Jenna Fischer in sync for 'Walk Hard'
Jenna Fischer can walk the walk -and walk it hard! But can she sing the song? Nope - that's too hard.
"No one would buy anything that I sing on," Fischer says with a giggle. "That's why they hired someone else to do my vocals. I think I have a perfectly fine voice for karaoke - but Darlene has to be a recording artist."
Not that Fischer had any problem getting into the skin of Darlene Madison, the church-raised singer who provides both sin and salvation for the title character in "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story," opening Friday. In the film - which spoofs such recent biopics as "Ray" and "Walk the Line" as it tells of a '50s musician (John C. Reilly) whose up-and-down, decades-long career makes stops for rockabilly, acid-rock, disco glitz and Vegas ritz - the 33-year-old actress had to perform for a live audience, though she was lip-synching.
"That's definitely the closest I'll ever come to being a stage musical performer," Fischer says. "And it was a thrill - even if the audience was paid to show interest in what I was doing."
The trick to lip-synching? "You actually sing!" Fischer says with amusement. "I trained to inhale and exhale when the real singer did. But I was up there singing my heart out. I just hope they burn the audio tapes."
In "Walk Hard," rising music star Dewey is drawn to his new backup singer, the voluptuous Darlene, though she puts him off because she doesn't believe in sex before marriage. She does, however, encourage temptation, whether the pair is engaging in some suggestive woodworking or barely concealing their pent-up lust while riding horses.
"My inspiration for the role was Priscilla Presley," Fischer says, noting the woman who wed the King in 1967 when she was 22. "I read her book 'Elvis and Me,' and she's very candid about her and Elvis and their early sexual relationship. They would take photos of themselves doing things - and then have them developed at the Fotomat! Can you imagine that today? Plus, she was so young."
Fischer is hilariously sexy in the role - a far cry from the shy, slightly nerdy Pam Beesly on "The Office," her hit NBC comedy for which she was nominated for an Emmy last season. The quietly sharp-witted Pam has come into her own during the show's run (its fourth season has been interrupted by the current writers' strike) - but, as Fischer points out, so have a number of characters who were never intended to be a regular part of the show. Like who?
"Well, Creed, for one," Fischer says, referring to Creed Bratton, one of the show's most offbeat minor characters. "He was a stand-in for a year - but he'd say these crazy things on the set that made us laugh. So they started giving him lines. It turns out he was in a band (the Grass Roots) that toured with Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. Now he's a regular on the show. How does that happen?"
"The Office" provided Fischer's biggest break, she says, but notes, "I'd been earning a living from acting for a couple of years. I was just fine living as an anonymous working actress. When I got 'The Office,' I'd been pounding the pavement for seven years. So you could say I was the world's slowest overnight success."
Reared in St. Louis, Fischer dreamed of an acting career, majoring in theater at a small Missouri college before moving to Los Angeles to try her luck.
"My parents were scared when I moved here because they know how hard it is," she says. "My dad was worried that he'd be paying for my health insurance for my whole life. We're all surprised it worked out."
By Marshall Fine
New York Daily News
December 15, 2007
'The Office', 'Dexter' Up for WGA Awards
Associated Press
December 12, 2007
LOS ANGELES (AP) — NBC's "The Office," Showtime's "Dexter" and HBO's "The Wire" are among the contenders for top honors at the 60th Writers Guild Awards.
Nominations were announced Wednesday for achievement in television, radio, news and promotional writing during the 2007 season.
The strike by Hollywood film and TV scribes isn't stopping the Writers Guild of America moving forward with plans for the show to be held Feb. 9 in Los Angeles and New York. The latest round of contract negotiations between the union and studios collapsed Friday. The strike began Nov. 5.
The eight-person writing team for Showtime's serial killer drama "Dexter" was nominated in both the dramatic and new series categories. The show also received a nod in episodic drama for a single writer.
The 16-person writing team for NBC's "The Office" was nominated in the comedy series category and episodic comedy for a single writer.
The nine-person writing team for HBO's "Flight of the Conchords" was nominated in both the comedy series and new series categories.
Fox's long-running animation show "The Simpsons" took four of six nominations in its categories. Fox's "King of the Hill" took the remaining two nominations in that category.
Writing teams for Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" and NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" were among the nominees in the comedy/variety category.
Prime time TV nominees include:
Dramatic Series: "Dexter," Showtime; "Friday Night Lights," NBC; "Mad Men," AMC; "The Sopranos," HBO; "The Wire," HBO.
Comedy Series: "Curb Your Enthusiasm," HBO; "Entourage," HBO; "Flight of the Conchords," HBO; "The Office," NBC, "30 Rock," NBC.
New Series: "Damages," FX; "Flight of the Conchords," HBO; "Mad Men," AMC; "Pushing Daisies," ABC; "The Sarah Silverman Program," Comedy Central.
Episodic Drama: "Final Grades," "The Wire," HBO; "The Second Coming," "The Sopranos," HBO; "The Round File," "The Closer," TNT; "Flashes Before Your Eyes," "Lost," ABC; "The Hobo Code," "Mad Men," AMC; "The Dark Defender," "Dexter," Showtime.
Long Form, original: "Pandemic," Hallmark Channel; "The Lost Room, Night One," "Nights Two and Three," Sci-Fi Channel.
Fans Raising Money to Support Fired Crew Members of The Office
By Danica Jimenez
andPOP.com
December 6, 2007
(andPOP) - What would you pay to have lunch with the cast of The Office? That's what the creator of the Office Fans Christmas Fund is asking.
When the Writer's Guild of America went on strike, it not only meant that writers stopped working. It also effectively shut production down on most television shows. The entire 102-member crew of NBC’s The Office was laid off – without severance.
So, while in the shower, Alyssa Luckhurst thought it was time for Office fans everywhere to give back to the people who help make the show possible.
Some of the writers and actors keep in touch with the fans through blogs and forums online, Luckhurst says, so they made it easy to relate to the faceless, and sometimes thankless, 102-member crew.
She set up a humble goal of raising $100 per crew member, totalling $10,200 by December 21. "It's not much," she says, "but I'm sure it would help, even if to buy an extra present or two for someone's kid."
And no, this isn't just a scam to steal your money. The fund is legitimized by the show's co-executive producer, Kent Zbornak, who has directed fans to the fund's MySpace page.
"I know of no other fans for any other production that has started a monetary drive to help the staff and crew of a show," Zbornak says, and this is "true, unadulterated loyalty."
But after the initial surge in donations began to waver (Luckhurst raised $4,600 in the first four days alone), the OFCF needs another boost in contributions. In comes the auction. The highest bidder will win a VIP tour of the set, get to watch a taping of a future episode, and have lunch with the entire cast and crew.
(The winner and guests must be 16 or over and provide their own transportation - and accommodations, if needed - to the production facility in Van Nuys, California.
With some fans donating hundreds of dollars at a time, Luckhurst believes the auction would easily help her raise the remaining funds. Already donated and don't have the funds to bid? Don't worry. Zbornak says everyone who donates will get a "special surprise" mailed to them once production starts back up again.
Krasinski goes long to star in 'Leatherheads'
By Lorena Blas
USATODAY.com
November 13, 2007
John Krasinski didn't abandon co-workers at The Office to play football with George Clooney.
Rather than quit his day job in Los Angeles, Krasinski, who plays Jim on NBC's The Office, worked on his days off for two months with Clooney on the North Carolina set of Leatherheads, a romantic dramedy about football in the 1920s. The film opens in April.
He really didn't mind traveling back and forth, Krasinski tells December's Men's Health, on newsstands Tuesday.
He was just excited to be on Clooney's movie team. "Going to the Leatherheads set for the first time with George and Renee (Zellweger), two Oscar winners, I would've preferred to have a year to figure out the right way to walk on that set," he says. "But you're there, and you have to step up. Those are the most formative moments you can have."
''The Office'' Interactive Game Arrives at a Cubicle Near You
MumboJumbo and Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group Launch Fun-Filled Casual Game for PCs Everywhere
DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Casual game players and fans of The Office can now play a new interactive game based on the Emmy Award-winning NBC television series. Developed and published exclusively by premium casual games publisher MumboJumbo, in collaboration with the Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group, The Office game launches at leading retailers nationwide and across top gaming portals in time for the holiday season.
“What we find so special about The Office is the unique personality of the characters, the quirky humor of the plots and the universal familiarity of the workplace,” said Mark Cottam, CEO of MumboJumbo. “We’ve worked hard to integrate these characteristics with a fun and proven casual game mechanic to create an incredibly accessible gaming and entertainment experience.”
“The audience for casual game playing is growing at a phenomenal rate,” said Bill Kispert, Vice President and General Manager, Interactive, for Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group. “The Office game is a complementary way for players and fans to engage with the characters and the world from their favorite show, and is designed so that they can enjoy it in ‘snack-sized’ sessions – 15 minutes in the morning, 20 minutes at night, maybe even a few minutes during the work day when the boss is not looking! We look forward to seeing the game on desktops throughout the nation.”
In The Office game, players interact with animated renditions of the characters from the hit series and maneuver through the Scranton Branch of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in a frantic race to help co-workers process orders. The frenzied fun of The Office gives players the chance to play hilarious pranks on unsuspecting rivals, based on events from the show. To further capture the tone of the series, the introductory story for the game was written by Anthony Farrell, a writer from the show, while photos and audio clips from the series have also been included.
The much-anticipated game delivers a new twist to the “task-management” style of gameplay that features computer-controlled rivals and more varied action. The in-game caricatures of cast favorites, seasonal decorations at the Scranton office and collectible in-game items inspired by the show, such as “Schrute bucks,” round out the fun and humorous gaming experience.
The Office game is now available at www.mumbojumbo.com as well as at leading retailers nationwide. It will be available for download exclusively at MSN Games beginning November 20th, and across top gaming sites worldwide starting December 4th. The title is rated ‘E’ for Everyone.
About MumboJumbo:
Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, MumboJumbo LLC is a worldwide publisher, developer and mass marketer of premium casual games for PCs and game consoles. MumboJumbo games are downloadable at its website as well as key game portals, or purchased at retail through mass merchants, computer retailers and specialty outlets. MumboJumbo owns and operates three studios located in Dallas, Los Angeles and Vladivostok, Russia, and publishes and distributes software through its subsidiaries worldwide. For more information please visit our website at www.mumbojumbo.com.
About Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group:
Universal Pictures Digital Platforms (UPDPG) is responsible for global digital product development, production, licensing, distribution, and growth strategy for the extensive catalogue of Universal's properties across new and emerging digital platforms, including mobile, video game consoles, personal computers, and other portable devices. With a worldwide mandate to help shape the digital future of Universal Pictures, the Group has offices in Universal City, California; London, England; and Tokyo, Japan.
Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group is a unit of Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Universal Pictures. Universal Pictures is a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric and 20% owned by Vivendi.
About NBC Universal Television Distribution:
NBC Universal is a leader in providing entertainment programming to the domestic and international marketplaces. The NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution division is responsible for the distribution of NBC Universal product to all forms of television within the U.S. and Canada. This includes distribution of current and library film and television product, including formats and non-scripted programming, in the pay, free, and basic markets, as well as the domestic syndication of first-run syndicated TV programs and theatrical and TV movie packages.
About the Series:
“The Office” is executive-produced by Ben Silverman, Greg Daniels (who developed the series for American television), Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Howard Klein. The series is a production of Deedle-Dee Productions, Reveille LLC and Universal Media Studios. Since its premiere on NBC in March 2005, “The Office” has established itself as a genuine hit, earning prestigious television honors such as the 2006 Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, 2006 Peabody Award, 2006 AFI Honor, Producers Guild Award, Writers Guild Award, SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy and 2006 Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Steve Carell). “The Office” airs Thursdays on NBC.
Hollywood writers rally as contract talks remain stalled
November 9, 2007
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Thousands of protesters have converged on the gates of Fox studios in Los Angeles for what is shaping up to be the biggest rally yet by striking writers.
As the writers march for their fifth day, there's still no sign that the stalled contract talks will start up again.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says he is urging both sides to reach a deal so the thousands of the behind-the-scenes workers can get back to their jobs. The former action hero says he has not been invited to participate in negotiations. He says if he were asked, he would step in.
Meanwhile, the strike is taking its toll on the prime-time line up. The planned January return of Fox's "24" has been postponed indefinitely. NBC's "The Office" will head into rerun mode after next week's episode. CBS' comedies will run dry by month's end. And ABC's "Ugly Betty," "Pushing Daisies" and "Grey's Anatomy" each have just four new episodes to go.
NBC's 'The Office' May Be An 'Eco-Opportunity Employer,' But Are Its Real-Life Counterparts?
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Nov 07, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) - ELEMENT Hotels:
WHAT: NBC's hit comedy 'The Office' is going 'green' tonight--but what do real-life office workers in the show's hometown of Scranton, PA think about their own workplace's eco-efforts? ELEMENT Hotels, an upcoming eco-friendly, extended stay hotel brand from Starwood Hotels & Resorts, sought to find out.
