The Year in TV (Part Uno)

I can only begin to imagine how many Best Of…Worst Of lists you have been subjected to over the past few weeks. But I have to say, moving into a new year doesn’t seem right without reflecting back on the year that was. And what a year it has been for TV. We are smack in the middle of some of the best television we will ever see. Enjoy it people – it only goes downhill from here.

So I guess it’s my turn to look back, and share the best and worst (*cough* Happy Hour *cough*) of TV in 2006. A scientific panel was gathered and consulted to bring you this list (yes, the GMMR recappers are all scientists, you didn’t know). So here’s the best of the best and the worst of the worst…of the shows we watched in 2006. Oh and since this is my blog, and I can pretty much call the shots, be warned that there isn’t any rhyme or reason to my 2006 review (but this is GMMR you should be used to this by now). And in some categories…well, let’s just say that some decisions were just too hard to make. This is the first installment of GMMR’s “The Year in TV”, so check back later to read more about my take on TV in 2006. And I fully expect for my good little GMMRers to share your thoughts with us too.

On we go….

Best TV Trend of 2006:
No nominees needed here, because there can really only be one winner: Towels. From what I know, the trend started with Battlestar Galactica and has been growing steadily all year. No one expected McSteamy to blow back into Seattle for the ultimate booty call and leave Addison’s shower covered by just that little towel, but no one complained about it either, did they? Nor did they when McDreamy wore nothing but a towel and a smile in his trailer later earlier in the season. The towel trend also hit Supernatural and Jericho, allowing us to see what Jared Padalecki and Skeet Ulrich have been hiding. And I, for one, can’t wait to see who’s next.

Worst TV Trend of 2006:
Jeffrey Dean Morgan dying. He’s a crazy talented actor. Can’t he play someone who DOESN’T wind up kicking the bucket? We lost him on Supernatural and Grey’s Anatomy, and now we are ready for him to be among the living in 2007.

Best bitches:
Marc and Amanda (Ugly Betty). I thought these two were the weakest part of the Ugly Betty pilot, and now I find myself tuning in every week just to see their shenanigans (sorry, but I just love that word). More Marc and Amanda…please!

Angela Kinsey (The Office). A bible beating, no-nonsense accountant by day, and I suspect a kinky dominatrix my night. Angela Kinsey’s judgmental glare can burn right through your soul, and don’t even get her started on wearing green orange.

Best Newbies:
Autumn Reeser (Taylor Townsend, The OC). Ok, technically Taylor isn’t new to The OC, but let’s face it, we’ve NEVER seen the likes of this Taylor Townsend before. She’s brought a new energy to the show, and is a big part of why The OC is worth watching again. (Watch)

Ed Helms (Andy Bernard, The Office). He may be nothing but treble, but Andy Bernard has “merged” seamlessly with his cohorts at Dunder Mifflin-Scranton (well almost) and we’ve been laughing harder ever since. A new nemesis for Dwight, and perhaps some competition for Jim – watch out for Andy in 2007. Unatay! Areway ouyay iddingkay emay? (Watch)

Best Nickname:
“Swarley”. There was almost an entire episode dedicated to Barney’s (How I Met Your Mother) loathed nickname. Fans haven’t seemed to let the name go, and a website was even created on its behalf (www.swarley.com). Let’s hope we haven’t seen the end of Swarley.

Best Show of Skin:
There are a lot of boys in the running for this one. The aforementioned “towel” boys of Apollo, McDreamy & McSteamy were definitely in contention. As were the shirtless Wentworth Miller and Josh Holloway. But in 2006 no one worked it like Sara Ramirez (Callie Torres, Grey’s Anatomy) did dancing around in her undies. She owned her curves and showed the boys a thing or two about the bootylicious ladies. (Watch)

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The Office Thursday on Give Me My Remote

No Office this week (sigh)…
Sadly there is no new episode of The Office this week. I suggest that we all use this time off wisely and properly prepare for the one hour Christmas episode that will be airing next week. “A Benihana Christmas” has been rumored to be the best.episode.ever. So much so that they are airing the episode two weeks in a row. Best episode ever? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. I’m expecting to have the screener in my hands by the end of the week, so I’ll be sure to give you a sneak peek.

