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What If Dwight Schrute Controlled the Olympics?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:30:03 -0700

Despite the high-flying gymnastics and record-setting swimming, Dwight Schrute thinks the Olympics are for wimps. In this NBC promo for The Office, he takes down the decathlon and proposes his own, clearly much more taxing event: the Centathlon.

The Schrute-ified event starts out with normal enough events (side jump) then gets significantly more bizarre as the list goes on (hide-the-hamster! murder checkers!). My favorite part is the rendering of each sport in a little red Olympic-style icon; the one for "pain tolerance" is particularly awesome.

The spot is one of several Office promos — maybe as many as five — that will be airing during the Olympics. I can't complain about cross-promotion when it's this clever. To watch Dwight explain the Centathlon, just

Buzz News Roundup, 8/11

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:30:51 -0700

The Office has been given the key post-Super Bowl time slot and will air a one-hour episode following the game, Entertainment Weekly reports.
According to ComingSoon, Steve Buscemi and Romany Malco will star together in Saint John of Las Vegas, a loose adaptation of Dante's Inferno.
Tori Spelling has no deal to appear on 90210 and her desired salary may be the sticking point, E! reports.
Sara Gilbert is joining the cast of The Big Bang Theory after a successful guest-starring gig, Zap2it reports.
Dennis Hopper will get his own exhibit in France where, apparently, he is highly revered, writes Variety.
Clarke Peters and Wendell Pierce — aka Freamon and Bunk from The Wire — are joining Treme, David Simon's new HBO pilot about New Orleans, writes The Hollywood Reporter.
Variety has the news that director Chris Columbus is readying a film about Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 presidential run.
24 producer Carlos Coto and Brett Ratner are working on an action-comedy for Fox titled Wild Boys, which will follow "ex-soldiers turned suburban dads," ComingSoon reports.
Matthew Bomer — aka Bryce Larkin from Chuck and Jay from Traveler — has been cast in the lead of a USA series called White Collar, writes The Hollywood Reporter.

Photo courtesy of NBC

Link Time! 7/29

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:31:17 -0700

The TV Addict just found this 90210 iPod and is curious to know if it comes pre-loaded with Color Me Badd, among other things.
Office Tally has video of the intro from The Office writers panel at Comic-Con, which recast the opening credits with writers in place of actors.
MTV Movies Blog wonders what you would ask a Twilight star if one were standing right next to you.
Citing a certain scene from this week's Weeds, Popwatch asks about the TV sex scenes that left you breathless.
Stereogum has video of Gnarls Barkley covering Radiohead's "Reckoner."
TV With MeeVee watched all of The X-Files in about two months and has some thoughts on the end of the experiment.
Cinematical has the seven most overly used lines in movie trailers (including "In a
world. . .").
Who do you think should win Design Star? Head over to CasaSugar to vote.

Source

Comic-Con Round-Up

BuzzSugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 07:30:05 -0700

I've been reporting from Comic-Con these past few days, but here's a hodgepodge of random extra bits and pieces from my weekend.

There was a panel I basically happened to attend by accident, which ended up being for this spooky-looking movie The Wolf Man, due in theaters April 3, 2009. Then, to everyone's surprise, the stars of the film, Benicio Del Toro and Emily Blunt, came onstage to talk about it. I'll post the trailer soon, so more on the movie itself later, but for now, how cute is this picture?!
The writers of The Office spoke to a packed house on Saturday, and while the 11 people on the panel (12 if you count moderator Rainn Wilson) felt like a few too many, there were plenty of funny moments, especially from BJ Novak, Michael Schur, and Mindy Kaling. I particularly liked this part of Novak's answer about why he likes writing for Michael Scott: "It's so interesting to see someone with authority be so innocent and so wrong."
Also a winner from that panel: Schur's description of how Dwight would act in the event of an actual robot invasion. "He would cross his arms in the middle of the street as the robots marched down the street, shaking his head and saying 'I told you so!'"
Yeah, the Heroes screening and Hugh Jackman appearance were cool — but one of my other favorite panels of the weekend was much, much smaller. On Friday, I got to hear some of the original voice actors from the classic Peanuts specials talk about what it was like to put together shows like A Charlie Brown Christmas and Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown. Several of the specials will be out on remastered, special-feature-laden DVDs this Fall, and I can't wait! Eventually, they're hoping to bring all the specials (more than 40 of them!) to DVD.
Also, some of the best trivia of the whole weekend came out of that panel: Did you know Fergie was once the voice of Charlie Brown's little sister, Sally? (For more Peanuts trivia, check out today's Brainteaser!)