Asking 1,000 Scranton-area workers about their office habits and habitat, ELEMENT found that more than a third (38.9%) of employees surveyed are indifferent or just plain don't care whether their company takes steps to go green. What's more:
More than half (58.2%) surveyed said they don't recycle, and more than a third (35.7%) say they don't even turn off their computer and lights before they leave.
And the environment is hardly water cooler chat - over half (53.2%) said they have never talked with co-workers about the environment or environmental issues.
Reality TV? Just as Michael Scott is devoted to his Sebring and Dwight Schrute lives for his Firebird, Scrantonites love their cars, with 45% driving to work alone each day.
Scranton workers also see their real-life reflected on the TV screen in 'The Office':
60.5 percent feel their office environment is similar to the one depicted on 'The Office.'
A surprising 42.7 percent of employees said their company doesn't recycle in the workplace, and another 41.7 percent expect that Dunder Mifflin wouldn't either.
These office drones would also like a day of adventure with Michael Scott. Over two-thirds (68.1%) said they'd love to go on a corporate wilderness retreat with Steve Carell's depiction of America's most loveable - if not laughable - boss.
Full survey results are available upon request.
WHO / WHY: ELEMENT Hotels will take a smart, intuitive approach to eco-friendly hoteling when it opens its doors in 2008. Planned eco-friendly design features include low-flow sink faucets, dual-flush toilets, shampoo and conditioner dispensers to eliminate the waste from multiple mini-bottles, using energy-conserving CFL lights and a recycling program.
METHODOLOGY: The survey was conducted for ELEMENT Hotels by STUDYLOGIC via telephone interviews with 1,013 respondents who work in an office environment in the Scranton, PA area.
About Starwood Hotels & Resorts: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 850 properties in more than 95 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood(R) Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis(R), The Luxury Collection(R), Sheraton(R), Westin(R), Four Points(R) by Sheraton, W(R), Le Meridien(R) and the recently announced Aloft(SM) and Element(SM) Hotels. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Office workers join striking writers
Hollywood Reporter
November 6, 2007
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - It was a slow day at "The Office" on Monday, Day 1 of the Writers Guild of America's first strike in almost 20 years.
Several cast members of the hit NBC comedy, led by star Steve Carell, didn't show up for work as union members picketed Hollywood studios and networks.
Representatives for Carell, who also has a background as a writer, declined comment on whether Carell's action was in support of the strike. It wasn't clear Monday night if Carell would report to work Tuesday.
Co-star Rainn Wilson called in sick, while B.J. Novak and Mindy Kaling, who also are writers on the show, were on strike, as was "Office" showrunner Greg Daniels, who was spotted on the picket lines.
Without Carell and Wilson, only two scenes of "Office" were shot Monday, sources said.
Office workers not crossing
Monsters and Critics.com UK
November 6, 2007
“The Office” showrunner Greg Daniels is picketing his own Van Nuys set according to Ain't It Cool News.
Cast members Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski as well as WGA members Steve Carell, B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling and Paul Leiberstein – are not crossing the picket line.
Losing its cast shuts down NBC’s highest-rated sitcom a lot faster than a lot of other series, which are trying to put into production the last few scripts written before the strike.
TVWeek reports on the matter:
“We have non-writing producers on the show who are perfectly capable of doing any non-writing producing duties,” Mr. Daniels said. “They want me do to writing-producing and just pretend it’s producing. Every decision you make has a writing aspect to it. If they really just thought it was producing, they could just as easily get somebody else to do these tasks.”
'The Office' Set for Spin-Off
Hollywood.com
November 1, 2007
HOLLYWOOD - British funnyman Ricky Gervais' cult TV comedy The Office is set for even more success--as a spin-off.
TV bosses in America are so pleased with the success of the offbeat U.K. show's reworked U.S. hit, starring Steve Carell, they're planning to create a new sitcom based on the show.
Bosses at NBC are planning an episode that will introduce new characters to the hit comedy before they jump to their own series, according to TV Guide magazine.
A major Hollywood star is currently being considered for the lead role in the spin-off.
”The Office” Convention
The Associated Press
October 27, 2007
The cast from NBC's "The Office" paid a special visit to their show's hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania over the weekend.
Thousands of fans came from all over the country to get a glimpse of the stars and see the town where it all takes place.
A pumped up crowd welcomed cast members to the first office convention where everyone's favorite party planner cut the ribbon.
Angela Kinsey who plays "Angela" on the show says "I love you guys. We are so happy to be in Scranton and I thank you for supporting the show."
Although shot in L.A., the fictional paper company Dunder-Mifflin is set in Scranton.
This weekend, several thousand fans flocked to the Electric City from across the country.
Kate Ibbestson who lives in West Chester says "The Office is my favorite show. I love it so much. I could not wait for this weekend."
Actors Creed Bratton, Oscar Nunez and Leslie David Baker signed hundreds of autographs but didn't mind.
Leslie David Baker who plays "Stanley" says "it's a dream come true. Everyone is so nice and kind and welcoming. We're thankful they've responded so positively to the show."
Meanwhile, fans fought for gold in office Olympics, a take on a season two favorite episode.
The publicity the show has generated for this old city on the verge of a renaissance is too good to be true for locals.
Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty says "there's people from all over the country who now know about our city and will tell their friends and family what a great city Scranton is."
And one refrigerator repairman has already learned.
Robert Shafer who plays "Bob Vance" says "I'm moving here. Leaving Hollywood and coming to Scranton."
The show has gained so much attention, the chamber of commerce has received numerous calls asking for Scranton merchandise.
The Office convention draws thousands
thewest.com.au
October 27, 2007
Andy Bernard, an overconfident paper salesman who will do anything to woo a lady, would have died for this kind of adulation.
Ed Helms, who plays the character on NBC's cult hit The Office, said he felt like one of the Beatles - "We're the Beatles in Scranton" were his precise words - when thousands of adoring fans descended on this north-eastern Pennsylvania city over the weekend to celebrate their favourite TV show.
A remake of the acclaimed British series of the same name, The Office is shot in mock-documentary style and follows the exploits of an egomaniacal boss, Michael Scott (series star Steve Carell in the role originated by Ricky Gervais), and his quirky underlings at the Scranton branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin paper-supply company.
The British version is set in a paper company in the unfashionable English industrial town of Slough.
The Emmy-winning US version, in its fourth season, anchors NBC's Thursday night lineup.
More than 3,000 tickets were sold for the inaugural Office Convention, the brainchild of local fans who wanted to showcase the city of about 75,000 residents.
With several cast members making appearances, the convention drew fans from as far away as Australia, Ireland and Canada.
