Watching The Office

Dwight Schrute in cowboy boots! Are you lovin’ it?

For what its worth — Rainn Wilson pulls off this rocker dude look. He’s rock star hot here!

Technorati Tags: Rainn Wilson,The Rocker

Steve Carell, stops by his former TV show, and talks to buddy Jon Stewart.

Technorati Tags: Steve Carell,Daily Show,Jon Stewart

Metromix has put up a list of characters who are drug users on television, and The Office’s Ryan is up at #9:

How quickly the temptations that come with success corrupt the weak! Not only did his promotion to vice president at Dunder Mifflin prompt Ryan (B.J. Novak) to turn into a major beotch, but the former temp started snorting more coke than you’d find in a Bret Easton Ellis novel. A major cocaine habit remains Ryan’s second-most-heinous crime—No.1 remains his infamously creepy half-beard.

Number one on the list is Dr. House.

Technorati Tags: Ryan Howard,The Office

Amidst rumors he is leaving the show to do more profitable movies, Steve Carell  insists he isn’t leaving The Office anytime soon…"All of the main cast are signed for three more (seasons). Beyond that, I have no idea." He told reporters while promoting his current summer movie, Get Smart, which is opening this weekend (June 20th).

I’m thrilled about where Steve Carell’s career is going. Although, what I’m more thrilled to learn of? —- THREE more seasons of The Office? THAT is good news! Hopefully, in three seasons, the show would still have the same complete cast members, huh?

But back to Steve, whose going to have to deliver some high expectations at the office this weekend…did you know he once was a post office mailman?

This blurb from Starpulse:

Comedy star Steve Carell was the world’s worst postman before finding fame as an actor.

The 45-year-old actor started out delivering mail in his native Massachusetts, but confesses he let down the homeowners on his route.

He says, "I was a terrible mail person. I moved to Chicago months later and found mail from three or four months before underneath my seat. So it took me a while to finally get the mail in the right hands."

If there is one thing so noticeable about the Carell/Hathaway pair up is that these two have so much screen chemistry together. I think they look good as a movie couple.

The interview from Reuters…

Q: Above all, this film is obviously a very penetrating analysis of cold war politics.

Steve Carell (deadpan serious): "It is, very. It’s also an action comedy."

Anne Hathaway: "I’d describe it as "comtion.""

Carell: "When we first discussed it, we wanted it to be a legitimate spy movie that’s also funny. I wanted it to hold up, with characters that could potentially exist and situations that had stakes to them … we are not people you’d normally see in an action movie, and I think that’s part of the comedy."

Q: Do you feel like you’re the Tracy & Hepburn of action movies now?

Carell: "We are. I don’t think that’s overstating it."

Hathaway: "He’s right! (To Carell) You DO remind me of Katherine Hepburn, and I’m just like Spencer Tracy."

(more…)

Hey everyone! It’s just a few days before the premiere of Steve Carell’s Get Smart. I’ve been watching the old television series on DVD, in honor of it. I’m having a mini-Get Smart week here at home.

Steve, meanwhile, is doing the talk show rounds. Here are some of the videos of his recent appearances.

Follow the videos after the jump (they’re kind of plenty…)

(more…)

Interesting read I’ve come across on the TV Addict site this morning; especially considering the people behind The Office spinoff just announced casting their first character . Not meaning to put Aziz Ansari in a box or typecast him base on his ethnicity and heritage, but he’s most likely an office “IT guy”, don’t you think?

Here’s what the TV Addict says in the weekly Q & A column:

Where is Joel McHale’s pilot that was supposed to debut in the spring? — Bobby Brown

If the pilot you’re referring to was NBC’s adaptation of the hit British comedy THE IT CROWD, well I’ve got some bad news for you Mr Bobby Brown [if that is your real name]. After failing to premiere mid-season as promised, it seems likely that NBC has permanently shelved the Joel McHale laugher.

And while NBC has been mum [that’s British for quiet] on the reasons why, this TV Addict has a theory. One that I’m more than happy to go out on a limb and share with you. THE IT CROWD was purposely shelved because the Peacock Network is hard at work quietly developing a spin-off to THE OFFICE that just so happens to revolve around, you guessed it, an IT crowd.

Anyone else going to join me on that limb?

And you know what, I have a feeling this is right!

Would The Office - IT Crowd, or whatever it will be called eventually, be something you’d want to watch? I have seen the British show and it is crazy hilarious!

The Office, The Office Spinoff, The IT Crowd, Aziz Ansari

Admittedly, I have heard of Ricky Gervais 80’s band, Seona Dancing, even before he became one of the world’s most acclaimed comedian. I was familiar with their one and only hit, More To Lose. It was, incidentally, a big hit where I grew up. I do not remember what the band looked like back then. And it was only from watching and reading up on The Office UK did I find out Ricky was part of this 80’s pop group from my childhood.

The Seona Dancing duo eventually disbanded in the early eighties. No one knows where Bill Macrae is, the other half of Seona Dancing, but Ricky Gervais went on and reinvented himself to became a successful actor, writer, comedian and producer. Many Office fans know the rest of his story. But not many may have probably seen this video…of Ricky Gervais, in 1984, singing to one of Seona Dancing’s song!

Does he not look like a Boy George then?

Ahhh… the 80’s! That was a good decade!

Thanks to Sam for the tip…

Ricky Gervais, Seona Dancing

I’ve been kind of building up with excitement for it. Though I’m no expert and I can’t tell future…I’m sensing a box office hit. Get Smart was a TV show I sometimes got to watch when our cable television carried it a couple of years back. So, I really am eager to see how the updated movie version should fare. The bonus is, Steve Carell, one of this decade’s funniest man, is playing the lead.