To find out Seth Rogen's latest dirty comment and to see Zachary Levi's hand in a compromising position,

The Office's Brian Baumgartner on Playing "Special Kevin"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:45:34 -0700

So many of the funniest moments in the season finale of The Office came courtesy of Brian Baumgartner as Kevin, whose "special" relationship with Amy Ryan toed the politically incorrect line to hilarious effect. And Kevin's profile has only continued to grow this Summer, as he's starring in this year's series of Office webisodes. So it's no surprise that Baumgartner was a pretty popular guy at NBC's party at the TCA press tour. But I managed to snag a few minutes alone with him to talk about the finale, the show's rabid fans, and his hopes for his relationship with Holly. Some highlights:

On the "special Kevin" story: "It was sort of a joke that somebody said has been set up for four years, but the way that [Amy Ryan] played it was just so real and so earnest, and the the writers also. I felt like we were really successful in playing Kevin the way that he is, and it was just the notion of this idea being brought up that enabled people to have a different perception."
On hearing Ryan would be returning: "I was so excited. She's fantastic. I think she fits in really well. She gets the show. She's a smart, smart actor. I think we're really lucky to have her."
On whether Kevin will, indeed, "totally bang Holly": "I am totally going to bang her — I hope in the first episode so we can let that relationship go as long as possible. But we'll see."

To hear Baumgartner's thoughts on the webisodes and his show's passionate fans, just

The Office Spinoff Lives! Plus More From NBC

BuzzSugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:34:20 -0700

It's the last day of sessions here at the TCA press tour, and it's NBC's turn to hawk its wares. Just a few minutes ago, NBC Entertainment Co-Chairman Ben Silverman took the stage to clarify a few things about The Office spinoff (and not-spinoff), the network's plans for late night, and more. Some highlights:

First and foremost: The show in which Amy Poehler was recently cast is not a spinoff of The Office. "Amy's character will never appear inside The Office world," Silverman said. Though the shows will be stylistically and creatively similar (in that Greg Daniels and Michael Schur will be behind both of them), "the show is not set up to emanate directly from The Office."
There is still the possibility of such a spinoff, though. When Daniels and Schur were developing concepts, they came up with two, Silverman said: One that would start inside The Office and one that was completely outside of it. When it looked like Amy Poehler could be available, they put all their energy into pursuing her for the non-spinoff show, which made it the top priority. But the true spinoff could still exist, "maybe involving characters that are already inside The Office," Silverman said.
As for details on either show? Not so much getting into those (including a title, a concept, or any other basics) — though there was a promise that Daniels, Schur, and Poehler would release more details soon. The one nugget of info is that because of Poehler's pregnancy, her show — which had been pegged for the post-Super Bowl time slot — will likely premiere in March instead. No idea what's going after the Super Bowl just yet.
This season will feature "26 to 28 awesome episodes of Heroes" — which we're finally getting some glimpses of. "This 'Villains' storyline that [Tim Kring] has introduced is just awesome," Silverman said. "It's really compelling — just big, fun, accessible stuff."

Some more — including about the Jay Leno/Jimmy Fallon/Conan O'Brien transition — if you

Amy Poehler Headed to The Office Spinoff?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:30:05 -0700

They've teamed up for SNL and Baby Mama. Could Tina Fey and Amy Poehler soon be holding down NBC's Thursday night comedy fort together, too?

That's what it sounds like, if we can believe the numerous reports that Poehler is in final negotiations to join the show, which also recently cast Aziz Ansari.

Also, apparently we have to stop calling this show an Office spinoff: According to the reports, it's looking increasingly like the show will have nothing at all to do with that other Thursday night comedy that happens to share its executive producers. (Of course, we still don't know what it will have to do with, as no plot details or title have been revealed; here's hoping that comes next week at TCA.)

There are a couple of factors that could make it tricky for Poehler to join a new show: One, she's pregnant and due sometime in the Fall, which might be a tough schedule to work around for a show that's scheduled to have a high-profile premiere immediately after February's Super Bowl. And two, she's still an active SNL cast member, playing Hillary Clinton (among other characters) and being the only ensemble member to make a semifinalist list for the Emmys.

I'm a fan of Poehler, but I know she can be a pretty divisive actress, so I'll put it to you: Would you watch a series with her in the lead?

Source

TV Tonight: The Office, Earl, and Gladiators Play the Feud

BuzzSugar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:34:55 -0700

Tonight, NBC is airing the one episode of Celebrity Family Feud that I've truly been waiting for. The casts of two great NBC comedies — plus a third show, which I suppose could be considered a comedy depending on how you feel about people in spandex racing against other people in spandex — will face off in an epic feud.

The episode will have several rounds, and of them, I'm most excited about the accountants of The Office taking on the American Gladiators (who are, naturally, in costume). There's something inherently funny about Al Roker crying out "Kate! Venom! Let's play the Feud!" Add in some whooping whistles from Wolf (still my favorite Gladiator) and a brave Phyllis challenging him to an arm-wrestling battle, and we've got quite the show on our hands.

NBC has a couple of preview clips for the episode; they give away the scores at different points — but not the winner — so if you'd like to remain pure and unspoiled, you might not want to watch them yet. On the other hand, if you really just want to see what answer Creed gives for things people practice doing in a sexy way, just

First Glimpse: This Summer's Office Webisodes

BuzzSugar — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:39:24 -0700

Since I'm so happy about Amy Ryan coming back to The Office, I figured it's a good time to pass along some other Office-related goodies. The show's cast is back this Summer for another round of webisodes — the first round won them an Emmy — and the first sneak peek has hit the Web.