"I've never felt connected to a show like this. I've never fallen in love with the characters like I have on this show," said Audrey Remington, 22, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, who was attending with her mother.
Fans were instantly recognisable around town by their convention lanyards, Dunder Mifflin umbrellas and shopping totes filled with NBC paraphernalia. Many dressed like their favourite characters - Office lovebirds Jim and Pam were particularly well-represented - for a lookalike contest.
It was a weekend filled with inside jokes and appropriately ridiculous moments, like when cast member Angela Kinsey got into character and sternly told hundreds of fans at a pep rally, "Try not to be whorish this weekend." (She plays Angela, a prim, uptight accountant.) Or when cast member Kate Flannery (Meredith) hopped up on stage with the Scrantones, the band that recorded the show's theme music, for a slightly off-key rendition of Pennsylvania Polka.
In the University of Scranton gym, fans competed in the Office Olympics - officially, the Games of the 1st Dunder Mifflin Infinity Olympiad - a takeoff on a second-season episode in which the Scranton branch amuses itself with games like "Dunderball" while the boss is away. Winners got medals fashioned from yoghurt lids, just like on the show.
The Games' highlight: a bizarre contest called Flonkerton (allegedly an Icelandic sport), in which participants stuck their feet in empty paper boxes and slip-slided their way to the finish line.
"You want a wide stride," advised contestant Theresa Black, 25, who grew up near Scranton but lives in Baltimore.
Part of the convention was washed out by soaking rains, though fans hardly cared. Hundreds patiently stood in line under a large white tent to get autographs and buy Office stuff, including Michael Scott Talking Bobble Heads, replica "Dundies" (small trophies handed out by Michael on the show), and T-shirts that read, "Michael Scott's Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race For The Cure." (Don't ask)
Clutching two freshly purchased Dundies, Cindy Foss said she is "freakishly obsessed" with the show.
"I'm a huge fan of TV. I watch, like, everything. But very few shows would make me want to drive seven hours to see the cast," said Foss, 24, of Toronto.
While most events were held on the university campus, executive producer Greg Daniels and his writing staff tooled around the city in a minivan, seeking inspiration and story ideas. They wound up at Nay Aug Park, where they marvelled at a gigantic handicapped-accessible treehouse built by the city. (Look for it in a future episode)
Daniels said it was "completely weird" to finally see the city that serves as the backdrop for the show, which is shot in Van Nuys, California. (A favourite sport among Scrantonians is to count the references to real-life places and things)
"We've been imagining this town for five years. It's been a very big part of our lives," Daniels said. "It's as if we've been reading the Oz books and then actually visited Emerald City."
Clear Ink Helps Second Life Go Primetime with NBC's The Office
October 25, 2007
Digital Marketing Agency Creates Multiple In-World Virtual Features for NBC's Award-Winning Comedy
BERKELEY, Calif., BUSINESS WIRE -- Enhancing their reputation as premier Second Life experts, leading independent digital marketing agency Clear Ink today announced that they developed multiple 3D virtual world features for an upcoming episode of the Emmy Award-winning comedy series The Office. The episode, "Local Ad," will air at 9 pm on Thursday, Oct. 25 on NBC.
Utilizing their extensive knowledge of Second Life, Clear Ink was responsible for all aspects of in-world production for an upcoming episode of The Office. These included scouting the virtual production sites, creating avatars for show characters Dwight and Jim, developing the props and wardrobe, scouting/casting a "live crowd" scene with Second Life residents and conducting all cinematography.
For the in-world production sites, Clear Ink not only chose five existing locations, they also created three new sites from scratch specifically for the "Local Ad" episode. This entailed developing all the 3D architecture, as well as the layout and design for the new in-world locations.
"We had a blast working on this project and we're pleased that NBC came to us to create the complete start-to-finish Second Life scenes for the episode of The Office," said Steve Nelson, executive vice president and chief strategy officer, Clear Ink. "It was an honor working on such an acclaimed show with so devoted a following."
"Local Ad" was written by B.J. Novak, who plays Ryan Howard on the show, and directed by Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking).
About Clear Ink:
Clear Ink (http://www.clearink.com/), a 50-person firm devoted to changing the future of marketing, was founded in 2001 by David M. Burk and Steve Nelson and is headquartered in Berkeley, Calif. The company is a leader in immersive, online experiences and digital demand generation. The firm's clients include Autodesk, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, 24-Hour Fitness, John Muir Health and others.
Steve in real life
By Lisa Rose, Star-Ledger Staff
TV and FILM - NJ.com
October 20, 2007
Between his film and TV portrayals, Steve Carell has proven himself a fearless comic performer. He has a flair for making the audience laugh and cringe simultaneously, whether he's impersonating Chris Rock on "The Office" or getting his chest waxed in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin."
For all his courage in front of the camera, Carell found himself getting anxious during a casting session for his new movie, "Dan in Real Life," opening Friday.
Director Peter Hedges ("Pieces of April") introduced the actor to his Oscar-winning costar, Juliette Binoche, and promptly asked them to duet on a karaoke rendition of the ballad "Endless Love," so he could get a sense of their chemistry together.
"That was a terrible moment of my life," deadpans Carell, 45, via phone from Los Angeles. "Here I am, incredibly nervous to meet Juliette and wanting to make a good impression and Peter decides that we're going to sing to one another. I think we sang a Barbra Streisand song too, which made matters worse."
Binoche, a French actress best known for roles in "The English Patient" and "Chocolat," says that singing with Carell was a good icebreaker.
"I felt I had nothing to lose. Steve was looking uncomfortable, sweating. For me, it was more a childlike, funny thing to do."
"Dan in Real Life" is a different kind of picture for Carell, a seriocomic story about a widowed father of three who is alienated from his daughters and still mourning his late wife. He writes an advice column for the fictional New Jersey Standard (modeled after The Star-Ledger).
The irony is that Dan helps other people out of crises while allowing his own problems to go unresolved. During a visit with extended family in Rhode Island, he meets Marie (Binoche) in a local bookshop. Unfortunately, he learns that she's dating his brother (Dane Cook), making for an eventful weekend.
Over the course of the story, Dan begins to emerge from his gloom and repair his relationships, thanks to inspiration from Marie. Carell was compelled by the idea of a character whose flaw is being too altruistic.
"He puts other people ahead of himself. In doing so, he forgets to take care of his own needs. When people do that, live their life for others, they're not full and complete people themselves. They're not giving the best part of who they are to those around them. It's a double-edged sword."
Like two of his former costars, Jim Carrey and Will Ferrell, Carell is branching out into darker roles. Last summer, he delivered a sullen portrayal of a gay academic in "Little Miss Sunshine."
