TV Spotlight: The Office (2005- )

I finally tuned into The Office this season, having previously stayed away due to unfavorable comparisons to the British version, which I loved/hated, due to cringeworthiness of main character. In the American version, the boss is also cringe-inducing, but the seemingly endless stream of madcap moments and assorted whimsy more than make up for it. The pranks Jim pulls on Dwight, for instance: in one episode Jim hides Dwight's desk in the men's room, and when Dwight comes in to work to find his desk is gone, Jim, playing detective, says, "where did you last see your desk?" Am now frantically trying to catch up with old episodes on DVD. In my opinion, the best sitcom on the air right now, by far (although admittedly that may not be saying much). The mockumentary feel, the absence of a laugh track, getting to the inner life of a character with just a phrase or two, all add up to much viewing pleasure. I was happy to see the cast won the Screen Actors Guild award this past Sunday, for best comedy ensemble. FYI: Thursdays, 8:30, NBC.

Does enchantment pour out of every door?

And here's another classy group, My Favorite Actresses (some works in which they appear are also listed):
1) Helen Mirren: Not just because she's on a roll this year, but because every year she is consistently brilliant. The Long Good Friday; The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover; Prime Suspect
2) Lena Olin:Nobody does femme fatale better. The Unbearable Lightness of Being; Romeo is Bleeding; Alias
3)Vivien Leigh: Her life may have held more drama than her career, but she deservedly won the role of the century. Gone With the Wind; Waterloo Bridge; The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
4) Judy Davis: The world's best actress period-end-of-sentence. My Brilliant Career; Naked Lunch; Husbands and Wives
5) Greta Scacchi: Another fatal femme, while influencing many an actress (Sharon Stone, hello??), she has not yet had the career she deserves. White Mischief; The Player; Emma

6) Audrey Hepburn: Arguably the most glamourous actress, ever (Grace Kelly notwithstanding). Sabrina; Funny Face; Breakfast at Tiffany's
7) Jean Arthur: That voice! Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; Only Angels Have Wings; The More the Merrier
8) Irene Dunne: Nobody sparred better with Cary Grant. The Awful Truth; Life with Father; Anna and the King of Siam
9) Juliette Binoche: A perfect combination of Audrey Hepburn and Ingrid Bergman. Damage; Chocolat; The English Patient
10) Emanuelle Beart: Heartbreakingly beautiful. Un Coeur en Hiver; Manon of the Spring; Mission: Impossible

"They're coming!"

If you're thinking way too much about the President, the Patriot Act, government surveillance, and various conspiracy theories, you may NOT want to view these movies. Then again, you may:

• The Manchurian Candidate (1962): The original, and best, with a powerhouse cast of Laurence Harvey, Frank Sinatra and Angela Lansbury.
• The Parallax View (1974): Underrated at the time, this is one of the best postwar thrillers that conveys the ultimate nightmare effectively.
  
• The Conversation (1974): Made between Godfathers, this is Coppola's favorite and most personal of his own films. Look for Robert Duvall in an unbilled cameo.
  
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978): I know the original is supposed to be the gold standard, but I love this remake and The New York Times called it "dazzling." Not too shabby. Duvall makes another unbilled cameo!

• A Scanner Darkly (2006): Based on Philip K. Dick's 1977 sci-fi novel about the drug culture. The casting is spot-on, with Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson, and Winona Ryder as fellow travelers (Timothy Leary was Winona's godfather, FYI). Bizarrely enough, the hero on the cover of the original book bears an uncanny resemblance to Johnny Depp!
  

My Favorite Actors

Do we detect a theme here? It's like the old Sesame Street song says, "One of these things just doesn't belong here." Be that as it may, for the most part, these gentlemen embody the definition of the phrase "suave and sophisticated." And for the entire part, they're all great actors:
1) Dirk Bogarde
2) Sean Connery
3) Melvyn Douglas
4) Albert Finney
5) Cary Grant
6) Rex Harrison
7) Jeremy Irons
8) James Mason
9) Walter Matthau
10) Alan Rickman

I'm Famous!

Well, not really, but I did see a review of mine posted on Amazon, of La Dolce Musto, by Michael Musto, the longtime Village Voice columnist. The book is a compilation of columns he's done over the years chronicling New York's downtown nightlife, as well as the foibles of the rich and infamous. If you're not one to easily blush, it may be worth a hike down to your local Barnes & Noble/Border's/Strand/bookbuying website to shell out a few shekels for the book. And I'm not just saying this because the author is a close personal friend of mine (actually, we've never met). It's hilarious, really!
And click here for some more insight on the travails of fame (from McSweeneys.net)

Spotlight Movie: Dreamgirls (2006)

Everything you've heard is true: Eddie Murphy brings uniquely raw energy to his part and does deserve an Oscar. Jennifer Hudson is amazingly vivid in her debut. Unfortunately, a still photo of Diana Ross shows more signs of life than Beyonce does in her entire performance. Be that as it may, this is a reasonably entertaining, inside showbiz look at the creation of the girl groups of Motown. The one thing that bothers me: as wonderfully evocative as the score is of the Motown sound, I kept hoping for a second, for a smidgen, for a chorus of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Reflections," "Baby Love," "Up the Ladder to the Roof," or any other of the wonderful songs that were genuinely of that time. Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby!