to get Dwangela together again, for good, somehow!

David Denman: Booze Cruise
Eh. Ya'll know of my hatred for Roy. I don't really pay much attention to him during any given episode, but the proposal was well-played.

Amy Adams (JESUS!!!!): Booze Cruise
Because she had way more screentime here than in "The Fire." Did she submit for Guest Actress in S2? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Granted, she wasn't nearly as famous then as she is now.


Season 3
Steve Carell: Business School
He submitted this, I know... and how he didn't win, I have no idea. Alec Baldwin was the one with the weaker tape last year, but I guess the two of them split the vote, or the Emmys felt they owed Ricky Gervais for the British Office...

Rainn Wilson: The Coup
Again, I know he submitted this. And again, how he didn't win, I have no idea. But, I believe I said that Jeremy Piven should win in this category for all eternity, and I can't say I'd mind terribly. But, eventually, he should bow out for Wilson and Krasinski. ;)

John Krasinski: A Benihana Christmas
Very funny, very touching, and a boatload of screentime. "The Job" was another option. Why the heck he submitted "Business School" last year, I'll never know. Not that he was bad in it or anything, but he had so many better options.

Jenna Fischer: Beach Games
The deadpan, duh. The speech, duh. I know she submitted "The Job," and that was also a fantastic choice. That look at the end...

BJ Novak: Initiation
BJ Novak can keep on writin' episodes that focus on his character as long as he maintains his hardcore JAMmer status :P

Ed Helms: The Return
Love him or hate him, he's so Andy in this episode.

Rashida Jones: Back from Vacation
I think my favorite Karen is SnarkytoJim!Karen. Like, I love when he walks in to that room she's in, all mopey, and says "Do you want to talk about it?" and she just goes "nope" and walks straight out. Awesome.

Angela Kinsey: Traveling Salesmen
CuteGiddy!Angela is the greatest Angela of all the Angelas. "The Return" was another option; I think those two episodes were the ones that made me realize what an acting force Angela Kinsey is. I adore her, and if she gets a nomination for S4 I'll shriek in delight.

Melora Hardin: Cocktails
Why is this so hard? I also love her breaking down in "The Job," and that look on her face when Michael first sees her without her jacket on. So funny.

Leslie David Baker: Initiation
One could argue that this isn't the "real" Stanley, but oh my God it's still so funny.

Brian Baumgartner: Safety Training ?
Kevin was hilarious in S3 (as ever), but it was more a collection of little moments. He did seem to get a weirdly large amount of screentime in S4.

Creed Bratton: Grief Counseling ?
I remember him being funny (and even slightly dramatic??) here, but I have no desire to return to this episode. Ever. So I can't verify it.

Phyllis Smith: Phyllis' Wedding
Duh. Though that scene with "Did you break wind" is, quite literally, my least favorite scene in the entire series. Oh well. She can't be blamed. Yikes, I've been so negative about The Office in my last two write-ups here!

Kate Flannery: Women's Appreciation
Meh. Meredith doesn't get all that much screentime, for kind of obvious reasons (there's only so many "alcoholic and sex addict, LOL!!!" jokes you can make before it starts to get insensitive).

Mindy Kaling: Product Recall
This day is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S! If she gets episodes with a focus on her, I'd like to see way more like this, and way less (fewer?) like "The Deposition" (which, by the way, definitely improves with repeated viewings, even if it's never gonna be my favorite episode. "Branch Wars" is now my second-least-favorite episode of S4.). Gah, I want to stab her in the face in "The Deposition." Well, maybe that's a little harsh...

Paul Lieberstein: A Benihana Christmas
That way he says "why?" might still be my all-time favorite line delivery on this show.

Oscar Nunez: Gay Witch Hunt
Duh. His big episode, and one he's very, very funny in.

David Denman: Cocktails
Did I mention Roy's an asshole?

Weird movie dreams.

I had a dream I saw The Dark Knight as incentive for some sort of tax information program. Yeah, it was weird.

The weirdest part? In my dream, The Dark Knight wasn't very good. :(!

Mole catchup

...only 48 hours later.

Bye bye Bobby. You know I loved you, even if I was the only one. When Jon Kelley was like "we will now continue with the execution," though, I cheered out loud. But Jesus Christ, I just want Douchey McYonkers to go, already. If he makes it to the finals I won't be pleased.

Victoria is officially my choice for Mole. There's the green thumbprint clue on her helmet from the first episode that was clearly digitally added, and in this episode we got another clue that could be interpreted as her being the Mole. When they were all getting massages, she was the only one to get a specialty chocolate massage. A famous Chilean chocolate sauce? Mole! Granted, it's pronounced different than the English "mole," but still. If she is the Mole and this turns out to be an actual clue, I'll be so freakin' proud of myself. In addition, Victoria is under the radar, but the teams she's on seem to usually fail in ways that don't blatantly point to her. She makes comments that remind me of the original Moles (I think it was in the last episode where she said something like "The Mole doesn't even have to try, we're getting along so badly" which was like S1 Kathryn's "The Mole wants the team dynamic to break down"). Oh, and her crying after Bobby was executed (notice they were apparently BFFL, and he got kicked off) was incredibly fake. There's also this... hidden away from her family? She probably makes it to at least the top 3.