If you are in need of an Office fix and just can’t wait until next week, you’re in luck. Yahoo has three preview clips of “A Benihana Christmas” Check ’em out now before Yahoo realizes they posted the clips a week too early and they take them down (Office clips at Yahoo)

And as always, OfficeTally.com has a comprehensive list of episode spoilers for you to check out if you are so inclined. (Office Tally)

Kate’s Blog…
There may not be a new episode, but that didn’t stop Kate Flannery from posting a new blog over at TV Guide. This week Kate blogs about how to deal with an Office-free night, the perfect holiday gifts for Office fans*, her visit to the Playboy Mansion (Creed went too…’nuff said – check out the pic). Did you all leave comments for Kate last week? She reads all the comments, so it’s a great way to let her know how much you appreciate the blog, and the show. (Kate’s Blog)

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The Office Thursday on Give Me My Remote

It’s been two weeks since we last saw our favorite Office workers. Remind me again how we got through the summer? The countdown has begun to an all new episode of The Office…just hours to go. As always,GMMR is here with all the Office gossip. A Thursday just isn’t a Thursday without Office Thursdays on Give Me My Remote.
As always, check back for updates throughout the day. On we go….

Tonight’s Episode – “The Convict”…
There’s an ex-con in the office and Michael’s determined to be supportive – once he discovers their identity. Meanwhile, Andy makes a move on Pam with a little help from Jim. Prepare yourself for some super cringeworthy moments, after all it was written by original UK Office creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. I was lucky enough to see an advanced screener, so make sure you check out my review of The Office: The Convict (warning, minor spoilers)

From the desk of Meredith Palmer…
Kate Flannery has penned another great blog for TVGuide.com. Check out her thoughts on working with Gervais/Merchant and find out which one of her co-stars she thinks is a “genius”. As always, please make sure you leave Kate some love on her blog by leaving a comment. If you have nothing to say, then just let her know that everyone at GiveMeMyRemote.com loves her! (Read Kate’s blog)

This week, USA Today’s Pop Candy interviewed Kate about her role as Meredith, how she got the part and her comedy act The Lampshades. You can listen to the interview online right now, just click here.

Michael Scott’s Words of Wisdom?….
Business 2.0 magazine knows who to turn to for sage business advice – Michael Scott. Michael talks to the magazine about the finer points of employee motivation. Here’s an example of the genius of this man: “The three keys to motivating your staff are love (positive reinforcement), fear (negative enforcement) and chocolate (chocolate reinforcement)” (Read the fully story at The Office LJ Community)

As an added bonus, check out this great video of Paul Lieberstein (Toby) as he talks about Michael’s business philosophies while taking us on the tour of Dunder Mifflin.

MORE Office Thursday after the jump!

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The Office: US Meets the UK in “The Convict”

You know who I think might be the most intriguing woman in all of television? It’s going to be hard to guess, because she’s never actually been on TV. But I’ll tell ya….it’s Michael Scott’s mother. I am consumed with curiosity about the woman who raised the bewildering and befuddled man that is Michael Gary Scott. Don’t tell me you aren’t the least bit curious.

In this week’s episode of The Office, Michael Scott outdoes even Michael Scott when he learns that one of his employees once spent time in prison. Under the always present guise of good intentions, Michael outs the man’s criminal past to the entire office, who in turn have a lot of question about prison life.

When one of the employees likens prison to the office, Michael sets out to prove to everyone how good they truly have it there at Dunder Mifflin. As you might expect, Michael’s tactics are just a little bit left of center, and no one is amused.

Thursday’s episode, entitled “The Convict”, was written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant who were of course the creators of the original UK version of The Office. Although Gervais and Merchant have both said that they wrote the episode specific to the American version of the show, fans of the UK version may feel a sense of familiarity. Although you won’t be hearing Dwight Schrute saying “cheers” as he leaves the office, or Ryan inviting Kelly out for bangers and mash, the uncomfortable, unbearably awkward moments that the UK version perfected are definitely present throughout the episode.

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Producers’s Cut of “The Office” to Air on NBC.com

I am having a CRAZY busy day, but I had to quickly pass along this awesome news…well awesome to fans of The Office (which I know most of you are). Thanks to tanster for alerting me to this news.

“Producer’s Cut” To Be Web-Exclusive Event On NBC.com On November 9th

BURBANK, Calif. November 6, 2006 NBC’s Emmy-winning comedy “The Office” (Thursdays, 8:30 9:00pm ET/PT) will offer fans a first-ever, web-exclusive “producer’s cut” on November 9th. The episode will include additional scenes and extra footage not shown in the broadcast version. Viewers can log onto NBC.com at 9:00pm (PT) on November 9th to see the web-exclusive event.