The much anticipated comedy/spy movie is premiering this weekend (June 20th) and it will be up against Mike Myers’ The Love Guru. Both movies star such high profile actors/comedian hoping to cash in on a summer audience teeming with the younger set.

Which movie will this audience embrace more?

While Mike Myers’ fans anticipate the return of the comedian to the big screen (he hasn’t done movies in a while, has he?), Get Smart appeals more to a family friendly audience, hence by this assumption, the latter would have a wider reach. But last summer, Steve Carell reaped a less than spectacular box office record for his family oriented movie, Evan Almighty.

It’s going to be a comedy showdown this weekend.

Good luck to both comedians!

Steve Carell, Get Smart, Love Guru, Mike Myers

This apparently is what the box for The Office’s Fourth Season DVD will look like, according to TVShowsOnDVD, which has picked up a copy of Home Media Magazine and Universal’s advertisement in it.

The cover art may still be subject to change.

The Office, The Office Season 4 DVD

We’re having site issues lately so if you’ve been trying to visit this site (Thank you very much!) and end up waiting forever for the pages to load, I do apologize. Some server problem is causing this site to slowdown and hopefully, it will be fixed.

Anyway, in and around the world of The Office —-

Brian (Kevin) and Kate (Meredith) appeared on Last Comic Standing last Thursday. I saw the program as I am a fan of it. I just failed to record a video of Brian and Kate’s segment. As judges they were serious people! Brian even almost ended up arguing with someone…who was crazy, so Brian was in the right there. Clips should be available on NBC.com soon.

Steve Carell is Forbes Magazine’s 87th most powerful celebrity today. Wow. And he remains quite the humble guy even with all that power. The actor will be appearing on Talk shows all of this week, as Get Smart’s theater run is coming up. He will be on:

• June 16 - Larry King
• June 17 - Letterman
• June 18 - Regis & Kelly
• June 18 - Daily Show
• June 19 - Kimmel

He will also be at the Soho Apple Center in NY on the 18th.

The cast praise Angela Kinsey’s mothering skills, in this article from People Magazine.

Jenna Fischer appeared on Ferguson the other week. And she has been updating her blog this summer.

There’s a chance of yet another strike looming…What happens to The Office if the actors do go on strike? THR says the show still has no finish product, should the strike take place. But let’s hope a deal is worked out before the deadline ends this month. Or else, The Office Season 5 will be delayed…and we don’t want that.

Brian and Kate Last Comic Standing, Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey, The Office

Finally, pieces to the spinoff mystery are slowly taking form…

Variety is reporting that Aziz Ansari, star of MTV’s Human Giant (a sketch comedy) is the first person hired by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur for The Office spinoff.

The report also confirms no one from the original show is leaving (Hooray!) and that spinoff characters may be introduced to the original show first before getting their own series (looks like that is the trend these days? House, MD is also doing the same thing!).

At any rate, this news is good.

I’m not familiar with the actor’s comedy though, so I’ve dugged up Youtube videos of him in action. If you’re like me and you also need to get to see if the guy is any good, comically, then watch these clips:

The Office, The Office Spinoff, Aziz Ansari, Greg Daniels, Michael Schur

Press release (tip from Cassie):

Beginning today, Warner Bros. Pictures is offering a seven-minute sneak preview from the upcoming action comedy “Get Smart,” exclusively on the iTunes Store (www.iTunes.com) as a free download.

Fans can view this first-look footage with a special introduction by Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway, who star in “Get Smart” as CONTROL secret agents Maxwell Smart and Agent 99, on a mission to thwart a plan for world domination by the evil crime syndicate KAOS.

Later in the month, iTunes will also offer an exclusive clip from the direct-to-DVD parallel content release, “Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control,” introduced by its stars Masi Oka and Nate Torrence, who reprise their “Get Smart” roles as the tech duo behind CONTROL’s arsenal of spy gadgets in their own feature-length adventure.

“Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control” will be available in its entirety on the iTunes Movie Store July 1, with the “Get Smart” feature following in fall 2008.

Visit Warner Bros Pictures

Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Get Smart

After Oscar and Angela two weeks ago, Kevin and Meredith (Brian Baumgartner and Kate Flannery) are sitting on the judges’ panel in tonight’s Last Comic Standing on NBC.

Of this stint, Brian says that: “Kate Flannery was like Paula Abdul — she was much more forgiving and liked people. Kate said that I’m Simon Cowell. I’m expected to say something after every performance, so I might as well be honest. I didn’t want to be rude, and I don’t think I was rude. Generally, people took it very well. I don’t think I made anyone cry in front of me. I felt bad too, but I had to say what I thought, and sometimes that wasn’t good.”

Oh, yeah. They showed short clips of Brian and Kate from last week’s episode and he was serious-looking, he actually appeared intimidating.

I’m gonna be watching this later…

Kate Flannery, Brian Baumgartner, Last Comic Standing

E!’s Kristin has the big scoop on this one:

While one inside source (who has always been reliable) says “it’s true” that Rashida will be a part of the new series, another source inside Rashida’s camp says, “As far as I know, she has not been approached.” Hmmm…

“Universal Media Studios has a talent holding deal with Rashida. It is premature to speculate about any potential projects she could be involved with.”

If this were true though, are you excited for the spin-off and for Rashida Jones? I am.

With the failure of her last TV show, Unhitched, I was hoping to still see her back on TV. I thought she would be headlining NY-Lon, the British produced series she starred in three years ago. It’s being remade and adapted for US. But the role she Rashida played is now going to Elisha Cuthbert for US TV.

She’s almost done filming her upcoming I Love You Man so, that leaves her open for other projects.

Rashida Jones, Karen Filippelli, The Office spinoff, Unhitched