If the Mole's not Victoria, I think it's Clay. There were clay pigs last episode... okay... A better clue was the fact that he withdrew from the running-around-the-village-in-his-underwear challenge, citing reasons of dignity. Both the civilian Moles did that (Kathryn didn't shave her head, and Bill wouldn't wear a diaper - another clothing challenge). Mole or not, I really like Clay, he's smart and observant and I think he'll go far (watch him get booted next episode).

A lot of people seem to think the Mole is Craig. If this means he sticks around forever, I'll be happy because I love him, but I just don't see it. Yeah, his weight is a hindrance, but he really does try his ass off every episode. IIRC he was the one who fixed the slingshot in the clay pigs challenge

Good for Ali. With this bunch (okay, with Paul), I'd take the money and run too.

I like Nicole more and more every episode as she gets less whiny and more bitchy to, specifically, Paul ("love you!").

The really skinny guy and the really fat guy next to each other = classic comedy that you might roll your eyes at but secretly you know is always funny.

Guesses for now -
Winner: Clay
RU: Mark (it amuses me that I've read multiple posters on multiple boards say he's like Michael Scott)
Mole: Victoria

Order they're out in, from first to last:
Marcie (duh)
Liz (duh)
Ali (duh)
Bobby (duh)
Alex
Paul
Kristen
Craig
Nicole
Mark (the Mole's final victim)

Wow, no posts yesterday!

I suck. AKA I got home at midnight and was exhausted.

Aaanyway (there's a point to this story), I got home at midnight because I was at my dad's. He wanted to see S1 of The Office, because he'd watched it when it was originally airing, but totally forgot all about the plots and whatnot. And, in re-watching S1, I discovered what my problem with it is, and why I'm never really struck by the desire to watch it very often, even episodes I love like "Diversity Day." I will now sum up S1 for all y'all:

Michael Scott: (something incredibly, unbelievably offensive)
Entire office: (ten second awkward silence)

That's about it. S1 is a little too "life in this office is so awkward!!!!" It's also so low-energy as to be dull at times. One could make the argument that this dullness is at the heart of The Office as a satire of working at, well, an office, but come on. This is a TV show - a remarkably well-written and well-acted TV show, but a TV show. The producers want people to watch it. Casual viewers who don't analyze the shit out of every episode like, well, I do, won't be drawn in by constantly dull deadpan. If The Office had remained like that, I don't think it would have stayed on very long, and if it was still on now, people would be begging for it to change.

Also, Michael is such an asshole in S1. Part of why I just can't warm to the British Office is the fact that I just want to smack/kill David Brent, and S1 Michael might as well be David Brent. The changes they made to his character made the American Office much stronger than the show it's based off of.

Finally, in S1, John Krasinski looks, like, 18. It's adorable.

*cries*

Alec Baldwin "Tired" of Acting, Scrutiny. I am not even kidding when I say Alec Baldwin is one of my favorite actors, post-2003, and all it took was some brilliant screaming of "Patriot Act!"

Oh well. At least if he leaves 30 Rock, the show will inevitably end and maybe Steve Carell can win an Emmy someday, right...?

1000 posts.

Thank you, thank you very much.

The Tonys in review...

...Yeah, I have nothing to say, other than YOU GIVE ME A BORING SHOW, YOU GET A BORING REVIEW LIKE THIS ONE. No performances made me want to run out and see them; In the Heights was the only new musical that even came out looking okay.

Oh, and I'm still not over this last year:

Oh, and I finally bought tickets to Dangerous Liaisons for the last day it's open. So excited. :)

but before I go to bed...

"SHUT UP! IT'S BEEN 29 YEARS!"
- the divalicious Ms. Patti LuPone to the cut-off music

Of course Raul Esparza didn't win.

Laura Linney was presenting his award. The Tonys were like, "ooh! If we have Laura Linney present a Tony to Raul Esparza, [Justine Credible] will just be too happy."

More bitching tomorrow, maybe?

Oh, Steve.

Why did you just call Anne Hathaway "a tremendous actress." That hurts my heart. Oh, and with all the advertising, I feel like I'VE SEEN THIS ENTIRE MOVIE ALREADY.

You know what movie is terrible?

The Last Kiss. It's basically just people screaming at each other in a rather hysterical manner. I can't really buy Zach Braff screaming. He's so adorable! (I also don't buy his whole "player" rep, but w/e.)

C'mon, Paul! I defend you! I defend you all the time! I'm the only one that defends you! But you're practically GIVING THEM AMMUNITION with this one!

For the second time today, HEADDESK.

Tony Predix!

