News Flash: Pam Beesly Isn’t a Real Person!
Last fall, when we were driving to Boston with Porpoise’s parents, we passed through Scranton, Pennsylvania, where “The Office” takes place. I begged them to stop the car so that we could go see Jim and Pam and Dwight and all my favorite folks at Dunder Mifflin. Porpoise told me that they’re not real people, and that they don’t actually live there. Sigh. I still refuse to admit that Jim isn’t real, and if I ever meet John Krasinski and discover that he isn’t just like Jim Halpert, I will be greatly irked. But, having now seen “Pam” in something else, I can acknowledge that she is a character played by an actress named Jenna Fischer.
Back in 2002, Jenna Fischer and her real-life husband James Gunn created a mockumentary called LolliLove, about a rich L.A. couple who decide to “help” the homeless by handing out lollipops with cheery slogans like “You Matter” printed on their wrappers. Jenna Fischer’s character (aptly named “Jenna”) is nothing like Pam, and I assume she’s nothing like the real-life Jenna, either. What’s amazing is how similar the style of LolliLove is to the style of “The Office”: the faux-documentary interviews and “impromptu” camera footage, the way each lampoons bigotry by allowing the characters to say ridiculously insensitive things, followed by uncomfortable pauses. What’s different is that LolliLove doesn’t have any likable characters to give you relief from the bigots. Plus, it’s perfectly fine to laugh at “James”’s and “Jenna”’s shallowness, but when the two start fighting with each other, the film gets a little too realistic to be funny. It has its amusing moments, but overall it’s a tad uneven.
However, I’m glad I saw LolliLove, if mostly for its “Office” connections. I’m continually amazed at the creativity of all the actors on “The Office,” most of whom also contribute to the show’s scripts.
Now seems as good a time as any to update readers on what I’m watching on TV this fall. First priority is, of course, “The Office.” Sadly, that means that I’m going to have to wait to watch the new show “Ugly Betty” on DVD, because it’s on at the same time (the description of last Thursday’s episode, in which someone steals Betty’s stuffed bunny from her desk and sends her ransom notes, reminds me of a similar experience with my Mr. Duck–ahem, Jillian).
I am NOT watching Aaron Sorkin’s “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” because it’s written by Aaron Sorkin. Even though I hear good reports about how there’s a positive portrayal of a smart, funny, evangelical Christian character on the show, I somehow think that when she speaks, she must sound amazingly like Aaron Sorkin. Because ALL his characters do. Plus, I hear that the character is based on Kristin Chenoweth, a wonderful Broadway actress and singer who apparently had the misfortune to date Sorkin, so any merit the character has probably comes from her. However, I think I will give “Studio 60″’s competitor, “30 Rock,” a try when it debuts this Wednesday.
Speaking of debuts, I am celebrating the return of “Dr. Who” (with David Tennant! Yippee!) last night. I haven’t yet watched the episode, but, believe me, I’m looking forward to it. This weekend is doubly blessed with David Tennant, as he’s also appearing on Masterpiece Theatre’s Casanova on Sunday night. How shall I contain my joy?
Who would’ve thunk that I, who had no TV until I acquired one via marriage, would be watching three shows a week?
Add comment October 7th, 2006