If the previews are correct, it looks like tonight's new episode of The Office will officially kick off the Pam vs. Karen battle. Some of you who favor Pam may look at Karen and say, "Who is this chick?!?" First of all, don't call her a chick. Second of all, I thought this was an ideal time to meet Rashida Jones, the actress who plays Karen on The Office.Rashida Jones has some pretty amazing genes. She is the daughter of legendary music producer Quincy Jones and actress Peggy Lipton. Yeah, I know. I'm jealous, too. So, of course this beautiful woman (named one of People's 50 Most Beautiful in 2002) can both act and sing. And she's some sort of piano genius who could play classical concerts at the age of five. She is one of the back-up singers on three songs by Maroon 5's breakthrough album, Songs About Jane. And she's wicked smart, graduating Harvard University in 1997. And, even though I haven't seen it, she apparently does a great job of putting Tupac Shakur in his place during an interview in the documentary Thug Angel (Life of an Outlaw). She didn't like some things Tupac had to say about her famous dad.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Rashida -- for our purposes, anyway -- is that she actually used to date John Krasinski, who now plays her love interest on The Office. How's that for weird? They broke up before she ever appeared on The Office, and now their characters are romantically involved. In an interview with US Weekly, Jones says acting like she has a romantic relationship with 'Jim' is really not that weird.
Rashida's other television experience includes minor roles in Freaks & Geeks and Boston Public, as the sassy assistant principal, and Stella, as Karen. She was also Edie Miller on the popular British television series, NY-LON and she played Special Agent Carmen Merced on TNT's The Wanted.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-14-2006 @ 1:54PM
Dan Geiser said...
"does a great job of putting Tupac Shakur during an interview" ?
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12-14-2006 @ 2:21PM
paulo said...
Oh, I can totally see the Peggy Lipton resemblance now. Team Karen!
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12-14-2006 @ 2:24PM
suprfli said...
anna: it sounds like you have a crush on someone.
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12-14-2006 @ 3:08PM
Sean said...
She has also appeared on Chapelle's Show. She was in the Kobe Bryant pre-nup and a few other scenes.
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12-14-2006 @ 3:17PM
Jim said...
TEAM PAM!
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12-14-2006 @ 3:41PM
erin said...
I'm on team Pam but I think Karen is great. She also played Karen (Scarfoli) on Freaks and Geeks... Three Karens, three awesome tv shows.
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12-14-2006 @ 4:38PM
Christine said...
Tupac said in an interview that he didn't approve of Quincy Jones being in a biracial marriage. In response, Rashida wrote an open letter defending her parents. Tupac was going to apologize to her, mistook Rashida's sister to be her, and long story short was engaged to her sister before he died.
She's also got a photographic memory.
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12-14-2006 @ 4:54PM
Porchland said...
She saves baby seals in the Arctic.
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12-14-2006 @ 4:56PM
Porter said...
Ooooooh. She was on "Freaks and Geeks" and "Stella"! I always knew she looked familiar, but could never place it.
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12-14-2006 @ 4:59PM
Mohaski said...
TEAM PAM & KAREN!
(I think an open, 3-way relationship could be ratings gold, Jerry! Gold!)
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12-14-2006 @ 5:46PM
scott said...
Forget about Jim, I wanna see Pam & Karen hook up...
Team Karam FTW!
and wasn't Dr. Chilton from Silence of the Lambs the asst. principal on Boston Public? I thought Rashida was just a secretary in the front office or something...
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12-14-2006 @ 8:10PM
TVaholic said...
Scott, I think Anna meant to write "assistant TO THE principal."
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12-14-2006 @ 8:13PM
Raymond said...
She was also in a Chappelle's Show sketch. And I danced with her at a party.
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12-14-2006 @ 9:07PM
SJ said...
"Forget about Jim, I wanna see Pam & Karen hook up...
Team Karam FTW!"
I second that, especially after tonight's brilliant episode.
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12-14-2006 @ 9:57PM
scott said...
you're the man, raymond!
no sarcasm intended...
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12-15-2006 @ 2:45AM
c. baines said...
I always forget which one dated Tupac.
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12-20-2006 @ 8:53AM
Lee said...
She was only in the first episode of Stella, then was mysteriously replaced with a new roommate. I guess they didn't owe an explanation, as no one was watching the show, unfortunately.
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12-24-2006 @ 10:40AM
OfficeSpy said...
Sorry to break up the Karen fan party but have any of you noticed, especially in the earlier eps, that Rashida's face looks practically bruised ?! It's either bad makeup or makeup to cover up bruising. And in this Cmas episode you hardly ever see her full body on camera, why ? Because in one scene her blouse and pants look button-busting tight. Plumping up or preggers ? Neither is Office-fan-friendly.
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12-29-2006 @ 10:38AM
Tyrone Malone said...
No doubt! I'm a big Rashida fan and was glad to see her pop on The Office as some much needed Pam competition since that shorty seems to have 'commitment issues'. I posted on homegirl back in November on my blog, The Urban Eye - http://tyronemalone.blogspot.com/2006/11/quincys-daughter-in-office-triangle.html
You know where ol Ty's loyalties lie - Team Karen, y'all!
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