The announcement was made today by Vivi Zigler, executive vice president NBC digital entertainment and new media.

“This is a first-of-its-kind and a real bonus for fans of ‘The Office,'” said Zigler. “It’s also a natural for this show which has continually pushed the envelope in the digital landscape. We’re seeing an incredible audience reaction to the evolving digital extensions of our programming and anticipate this being one of their favorites.”

In the pivotal November 9th episode, Jan (Melora Hardin) tells Michael (Steve Carell) that the Scranton Branch will be shutting down and Michael strives to keep his staff’s spirits up. Meanwhile, everyone privately begins to envision how their lives will change in the aftermath. Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, B.J. Novak, David Denman, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, Angela Kinsey, Phyllis Smith, Paul Lieberstein and Mindy Kaling also star, and Ed Helms (“The Daily Show”), Rashida Jones (“Wanted”) and Charles Esten (“Whose Line Is It Anyway?”) guest-star.

UPDATE: My sources tell me that the “producer’s cut” will remain on NBC.com for at least one week.

Original Source: Futon Critic

The Office Recap: Diwali

I had so hoped to have a full episode recap live by now, but as luck would have it I’m crazy busy this morning. And until that lottery number comes up I’ve got to try to keep my real job.

So in absence of a real recap, I thought we could chat about some of the best moments of last night. I’ll start – in no particular order…

• Ryan having issues with Zach Braff
• Union of the monkey
• Drunk!Jim
• Sweaty!Jim
• ANDY…ANDY…ANDY – My love for Andy grows from week to week. I think Ed Helms fits it PERFECTLY with this show and I find myself wanting more and more of him.
• The Office: The Musical (are we going to hear Jim & Andy sing every week? Me? I’m not a complainer)
• The brilliance of Steve Carell and how he plays Michael’s antics to pure perfection. Even when he’s at this worst, you still want to hug Michael, and THAT is what makes him such a great character
• Roy 2.0 because…damn
• Fancy New Beesly – the best part of FNB is that I don’t think she truly realizes how much she is changing, and I love that
• Mr. & Mrs. Kaling – I never would have known they weren’t legit actors. Kudos!
• The blue busty gal
• Ryan saving money for an Xbox
• “I’m rejecting your kiss”
• “Oh Holy Mother of God” and “So good”
• “These are not my shoes”
• “Tuna!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” (best line of the night)
• Text messaging!

Ok, I’m stopping now, because I could pretty much rattle off every moment of this episode. Ok…your turn – GO!!

The Office Recap: Gay Witch Hunt

It was over too soon. Although that is my thought at the end of every episode of The Office, it felt particulary true last night. We’ve been waiting months for the S3 premiere and to finally see the ramifications of Jim’s confession of love and his kissing Pam. Months filled with speculation based on spoilers and foilers (yes, Jenna Fischer you are a sneaky girl). But the moment came and went all too soon. Here’s how it played out:

Jim: You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that

Pam: Mee too. I think we’re drunk.

Jim: I’m not drunk. Are you drunk?

Pam: No

[Jim leans in for another kiss]

Pam: Jim

Jim: Are you still going to marry him?

[She nods]

Jim: Ok

[Jim walks away]

Um, what?! Hello..what the hell happened. I thought he loved her. He walked away pretty easily, too easily in my opinion. Some will argue that he gave it a shot, “once”, and that’s all he ever wanted. But dude, she told him she had wanted to kiss him too. Doesn’t that mean anything? After all that, he just walks away like it was nothing. I’m still a little bewildered.

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“The Office” Season 3 Casting News and Possible Spoilers

I stumbled across some Office casting news that I wanted to pass along, but I’m pretty sure that this type of info falls into the SPOILER category, so I’m going to put it after the jump.

(SPOILERS AFTER THE JUMP)

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THE OFFICE: Josh Groban Scores a Guest Spot

Andy Bernard, your family tree keeps growing on THE OFFICE.

NBC has confirmed to Give Me My Remote that singer Josh Groban has landed the role as Andy’s younger brother, Walter Jr. Deadline was first to report the guest spot.

In addition to Groban, the newly cast Bernard clan also features Stephen Collins as Andy’s father and Dee Wallace as Andy’s mom.

While we obviously would love to know if Walter Jr. and Andy might croon a little together (that would be completely amazing, right?!), the arrival of Andy’s family is a bit questionable. What could prompt all of them to show up?

