Elementary | 10pm on CBS

Holmes and Watson search for a thief who committed murder to steal a rare map. Meanwhile, Watson becomes concerned with Sherlock’s escalating interference into Kitty’s burgeoning personal life.

Saying Goodbye to THE OFFICE – A Show That Changed My Life

THE OFFICE changed the trajectory of my life. It’s not often that one can say that about a television show, but in my case it’s true.

Like many others I’ve always enjoyed the escapism that TV provided. I had such a passion for TV that in October 2005 I started this blog as a way to connect with other TV fans.

On November 2, 2005 I wrote my very first post about THE OFFICE (“Why Won’t You Watch The Office?“). With very low readership to my new blog, I was thrilled that I received 10, yes 10 comments, in support of my love of the show. But I found my people and each week I would share my thoughts on that week’s episode and as a group we discussed our favorite quotes, storylines and characters. I was thrilled to be able connect with fellow OFFICE fans in this way.

What I didn’t know at the time was that my tiny little blog had caught the eye of an actual cast member from the show – Jenna Fischer. Imagine my thrill when Jenna mentioned my blog as a ‘go to’ site for OFFICE fans in one of her MySpace blogs. I couldn’t believe it. I messaged Jenna to share my gratitude, and decided to take the leap and ask her if she might be willing to answer a few questions about the show for my site. She graciously agreed and asked if I would mind if John Krasinski answered a few questions as well. Of course I said ‘yes’ and soon after I published not only my first ever celebrity interview but I was honored to post the first ever joint ‘Jim & Pam’ interview. The interview was published just as THE OFFICE was settling in and really finding an audience in S2, and as such my blog became a destination for fellow OFFICE die-hards.

For the next few seasons, I covered as much about the show and the cast as I could.  My OFFICE Thursday posts, which served as a round-up of everything OFFICE related for the week, were always my most popular posts without fail. (Which I was thankful for as they took hours over the course of the week to put together). Every Thursday I held OFFICE chats over at BuddyTV where fans of the show could gather to watch and discuss the episode while it was airing. [The most memorable OFFICE chat?  When my phone rang and it was John Krasinski. To think I almost didn’t pick up the phone, because seriously…no one interrupted me during THE OFFICE back then.]

That interview with Jenna and John caught the attention of publicists from other networks and shows and in the years that followed my blog went from a small hobby to a passion project that took hold of my life in a big way. I traveled back and forth from Boston to L.A. many times a year to cover red carpets, network events, and to bring my readers behind-the-scenes of their favorite shows.

On February 27,2007 (one year to the day that we teamed up to start a petition to Supersize the season finale of THE OFFICE – ‘Casino Night’ – a gesture that got me a shout out on the S2 DVD commentary – a fangirl thrill), I lived my ultimate TV fantasy when Jennie (from the hands down best OFFICE site, OfficeTally.com) and I were invited to visit the set of THE OFFICE. Every moment of the day exceed my expectations. To this day it stands as one of the best experiences of my life.

It’s 7.5 years later, tens of thousands of fellow TV lovers are still coming to Give Me My Remote.com every day to discuss their favorite shows. Even though I’m not involved in the site the way I once was, I am so incredibly proud of the experiences I have had while on the journey of building something that is so special to me.

Each choice you make in life causes a ripple effect.  If I didn’t write that very first post about THE OFFICE back in 2005 Jenna Fischer would have never found my site. I might not have got the attention of other TV publicists.  I definitely wouldn’t have been invited to the first ever blogger’s set visit to VERONICA MARS and as such I wouldn’t have met one of my very best friends and fellow TV Talk Podcast co-host, Dan. I wouldn’t have enjoyed the special experiences that have come from GMMR (I mean, do you really think I would have been invited to hang with Oprah if I wasn’t a TV blogger…the answer is ‘no’.). Bottom line, if I didn’t write what I did back in the day about THE OFFICE I really don’t think my life would look anything like it does today. And I can pretty much guarantee that I’d be back home in Boston doing something completely different.  But life happens and so I’m writing this from sunny Los Angeles, where I moved…well, I guess in a way because of THE OFFICE.

