Tag Archives: Steve Carell

Watercooler moment

Posted on May 16, 2013 | Leave a comment

Who’s watching The Office finale tonight?

And who’s watching the show for the first time in two years?

the-office-finale-guest-starsI’ll admit it.

When Michael Scott aka Steve Carell left The Office in 2011, I was part of a highly vocal minority — perhaps it was even a majority in some circles — who felt the show should end with his exit.

But the show producers — both in shock that Steve left and in denial that the money train was running out of steam — deluded themselves that they could keep on keepin’ on.

The first season without Steve floundered.  The second  became ‘the farewell season.’  And now that Dunder Mifflin is finally closing its doors, I feel a teeny tiny bit responsible.

Did I show any loyalty after Steve left?  No.

Did I check in from time-to-time to see if my instincts were right that the show would suck without him?  Yes.

Will I watch tonight and wish the show wasn’t being canceled?  No.

Am I hoping Steve Carell shows up somewhere?  Yes.

(It would be the best episode in two years.)

Note — Steve DID appear on the finale.  It was amazeballs.

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Coming attractions

Posted on June 30, 2012 | Leave a comment

I went to see Steve Carell and Keira Knightley in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World yesterday. It was supposed to be the first movie in a double feature afternoon.

But Seeking was less comedic and far more dark and thought-provoking than I had anticipated, so going to Rock of Ages like I had planned seemed, well…

Wrong.

But I still had a cinematic “WOW” moment. AMC showed a trailer for Keira’s next film, Anna Karenina, which comes out in November. Full disclosure: I’ve never read the book, but I actually felt the air leave my lungs.

It looks epic.

I wanted to cheer or comment from my seat, but for once I kept quiet. See for yourself!

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hey Hey HEY

Posted on July 29, 2011 | 2 Comments

Did you hear?

Crazy Stupid Love opens today.

Of course you’ve heard.

We’ve been under a movie trailer attack for months! Surrounded.  Bombarded.

Taken prisoner even.

Don’t get me wrong — I’ve loved the Crazy Stupid Love trailer from the first time I saw it — was totally sold on the movie.

Ryan Gosling? Check.  Steve Carell?  Check.  Emma Stone, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei?  Check, check, check. Ryan Gosling nearly naked??

Too many checks to include here.

And I personally love movie trailers.  Love seeing them on television, love sitting through them at the theatre, love them for the art that they are.

But then I saw the Crazy Stupid Love trailer again.  And again.  And over and over and over again. On TV. In the theatre.  Online.  They were everywhere.

There was no escape.

Crazy Stupid Love’s marketing campaign has been crazy, stupid overwhelming.  Their attempts to generate audience excitement have been bloody exhausting.

You know what?  Just to show them how I feel, I may wait until mid-afternoon today before I go see it.

Yeah…that’ll send a message.

Note:  Saw Crazy Stupid Love at the 1:15pm showing (early mid-afternoon).  This is such a wonderful film – worth every crazy, stupid overwhelming trailer…and then some! — Carla

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Funny man

Posted on May 9, 2011 | Leave a comment

The hubbub over Steve Carell leaving The Office this season has in many ways belittled the talent of the actors that remain.

Last night I was reminded of this in a big way.

I saw the movie Something Borrowed starring Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin, John Krasinski and Colin Egglesfield.

I didn’t have huge expectations going in.  The critics had pretty much slammed the film, but the trailer looked cute and word-of-mouth was pretty good.  (Critics can be so grouchy when it comes to romantic comedies, am I right?)

The one positive note in most of the otherwise ‘grouchy’ reviews was praise for John Krasinski.

Boy, did they get that right.

We are used to seeing John as Jim in The Office — the everyman, playing jokes on Dwight, outsmarting Michael, making takes to the camera.  He almost seems like a part of the audience.

Which makes it easy to take what he does for granted.

Then you see him outside of that world — in a movie like Something Borrowed or in 2009′s  It’s Complicated  — and you realize just how good a comedic actor he really is.

Admittedly, his character is, once again, the smartest person in the room.  But there are no takes to the audience…just solid character work and ‘real’ reactions that are both believable and hilarious.

Now unlike the critics, I liked the film.  While I think they took their sweet time getting to a conclusion that we all saw coming, I still enjoyed the ride.

Oh, and John?  Thanks for driving.

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Emmy fever

Posted on August 29, 2010 | Leave a comment

Could this be the story behind the story?

The Internet has been buzzin’ that this just might be the year that Steve Carell snags the Emmy for Best Actor in a Comedy….especially on the heels of the announcement that he’s leaving “The Office” at the end of season seven.

When asked in interviews why he is exiting the show, Steve has used the age-old excuse, “I want to spend more time with my family.”  Uh huh.  But could the real reason be he wants some Emmy bling?

Could the nicest guy on television have evil Emmy envy in his good-as-gold heart…and know that his departure might elicit some voter appreciation?

He is human, whether we believe it or not.

Industry pundits — and popular poll results on several entertainment web sites — seem to be leaning toward Jim Parsons of “The Big Bang Theory” to take away the statute at this year’s awards ceremony…and I would have to agree.  (Sorry, Steve.)