The first webisode features Kevin and Darryl teaming up to launch a fairly fraudulent business venture, and while the brief clip leaves something to be desired, it's just good to see those two very funny characters have a chance to interact. The better teaser, though, is the behind-the-scenes video that shows various cast members talking about the webisodes; it includes brief glimpses at several of the works in progress.

The webisodes start July 10. Will you check them out? For now, you can watch the behind-the-scenes clip as well as the outtake from the first webisode if you

Amy Ryan's Still Working at The Office

BuzzSugar — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:32:50 -0700

Hooray! Amy Ryan, who was one of the funniest parts of the exceptionally funny season finale of The Office, will be returning to Dunder-Mifflin this Fall.

Ryan will reprise her role as Holly, the new HR woman replacing Toby (and possibly wooing Michael), for at least five episodes next season. I foresee so much more "special Kevin" that my stomach already hurts from laughing.

Ryan's known for more dramatic fare (Gone Baby Gone, The Wire), but her performance as Holly was completely spot-on. And how much do I love her? Here's what she told Variety: "It's a funny thing to enter a show that you're a great fan of — and it's nice to tell lighter stories. I love the dark, grittier side of life, but it's nice to take a break from that, put a skirt on and brush your hair."

So, what happens with Holly now? Will Michael have finally met his match? Nobody's saying, though Paul Lieberstein (who played Toby and is one of the show's writer/producers) had this to say: "Amy gave the character of Holly an openness and matured innocence that exposed a new side of Michael. She placed her character right on his level."

Whether it's a love story in the making or not, I can't wait to see what else the writers come up with for Holly's story. Hey, maybe Michael will reject her and Kevin will get to "totally bang Holly" after all.

Photo courtesy of NBC

The Office Spinoff: News, Rumors, and Funny Stuff

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:31:25 -0700

Well, here's our first proof that the spinoff of The Office is actually happening: The show might not have a title, a setting, or a concept, but at least it has an actor!

Aziz Ansari of MTV's Human Giant will join the show as one member of the ensemble cast that's still being assembled. In addition to his work on the MTV sketch show, Ansari provided one of the funniest moments of the first season of Flight of the Conchords, playing a racist fruit stand owner. I'm certainly not sad to be seeing more from him.

Meanwhile, there's a wild rumor going around that Rashida Jones could be joining the spinoff, with one source saying it's happening and another saying she hasn't even been asked. It's an interesting idea, though: Would you watch a show focusing on Karen Fillipelli and the Utica branch?

In announcing Ansari's casting, Office creator Greg Daniels and producer Michael Schur also talked a bit more about the spinoff in general, so to read what they had to say — and watch Ansari's great Conchords moment — just

The Office Rundown: Episode 14, "Goodbye, Toby Parts 1 & 2"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:32:40 -0700

OMG, where to start?! The season finale of The Office was so. Freaking. Great. I honestly think this is hugely due to Amy Ryan's spot-on performance as the new HR lady at Dunder-Mifflin. I loved her! And then there were all the twists and turns (that didn't just have to do with Pam and Jim, like that very last scene!). And the whole storyline with Kevin is, I think, one of the funniest, cleverest things I've seen on television in a long time.

The going-away party for Toby was amazing! It made me so happy for the new party planner in town, Phyllis, as though she's an actual person I know in real life. Sometimes I think I get too involved in these shows. I really wanted to give her a hug.

Also, thanks to Creed, there now exists the job title of "Quabity Aschwitz." Amazing.

What did you think about this finale? Were you as delighted by it as I was? Check out SavvySugar's "most relatable moments" post, complete with a clip from the show. For some of the parts I thought were the best and funniest, and to share your thoughts,

TV Tonight: One-Hour Finale of The Office, "Goodbye, Toby"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:30:22 -0700

Awww, tear! As much as I think The Office hasn't been quite as glorious this season as it has in the past, I'm still going to miss it when it's gone. I'm also just itching to see tonight's one-hour finale because what if something big happens (like a you-know-what from Jim)?! Tonight already promises a sad farewell (the title of the episode is "Goodbye, Toby") and a special guest star (the Oscar-nominated Amy Ryan of Gone Baby Gone, pictured).

The episode description is this: "It's Toby's goodbye party at Dunder Mifflin and Michael demands a huge celebration that matches the joy in his heart. Angela, sick of Michael's unreasonable last minute demands, refuses, and Michael turns to Phyllis to take over the party planning committee. Meanwhile, Dwight and Meredith haze the new HR woman, Holly (Amy Ryan)."

One of the promos claims there will be "surprises right down to the very last second." Aaah! Cheesy as it may sound, I've already got butterflies in my stomach. What about you? What are your hopes and dreams for tonight's Season Four finale?

To see a preview and discuss,

The Office Rundown: Episode 13, "Job Fair"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:32:22 -0700

OK, the awkwardness at the job fair: funny, or just awkward? Jim's persistence with the guy at the golf course: ambitious drive and dedication, or just desperate? Lately I've been torn about the episodes of The Office. The parts that make me the happiest are the cutesy moments between Pam and Jim, but I don't laugh as much anymore. Do you think The Office is falling into same ol', same ol' territory? Or do you find it as fresh and funny as ever?

This week Michael brings a few of the employees to a high school job fair to recruit an intern. Everyone back at the office decides to leave early (to Dwight's outrage) — except for Angela. Meanwhile, Jim hits the golf course with Andy and Kevin and attempts to woo a client.

To see some of my favorite parts from "Job Fair" and to share your thoughts,

The Office Rundown: Episode 12, "Did I Stutter?"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:47:24 -0700

After last week's trip to the NYC nightclub, this episode of The Office took us back to, well, the actual office. I'm generally in favor of the episodes that take place inside Dunder-Mifflin, but this one was a little strange for me — draggy in parts, then funny, then draggy again.

I do love me some Stanley, though, and this episode was a great showcase for him at his prickly, disrespectful best. His contempt for Michael really showed through. Speaking of contempt, Ryan stopped by the D-M offices with some harsh words for Jim, and Andy and Dwight displayed their manliness (sort of) by fighting over Andy's car. And we got to learn Pam's middle name and see her in her granny glasses, so those are both points in the episode's favor.

What did you think of the episode? Definitely check out Savvy's relatable moments, and to see some of the things I liked and talk about your own favorite moments, just

The Office Rundown: Episode 11, "Night Out"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:30:10 -0700

Man, Ryan is a schmuck! I loved this episode of The Office in that it paired up Ryan's ridiculous cockiness with Michael's cluelessness and Dwight's bizarre social skills and set it all the "hip" environment of a nightclub.

Meanwhile, back at Dunder-Mifflin, Jim has everyone work late so they don't have to come into the office the next day. Problem: the gate out of the parking lot is locked. While trapped together, Toby makes a big announcement.

What did you think about this week's Office? Check out SavvySugar's relatable moments, and to see some of the things I enjoyed and to share your own,

Have You Ever Bought a TV Tie-In Product?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:30:21 -0700

Would you like some Serenity by Jan candles? Or what about a MILF Island T-shirt? Both of those things were once as mere twinkles in some The Office or 30 Rock writer's eye, but after playing key roles in episodes of the NBC comedies a couple of weeks back, they became real-world products that you can own for yourself. I love these inside-jokey products — I've been known to buy a Friday Night Lights fan a Crucifictorious T-shirt and once proudly gave my West Wing-loving friend a Bartlett for President mug. These TV tie-ins are also staples of my holiday gift guides. But what about you? Have you ever actually bought a TV-related product? Source

Have You Ever Bought a TV Tie-In Product?

Yes — and I love it!

Yes — but only as a gag gift.

No — that's a little too fanatical for me.

Other (tell me below)

The Office Rundown: Episode 10, "The Chair Model"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:29:04 -0700

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh — can we talk about the thing with Pam and Jim? Ack! I don't want to write anything that will be a spoiler here, so after the jump let's discuss this whole thing at greater length.

Elsewhere in this episode of The Office, the nearby construction company is parking in the Dunder-Mifflin staff spaces, causing them to park further away from the office (a 10- or 30-minute walk, depending on who you ask). Meanwhile, Michael is living up the single life, requiring his employees to set him up on dates, and pining after a chair model in a catalog. I'm not sure this episode was hilariously funny, but it certainly kept my attention. And I'm glad to have an episode set in the office again.

To see some of my favorite moments and to share your own,

TV Tonight: The Office

BuzzSugar — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:30:15 -0700

As good as it was to see The Office crew on TV last week, I did wish that the first episode back had been set in, well, the actual office. Luckily, it seems that I'll be getting my fix this week with a Dunder-Mifflin-centric episode.

Apparently, someone's been encroaching on the office's parking spaces, and Kevin and Andy team up for a siege to win them back. That doesn't go over so well with the bosses of the other five businesses that share Dunder-Mifflin's office park, though. And where's Michael, you ask? Well, he's distracted — apparently after his falling-out with Jan, he's become obsessed with a woman modeling a chair in an office-supply catalog. As we've seen a few times now, Michael on the prowl can be hilariously terrifying, so I'm curious to see how this one works out for him. Oh, and there's some cute Pam-and-Jim hand-holding, at least according to NBC's promo.

Are you excited to see The Office get back to its roots? To check out a couple of promos for tonight — one for just The Office, one for all four NBC comedies — just

The Office Rundown: Episode 9, "Dinner Party"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 09:29:51 -0700

Welcome back, Dunderheads! It's been a long few months since we last hung out at The Office, and it was unquestionably good to see the crew back on screen this week. It was almost a relief — just like Michael releasing that pent-up "That's what she said!" must have been.

