One of the highlights of Friday's press tour day was a visit to the set of The Office. During that visit, various cast members took groups of critics through the entire office set (Angela Kinsey was my group's guide, as you can see in the photo). After the tour, the entire cast, except for the ailing Rainn Wilson, joined creator Greg Daniels in the warehouse to answer our questions.
Executive producer Paul Lieberstein (who also plays Toby) took the bulk of the questions about what's going to go on this season. One tidbit that he readily dropped (probably because it had been published already) was that there's going to be a special event in the fourth episode. Details after the jump.
One of the most terribly underrated comedy shows on television today is FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Here's a hot tip for any Americans that have yet to experience the delightfully atrocious characters from the show: Get on it. Hulu is rolling through all of the episodes and they've just started at the beginning (first five episodes are now available). Perfect time to start, kids.
For those that are already a little more well-versed in the Always Sunny universe, there's fun stuff for you, too. The gang is taking an It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia tour to perform a live stage version of one of their most popular episodes, "The Nightman Cometh."
Were you as shocked as I was that when the results of the American IdolTop 10 Motown performances were announced that the blonde with the tattoo on her arm was safe?
Her enthusiastic, but lamentable, version of Stevie Wonder's "For Once in My Life" was a "train wreck" according to Randy Jackson (and he's rarely that critical), while Simon Cowell labeled her singing "atrocious." So, yes, I was stunned when she wasn't in the bottom three. By the way, I'm not being insulting by not calling her by her name, I'm just not sure what it is.
ABC has outfitted an Airstream trailer to look like The Pie Hole, the shop in which most of Daisies' action takes place, and is driving it across the country to give fans free pie. In addition to the delicious confections, the temporary Pie Hole will feature props from the show and plasma TVs on which fans can watch footage from the show.
The Pushing Daisies Tour begins this Sunday and makes 10 stops. Follow me after the jump for the full schedule.
American Idol does it. So You Think You Can Dance does it. Dancing with the Stars does it. And now, Top Chef will hit the road on a nationwide tour. Top Chef? Really? It's true. Beginning June 21st, the popular Bravo show will embark on a twenty-city tour. The tour will begin on Long Island at the Whole Foods market in Jericho. Top Chef on wheels will feature a customized 18-wheeler semi-truck and "will offer Bravo's passionate fans and cable affiliate partners with the unique opportunity to experience the hit series in their hometowns."
Here's how it will work. In each city, select "chef-testants" from the hit show will do cooking demonstrations, give out gourmet tips, share show secrets and offer food tastings all from the monster truck which includes a state-of-the-art kitchen and can accommodate 38 guests per seating. Every one else can watch from HD screens.
Tour dates are after the jump. Top Chef might be pulling up to a farmers market or food festival near you. What do you think? Does this sound like something you'd go to?
Danke schoen, Yahoo! I've had many a sleepless night since Wayne Newton was sidelined with a recurring heart infection, canceled his holiday gig in Vegas and put his participation in the Dancing with the Stars tour in jeopardy. I have a pile of panties and bras next to my bed ready to go (Because Wayne expects his fans to throw bras and panties at him on stage, of course. Why else would I have so many? Or any at all?).
"I'm thrilled that my doctors have given me the OK to hit the road this winter and perform for all of my fans across the country," Newton announced. The three month tour begins December 18. I'd say more, but I have to go pack all my stuff. I'm going to go Deadhead on this tour and follow them around, smoking ... er ... medicinal herbs, dressing in brightly colored tuxes and getting extensive plastic surgery at each stop. And I'm legally changing my name to Mr. Las Vegas, Jr.
We all know B.J. Novak as Ryan Howard on The Office (he's also a writer and associate producer on the series). However, long before that, he was sharpening his comedic skills on the unsuspecting patrons of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
Give Me My Remote has the scoop, straight from Novak's MySpace: while in high school B.J. and his brother decided to swipe the cassettes used for audio tours at the museum and replace them with their own tour, complete with Chinese music and everything (the tapes were for the Chinese art exhibit). The boys recruited fifteen of their friends to sneakily replace the regular cassettes with the new ones, thus giving museum goers a tour unlike any other.