Best Play: August: Osage County
Best Musical: Passing Strange (alt. In the Heights)
Best Book of a Musical: Xanadu (alt. In the Heights)
Best Score of a Musical: In the Heights (alt. Passing Strange)
Best Revival of a Play: Boeing-Boeing (alt. Macbeth)
Best Revival of a Musical: South Pacific (alt. Gypsy)
Best Lead Actor in a Play: Mark Rylance - Boeing-Boeing (alt. Patrick Stewart - Macbeth)
Best Lead Actress in a Play: Deanna Dougan - August: Osage County (alt. Kate Fleetwood - Macbeth)
Best Lead Actor in a Musical: Lin-Manuel Miranda - In the Heights (alt. Paulo Szot - South Pacific)
Best Lead Actress in a Musical: Patti LuPone - Gypsy (alt. Kelli O'Hara - South Pacific, ugh, Kelli O'Hara is the Anne Hathaway of Broadway. Beautiful voice, incapable of acting.)
Best Featured Actor in a Play: Raul Esparza - The Homecoming (alt. Jim Norton - The Seafarer) (c'mon Raul! I don't care that it's a make-up award!)
Best Featured Actress in a Play: Rondi Reed - August: Osage County (alt. Mary McCormack - Boeing-Boeing)
Best Featured Actor in a Musical: Danny Burstein - South Pacific (alt. Robin de Jesus - In the Heights)
Best Featured Actress in a Musical: Laura Benanti - Gypsy (alt. Andrea Martin - Young Frankenstein)
Best Direction of a Play: Anna D. Shapiro - August: Osage County (alt. Matthew Warchus - Boeing-Boeing)
Best Direction of a Musical: Bartlett Sher - South Pacific (alt. Arthur Laurents - Gypsy)

So, basically, it'll be an orgy of love for August: Osage County, and I actually won't want to kill myself with the acting winners this year... hopefully. Patti, Raul, and Laura are three of my favorite Broadway actors. I haven't seen anything aside from Gypsy and Sunday in the Park with George, so I can't really speak to preferences.

oh, man...

M. Night Shyamalan on The Happening: "If something happens during the movie and you think, 'That's dumb,' it'll be because whatever happened was actually too amazing for you to fully understand, or possibly a metaphor for something really crazy and cool."

HEADDESK.

Because I feel like it.

Is The Office The Jim and Pam Show? Nope. Do I realize that? Yep. Do they provide the most squee-worthy moments? You bet your ass...

From 2/12... *snort*

You had a tough first year as governor, Mr. Spitzer? Oh, you can't imagine how tough they're gonna get for you in a month or so...

You know what I wanna see?

Both Miracle at St. Anna and The Exchange (is it still called that?) up for Best Picture, and both Spike and Clint up for Best Director. To quote Mr. Halpert in "The Fight," well... FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

God loves The Daily Show, Part 2.

Huh?

Ed Helms is in Evan Almighty. And he appears to be wearing an Andy tie. And saying Andyish things. Weird? Also, Jon Stewart just showed up.

ETA: And was that Colbert I spotted?

Awww, love.

Or at least, friendship (slash in The Office world [outside of Oscar/Gil and the mention of Michael/Ryan, though anyone that actually ships Michael/Ryan is...uh...] seems so desperate and unreal, like the KaPam people... though their name is effing awesome, it's like, c'mon, we all know you just wanna see some lesbians.). Too bad about S4 huh?

Before I'm off to sleep...

Aziz Ansari officially hired for Office spinoff.

So this Aziz Ansari guy is apparently famous for Human Giant? Well, guess who I know. The brother of the guy who writes/directs Human Giant. I'm so getting the scoop... and we know what that means. OOMPA LOOMPA DOOMPITY DAWESOME!!!!!

Argh, guys.

Zac Efron is so hot in Hairspray. I just can't help it.

HOLY SHIT.

There is one scene that we shot in "Boys and Girls" where Roy really got pissed and went after Jim because Jim was getting involved in Pam wanting to take that internship. He kept telling her that she needed to just do it and go. So we did the scene and it got REALLY heated, because Jim was like "I’m not backing down. Even if you kill me I’m not backing down in front of all those people." Roy and Jim were in each other’s face, and people had to tear us apart, and that’s how the scene played out. But then the problem was there wasn’t much comedy in it. It was so dramatic. And thankfully they ended up cutting it out. I think it’s a lot better with more of a quiet understanding of what could happen if these two ever got into it.
- David Denman in some interview. HOLY SHIT. PLEASE RELEASE THIS SCENE SOME DAY.

This is adorable.

From Jenna Fischer's blog:

"Jenna, I know you and Angela are very close. How is she doing with the new baby? – Charles from NEWPORT, Pennsylvania
Angela is an amazing mother. I'm beyond impressed. She has the calm of someone who's been through it before. The sleep deprivation makes her funny to talk to. I was visiting her one day and she fell asleep in the middle of a conversation. Then, she woke up and kept talking as if nothing had happened! It was hilarious."

Teehee. I love that Angela and Jenna are BFFL, it makes their scenes on The Office even funnier.

Brilliant incomprehensibility.

The Happening spoiler, apparently:

Apparently there is a scene where Marky Mark, in a sweater vest, talks to a potted plant. And he cries.

This. Movie. Is. Going. To. Be. DAWESOME, Spider-Man 3 style.

Full list of Office Emmy submissions.