That said — and it's so hard to quibble after so much time off — I spent more time cringing than laughing in this episode. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as The Office does squirmy humor better than anyone else on television. I think for a first night back, I would have preferred something awkward but laugh-out-loud funny, and maybe something also set in the office so we could have reconnected with more characters. I've complained before about The Office leaving the office too much, and the same applies here — though, in the end, it's outweighed by the goodness of some serious Michael/Jan dysfunction and the wonderful feeling I get just from having the show back. Here were some of my favorite parts:

So, we know Michael's desperate to have friends, but desperate enough to stage a overtime work assignment for everyone, even the folks he's not inviting? Then again, once you get turned down nine different times, it must start to feel dire.
Michael's excuse for not inviting Dwight: "It's couples only. And besides, I only have six wine glasses."
Which is funnier: The version of the opening when Dwight runs away from the camera crew after the dinner party question, or the one where he sat there and sobbed? I'm going to have to go with the running-away one from the commercials, personally.

To read more of my thoughts and add your own, just

TV Tonight: Earl, 30 Rock, The Office, and Scrubs, Oh My!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:30:38 -0700

After a long, dark Winter, it's time to laugh again. For the first time in months, NBC's whole Thursday comedy lineup is new. That's right: The Office, Scrubs, and 30 Rock all return tonight, and I'm looking forward to nothing more than popping some popcorn and settling in for a long night with my favorite funny folks.

Between these clips and my interview with Rainn Wilson and Greg Daniels, I have a pretty good sense of how tonight's Office is going to go: Michael and Jan throw a dinner party; inappropriateness and hilarity ensue. As for the other three shows:

On Earl, a still-comatose earl continues living out his dream life with Billie and their new baby boy. Meanwhile, Randy realizes that every item he completes from Earl's list helps Earl get better, so he turns his attention to a stolen motorcycle.
On 30 Rock, we finally get a peek at Jack Donaghy's immensely successful reality show, the steamy MILF Island. Meanwhile, someone gives Page Six some nasty quotes about Jack and pressures the writers to give up the traitor.
On Scrubs, Turk decides to learn Spanish for Carla as an anniversary present, and there's some kind of caper involving Dr. Kelso's breakfast.

Getting excited yet? You can check out a promo for all four comedies and a scene from 30 Rock if you

Rainn Wilson, Greg Daniels Talk About Returning to The Office

BuzzSugar — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:38:03 -0700

Guess what's back with a new episode tonight: The Office! I recently sat in on a conference call with writer/executive producer Greg Daniels and Rainn Wilson and got the lowdown on everything from where Greg Daniels gets his inspiration for Dwight's character (the Discovery channel), to how they'll handle Angela's swollen belly, to which character the writers would like to write more stories about. Also, Rainn gives a heartwarming description of the first day back on the job.

Of course, all of this only managed to pump me up more for tonight's new episode. Check it out:

On what we might see in upcoming episodes:
Greg: Well, [in the "Dinner Party" episode, airing tonight], that’s a very charged situation where Michael has been asking Pam and Jim to come have dinner with him and Jan over and over and over again. And he finally manages this. . . and it just happens to be after the previous episode which is when he went to New York to try and help Jan with her deposition and he kind of blew her sort of wrongful termination lawsuit. So, there's a lot of tension between them in that episode. And then coming up we have some episodes that, you know, follow off on that.

Some of them involve the character of Ryan whose website initiative started the season off and is kind of crumbling underneath him and has, for some reason, become infested with sexual predators. Which is just one of the problems his website has. And we have episodes coming up where Dwight and Michael are going to have joined Ryan in some of his club-hopping New York partying and, you know, try to. . . get involved in his life a little bit more. But there’s some cool, weird things happening that I can’t talk about and you’ll just have to see it to truly enjoy all the twists and turns.

For more of Greg and Rainn's thoughts,

Link Time! 4/8

BuzzSugar — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:30:17 -0700

Kanye West, Jim Henson, and Where the Wild Things Are? Thank you, Vulture.
Cinematical discusses the problem of renting DVDs with your significant other.
Popwatch takes sides in this week's stupid feud: Snoop Dogg vs. Barack Obama.
Give Me My Remote analyzes The Office-centric cover of TV Guide.
The MTV Movies Blog has a clip from the upcoming Uma Thurman-Evan Rachel Wood movie The Life Before Her Eyes (which also happens to be this month's Buzz Book Club selection!).
If you can't wait for Idol Gives Back, TV Squad has a report from the Kodak Theater taping.
Rolling Stone's Rock & Roll Daily explains the keys to a proper viewing of Celebrity Fit Club.
Andrew Bird is magnificent live and YouAintNoPicasso has evidence with an MP3 of Bird performing "Scythian Empire."
In case my Rachel Dratch casting challenge isn't enough, the TV Addict has some other actors who desperately need jobs — including most of the stars of The West Wing.

Source

Proof The Office is Almost Back: These New Clips

BuzzSugar — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 13:50:39 -0700

Guys, do you know when The Office was last on the air? November 15th. November 15th! That's almost five months ago! I mean, I know five months isn't five years or anything, but that's still a super-long time.

