Anchorman Teaser: They're Back for More

'Seeking a Friend for the End of the World'

For those of us who miss Michael Scott on The Office since he moved to Colorado to marry Holly, there's something to look forward to. The former Michael Scott, aka the real Steve Carell, and the usually very British and serious Kiera Knightley, star in the upcoming film Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, slated for release in June 2012.  In case we all vaporize into dust by Memorial Day, at least we have this trailer:

Steve Carell and NBC Continue To Do Business...

So, you thought Steve Carell's last season as Michael Scott would end his days on the small screen. After all, big time movie career beckons. It looks as though Carell's heart still remains at NBC. As announced by Deadline Hollywood yesterday, the soon-to-be former Michael Scott will be developing a new series for the Peacock. It will be a show based on his own true life experience as a mail carrier in a small Massachussets town. The working title is The Post-Graduation Project. It appears that Carell will not star, but could turn up in cameo roles, lending more of his time in writing scripts than being in front of the camera.

Speaking of The Office, Mindy Kaling appeared on Ellen earlier this week with a clip from the upcoming Christmas episode entitled "Classy Christmas". Looks like Holly Flax is back in Scranton, and a little pissed that her boyfriend AJ hasn't popped the question yet. This is good news on two fronts. 1) You know that conflict is going to bring Holly into the ever loving arms of Michael, making his exit a happily ever after one, and 2) You can't have Holly break it off with AJ without seeing AJ try to win her back. This means a Rob Huebel appearance is possible. Huebel cameos are always good.

Carell on Colbert

Despite having already posted Colbert and Daily Show musing a few times this week, I couldn't resist putting this up. Carell and Colbert together again. It's a comedy so pretty that you just want to put it on your wall and stare at it all day.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Carell Corral
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election Fox News

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Steve Carell
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election Fox News

Steve Carell's Employee Exit

Well, we all knew this was coming. While promoting the movie Date Night earlier this year, Steve Carell tipped off to the press that he would be leaving the NBC hit series The Office in 2011. It's brought up much debate in the fan community. Many feel the show cannot go on without the character of Michael Scott. Other fans feel that a reboot with a new head character in charge of the Dunder Mifflin office will infuse new blood and recharge the weak battery of a decent ensemble cast. After all, that is what made The Office must see television for many a year: a wonderful group of characters that held equality in laughs and wove well into storylines. One can argue that no one is really "the star"on this show. I agree. Nevertheless, I'm of the camp that feels the show should end when Carell hands in his ID badge.

A tremendous cast needs to rally around a central figure. Michael Scott is the captain and navigator of this ship. His petulant behavior stems from ego, neediness and a sad yet heartwarming loneliness. These elements launched many storylines that fleshed out the everyman lovability of the Dunder Mifflin crew. For every temper tantrum and furrowed brow Michael provided, regardless of how exhausting it was for characters and viewers alike, we'd see the reason for Michael's behavior. We'd ultimately find that he was lonely. His was virtually ignored during his childhood. He wants love and children, but it's always out of reach. So he bullies. He calls meetings every half hour. He makes scenes and loves to stir the pot of gossip and make the office a black hole of procrastination all in the name of 'fun'. The idiosyncrasies of Michael produced a domino effect over the past six seasons. Jim and Pam mothered him. Dwight kissed his ass. Oscar hated his guts. Kevin was clueless and Kelly blissfully unaware of his dumbass deeds while dreaming about different shades of pink. If we didn't have the tentacles of Michael's ridiculousness reaching out to each character, we wouldn't have about 90% of the storylines that gave life to six years of often hilarious and sometimes disappointing episodes of The Office. Carell created this monster. We love him for it.

When Steve Carell leaves the Dunder Mifflin set for the last time after the season finale next year, I hope that will be the end of The Office. It's understandable that the ensemble could continue with a new boss causing a new kind of chaos each episode; however, the heart and soul will change. Indeed, The Office is not "The Steve Carell Show", but when a show is anchored by a central character we all know and love/hate since it's inception (at least in this case, the US), and we find the quality of the show has declined, perhaps it's time for everyone to move on.

Creator Ricky Gervais knew this when he ended the UK's The Office with a poignant sense of closure after two seasons and a Christmas special. Speaking of the devil, Gervais gave Carell his blessing on his blog the other day at http://RickyGervais.com.

The Dana Carvey Show

Back in the mid-1990's, when Dana Carvey left SNL, he embarked on his own prime time television sketch show for ABC-TV. It co-starred pre-Daily Show Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert both fresh from the stages at Second City and co-written by Rob Smigel (Late Night with Conan), Louis C.K. (Lucky Louie) and Robert Carlock (30 Rock). It was a laugh riot, edgy, frenetic, snarky series that only lasted seven episodes due to controversy and digs toward sponsors. However, it lives on in the mythical annals of "Brilliant But Canceled" as a classic cult series killed off before it could take off.

The Dana Carvey Show has been available on YouTube in snippets for a while now, and many a fan such as myself have been getting a nice taste of the comedy that ruffled network executives feathers, such as a bit where President Clinton breast fed puppies and kittens; however, enjoying Carvey's show in its entirety will become easier with a DVD to be released on Tuesday, and episodes streaming on Hulu.com.

