Indiagames Launches NBC's The Office Series of Mobile Phone Games based on the Hit Comedy

Nationwide Rollout begins August 1 on Verizon, Cingular & Sprint Networks

(Los Angeles, CA - August 1, 2006) NBC Universal continues its push into the lucrative mobile games market with this week's launch of NBC's The Office Games mobile game. Developed and produced by Indiagames, the series of six mini-games is scheduled for soft release beginning July 31st. The game will be available on all cellular devices and providers by September. The Office currently airs Thursdays, 9:30-10:00 p.m. ET, and will move to 8:30-9:00 p.m. ET in September.

"Indiagames has really stepped up to the plate on this one," said Jeremy Laws, senior vice president Universal Mobile Entertainment. "I think The Office Games is quintessential made-for-mobile entertainment."

NBC's The Office Games features the well-loved characters from the television series participating in a selection of cubical game-play including Wasteketball, Paper-Football (Hateball), Table-Top Golf, Office Paper War, Chair-Racing and more - everything Michael Scott would not approve of.

Indiagames developed these user-friendly games to be played at your office or at home. With shorter play times, the array of games is easy to navigate and simple to play--perfect for a break, after a stressful meeting, or on an awkward phone call.

"We'd like to see America's workplaces fraught with the tension of intense competition at chair races and wasteketball! And, we wanted to give our consumers a game that is fun and provides value for your money. We think we've accomplished both of these goals with the launch of NBC's The Office Games," said Vishal Gondal, CEO of Indiagames.

About The Office:

Recently nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, "The Office" takes a painfully funny look at the interactions of the desk jockeys at Dunder Mifflin paper-supply company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee Steve Carell ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin" -- whom E! Online said, "might be the funniest man alive,") stars as unctuous regional manager Michael Scott who hosts the documentary crew on a tour of the workplace. Jenna Fischer ("Slither"), John Krasinski ("Jarhead," "Kinsey"), Rainn Wilson ("Six Feet Under"), and B.J. Novak ("Punk'd") star as the employees who tolerate Michael's inappropriate behavior only because he signs their paychecks. Also starring are Melora Hardin as Jan Levinson, David Denman as Roy, Leslie David Baker as Stanley Hudson, Brian Baumgartner as Kevin Malone, Kate Flannery as Meredith Palmer, Angela Kinsey as Angela Martin, Oscar Nuez as Oscar Martinez and Phyllis Smith as Phyllis Lapin. "The Office" is executive-produced by Ben Silverman, Greg Daniels, who developed the series for American television, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Howard Klein.

About Universal Mobile Entertainment:

Universal Mobile Entertainment (UME) generates revenues and enhances brand awareness for NBC Universal's motion picture and television properties through licensing agreements with top-tier publishers. UME oversees the creation of high-quality mobile application services that include games, ringtones, wallpapers, MMS, SMS services and audiovisual services, and ensures ubiquitous distribution through mobile operators and portals worldwide. With offices in Los Angeles, London and Tokyo the team has been aggressive in the mobile content market since 2000 and currently has hundreds of mobile products that are available to consumers in every major territory of the world.

About NBC Universal:

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 Indiagames Ltd.:

Indiagames Ltd. is one of the leading global mobile content publishers. Indiagames is engaged in publishing and developing games across various platforms like Internet, PC, broadband, mobile phones, PDAs, handheld gaming devices and consoles. Indiagames products are published across leading platforms like Java TM, BREW TM, I-Mode TM, Flash Lite TM and Symbian TM. Indiagames has its distribution partnerships across the globe with major mobile operators.

Indiagames' key investors includes TOM Online Inc. (NASDAQ: TOMO; HK GEM stock code: 8282), which is a leading wireless Internet company in China providing value-added multimedia products and services, Adobe Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE), and Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO).

IGN: The Office Games Review
By Levi Buchanan
July 27, 2006

Review: Not even Steve Carell's smiling mug elevates this mini-game mash-up.

Before the breakout second season of NBC's The Office, Indiagames was assembling a small collection of cubicle-themed mini-games called simply Office Games. However, knowing that a license definitely focuses a little more heat and light on a mobile game in the crowded decks (or the cutthroat competition to get on them in the first place), the mobile developer/publisher quickly jumped on the television show ascension. Shrewd, smart marketing move, Indiagames -- kudos.