Finally, though, there's real proof that the show is about to return to the air: these new promos and clips from "The Dinner Party," which will air at last this coming Thursday. You can probably guess the premise from the title alone: Jan and Michael throw a dinner party, with typically disastrous results. Jim and Pam will be there, as will Angela and Andy — but poor Dwight gets left out of the crowd. On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you?

Here's NBC's promo for the episode:

To check out a clip that Jay Leno played during Steve Carell's visit to The Tonight Show last week, just

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 07:30:58 -0700

Hmm. . . let's see, Magnum P.I. works when he feels like it, doesn't wear a lot of clothes, and is really tan. Yep! I'd say Matthew McConaughey could probably handle a role like that. What do you think?
The week started out with one bad idea — the rumor about Madonna remaking Casablanca — and ended with another: the remake of Short Circuit. Thankfully there were some good ideas sandwiched in there like the re-pairing of Steve Martin and Diane Keaton!
Kristen Bell could be a busy bee soon with another TV series possibly in the works. And, of course, Elle is probably returning to Heroes.
More exciting TV news this week: the big reveal of NBC's fall plans — including a spin-off of The Office. I break down what all of this news means for you and give you the lowdown on stand-alone webisodes they're working on as well.
In reading news: there were some strong reactions to that little Oprah book club sticker, I discussed the first section of The Light Before Her Eyes, and some of you confirmed that Blindness (coming in October, to a theater near you) is a tough, but worthwhile read.
Ian McShane is set to play a biblical king on a new NBC show. Meanwhile, American Idol got a little Bible love, too, from the one and only Dolly Parton with her show-stopping performance of "Jesus & Gravity" on elimination night.
When the second Juno soundtrack comes out will you buy the CD, or just put it on your iPod?
The new Hellboy 2 trailer looks so good and so frightening! Which reminds me: I need your help describing the creepy shadow approaching Jena Malone in this week's Caption It!

Source

NBC Has More Webisodes on the Way

BuzzSugar — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:37:40 -0700

For someone who lists TV and the Internet as major components of both her work and play, I've never been much into stand-alone webisodes. But NBC seems to be out to change my mind, because the network has a huge list of special online features coming soon for shows like Chuck, Heroes, and The Office.

Starting in July, those three shows will get new online series. While it's not confirmed in NBC's press release, I assume the ones for The Office will be more of the Emmy-winning The Accountants series. Hmmmm . . . fodder for the upcoming spinoff? The best part: Thanks to the writers' strike resolution, which means writers actually get paid for online content, I can watch without guilt this time.

Especially in the case of Heroes and Chuck, I'm wondering if others also will feel more inclined to watch simply because it's been so long since we've spent any time with these characters. I know I wouldn't mind seeing my Nerd Herders again, even if it was just in a short, silly video. What do you think?

NBC also has a pretty cool-sounding online-only series that reminds me of a video PostSecret, plus some funny special features for a few of its other shows, so to hear about those, just

Link Time! 3/20

BuzzSugar — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:30:45 -0700

Brand-new image from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! I found this one on the MTV Movies Blog.
The TV Addict has ideas for how Lost, House, One Tree Hill and Reaper should end their troubled, writers strike-y seasons.
Popwatch's Christine Fenno thinks Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey from The Office would make awesome, down-to-earth girlfriends. What other TV stars would you want as your pals?
The Music Slut has a great MP3 of Kimya Dawson (of Juno soundtrack fame) performing at South by Southwest.
TV Squad tells us why Fox might already be bailing on Canterbury's Law.
Aquarium Drunkard has a whole slew of MP3s of Cat Power playing live.

Buzz In: Which Series Have You Hated to See End?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 06:30:00 -0800

HBO's The Wire — many a critic's pick for the best show ever on television — will end its series on Sunday after five gut-wrenching and unabashedly bleak seasons. I sped through all the early seasons on DVD so I could be caught up in time for the finale, but now that it's here, I'm looking at Sunday with equal amounts of excitement and dread. While the show's only been part of my life for a short while, I have a hard time with the fact that it will just end.

I remember feeling the same thing when another great HBO series, Six Feet Under, ended its run in 2005; I believe its ending was utterly perfect, but even thinking about it can make me cry. There's just a special, can't-miss quality to a series finale: The BBC version of The Office needed a couple of specials to wrap up its story, and the 1983 series finale of M*A*S*H is still the most-watched US TV program of all-time.

So tell me, Buzz readers: Which favorite series have you hated to see go? Which could have wrapped up better than they did? Which got the endings they deserved?

Source

Link Time! 12/27

BuzzSugar — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 11:30:02 -0800

According to the MTV Movies Blog, the young members of the cast of Sweeney Todd claim they would love to make sequels to the gory musical.
TV Squad has details on a huge Futurama marathon happening now through Dec. 31.
Stereogum gets pumped for Radiohead's New Year's Eve webcast.
Popwatch wonders which movies should be preserved for future generations, citing A Christmas Story and When Harry Met Sally as key titles on their list.
Give Me My Remote has a fan video of the Office crew reacting to the saga of
Jim and Pam.
Cinematical has a great interview with the stars of The Great Debaters, including "Big Denzel" and "Little Denzel."

