As of yesterday, the Fox network here in NY has brushed aside those tired old episodes of Seinfeld that they’ve aired at the 7:30 pm and 11:00 pm timeslots for years (I’m as big a fan of Jerry and the gang as anyone; but enough is enough already) to make way for Michael Scott and crew 5 times a week.

That’s right, The Office syndication has really taken off and moved to the big networks.  In addition to TBS, Fox has jumped on The Office bandwagon to the benefit of all us die hard fans and hopefully some new ones.

In the following interview with Steve Carrell, Greg Kelly and Rosanna Scotto of Good Day New York explore this infectious Office fever further (try saying that 5 times fast) and Steve suggests that maybe a vaccine should be produced for those who become newly “exposed” to The Office.

Click here to see the full interview.

Don’t forget to check your local listings to see when Fox will be airing The Office in your area.

Suri

With all the news of the blogs being updated, I thought I would mention that Shrute-Space has been updated. From the blog is this little gem…

This weekend, while my cousin Mose was aerating the soil in the East Field, he came upon a metal box labeled “For Dwight. DO NOT OPEN UNTIL 2005.” Luckily, Mose is not nosey and brought it to me unopened right away.

I have been really impressed with the way that NBC has been building promotions online. Not only are they making great TV, but they are also creating new ways for users to interact online. Whether they be creative blogs, interactive social networks, or, if you get desperate for an Office fix, you can even watch the reruns.

I am a little disappointed that NBC decided to cancel selling shows on iTunes. Maybe they will be back.

1. Chat with Angela Kinsey tonight at 6 PM PST/9 PM EST at TheOfficeChat.com.

2. Any Chicago LITO-ites out there? If so, read on about Kate Flannery’s upcoming appearances (July 27 and 28) in the Windy City.

3. The TV addict has an awesome interview with Ed Helms.

4. Further proof of how adorable Jenna Fischer is:

Man…I am so excited. I just can’t tell you what this means to me. Not because it is an award or something like that. But because it feels like it is for our gal Pam. She’s a shy girl who doesn’t get recognized very often you know. It’s like…that shot from the episode with the Art Show where Pam is standing in front of her display waiting for the first visitor to come by…that just sums it all up for me. So, I guess I feel it in that part of me that is Pam. The part that still gets excited to show my art and hopes people are responding to it. It’s like…Hey, people showed up to my art show!

Read the rest of her Emmy noms blog here and be sure to check out her other recent posts.

5. I’ve been getting a lot of e-mails about the release date of the Season 3 DVD: September 4, 2007. You can get all the details at Amazon. Looks like the Prison Mike bandanna didn’t make the cover after all–they’ve posted a new cover that is the same shot, minus the Prison-Mike-ness.

6. Remember to vote for this week’s Throwback Thursday!

“The Office” is among the top 10 comedies being considered for Emmy nomination. No word yet on potential acting noms, but GoldDerby has got you covered if you want to check out the latest news.

On an unrelated note, I just saw this cute article about JK: From fan to star in 18 years.

So I’ve had a rough week at job training, and I’ve been really down. Then, poking around Myspace (friend me!), I found this incredible song by Sweet Diss and the Comebacks: “Pam Pong.” I can’t even express to you how much better it made my day! It was originally created for Seat18B’s fan documentary, which you can also view on Youtube.

Be sure to check out all of Sweet Diss and the Comebacks’ addicting music on their Myspace, and then watch the entire documentary on Youtube (links below).

The music video is below, or click here to play the MP3.

(more…)

• John Krasinski will present at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards on Sunday, June 3, at 8 PM EST (Steve Carrell’s Little Miss Sunshine is up for Best Movie and you can vote here up until June 3!)
• You can hear John’s voice in Shrek the Third, in theaters now
• John is featured in the next issue of Mean Magazine, which comes out on June 5
• Check out Kath’s previews of inside the issue!
• A review of Smiley Face reads that the movie is

“rounded out by a great, odd supporting cast (Masterson aside, there’s a great role for The Office’s John Krasinski, playing the most un-Jim-like role of his career, as Masterson’s nerdy friend), and, of course, Faris.”

• “License to Wed” comes out on July 4 (or July 3, according to this confusing iF Magazine report?)
• Still no release date for “Brief Interviews with Hideous Men” (which John wrote, directed & performed in) but it’s in the post-production phase.  This is a major accomplishment for John.  Side Note: I’m reading the book right now, and it’s crazy.  I can’t wait to see how he adapted it into a movie!

A new article in Newsweek proclaims that alpha males are out and betas are in! More importantly, though, they cite Jim Halpert as a prime example of betas, or relaxed and easygoing guys who aren’t solely focused on getting ahead.

The soul of “The Office,” and its stealth heartthrob, is actually easygoing, soft-spoken Jim (John Krasinski), who, in true beta fashion, turned down a promotion to management in the season finale.

