How Cecelia Cece Halpert got her name

From PEOPLE magazine:

Jenna Fischer became a mom and an aunt the very same week.

“The same week that we were shooting the episode where Pam’s baby is born, I was becoming the aunt for the very first time,” says Fischer, who spoke with PEOPLE about Thursday’s hour-long episode of The Office, in which her character Pam gave birth to a girl, named Cecelia Marie Halpert.

“Literally the day we shot Pam’s going to the hospital, my sister was going to the hospital, and the same day we shot me coming home from the hospital, my sister came home from the hospital. It was crazy! And so my dad Jim had one daughter going through it for real and another faking it.”

And thanks to Fischer, both babies have the same name.

“I got to name my baby!” says Fischer, who successfully lobbied The Office writers to use the name Cecelia. “I said I would really love to name the baby after my niece, so I did.”

For Fischer, the hardest part of shooting the birth scenes didn’t involve acting at all, but keeping her family in the dark about Cecelia’s TV namesake. “I am going to wait and let her watch the episode and it’s been so hard!” she says. “I spent a whole week with her and I didn’t tell her and it was one of the hardest things. I haven’t told my parents and will let them watch the episode. I’m just going to sit by the phone and they are going to be watching it in Missouri, so they see it two hours ahead, and I’m just going to time it out and sit by the phone when the part comes on because I know I’m going to get a screaming phone call!”

While the Halperts adjust to parenthood on TV, Fischer will get a chance to see her new niece again this spring. “I get to see my sister about four times a year, probably,” she says. “I bet those trips will be more frequent because the baby is just so cute. She’s the cutest, sweetest little girl. I make my sister send pictures and videos every day. Maybe I’ll have to post a photo on my MySpace page so that everyone can know where the name came from!”

Tipster: Ginger

The Office: Dunder Mifflin Scranton address

The Office: Dunder Mifflin Scranton


According to the business card included in Best Buy’s Severance Package of The Office Season 2 DVD, the address of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton Branch is:

1725 Slough Ave.
Scranton, PA 18540

And note the tagline: “Quabity and service since 1949”

Slough Avenue is a nod to the original UK version of The Office, starring Ricky Gervais, which takes place in the town of Slough, Berkshire, England. There is no actual Slough Avenue in Scranton.

The Office: Jazz babies poster

Everything you need to know about The Office Jazz Babies Poster, one of the most distinctive decorations of The Office set!

The Office Jazz Babies Poster


Christmas Party

The poster made its first appearance during The Office Season 2 episode, Christmas Party. During the office gift exchange, Toby picks Angela as his recipient.

Toby: I got Angela. She’s into these posters of babies dressed as adults. I got her one of those. I felt kind of weird buying that.

When Michael later turns the gift exchange into Yankee Swap, Kelly receives the poster before it ends back in Angela’s hands.

Kelly (unwrapping the poster): Yikes.
Toby: Well, it’s for Angela, so…
Kelly: That’s like the creepiest thing that I’ve ever seen.
Dwight: Angela, you’re up.
Angela: I’ll take the poster. Some people like these.

In the DVD commentary for Christmas Party, Kate Flannery notes “I love that people actually brought their babies in for this picture” and Jenna Fischer adds “Our prop guys had to create that!”

Conflict Resolution

The poster later become a source of contention between Angela and Oscar in the Season 2 episode, Conflict Resolution.

Angela: I got this poster for Christmas, and I feel I want to see it everyday. It makes me feel like the babies are the true artists, and God has a really cute sense of humor.
Michael: C’mon, seriously, that?
Oscar: I don’t like looking at it. It’s creepy, and in bad taste, and it’s just offensive to me. It makes me think of the horrible, frigid stage mothers who force the babies into it. It’s kitsch, the opposite of art. It destroys art, it destroys souls. This is so much more offensive to me than hardcore porno…