Watching The Office

Rainn Wilson was on Wired Science recently. He did a segment called What’s Inside where he is supposed to guess the contents of a medicine cabinet from the other items the host has to show him.

Wired Science is a show pattered after Wired Magazine and it features a weekly dose of news on technology and anything that’s generally taking place in the world of science.  We don’t get shows like this on television…at least not on our side of the world. So, it’s something that I personally look forward to watching via the video from Wired Science’s official site.

I do think Rainn is the perfect person to guest on a show like this, don’t you? It would even be more perfect if he got into character be like Dwight — who, I imagine, would have to do very well at guessing the contents of a medicine cabinet, while giving the viewers a few interesting facts (that we actually need not know!) and scaring the host in the process. That would have been hilarious. 

Anyway, here’s the video:

Meanwhile Angela Kinsey confirms her pregnancy via the blog entry she has written three days ago. Angela writes about her mother instincts kicking in and how her own mom is over the moon knowing that there’s a new baby on the way. She also shares that she and BFF Jenna Fischer are going to attend yoga classes from here on.

The big question, as far as this latest development is concerned, is how will they be writing Angela’s pregnancy into the show. And if it is really going be written down,  like most people think — there’s no way that the father isn’t anyone but Dwight. No matter what, they do belong together. This pregnancy was one of the speculations that cropped up over the summer.

Do you like the idea of a baby Dwangela on the way?

Rainn Wilson, Angela Kinsey, Dwangela, Wired Science

Oberon Media has created and released this MSN Game exclusive — a computer game depicting life in The Office! I’m not sure if this is the very same video game that was set to be released, sometime last September…. is it?  Wait, I just checked and it is not the same game  (thank god for back entries…I forgot I wrote about it!) And what happened to the other video game, by the way? I’ve got to do a follow up on that sometime…

 
MSN Games Exclusive!
Think you can survive the zany workplace of NBC’s comedy The Office?
Put the absurd to the test with an all-new game based on the hit television series.
Selling paper has never been more hilarious!

Anyway,  the game puts you, the player controlling Jim’s character, against Dwight, and you are given tasks to complete. Actually, you have to make sell paper and do this repetitive task.  I gave the free trial a try and I gotta say — IT’S ADDICTING! Someone kick me off my computer chair! Selling paper has indeed never been this fun. 

I was able to beat Dwight on several  instances, and it’s a great feeling to be able to do that! Now I know how Jim feels. Even if the gameplay lets you do the same thing over and over, outperforming Dwight was fun enough. My competitive streak is coming out and I’m taking it out on Dwight. Hee!

The game play is actually just very simple, kids can even do  it (which I will do later, I’ll have my son try this game later).  I’m not a hard core gamer, obviously, so whatever graphics or concept they have incorporated in this game were all fairly enjoyable.

Download the trial or purchase the game here.

The Office, The Office Game, The Office MSN exclusive game, Oberon Media

The latest on the strike is this —- talks between the WGA and the AMPTP have resumed early Monday morning, and will continue for the next three days. According to news accounts, the meeting had been very productive, and the producers seemed to have shown some signs that they were ready to negotiate.

Deadline Hollywood reports that “a very comprehensive proposal which laid out to all the entire roadmap to the deal. Over the course of the session, the producers addressed every single issue, and the writers listened and kept getting up to caucus.”

While talks are ongoing, there will be a news blackout. So we are most probably going to hear about the results (hopefully, good results!) by the end of the week. Still, even as the groundwork on both sides is basically already laid out, there is a big possibility this will soon be over before Christmas.

So, if this turn for the better, does that mean we’re gonna see the return of The Office in January? Not likely. Returning shows have to have at least six reserved episodes ready to air in between shooting a new one. With the cast and crew shooting nothing in the last three weeks, if and when they return for work, the episode they produce would have to aired a few weeks thereafter.

By January, Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice will take over The Office’s time slot.