Have any theories, THE OFFICE fans?

Follow @GiveMeMyRemote and @marisaroffman on Twitter for the latest TV news. Connect with other TV fans on GIVE ME MY REMOTE’s official Facebook page.

And to be the first to see our exclusive videos by subscribing to our YouTube channel at youtube.com/givememyremotetv

The Top 100 Blogs that Waste My Time…in the Best Possible Way

Ever feel like there’s just nothing new online?  There are millions of websites and blogs out there but sometimes I feel like I just keep going back to the same sites over and over again.  I’m not complaining…there are a lot of great sites in my repertoire, but sometimes a girl needs a little something new in her life, right?

In an effort to share the internet love, I thought I would pull together a list of the Top 100 blogs I visit when I’m looking to waste time online.  Of course these sites aren’t a waste of time but rather informative, fun and even some important sites that might make your next online experience just a little more interesting.

The list below is made of some sites I recently discovered, but most of them I’ve been checking out for years…out of habit.  The list is mostly self indulgent as I get to share my online faves, but it’s also selfishly a way to find new sites that I might not have otherwise known about. So read my list and then share YOUR favorite blogs in the comments below. Maybe we’ll all learn a little something which in turn will make us perhaps that much less productive.  Deal?

If your blog didn’t make the list, please don’t think I don’t read it or appreciate all the work that you put into it. I’m such a web geek that this list could easily be 200 blogs without batting an eye. But I wanted to include a real mix of subject matters and genres. That being said, there is a certain trend towards TV and entertainment related gossip sites.  Can’t help it…sista knows what she likes.

Not too much criteria for this list. The blogs listed are ones that I go to often enough that they are either (a) in my bookmarks or (b) top of mind, and all contain a certain level of addictability. Not much too it other than that.

The following blogs are in no particular order (because seriously that would take hours, and to be honest I’m just trying to kill some time on a Sunday night).

• Give Me My Remote – Whatevs.  You know it’s going to be on the list.  But it deserved to be because GMMR is the single biggest website time suck (good and bad) in my life.

• Fail Blog – Epic fails and occasional wins. This site won’t be found in my list of bookmarks on my office computer.  I have enough fails at work as it is.  But the real reason I don’t check it at work is that I love to come home, settle in and check out this site as a reward for lasting another day at the office.

• Facebook – If you’re on Facebook then you know how addicting it can be.  The voyeuristic nature of this site can keep me entertained for hours.

• Wikipedia – Try searching for one thing and you might find yourself there for hours.  I know it’s not always accurate but it’s a fun place to start learning.

• Perez Hilton – Yup, I’ll admit it.  I’m there about 100 times throughout the day.  And every time I visit there is new content.  That’s impressive.  Usually mean, but impressive.

• TV Squad – A great site for TV recaps. Not sure how many people are working for this site, but at the rate they turn out show recaps I would assume they have quite a few busy little TV watchers.

• Mini Putt – Old school but still all kinds of awesome! Tiger Woods may not be your golf partner in this game, but then again you don’t have to stand up to play, so that’s a win right?!

• Watch with Kristin – Where it all began.  The site which is most directly responsible for the existence of GMMR.  What can I say…I love me some KDS.

• Ducky Does TV – Not only my BBF (best blogger friend) but also one helluva funny writer.  You love him on the TV Talk Podcast, and now you have to make sure you are reading his site.

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BIG BROTHER 8 Recap: The Power of Veto

What a crazy bunch of loons we have living in the BIG BROTHER house this year. Between the egos and the crying and the attitude – oh wait, I love all that stuff…forget it. There was so much hullabaloo going on last night that I’m not even going to pretend to capture it all. But my head was a spinnin’.

Last night was all about the power of veto. Competing for the coveted prize was HOH Jen, nominated houseguests Danielle and Dick and randomly chosen competitors Joe, Mike and Amber. Usually the competition for the POV is the highlight of the night, but this week’s POV couldn’t hold a candle to the drama the preceded it.

First off, Amber needs to gets on some meds – stat! That girl is a basket case and I’m worried that child services is going to take her kid away from her. No way is Amber creating a stable environment for her daughter. She cries at the drop of a hat. I watch the live feeds and based on what I’m seeing there I had no idea that this side of Amber existed. Yeah, she’s a bit of a loon all the time, but this crying in the Diary Room – what is that?! Annoying, that’s what it is.

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