On March 18th, the Academy of Television of Arts & Sciences hosted a panel discussion with the cast and creators of “The Office”.  The panelists were: Showrunner / Producer - Greg Daniels, Cinematographer - Randall Einhorn, Producer  - Jennifer Celotta and Editor - David Rogers. The Cast members were: Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, B.J. Novak, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Angela Kinsey, Phyllis Smith, Kate Flannery, Mindy Kaling, Creed Bratton, Paul Lieberstein, Oscar Nuñez, Ed Helms, Craig Robinson.  The moderator was Andy Richter.

The ensemble cast of “The Office” has many hyphenate actor-writer members, which is a unique trait for a network comedy show.  During the panel discussion, creator Greg Daniels said “being a writer-performer is a big thing”, since the show seems to thrive on the symbiotic relationship between it’s actors and writers who are well versed in improvising.

Some cast members like Paul Lieberstein, talked about making the transition from writing to acting, crediting “The Office” as the first acting he’s ever done.  While Phyllis Smith, formerly an assistant casting director, was hired from participating in the audition process.  She was the other half of many of the improv casting sessions that were presented to the network as the show was being created.

Steve Carell, Mindy Kaling, B.J. Novak and Paul Lieberstein have all been credited as both writer-producer on several episodes, making them even more involved in the style of the show.  Novak was the first to be hired on the writing staff and joked about how the quirks and nuances of an actor can be incorporated into a character.  Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer talked about the origin of “Sprinkles the Cat” coming from an improv moment and how that character has been referenced by nearly every cast member over the course of the series.  Maybe it’s really the diversity of the cast and characters that makes this show one that all types of people can enjoy.

Last year, during the WGA strike, I met the talented Mr. Tom Sawyer.  He was the showrunner and head writer for “Murder, She Wrote” and has a long list of other accomplishments as well.  Given Tom’s diverse background and experience in the industry, it was interesting to discuss how technology has had an impact on how we expect to access our entertainment.

This week, I found out that Tom’s book, “Fiction Writing Demystified”, has just been made available for Amazon’s Kindle eBook reader.  Choosing to read an eBook can have some advantages.  Typically, eBooks are easy to download, store or print and allow the reader to search through the material.

Tom also has another novel called “No Place to Run” that has been published by Sterling and Ross.  For more information, please have a look at his website or search for his books online.

Tags: Writing

On March 5th, Regent Entertainment had a screening of “Something Evil Comes” at the Regent Showcase Theatre in Hollywood.

The film stars: David Millbern, Nicholle Tom, Margot Kidder and William B. Davis.

One of my favorite things about going to a premiere of an independent project is the enthusiasm of the people who are involved in making it, which seems to be contagious.  At a recent Television Academy Event, David had told me a bit about the production process of this project in a casual conversation, so it was nice to be invited to the screening.

When I watch movies or TV, I’m more of a drama or period piece kind of girl, but David’s performance in this action-thriller made this genre so much more enjoyable for me. His portrayal of the hired assassin “Liam Macklin” was skillfully done, sustaining the suspense and heightening the threatening circumstances for everyone, as the plot unfolded.  I also liked that the heroine, “Romy Vasser” played by Nicholle Tom, was clever yet down to earth.

“Something Evil Comes” was directed by Ron Oliver and written by Paolo Mazzucato.

Tags: Acting, Movies