Is "The Office" Still a Comedy ?

"The Office" -- Michael Scott says 'goodbye' to Scranton

Is "The Office" still a comedy ? That isn't merely a rhetorical question.

The long-awaited finale in which Michael Scott [Steve Carell] says goodbye to Scranton branch was big on poignancy but the comedy was almost non-existent. Scott's tenure as the loopy, clueless Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch, ends not with a bang but with a wimper -- that's what she said.

What is it about TV swan songs that leave us disappointed ? MASH, Seinfeld, Friends, The Sopranos... you name it. Viewers counted down to their finales each time and then wondered why they bothered.

Of course "The Office" is staying on the air; it's just the boss that is leaving. [The character moved to Boulder, CO to be with his fiancee Holly Flax.]

It's just a shame that ol' Michael got such a poor send-off, including by his own staff. Michael pulled a fast one by telling everyone the wrong date he was leaving. A sad sense of irony then that the character who would throw office parties for any lame reason imaginable didn't even have a fete to mark his own departure.

The expanded 50-minute episode was so tinged in sadness and pathos that first-time viewers might not have realized that this was a sitcom. The episode opened with Michael and Dwight Schrute [Rainn Wilson] on the roof of the office building with Michael explaining that promoting Dwight wasn't his call. The scene played out with no jokes-- just a somber, droning conversation.

Michael later meets with the Party Planning Committee to discuss the details of his farewell party, which is set for the next day. Pam Halpert [Jenna Fischer] finds it odd that Michael doesn't want any of the usual things that he firmly insisted on in the past.

We later find out that Michael won't be attending the party...he arranged to fly to Colorado at the end of the work day to start his new life with Holly. Michael's final day at Dunder Mifflin is spent personally saying goodbye to staff members who don't realize that he's leaving a day early.

He plays paint ball with Dwight; gives his beloved St.Paulie Girl beer sign to Ryan Howard [BJ Novak]; and gives his best clients to Andy Bernard [Matt Healms], who promptly loses the first account he calls.

New manager D'Angelo Vickers [Will Ferrill] takes Andy out on a sales call to save the lost account, to disastrous results. Unfortunately, this subplot didn't add much-needed comic relief.

The episode's best scene involved Michael with longtime Number Two Jim Halpert [John Krasinski], the show's steady voice of reason. Halpert figured out Michael was secretly leaving early and tells him that he was the best boss he ever had.

The final scene has Michael at Scranton Airport, removing his microphones for the nebulous office documentary that's been in the works for 6 years. He tells the cameraman "let me know if it ever airs." Pam gets by airport security and gives Michael a hug goodbye. There's a final "that's what she said"...and fade to black.

Sorely missing from the episode was Holly Flax [Amy Adams], who appeared only briefly via telephone [off-screen]. Those who were expecting another 'Office' wedding were disappointed.

It's too bad that Michael Scott, the television character, received such an underwhelming send-off. The clueless boss brought to life by Steve Carell will surely go down in the annals of TV history with other memorable characters like Fonzie, Mr. Spock, Archie Bunker and Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce. Come to think of it, those characters didn't get suitable final episode send-offs, either.

In reality, "The Office" jumped the shark two seasons ago. Since then, only a hand full of episodes have been consistently funny. But we'll always have Seasons 1 through 4 on DVD.

Couch Potato Cop: Charlie Sheen Bombs at Radio City; invites Chuck L...

Couch Potato Cop: Charlie Sheen Bombs at Radio City; invites Chuck L...: "Charlie SheenMy Violent Torpedo of Truth / Failure is Not an OptionRadio City Music Hall April 8, 2011 There were no 'violent torpedos' a..."

Charlie Sheen Bombs at Radio City; invites Chuck Lorre to a future show

Charlie Sheen

My Violent Torpedo of Truth / Failure is Not an Option

Radio City Music Hall April 8, 2011

There were no "violent torpedos" and what passed for "truth" were random and disjointed fragments of anecdotes when Charlie Sheen brought his schtick to Radio City. Surely, the venerable 79-year old show palace never hosted an event quite like this.