"I wasn't looking for that sort of role," says the Massachusetts native. "It wasn't as if I thought that to follow up '40-Year-Old-Virgin,' I should play a suicidal Proust scholar. 'Little Miss Sunshine' just fell into my lap. I read the script. I thought it was great. I wanted to be in it."
While "Little Miss Sunshine" was an ensemble piece, "Dan in Real Life" really is a showcase for Carell as dramatic lead.
"Steve very much wanted to push himself in a new direction," says Hedges. "There's nothing more exciting than an actor who is up to push himself out of his comfort zone. Steve plays that character in 'The Office' who's completely outrageous. Here, he's a guy who falls in love and navigates his bumpy way through his muddled life."
Carell has taken an unlikely route to movie stardom. He began as an improv comic with the Second City troupe in Chicago, riffing opposite Stephen Colbert, his future colleague on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," where they both served as mock correspondents. He continued on the Comedy Central series while his film career took off, with roles in "Bruce Almighty" and "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy."
The producer of "Anchorman," Judd Apatow, was so impressed with Carell's performance as an inept weather forecaster, he decided to collaborate with the actor on a script, developing an idea that evolved into "The 40-Year-Old Virgin."
Watching Carell bring the character to life, Apatow "instantly realized that he had a lot of depth as an actor."
"Steve is a very soulful person and it comes across on screen," says Apatow, currently at work as producer on the parody biopic, "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story," starring John C. Reilly. "A lot of people would have played that part in a big broad way that would not illuminate much about the character. Steve made him a real person that (the audience) cared about. That's what made the movie work."
If Hollywood was initially skeptical about the commercial possibilities of a summer movie about a midlife celibate, there was even more doubt surrounding "The Office," a remake of a beloved Britcom that starred Ricky Gervais as a clueless boss at a failing paper company. In the American version, Carell plays Michael Scott, a slacker manager with an arsenal of politically incorrect rants that shock his employees into silence.
"I never choose something based on whether the character is endearing or whether people will like me as an individual based upon who I'm playing," says Carell. "One of the things that appealed to me about the Michael Scott character is that he can be perceived of as a jerk, but he's not. He's misunderstood and he also has an enormous blind spot. He doesn't understand how people perceive him. He has no filter in what he says, but he's not a bad person."
Carell's years as a "Daily Show" reporter bolstered his confidence taking on a primetime network series.
"One of the greatest things about 'The Daily Show' was having the freedom to fail night after night," he says. "We could try anything and we knew that we would have another shot at it the next night. That attitude is embraced on 'The Office' as well. Nothing is sacred."
B.J. Novak, who portrays a Machiavellian temp-turned-executive, says the show's trademark awkward pauses are a challenge when Carell adlibs.
"It's one thing when it's simply a funny script," says Novak, who doubles as a writer/performer on the show. "It's another thing when the actors don't know the next line that is going to come out of Steve's mouth. We waste a lot of tape of people laughing out of character."
A classic episode from the first season is "Diversity Day," in which the office is visited by a sensitivity trainer, played by actor/producer/writer Larry Wilmore. Over the course of the episode, Michael asks his coworkers which race they are most sexually attracted to and tries to entertain them with a Chris Rock monologue.
"We had so many outtakes," says Wilmore, who left "The Office" to develop a pilot for HBO. He also guests on "The Daily Show" as their Senior Black Correspondent, an expert on African-American affairs. "(Steve) kept going on .¤.¤. and we kept laughing so hard. There's a lot of encouragement to go off book especially by Carell because no matter what you write for him, there's gonna be gold with what he (improvises)."
The actor's hot streak cooled a bit this summer with "Evan Almighty," a sequel to the hit, "Bruce Almighty," in which Carell had a supporting part as a ruthless newsman.
The second chapter, which recasts Carell as a modern-day Noah ordered by God, (Morgan Freeman) to build an ark, earned notoriety with an estimated $175 million budget, making it the most expensive comedy in Hollywood history.
"One of the producers e-mailed me that (the box office) went over $100 million a couple of weeks ago," says Carell. "That was a milestone that they were looking for. I try to not get too immersed in things because it's not in the realm of my expertise and it's not something I have control over. I worry about my performance and after that it's out of my hands."
Steve in real life is a father of two married to actress Nancy Walls, whom he met during his early days in Second City. He opted to pursue a comedy career after deciding not to go to law school.
Carell, whose family name was shortened from Carello, emerged a crowd favorite on the Chicago stage, wearing a wig as Fabio, playing stooges and straight men with equal aplomb, according to former troupe member Amy Sedaris.
"He's so likable that no matter what he plays you're going to like him," says Sedaris. "Our favorite sketch was one we called 'High Rise' where he was a serial killer. It's kind of a date scene and I turn out to be infatuated with him because he's a serial killer."
"The 40-Year-Old Virgin" is rooted in a Second City sketch featuring Carell as a sexually inexperienced man trying to impress his buddies with tales of erotic encounters.
"The core of the idea was a really insecure guy who was afraid to take any chances with women," says Apatow. "We tried to make it real and we went on the Internet and read about middle-aged virgins. Everything we read was written by people who were lonely and insecure and afraid to take a chance. Steve connected with that and wanted the character to be very realistic and sweet and not a generic cliche."
For all the outlandish things Carell says and does on screen, he always makes a point of humanizing the people he portrays, avoiding caricatures.
"I try not to judge anybody that I play and not to ever make fun of them," says Carell. "There's a lot of gray area in human beings and I don't think anyone is completely good or completely bad, like a complete jerk or a saint. It's just a matter of trying to play a character as truthfully as you can."
Scranton embraces The Office infamy
By John Marchese
The New York Times
October 20, 2007
Among the many decisions that Greg Daniels had to make when adapting Ricky Gervais’s BBC comedy “The Office” for American television was picking a counterpart for Slough, an industrial suburb of London that served as the setting for a show about the dreary branch office of a fictional paper company.
Presented as a documentary, the British show used no actual location shots except for the title sequence. Yet the Slough setting helped the writers convey what one critic called “a weird despair.”
Mr. Daniels, who helped create the Fox show “King of the Hill,” considered Utica, N.Y., and Nashua, N.H., as possible locations for a branch of the company he called Dunder Mifflin. But the winner — or loser, as it would seem at the time — was Scranton, a city of about 75,000 in northeastern Pennsylvania whose name never seemed to appear in print without the words “hardscrabble former coal-mining town.”
“It just seemed like a real place,” Mr. Daniels said. “The concept of our show was the opposite of an exciting New York-type glamour show. Sort of by definition the town we picked wouldn’t have a lot of glitzy stuff going on.”
