Shut yer pie-hole ya wee bastard!

Ah, Irish people -- they talk funny.

But hey howsabout everyone's favorite Irish punk-rock band the Dropkick Murphys? Did you know that I was in the same high school class with band member Tim Brennan? Yep, us CT folks really get around - just saw the band recently on Conan O'Brien - my former workplace - and it was pretty surreal to see a guy I went to school with rocking out on national TV ...

Some quick thoughts as I wind down for the night ...

- Tonight's THE OFFICE: Well, I can already predict that there are some among my friends who will love this episode. And I did like it, but I really felt like this episode laid on the schmaltz WAY too thick. This is supposed to be an offbeat comedy, and yet this ep had only scattered comedic moments in between a bunch of cheesy character arcs that had all the subtlety of getting hit on the head with a brick. What made the British version of The Office so amazing was that the serious, raw, dramatic moments materialized in surprising and poignant ways, often when you weren't expecting them - much like real life. This episode of The Office seemed fully NBC-ized to the point where they could have inserted a laugh track and a chorus of "awwws" and it wouldn't have seemed too out of place. It was too manufactured, too desperate to pull at our heart strings. And sure, it was pretty effective at doing just that, but it came at the expense of the comedy. Great work as always from Rainn Wilson and Steve Carell, but this show can do better. And I realize that there are those who are going to think I'm crazy and say this was the best episode of the show to date. But I say go watch an episode of Full House if this is what you want in your comedy. Sure, there were a few great moments, great performances, and a nice premise for the episode. But this is The Office, dammit all, and the legacy of that name carries with it a certain obligation to transcend typical TV comedy, and where a show with this much potential is concerned, I expect more than the typical sitcom fare. My grade: B-

- I caught the new FOX comedy THE LOOP, and I have to say it had a few decent moments and was well put together, but overall it just turned me off with its shallow, stereotypical characters and lack of depth. I really like the lead actor from his time on Grounded for Life, a very underrated sitcom, but his character here - a young guy who is a corporate worker by day and a partier by night - was pretty boring. I was excited to see a show focused on characters my age, but disappointed at how lame the show turned out to be. Compared to this, the preceding episode of THAT 70's SHOW looked like an all-time classic sitcom. Sure, its jokes are played out and it's been going on forever, but the show has great characters, a funny cast, and a formula that works. And I hate to admit it, but Fez still cracks me up after all this time. And yet, it is pretty absurd that this show has gone on for one last seson without it's two lead actors. My grades: THE LOOP: C, THAT 70'S SHOW: B

- I was very heartened to read a very positive review of the new SUPERMAN RETURNS trailer on Ain't It Cool News. Could there be hope for this movie after all? Here's hoping they have some exclusive previews at WizardWorld on Saturday.

- I am a diehard Alan Moore fan, but I just don't get his stubbornness when it comes to movies based on his work. By all accounts, V for Vendetta is a faithful, high-quality adaptation of Moore's graphic novel, so why must he still refuse to even acknowledge its existence? Then again, Moore's work HAS been butchered by Hollywood time and time again. Need I mention the travesty that was League of Extraordinaey Gentlemen? What about Keanu Reeves as John Constantine? And what about the debacle that has been Hollywood's failed attempts to adapt the legendary Watchmen into a feature film? Still, who wouldn't want to see Moore take a more active role in adapting his work to film ala Frank Miller with Sin City? In any case, even if I don't quite get his attitude, I don't waver in my stance that Alan Moore may be one of the best wwriters of all time, no matter the medium.

- NCAA Tournament! After a rough start to my brackets this morning, I'm now back on the road to victory as BC, Gonzaga, and some of my other picks pulled through. Of course I have UCONN going all the way though.

- Alright, like I said, just a quick post today ... back later with more.

- BTW, Conan had an awesome line last night in his monologue - you NBC people should get a kick out of it. It was something like: "So the other day Saddam Hussein threw a fit during his trial and proclaimed that the procedings had become a comedy. Yeah, within five minutes, NBC heard this and called about putting it on their network."