In the meantime, every fan is encouraged to express their sentiments, in a non-threatening and violent way, please, to the network honchos like Jeff Zucker (for NBC). The address to send your letters to:

Jeff Zucker
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112

The Office, WGA Strike, Jeff Zucker, NBC, Celebrity Apprentice, Donald Trump

Caught the movie, Enchanted, yesterday and the lead, Amy Adams, definitely looked very familiar to me. But I could not place her face at the time since I was trying to concentrate on the movie. Amy Adams, as Giselle was really all-princess like. If one of them literally popped out of a fairy tale story (as she did in the movie), how she gave justice to her character would surely have to be the right personification for it. She was just adorable. But the movie was much too sweet for my taste. I could almost feel ants crawling up on me… I was that uncomfortable. But the kids who were watching loved every bit of the movie. So, I guess Disney has done something right with it.

Going home, I could not shake the thought of where I’ve seen Amy Adams. I’m sure that it was on a television show because I watch more of TV than movies. When I checked her up on IMDb, only then did I realize she was Katy, Jim Halpert’s first girlfriend in The Office. I’m sure a lot of you would remember her. She first appeared in season one’s Hot Girl and then had a few other appearances on the show thereafter.

Sometime ago, there were speculations that someone we thought was surely gone in the series (so therefore an ex-girlfriend or an ex-boyfriend of one of the characters) was going to return. Now, of course we know that this “someone” was actually Karen. But wouldn’t it be interesting if Katy comes back for another episode anytime this season, nearly two years after Jim and her broke up?

Anyway, here is a clip from Hot Girl, as we remember Katy (Amy Adams)….

The Office, Amy Adams, Katy on The Office, The Office Hot Girl, Enchanted

So, what have we got to busy ourselves with? And what have the cast of the show been busying themselves lately?

Expecting Angela: Last week, US Magazine reported The Office’s Angela and husband TV writer Warren Lieberstein are expecting their first baby in May 2008. We are very thrilled for the Kinseys!

Why Kelly is on Strike: Mindy Kaling, who plays Kelly in the show, has written this entry on her blog the other Friday. She is supporting her strike, not for herself nor for her own personal gain as a writer. She is supporting this for all the other writers who are not as lucky as some of them.

What Kelly saw at Scranton: Boston.com’s Meredith Goldstein prepares this beautiful slide show of Mindy’s first visit to Scranton last October 2007.

People’s Sexiest - Dwight Schrute: The Office Community has the scan from People Magazine, featuring Rainn Wilson. We reported last week that he made it to the magazine’s yearly list of Sexiest Man Alive. A believer of the Baha’i Faith, Rainn was also featured in the congregation’s publication for the September - October 2007 issue. On the flipside, his crazy character on the show keeps a blog which has just been updated last week:  Schrute Space. Here Dwight, talks about his family’s Thanksgiving tradition, a concept similar to Top Chef’s culinary competition.

Dr. Creed, GYNO: If you’re looking for something else  to watch while the show is on hiatus, I failed to mention in my last entry that Creed also has a movie coming out and is waiting for a festival screening. It’s called Just One of The Gynos,  produced and written by Tripper Clancy, it is a comedy on gynecologist. However, a private, by-invitation screening for friends and family of the cast and crew will be held later this week.

Here’s the trailer to Just One Of The Gynos:

The Office, The Office cast, Angela Kinsey, Mindy Kaling, Kelly Kapoor, Rainn Wilson, Dwight Schrute, Creed, Just One Of The Gynos

With the strike-imposed hiatus still underway, where will we get our Office fix now? Sure, there’s our usual stack of DVDs, and perhaps now is the best time time to do a marathon. Or if you have cable TV, syndicated episodes are probably still airing past seasons of The Office. And NBC, meanwhile, is airing replays on its current time-slot…that is, until a new show (a reality show, I heard) takes over it.

But if you’re like me, who would also like to see something new from the cast, getting my fix would have to mean finding the cast in other productions, outside of The Office.  And it’s a good thing some of them have movies lined-up for release during strike period.

Rainn Wilson’s movie, Juno, is set to run on December 5. It’s an indie film with Ellen Page in the lead. Juno is a story of a teenager who has to deal with an unplanned pregnancy and aside from Rainn in the cast, I’m also interested with seeing Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney and Michael Cera.