But in Scranton a lot of people think next weekend will be plenty glitzy. That’s when the city holds the first Office Convention, a celebration of the Emmy-winning NBC comedy with 13 of the actors and the entire writing staff, all kicked off by live coverage on “Today,” with Al Roker on the scene. Despite the corporate synergy of an NBC News program featuring an NBC comedy event, the convention actually began as the brainchild of a handful of Scranton residents who say “The Office’s” imprimatur has made their city the opposite of Slough.
“We’re really hip now,” Cathy Hinesley, an assistant to Mayor Christopher A. Doherty, said recently as she fielded calls about the convention. “We’re big time.”
That Scranton has reacted to “The Office” with infatuation rather than indignation may stem from the difference between the more satiric British model and its warmer American offspring. “We went toward embracing the whole Scranton-ness of the setting,” Mr. Daniels said.
That embrace includes real Scranton paraphernalia on screen and frequent references to actual places — restaurants like Cooper’s Seafood House, the downtown Mall at Steamtown, nearby Lake Wallenpaupack — and the radio station Froggy 101. There’s a new hobby among certain Scrantonians: scanning episodes for hometown items and checking for accuracy. (The character Michael Scott goes to Hooters, for instance, but the city doesn’t have one.)
Comedies have long tried to portray actual places — from Archie Bunker’s Queens to Frasier’s Seattle — with little more than a few seconds of establishing shots. Likewise, beyond the “Office” title sequence, made by John Krasinski (who plays the salesman Jim Halpert), the show has never filmed in Scranton.
The idea of an Office Convention was first discussed in a bar that has never been mentioned on the show, though its name would seem to make it a shoo-in: the Banshee. Among a small group of local professionals meeting for drinks this year was Michele Dempsey, a 35-year-old architect who had left for 12 years and returned in 2003 to start her own firm. A fan of the BBC show, she reveled in the American version’s references to her city.
“Scranton has shown up in things,” Ms. Dempsey said. “But it’s never been in a nice light. And that’s been upsetting.” She can list slights and jokes at her city’s expense in shows like “All in the Family” and “The Simpsons” (which happens to be among Mr. Daniels’s credits). The at-worst-gentle teasing in “The Office” allowed residents like her the refreshing change of being in on the Scranton joke.
The mayor and others say that their city is in the midst of an economic and cultural revival, and that “The Office” was, in Ms. Dempsey’s words, an “X factor” in that comeback. She had seen the throngs who showed up at the mall in December for a paid appearance by Rainn Wilson, an “Office” star. “They were lining up at 4 in the morning,” she said. “And I thought, if they do that for one cast member, what would happen if we brought in a bunch?”
That began months of planning and negotiating and pleading with cast members to sign on. Mayor Doherty and other residents taped a music video inviting every actor and even some producers by name.
The organizers say they would have held the convention even if nobody agreed to appear. But this month commitments came from most of the cast, including Mindy Kaling (who plays Kelly) — for fees the organizers would not reveal, though they report a budget approaching $250,000. (Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, Mr. Krasinski and Mr. Wilson, who all play leading characters, have not signed on.)
Fan response has been positive so far, with brisk ticket sales and solidly booked downtown hotels.
Conventiongoers can compete in an Office Olympics like the one in Season 2 when the Dunder Mifflin workers raced in paper-box snowshoes; see a panel discussion with the cast; and hear the Scrantones, whose members wrote the theme song. Mr. Daniels will be making his first trip to the city and said his writers would drive around the area looking for story ideas.
In Slough there may be a sense of missed opportunity. Officials there had always issued curt statements about “The Office,” said Gemma Morgan, marketing and communications manager for the borough council. “But at the end of the day the show put us on the map.”
What's wrong with The Office and how to fix it
Slate Magazine
October 18, 2007
If it's the new length that's at fault, fans should be relieved: The Office returns to its half-hour format next week, and perhaps we'll forget all about this disappointing debut. But some other changes this season suggest the show's problems may linger like the last jelly doughnut in the box.
The first is the coupling of Pam and Jim. After three seasons of whetting our appetite, The Office finally served us our PB & J sandwich. But not before teasing us just a bit more. Those who thought the fourth season might open with a glimpse of the dinner date arranged during last year's finale were sorely disappointed. Instead, it began with a halfhearted charade: Pam and Jim are just friends, and it's up to Kevin (who put the PB & J thing together), and the documentary crew, to prove otherwise.
The game of cat-and-mouse was mercifully short—Pam and Jim are caught necking in her sensible Toyota Yaris 36 minutes into Episode 1. It's telling, though, that the writers put off showing us the happy couple. Also telling is the scene in Episode 2, when Jim and Pam deadpan that the magic is gone now that their secret is out. Some of the magic was bound to evaporate once they finally got together, but it's been surprising just how unsatisfying the honeymoon has been. For every good scene—Pam telling Jim that she knew she liked him when he warned her about some expired mixed-berry yogurt—there's been one that has felt more saccharine than genuine. Come on, would they really embrace bureaucracy and ask Toby if they should sign one of those love-declaration documents?
PB & J are a disappointment for those of us who saw the couple as a worthy successor to Ross and Rachel, NBC's will-they-or-won't-they couple of yore. But their relationship is also a bad sign for the show. Jim and Pam's thwarted love gave The Office a narrative arc that transcended the episode-to-episode hijinks of the other Dunderheads. Pam and Jim provided emotional ballast for a show that has always been in danger of keeling over into the absurd. Now, especially with these first episodes running to the hour, the show feels adrift and, at times, pointless. When Michael finally learns that Jim and Pam are together, he malaprops that "this is a day that will live in infamy." Let's hope that doesn't turn out to be the case.
One bright spot lies in the emerging love triangle between Dwight, Angela, and Andy. At first, the breakup of Dwight and Angela's supposedly under-wraps relationship seemed ill-advised. Dwight and Angela's trysts had been a welcome counterpoint to Pam and Jim's prolonged courtship, but their bickering over Angela's dead cat this season has been about as funny as, well, a dead dog. Last week, however, Andy emerged as a legitimate suitor, making an inspired play for Angela's attentions by performing "Take a Chance on Me" a capella and with accompaniment via speakerphone. The stunt earned him one of those furtive smiles Angela used to reserve for Dwight—and a not so furtive one from Slate. There's promise here.
There's less promise in Ryan Howard's promotion to Dunder Mifflin's corporate office. At first glance, this seemed like a genius move. Offloading the temp-turned-MBA jackass from The Office's primary setting would free up space for underutilized secondary characters (we love you, Kevin!) while banishing the least interesting one to a supporting role. Turns out that was wishful thinking. A newly bestubbled, technobabbling Ryan is hogging screen time, and it's ruining the show.