Sadly, having played both the before- and after-license editions of the games, the addition of the Office crew does very little to boost the concept above the level of mediocre. The only things that connect the game to the television show are some renaming conventions, the constant appearance of tiny character portraits quoting appropriate dialogue, and the redesign of the "goalie" in the paper football game to look like Pam, the receptionist. Otherwise, the game is still an uneven assembly of a few good games and some downright dull ones.

The better efforts are the desktop mini-golf game where water hazards and windmills are replaced with staples and bookkeeping materials and an office chair race. Instead of karts or pimped out rides, you control a corporate drone doing laps in a Herman Miller -- you can even see the guy's legs stick out and pull himself forward as he dodges desks and potted plants on a circuit of floor plans. Very clever, especially when you factor in the need to track your worker bee's heart rate to maximize effectiveness.

Not so good? Paper War, for starters. This boring mini-game has you flinging wadded up balls of paper at fellow office employees. You score points by hitting the co-worker that is about to throw at you first. They raise their arms up for a brief moment before the toss, giving you a quick chance to launch a pre-emptive strike. You can totally exploit this game by leaving the crosshair on the middle worker of the three and just clicking from side to side when necessary. Also too easy for its own good is a balancing act mini-game where a lowly intern walks down a hallway as employees toss stacks of paper into the ever-growing pile in his arms.

Wastebasket basketball and paper football (the little game where you fold a sheet of paper up into a "taco" and flick it through finger goal posts) are somewhere in the middle, offering up a little challenge, but not enough to keep you coming back over and over. Which, incidentally enough, is the core problem with The Office Games -- there are just not enough good mini-games to warrant sticking around for long, much less for me to recommend a download.

Closing Comments:

Simply put, this is not how an entertainment license should be handled. Applying a new paint job with some character portraits and a new title screen doesn't make the game any better. Licenses, to be effective, need to be implemented from the get-go, such as I-play's 24 or even some of Indiagames' previous Hollywood-based games, such as Predator or Buffy. Too few of the mini-games are fun enough to demand purchase, so if you have a hankering to play wastebasket basketball or paper football, it might be cheaper (and more entertaining) just to do it in the real world.

"The Office" 2006-07 season premiere September 21
Released by NBC
July 21, 2006

Thursday, September 21, 2006 - The recently Emmy Award-nominated "The Office" season premiere (8:30-9 p.m. ET), starring Emmy nominee Steve Carell

(In addition, series executive producers Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant will write an original episode of "The Office" for NBC next season).

NBC'S "THE OFFICE" PREMIERES THE FIRST TWO OF 10 ORIGINAL, EXCLUSIVE WEEKLY WEBISODES ON NBC.COM ON THURSDAY, JULY 13
Released by NBC

A New Webisode Premieres Every Thursday Through September 7

Burbank, CA -- July 11, 2006 -- NBC's hit comedy "The Office" (Thursdays, 9:30 - 10:00 p.m. ET, moving to 8:30-9:00 p.m. ET in the fall) goes digital when the first two of 10, original stand-alone webisodes premiere on NBC.com on Thursday, July 13. The serialized, weekly arc will star the accounting staff of the Dunder Mifflin paper company in an edge-of-your-ergonomically-designed-seat whodunit. The sponsors of the webisodes are Toyota, Fed Ex and Fox Searchlight.

In the first webisode, each about two-three minutes, the Dunder Mifflin accountants -- Angela (Angela Kinsey), Kevin (Brian Baumgartner) and Oscar (Oscar Nuez) -- discover that $3000 is missing from the Scranton office, and no one is above suspicion as the crack team of numbers crunchers tries to solve the mystery -- before turning on each other. Then, in the second webisode, while the accountants suspect that Michael is responsible for the theft, they have to question the other staffers first, beginning with Phyllis (Phyllis Smith). Rainn Wilson, Melora Hardin, Kate Flannery, Leslie David Baker and David Denman also star.

