quarterempty

In an interview on NPR today about Iraq and oil companies, a guest was asked if the rampant corruption in Iraq would be a deterrent to oil companies moving in.  His response was, roughly, “Oil companies are accustomed to operating in parts of the world where a lack of transparency is common.”  I love that “lack of transparency” is a euphemism for bribery or lying.  I’m totally going to use that.

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I have seriously low expectations for this film, but man, what a poster.

The Office is, without question in my mind, the best comedy on television right now. Each episode continues to elicit my gape-mouthed surprise at the clever writing and long -considered story arcs. Lately, the show has begun to attract big names. Harold Ramis directed last season’s finale and this season’s premiere, Joss Whedon and JJ Abrams are slated to direct this season, even the creators, Gervais and Merchant, came back to write an episode a few weeks ago.

I wonder, though, if part of its success may stem from low expectations. It’s fair to say as much has been blogged about the surprise of the success of the office as has been about the success itself. The first season was so shaky, with its desperate mimcry of the original, I gave up on it quickly, though not wholeheartedly. I’ve always had a soft spot for Steve Carell. To then check in midway through the second season, to see the characters deepen and grow and see gags pay off half a season after they were set up has been such a pleasure, i’ve become a regular and loyal viewer.

Still, I can’t shake the sneaking feeling while watching each episode that it is going to begin a turn into its inevitable downward spiral (as the third season of Arrested Development completely tarnished the brilliance of the first two). The premise of The Office is a high-wire act. The heart of the show has always been Jim and Pam, yet that will-they, won’t-they dynamic can only convincingly shift so so many times. Michael and Dwight are both charicatures that often veer into unbelieveabilty, if not outright insanity. A certain degree of suspension of disbelief is required for all sitcoms. Situations are exaggerated for effect, slights are magnified impossible insults, minor conflicts are played as heroic battles. Michael, as in episodes like Phyllis’ Wedding or Diwali, has developed almost autistic responses in large social situations. And does Dwight, as in the episode, Ben Franklin, really, honestly believe that is Benjamin Franklin is alive today? For now, other characters and situations are grounded enough, and the documentary style itself is so naturalistic as to overcome these oversized personalities. Yet as characters continue to act more and more bizarre without reprecussions, and as the “documentary” conceit falls further and further into the background, can it help but fail us?

The New Yorker : Tad Friend : The Paper Chase

All this handwringing is inspiried by a very well-phrased article in the New Yorker a few weeks ago about the “The Office”, it’s transition from the UK to the US, and an appreciation of the US version. I’ve read plenty of commentary about The Office, and I found this the most elegiac, well-written love letter so far. Early in the article, Friend drops this little tidbit:

While Gervais and Merchant’s decision to end the show well before it jumped the scone was admirable, NBC’s decision to air an American version, beginning in the spring of 2005, seemed deplorable. The show’s cult of admirers was outraged; the New York Observer wrote that, to much of Hollywood, “this smells like another colossal failure in the works.” It was as if the network had announced that it was going to take a British institution like “Pop Idol” and remake it with a jingoistic title like “American Idol.” (Since then, Québécois, French, and German networks have rolled out local versions of “The Office”…)

I haven’t been able to find out anything more about these series but it would be interesting to see what directions they’ve gone in…

The Office : Deleted Scenes

The Office website on nbc.com doesn’t put up full episodes free (they’d prefer to sell them through iTunes) but they do post three to four deleted scenes from each episode, sometimes eliminating entire story arcs from a show, mostly related to the supporting characters. I’d say it’s worth a half hour of your time if it weren’t for the full commercial between each clip. If you’re going to get the DVDs, you can wait for these.

jenna’s blog : Of Office Emmy Cheers and Acting Careers

Also, inexplicably, at TV Guide, a couple of the office cast members are keeping blogs. “Pam”, Jenna Fischer, wrote a long, really great post about her experience “making it” in Hollywood, offers advice to aspiring actors, and advice on what she’s done to keep herself creative and committed. A great read for anyone interested in what happens behind the stage or struggling in a creative field.

Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide : Funny face

This is the perfect face for comedy, scientists claim.

A new study claims that most successful comedians having similar facial features, with a round face, small forehead, wide nose, large eyes and big lips – as illustrated by this composite picture.