Jenna Fischer has Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story on December 21st. Here, the actress plays the role of Dewey Cox’s wife and the movie is a parody on the lives of some of our famous musicians. Produced by Judd Apatow, the comedy is expected to be one good movie. Watch the trailer here.

If the strike would last till the summer (oh, please no!) there’s Steve Carell’s movie, Get Smart and John Krasinski’s Leatherhead to look forward to.

The Office, Rainn Wilson, Juno, Jenna Fischer, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Steve Carell, Get Smart, John Krasinski, Leatherhead

Haven’t done your Christmas shopping yet? With Christmas a month away and with the malls and stores already crowded, shopping may be too much of a hassle and a complete waste of time. For some people, turning to online shopping provides the answer.

And if you have a TV fan on your gift-giving list (specifically The Office fans), you might want to check out he NBC Universal Store. I’ve browsed through the catalogue and there are some pretty cool stuff there. Some of the items are essentially ideal gifts for non-TV fans as well (and you can turn them into one!)

Most popular, and a big hit among The Office aficionados, is this talking bobblehead of Michael Scott. It says classic Michael Scott catchphrases like: “That’s what she said” or “It’s really beyond words… it’s really incalculable.” It’s a fun token to give to your co-worker….or boss (if you dare to).

Also from the list of items, I personally would love to own a Dunder Mifflin Warehouse Staff Shirt. This should have been perfect for Halloween, but since that occasion has passed, I’d still love to wear this to a holiday costume party. And besides, there’s always next year’s Halloween.

Real companies and offices normally give out special awards during their Christmas parties. To make the occasion more fun and memorable, why not give away a couple of these Dundies, in true The Office tradition?

Over at NBC Universal’s Auction Store, you can get the chance to win Michael Scott’s Timex watch. This is the very watch he wore in Season 3. And at the as of this writing the current bid is at $200+ with 10 days to go.

By the way, to those in the States — Happy Thanksgiving!

The Office, The Office items, The Office gifts, The Office Bobblehead, The Office Dunder Mifflin Warehouse Uniform, Michael Scott’s watch, NBC Universal Store

Now that the show is indefinitely out of the grid, let’s shift gears for a moment and check this production that is somewhat very similar to the way The Office is presented.

It is a show that is definitely set in the workplace. It has its own version of misfits and characters (someone in the cast actually reminded me of a milder, less mature Dwight), the pacing is familiar and a camera crew is following the staff/”actors” around. The only difference? It’s set in an adult-movie production. Yes, boys and girls…it’s the workplace for porn productions.

The show is called Canoga Park and is based on a fictional adult film producer named Mitch Tanner, who is surrounded by an incompetent and inexperienced staff. The show began airing on The Playboy Channel during the first week of November, as the channel is revamping their line-up to target the YouTube generation.  Press release dubs Canoga Park as a cross between The Office and Entourage.

I took a moment to watch the first episode and I do not know whether I should be offended that it is pitched as a show similar to our favorite; or be pleased that  it is trying to pattern itself after one of the best comedies on TV.  Others who have seen it call this show fresh and funny. I couldn’t agree with that because I could not get into the show that much…the props and thingies hanging about are a huge distraction. =D

Well, see for yourself…

WARNING: VIDEO NOT SUITABLE FOR MINORS. So I’m just gonna link up to the original feed to filter out the adult content. Part 1 | Part 2.

The Office, The Office Production, Canoga Park, Entourage, The Office Porn

Pam: He doesn’t get that many calls, so he has me make them up every ten minutes.

Jim: One of our biggest clients is a ping-pong master. I have to play him tomorrow, or we lose the account.

Dwight: I have a life-size poster of Hugo Hoyama on my wall.

Michael: The company fired her for having the courage to augment her boobs.

Jan: Remember, it isn’t just a pattern, It’s a pattern of disrespect, and inappropriate behavior.
Michael: Pattern Pat-tern. My friend Pat took a turn. Disray. My friend Disray got new specs. Disrayspect. My friend Inapro drives a Prius with his behind neighbor.

Michael to Toby: Are you renewing your divorce vows before my deposition?