Ryan was always The Office's thinnest character. In the first two seasons, he served as a walking reaction shot. As the butt of Michael's pranks and a leg attached to Kelly Kapoor's ball and chain, he did little more than stand off to the side and look aloof. Moving Ryan from tempdom to B-school to the corporate office hasn't added to his single dimension. B.J. Novak, the actor who plays Ryan (and is also one of the show's writers and producers), has simply shifted from blankness to smugness.
The new Ryan has a cocksure attitude and a new suit to match, but he still can't generate laughs. (OK, he did have one good line this season: "People keep calling me a wunderkind. I don't even know what that means. I mean, I know what it means. It means very successful for your age.") It doesn't help that the character's story line—building a snazzy new Web site called Dunder Mifflin Infinity—seems so dated that it could've been a plotline on Murphy Brown. But by far the bigger problem is his relationship with Steve Carrell's Michael Scott.
The rapport between the buffoonish Michael and the buttoned-down, easily exasperated Jan Levinson was one of the show's high points. It was delightful to watch as her irritation became tinged first with grudging respect, then sexual attraction. Now, with Jan conked out on Michael's bed, it's up to Ryan to dress him down. Ryan can do exasperation, but that's all he can do. He's perpetually annoyed, so when Michael bugs him, he just furrows his brow a bit more. We liked it better when Jan was on top. Among other things, it made Michael's "that's what she said" lines seem less forced.
NBC finally has a hit on its hands, but now the network is giving the audience too much of what it wants—Jim and Pam together, Michael acting infantile, Dwight killing innocent animals, Ryan being a villain. It's true that the hourlong episodes make the problems we've enumerated seem more glaring. But they're problems all the same. Will the show return to form next week when it goes back to the half-hour format? That would be awesome.
NBC's The Office Coming To Nintendo Wii
Nintendo Wii News: With A Side Order Of Everything Else Nintendo
nintendorevolution.ca
October 11, 2007
One of the hottest shows on TV is The Office, and the most buzzworthy console is Wii, so it's only natural that the worlds are going to merge -- The Office is coming to Nintendo Wii.
In a recent interview with Gamasutra, MumboJumbo North American sales VP Brian Garrison dropped the news.
"And right now we're building a game for The Office, and at some point we plan to take The Office to the Wii," he said.
When asked specifically it was the sitcom license, he confirmed that it was.
"We're doing that for the PC right now, and we'll expand that out to consoles. But having the opportunity to maybe make an avatar look like one of the characters from the show, so there are some opportunities there."
And what would would the gameplay be like, you ask?
"It's a task-based management game, similar to Diner Dash, where you're actually in an office and you're doing tasks. You'll be playing as Jim, battling Dwight. You'll be able to play pranks, there'll be video in the game, and actually, writers from the show are helping write the game," Garrison explained.
When the game was originally announced in June, it was only slated for PSP, DS, and PC. But hey, if Harvey Birdman can come to the Wii, then so can Michael and Creed.
Ratings for The Office – October 11, 2007
"The Office" on NBC (4.7/11 in 18-49, 8.9 million viewers overall). "Grey's" won the hour in 18-49 and 25-54 and dominated in key female demos while "CSI" prevailed in total viewers and "The Office" led in men 18-34.
Scranton hosts 'The Office' Convention
By Randi Schmelzer PRWeek US
October 16, 2007
LOS ANGELES: Fans of NBC's The Office will descend upon Scranton, PA, for a weekend of activities, thanks to a grassroots effort by the citizens of the former coal-mining town-turned Dunderhead hot spot.
“The Office Convention,” to be held Oct. 26-28, is “a good opportunity for the show itself to get attention,” said Tim Holmes, event co-organizer and director of the community newspaper group at Scranton-based Times Shamrock Communications. But it will also “show producers of the show, NBC, and the rest of the country that Scranton loves The Office – [and] that it’s innately tied to the show,” he said.
Though shot in Los Angeles, the comedy’s opening credits and plotlines often feature references to Scranton, the location of fictitious Dunder Mifflin Paper Co. So frequent are visits by Office enthusiasts – “Dunderheads” -- the Lackawanna County Convention & Visitors Bureau offers an Office tour of series-connected landmarks.
Since May, the convention steering committee – which includes area business leaders and representatives from the visitors’ bureau, Chamber of Commerce, and University of Scranton -- coordinated local hotels, restaurants, and shopping spots to assist in the weekend’s events, said Sara Hailstone, executive director at Scranton’s Office of Economic and Community Development.
Hailstone said, the event also allows the city to “highlight the things we are so proud of, not just on The Office.”
Scranton was “once the butt of people’s jokes,” Hailstone explained. In the past few years, however, a major revitalization effort “has pushed the city forward,” she said.
“It’s huge for the city,” agreed Randy Williams, station manager at Scranton’s NBC affiliate, WBRE.
To promote “The Office Convention,” the station ran on-air promos, and featured information on its Web site, theofficeconvention.com, Williams said.
WBRE also spearheaded a campaign to get weatherman Al Roker to broadcast segments of NBC’s the Today show live from the University of Scranton, as a convention kick-off.
In addition, the steering committee worked closely with the network itself, to secure Office episodes for free public screenings, and official merchandise for sale. The network helped line up series cast members, writers, and producers, to participate in fan-focused activities including a cocktail reception, Q&A session, an Office Olympics, and city-wide street fair.
Other PR components include extensive outreach to TV blogs, national newspapers, and NBC affiliate stations. Thousands of “The Office Convention” tickets have been sold, at $25-$250 a pop. The Scranton Times-Tribune, reported more than $54,000 in ticket sales within the first hour.
The Office - Melora Hardin
By Erika Milvy
New York Times
October 14, 2007
In the season premiere of NBC’s “Office” last month Jan Levinson appeared briefly — albeit unconsciously— splayed out on Michael Scott’s bed. Sleeping off last season’s bender of reckless behavior, Jan, Michael’s former boss, is now unemployed and shacking up with Michael , her buffoon of a boyfriend played by Steve Carell.
Jan was fired from her management position at the paper supply company Dunder Mifflin after a year of erratic behavior, improprieties and an impulsive breast augmentation. “Is it because of these?” she asks the boss who has just let her go. She rips open her blouse, threatens to sue and adds, “Because Michael likes them.”