So as I sit here writing this overly verbose post, we are just hours away from THE OFFICE airing its final episode. While I’m so sad that the show that has meant so much to me over the years is ending, I feel incredibly lucky to have been part of this amazing and dedicated fandom. I have met incredible people over the years directly and indirectly related to this show. The journey my life has taken over the past 7+ years and the experiences I have had would have NEVER happened if it weren’t for my love of THE OFFICE. I will probably never have the opportunity to thank the cast and creative team for what they have done for me, but I hope they one day realize that their half hour comedy show completely changed the direction of my life.

I’ll miss you, Dunder Mifflin.

THE OFFICE Time Capsule – GMMR Interviews Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski

In honor of tonight’s series finale of THE OFFICE, we at GMMR have decided to open the time capsule and bring back a few of our all time favorite OFFICE posts.

Talk about ‘Throw Back Thursday’ – what you are about to read is not only GMMR’s first celeb interview but also the very first joint Jim and Pam interview.  Neither of them knew at the time that their on-screen ‘will they, won’t they’ would land them forever in the hearts and minds of TV fans as one of television’s most beloved couples. So let’s rewind the clocks to January 2006 (yup) and check in with John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer.

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Today is a big day for Give Me My Remote. Today marks what we hope to be the first of many exclusive interviews with the stars of your favorite TV shows. What makes this event extra special for me personally is that these actors happen to be from one of my favorite TV shows, The Office.

First off, if you aren’t watching The Office, then you are missing out of one of the smartest and funniest shows on TV today. This ensemble cast, lead by Golden Globe Winner Steve Carrell (‘The 40 year old Virgin’), brings us a unique and hilarious glimpse into the world of the often mundane corporate America.

Two of the standout characters on The Office are Pam Beesely, the warm hearted office receptionist, and Jim Halpert, the young sales rep with an unrequited crush on his co-worker Pam. Fans of The Office have really responded to the office flirtation and obvious unspoken connection between Pam and Jim; a relationship which brings depth and warmth to this hysterical sitcom.

Jenna Fischer, who portrays Pam, and John Krasinski, who plays Jim, were kind enough to grant Give Me My Remote an exclusive interview. Jenna and John give us a behind the scenes look at one of today’s hit shows, as well a little insight into their characters. And we also get to know a little more about Jenna and John, off-camera.

On a personal note, I wanted to take a moment to thank Jenna and John for taking the time to answer our questions. It’s not often you find actors so accessible to their fans. And as a true fan of the show, it’s been a special experience connecting directly with the actors I watch on TV every week. Enjoy!

Give Me My Remote (GMMR): We all know that Pam and Jim are based on the characters Dawn and Tim from the BBC version of The Office. What characteristics of Dawn and Tim, if any, did you consciously bring to your characters?

JENNA: I love the British version of the show and I think that Lucy Davis is just brilliant as Dawn. I love how honest she is in her performance. That was an inspiration. I’ve tried very hard to make Pam her own woman. There are similarities, sure, because the premise of our show is based on the British version. I’m excited because I feel like the writers have done a great job of writing these characters for the American actors and giving us unique qualities that are different from the British version.

JOHN: Well, after taking a very deep breath to calm my nerves, I tried to understand Jim’s situation first and foremost. Martin Freeman did a perfect job, there’s no other way to say it. So I tried to focus less on the things he did that made me laugh and pay more attention to what would someone do if faced with the situation that Jim is in. Unrequited love can be incredibly painful and the office jokester is lots of fun. So I had plenty to start with.

GMMR: Not sure if you’ve heard, but Pam and Jim fans have created a new moniker for the couple, a la Bennifer and Brangelina. Your characters are affectionately known as “Jam”. So tell us, are the writers responding to the buzz that Jam is getting? Are the storylines shifting to focus more on this relationship?

JOHN: I think the relationship in the office has been an interesting story to follow from the beginning. I can’t give the writers enough credit for how incredibly realistic they have been with this storyline. It’s an incredibly difficult thing to balance and they have dealt with it with such care and subtlety it’s been amazing. And I think the reason for seeing more and more of the relationship on screen is that the documentary film crew in the show are now aware of the love interest and therefore paying more attention with the cameras.

JENNA: We try to keep it interesting. Not too much Jam, not too little. I’m rooting for them to get together just like everyone else. But I try to be patient. I want it to be realistic which means I think it will take awhile.

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THE OFFICE Time Capsule – GMMR’s Very First ‘OFFICE’ Post

In honor of tonight’s series finale of THE OFFICE, we at GMMR have decided to open the time capsule and bring back a few of our all time favorite OFFICE posts. Come back throughout the day and relive some of our favorite OFFICE memories.