Comedy Series
The Office - "Local Ad," "Branch Wars"

Lead Actor
Steve Carell - "Branch Wars"

Supporting Actor
Brian Baumgartner - "Chair Model"
Creed Bratton - "Dunder-Mifflin Infinity"
Ed Helms - "Launch Party"
John Krasinski - "Branch Wars"
Paul Lieberstein - "Branch Wars"
BJ Novak - "Night Out"
Rainn Wilson - "Money"

Supporting Actress
Jenna Fischer - "Fun Run"
Kate Flannery - "Fun Run"
Melora Hardin - "Dinner Party"
Mindy Kaling - "The Deposition"
Angela Kinsey - "Fun Run"
Phyllis Smith - "Launch Party"

Guest Actress
Rashida Jones - "Branch Wars"
Amy Ryan - "Goodbye Toby"

Directing
Jeffrey Blitz - "Chair Model"
Greg Daniels - "Fun Run"
Randall Einhorn - "Did I Stutter?"
Justin Farino - "The Deposition"
Paul Feig - "Goodbye Toby"
Tucker Gates - "Job Fair"
Paul Lieberstein - "Money"
Jason Reitman - "Local Ad"
Joss Whedon - "Branch Wars"
Ken Whittingham - "Launch Party"
Craig Zisk - "Dunder-Mifflin Infinity"

Writing
Steve Carell - "Survivor Man"
Greg Daniels - "Fun Run"
Brent Forrester & Justin Spitzer - "Did I Stutter?"
Mindy Kaling - "Branch Wars"
Lester Lewis - "The Deposition"
Paul Lieberstein - "Money"
Paul Lieberstein & Jen Celotta - "Goodbye Toby"
BJ Novak - "Local Ad"
Michael Schur - "Dunder-Mifflin Infinity"
Gene Stupnitsky & Lee Eisenberg - "Dinner Party"

Hairstyling
"Fun Run"

Makeup
"Fun Run"

My thoughts: well, they went batshit crazy for "Branch Wars," one of the weaker episodes this season. It's not weak - weak is relative when we talk Office - but they could have gone with much stronger episodes. Then again, it is kind of slapstick-y, and the Emmy voters do love slapstick. As a whole the actors picked extremely well, save Steve, but he's a lock for a nomination no matter what. And maybe he can change his tape? Or maybe he's terrified of Alec Baldwin and just wants to give him the win? I know Mindy Kaling has no shot, but if in some crazy world she gets nominated with the episode she submitted, I will eat my own brain.

Is it wrong that I think Katherine Heigl...

...is kind of awesome?

Seriously, it's nice to see someone who doesn't just parrot back everything their publicist tells them to. And yes, her storyline BLEW on Grey's.

Uh........

But despite the snotty kiss, Hathaway was thrilled to get the chance to make out with one of her favourite funnymen.She adds, "Making out with him is like the yummiest lollipop, dipped in sunshine and wrapped in a masculine wrapper! That's the only way I can think to describe it."

- Anne Hathaway on kissing Steve Carell

Moooooley moley mole.

Josh Kelley's great, but he's no ACoops. Then again, no one will ever be.

For the record: I like the whiny, pathetically weak guy because it makes me think I could be on this show because even I could run around more than he could, and also because he has hilariously over-the-top reactions.

I hate the loud guy that I'm sure everyone hates. He lives in the town I was born in/lived in for quite a while, oh the shame. He gives Yankees fans a terrible name and I hope he's going soon. Though, it'd be kinda funny if it turns out he was the Mole and in the end, his personality was all an act. I liked Nicole a lot better just because of the "no forensic evidence" line.

I knew Liz was going because she clearly had no idea what was going on ("oh, it must just be a peseta in the pig! Don't break it!"), but I adored her and was sorry to see her leave.

Oh, and I'm the only one watching. Which means The Mole will be cancelled and my summer TV plans will be destroyed and I'll have nothing to watch until September 25 except like CNN. GAHHHHH.

WHAT.

Stephen Colbert is in The Love Guru?

Doesn't Stephen have better things to do? Like... actually being talented? (OK, JT's talented too, but not so much in the acting business.)

My job sucks.

Honestly, I'd rather work for friggin' Dunder-Mifflin Scranton. At least that's entertaining.

in non-defense of Roy

I've noticed a lot of people in The Office fandom defending Roy, saying he's a good guy and not an asshole. This is... no.

I. Hate. Roy. Anderson.

God, I hate him. I hate him so much more than I hate S4 Ryan, because we know Ryan still has some good deep down in his soul, is totally addicted to drugs, and is desperate, jealous, and paranoid. Apart from the Jim thing, S4 Ryan is more pitiable than hatable.

Roy, on the other hand, I just hate. I hate him so much that when I read quotes like when David Denman said, early-mid-S3 (this isn't an exact quote, but it gets the basic meaning), "I think Pam will end up with Roy because he's dependable and Jim's just the cute guy you flirt with," and when Jenna Fischer's on some video giggling about him and saying she keeps pitching ways for the writers to bring Roy back, I get really fucking angry at both of them. Yes, I know it's a TV show. It still angers me.

