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24 Jun 2011 18:02

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Culture: Not the boss, the CEO? James Spader could join “The Office”

  • Think bigger than the next Michael Scott: While the new boss at the Scranton branch of Dundler Mifflin isn’t quite clear yet, one of the candidates for the position, one James Spader, may be out of the running for reasons completely unrelated to his qualifications. See, Spader might join the show — as Dundler Mifflin’s CEO, replacing Kathy Bates. But unlike Bates, word is that he’d be a regular character on the show. Spader is something of an anti-Ted McGinley — when he joins a show late in its run, he makes it better. Example: “The Practice,” where the Spader-led reboot was so successful producers spun it off into “Boston Legal.” source

23 Jun 2011 18:08

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Culture: Phyllis from The Office was once an NFL cheerleader. Seriously.

  • I was at the height of my glory, because I loved dancing and wearing the boots and the hot pants, the tied up shirts, looking really hot. And I was able to dance, I loved football. My dad used to have season tickets, so I was flirting with the guys on the sidelines as much as I could. The organizations make sure that the cheerleaders and the players have minimal contact, but that’s what you try to do. It was great, in the ’70s.
  • Actor Phyllis Smith • Speaking of her job dancing on an NFL sideline way back in the 70s. Smith, who plays the similarly named Phyllis Lapin-Vance on NBC’s The Office, dreamed from a young age of being a dancer, and had success as a cheerleader as well as doing tap dancing in a vaudeville-style burlesque show. She got out of the dancing biz after a leg injury in her 30s, and worked reception for a few years before starting the acting career that ultimately landed her on the mega-hit comedy. Just another helpful reminder — it’s never to late to set new career goals for oneself. source

22 Jun 2011 21:48

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U.S.: Gingrich: My campaign staff just couldn’t handle my unconventional ways

  • Philosophically, I am very different from normal politicians, and normal consultants found that very hard to deal with.
  • Newt Gingrich • Explaining, with David Brent-esque logic, why his campaign staff keeps quitting on him. We agree that Gingrich is different from normal politicians, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. source

19 Dec 2010 10:55

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Politics: Just in time for the holidays, Ricky Gervais explains his atheism

  • As an atheist, I see nothing ‘wrong’ in believing in a god. I don’t think there is a god, but belief in him does no harm. If it helps you in any way, then that’s fine with me. It’s when belief starts infringing on other people’s rights when it worries me.
  • Ricky Gervais • In a lengthy essay he wrote for the Wall Street Journal titled “A Holiday Message from Ricky Gervais: Why I’m An Atheist.” He points out that he wasn’t always this way: “I loved Jesus. He was my hero. More than pop stars. More than footballers. More than God. God was by definition omnipotent and perfect. Jesus was a man. He had to work at it.” But one day, his older brother questioned him about his religion, and then he started thinking about it, and that was that. Gervais ends the essay with a pretty simple but smart point about the whole matter: “You won’t burn in hell. But be nice anyway.” Good to know. source

02 Sep 2010 22:39

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Culture: Stunt-casting or brilliance? Harvey Keitel could be new “Office” boss

  • I haven’t started any talks with his people, but Harvey would do a great job — a very different energy. And we don’t want to bring in another Michael, having someone play a very similar character because we have such a high regard for Steve.
  • Paul “Toby” Lieberstein • Suggesting an utterly bizarre replacement for Steve Carell on “The Office,” but one that might prove an interesting choice and could ensure the series remains really interesting in the future. Keitel, best-known as “Mr. White” from “Reservior Dogs,” hasn’t been approached yet about Lieberstein’s wild casting idea. Minor detail. He’ll take the part. source

28 Jun 2010 20:49

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Culture: Steve Carell’s “Office” exit: An immensely key point to make

Today seems like a good day to remind everyone that Steve Carell HAS NEVER WON AN EMMY.Mon Jun 28 21:42:20 via web

  • This guy knows the score. Steve Carell totally deserves Emmy love for a show he’s truly made memorable. It’s actually kind of a crime he hasn’t won one. Whoever is holding Carell back from this, destite his massive TV and film fame, get on it. In other news, yeah, the show will likely go on without Carell (barring a massive dip in the ratings or Dwight going crazy). source

28 Jun 2010 20:29

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07 Apr 2010 20:32

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Biz, Culture: NBC is trying to subliminally convince you to recycle

  • In this case it fell right into the realm of what we do. We’d have to say no if it hurt the integrity of the show.
  • “The Office” executive producer Paul “Toby the HR guy” Lieberstein • Discussing his network’s push to get his show (and every other on their many networks) to produce one environmentally-themed episode each year. (In the case of “The Office,” Dwight dressed up as a superhero obsessed with recycling.) It’s called “behavior placement,” and like product placement, the goal is to get you to buy stuff. The journalism world has something like this – if a newspaper publishes a weekly section about cars, it’s because they want to sell car ads. But the way NBC handles it is way beyond what most networks do. It’s this sort of innovative thinking that got Jay Leno on the air at 10 p.m. Remember that. source

19 Feb 2010 22:00

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Offbeat: Detention-bound kid with great comic timing unfairly punished

  • Dalton Duncan is fracking awesome. That’s what we said. source

21 Aug 2009 23:43

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Music: Dwight from “The Office” came up with Weezer’s new album title

  • He has a super-rock persona. When it came time to find a title for the Weezer album, I asked him what he thought the ultimate album title would be and he said ‘Raditude.’
  • Weezer frontman RIvers Cuomo • Discussing Rainn Wilson’s role in creating the kinda-lame, kinda awesome title for “Raditude,” the next mediocre album from Weezer. We can see this title working if Rainn Wilson is saying it. But nobody else. • source