Might as well start where it all started.  Back in 2005.  Below is the very first post Give Me My Remote ever posted about THE OFFICE. The blog was only about a month old and I don’t think even my closest friends knew it existed. But I had an outlet to share my early love of THE OFFICE and so I did. Who knew that 7 years later GMMR would still be talking about this show.

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I’ve been sitting at my computer for the last 20 minutes trying to think of what I could write to capture how I feel about NBC’s THE OFFICE.

I happen to think it is the best comedy on TV right now. We all know that I watch a lot of TV, but THE OFFICE is the only show that makes me laugh out loud. I mean…really laugh. I came into work and tried to tell a co-worker how freakin funny last night’s episode was, but the problem is, The Office isn’t a show that’s easy to recap. There aren’t blatant jokes and punchlines. Try telling someone who doesn’t watch the show how freakin’ hysterical it was when Pam and Jim were doing the “Jets” dance behind Michael last night…the hilarity of Dwight realizing his desk had been moved into the bathroom…or the uncomfortable, but hysterical way Michael kept calling the Interns cellphone pretending to be Michael Jackson calling from Wonderland, er, Neverland. The small but hilarious moments of THE OFFICE often doesn’t translate well, but here I am with a huge grin on my face just thinking about it. I love this show. But why aren’t more people watching it?

The Office is a different kind of show. I think that TV audiences are used to laugh tracks and in your face comedy. For years we have been hit over the head with shows like ‘Friends’, ‘Will & Grace’ & ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’. I’m not here trying to take anything away from those shows – some of the greatest comedies of our time, but they all followed a certain formula. They were sitcoms – situational comedies. For those of you who watch The Office – don’t you find it hard to characterize The Office as a sitcom? It just doesn’t seem to fit. I think this is the same problem that ‘Arrested Development ‘has been facing since its inception. These are shows that are hard to label and therefore hard to market. I think the networks don’t know what to do with these type of shows so they just hope and pray that an audience will find them. But why hasn’t a larger audience found The Office? It’s got a great lead-in with ‘My Name is Earl’. And we ALL know how much promotion and support NBC has given that show. Why are people tuning into Earl and leaving The Office?

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Family Tools | 8:30pm on ABC

Series Premiere: Tony has a heart attack and is forced to hand the family business over to his son, Jack; while Jack’s past career efforts have not been successful, he is eager to finally step up and make his father proud.

Bones | 8pm on Fox

Season Finale: Christopher Pelant returns to toy with the Jeffersonian team; an investigation reveals a string of murders tied to FBI agents; Brennan evaluates her relationship with Booth.

Smash | 9pm on NBC

Tom’s desire to prove himself may not be the best thing for the show; a mishap forces Ivy to make a decision; Karen becomes suspicious Derek’s intentions.

The Nerdist | 10pm on BBCA

‘Mad Men’ star Jon Hamm and ‘Breaking Bad’ star Betsy Brandy join the couch, including stand-up comedian Rory Scovel, and a special ‘Mad Men’ guest star!

Cult | 9pm on The CW

Skye and Jeff search for evidence against Sakelik; Stuart invites Roger to his estate in Santa Barbara.

Ready for Love | 9pm on NBC

Series Premiere: Twelve women compete for a shot at love with rock star Tim Lopez.

Mad Men | 9pm on AMC

Season Premiere: Don spearheads a new campaign; Roger gets unsettling news; Betty takes in a houseguest.

Game of Thrones | 10pm on HBO

Sansa says too much; Shae asks Tyrion for a favor; Jaime finds a way to pass the time; Arya encounters the Brotherhood Without Banners

How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) | 9:30pm on ABC

Series Premiere: Polly leaves her husband and takes her daughter with her to move back in with her parents; Polly’s parents baby-sit while she goes on a date.

The New Normal | 9 & 9:30pm on NBC

David and Bryan struggle to choose a name for their baby; Goldie and Shania both have an identity crisis; Clay decides to share his feelings with Goldie. Season Finale | Despite the many challenges that arise, David and Bryan are determined to get married before their baby is born.

Go On | 9pm on NBC

Anne sets up Ryan with a new acquaintance, a beautiful woman (Courteney Cox) who recently became a widow; Lauren accidentally steals a man away from Yolanda.

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