A lot of people get angry at Jim at various points in S3, and I don't blame them. He definitely wasn't blameless. But, Pam gets almost no flack for S2. Yes, I know, Jim should have picked a better time to confess, and yes, Pam was shy and scared to try new things, but that in no way excuses her completely. Hey, guess who played a big hand in making her so timid, in draining her of all her self-confidence?

Many, many people bash Karen blindly. I hate Jim/Karen, for reasons other than "OMG she stole Pam's man!!!!", but Karen? Yeah, she's a bitch, but she's also kind of awesome. She's smart and funny. Roy very rarely is the subject of a blind bashing-fest like he is right here, and that's just not cool when Karen is bashed all the time. Roy has almost no redeeming qualities. Let's see when he was nice... okay. One time when he was talking to Pam's mom. And then when he wanted Pam back, AKA he realized other girls wouldn't put up with his bullshit and he wasn't getting laid on a regular basis. Once he got back with Pam, and thank God that was short-lived, he was the same old stupid asshole Roy - she had to force him to do anything couple-y, and when he did his heart just wasn't in it and he let that be known.

Did he love her? Probably. But a lot of that love was tied in with obligation, and a lot more of it was tied in with how he felt incredibly superior to her all the time. Was he abusive? Not in the obvious way, but using his physicality to dominate her must have been a large part of their relationship (see "The Dundies," and we all know he could get violent), and he was incredibly mentally abusive - maybe inadvertantly so, but he was. Like I said right above, many of Pam's character flaws are very much Roy's fault, or at least, he contributed majorly to them.

Oh, and I hate reading fic (yeah, I read fanfiction, you got a problem with it? When I start writing it, that's the problem) where Jim and Roy are like, BFFL or having these great conversations. I don't care how in-character the dialogue is, I don't care how well-written it is, the entire concept is incredibly flawed because it's wildly OOC (it's a little like "The Coup," where I can't really say Dwight is OOC because that's definitely Dwight in there, but the entire concept is just not right for Dwight).

So, basically, in S5 (and S6, and S7, and...), the writers are not to bring back Roy. Actually, there is one possibility where they can: Jim and Pam are happily married or their wedding is extremely soon, and they run into Roy and his new wife somewhere, and Pam sees how messed up Roy's wife is and realizes how lucky she is to have ended up with Roy, not Jim. Seriously, I don't see what bringing back Roy as a regular could do. They wrote him off with the most dignity they could give him and his arc, but he should really be gone forever.

Wow. That was long. That's what she said. And terribly-written. But I just had to get my feelings out, what can I say? Every time you defend Roy as "a good guy," God makes Andy propose to Angela again.

DAMMIT, JIM AND PAM.

So, I always try to keep in mind that The Office is, you know. A comedy. I think sometimes, the fandom has the tendency to ignore that and turn it into OMG Let's Overanalyze Everything Jim And Pam Do And Not Spend Any Time Ever Talking About Michael Even Though He Is The Lead. So, I try not to concentrate too much on JAM or whatever (a big example of this is when people kept complaining about how we never saw JAM's first date. The show's a frigging comedy! Plus I suspect their first date was as such: "Jim, I never told you I love you, but I do, I love you, and I'm so sorry." "I still love you, too, Pam. And, I'm sorry too." "That's fantastic. Wanna have sex now?" "Absolutely I do." And it was, by the way, amazing. Okay, that was dangerously in fanfic territory.). But then... I watch an episode like "Booze Cruise" or "The Secret" or "Casino Night" or "Initiation" or "Beach Games" and I, like, feel my heart twist. It's so pathetic, but they're just too, well, amazing... ;_;

Dear Office S5 spoilers,

Please start to happen kthxbi. Last year at this time, I feel like we had so many more! This year, we've got... the Netflix summary, which tells us absolutely nothing. Oh, and Ryan's coming back. And there's a spinoff but nobody knows what the hell's going on with it. And that's about it! (/kevinindidistutter?)

AOL Headline...

Star Loses It During Awards Show
Talks About Environment, Guacamole

I have no idea who they're talking about because I didn't look at the article (ah, apparently Lauren Hutton.), but THAT IS THE GREATEST HEADLINE I THINK I'VE EVER SEEN (other than those ones in the "LOL grammar!" books that are purposefully horrible).

Hey. Guess what movie is ridiculous.

Spider-Man 3.

The thing is, I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be. I mean, movies don't get that...wow...without some intent to be so, right?

I've been watching this on loop since Wednesday.

God loves The Daily Show.

LOL!!!!

Ask Dr. Clive Owen.

I love the internet.

Vintage Carell.

High-laaaarious. I always loved Steve on The Daily Show (Even Stevphen!!!!). Oh, and the "punch me" thing, did that remind anyone else of "The Fight"? Ed Helms' clips from The Daily Show are great too. He's so gosh-darn cute!

JOHN KRASINSKAYYYY!

/>

Sometimes, I'm pretty sure he is Jim Halpert. Which, of course, makes him even more appealing...

Talking heads.

