TVSquad

Imagine this scene: an early-evening party in a hotel lounge area. Half the people there are reporters; the other half are actors and producers from NBC shows. To give you an idea: Ali Larter and Hayden Panettiere of Heroes were there; Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, and Melora Hardin of The Office were milling about; Meredith Vieira was bonding with reporters; and Shane West, Linda Cardellini and Parminder Nagra of ER were talking into tape recorders (Parminder's nickname is "Mindy", by the way). There were others there, but those are the ones I remember.

Then there was Ed Helms. He was also at the party to represent The Office; but, unlike some of the other cast members, he wasn't exactly a veteran of press events like this. So he sticks by the bar, chatting it up with a friend (heck, I'd do the same thing if I were in his place). He happily but guardedly starts speaking to a small group of reporters (including me) who wanted to find out what it's like to be the guy who made Dwight Schrute likable. Then, all of a sudden, one of the women listening in starts to slowly slink to the floor.