Thursday, February 18, 2010

Countdown to "The Office" Baby

I had no idea it would happen this quickly, but after the Olympics in two weeks, Jim and Pam will have their baby on The Office.  Maybe it's not that quick -- they found out Pam was pregnant in last season's finale.  NBC's been showing many previews during their Olympic broadcasts, and here's one of them:

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway...

One of the best things about New York, or any large city, is the access you have to an amazing variety of cultural events.  I hadn't been to a play in a year until recently, and that streak was broken with tickets to see David Mamet's provocative new play Race in December, and then West Side Story this past weekend.  Two very different experiences, both memorable and impressive in their own way.

In the course of my Amtrak adventures on Saturday, a fellow traveler who was missing out on seeing Race that night told me she could hardly wait to go both because of her undying crush on James Spader and her general love of David Mamet.  Wherever she is, I hope she gets to see it someday because Mr. Spader is indeed very good.

Major standout in the West Side Story cast: Karen Olivo as Anita.  Great singing, great dancing, and stage presence to spare.  Turns out she won a Tony last year for the role, so either I am really late to this or I just have excellent judgment on stage performers.  In this New York Magazine interview, Ms. Olivo reveals that she uses her own hair on stage and recently stopped being a vegan! 

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Zombies, zombies, everywhere!

You don't have to be a horror enthusiast to appreciate zombies.  I'm on the squeamish side, and yet I love Sean of the Dead and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  But what I love even more is the series of zombie self-help guides authored by my friend Scott Kenemore, he of the bearded ghost and mad drumming skillz.  I have a vivid memory of watching The Thing with Scott and some other friends in college while drinking Jack Daniel's Blackberry Lemonade, and I can tell you with confidence that is not a movie or beverage which should be combined. 

But I digress: Scott's new book, Z.E.O.: How to Get A(Head) in Business, came out in September, and if you like zombies and wish someone would distill their special qualities into a guide for achieving professional success, then this is the book for you.  Scott is interviewed about his zombie series here, and you can also check out his always entertaining zombie blog.  When he's not thinking about the walking undead, Scott spends time with his lovely girlfriend Heather.

Monday, February 8, 2010

And yet another reason to love Betty White



From last night's Super Bowl.  Betty White, can you do no wrong?  The answer is, no.  She cannot.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Viva the Golden Girls

If you combine Clueless, Amy Heckerling's hilarious and sweet 1990s update of "Emma," with the comic perfection of the ladies of The Golden Girls, you get this:



My single complaint: why no Bea Arthur?  It borders on tragedy.

And the nominees are...

The nominees for this year's Academy Awards were just announced, with Avatar and The Hurt Locker receiving the most nods.  It should be interesting to see if the new system of ten Best Picture nominees works well, and if it succeeds in attracting more viewers when the ceremony is broadcast on ABC on March 7.  This is by far my favorite television event of the year. 

Another favorite?  Newsweek's annual Oscar roundtable, which is in the current issue.  Conveniently, every actor interviewed this year received an Oscar nomination. 

Also: the final season of Lost premieres tonight!  My head might just explode.

And another also!  My friend just reminded me that Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are co-hosting the Oscars this year.  This is all kinds of awesome. 

Monday, February 1, 2010

Bill Watterson speaks!

Also known as the creator of the late, lamented comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, Watterson is a fellow Kenyon grad.  The reclusive author was just interviewed for the Cleveland Plain Dealer; they note that this is his first time speaking to the press since 1989.  As sad as I was when Calvin and Hobbes took their last sled ride, I think Watterson was right to end the strip when it was still good.