You know you're obsessed when: you actually recognize some of these. I think Kelly's is from "Product Recall," Meredith's from "The Job," Angela's from "Traveling Salesmen," and Pam's might be the "he said what" from "Sexual Harassment." I know I recognize Oscar's too, but can't put my finger on what episode it was exactly (something from "Gay Witch Hunt"? the "bowl over the competition" from "Booze Cruise"?)...

Hmmm

I think I stopped caring about Lindsay Lohan.

People who are in love:

Anderson Cooper and the original Mole (yes, I know, she's a girl, but awwww).

Steve, don't be an asshole! Come on!
I'm not being an asshole.

The Carell looks kinda hot there...

Whooo hot man list!

So remember this list from last year? Well, there's another one. Let's comment on it! Hah, what a difference a year makes, I was calling Kras Jon Krasinski and saying that I thought he was adorable even though I didn't watch The Office...

100. Jared Leto - no. greasy.
99. James Franco - yes. Though, as I said on that MTV Movie Awards post, between him and his Pineapple Express costar Seth Rogen, I'll take the latter.
98. Hayden Christensen - yes. And when will ya'll accept that he was just fantastic in Shattered Glass?

97. Ben Browder - who? Looks good in the picture though. As I noted last year, cheekbones.
96. Adam Barta - sure.
95. Thomas Roberts - as far as gay news reporters go, I'll take the SILVER FOX, thank you.
94. Russell Tovey - who?
93. Peter Paige - who? Kind of too pretty for me.
92. Matthew McConaughey - kind of.
91. Jake Shears - as far as ridiculously flamboyant musicians go, I'll take my Rufus.
90. Christopher Gorham - love him. he's so adorably dorky on Ugly Betty. I think last year I said he was too skinny, but I didn't watch The Office then, so clearly I was an idiot. ;)
89. Robert Downey Jr. - Duh. He's all cleaned-up, but he's still got that great bad boy edge he always did, and he's very sexy.
88. Justin Hartley - who?
87. Jude Law - oh, yes, please. He's pretty, but in a good way.
86. John Krasinski - fucking duh. So, so wonderful in many many ways. He should not be falling in the ratings, and I will personally recruit all the gay/bisexual men I know (there are a lot) to vote him #1 next time so there. :P
85. Rufus Wainwright - yay! I think he's very good-looking, and he's one of my favorite musical artists.
84. Ricky Martin - eh. I can never stop thinking about that rumor that he likes to pee on people, because I'm weird like that. Plus, he's almost too muscular.
83. Nicolas Gob - who?
82. Henry Cavill - oh fucking YES. My mom's obsessed with The Tudors like I'm obsessed with The Office, and sometimes I catch it and just... oh...
81. Adam Levine - yes, he's gorgeous.
80. Tom Ford - hot, but he seems like a total ass.
79. Shia LaBeouf - kind of. Is it wrong that I like him, as in, as an actor?
78. Jason Statham - yes. Too bad his movies all suck.
77. Mitch Hewer - who?
76. James Sutton - who? kind of. a little too delicate-looking for me.
75. Dave Annable - yes, but not overly so.
74. Joseph Gordon-Levitt - kind of.
73. JP Calderon - a little skinnyish.
72. Darryl Stephens - who? he's making a stupid "I'm soooo sexy" face in the picture they have of him
71. Clive Owen - duh, even though he's so terrifying.
70. Cristiano Ronaldo - terrible picture of him, but his body's obviously amazing.
69. Ronnie Kroell - who?
68. Josh Duhamel - yes. Even if he has the bad taste to date Fergie.
67. Eric Mabius - oh my God, could he be hotter? No. No he could not. He's so sweet with America Ferrera on Ugly Betty, too.
66. Paul Rudd - why is he not higher? Last year when I reviewed this list, well, just see his picture. He's still in my Top 5. Ugh, he's so hot.
65. Orlando Bloom - gorgeous, but obvious, and I'm tired of people making excuses for his lack of talent with his looks.
64. Lee Pace - hot. I should probably watch Pushing Daisies.
63. Eric Bana - YES, DUH. He was lametastic in The Other Boleyn Girl, but it was nice to see that part where he took off his shirt.
62. Ian Somerhalder - Like I said last year, so pretty, maybe a little bit too much.
61. Ashton Kutcher - kind of?
60. Jensen Atwood - eh.
59. Josh Holloway - kind of. Guys with long hair = meh.
58. Eddie Cibrian - FUCK, YES.
57. Colin Farrell - kind of. Very, very hot, but also kind of weird.
56. Chad Allen - kind of? Eh, not really.
55. Patrick Dempsey - he's called McDreamy for a reason. And that reason is because he made my heart go all a-flutter... in Enchanted. ;)
54. Ewan McGregor - very yes, but the picture they have of him is awful.
53. Paul Walker - yes, too bad he can't act and his movies are so bad.
