Neal Justin: We are only slightly amused

It was a perfectly orchestrated, sentimental, tear-inducing milestone in TV history. But enough about Michael Scott's last shift at Dunder Mifflin.

Steve Carell's departure from "The Office" on Thursday night was overshadowed mere hours later with the royal wedding, estimated to have been devoured by a record 2 billion viewers around the world.

Americans who bounced out of bed well before dawn Friday morning to tune in couldn't have been disappointed. The carriages, the bride, the music -- all beautiful.

Kudos to TV commentators who stifled themselves during the actual ceremony, letting the regalness of the moment tell the story. But otherwise adept anchors struggled in the pregame show, forced to rely on carefully controlled shots, English trivia and speculation about the dress designer to fill time.

I have to hope that Diane Sawyer and Katie Couric secretly wished they were covering a meaty disaster story in Alabama, which is exactly where NBC's Brian Williams was during the pomp and circumstance.

TV anchors such as Barbara Walters and Matt Lauer used the time to show off their psychic skills, interpreting everything from waves to whispers. Fox's Shepard Smith amused himself by poking fun at the ladies' wacky hats. TLC leaned on wedding expert Ivana Trump and a psychologist who analyzed the couple's body language.

There were more clichés such as "fairy-tale romance" and "memories of a lifetime" than Union Jack flags. It also didn't help that the prince and princess didn't invite many celebrities, which meant Elton John got loads of camera time.

That maudlin period quickly passed to make room for speculation about the balcony kiss, with NBC even posting a "Countdown to the Kiss" graphic. Listening to Piers Morgan analyze the nature of the smooch ("It was a great big smoochy smacker!") made my scone-filled stomach curl.

Journalism's finest hours? Certainly not. But there's nothing wrong with TV dedicating the early hours to a joyous event. The only thing that could have made it more memorable would be if Anderson Cooper had opened CNN's coverage by excusing himself and hopping on a plane to the South, reminding himself and viewers where the country's top reporters belong.