If you haven't checked this out yet, please do so-- it's so ridiculous it brought a smile to my face.  Hopefully the film won't be as campy/silly as this poster turned out to be.

(gotta love the little bulldog in a sweater... that's pure 1920's goodness :))

TV Guide is rather unfriendly when it comes to embedding their videos on your own site, but if you head on over to THIS link, you can see the handful of videos showing "Spoiler-Man" Ausiello interviewing Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, BJ Novak, Melora Hardin, and Leslie David Baker at this year's SAG Awards show (these are from 2008, I promise!).

BJ Novak will be performing his stand-up routine at the Lisner Auditorium (on the George Washington University campus in Washington DC) on February 8th.

According to The GW Hatchet student newspaper, "student tickets for the show will cost $12 and can be purchased at the GW Ticketmaster in the Marvin Center. A limited number of tickets for the general public are available for $20 and are being sold through the Lisner box office."

Well, I missed the show... but even a day late, the results are still just as sweet: our favorite cast took home the award for "Ensemble in a comedy series," beating out 30 ROCK, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, ENTOURAGE, and UGLY BETTY.

Forget about getting a straight answer from the cast of "The Office," winners of SAG's comedy series ensemble award. In fact, forget about staying more than five seconds on a topic with the way the actors cut up the back room. How hard is it to keep a straight face? "It's very hard to keep a straight face," castmember Brian Baumgartner said with a straight face. "I'm thinking they should have a trophy check," B.J. Novak interjected, "like a coat check, but for trophies." Getting back to the awards at hand, Novak joked about the cost of his SAG card: "I donated 25 bucks to KCRW, and six weeks later, my SAG card came in the mail." Saving management for last, a smirking Steve Carell joked that "Office" creator Ricky Gervais was jealous of the success of the American version of the series. "In fact, before the show, I was downstairs in the restroom, and he was there, and he leaned over the urinal, looked at me, and said, 'I knew it!' That's my Ricky Gervais story." Carell added that he couldn't wait to be on Gervais' HBO series "Extras." "I'll follow him wherever he goes," he said. Finally, a straight answer.

Apparently the TMZ guys were hanging around the courthouse in anticipation of some Britney Spears related shenanigans when someone recognizes our friend Steve Carell walking into the building.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid353549946/bctid1388771220

From the article:

"He's been selected to serve on the jury in a civil case over some type of employment dispute. Both sides are Korean and non-English speaking, and we're told an interpreter will be present for the duration of the trial. As a juror, he'll be paid $15.00 a day -- that's at least something during the strike! "

You just KNOW this is going to be made into an episode of THE OFFICE next season. 

Several listeners pointed me to Jenna Fischer's most recent blog post where she talks about the press and how wrong they can get things some times.  Case in point?

"Over Christmas, I saw a report in Star Magazine that I'm dating David Spade.  Imagine my surprise as… I'VE NEVER MET David Spade!  What a milestone!  My first TOTALLY 100% UNTRUE tabloid report!  I've always been very cynical when I hear celebrities say that a story is fake.  I figure SOME part of every story must be true right?  NO WAY!  I have no idea how they are allowed to get away with stuff like that!  My publicist said that no one ever called to check the facts of the David Spade story.  Which seems strange to me.  I have a minor in journalism and I was told to never run a story without 2 reliable sources to back it up.  But, while we are on the subject, some other people I've never met are: Orlando Bloom, Colin Farrell, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Brad Pitt.  Maybe I can fictionally date some of those guys too?"

Can I just be the first to say "whew"?  I KNEW that couldn't be true.

Sigh. 

I miss the show...

Kevin and I are trying to record THE ALLIANCE episode sometime soon.  I'm right in the middle of semester final exams, so I'm a bit swamped right now.  Look for an update in the next week or so.

I might be "discovering" something incredibly obvious here ("hey, look everyone! The sky is blue! Blue I say!), but the writer's strike and my ingrained resistance to going to bed before midnight has led me to appreciate what I'm calling "the Mac-man/Michael Scott" connection.

See, I knew that Larry Wilmore (Mr. Brown from "Diversity Day") created THE BERNIE MAC SHOW.  What I didn't know was that Paul Lieberstein was a writer/co-executive producer on the show, and Ken Kwapis was also a frequent director.

I guess I find this sort of interesting because the humor couldn't be MORE different than the kind of stuff they've done for THE OFFICE.  Quite the versatile group, huh?

(Why do I find the idea of Toby Flenderson writing "The Kings Of Comedy" material so amusing? Maybe this is the real life origin of the "Michael does Chris Rock" incident? :))

I'm neither a huge J. J. Abrams fan NOR a monster movie fan, so I doubt I'll be seeing this week's CLOVERFIELD.  That didn't stop our friend John Krasinski from hitting the big Hollywood premier event for the film this past Wednesday.

From VARIETY:

When an untitled trailer for "Cloverfield" debuted last summer attached to prints of Paramount's "Transformers," no one was quite sure what to make of it. Now everyone has an opinion.  Variety asked guests at the film's Hollywood premiere on Wednesday to weigh in with their reactions.

John Krasinski, star of NBC's "The Office": "I thought it was great! I didn't have any expectations so it shattered them. I think it's both an incredibly innovative script and idea to bring back the monster genre, but they also started breaking some boundaries in film. The night vision shot in the tunnel was wild. It was kind of like 'Blair Witch' on speed."

