It dawned on us a couple of weeks back when we caught Forgetting Sarah Marshall on TV (and cemented this past weekend when we suffered through The Muppet Christmas Carol on The Hub), that we owe a huge debt of gratitude to Jason Segel, as he’s almost single-handedly saved the Muppets.
Read on: The dark days of the Muppets and Segel as their Moses
Filed under Lady Holiday, Mickey Mouse Club, Muppets
It’s official! As we, and everyone else on the Internet, predicted, Paul Rudd is joining his Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and I Love You Man co-star Jason Segel in The Greatest Muppet Movie Ever Made (but we maintain we called it first). As soon as word leaked the Segel was writing the movie with his Sarah Marshall director Nicholas Stoller, we began speculating which members of the Apatow-verse would be joining in, and Rudd was at the top of the wish list. When we learned that Apatow-charter Rashida Jones and comedian of the moment Zach Galifiniakis were also slated to appear, Rudd seemed like an inevitability. And, now, according to Production Weekly, it’s a reality, with Rudd on board to voice the new “anything Muppet” Walter, who, as we previously noted, will portray Segel’s roommate in the movie. And this, even without any direct Judd Apatow involvement, cements The Greatest Muppet Movie Ever Made‘s status on the Judd Apatow Chart.
But that’s not all! Production Weekly also reports that fellow Apatow-charters Jack Black and Jane Lynch are in, as is Rashida Jones’ former TV flame John Krasinksi (who we suggested over a year ago might make for a great Muppet), Krasinki’s Office co-star (as well as Galifiniakis’ Hangover castmate) Ed Helms, Krasinski and Helm’s NBC Thursday night comedy brother Donald Glover, and Danny Trejo, who cameo’d in the Apatow-produced Anchorman (and Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet, whom we’re having trouble connecting to the rest of the cast). So in a word: WOW.
Oh, and Lady Gaga, apparently. Whatevs.
Here’s a preview of what the Muppet-Rudd collaboration might look like:
Okay, not quite (as far as we know, Fozzie is NOT holding out), but the word from Mr. Galifianakis himself is that he will be popping up in The Greatest Muppet Movie Ever Made. This comes on the heels of the news that Rashida Jones, Amy Adams and Chris Cooper are joining the cast of the Jason Segel/Nicholas Stoller penned film. Still waiting on Paul Rudd, but we can only imagine it’s only a matter of time. And now that Galifiankis is on board, this opens up the whole Todd Phillips corner of the Judd Apatow Chart. Will Ferrell, Owen Wilson, Tom Green, they are all now in play.
But, just in case Fozzie does decide to play same hardball, what do you think?
Filed under Judd Apatow, Muppets, The Big Screen
In things-that-I-love-meeting-other-things-that-I-love news, reports indicate that Rashida Jones is close to joining Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller’s forthcoming Muppet motion picture, The Greatest Muppet Movie Ever Made (in addition, the adorable Amy Adams and the cute Chris Cooper are also in talks to come on board). Now that Jones appears to be in, we can only assume that Paul Rudd will not be far behind. And when you have Paul Rudd and Rashida Jones there’s a pretty good chance that you’re eventually going to see Judd Apatow and at least one member of The State. Rudd, we all know, is one of the key faces of Apatowian comedy, as well as frequent a collaborator with State members David Wain and Ken Marino (see: Role Models, Diggers). Jones, in addition to appearing in the Apatow-esque I Love You Man with Segel and Rudd (plus State member Tom Lennon), had a small role in Apatow’s masterwork Freaks and Geeks, and has shown up in State related productions Stella, The Ten and Wainy Days. So from there it’s only a matter of time before Jones, Rudd, Segel, Apatow, The State and the Muppets all team up. We already know that The State and the Muppets have a history together:
Vodpod videos no longer available.One complaint: Sources say that Jones would portray an ABC exec in the movie. Between her roles on The Office and The Social Network, we think we’ve seen enough of her in business attire. No more blazers!
For further information, please consult the Judd Apatow Chart
Two Jumped the Snark favorites, The State member Tom Lennon and friend of The State Rashida Jones, are working on two new, exciting projects (independently, of course. Although I wouldn’t mind seeing them collaborate).
When news broke that Comedy Central canceled the long-running (dare I say institution?) Reno 911, (comedy geeks’) hearts were broken across the country (while Reno might have been growing a bit long in the tooth, it seemed like an odd time to cancel the show, considering that with the arrival of Michael and Michael Have Issues, the recent release of the long-awaited State DVD, and the addition of State-alum to Joe Lo Truglio to the Reno cast, it seemed that The State-related projects were experiencing a wave of enthusiasm). However, the demise of Reno stings a little less with the announcement that Tom Lennon has signed a deal to create and star in a yet untitled comedy for NBC (in addition, the plot is apparently “under wraps” Unless it’s the story of the next generation iPhone, not sure if the secrecy is necessary). Also unknown at this point is when NBC will cancel the show (let’s just hope it’s not a gritty cop drama). Unless the show slots in on Thursday nights, looks like NBC might have to make space elsewhere for comedy (they might want to start with the 10pm slot; at the moment, this hour is devoid of comedy). Additional good news is that frequent Lennon collaborator, fellow State and Reno member, Ben Garant will co-create and also appear on the show (let’s also hope it’s not a serialized version of the Lennon-Garant penned Night at the Museum films). To celebrate, a State sketch!
