Greg Daniels is one of the most powerful figures in the TV comedy business. The former “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons” writer is behind one of NBC’s most important comedy hopes (Amy Poehler’s “Parks and Recreation”) and its biggest scripted hit (“The Office,” which just launched in five-days-a-week syndication to local stations covering 98 percent of the country).
Daniels talked with TheWrap’s Josef Adalian about how “The Office” went from struggling to smash hit, why he doesn’t like product placement and whether he thinks his show could live on with a totally new cast.
Jen Celotta at Vancouver IFF Sept. 30
The Office’s writer/producer/director Jen Celotta will be speaking during the Vancouver International Film Festival’s Film and Television Forum on September 30th.
Jen will be speaking along with My Name Is Earl’s Greg Garcia in a session called
“LOL – Comedy Rules”:
Writing for comedy is a very specific skill … and not an easy one. What seems like a straightforward task, i.e. making people laugh, is actually an intricate and idiosyncratic mix of tension, conflict, recall, reference, timing, exaggeration, believability, sympathy, empathy, juxtaposition, satire and parody mixed with context, personality and persuasion. Easy, eh? A comedic writer needs practice and patience to go from the printed page to laugh-out-loud funny. Hear from Emmy Award-winning TV writers about some rules for scripting comedy and developing funny characters.
Link: Film and Television Forum Schedule
P.S. Jen wrote and directed this week’s episode, ‘The Promotion’!
Angela Kinsey and Kate Flannery on late night
Angela Kinsey on ‘The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson’
Kate Flannery on ‘The Jay Leno Show’
Play golf with The Office’s Brian Baumgartner
The Office’s Brian Baumgartner will play in the Kids Rock Celebrity Invitational golf tournament to support non-profit children’s organizations.
“Kim Kardashian, Donald Trump, Tom Arnold, Nick Lachey, Alan and Robin Thicke, Brian Baumgartner, and Charles Barkley are a few of the celebrities confirmed to play at the Reunion Resort in Orlando, Florida on November 11th through the 15th.
Celebrities will join registered players for five days of golf and entertainment to raise money for The Ronald McDonald House, Wounded Warrior Project, Autism Speaks, Harbor House of Central Florida and the Arnold Palmer Hospital.”
Latest MySpace blog updates
Here are the latest MySpace blogs by The Office’s cast:
- Angela Kinsey: Good Morning!
- Jenna Fischer: Wisely’s “Through Any Window” Video
- Jenna Fischer: Jump Rope!
- Bobby Ray Shafer: Bob Vance’s Giddy-Up & Go!
The original Office on Adult Swim starts Sept. 18
The original BBC version of ‘The Office’ starring Ricky Gervais airs on Adult Swim starting September 18th. Here are three funny promos:
Continue reading “The original Office on Adult Swim starts Sept. 18”
Ed Helms, Kate Flannery, Creed Bratton live Tuesday
The Office’s Ed Helms, Kate Flannery, and Creed Bratton will perform this Tuesday, September 15th, at Largo at the Coronet in Los Angeles. Kate will be doing her Lampshades act!
The event is called “Ed Helms Hams and Jams.” 9pm, $25.
The club calendar doesn’t yet show this as a “sold out” event, so get those tickets now before it does …
It’s a real treat when three members of The Office cast perform live in one evening.
Please post if you go!
Mindy Kaling on ‘Craig Ferguson’
The Office’s Mindy Kaling visited ‘The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson’ last night:
(If you missed it, here is Mindy’s first appearance in May, which explains the first part of the story.)
Tipster: K