The New York Times published an article today, and inspired me to bring this fantastic show to light on this blog. Here's the full article for a more professionally written piece by a writer who isn't too lazy on a Sunday to flesh out this story. Dave Itzkoff writes, "Comedy Ahead of its Time: If That Time Ever Comes.

Click here to see the The Dana Carvey Show on Hulu.

From the Minisode Network, here's an abbreviated episode:

The 60th Annual Emmy Awards: It Ended on Time

I just want to shout it. Tina! Tina! Tina! She’s the Mary Richards of television today, “This generation’s Elaine May,” as Alec Baldwin boasted. The lady brought them in. One for Best Writing for a Comedy, another for Best Acting in a Comedy, and another she shares with the crew for Best Comedy. Alright, so my “Office” people didn’t get it this year, but that’s ok. It was “30 Rock’s” night. The show has been mind blowing funny, incredibly well cast, guest stars galore who know how to blend well into a storyline. Oh, how I love “30 Rock”. NBC was the first company I worked for while in college and after graduation. Watching Tina Fey lead a cast of characters in an SNL-type television workplace sitcom is like visiting memories – if my memories had dialogue of funny written well by award winning writers.

If only the Emmy Awards ceremony wasn’t such a drag. Perhaps the look on John Krasinski’s face at the pre-ceremony red carpet tipped me off to what these actors go through. After being interviewed by Ryan Seacrest, Krasinski turned away with a faint look of dread, as if he were saying, “It’s hot as hell out here. I’m in a suit. Now I have to go into a theater and watch a crap festival of boredom when I could be home playing Madden or listening to Cold War Kids.” It was as if he was making run for it, away from the awkward Seacrest, whose interviews are about a scintillating as wads of wet paper balls hitting a wall.

Speaking of balls and Seacrest, the hilarity that never was continued to die when the first thing he said to Steve Carell was “Two words…Enlarged balls.” Nice attempt to be funny, Ryan. There is a story behind this. The day the WGA strike began back in October, Carell supposedly called in sick, claiming his ailment was “enlarged balls”. This story isn’t really true, and the comment was actually uttered by someone else, but boy our Ryan was all over it with his witty repartee, making Carell squirm, while his lovely funny lady wife Nancy looked at Seacrest as if his hair was about to explode.

As for the lackluster three hours of show, I think what got me were the hosts composed of the buffet of bland served up by Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, Ryan Seacrest, Howie Mandell and Jeff Probst. Why must we have reality television rubbed in our faces during a night filled with television that ranks in quality and genre? The evening flowed with the usual bit of forced humor and conviviality, carefully tip toeing around, the election, Sarah Palin, the financial crisis, Sarah Pain, the war and Sarah Palin. The feeling of watching glittering gowns and shiny tuxes trapped at the Nokia Theater, breathing in the proceedings on tender hooks was odd and coma inducing at the same time. There were no cute opening dance numbers at which to snark, no funny comedy clips. Remember when Conan O’Brien hosted the Emmys in 2006? He started the ceremony with a VT of him sitting on a private jet, sipping champagne and ready to embark on his journey from New York to Los Angeles to host the awards. Suddenly, his plane crashed, and he immediately found himself in an episode of “Lost”, which lead him to the set of “The Office”, “House” and “24”. It was clever, refreshing, and funny. To fans of these programs, it was a kick to see their favorite characters interact with Conan as he surrealistically became part of their story. When he landed on stage at the Emmy’s, he had just taken a journey around the dial (or remote), and began his master of ceremonies duties. Last night’s litany of hosts winged it onstage, tele-promter-less, mulling around in flop sweat, while William Shatner came on stage to help Bergeron rip off Klum’s fake tuxedo. Meanwhile, back in the fun pit known as the audience, men’s collars pinched, and women held their breath under the tight girth of their dresses. I sipped a martini in my pajamas.

The Emmy awards seem to be a hodgepodge of well deserved wins, understandable loses, and confusing selections. “30 Rock” deservedly swept the awards this year. Their show has been consistently well written, gut wrenchingly funny, and pitch perfect in tone and pace. Tina Fey’s wins in writing, best actress and best comedy were highly deserved. This fan of The Office was saddened by the fact the show wasn’t on it’s game this year. “30 Rock” has indeed usurped the crew at Dunder Mifflin for tops in laughs and writing.

Awards for “John Adams” was not a surprised. The mini-series was highly acclaimed, with stellar performances from Giamatti and Linney. “Recount” garnered some prizes. Although the writing and performances were riveting, the idea of living out that horrendous moment in election history made it difficult for me to past into the second hour of the film. Still, what I did see was wonderful, even if the memories were too jarring to continue.

As much as I adored Bryan Cranston in “Malcolm in the Middle”, where he should have won the lion’s share of Emmys (and apparently didn’t), his win for best actor in a drama for his performance in “Breaking Bad” was definitely a surprise. Perhaps it’s because “Mad Men” has gained a cult following is the critic’s darling of the year. As a fan of the show myself, it was disappointing not to see Jon Hamm win the best actor award. Kudos definitely go to Cranston, even though I am in the category of fans who think that Hamm got robbed.