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Filed under Good Humor, Must See TV, The State
Like many of you, I was both skeptical and curious when Parks and Recreation premiered last spring. From the minds behind The Office, and at one time referred to as the Office spin-off, the pressure was immense, as would be the scrutiny. Could producers Greg Daniels and Michael Shur strike gold twice? Could they take the same faux-documentary format, change the setting to local government instead of a paper factory, insert Amy Poehler for Steve Carell and have the same success? Even if it was funny, would it still just be an Office knock off?
I watched the first episode (well, to be totally honest, half-watched on Hulu while folding laundry) and found that it was only sorta funny and announced many comparisons to its predecessor, match-ups that it surely lost. So it was a good effort, not great, but I knew that as long as it would be seen as the step-sister to The Office it wouldn’t fare favorably.
After the premiere I became preoccupied with preparing for my move out west, and didn’t catch the subsequent episodes. When I arrived in LA I found that my new roommate had recorded the finale for me, thinking that I would want to see it (what a sweetheart). Well, I didn’t want to watch it without seeing the previous episodes, so I let it languish on the DVR, hoping/expecting that NBC would rerun episodes 2-5 during the dog days of summer. And one day I turned on the TV and there it was, episode 2, “Canvassing.” And a funny thing happened. It was funny. Not just amusing like the pilot, but actually funny.
Viewings of the following episodes confirmed this feeling, the show continued to improve and my affection towards it grew. It found a better rhythm; the whole cast was more involved; Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope began to feel like a real character with Michael Scott potential; Aziz Ansari was consistently hilarious as the cunning Tom Haverford; and Paul Schneider brought the charm he flashed in David Gordon Green’s All the Real Girls, but now as a fully grown man, the sanity inside Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department.
And I thought to myself if only it wasn’t compared to The Office then people would see that it’s actually worth watching.
But then I changed my mind. I belive that Parks and Rec actually might fare better when viewed through the prism of The Office.
When we think of The Office now usually forget that it struggled through six middling episodes as a mid-season replacement in the Spring of 2005, and it wasn’t until midway through the second season when it really found its stride and started hooking viewers. So with that in mind, isn’t it only fair to give Parks and Recreation the benefit of the doubt? It has a brilliant actor playing well meaning but flawed leader, surrounded by a talented cast. And like The Office, it has a romance. The inter-office sparks between Poehler’s Knope and Schneider’s Mark Brendanawicz might not have the same weight or emotion of Pam and Jim, but it has its unique charms, and should ground the show as it progresses in season two.
However, there are some things the show needs to do to keep it on an upward trajectory, and to eventually escape from the shadow of Dunder-Mifflin:
1. Like Michael Scott, in the end Leslie Knope needs to maintain believability. She can say and do dumb things, but ultimately there has to be a reason for her to be in the position she’s in, and we have to be able to get behind her. Michael Scott is an oblivious, tasteless buffoon, but he’s proven time and again to actually be an effective salesman, and this allows us to accept his flaws. So every once in a while Leslie needs to win one.
2. Continue to develop the supporting cast. In The Office‘s second season the scope expanded past Michael, Dwight, Jim and Pam to include the colorful characters around the company. In its brief run Parks and Recreation has already began to do this, but they need to stay on the path.
3. Perhaps most importantly, figure out what to do with Rashida Jones. Jones is a beautiful actress and a wonderful comedian (and daughter to Quincy Jones. Just needed to say it.), and as The Office‘s Karen Filippelli she proved that she can create a compelling, rich character (she somehow managed to take a person whom we should have hated, Pam’s replacement, and made her likable. No easy feat). But so far on Parks and Rec, as nurse Ann Perkins, I feel like she’s been somewhat wasted as Knope’s sidekick and straight man, as well as stuck in a hard to swallow relationship with her crippled, lay-about boyfriend (Chris Pratt). In last season’s finale it seemed like Ann would be making some changes, and for the show’s sake I hope this means that Jones will be given better material with which to demonstrate her considerable talents in the upcoming season.
Parks and Recreation isn’t The Office yet, not by a long shot. But it shows promise. And I think it deserves a chance, just like the one we gave its forefather. And then, who knows, maybe in a few years we’ll be talking about a Parks and Recreation spin-off (later changed to a faux-documentary set in a Teacher’s Lounge).
Vodpod videos no longer available.
And check out TV Gal’s similar take on the show (just below her Bones preview).
Oh, and Parks and Recreation returns tonight at 8:30pm, just after the season premiere of Weekend Update Thursdays (featuring the (temporary) return of, yes, Amy Poehler).
Filed under Analysis, Good Humor, Lists, Must See TV
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