Recently nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, "The Office" takes a painfully funny look at the interactions of the desk jockeys at Dunder Mifflin paper-supply company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee Steve Carell ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin" -- whom E! Online said, "might be the funniest man alive,") stars as unctuous regional manager Michael Scott who hosts the documentary crew on a tour of the workplace. Jenna Fischer ("Slither"), John Krasinski ("Jarhead," "Kinsey"), Rainn Wilson ("Six Feet Under"), and B.J. Novak ("Punk'd") star as the employees who tolerate Michael's inappropriate behavior only because he signs their paychecks. Also starring are Melora Hardin as Jan Levinson, David Denman as Roy, Leslie David Baker as Stanley Hudson, Brian Baumgartner as Kevin Malone, Kate Flannery as Meredith Palmer, Angela Kinsey as Angela Martin, Oscar Nuez as Oscar Martinez and Phyllis Smith as Phyllis Lapin. "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 Office A to Z
Everything you need to know about the Dunder-Mifflin Gang
By Stephen Battaglio – TV Guide
July 10 – 16, 2006 Issue

A – Amy Adams – The Oscar-nominated actress (“Junebug”) played Katy, aka the Hot Girl, who dated Jim Halpert (John Krasinski). But he unceremoniously dumped her during the.....

B – Booze Cruise – It became the night that Jim made the ill-advised decision to tell Michael Scott (Steve Carell) about his feelings for Pam (Jenna Fischer). Executive producer Greg Daniels calls the episode “our Scranton version of Jim Cameron’s ‘Titanic.’”

C – Crystal Club Soda – The soft drink that you see Dunder-Mifflin employees occasionally sip in the employee lunchroom is a real regional soda brand from eastern Pennsylvania.

D – Diversity Day – The hilarious episode about sensitivity training was partly inspired by a sexual harassment seminar the cast and production staff was required to go through once NBC hired them for the show.

E – Edgar – Steve Carell has played unctuous and annoying before as Edgar, Ellie’s ex-boyfriend on Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ short-lived sitcom Watching Ellie.

F – Fundle Bundle – The clip of this fictional Scranton kiddie TV show with little Michael Scott gave us an early glimpse of his lonely misfit side.

G – Grass Roots – Remember the 1960s hit “Midnight Confessions” by the Grass Roots? Cast member Creed Bratton played guitar on that band.

H – Halloween – Only Michael would wear a Halloween costume with a papier-mâché likeness of himself on his shoulder on the same day he attempted to terminate an employee.

I – “Islands In The Streams” – One of the most annoying songs of the ‘80s made a great karaoke moment for Jim and Michael.

J – Jay Ferguson – The composer of The Office theme, Ferguson was lead singer in the rock bands Spirit and Jo Jo Gunne, and had a solo Top 40 hit in 1977 with “Thunder Island.”

K – Kiss – The big cliffhanger moment in Season 2’s finale was when Jim finally planted one on Pam, even though she’s engaged to shipping-department lug Roy (David Denman). Is there still time to get back the deposit on the reception hall?

L – Lampshades – The singing duo that includes Kate Flannery, who plays tipsy customer-service rep Meredith. They play regularly on an improv club in Hollywood.

M – Men’s Room – Assistant to the regional manager Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) once found his desk in there courtesy of his torturer, Jim.

N – Nancy Walls – She plays Carol, Michael’s realtor and potential love interest, and is Steve Carell’s real-life wife. They met while both were players in the Second City comedy troupe.

O – Olympics – Not to be outdone by NBC’s coverage of the Winter Games in Toronto, Dunder-Mifflin’s office Olympics offered Flonkerton, the highly specialized sport that uses paper boxes as snowshoes.

P – Phyllis Smith – She was the show’s casting associate until she got the role of Phyllis – based on her reading the parts with other auditioning actors.

Q - Quincy, M.E. - Melora Hardin, who plays Michael’s boss, Jan Levinson, appeared on the medical examiner drama twice when she was a teen actress.

R – Reality TV – Camera crews that have worked on Survivor are often used to give The Office its documentary-style look.

S – Scrantonicity – The Police cover band with Kevin (Brian Baumgartner) from accounting on drums. Pam’s fiancé, Roy, wants the group to play at their wedding – of course, that’s if there is a wedding.

T – Toby – Paul Lieberstein, the show’s co-executive producer, who has never acted before, plays the morose human resources guy. NBC execs cast him in the show when they saw his brief appearance in the second episode. He’s not the only cast member who works on both sides of the camera – B.J. Novak (Ryan, the temp) is a co-producer and Mindy Kaling (Kelly) is a story editor. Carell wrote the season finale.