52. Gael Garcia Bernal - ha ha, he went down (that's what she said. Or he said.). Yeah, he's completely fug, but that picture they have is kind of doing it for me. Huh.
51. Taye Diggs - pretty much.
50. Eric Dane - yes. And yeah, he's hotter than his Grey's costar Dempsey.
49. Matt Damon - oh my God yeah.
48. Chris Meloni - YES, and so sexy.
47. George Clooney - Yes, please! I'm glad his rank rose so much.
46. Matthew Fox - Okay, I have that "you know what's interesting about him? NOTHING!" from Knocked Up on loop in my head, but yeah, he's very hot.
45. James McAvoy - utterly swoon-worthy and I adore the picture they have of him.
44. Declan Bennett - who? yawn.
43. Jared Padalecki - Like last year, I am not a fan of his hair. But he's got a killer smile.
42. David Boreanaz - meh.
41. Gerard Butler - DUH. I'm surprised his superfans didn't vote him #1 with a vengeance.
40. Johnny Depp - go away gahhh. but yeah, he's good-looking, some of the time way more so than others.
39. Ryan Gosling - yeah, but they picked terrible pictures for him.
38. Milo Ventimiglia - yes, and I love the picture they have of him. Scars are hot, what can I say...
37. Mario Lopez - his body's nuts. I kind of wish I'd seen him in A Chorus Line, frankly.
36. Jonathan Rhys Meyers - oh my GOD, yes. He's also part of the reason why I don't mind my mom watching all those Tudors episodes...
35. Jamie Bamber - FUCK YES.
34. Heath Ledger - he was gorgeous, in a sort of vulnerable way. He's gone, but I hope, never forgotten.
33. David Tennant - Great-looking and fun.
32. Randy Harrison - who?
31. Tom Welling - yep.
30. James Marsden - oh very yep. He manages to be adorable and sexy all at once. And, as he proved this year, he's just a great presence in musicals.
29. Jo Weil - who? What a lame picture.
28. Hugh Jackman - DUH. Why isn't he higher?
27. Channing Tatum - SO. HOT. As I've said many a time before, it's worth it to watch She's the Man for shirtless him.
26. Christian Bale - HIGHER ON THIS LIST I SAY! HIGHER!
25. Justin Timberlake - ALSO HIGHER. YOU ALL ARE DUMB.
24. Zac Efron - a little high on the list, but yes, he's very attractive. I have accepted it. Oh, the shame. (hides head)
23. Robert Gant - who?
22. Matthew Rhys - Cute.
21. Ryan Phillippe - Oh my God, yeah. Is it bad to say I just want to lick that picture they have of him? Yes? Okay then I won't say that...
20. Jake Silbermann - who? Oh, he's on a soap opera. Lame
19. Chace Crawford - sort of
18. Wentworth Miller - oh, the eyes!
17. Thore Scholermann - WHO? A German soap actor? JKras is in the 80s for this guy? LAME.
16. Daniel Craig - he should still be lower, and they should never have a picture of him with his shirt on. I do think it's awesome that he wants to have Bond have an affair with a guy.
15. Brad Pitt - yeah, duh. He's not even boring.
14. TR Knight - he's adorable, but he shouldn't be above a lot of these other guys. And it's weird and creepy that he's dating a 19-year-old (though not as weird and creepy as James Woods being my dad's age and his girlfriend being my age). Such a cute acceptance of his placement on the list, though.
13. Jensen Ackles - Cute, but not AMAZING.
12. David Beckham - FUCK YES OH MY GOD ANY OTHER WORD FOR YES YOU CAN PUT HERE. Oh my GOD, David Beckham. I don't think he has a brain cell in his head, but who cares?! JUST LOOK AT HIM! LOOK AT THAT PICTURE UP TOP!
11. Gareth David-Lloyd - Yeah, he's very cute. I just can't see the name "Gareth" without thinking of Gareth from the British Office and giggling hysterically.
10. Ryan Reynolds - YES OH MY GOD. Him and ScarJo are the prettiest couple of all.
9. Anderson Cooper - SILVER FOX! SILVER FOX! SILVER FOX! I love him, and not just because he's gorgeous in an academic way. He's brilliant and, judging from everything I've seen from him in the media, he's got a fantastic personality.
8. Chris Evans - ANOTHER BIG YES.
7. Van Hansis - who? kind of stupid-looking
6. Gale Harold - Like I said last year, cute but nothing special. Love the picture they have of him.
5. Neil Patrick Harris - Could he be any more awesome?! No. No, he couldn't!!!
4. Cheyenne Jackson - Oh, yes. Fuck, yes.
3. Luke McFarlane - Oh my God, yeah. I should be watching Brothers and Sisters with all these ridic hot guys, but Sally Field grates on me so much...
2. John Barrowman - OH YES. Exactly like I said last year, I doubt he'd make the top 100 if women did this, so THANK GOD THE GAY MEN HAD A SAY. SO HOT.
1. Jake Gyllenhaal - YES, but so obvious. C'mon, lovely gay men, you don't want the same #1 as all the tween girls. Go with Barrowman next time (or Krasinski, or Beckham, or...)! :D

More Office Emmy submissions.

So far we already had:

Supporting Actor:
Ed Helms, "Launch Party"
I don't think he'll be nominated, but he deserves to be, and soon.

