Image Credit: Chris Haston/NBC
It’s finally here, Office fans: the beginning of the end. In tonight’s episode, “Training Day,” Michael Scott starts preparing to leave Scranton for good — and his replacement, an allergy-plagued manager named Deangelo Vickers who’s played by some guy named Will Ferrell, will arrive. The entirety of Season 7 has been leading toward this moment, so there’s just a little pressure for the show to get it right. READ FULL STORY »
Yes, Ricky Gervais was partly joking when he told birthday boy David Letterman on The Late Show last night that he would like to see The Office stay on air forever (“Financially, I do”), but with the show’s revolving door of recurring and permanent characters, it does seem as though the series is looking forward to a long life well after star Steve Carell leaves at the end of this season. (CBS has yet to post the full interview on the site, but the awesome folks over at Vulture have posted a few choice moments from the interview here.) READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Trae Patton/NBC
With Steve Carell leaving The Office after seven hit (and mostly hilarious) seasons, it’s only fitting that NBC send him off in style. That’s why the Peacock is saying goodbye to Michael Scott with a 50 minute episode on April 28.
That announcement is bound to evoke conflicted emotions from Dunder-Mifflin devotees: nostalgic sadness over his departure, excitement for the much-hyped season finale, as well as a touch of apprehension over yet another love-it-or-loathe-it extended Office episode.
You would think that if you love The Office, double the time would mean double the laughs, but then you think back to the dozen or so extended episodes the series has done before. Some were amazing, but a lot of them just seem far too long and difficult to swallow (that’s what she said).
So here are four suggestions for the show making the most out of Michael Scott’s 50-minute swansong: READ FULL STORY »
The slow-starting Red Sox took two of three from the Yankees over the weekend, pulling Boston fans back from the ledge and preserving the hilarious new New Era hat commercial that features Yankees supporter Alec Baldwin and Sox fan John Krasinski talking trash. Krasinski interrupts Baldwin’s elegant soiree to gloat about the Yankees off-season failures, but like his character on 30 Rock, Baldwin is unflappable as he dismisses the notion that the Red Sox are even in the Yankees class, saying “This is not a rivalry, just like fire doesn’t have a rivalry with kindling.” Krasinski’s passions get the better of him in the end, but hey, it’s baseball season. (By the way, the Orioles are in first place.)
Watch the ad below, and then vote for Team Baldwin or Team Krasinski at the New Era site. Team Baldwin currently leads, which is a little surprising since he alienated some potential supporters from Philadelphia. READ FULL STORY »
Along with Ricky Gervais and Will Arnett, NBC has confirmed the addition of Ray Romano, James Spader, and Catherine Tate to The Office‘s May 19 finale. With so much time between new episodes and all this talk of upcoming guest stars, it’s hard not to get carried away with dream plotlines. But what will this epic finale entail? Let’s brainstorm. Come on!
Office writer and star Mindy Kaling may have revealed that Arnett will be portraying the series’ most infamous character, The Scranton Strangler. The network has yet to confirm these casting details to EW, but we’d like to believe Fair Mindy, if only because the sight of Gob Bluth in prison orange would be one we’d love to revisit. READ FULL STORY »
His new movie Super — about an average Joe who dons a spandex suit and fights crime vigilante-style (see an NSFW clip here) — opens in select cities today, and to celebrate The Office star shares his thoughts on the superhero genre in the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, on stands today. Turns out, he has quite a few burning questions about Spidey, Batman, and their crime-fighting peers. Click through for a preview. READ FULL STORY »
I know there’s a “That’s what he said” joke in that headline, and I’m pretty sure it was my subconscious that did that. I haven’t been able to get The Office off my brain since last night’s epic proposal. (Read the recap of the entire episode here.)
In case you weren’t there, Michael led Holly on a tour through the office, pointing out the places that were meaningful to them as a couple. “This is where Toby announced that he was going to Costa Rica. It was the happiest day of my life — until the day you came to replace him,” he told her in that sincere Michael way that never fails to tug at my heartstrings. He led her up the stairwell, to his office, through the office, finally ending at the door to the break room.
When he opened the door, the entire office staff was standing in a line, holding candles. Candles, people. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Trae Patton/NBCSix years ago, Steve Carell was still best known for his stint on The Daily Show, plus the occasional bit part in a big Hollywood movie, where he would inevitably steal scenes out from under bigger comedy superstars like Jim Carrey and Will Ferrell. Today, Carell is one of those big comedy superstars — the sort of multi-talented performer who can play a genial everyguy (Date Night) or a slightly off-kilter loon (Get Smart, The 40-Year-Old Virgin), with the occasional furlough into animated work (Despicable Me, Horton Hears a Who!.) Incredibly, Carell has become a movie star without ever ditching his day job on The Office, which makes him a genuine rarity in the Hollywood pantheon. (Even the tragically-handsome George Clooney didn’t have a big, non-Batman hit until he left ER.) Office co-star Rainn Wilson just tweeted that today is Steve Carell’s final day of filming on the sitcom. We shouldn’t say goodbye to Carell just yet. There are still a few more episodes with Michael Scott, and the actor’s post-Office schedule is packed with intriguing movie projects. But let’s all take a moment to consider the end of an era. And let’s thank Carell for all the funny/awkward/sad Office memories — TV won’t be the same without him.
Follow Darren on Twitter: @EWDarrenFranich
Read more:
Steve Carell’s post-’Office’ projects: Are you ready to see Michael Scott get serious?
Steve Carell on ‘Office’ exit: ‘It’s a good time to move on’
Image Credit: Michael Loccisano/FilmMagic.comSteve Carell must feel like the prettiest girl at the ball right now, because his dance card is filling up faster than Scarlett O’Hara’s. Mandate Pictures just announced that the actor will star in Dogs of Babel, an adaptation of Carolyn Parkhurst’s novel The Dogs of Babel. Carell will play Paul Iverson, a grief-stricken linguistics professor who tries to teach his dog to talk after his wife’s sudden death. A few days ago, EW confirmed Deadline‘s report that Carell is also in talks to star opposite Meryl Streep in Great Hope Springs, a movie about a troubled couple that turns to a therapist in an attempt to save their marriage. Carell would play the shrink, while Streep will play his female client; James Galdolfini is rumored to be playing her husband. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Greg Gayne/NBC; Justin Lubin/NBC; Brian Bowen Smith/Fox; Mitchell Haaseth/NBC; Bob D'Amico/ABC (2)Last week, PopWatch asked readers to name the TV character they’d date in real life. After tallying more than 2,000 nominations (yes, we read them all), we’re ready to take it to a vote. We’ve put your top picks — 25 men, and 29 women (there was a tie for that last spot) — in two polls below. Vote now through Tuesday at midnight ET. Come back Friday when we’ll reveal the results. Remember: You can’t change anything about the character you’re picking, other than that he or she will no longer have feelings for his or her show love interest. (Second rule: Do not feel guilty.) Note: The order the characters are listed in the polls below is how they ranked during the first round, when you could be indecisive. What will happen when you can only pick one? READ FULL STORY »