U – Urine – Dwight provided some to Michael to help him pass a drug test. But his guilt over it forced him to resign as a Lackawanna County Volunteer Sheriff’s Deputy – a tragic loss for the law enforcement community.

V – Valentine’s Day – Dwight got his own personal bobblehead. Angela (Angela Kinsey) got his key. Michael got a big kiss from Jan. Phyllis got flowers and a giant bear from Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration. And Pam got a promise from Roy that she would get the best sex of her life. Uh-oh.

W – Webisodes – You won’t have to wait all summer to get a new Office fix. Starting July 13, you can go online for a series of Web only episodes that feature accountants Kevin, Angela and Oscar (Oscar Nunez) and a story about $3,000 in missing Dunder-Mifflin funds.

X – Xmas Party – The most popular gift in the episode was a video iPod, which in real life boosted The Office’s popularity. It’s been one of the most downloaded shows on Apple’s iTunes store.

Y – YouTube – Fans have made their own music videos about Pam and Jim’s relationship and posted them on this Web site.

Z – Zbornak, Kent – When The Office producer worked for The Golden Girls, the writers borrowed his last name for Bea Arthur’s character, Dorothy.

I'm a fan of NASCAR racing. While searching for NASCAR related articles, I came across an interview with Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Q&A with Dale Earnhardt Jr. - The Sun News - 5/20/2006). He was asked.......

Question: You can only watch one hour of TV per week. What would you use it on?

Answer: "The Office," the American version. That's the greatest show on television. I love it. I hope Steve Carell [the actor who stars in "The Office" and also in the hit movie "The 40-year-old Virgin"] understands how good "The Office" is. I don't believe he knows. It reminds me a lot of "Seinfeld" and "Friends." Every character has great quirks. You can't wait for each of them to start talking.

"American Storage" script deal
May 15, 2006

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Paramount Pictures' specialty division has acquired a comedy pitch based on the short film "American Storage," which stars Steve Carell.

Andrew Cohen will direct from an extended version of the screenplay he wrote with Brendan O'Brien.

The story centers on a man who is trying to turn around a failing storage facility by leasing out units as low-rent apartments to random people on the Internet.

Cohen previously served as an associate producer on "The 40-Year-Old Virgin." "American Storage" will mark his feature-length directorial debut.

Pam and Jim - Season 2 Finale

Blogcritics.org: TV Review: The Office Season Finale - "Casino Night"
By Chris Beaumont
May 15, 2006

This series is fantastic. So good, in fact, I am surprised that it is still on. Usually, shows that are a little out of the mainstream, and are unusually clever, they don't last long. That may only apply to cancelled shows that I've liked, but I'm sure you get the point. Watching the documentary style, and the office antics, I feel like I am one of them. It feels so much like actually being at work, not that it is work. I find myself relating to it in a similar way to when I read Dilbert. If you have ever dwelled in a cube in a cubicle farm, you know what I'm talking about.

The start of the finale sees Michael speaking about the impending festivities of Casino Night. He has the warehouse decorated to look like a casino. The event is to raise money for charity, and the one chosen by Michael is the Boy Scouts. As pointed out by a few of the office dwellers, a very, uh, worthy charity. Michael further compounds issues by asking his boss, Jan, and his real estate agent, Carole, to the party. Both of them accept, and Michael wrongly assumes that it will be a date.

Meanwhile the saga of Jim and Pam continues. Pam is looking over tapes of potential bands to perform at her impending wedding, with Jim's help, of course. Ever since the start of the series, Jim has had a budding love for Pam, despite her engagement to one of the warehouse guys. While viewing the tapes, they discover that Kevin is a singer/drummer for one of the bands, and they are seen playing an old Police cut. Pretty funny if you ask me.

Fast forward to the evening's festivities. There are some funny poker setups, one being Michael bragging about his bluffing skills, only to be called out by Toby. Another funny moment is when Kevin, a former poker champ, loses to the novice, Phyllis. Move over to the craps table and you will get to see Angela slap Dwight, after he kisses her after a winning dice role. Their relationship is still flying under the radar in the office, although some are picking up the hints.