Mr. Schneider: How long have you known the plaintiff?
Michael: I haven’t actually seen it, but I have seen The Firm and I plan on renting The Pelican Brief.

Michael on Stenographer: Delivery’s all wrong. She’s butchering it.

Lines from the Stenographer:
“Mr. Scott, do you realize you just contradicted yourself?”
“I did?”
“Yes you did.”
“Can I go to the bathroom?”
“No.”
“I really have to, I’ve been drinking lots of water.”
“You went five minutes ago.”
“That wasn’t to go to the bathroom, that was to get out of a question.”
“You still have to answer it.”
“First can I go to the bathroom?”
“No.”

Michael: To be delicate, they hang off milady’s chest. They make milk.

Michael: Line.
The judge: He asked for a line, like in a play.

Lawyer: Mr. Scott, who is this other woman Ryan, who you refer to here as ‘Just as hot as Jan but in a different way.’
Michael: Not a woman, just a cool, great-looking best friend.

Lawyer: Ok, let’s make ten copies of this diary.
Toby: Um, can you make it eleven?

Michael: You expect to get screwed by your company, but you never expect to get screwed by your girlfriend.

Michael: Maybe we should get something cheaper
Jan: Chinese was my cheap suggestion.

A lesson in Smack Talk from Kelly Kapoor:

• I don’t talk trash, I talk smack. They’re totally different. Trash talk is all hypothetical, like, ‘Your mama’s so fat she could eat the internet.’ But smack talk is happening like, right now, like, ‘You’re ugly and I know it for a fact cuz I got the evidence right there.’
• We’re Jim’s parents first cousins who were also bad at ping pong?
• Hey, hey, you, you. I don’t like your boyfriend. Cuz, cuz, cuz, cuz. Cuz he sucks at ping pong?
• What has two skinny chicken legs and sucks at ping pong?
• You’re boyfriend is so weak he needs sterouds just to watch baseball.
• Jim couldn’t hit a ping pong ball if it was the size of the moon.

For more of The Office Quotes, click this.
For a full recap of this episode, click this.

The Office, The Office quotes, The Office Deposition, The Office episode quotes

Strike Update: I’m actually dreading this week…because there will be no more new episodes from The Office. Series regulars, meaning the actors, will also have to be suspended by their studio if they do not go to work. But there is a bright side to the strike (yes, we’ve got to keep thinking positive!) as another round of negotiations is scheduled to take place on November 26th. In the meantime, Office Fans can show their support for the writers by sending in their donations via The Office Fans Christmas Fund. The target is to reach $10,000 by December 21. The money will be donated to the crew of The Office so that they will at least enjoy a happy Christmas. Isn’t it nice we give something back to them for a change?

Ratings Update: Arrgggh…the last of the ratings watch I have to do for Thursday nights. How did The Deposition fare with last week’s offering? It actually did so much better, increasing in it’s key demo by almost half! Here’s the ranking:

1. “CSI� (CBS) 21.29m
2. “Grey’s Anatomy� (ABC) 19.28m
3. “Survivor: China� (CBS) 14.76m
4. “Without a Trace� (CBS) 14.49m
5. “Ugly Betty� (ABC) 10.73m
6. “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?� (FOX) 9.60m
7. “ER� (NBC) 9.52m
8. “Women’s Murder Club� (ABC) 8.93m
9. “The Office� (NBC) 8.86m
10. “My Name is Earl� (NBC) 7.97m
11. “30 Rock� (NBC) 6.47m
12. “Scrubs� (NBC) 6.04m
13. “Don’t Forget the Lyrics� (FOX) 6.01m
14. “Smallville� (CW) 4.49m
15. “Supernatural� (CW) 2.89m

Actors in The Media:

• Video of Rainn Wilson who is chosen as one of People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive. John Krasinski is on the list, too!
• Melora Hardin article in HoboTrashCan
• John Krasinski in Men’s Health Magazine, there’s an accompanying video as well.

The Office, The Office news, The Office strike update, The Office ratings, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Melora Hardin

Was I watching a comedy or a legal drama? Not that it’s any bad. I love both kinds of television. There were moments in this week’s episode of The Office that affirms how good this show is or how great the actors are and why I continue to watch the show (and why I will sorely miss it during the strike).