Things started off well: Sheen took the stage to a standing ovation.

The format of the show was a Q-and-A moderated by Live Nation Producer Joey Scoleri. But Scoleri couldn't keep Sheen focused and on-point.

A riff on hotel rooms that Sheen's stayed out lead to this typically rambling, unfinished anecdote:

"It was at this hotel in Indiannapolis that I pranked John Cusack. I filled the 8th floor with killer bees.... "

Sheen's train of thought was interrupted by a shout from an audience member.

"Hey Emilio ! Who let him in ? I thought he was banned."

We never did find out what happened to John Cusack or the swarm of bees. Or why Emilio would be banned.

There was another hotel story set in Costa Rica involving actress Charlotte Lewis and crazed monkeys outside the hotel, but that story never made it to the finish line either.

On the topic of hotels, what really happened at the Plaza in December ? Sheen blamed the incident on an adverse reaction to Ambien -- plus the fact that he was miffed that porn star Capri Anderson allegedly took his $170,000 watch. Sheen said in that moment he wasn't "winning": he had "tipped" Anderson $30,000 and "didn't even have sex with her."

"She owes me a watch and $30,000 of entertainment," surmised Charlie.

Midway through the show, the restless crowd started to turn on Sheen; delivering punch lines on a sitcom set is one thing; it takes a skilled raconteur to maintain the attention of an audience of 6,000. Telling coherent stories would help.

Sensing the uneasiness of the audience, Scoleri ushered Sheen off the stage for a brief intermission while a 10-minute spoof of Sheen's recent media antics was shown on the video screens.

The star came back to briefly discuss "Two and a Half Men", saying he would be happy to go back and that it was a "bitching job". He invited show Executive Producer and creator Chuck Lorre to join him on stage at a future show so that they "could work it all out."

Scoleri finished his questioning by asking Sheen what was on his "bucket list". Sheen said he wanted to host a sports talk show at a table set up in center field at Yankee Stadium -- while a game was in progress. He also said he's like to "high-five Carmelo Anthony, but I'd miss because I'm too short." He also mumbled something about surfing in Malibu.

And that was it. The Violent Torpedo of Truth ended not with a bang, but a wimper.

This Torpedo was a dud

Couch Potato Cop: Season Preview : Dancing with the Stars

Couch Potato Cop: Season Preview : Dancing with the Stars: "ABC's highly-rated paella of sequins, spray tans, flop sweat and dazzling D-list celebrities returns for a 12th season, and Couch Potato Cop..."

Season Preview : Dancing with the Stars

ABC's highly-rated paella of sequins, spray tans, flop sweat and dazzling D-list celebrities returns for a 12th season, and Couch Potato Cop can't wait.

Say what you will about "Dancing with the Stars", but the producers have hit on a winning formula: it almost doesn't matter who the celebrities are in a given season.

Still, there have been a few tweaks for the upcoming season. There will only be 11 couples (they've had as many as 16 in the past).

Gone, also, is the "designated senior citizen", a role filled in past seasons by Cloris Leachman, Buzz Aldrin and Florence Henderson.

Also notably absent: no dancers with political party ties. Last season, Britstol Palin was an OK dancer who hung around until the finals. The ridiculous controversies that ensued -- Is the voting rigged ?!!; Is the show too Republican ?!! -- polarized viewers and deflected attention from the actual dancing.

Couch Potato Cop notes that there is no clear-cut favorite, unlike last year when Jennifer Gray was lock from the get-go.

Having a wide-open tournament for the famed Mirror Ball Trophy -- the Stanley Cup of reality television -- should make for interesting viewing.

Here is a cheat sheet for the upcoming season. Note: the odds listed were posted by Las Vegas book-makers, not Couch Potato Cop. Please wager responsibly.

Kirstie Alley, 60, with pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy; odds 9 to 1.

ABC execs view Alley as their best "get" in this cast, and have given her the most promotion. I'm watching to see how long it will take before the sassy actress has a falling out with the occasionally high-strung Chmerkovskiy, known for not taking any guff from his celeb partners.