Psychologist Dr Anthony Little, who carried out the research, believes that the contermorary comic who most closely matches this ideal is Ricky Gervais – with features that win over an audience before he cracks his first joke .

Dr Little, an expert in how we perceive facial features, said: ‘The features most likely to mark out male comedians for success are predominately soft and feminine.’ ‘These imply that the person may be agreeable and co-operative. In the same way that infants are pre-programmed to respond to the warmth and approachability of a mother’s face, soft feminine features put us at ease and encourage us to relax. This is conducive to laughter and enjoyment.’

He studied the facial features of 20 leading comics to come up with his conclusion, including Peter Kay, Lee Evans, Jack Dee, Jimmy Carr, Tommy Cooper and Harry Hill. And after morphing all their features together, he created the composite image representing the perfect comedy face – which Dr Little decided looked most like Gervais.

The Extras star told The Independent: ‘I was shocked when I saw the results of the study. All these years I assumed my global success as a comedian was down to my acute observations, expert directorial rendering and consummate skills as a performer. ‘Turns out it’s because I’ve got a fat, girly face.’

Dr Little’s research also suggested that the public figures who might make the best stand-ups – at least based on their face – include David Cameron and Wayne Rooney.

His research at the University of Stirling was commissioned by the Jongleurs Comedy Club chain.

Q&A With Power Couple Jack Welch and Suzy Wetlaufer — New York Magazine:

NYMag:  You guys are in perhaps the most expensive relationship ever.
JACK: Yeah. Do you know why divorce is expensive?

NYMag: Why?
JACK: ’Cause it’s worth it.
SUZY: Oooh, snap.

Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, messily divorced his second wife in 2003 with a settlement costing over $180 million dollars.

via Logged Hours:

during American Idol, apparently.

I had linked to a version of this picture before, it always seemed a little too cropped, here now is the full pic, along with a link to a short page of pretty unique star wars fandom, which includes a bit of the story behind this painting.  I’d encourage you to spend some time exploring the site, it’s got a bunch of collections crazy pictures i’m going to regularly plunder for blogging material. 

via thrillingwonder

with all this sarah silverman buzz going around, i thought it might be a good time to remind everyone of one of her first high-profile gigs. one of the best movie openings ever. alas, “the way of the gun” could only go downhill from here. it’s just too bad it went so downhill.

i have not forgotten you. I think about posting daily, but i’vebeen grappling with the concept of quarterempty, what i’m trying to achieve here, and what this blog should be about.

i will be back soon, with tons of awesome posts. seriously, i have some great stuff lined up. here’s a taste:

Little Michael Jackson and Me

I saw this clip twice a couple of weeks ago at shows where Dave Hill performed, he is highlarious. He’s also is an awesome band, Valley Lodge, whose music graces this clip.

on one hand it was inevitable, on the other hand, i was still surprised to see it actually exists…

Lost : The Hatch Action Figure Deluxe Box Set

“From the Creators of “Must Love Jaws” and “10 Things I Hate About Commandments” comes the best f@#cking movie of the year!”

Jordan Carlos : My Shtick? Being Black : washingtonpost.com:

Entering the comedy world as a black man means you always stand out, even during off hours, such as one Christmas evening in New York at my first holiday comedy mixer. All of Gotham’s comedic glitterati were there. I cornered a “Daily Show” writer, doing my best to get the inside track on a possible actor/writer gig. We broached the subject of black correspondents. He told me that they “tried a black guy once, but it didn’t work out.” I nearly threw my imported beer in his face. Tried it once and it didn’t work? You say that about Toyotas, not a whole race of people. But to date, comedy writing is pretty whitewashed. As of this season, “Saturday Night Live” has no black writers. “The Daily Show” also doesn’t have any, and neither does “The Colbert Report,” a show on which I’ve played Stephen Colbert’s black friend “Alan,” a member of the staff. That’s right. “The Colbert Report” had to hire an actor to play a black person who works on the show.

I’ve been noticing a similar thing lately, that most of the comedy shows, rock shows, lectures and readings I’ve been going to are made of mostly white audiences. In Portland, that was fairly expected, given the demographics of the city, but when I moved to New York, I honestly expected audiences to be a little more mixed. To be sure, the streets and shopping around are more multicultural experiences, escpecially in Brooklyn and LES, but not cultural experiences themselves. There’s a longer post to be written about this, alas, not right now…