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Two Bits of Office-Related News

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:33:31 PST

It's NBC day at TCA, and I'm most looking forward to the session with Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, and the creators of the non-spinoff spinoff of The Office. The show is still technically untitled, but some bits of the plot have dribbled out thanks to copies of the pilot script that were left in reporters' hotel rooms last night. Meanwhile, The Office mothership is getting an exciting new cast member - well, at least for fans of The Wire. Read on . . .

First things first: The Amy Poehler series is set in Pawnee, Indiana, where Leslie Knope (Poehler),is a "mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department." The show will be filmed in the same mockumentary style as The Office, and comedian Aubrey Plaza has just been cast to play her intern, April.
Second: Idris Elba, maybe best known as Stringer Bell from The Wire, will appear in six episodes of The Office this season as a new nemesis for Michael Scott in Dunder Mifflin corporate. You know, Stringer Bell always did have some business sense about him . . .

What do you think of the news so far? To watch a clip of Elba's previous, er, "business experience" (beware of some NSFW language), just

Rashida Jones Checks Into the Not-Office Office

BuzzSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:33:40 PST

Seriously, they're going to have to give the Office non-spinoff spinoff a name really soon, because this is just getting confusing. But here's the deal: Rashida Jones has booked a role on the Amy Poehler-led new NBC comedy, which will reunite her with The Office writers Greg Daniels and Michael Schur.

Rumors of Jones joining the spinoff first surfaced months ago, but that was way back when we thought the show would be a direct spinoff of The Office (oh, how silly we were!). Today, Office Tally confirmed Jones's casting straight from Schur himself, who told the blog that Jones "will be playing a nurse named Ann (not Karen Fillipelli)."

So . . . a nurse, huh? Is that a hint about the show's setting? Is it a tidbit meant to throw us off-course that won't be relevant to the story at all? Am I thinking way too much about this show, which so far has three cast members (Poehler, Jones, and Aziz Ansari) but no title or publicly known plotline to speak of?

The answer to the last one, at least, is yes. But hey, how can I not be excited? This seems like a good move for Jones, who certainly deserves better than her last sitcom job. What do you think?

Source

The Office Spinoff Lives! Plus More From NBC

BuzzSugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:34:20 PDT

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 PDT

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

The Office Spinoff: News, Rumors, and Funny Stuff

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:31:25 PDT

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

Would You Watch an Office Spinoff About Dwight?

Lizzie Fuhr — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:14:03 PST

Dunder Mifflin's former assistant to the regional manager may leave the grind of The Office and go back to his roots. NBC is considering a Dwight spinoff about his bizarre life on Schrute Farms and his attempt to run the successful B&B he's always dreamed of.

It's unclear whether this means Dwight would be leaving The Office, but it would be pretty easy to write him off since he's pretty disillusioned with the whole corporate gig at Sabre these days. However, part of why Dwight's shtick works so well is because it's fun to see him interact with Jim, Andy, and the like. If he's solely dedicated to the beet business, he won't have to engage (or ignore) in any social niceties until someone heads over for a visit. What's your take: do you want to see Dwight have his own show?

Photo courtesy of NBC

What Happened When Melissa McCarthy Met Brad and Angelina

Allie Merriam — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:27:41 PST

Melissa McCarthy recounts a funny tale about Brad and Angelina at the Golden Globes - Us Weekly
Why is Heidi Klum still wearing her wedding ring? - People
And now, presenting "Sh*t Liz Lemon Says!" - The Insider
Is Gary Oldman a lock for an Oscar? - Lainey Gossip
Lindsay Lohan hit with another lawsuit - HuffPost Celebrity
Will Drew Barrymore have to convert for her fiancé? - Celebitchy
Elizabeth Olsen talks about whether or not she'll finish college - The Daily Beast
How does Taylor Lautner's wax figure compare to the real deal? - TooFab
Diane Keaton has a sweet new project about a loving pet - Rotten Tomatoes
Kristen Bell says she and fiancé Dax are "hillbillies" - Wonderwall
Rachel Zoe has almost stopped shopping for herself thanks to Skyler! - Lifeline Live
Find out who scored nominations from the Academy of Country Music - Zap2It
Rainn Wilson could get a Dwight Schrute spin-off from The Office - Buzzfeed

Box Office: Puss in Boots Claws Its Way to the Top

BuzzSugar — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 03:05:00 PDT

Animated cats earned box office glory this weekend, as the Shrek spin-off Puss in Boots came in first with a $34 million haul in its first week of release for the biggest Halloween weekend opening ever. It beat last weekend's box office winner, Paranormal Activity 3, which came in second with $18.5 million. Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried's futuristic thriller In Time, which was also new this weekend, came in third with $12 million. Footloose hung on to its fourth place spot with 5.4 million. Finally, new release The Rum Diary, starring Johnny Depp, just barely squeaked into the top five with a disappointing total of $5 million.

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Bradley, Zac, and Ed Look Forward to a Good Hangover at Their LA Premiere

Allie Merriam — Fri, 20 May 2011 08:32:23 PDT

The many men of The Hangover Part II gathered at Grauman's Chinese Theatre last night for their big LA premiere. Bradley Cooper was dapper in a Tom Ford suit and flashed a big smile for photographers next to his costars Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms - they even had Crystal the Monkey there! Ken Jeong was one of the first down the carpet, and he spoke to us about his excitement at reuniting with the guys. He even admitted to being open to expanding his Mr. Chow character in a possible spinoff. Ken, who's actually an MD in real life, said his medical knowledge came in handy when some of his castmates came down with food poising while they filmed in Thailand! Ed Helms was likewise thrilled to get a meatier part in the sequel. His small-screen project, The Office, aired its season finale yesterday, and Ed revealed that he doesn't know what's next, but Steve Carell's rumored replacement, Catherine Tate, is a pro. The screening brought out plenty of famous faces, like cute couple Kristen Bell and Dax Shephard, Mike Tyson, and a super-pregnant Alyssa Milano. Kristen and Crystal shared an especially intimate moment. Stay tuned for more on today's PopSugar Rush!