Blog Archives

Red Nose Day is coming to the US

I just spotted this commercial on NBC — Red Nose Day is coming stateside! May 21! I’m curious to see how something like this will work in the US. Red Nose Day will benefit 12 charities (like Save the Children, Boys & Girls Clubs and the United Way) to help kids out of poverty.

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Goodbye to “The Office”

The Office Season Finale

I’ve had a terrible head cold this week – sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, the works! The best part of it all has been hunkering down with old episodes of “The Office”. The American version. I’ve watched the show on and off all of these years and it’s just fallen off the radar the past couple of years. Nothing personal, just a lack of time and perhaps other shows (“New Girl,” “The Mindy Project,” “Girls”) have taken precedence. But this week I’ve managed to get back to it, starting with Michael Scott’s farewell and continuing through Season 8.

I still remember when I first heard that Americans were remaking “The Office.” It was not long after we had moved back to the States and I couldn’t imagine a show without Ricky Gervais and his very talented cast of characters from the original. I assumed it would fall flat, but then I watched it and was pleasantly surprised by how well the American version worked! It began from the same point of the British version and then went a completely different way.

I still have a lot to catch up on and was probably cheating by skipping to the end but in my current “Office” state of mind, I couldn’t resist watching the season finale last night. Did you watch it? Great, right? After nine seasons, I loved the wrap-up, seeing all of those familiar faces and finding out where they landed. No spoiler alert. I’m just proud of what the show accomplished and am excited to go back and continue watching from where I left off.

The next America’s Got Talent judge is British

Have you heard? The next “America’s Got Talent” judge (to replace Sharon Osborne) is …

Mel B

 

Yep, Scary Spice herself! Mel B!

I think this is a brilliant choice. Not only does she have a solid background in the entertainment business, but she’s already proven her chops as judge on “The X Factor” in Australia and was a guest judge on the U.K.’s “The X Factor” and “Britain’s Next Top Model.”

Best of all, she’s going to make it fun. She has a good personality (not in an affected Kardashian way) and I can see her working well alongside Howard and Howie.

What Americans missed – London Paralympics

Here’s what Americans missed – the Paralympics closing ceremony with Coldplay.

If you’ve been wondering why I haven’t blogged about the London Paralympics, it’s simply because I haven’t seen any of the games. And I’m not alone. There’s been such limited coverage of the games that it’s been nearly impossible to catch any of it here on TV in the U.S., despite the fact that NBC has been contracted to air the games. Newsflash, NBC – Americans do care about the Paralympics and would like the option to view them with the rest of the world!

Congrats to Team GB for scoring third in the London Paralympic Games, after China and Russia. Well done!

What you didn’t see on NBC …

What did you think of the Olympic opening ceremony on Friday?

I loved it. I thought it was such an inspiring love letter both to the country of Great Britain and to the Olympic games themselves. Irreverent, cheekyl, thoughtful and moving, it was a joy to watch. I’m not a big sports watcher but I do love the spirit of the Olympics and am so happy that London is hosting!

I only wish that we could see the BBC’s full and commercial-free coverage. I wasn’t thrilled with NBC’s commercial breaks – or the fact that there were pieces that weren’t aired on American TV.

Thankfully YouTube has come to the rescue for some of what was missing!

Check out this smashing introduction featuring Benedict Cumberbatch (of “Sherlock” fame) that American audiences didn’t get to see, which kicked off the Olympic opening ceremony.