According to author Jennie Yabroff, betas are all about the pleasure-seeking id, which definitely fits Jim’s prankster profile. But I’d have to respectfully disagree with another point: Yabroff writes that the sillier-looking beta males are, the better. I think that John Krasinski disproves that theory :-P.

A petition is now circulating the ‘net calling for the reunion of Steve Carrell and Stephen Colbert. If you want to check out the whole petition and/or sign it, click here!

Dear Greg Daniels and the Producers of The Office,
As dedicated fans of The Office, we all spend time (especially in those sad summer months!) speculating about our favorite characters and their relations, as well as the perfect actors to play them. Who would Michael’s mother be? Who’s Larissa Halpert? But among fans, one idea seems to crop up far more than any other: Stephen Colbert as Gould, Jan’s chilly ex-husband.

Here’s a picture from the segment “Even Stephven” from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Personally, I love that “The Office” doesn’t rely on guest casting and rarely uses it (though “The Client” with Tim Meadows was amazing) and of course, this is just a petition started by a creative fan But I think it’s a fun way to show your support for “The Office” and connect with other fans. That said, I would love to see Steven/Stephen go head to head again!

Happy Friday! I hope everyone has a terrific weekend!

Here are some fun links to investigate while we wait for Monday’s upfronts and Thursday’s season finale. We are lucky to have LITO reader Mary, a media buyer and planner for national television, report back about the upfronts! More on Mary, her job, and the upfronts next week.

1. Chris Dickerson of the WV Record interviewed Bobby Ray Schafer, a WV native. Schafer talks about how the “Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration” line never gets old:

“It works every time,” Shafer said. “It’s funny because I did it recently when to Greg Daniels’ (executive producer) house. And (movie director) Harold Ramis, I did it to him and to Greg Daniels’ kids. It got a huge laugh. I did it to Kevin Reilly, president of NBC.”

Dickerson also spoke to about Julie Elgar, who runs the “That’s What She Said” human resources/law blog, which uses “The Office” to relate to litigation

2. New Movie for Rainn! IGN reports,

“The flick, Variety says, will feature Wilson as a failed drummer who gets a second chance at rock stardom. The trade describes his role as that of a modern-day Pete Best, the drummer who left The Beatles before the band became a worldwide phenomenon.”

Sounds like a good time!

3. A new blog from Kate Flannery

4. Also from TV Guide: an interview with Oscar Nuñez

5. Here’s the flyer for the Rooftop Party in Scranton next Saturday, May 19. I love the fact that there’s a “That’s what she said” joke on it!

6. Last Dwight Blog of Season 3
Some useful tips for dealing with ninjas:

“Show them that you know they’re there. Shout out, when entering a new locale or a suspicious locale, “I know you’re there, Mr. Ninja. Your element of surprise has now been taken away” [I’ve gotten many ‘funny’ looks for this kind of preparedness, but so be it. That is a risk I’m willing to take. Are YOU!?]”

Wow, this is turning into a really long post, because I have a few more things to mention:
-I love getting your e-mails! Keep ‘em coming.
-We’re working on integrating the forum and the main page. Join in the conversation!
-Are your comments being eaten by the SPAM FILTER? Hopefully not, but Bob has had to deal with this problem! We’re working on fixing it, but if you repeatedly post comments and they don’t ever show up, let me know and I’ll ‘rescue’ them from the spam filter
-I feel compelled to mention that last night at my event, some of my friends watched the show, then came to the event. We actually had to go to separate rooms and avoid talking to each other because I didn’t want to know what happened, and they didn’t want to accidentally spill the beans! I just thought Office fans could appreciate that.

You’ll probably hear more from me later, but I’ve got a busy week ahead of me (1 event down, but 9 more to go) so just in case, have a FABULOUS weekend!

And look for another one of those special LITO posts next week

It’s always great to see people we admire giving back to the community. You may have heard about Rainn Wilson’s Full Circle-Learning Benefit, but I wanted to include some info on the site. Full-Circle Learning sounds like a terrific program that emphasizes the “it takes a village” parenting strategy, and the event is appropriately being held over Mother’s Day weekend, so guests can make donations in their mother’s names–awww! Yeah for Rainn being awesome! Read the full press release at OfficeTally.

This limited-capacity engagement includes dinner and entertainment and will be held at 701 Enchanted Way in Pacific Palisades. The cost of admission is $200. Will-call tickets may be reserved by calling Full-Circle Learning’s alumni projects event coordinator Ellen Jaresko at 323-462-7066, or by emailing FullCircleBenefit@sbcglobal.net.

LITO reader Chris Maghintay used Brian’s audio clips to create this addictive dance remix of Office quotes and the theme song. Speaking of the Audio Clips, I know how big of a hit they were, and they will make a return very, very soon

Mindy Kaling’s Blog, entitled “Things I’ve Bought that I Love: A place to discuss things we’ve bought that are frivolous and fun.” I wonder if “Mindy Ephron” is a tribute to Nora? It’s definitely a fun blog.