Michael gives Dwight the important job of wingman, it is his duty to keep Jan and Carole apart. Dwight being Dwight, does not do his task very well, as the two women meet shortly after they arrive. Michael is stuck in the middle trying to appease both sides, while attempting to keep the semblance of a date. Jan, actually showing some feelings for Michael, feels foolish after seeing him enjoying Carol's company, and leaves the gathering early.

Before Jan leaves, Jim talks to her about a possible transfer opportunity. Jim has nowhere else to go at this office, and feels he has to get away from Pam. Despite being such good friends, he is finding it increasingly difficult to hide his obvious feelings for her. A little later in the evening, the drama of this comedy kicks in. Pam's fiancée leaves early, asking Jim to keep an eye on her. Jim proceeds to come clean on his feelings for her.

Pam responds in the expected manner, she cannot be put into this sort of situation, and leaves. She is obviously confused, as they may be friends, but she may reciprocate. She retreats to the office and calls her mother for advice. It isn't long before Jim interrupts, she hangs up. He says nothing, he just goes to her and kisses her as the episode ends.

This show is fantastic. I have seen some of the original version, and think this is a worthy interpretation of that series. I love how it doesn't get into the standard sitcom clichés. I love the documentary style, how characters are followed around, sometimes the camera gets cut off and you can only watch through a window, the confessional type asides to the camera, just wonderful stuff.

The cast has great chemistry. Comic timing is perfect. The relationship between Michael (Steve Carell) and Dwight (Rainn Wilson) is very funny, the whole mentor type thing they have going leads to much comedy. The other lead pair is Pam (Jenna Fischer) and Jim (John Krasinski) who also work great together. The writing is great, as is the direction.

I am looking forward to season three. I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the aftermath of the kiss, the wedding, Michael and Carole, and the rest of the dysfunctional Office clan.

Blogcritics.org: TV Review: The Office Season Two Finale
By Matthew T. Sussman
May 12, 2006

Call it the Kiss of Death.

Any time a TV show ends or begins the season with some kind of development in an unrequited romance, the show traditionally plays its dangerous "love card." NBC's The Office pulled out their Kiss of Death in the final seconds of Season Two.

In the 40-minute season finale which aired Thursday, May 11, 2006, the Scranton regional manager of Dunder-Mifflin - Michael Scott (Steve Carell) - hosted Casino Night in their warehouse to raise money for charity. The cause? AIDS. Specifically, Afghanistanis With AIDS. Or Afghanis With AIDS. Or is it Afghanistaninis With AIDS?

This episode had all the elements that consistently make me giggle loud enough to wake the neighbors, provided they were folks who slept at 9:30/8:30 Central. It was all there. The smug self-importance of Michael Scott. The deadpan excitement of Kevin the accountant (Brian Baumgartner). The mind games Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) plays with his desk neighbor and dweeb incarnate, Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson). And Michael trying way too hard to impress his boss and one-night fling, the recently divorced Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin).

Michael invited both Jan and his realtor Carole (Nancy Walls) to Casino Night. Much to his surprise they both said yes, giving Michael the impression that he's in some sort of love triangle. So his personal office minion Dwight attempts to keep Carole and Jan away from each other the entire night so they don't get hurt, and by doing so, Dwight says in a soliloquy, "we honor them."

But while Casino Night was the title of the episode and the main setting of the episode, much of the sitcom drama happened away from the poker tables.

It all begins with Jim helping his friend, the office secretary Pam (Jenna Fischer) watch some band audition videos to find one for her upcoming wedding with Dunder-Mifflin warehouse employee Roy (David Denman). Immediately after they see a tape of a band called Scrantonicity, featuring Kevin the accountant as the drummer singing a cover of "Don't Stand So Close To Me," they instantly know they have to book those guys.

Later, Jim confides to the camera that he met with Jan to discuss transferring to a different branch because, as he puts it, "I have no future here." Clearly the cards are dealt for a classic season finale. (Get it? Casino? Cards? Hah!)

Outside Jim runs into Jan, cigarette in hand, because she's a little nonplussed after driving two and a half hours to find Michael and Carole on a date. They talk more about his transfer request. Jan asks if he told anyone about it yet, to which he said he didn't.

So when Roy leaves Casino night, leaving Pam behind with Jim (he's such a trusting lad), Jim has something to tell Pam. "Oh, I bet it's about transferring," we are all led to believe. Those clever writers.