The Celebrity Baby Blog has an update on Angela Kinsey and her pregnancy (with pictures). 

According to the article, Angela and husband Warren Lieberstein already know that it's a girl, and the due date is May 9th.

Wilson's comments go back to what we mentioned before-- how would the writers have dealt with Angela's pregnancy IN SHOW? Lots of baggy clothes and hiding behind filing cabinets, or would it have been played as Dwight's love-child?  I can't imagine they'd have gone that route, since there isn't much deadlier to an ensemble comedy than adding an infant into the mix. I guess it will go down as one of those unanswered questions. 

'Office' relocates to Latin America -- BBC licenses comedy for Chilean remake

By BOBBIE WHITEMAN

BBC Worldwide Americas has licensed "The Office" for a local remake in Chile.

It's the first format deal in Latin America for Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's comedy and the first Spanish-language version.

"We stopped making 'The Office' in 2003, but the rest of the world didn't," Gervais said. "I won't be happy until I see an Inuit doing the dance."

"The Office" airs in 90 countries, with remakes in the U.S., France and Germany.

The license covers season's one and two of the office-set spoof documentary plus end-of-season specials. Chilecorto and Canal 13-Chile, part of leading Chilean network UCTV, will begin production early this year; the show will air on Canal 13-Chile in May.

Chilean actor Luis Gnecco will play the role of the smug boss played by Gervais in the British version (and Steve Carell in the NBC remake), which has gone into syndication.

BBC Worldwide will advise on the production, and Duncan Cooper, BBC Worldwide's executive producer of formats and local production, will assist Chilecorto and Canal 13-Chile in the show's development.

Carmen Gloria Lopez, head of programming at Canal 13-Chile, said: "From watching 'The Office,' we realized very quickly that the working day in Chile is actually very similar to office life in the U.K. and America. Our production will show you we have more in common than you might think."

Vanessa Juarez of ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY sat down to chat with Rainn Wilson for their "Q&A" column this week.  Rainn is still getting attention for his micro-cameo in JUNO, and is also slated to host the FILM INDEPENDENT'S SPIRIT AWARDS in February.  Lots of the other questions in the interview covered these spots.  Still, this is an OFFICE blog/podcast, so what did he have to say about our favorite show?

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How are you and your Office castmates doing? Are they experiencing strike fatigue?

RAINN WILSON: Yeah, it was a really lovely break, and it's just turned into a living hell. I just spoke to Jenna [Fischer, who plays Pam on The Office] the other day and we are so ready to go back to work. I feel bad because they had so many amazing things planned for season 4 with Dwight and Angela, and I was so excited to film those. And we may not have a season 4! Period. That may be it. It's a very real possibility.

Have you been out to the picket lines?

Oh yeah, I've been out three or four times. The Office writers are very active in the strike. I hope the people hold strong.

What's everybody from The Office doing for entertainment? Have they become Netflix addicts, or engaged in other hobbies like competitive eating?

Well, I think Leslie [David Baker], who plays Stanley, has taken up rock climbing and Meredith is actually a prostitute now. Steve Carell is a pool shark. And John Krasinski has gone into international diplomacy. So people have stayed very active and are doing a lot of very interesting stuff. I've taken up spelunking.

So there you go... right from Rainn's own mouth.  Hmm.  I wonder if he could possibly be... kidding?

Nahhhhhh.

Speaking of THE OFFICE popping up nearly EVERYwhere these days, online retailing giant Amazon.com has teamed with NBC and TurboTax in asking the question "what kind of filer are you?"

Are you a Pam (an "E-Z Breezy filer")? Or a Jim (a "procrastinator")? How about a Dwight (otherwise known as a "fancy filer")? Clicking on a profile will help narrow down which of the two hundred thirty seven versions of TurboTax may be right for you. 

From the Dwight "fancy filer" Schrute profile:

Fact: You’ve got a full-time job and an inherited family business and a burgeoning side project in the agritourism field (permits are pending). Fact: You're going to need to account for your extra income or losses (because your cousin Mose can't possibly guarantee the beet farm will turn a profit). Fact: The right tax software will help you get through even the most intricate tax return--alone and on your own time over a bowl of Count Chocula--without ever having to divulge private information.

As a bonus, Amazon will also suggest character appropriate ways for you to spend your refund (assorted teas and a foot massager for Pam, a recorder and a home hair-cutting kit for Dwight).

Head on over to Amazon to check out the other profiles (and buy some tax prep software, if need be).

(What, no Michael Scott "I declare BANKRUPTCY!" profile? What a rip!)

Just saw this over on TheVegasEye.com-- looks like our boy Johnny K. was doing a little partying in "the LV" this past weekend. Apparently, he was in town for a friend's bachelor party at the Hard Rock.


Check out that scruff. Letterman, O'Brien... Krasinski? A sign of writer solidarity, or a simple fashion statement? Only his barber knows for sure...

Kevin passed this along to me today, and it might come as vindication for the office writers!  See, people ARE that stupid...

D'oh! Man follows GPS onto train tracks -- when train coming

BEDFORD HILLS, New York (AP)  -- A Global Positioning System can tell a driver a lot of things -- but apparently not when a train is coming.