Why “Entourage” continues to be nominated in the Best Comedy category astonishes me. Everyone knows the show hasn’t been a comedy for about two years now. The snubbing of “Flight of the Conchords” continues to confound. Perhaps the Emmy voters like to stick to what they know. Maybe people from New Zealand singing funny, melodic song scares them? Jeremy Piven beating out Patrick Neal Harris and Rainn Wilson for Actor in a Comedy Series makes me believe that someone is paying off someone somewhere. Wilson continues to make the character of Dwight a compelling, funny element in “The Office”. Harris always brings out a quirky, intelligent humor in his role as Barney Stinson in “How I Met Your Mother”. This award was up for grabs between them. Having to watch raving, formulaic fits of anger from Ari Gold as per Mr. Piven doesn’t really feel like something worthy of anymore Emmys. He’s already got the prize. Let someone else carry that heavy thing home.

Highlight of the night was Ricky Gervais threatening Steve Carell to fork over his Emmy award, won last year for his work on "Extras". For two years straight, we've had the antics of Carell, Colbert, Stewart and Gervais stirring the cauldron of boring with some spicy fun. Why can't these guys be the hosts of next year's Emmy award ceremony?

The cast of “Mad Men” are delectable to behold. Jon Hamm, John Slattery (another actor who lost out last night) and the boys of Sterling Cooper are maddening in their handsomeness. The women are beautiful. January Jones is such a pleasure to see, Elizabeth Moss is stunningly adorable, and Christina Hendricks is a vision of lusciousness. They do not make women like that in Hollywood anymore – all curves and bumps. Bless her. But all shallow beauty aside, “Mad Men” came home the winners of Best Drama, making history as the first cable show to win best drama anywhere this side of “The Sopranos”. It was a satisfying end to an otherwise less than surprising and entertaining evening. As speeches were rushed and drowned out in "shut the fuck up" music, and presenters raced to get their comments pronounced in time, the show clocked in just under three hours. So, I guess that in itself is an accomplishment. Apparently it was the lowest rated Emmy Awards ever. Word to the Academy...get better hosts. Perhaps Gervais and Carell will be free?

In Memoriam: Roger King:

We lost some great people: Bernie Brillstein, George Carlin, Charleton Heston; however, one person’s face flashed across the screen during the tear jerking stream of goodbyes that gave me pause. Roger King passed away in December 2007. I was his assistant from 1993 to 1996. I remember reading about his death in Variety the Monday after the weekend he passed away. The expression has been used before, but it serves a purpose: It felt like a giant Redwood had fallen somewhere. He was a formidable man. Full of vinegar one minute, a playful good ‘ol boy the next. He was the gruff executive who came from the school of hard knocks, brought up by a family who found success after working hard and paving paths in the world of syndication where no one paved them before. His voice boomed through the halls of King World. “Debi, any messages?” I can still hear him. To be honest, I never got that close to Roger as a boss or friend. He kept some people at a distance, and I always felt he trusted very few. It was a trait I understood and respected. Roger died of a massive stroke. I remember thinking, “Man, even when he gets sick, he doesn’t do it half assed. He does it big time.” May he be placing his bets at the Baccarat table in that big casino in the sky.

Spread the Love of Jim and Pam

The long overdue on-air promotion for the new season of "The Office" aired last night , and has the Office blogosphere up in arms at the beauty of the thing. Season Five premieres on September 25th at 9am with an hour long episode entitled "Weight Loss". It will be the first time we actually see summertime for the Dunder Mifflin-ites. The crew in Scranton embark on some crazy branch competition on who drops the most pounds. (Do I smell a "The Biggest Loser" tie in?). As per the promo, it appears Team Scott will be doing some yoga under the instruction of Ms. Flax. She also seems to be Michael's BFF as seen in a sympatico hip hop sign off "a-wicka-wicka-wicka". Oh, Holly. How I love you. You make Michael human. Please stay. Tell Jan to take her lab baby and move out of town.

Pam will be away at Pratt, and we'll see eight weeks of this in the first episode (in between what I presume are eight commercial breaks). There has been some controversy on whether or not an internship is involved here. Paul Leiberstein has used the word "internship" while describing Pam's time in New York which freaks out every fan to kingdom come. An internship isn't going to classes at Pratt, it's going out on the field and working for school credit. So, if there is an "internship", does that mean Pam stays in New York longer than originally planned? I will be one pissed off bunny if that's the case.

But no matter. The promo flashed our couple embracing. Jim lunges in, Pam gets swept off her feet. A talking head shot seems to deliberately show Pam's hands so we fans get the cryptic signal that there is no ring, and therefore the engagement we are hitching our hopes on has not yet happened. But seeing Pam in her dorm room, in Jim's embrace, as his photo rests lovingly on the desk that holds her art supplies, and doofus glasses and printer and notes from Halpert filled with encouragement, it is heart warming. But New York is going to open her mind up to so many things. Why would should go back to Dunder Mifflin as a receptionist? We have two weeks to ponder this. Two weeks!