Alley has said that she's doing the show in part to lose an additional 60 pounds. She probably should have signed up for "The Biggest Loser" in stead. Cheers !

Ralph Macchio, 49, with pro Karina Smirnoff; odds 3.5 to 1

This answers the question, whatever happened to Ralph Macchio ?

But I have a better question: in 3 different "Karate Kid" movies, why did so many different people want to kick his ass ? After a while, a guy has to think: "maybe it's not them, it's me."

Despite that, we're rooting for "Daniel-san" to honor his Sensei Mr. Miyagi with a victory. And we're also rooting for Russian spitfire Smirnoff to get her first Mirror Ball Trophy.

Sugar Ray Leonard, 54, with pro Anna Trebunskaya; odds 6 to 1

Twenty-five years ago, this would have been a huge "get". Pound-for-pound Leonard was one of the best boxers of all time and an incredible athlete. It looks like Sugar Ray kept himself in tremendous shape so if I had to place a bet, here is where I'd put my money.

Mike Catherwood, 31, with pro Lacey Schwimmer; odds 14 to 1.

Each season, there's at least one name on the roster that makes you go "Who?" Matter of fact, I just Googled Catherwood and the screen said, "We don't know. Ask Yahoo." Apparently he's a DJ in LA with the nickname "Psycho Mike"; basically a very poor man's Adam Carola.

Petra Nemcova, 31, with pro Dmitry Chaplin, odds 14 to 1.

Nemcova is an officially-certified Supermodel who survived the tsunami of Phuket, Thailand.

In fact, Nemcova almost bailed on "Dancing with the Stars" at the last minute to assist the people of Japan. ABC producers convinced Nemcova that she could help those affected in Japan by staying on the show and raising awareness and charitable contributions.

Hines Ward, 35, with pro Kym Johnson, odds 4.5 to 1.

Ward is the second active football player to appear on the show, although he is contemplating retirement and might never step on the gridiron again. We have to like his chances, given the success past NFLers have had on the show. That, and he's paired with Australian dynamo Kym Johnson.

Chelsea Kane, 22, with pro Mark Ballas; odds 4.5 to 1.

File this one under "corporate synergy"; each season, a little-know actor from the Disney Channel is added to the cast. Well, ABC is not going to promote an actor under contract to rivals CBS or NBC. We don't know who Kane is, put pro partner Mark Ballas is a two-time champ.

Romeo Miller (formerly Lil' Romeo), 21 with pro Chelsea Hightower; odds 5.5 to 1.

Longtime "DwtS" viewers will remember Romeo's dad Master P from Season 2 -- as much as they'd like to forget. The story goes that Lil' Romeo was signed to do the show but got injured at the last minute and Master P reluctantly stepped in -- and went on to become one of the most horrendous dancers in "DwtS" history. Romeo says that he wants to redeem the family honor.

Chris Jericho, 3, with pro Cheryl Burke; odds 10 to 1.

Jericho is a WWE rassler, which actually puts him at a huge advantage: he's done years of live television and he's no stranger to spandex.

Wendy Williams, 46, with pro Tony Dovolani; odds 7 to 1.

Williams has more wigs than Elton John, and we'll see a number of 'em depending on how long she lasts. Let's hope against hope that she phases out her tired catchphrase "How you doin'?"

That was stale even back when Matt LeBlanc stopped using it 7 years ago.

Kendra Wilkinson, 35, with pro Louis Van Amstel; odds 3 to 1.

Forgive us if we can't keep straight who's who in Hugh Hefner's modern day harem of concubines. One of Wilkinson's goals is to last longer than her "frienemy" Holly Madison, who didn't fare too well as a last-minute replacement on "DwtS" a few seasons back.

Couch Potato Cop: LOSERS OF THE WEEK

Couch Potato Cop: LOSERS OF THE WEEK: "What do Lisa Rinna, the TSA, the Situation and Mayor Michael Bloomberg all have in common ?They are all our losers of the week. Counting fro..."