Supporting Actress:
Jenna Fischer, "Fun Run"
She didn't have all that much to do this season, really. She should have won last one. To be honest, I'd actually rather see Angela get a nomination than Jenna, but of course I'll be thrilled for either. And I'm not dissing Jenna, she's amazing.
Melora Hardin, "Dinner Party"
Perfect, obviously. Yeah, she deserves a nomination for this tape alone!

Guest Actress:
Rashida Jones, "Branch Wars"
I'd be fine with her getting nominated, but not amazing.
Amy Ryan, "Goodbye Toby"
Now she was amazing. I'm pulling for her to get a nom.

Today we got:
Supporting Actor - BJ Novak, "Night Out"
The best choice for him, but I don't think he has a chance.

Supporting Actor - John Krasinski, "Branch Wars"
*applause* If he doesn't get a nomination for this one, I will burn the Emmy nominators' houses to the ground. [/branchwars] Quite frankly, it's win-worthy too.

Lead Actor - Steve Carell, "Branch Wars"
There is no explanation for this. Except maybe NBC told Steve to take the fall for Alec, especially considering Baldwin The Awesomest submitted a perfect tape ("Rosemary's Baby") (that thing about taking a fall is a joke, seriously). Steve's great in this episode, I mean, it's Steve, but when they had stuff like "Money" or "Goodbye, Toby" or "The Deposition" and they submit "Branch Wars"?! Dumb.......... it might be the "weakest" episode for them to submit. Can they change it once he gets nominated (since he's a lock no matter what, because this is the Emmys?)?

ETA: Novak indeed submitted "Night Out," not "Dunder-Mifflin Infinity"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANDERSON COOPER!

Yeah, I was definitely talking about him yesterday (thanks Mole). I LOVE THE SILVER FOX!

Random strike pondering.

^ We would have missed that.

So I was thinking about the strike today, and how, if it had taken place last year, I think we would have missed all the way from (including, I think) "The Convict" to "The Negotiation"/"Safety Training." Wow. That's the meat of the season right there. We would have missed a LOT. It possibly would have screwed over the show, because due to the whole "real time" thing, there's not much of a way they could have, say, just picked up from where they left off and not acknowledge the giant time gap.

What the heck did we miss this year? I'd love to see the "lost episodes."

FUCK YES!

MY BOY!

#1.

The recreation of "Casino Night"? Oh... lord...

And how cute is Kristen Bell?

Serious Question.

The Office (American) has a 9.4 on IMDb. Why, whenever I go to its page there, then, is the featured review ludicrously negative, often non-sensically so?

BTW, my job started today. I HAVE TO WAKE UP AT 6 MON-THURS UGHHHH. So I won't be posting like crazy at, like, 4:15 AM.

Guess what I just watched!

The Mole! I need some crappy summer reality TV.

And it was still totally guilty, paranoid fun, like it was in...2001? Was that really the last time it was on? Wow. And I love the host... but even so, he's no Anderson Cooper (as little hearts and stars appear around my head).

I didn't overanalyze Jen Celotta's "Goodbye, Toby" question responses.

See here. Hey look, it's another post in list form!

- Hopefully they'll have all Steve's improvs during "Goodbye, Toby" on the DVD (BTW, Jenna Fischer just confirmed - 40 minute blooper reel!!!!!!).
- I noticed Pam writing down stuff in the notebook after "I'm Toby"!
- oh man, would I love to see the "talking head blitzes" for ... well, every time they do it.
- E-MAILS FROM MOSE. E-MAILS FROM MOSE. E-MAILS FROM MOSE.
- I may be overanalyzing the wording, but note she says Pam was "bummed" that it didn't happen. Not "overwhelmingly devastated" or anything like that. Hopefully, JAM gets over it. And I think they will. :)
- 72 minutes?!?!? How many deleted scenes were there? Is one Jim proposing? ;)
- Rainn Wilson is so funny.
- BREAKING STORIES FOR S5!!!

That's all. /merylstreepindevilwearsprada

I watched some of the MTV Movie Awards.

OH GOD I COULD ONLY TAKE SO MUCH.

Random observations:
- Rainn was funny. DWIGHT SCHRUTE!
- Anne Hathaway presenting an award to Johnny Depp: my personal nightmare come true?
- How many of those things does Johnny Depp have, anyway?
- THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID! Oh, Steve.
- DON'T LET RDJ NEAR THE POT! WHY DID YOU DO THAT!
- Between James Franco and Seth Rogen, I'll take the latter.
- It's a really bad thing when the MTV Movie Awards nominate your Best Picture of the year for their equivalent of Best Picture, and your Best Actress of the year for their equivalent of Best Actress, and the Oscars don't.
- the skit with the monkey and Verne Troyer and the Orbit lady was so repulsive I had to turn off the awards.

Emmy submissions are trickling in...

... Melora submitted "Dinner Party." Ed submitted "Launch Party." Jenna submitted "Fun Run" (not exactly what I would have submitted for her, but probably the second-best). Hopefully we'll find out the rest later, which will also all match up to what I said they should submit. ;)

(bows)