Poster image courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Buzz Trivia: How Well Do You Remember This Season of The Office?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:00:45 -0800

Due to the writers strike, it feels like The Office hasn't been on in ages. If you're missing the employees over at Dunder-Mifflin as much as I am, ease your pain a little by taking my mid-season quiz.

Photos courtesy of NBC

Buzz Gift Guide: Your Office

BuzzSugar — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 14:30:28 -0800

Today's holiday gift guide is for your bosses and coworkers at your office — which, I hope, is not too much like The Office.

Speaking of The Office, I suppose it's no surprise that much of my inspiration for this guide comes from Dunder Mifflin. For all those coworkers who deserve special recognition, why not pick up an armload of Dunde Awards? They come with interchangeable faceplates, so you can always give someone the Whitest Sneakers Award first but change it to the Bushiest Beaver Award behind her back.

For the regional managers on your list, consider some Michael Scott-endorsed desk decor, like this expanding sphere toy. (If you want to send some subtle hints about stress relief, check out these Dunder Mifflin stress balls.)

No matter how crazy your office, just remember: You could be working at the dysfunctional tech company of Douglas Coupland's Microserfs. The book is especially apt for any of your techie friends who might get a kick out of prose punctuated by emoticons and ridiculous acronyms.

And if you know someone in need of some cubicle "flair," consider these Office Space bobbleheads. There's one for Peter, his obnoxious boss Bill Lumbergh, and of course, the stapler-wielding Milton. These just may cure your friends' "case of the Mondays" for good.

Source

Buzz Brainteaser

BuzzSugar — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:30:00 -0800

Welcome to Buzz Brainteaser, the trivia feature on BuzzSugar! Every weekday I'll test your knowledge about TV shows, music and movies. If you enter in the correct answer, you win points! Since today is Thursday when The Office would normally air, and because I'm starting to get into the holiday spirit, let's go back to last year's Office holiday special for today's Brainteaser.

In the 2006 holiday episode of The Office, what chain restaurant do Michael, Dwight, Jim and Andy go to for lunch?

The Office Helps Its Crew by Auctioning a Set Visit

BuzzSugar — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 08:30:00 -0800

Some major casualties of the Hollywood writers' strike have been the non-writing staff and crews of the TV series that have stopped production. A few — like the late-night staffs — are still being paid, but crew members on many shows have been laid off without pay.

Fans of The Office have banded together to do something to help the 102 crew members laid off from the show. They started the Office Fans Christmas Fund, and now, with help from the show's producers, they've proposed one big-ticket item to get people to donate: a set visit to the show, which is being auctioned on eBay.

The visit will cost you; as of this writing, bidding is already over $5,000. But you don't have to front the money alone: The visit — including lunch with the cast and a special tour by co-executive producer Kent Zbornak — is good for four people.

If that's not in your budget, no worries: Everyone who donates any amount of money to the Christmas fund will get a special gift from Zbornak when production begins again.

Has anyone heard of any other novel ways fans are supporting their favorite shows?

Photo courtesy of NBC

The Office Rundown: Episode 8, "The Deposition"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 10:25:34 -0800

Wow, this week's episode of The Office is a little more intense than usual! I found myself feeling sort of angry, in fact. Though of course, there are plenty of laughs to be found as well. I loved-loved-loved the Pam/Kelly ping-pong smackdown. And any time a stenographer reads off Michael Scott quotes in monotone is going to be hi-larious.

Check out some of my favorite parts from this week's last episode of The Office for... well, until the writers strike is over. Sad!

Michael has Pam make up messages to bring him in meetings. She brings him a post-it note that says “Good Morning.”
During a meeting with Ryan, she brings him one with a drawing of a dancing hot dog and the words, “Hiya, Buddy!”
Jan and Michael practice what Michael’s going to say at the deposition so "we wouldn’t leave anything up to chance or Michael’s judgment."
Kelly: “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.'"

More great moments if you

TV Tonight: The Office

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 10:30:18 -0800

Tonight, the Hollywood writers' strike starts hitting primetime. Largely because of the hour-long episodes that kicked off this season of The Office, tonight's episode will be the last until ... well, we don't really know.