Jim: "I'm in love with you."

(Forgive me for getting sucked into the love story of a hilarious sit-com, but I'm only human.)

The Jim-Pam friendship/romance had been simmering all season, but they were unable to take a chance on each other (Get it? Another gambling reference! I'm hilarious!) because Pam was in love with someone else. The scene ended awkwardly, to say the least, between the two. And although Michael was bragging to the camera about the two women that were fighting over him, Pam was the real one left with a choice.

So in the final scene she's in the dark office room at night talking to her mother for advice. When Jim comes in she quickly ends the phone conversation and hangs up and turns around in an attempt to make things right.

And then, pow. Kiss of Death. The episode ended abruptly with lips still locked. (EDIT: Actually, a few seconds elapsed of them staring at each other.)

It was an amazingly funny 40 minutes of my life well worth it after a stressful week. But why give us the kiss this season?

Normally I'm a bit busier writing about other topics but the Blogcritic in me has finally come out, so here's how the ending may have been improved: Cut the last 20 or so seconds. The camera would have stopped rolling the instant Pam spotted Jim and hastily clanged the phone down on the desk. How's that for a summer cliffhanger?

But I'm not a writer for the show, and those who are typing up the script had them kiss. So let's all sit down with our cappuccinos and start gossiping about the show. Omigod, are Jim and Pam gonna hook up?

They better not. The Kiss of Death followed by a full-fledged romance usually spells untimely doom for any show. (Exception: Friends, a show that somehow stayed on for exactly 63 seasons with as many romances between the six main stars). Wings got stale after Joe and Helen got married. Same with Ed and Carol in Ed. Relationships also killed Frasier, Cheers, Who's the Boss and several late-night movies on Cinemax.

I'm not saying the show's going downhill (it won't — it can't) but my money's on The Office lasting two, maybe three more seasons if Jim and Pam become just that — Jim and Pam. Although I would probably get a kick out of seeing Kevin's reaction to his band not being able to playing a wedding when there isn't one.

The Office: Casino Night
By Rachel Cericola
TV Fodder
May 11, 2006

Tonight was the season finale and I had the remote to myself, so prepare yourself for some major details.

The show starts off with Michael promoting Casino Night in the Scranton Business Park. Illegal or not, it's all for charity. Besides, he is comforted by the fact that some kid in the Congo has "a belly full of rice." After all, he is a "great philanderer."

Dwight walks in wearing his grandfather's tux, which he was buried in. Why I'm not exactly sure. I understand that maybe it's for casino night, but it's still the workday, right? Even more amazing is how Dwight falls for Jim's Jedi mind tricks so easily. This time, he claims he can move a coat rack with his mind -- and delivers.

Casino Night benefits the Boy Scouts, which seems to piss off Oscar. He wants the money to go to people that actually suffer. No worries; the winner of the night will get $500 to donate to whoever they choose -- not to mention a sweet mini fridge. Of course, everyone has their favorites:

Michael chooses comic relief, despite the fact that it no longer exists.
Creed picks a soup kitchen, which he seems a bit too familiar with.
Kevin wants to pick something with animals or people.
Kellie picks Kobe Bryant's charity, since she finds him hot and generous to the wife that he cheated on.

Michael wants to also deliver the proceeds to the Boy Scouts in person. Toby immediately shoots this down for a variety of reasons, my favorite being that "Hooters is catering." Michael seems offended asking, "Why are you the way that you are?" Well he is a sensitive guy. After all, one of his dreams is to see a day where AIDS jokes are funny. Wow.

Jim comes across some of Pam's potential wedding bands. Till Death Do Us Rock? I really hope there is such a band in existence. It's sort of odd that Jim sparked interest in the wedding, since two seconds later we find out that he talked up his own plans -- transfer plans -- with Jan because he didn't see a future for himself at the Scranton branch. In "Conflict Resoultion," we discovered that Kevin was in a band. Apparently they are one of the candidates to play Pam's wedding -- and Roy gives them the gig without consulting her.

