In This Section
TV Guide Spotlight
Also on TVGuide.com
|
« Kate's Office Blog
Episode 8: The Merger
Hello, fans of The Office. Meredith here.
"The Merger" is coming up this Thursday at 8:40 pm/ET on NBC. Last week was nail-biting. Thank god the Scranton branch didn't close. It's pretty wild. Now the Stamford, Connecticut, branch is about to merge. Michael has some very intense techniques for initiating the new people. This was a really fun episode to shoot. The new actors on our show are really fun. We all had a blast. Rashida Jones, Ursula Burton, Wayne Wilderson, Ed Helms, and Mike Bruner as Tony — all hilarious. They double the size and they double the comedy. I sound like a commercial for gum! It was like a party all week shooting this episode. I'll drink to that!
I hope you all had a chance to watch the NBC.com producer's cut of "Branch Closing." I had a few really fun scenes in the producer's cut — which is the one for sale on iTunes, FYI! I loved doing the possible love scene with Steve where Meredith asks Michael if he's the guy she made a deal to have sex with on the last day of work. He is such a great actor. He makes it easy to really go for it. Too bad that scene got cut. Sometimes our stuff gets cut. We shoot about 15 minutes more each week than we can keep. Sometimes we are only on the deleted-scenes DVD. Thanks to all of you for hanging in there with Meredith. I am most grateful. The Office is such a great gig. I only hope you all get to see everything we shoot. It is all gold. Creed's other story line was hysterical.
I just got back from San Francisco. No more nicknames for that town. I did a talk show called View from the Bay, and I got in some hot water! They are very formal folks. And they love The Office. Seriously. They love The Office so much, they should marry it. I stopped by the NBC affiliate, and the staff went crazy over The Office. Someone there had me sign something for her daughter — I guess she could have the same exact name? No need to be a closet Office fan. Not after the whole "faggy means lame" speech from the "Gay Witch Hunt."
What a day! It was a weird day. I met none other than American Idol star, runner-up and most successful alum Clay Aiken. It turns out that Mr. Aiken is a huge fan of The Office. Who would have guessed? We met at NBC. He treated me like a rock star. We took pictures, exchanged publicist numbers. He even tried to give me fake booze (for a photo op). Clay is doing a guest spot on longtime soap Days of our Lives. Somebody pinch... somebody! I have to say, it wasn't long ago that I was waiting on Randy Jackson at Kate Mantilini Restaurant in Beverly Hills. I've come along way, baby. It's pretty surreal.
Sorry this is a short blog, but I have to pack for Vegas, baby. Meredith is going to get down! OK, not exactly. My comedy act is going to be in the Comedy Festival at Caesars. The Lampshades will be hosted by Sierra Mist in the Festival Village. We'll be there from Nov. 15 to 18 — go to thelampshades.com for more info.
Remember, I did the show, the Real Live Brady Bunch. (Steve was Greg right before I joined the cast.) The director of the national tour of the Brady Bunch was Warren Coleman. He's Australian, and he is in town because of this new animated feature he cowrote and codirected called Happy Feet with Robin Williams. Go see it.
Did I mention that Jim and Pam will see each other for the first time this season???? It's true. That is worth all the agony you've all been through over their possible relationship. Don't you dare miss it this week. Please watch, tape, download or TiVo The Office this Thursday. You will be glad you did!
This week's super-sized Office begins at 8:40 pm/ET. See TVGuide.com's Trivial Matt'rs blog for more previews of "The Merger."
|
TVGuide Links:
|
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2006 4:51 PM
|
Thanks for another great blog - I am picturing a classic Brady line/lyric in the merger ep - "When it's time to change you've got to re-arrange" (probably funnier when I am singing it with the Peter voice change) 
|
|
Nov 15, 2006 5:06 PM
|
Thanks for the blog!
Oh my gosh, you met Clay!? I have to admit, the only thing I love more than The Office is Clay Aiken. I'm so jealous!
It's too bad some of the scenes in "Branch Closing" were cut, they were hilarious! I love your character, but the scene that I always remember is at the end of the Christmas ep!
Looking forward to the merge tomorrow, I want to see how Andy and Dwight react around each other!
|
|
Nov 15, 2006 9:49 PM
|
If "The Office" were a man, I would definitely ask him to come back to my place. And then maybe marry him later on.
I loved Meredith's scenes from the producer's cut of last week's episode! Really, it drives me crazy knowing that there is all this wonderful stuff that's being shot and that we don't get to see. I so wish NBC would release a producer's cut every week. We miss out on so much!
And I AM SO EXCITED FOR TONIGHT'S EPISODE. I have missed Jim. It doesn't matter that he's still been in every episode--Stamford "feels far."
I hope you're having a great time in Vegas!
|
|
Nov 16, 2006 1:09 PM
|
I am going to chime in with everyone who has commented so far and say I wish all the good stuff with you and Creed wasn't cut out of the tv version. Your scene with Michael was great, but the stakes were raised with Toby and had me laughing out loud. And that phone call was just too much.
I have said it for some time that your show really needs to be an hour because the things that are deleted are as brilliant as the things that are left in, so I know it really comes down to time constraints and not that a certain scene didn't work.
Thanks for the blog and congrats again to The Lampshades on Vegas, baby! I cannot wait for The Merger- everyone will be back in Scranton at last where they all belong!
|
|
Nov 16, 2006 2:11 PM
|
Thanks Kate! I cant wait to see The Merger and I am thrilled that it is a supersized episode! 
I just wish all the episodes were a decent length so we don't miss out on some fantastic scenes that don't fit into the normal 20 min episodes.
Lampshades in Vegas... I hope we get to see that! Perhaps you could post it in your myspace videos? 
I am definitely going to watch Happy Feet it looks great (plus have to support my fellow Aussie right!)
Thanks again for taking the time to blog! I look forward to it every week!
PS: How exciting that Sexy is back - I mean Jim is back in Scranton!
|
|
Nov 16, 2006 4:06 PM
|
Good luck in Vegas! Meredith/Kate's blog rocks!
Thanks!
|
|
Nov 16, 2006 4:43 PM
|
|
Fake booze? Clay still got punch drunk, didn't he?
|
|
Nov 16, 2006 4:47 PM
|
Another Great blog Kate! Have a fun time in Vegas!
That is so cool that when you meet celebritys that they treat you like you are some HUGE star ( even though you are ) just because they love the office! I wish I had that job!
|
|
Nov 16, 2006 8:11 PM
|
Hi, Kate. My 12 year old son and I are huge fans of the show! Sometimes he laughs so hard he gets a sore throat. His favorite is Kevin/Brian. I wold love to get him an autographed photo of Brian for Christmas. He would go crazy. Any idea how I would go about that? Thanks.
Bill Hathorn
Alexandria, La
|
|
Nov 17, 2006 9:54 AM
|
|
|