LOSERS OF THE WEEK

What do Lisa Rinna, the TSA, the Situation and Mayor Michael Bloomberg all have in common ?

They are all our losers of the week.

Counting from the biggest loser on down...

1. Lisa Rinna is an actress most famous for "Days of Our Lives" and collagen injections. She became a reality show staple, first with "Dancing with the Stars" and then "Harry Loves Lisa".

Rinna then established a career as an adequate red-carpet host. But that was until she totally "jumped the shark" this week with a truly embarassing performance on the "Celebrity Apprentice". But the fun didn't stop even after Donald Trump delivered those famous two words: "You're fired."

Rinna extended her own humilaition in the fake board room, by sending "harassing" emails and insulting tweets about rival Star Jones. Rinna says the emails were harmless, but Jones directed them all to NBC's corporate lawyers and discussed getting an order of protection.

Man, this is the most heated "Apprentice" feud since.....last week when Richard Hatch pushed around David Cassidy.

2. The Transportation Security Administration is spin-doctoring upon word that X-ray body scanners used at airports are emitting up to "10 times higher than expected" levels of radiation.

TSA Head John Pirrone swears the radiation zappers are safe, but would he tell us if they weren't it ? His job is to get voluntary compliance from the public and keep those airport lines moving.

Couch Potato Cop recommends that if you are subject to the "random" security search, choose the pat down over the scanner. It's better to get groped than zapped. Sure it's unpleasant, but it will be over in a minute and there's a 100% guarantee that there will be no harmful after-affects.

3. To say that Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino bombed at the Donald Trump Celebrity Roast is like saying Napoleon had an offnight at Waterloo. The Situation heard nothing but stunned silence with a smattering of crickets at the Hammerstein Ballroom. That is, until the booing kicked in. Priceless was the look of stunned silence from Ice Tea who was in the audience. As the audience was turning on him, Sorrentino said: "Maybe comedy ain't my game right now." No truer words were ever spoken.

4. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's approval ratings hit an 8-year low. Not surprising since hizzoner's 3rd term has been marked by a low-energy, care-taker attitude as he prepares to run for president. The only people loving Bloomberg right now are the Bike Lane Nazis.

5. The cash-strapped New York Mets finally cut loose under-achieving second baseman Luis Castillo, eating the remainder of his contract. Don't feel bad for Castillo: he will be paid $6 million to not play for the Mets this season.

Castillo was one of the most hated players in New York in recent memory. He got off on the wrong foot in 2008: more than just having a poor year--as any player could have-- Castillo flat-out didn't hustle. He wouldn't run out ground balls and his fielding was abysmal. He started to turn it around the next season, and indeed batted over .300. But the entire season was marred by Castillo muffing an easy pop-up on the last play of the game, turning a Met win against the hated Yankees into a spirit-crushing defeat. That play has defined Castillo's tenure with the Mets. Had he dropped that same ball and lost a game against, say, the Washington Senators, fans would have been irate for sure, but they would have moved on.

6. Most people hadn't heard the name Cappie Pondexter until this week. She is one of the best players in the WNBA, a fringe-league plagued by meager attendance and impossibly-low television ratings. To supplement her WNBA income, Pondexter is currently playing basketball in Europe.

Yet, through the power of Twitter, Pondexter made a global ass of herself. In multiple angry tweets, Pondexter said that the victims of Japan's earthquake and tsunami got what they deserved and that God "makes no mistakes".

In her nonsensical ramblings, Pondexter apparently confused Japan with China when she wrote "What if God was tired of the way they treat their own people in their own country. He makes no mistakes." Pondexter was apparently referring to civil rights violations in China, not realizing it's a separate nation.

She also referenced Pearl Harbor and addressed a fellow tweeter as a "Jap".

Making the situation worse was Pondexter's lame apology: sorry that her words were interpreted the wrong way.

The people of Japan have much bigger things to worry about than a young athlete's ignorant tweets. Still, the WNBA and NY Liberty should have done a better job condemning the original comments and making it clear that they were unacceptable. The problem is the bottom line: Japanese Americans don't make up a big market share of the NY Liberty's attendance.