Following last week’s pattern, this week’s episode entitled The Deposition, carried two storylines that take place in and outside the office. While the rest of the gang essentially do their usual unproductive activities at work, Michael heads to corporate in New York, to deal with some seriously heavy stuff.

(more…)

As any Office fan or viewer should know, the last of The Office episodes for this year airs this Thursday. The big set back is on account of the still unresolved writers’ strike. The Office became the very first TV show to fold, with production shutting down less than 48 hours after the strike began; and with the studio firing about one hundred of its crew.

How the show has suddenly come unprepared for this situation, with nary a back-up plan that would not keep viewers hanging, could be due to the fact that the show offered four one-hour episodes last October. Also, I’ve came to learn that The Office is one of those shows which would tape episodes closer to the airdate. The cast was set to shoot next week’s episode the Monday the strike began. But, as we’ve learned, the show has closed early.

Technically, Deposition would have been its 12th episode, if I did my math right. And had that been the case, the show would have lasted us till February.

Episode Title: Deposition
Episode Summary: Michael (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell) finds himself between a rock and a hard place when Jan (Melora Hardin) sues Dunder Mifflin and Michael is deposed as a witness. Meanwhile, Kelly (Mindy Kaling) trash-talks Pam (Jenna Fischer) after Darryl (Craig Robinson) beats Jim (John Krasinski) at ping-pong.

This is the promo ad NBC ran for all of Thursday night’s comedy line-up this week and you’ll see a very short scene with Michael telling the litigators just who the “twins” are.

Those few seconds of Michael cracked me up! And just for a while, it makes me forget that we won’t be able to watch new episodes of this brilliant series in a long while… only to snap back to reality and feel all sad again.

For sentimental reasons, I have a feeling Deposition will be one of its best episode.

I miss this show already.

The Office, The Office preview, The Office Deposition

Toby: Ryan invited me to go on his wilderness adventure retreat. It was this amazing, beautiful, it–
Michael: Hey! Nobody cares. Nobody cares…I need that room, at some point so, just wrap it up!
Toby: Michael wasn’t invited.

Pam: Apparently, they already knew everything they needed to know about him.

Jim: When Michael plays the hypothetical game, I always say yes. And I am always busy.

Dwight: I keep various weaponry strategically placed around the office. I saved Jim’s life with a can of pepper spray I had velcrowed under my desk. People say, oh it’s dangerous to keep weapons in the home, or the workplace. Well I say, it’s better to be hurt by someone you know, accidentally, than by a stranger, on purpose.

Dwight: I would make sure that you were dead. I would remove your teeth and cut off your fingertips, so you could not be identified, and they would call me the Overkill Killer.

Michael (to Dwight): You are way creepier than an actual serial killer.

Dwight: Do I believe Michael has the skills to survive in a hostile environment? Let me put it this way…No, no I don’t.

Michael: When I return, I hope to be a completely changed human being.
Jim: That’d be great.

Michael: I wish I could have gone with Ryan on that cool retreat! Jan has plastic boobs! I have hemorrhoids!

Michael: I’ve tented my pants!

Kevin: Most days I just sit and wait for the break.

Phyllis: Hey Michael, I mean Jim…

Jim: Yes, Phyllis called me Michael. And I will always and forever be haunted by that fact.

Michael: I don’t need the woods. I have a nice wood desk.

Michael: Just wait. 10 years, you’ll figure it out.
Jim: Well, I don’t think I’ll be here in 10 years, but…
Michael: That’s what I said. That’s what she said.
Jim: That’s what who said?
Michael: I never know. I just say it. I say stuff like that, you know, to lighten the tension, when things sort of get hard–
Jim: That’s what she said.
Michael: Hey! Nice! Really good. Bravo. My young ‘ward.

For more of The Office Quotes, click this.
For a full recap of this episode, click this.