Jim’s portrayal of King Nerd Sheldon is spot-on brilliant, and now that “30 Rock” is no longer the new comedy sensation, I think Alec Baldwin’s command of the category is fading.

Who will win?  Tune in and see!

CAN’T WAIT!!!!!!!!

The Emmy Awards will be broadcast LIVE tonight @ 8PM ET on NBC.

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Use your words

Posted on July 27, 2010 | Leave a comment

When the first trailer for “Dinner for Schmucks” popped up in theaters, I thought the premise was ridiculous.

A guy can only get promoted if he brings the biggest idiot to a secret corporate dinner?  I mean, seriously — what were they smoking at the pitch for that movie?

But then,  they assembled a dream cast.  Paul Ruud. Steve Carell. Zach Galifianakis.  And the clips look pretty hilarious.

I’ll bite.

But before I go to the movie this weekend, at least one of the morning or late night talk hosts promoting the film this week has to get the name right.

It’s “Dinner for Schmucks.”  Not Smucks.  Or Shucks.  Or whatever the heck it is you guys are saying.

It’s schmucks.

Hearing everyone mispronounce this very common Yiddish insult is driving me insane.  Is it a network conspiracy?  Like the new show “—- My Dad Says” based on the Twitter account, where they have replaced the very common curse word with hash marks.

Is “schmuck” such a bad word that everyone has agreed to say it wrong?  That’s even more ridiculous than the plot of the movie!

And it makes me want to go see it even more.

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Take the heat

Posted on July 16, 2010 | 1 Comment

Sometimes, you just need someone to blame.

And this week…that someone is LeBron James.

A guy in Michigan told the policeman who pulled him over for DUI that LeBron’s decision to go to the Miami Heat was the reason he was drunk.  No lie.

Of course, since he was drunk, he kinda got the facts wrong.  He thought LeBron was with the Boston Celtics — instead of the Cleveland Cavaliers — but it was still upsetting, so that was why he drank too much.

It was clearly LeBron’s fault.

Which got me to thinking — we can all milk this situation for a couple of more weeks.

I mean, LeBron milked his announcement — which should have taken all of 30 seconds — into an hour television special.  And the ESPY Awards were able to milk it yet again into a hilarious sketch on Wednesday night’s show.

Why shouldn’t we all blame LeBron for something this week?

Can’t pay your rent?  It’s LeBron’s fault.  Miss a work deadline?  LeBron made me do it.  Cheat on your wife?  Did you see what LeBron did?  I had to, man.

Use your brain.  Throw the blame.

It’s LeBron’s fault.

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Hot ticket

Posted on July 13, 2010 | Leave a comment

I love movies, but this past weekend, the box office numbers were the best show in town.

“Despicable Me” was the number one movie, pulling in an incredible $60 million dollars.  Now, granted, it is an animated feature, and it was shown in 3D on some screens which jacks up the ticket price.  But I don’t think Universal promoted that movie very heavily, other than mentioning Steve Carell provided a voice, and showing us the yellow, roundish critters that are in it. As much as I am in the theater to see trailers, I have no idea what the movie is about.

Apparently, it doesn’t matter.  Here’s what I think did.

It was hot this weekend.  H-O-T hot.  And unless your movie theater suffered a power outage, it was comfortably air conditioned and soothingly dark inside.

“Despicable Me” was the one film that opened last weekend that was suitable for every member of the family.  So parents brought the whole gang and enjoyed the coolness, whether the story about the little yellow men was their cup of tea or not.

Just a theory.  You can challenge it.

Of course, lots of other people went to the movies, too.  “Eclipse” in its second week — with its more ‘specialized’ audience — still pulled in another $32 million.  “Predators” managed $25 million after being gutted in the reviews.  “Toy Story 3″ in its fourth week added another $21 million to its coffers, and “The Last Airbender” and “Grownups” pulled in $16 million each.

Everyone stayed inside and caught a show, my friends.

‘Cause it was hot…

H-O-T.

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Big wind

Posted on April 12, 2010 | Leave a comment

So, I’ve been perusing the celebrity gossip sites today (so you don’t have to), and there’s a new breeze blowing across the land.

Remember how you had to be thin to make it in Hollywood?

Now, you’re pretty much hated if you are.

Take Sarah Jessica Parker.  She’s sporting these muscle-only arms of late…and folks are having a field day.  Not admiring the lack of flab or anything like that.

They are pretty much grossed out.

And then there’s Tina Fey.  She’s been everywhere of late.  “30 Rock” is the sitcom of the moment.  Her movie “Date Night” with Steve Carell won the weekend box office.  She hosted a hilarious episode of “Saturday Night Live.”

She’s also been sexing it up on all her magazine covers and even the photo bumps in Saturday’s SNL.  But people want the frumpy Tina back…not this new, thin, mega-styled, air-brushed version.

Part of me applauds this grassroots call for real women to have real bodies.  Whether or not Hollywood will respond is another thing altogether.

But I have to wonder: would any of these people calling for normalcy — if placed in the same position — be able to resist becoming a bit plastic themselves?

Heck, if I achieved stardom — if money was no object — I’m pretty sure I would find it hard to resist a bit of de-frumping.

Who am I kidding?  I wouldn’t even put up a fight.

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