By the end of last season Jan and Michael’s freakish sideshow of an affair had unfurled into an engrossing eyeful. And the unraveling of Jan Levinson, played by Melora Hardin, became a deliciously bizarre element of the Emmy-winning adaptation of Ricky Gervais’ BBC comedy about the banalities of office life. Ms. Hardin’s corporate honcho was once the show’s wet blanket; now she’s joined the ranks of the loose canons and oddballs.
During her on-again, off-again relationship she wrestled with common sense and good taste, both of which told her to steer clear of the imbecile Michael. As she teetered between revulsion for him and disgust at herself, Jan’s surrender of reason was a perverse thrill, a female-executives-gone-wild floor show. She once nearly punched out Michael, but instead slammed him against a wall and passionately kissed him.
On the telephone from Vancouver, where she was filming a Lifetime movie, Ms. Hardin described her character’s season-long meltdown as an uncomfortable but hilarious spectacle. “All that stuff that has been held inside is oozing through the armor,” she said.
It’s an exciting turn of events for Ms. Hardin, 40, who was hired as a guest and became a regular last year. She has been acting since childhood, a career that ranges from 14 failed pilots to films like “The Comebacks,” opening Friday.
Playing Jan has been something like playing 14 roles. Before sleeping with Michael, the professional, frequently peeved character was the sole authority who could reign in his most objectionable conduct. She had been a grown-up among children, disapproving and often incredulous at the goings on at the Scranton branch. Now as Michael’s live-in companion, she seems to enable his bad behavior, practically encouraging him to wreak havoc.
The turning point came in January when Jan resolved to turn the affair into a relationship. With businesslike risk-assessment skills, she weighed her unappealing options: a lonely life climbing the corporate ladder or a degraded existence dating Michael. “I think I owe it to myself to find some kind of happiness — even if it means lowering my expectations, or redefining the word itself,” the recently divorced Jan concluded. In a cringe-worthy stab at vulnerability, she told Michael: “My psychiatrist thinks that I have some self-destructive tendencies, and that for once I should indulge them.”
Together Jan and Michael present a blackly humorous contrast to the show’s central romance between the office mates Jim and Pam, which itself echoes the tantalizing will-they-or-won’t-they zigzag consecrated on “Cheers" and “Friends.” Jim and Pam are so right for each other, fans wanted to see them together. Jan and Michael are so wrong for each other, rubberneckers can’t look away.
The most twisted and titillating aspects of their relationship happen off screen. Michael confides to his female co-workers that he and Jan are sexually incompatible: He likes to cuddle, she likes to dress him up in a schoolgirl uniform. They do have a safe word for sex play (foliage), but Jan often pretends not to hear it.
While Ms. Hardin won’t disclose what’s next for her character, she hopes Jan “will be her worst self for a while,” she said, adding: “I want her to be really messy. Messy in love, messy in work and even when she pulls herself together — still messy.”
Writer's reply turns into 'Office' obsession
By Susan Young – Staff Writer
San Jose Mercury News
October 2, 2007
On a whim, after watching an episode of "The Office" during its first season, Jennie Tan visited the writer's MySpace page just to let him know how much she enjoyed a particular line.
To her surprise, writer/co-star B.J. Novak, who plays intern-turned- corporate wunderkind Ryan, replied.
It was then the Palo Alto technical writer's interest in the show turned into an obsession known as http://www.officetally.com, which she launched in February 2006. She's gained worldwide attention for her blog and Web site devoted to all things "The Office," attracting more than 800,000 visitors a month. During the season premiere last Thursday, more than 140,000 people clicked on her site and about 800 posted comments.
The cast and crew credit Tan and other bloggers at two dozen or more fan sites with keeping the award-winning show afloat when it struggled in the ratings.
Wearing a snappy blue Office Tally T-shirt, Tan spent Saturday in San Francisco with Angela Kinsey, who plays tightly wrapped Angela Martin.
The two, who act like college pals, did a live chat for officetally and Kinsey shot "Man on the Street" videos for NBC's "The Office" Web site.
"In the beginning, we were really trying to get the word out any way we could to get people to watch this show," Kinsey says. "We thought we were going to get canceled, so the more Internet savvy people like B.J. and Jenna Fischer, who plays Pam, started blogging."
Most of the actors blogged as their characters, but Kinsey didn't think that would work for the chilly Angela.
"Angela Martin wouldn't talk to strangers, especially strangers on the Internet, so I started blogging as myself," Kinsey says. "I started telling people about things that happen on the set, like in this season's premiere when I broke and started to laugh. All you see is my smile and the camera cuts away. People like to hear about those things."
Tan agrees.
"They just can't get enough of the behind-the-scenes stuff," Tan says. "I think that's when my site really started to take off was when the actors got involved."
While munching on dim sum for lunch at a tiny spot in Chinatown, Tan chats with Kinsey about "Office" lore, including the bloopers on the DVD.
"You have to do more. This last DVD had a minute less than the first season DVD," Tan says. "I timed it."
Her boyfriend of nine years, Sandy Skees, playfully rolls his eyes at the remark.
"I'm just a normal person, really," Tan says, catching herself and smiling. "I just have some time on my hands."
Well, not so much time these days, as she spends more than 40 hours a week keeping up with officetally.
"Sandy has to physically pull me away from the computer sometimes," says Tan, who works at Intuit. "I'm a geek both professionally and personally."
Kinsey says she and the other cast members have gotten just as caught up in Web sites as their fans.
"We were talking about dogs on set one day and pulled up a page on people who love labradoodles," Kinsey says. "I have to say I felt a little voyeuristic as I read about their lives and suddenly I knew all about them. Now I don't frequent that site all the time, but I feel like they are practically my friends."
On the set, the actors all sit at desks for the majority of the show. They use their computers to surf the Net and instant message each other during scenes.
Kinsey says not only has the Internet changed the way they spend their time on the set, it has certainly changed the way fans interact with celebrities.
"We were shooting at a mall and I was eating this big old doughnut and there was someone standing in the crowd with a video filming the whole thing,"
Kinsey says. "I don't mind most of the time but when you are trying to adjust your pantyhose and find it on YouTube, it's just not right."
And forget about autographs. Now, it's all about snapping a picture of your favorite actor with your camera phone.
Tan says she feels she's feeding a celebrity addiction by dishing out any bit of news that comes out about the show - and she does it all from her home office.
Her officetally operation center is a laptop sitting on a food tray on her bed. She curls up with her kitty Cleo next to her as she posts items.
"I'm tethered to my computer every waking minute," Tan says. "Every vacation we take, we have to make sure and stay where there's Internet service."
As for Skees, he says he's learned to live with the addiction, sort of.
"Sometimes I think that if she just had an affair, it would be better," he says with a smile. "I have to share her with everybody now."