The episode, "The Deposition," finds Jan suing Dunder-Mifflin, presumably over her unceremonious firing from last season's finale. And guess who's brought in to testify? That's right: Michael Scott, the last person I'd want involved in any sort of legal action on my behalf. Meanwhile, back at the office, there's some crazy ping-pong action between Darryl and Jim. I'm hoping there are enough off-color remarks and "that's what she said" jokes to tide me over for a long, hard Winter. To watch a preview for all of NBC's Thursday comedies, just

Writers' Strike Enters Week Two

BuzzSugar — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:30:27 -0800

The Hollywood writers' strike entered its second week today, and so far, no new talks have been scheduled between the writers and producers. The industry buzz suggests we should get used to it: The strike could be even longer than the five-month strike in 1988. The walkout is hitting non-writing crew members, and the outcomes are starting to look bleak all around (except over at Fox, where executives believe the strike could be good for the network). Here are some of the headlines from the strike's second week:

Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence refused to write an emergency series finale for his show, and it's not clear what would happen to the unwritten final seven episodes of the series if a strike continues.
When The Office shut down production, 102 non-writing staff members were laid off.
Meanwhile, the staffs of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O'Brien will be laid off at the end of the week unless the strike ends or the shows decide to come back — either with their regular hosts or with guest hosts.
Lost executive producer Damon Lindelof has witten an op-ed for the New York Times about the death of television.
Gabrielle Union was working on a deal to play Wilhemina's sister on Ugly Betty before the strike scuttled those plans.
Here's a very detailed list of how many episodes of various series are yet to air.
Variety explains how the strike could affect next year's Emmy Awards.

Among the newest people trying to explain the issues behind the strike: Buffy creator Joss Whedon. Want to hear him try to make sense of things? Just

The Office Rundown: Episode 7, "Survivor Man"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 11:28:57 -0800

So, in a normal week, this is when I'd write something about how The Office seemed just a bit off last night. It might be when I'd wonder why every episode this season has had a significant part of the action happen outside the actual office, even though the office bits are what makes the show so relatable and funny. But knowing it's the next-to-last episode for who knows how long makes me want to go easy on the show. After all, "Survivor Man" still gave me some of the best laughs I've gotten from TV this week, from Michael's duct-taped pants to Jim's iron fist cracking down on the birthday celebrations. Here were some of my favorite parts:

Even when Ryan's not in an episode, he can still be a jerk! He didn't invite Michael on the wilderness retreat, so Michael decided to take to the woods himself. Michael to Jim: "Hypothetically, if I were to ask you to go camping — and you know what a hypothetical means? Not real?"
What have they done to Toby? His weird, greasy bangs were just gross.
Michael tells Jim he needs to get away from the office for a while — "All the cliques and the office politics, fluorescent lights, asbestos — "
Jim: "I thought we had that looked at."

More highlights if you

Writers' Strike: The Office Closes, Jack Bauer Waits

BuzzSugar — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 17:00:49 -0800

Looks like The Office is one of the first casualties of the Hollywood writers' strike. Jenna Fischer wrote today that the show has just two new episodes left before reruns kick in. Here's a video of the writers picketing (thanks to Lindsb for posting it in The Office group):

Here are some other developments from day three of the strike:

The premiere of 24 has been officially postponed indefinitely, Fox announced today, and the rest of the network's spring lineup has been changed significantly.
Desperate Housewives will shut down production tomorrow; executive producer Marc Cherry joined Lost executive producer Damon Lindelof to talk about the strike.
Speaking of Lost, here's a scary thought: In one scenario, the show's return could be delayed until February 2009.
While viewers won't see the effects of the strike at movie theaters till 2009, there's one way films are already suffering: Stars can't promote their movies on the talk-show circuit.
Saturday Night Live will officially be a repeat this week.
On the one hand, new shows might be more vulnerable to cancellation because of the strike; on the other hand, the strike might be the reason some of them are still on the air at all.
If you want to know more about the writers' side of the strike, here's an explanation. The producers' side can be found here.

Photo courtesy of NBC

Music Video: Foo Fighters, "Long Road to Ruin," With Rashida Jones

BuzzSugar — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 11:31:31 -0800

Jenna Fischer isn't the only star from The Office to be making appearances in music videos. Now Rashida Jones, a.k.a. Karen who is currently regional manager at the Utica branch of Dunder Mifflin is appearing in the video for the Foo Fighters song "Long Road to Ruin" from their album Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace.

The song itself isn't groundbreakingly cool, but the video is entertaining. It reminds me of a sketch we might have seen on an old episode of The State. Lots of long-haired wigs and '70s mustaches accompany this soap opera-y story, all coated in a hazy dreamlike sheen. Sound weird? It is. It really is. To see what I'm talking about and to check out Rashida's music video debut,

The Office Rundown: Episode 6, "Branch Wars"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 10:25:31 -0700

Karen's back! At least for this week's episode of The Office, Karen makes a return appearance, and she's clearly not over Jim yet. Also, she extends an offer to Stanley to join her sales team at the Utica office. When Stanley tells Michael about this, Michael, Dwight and Jim go on a mission to send the message to Karen that if she "poaches" Stanley, the will "burn Utica to the ground."

Yet another solid, classic half-hour of Office goodness. Check out the lines and moments I loved most this week:

Michael rigs a Ferris Bueller’s Day Off-style dummy that activates a tape with a snoring sound to make it look like Michael's sleeping at his desk.
Stanley: "I don’t understand why sleeping at your desk is better than you not being here."
Michael: “You can’t take the funny black guy from the office! ... I don’t know how George Bush did it when Colin Powell left."

More highlights if you