The Office, The Office Survivor Man, The Office quotes

Ratings Updates: The Office remains a steady eddie on their Thursday time slot, amidst two adversities — the WGA strike and NBC’s mandatory Going Green theme. The people behind the show did the best they could to go with the theme, by the way. But NBC, please do not have this again, I beg you. Here’s how the show stood with ratings last Thursday:

1. “CSI� (CBS) 21.92m
2. “Without a Trace� (CBS) 21.39m
3. “Grey’s Anatomy� (ABC) 19.30m
4. “Survivor: China� (CBS) 14.91m
5. “Ugly Betty� (CBS) 10.89m
6. “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?� (FOX) 8.77m
7. “Big Shots� (ABC) 8.62m
8. “ER� (NBC) 8.42m
9. “The Office� (NBC) 8.29m
10. “My Name is Earl� (NBC) 7.66m
11. “30 Rock� (NBC) 6.61m
12. “Don’t Forget the Lyrics� (FOX) 6.48m
13. “Scrubs� (NBC) 6.36m
14. “Smallville� (CW) 4.95m
15. “Supernatural� (CW) 3.01m

Strike Updates: The bad news has been laid upon us last week. And from what I read, some of the crew members working on The Office have been laid off by the studio. Laid off! I was hoping it would be resolved after a week, but it’s just getting worse, people.

Jenna Fischer wrote on her blog that their trailers have been cleared out.

They cleaned out my trailer and just delivered me 3 boxes of my stuff. It is pretty surreal. We cannot produce new episodes of The Office until the Writer’s Guild strike is over.

She wrote a second entry to explain their stand further. It’s sad and I’m personally depressed over the situation. But at least Rainn Wilson could still joke about it.

If you want to do something about the strike — show your support, let the studios and network know, Office Tally is posing a challenge to all fans of The Office to write a letter to NBC/Universal. Perhaps they will listen to us, the audience.

The Office, The Office Survivor Man ratings, The Office ratings, The Office writers strike, WGA Strike, NBC, Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson

Last night’s episode of The Office was penned by Steve Carell, who is a card carrying member of the WGA. Steve has written the celebrated episode, Casino Night for Season 2 but tonight’s Survivor Man is a bit modulated compared to it. Although, I have to say that the last scene between Michael and Jim was sheer perfection.

The episode opens with Toby milling with some of the gang in the kitchen and their discussing the wilderness trip Ryan organized for Dunder Mifflin’s executives. The trouble is, Michael wasn’t invited to the said event and he’s pretty sour about it. So, Michael being Michael he decides to go on his own wilderness camping trip, pulling inspiration from Survivor Man, a cable show he watches with Jan. With Dwight’s help (who shows us just how mighty prepared he is for anything relating to life in the wild), they drive to the woodlands of Pennsylvania. And there, Dwight leaves him to commune with nature. Or so Michael thinks.

In pure roughing-it manner, Michael brought only two things with him — a knife and a duct tape. He shows the camera crew various ways in which one turn pants into something useful other than as an article of clothing:

• cut said pants into comfortable shorts
• use the remaining pieces as headgear or a scarf
• make a tiny shelter out of it
• if cold, duct tape said pants back to the original (the shorts)

About four hours later, it was time for Michael to find his meal. And as he scourges for food, Dwight has some bird eggs already boiling, not a few meters away from Michael. When it was apparent that Michael was about to swallow inedible mushrooms, Dwight swiftly jumps out of his hide-out and comes to his boss’ aid.

Back at the office, Michael leaves Jim in charge for the day (or until he comes back from his self-organized trip). And the office is celebrating Creed’s birthday. When Angela tells Jim about the party and four other different birthday parties that were to take place within the month, Jim decides that a bigger one-time celebration would be best. And it would all be done today. He sends out a memo to the staff, but not everyone liked the idea. Each celebrator wanted something special for his or her birthday and Jim is pressured to do what is right, without realizing that he’s already stepping into Michael’s shoes and is being treated the same as him.

In the end though, Michael is back and safe at the office, just in time for Creed (and only Creed’s!) birthday party. Jim and him sat together and enjoyed the food. Jim tells him how his day as the boss went. And Michael sort of indicated that it was how things were for him several years ago. Then the camera pans to Jim, who just realized what he will become if he rots in this company.

The Office, The Office Survivor Man, Steve Carell, The Office episode recap