Plans for Casino Night start to unravel, which includes Michael's plans for fire-eaters in the warehouse -- the paper warehouse. After inviting Jan to attend the night's festivities, he also invites Carol, his realtor (played by real-life Mrs. Steve Carell, Nancy Walls). So now, Michael sort of has two dates -- although neither has really acknowledged him as such. Of course, he ends up embarrassing himself, and Dwight being his wingman didn't even have anything to do with it.

Despite her typical chilly demeanor towards Michael, Jan didn't appear too happy about the whole situation. Even more surprising, Carol does acknowledge it as a "date."

A new character appeared tonight: Billy. Not sure who he is, what he does or if he will be back, but he certainly had a purpose: He was the catalyst that allowed Michael to show off what an ass he can be. He managed to insult the guy's girlfriend and call him out as a handicapped individual in a mere matter of minutes.

A few other tidbits from the night:

Creed apparently is a thief and has no problem admitting it.
He's also never owned a refrigerator.
Jim is really good at cards -- at least when he's playing Dwight.
Dwight kissed Angela in public, prompting a slap -- and it wasn't even on the lips.
Kevin is sort of a poker semi-pro. Maybe more like a semi, semi-pro.

Pam and Jim have the big season-end, heart-to-heart talk -- and finally he tells her that he loves her. For some reason, she can't deal with it. But why? Roy? Ugh. You have got to be kidding me. So Jim leaves all heartbroken, although he must have seen that as a possibility. What I didn't see as a possibility was the big kiss at the end. Wow wee.

He wasn't the only one that left all bummed though. Jan was equally as sad, which also leaves me puzzled.

The Office: Casino Night (finale) - TV Squad
By Michael Sciannamea
May 11, 2006

S02E18) In my humble opinion, The Office is hands down the best comedy on television today. Great writing, great acting, great stories--I could go on and on. This episode, the season finale, was, in a word, brilliant. You could not ask for a better way to tie up story lines that occurred over the course of a season while opening up new ones at the same time.

Let's briefly sum up what happened. Dunder Mifflin, led by Michael, holds a Casino Night charity function in the warehouse of the Scranton branch. Michael (played by the excellent Steve Carell) is doing his best to choose a suitable charity after the staff nixes the Boy Scouts. After some interplay, they decide to do something for AIDS patients, so that Michael can prove to everyone that he is a great "philanderer". (Michael's butchering of words reminds me of the old-time comic Norm Crosby.)

At the same time, the flirtation between Jim and Pam reaches a fever pitch when he offers to help her choose a band for her wedding. Just looking at them making eye contact with each other is enough to make you just want to shout at the screen, "Come on! Get together already!" In addition, how funny was seeing Kevin in "Scranton-icity"? The Wedding Singer flashed in front of my eyes at that moment.

Michael also is in a bit of a "love triangle drama" when he ends up inviting his real estate agent (Carol) and his boss (Jan) to the event. Of course, his bravado gets in the way and he looks foolish trying to "balance" both women, but still you root for Michael to find romance despite his boorishness. As we've seen over the course of the season, despite his over-the-top behavior, he exhibits a sensitive, human side that makes you think that deep down, he's a good guy who just needs some understanding.

One tiny part of tonight's story was Angela's slapping of Dwight. All season long it seemed they had a hot relationship going on, so her reaction to him was a bit weird. We'll have to see what happens next season with them and if their "romance" will continue.

Of course, like the rest of the viewers of The Office, I was chomping at the bit to see what finally transpires between Jim and Pam. The flirtation was strong between them the entire episode, and the subplot was whether Jim was going to tell anyone about his possible transfer out of Scranton because of the lack of a future there. After hanging out in the parking lot with Jan, she tells him he has to say something to somebody.

Finally, after Roy leaves, Jim finally professes his love for Pam. Shockingly, but not surprisingly, Pam rebuffs Jim, saying that he misinterpreted things. He says he wants to be more than friends, but she apparently doesn't. We then see Pam alone in a darkened office calling her mother and telling her what transpired. Jim walks in, and after hanging up the phone, Pam and Jim finally kiss! I would imagine most Office fans stood up and cheered, but I also think a number of you wanted to see Pam reject Jim's advances. The season ends with the kiss, so we'll be left to ponder all summer if the Pam-Roy wedding does take place or if Pam and Jim decide to hook up.

Again, this was a brilliant end to a brilliant season for The Office. I think all of us can't wait for September to see what happens next.