Carell Clocks In for More Office
Michael Scott can look forward to putting in more long, hard, late nights at Dunder-Mifflin Scranton.
At least, that’s what he said.
The “he” in this case being cocreator, executive producer and star of the original British version of The Office, Ricky Gervais, who revealed in a posting on his official website that Steve Carell has renewed his contract for the NBC hit.
“Had some great news today about the American version of The Office,” Gervais wrote. “Steve Carell (now one of the most bankable film stars in the world) has just signed up for another three years with us.
“He is the hardest working man in Hollywood and the harder he works the better it is for me. I mean…well done Steve you are wonderful…He is a very nice man and deserves all his success. I am just as dedicated to my art without compromise but only between the hours of 9 and 3 p.m.”
In addition to revealing the contract coup, Gervais also confirmed another of NBC’s badly kept and somewhat fan-derided scoops: that a satellite Office is already in the works.
Earlier this month, word spread that Rashida Jones, who played Jim’s pre-Pam hookup, Karen, on the show and who currently has a talent holding deal with the network, would be heading up the new cast, though Gervais kept mum on any casting or potential story points.
“We are also working on a spinoff series of the American Office,” he wrote, “but I can’t tell you anything about that yet.”
Jam it anyway.
Casting Couch: Carrey Goes Clubbing, Silverman Meets Her Match
In this edition, Jim Carrey returns to his stand-up roots, Sarah Silverman plays matchmaker, and Kevin Bacon is one degree of separation closer to Renée Zellweger.
First up is Carrey. The funnyman is cocreating a half-hour comedy series for HBO starring fellow comic Lisa Lampanelli that will revolve around a woman who runs a comedy club in Los Angeles, per Variety.
The character is inspired by Mitzi Shore, the mother of comedian Pauly Shore and cofounder of L.A.’s Comedy Store, the famed venue that helped launch the career of the Ace Ventura star and dozens of other quipsters. The show will chronicle the ups and downs of running the club while acting as den mother to dysfunctional comics.
Speaking of yuksters, Silverman will be trading one-liners with Saturday Night Live alum Norm MacDonald as celeb panelists for TBS’ new edition of Match Game.
Other stars joining them in the latest revival of the classic ’70s game show will be Super Dave Osborne, Kids in the Hall’s Scott Thompson, The Office’s Rashida Jones and Reno 911’s Niecy Nash.
As anyone who survived the Me Decade remembers, Match Game pits two contestants against each other as they try to match the answers given by the six-member celeb panel. Silverman and Macdonald will attempt to channel Brett Somers and Charles Nelson Reilly.
The pilot, hosted by Semi-Pro’s Andrew Daly, is being executive produced by Robert Smigel, the man behind SNL’s TV Funhouse cartoon spoofs and potty-mouthed puppet Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog.
In other casting news:
- Bacon will costar with Zellweger, Chris Noth and Nick Stahl in My One and Only, Richard Loncraine’s film supposedly based on actor George Hamilton’s childhood road trips as his mom sought out a wealthy man to care for the family.
- Uma Thurman and Jonathan Pryce are joining forces for My Zinc Bed, a small-screen adaptation of the David Hare the play for HBO and the BBC.
- The same companies have also tapped Oscar-nominated actor Tom Wilkinson and Rhys Ifans for A Number, a telefilm based on Caryl Churchill’s play.
- Kill Bill’s David Carradine and Daryl Hannah are set to reunite and walk the earth for Kung Fu Killer, a two-part original movie premiering Aug. 17-18 on Spike. The story unfolds in 1920s China and follows White Crane (Carradine), an orphaned son of Western missionaries who grows up to become a martial-arts master. After setting out in Shanghai’s underworld to avenge his mentor’s death, he teams up with a Brooklyn lounge singer (Hannah) searching for her lost brother.
The new Match Game celebrity panel
It certainly won’t be the only factor, but the choices made for just who makes up the celebrity panel will go a long way in deciding the fate of this latest incarnation of the classic show. With that in mind, here is the celebrity panel from the recently taped pilot: Sarah Silverman, Norm MacDonald, Bob Einstein (Super Dave!), Scott Thompson (Kids In The Hall), Rashida Jones (The Office), and Niecy Nash (Reno 911). Andrew Daly (Crossballs) is the host.
How does that lineup grab ya? To me, it’s not bad. The Reuters article asks if Sarah Silverman is the new Brett Somers or Norm MacDonald is the new Richard Dawson. In a word, no. You just can’t fight that kind of nostalgia. So many of us have seen the classic episodes so many times, and have such fond memories of them, that I don’t think there is anything they could possibly do to begin to live up to the original.
Considering that, there really is no perfect cast. Silverman and MacDonald will grab the bulk of the headlines about the new show, but I’m more intrigued by the other four. The addition of Einstein and Thompson adds a quirky flair that I wasn’t expecting, and I find both of them to be hilarious. I’ve been watching Einstein as Super Dave for so long I can almost convince myself he was on the original Match Game.
Jones is also a surprise, because it never would have occurred to me to cast her in this. Given her recent success on The Office, I would think panelist on a TBS game show wouldn’t have made it past her agent. Perhaps I’m just not giving enough credit to Unhitched for this latest decision. Niecy Nash is the biggest wild card for me for the simple fact that I’ve only ever seen her on Reno 911.
And what of Andrew Daly as host? That’s a tough gig. Gene Rayburn is the man, and those are shoes that will be mighty tough to fill. If you have to try it though, I’m glad they’re going with someone new to the game-show hosting gig. He does lack experience, but he’s a funny guy with a lot of potential. Before you dismiss him, just think, it could have been Mark Walberg. So, maybe it could be better, and it damn sure could be worse. I think there’s enough there to make this latest incarnation worth a look. How about you?
Aziz Ansari Joins The Office Spin-Off
We don’t post a lot of TV news but we couldn’t let this kidney stone of bananas pass us by. Aziz Ansari of the Human Giant clan (and fellow reader) has joined NBC’s spin-off to The Office. Ansari is the first cast member to be announced for the top-secret comedy series. At this point it’s believed that the cast will consist of an all new line-up, though rumors persist about the involvement of Rashida Jones, who played Karen Filippelli, Jim’s ex-flame, on the original U.S. series. Yes, that’s the first “ex-flame” I’ve ever typed.
What’s more, the super-talented Paul Feig of Freaks and Geeks fame just boarded the show’s writing staff, which includes Dan Goor (Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show), Alan Yang (South Park), and Charlie Grandy (SNL, The Daily Show). Nice. Executive producers Michael Shur and Greg Daniels say they’re still deciding on a premise for the untitled show, set to premiere after next year’s Superbowl and thereafter in the timeslot preceding the ongoing trials of Jim, Pam and Michael. You could say we’re excited…in advance.
In other TV news, the new season of Weeds premieres this Monday on Showtime, while the hotly anticipated second season of Mad Men premieres July 27th on AMC.
via Variety /E!