You can download the Novaks' audio tour via iTunes by clicking here. Trust me, it's worth it. This is one of the funniest things I've heard in a long time.
Are you a fan of the rock band The Police and musical instruments that aren't plugged in? Then I have good news for you.
The Police, who are currently on a reunion tour, will be performing an all-acoustic set for MTV Unplugged somewhere in Miami on July 13, according to Fox News. There's no specific word yet on just which venue the performance will take place, but fans will no doubt be able to catch the performance on MTV (and perhaps also VH1 and CMT). The article further states that an album could result from the Unplugged performance, which should make fans very happy, especially those fans who can't afford tickets.
Here's some cool animation news from the past week or so:
First, if you dig the heavy metal sounds of Dethklok, the brutal (but rather stupid) band from the Adult Swim series Metalocalypse, you'll be happy to know the band is doing a tour of some college campuses, according to Toon Zone and Adult Swim HQ. I'll keep you posted as more information becomes available. Other yet-to-be-announced bands will also be touring to promote Adult Swim.
Little House on the Prairie confounded my young mind on many levels: first of all, I thought the series was an adaptation of the Michael Landon vehicle I Was a Teenage Werewolf, which led me to the erroneous conclusion that all werewolves are farmers. This is not true: most werewolves, like zombies, work in the service industry.
Also, because the show took place in the latter half of the 19th century, I assumed that's when it was filmed, too. It never occurred to me --keep in mind the show began two years before I was born-- that it was a modern show set in the past. I assumed it was a really old show and that anyone involved with it was probably long dead.
In case you missed it the other three billion times I mentioned it, I'm a big fan of Tim and Eric. I thought their series Tom Goes to the Mayor was one of the funniest shows of the last couple years, and I'm growing more and more fond of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, their disjointed and smarter-than-it-seems sketch show.
If you also like Awesome Show but wish you could pay money to watch it, it's now available on iTunes.
In addition, Tim and Eric are heading out on tour with exactly zero stops in the Midwest, the big dumb jerks. Sorry, I'm just a little bitter. While on tour, they'll be filming a documentary of the whole experience, so keep an eye on AdultSwim.com for clips from the road, as well as a full webcast of their appearance in Atlanta on March 1.
The new sketch comedy series, Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!, from Tom Goes to the Mayor creators Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim kicks off February 11 at 11:45pm on Adult Swim. There are a bunch of promos for the series on YouTube, none of which really explain what the show is about, but if it the series is anything like Tim and Eric's previous work, it probably defies explanation anyway. Or, it's a brand new approach to comedy that is actually much smarter than it seems. Either way, I'll be checking it out.
Oh yeah, and if you want to experience the boys live, they're hitting the road later this month for the Tim and Eric Awesome Tour, with absolutely no stops in the Midwest, the rat bastards. Tour stops and ticket information are after the jump. If you get a chance to meet either Tim or Eric on this tour, tell them Adam sends his love from Minneapolis and then kick them in the shins for me. Thanks.
If you've missed out on Galifianakis' more recent outings, you may remember him from the short-lived VH1 talk show Late World with Zach.
If you haven't seen Galifianakis live, you're in for some of the most experimental stand-up to hit the stage since Andy Kaufman took Carnegie Hall out for milk and cookies.
Dancing with the Stars is getting a roadshow. Celebrities paired with real dancers will tour 38 U.S. cities, starting with San Diego on Dec. 19th. Celebrity contestants include Drew Lachey, Joey Lawrence, Willa Ford, Harry Hamlin (what?!?), Lisa Rinna and Joey McIntyre.
Why would anyone want to see this live? Absent-mindedly watching this on a Tuesday night is one thing... but actually paying cash to see mediocre dancers? American Idol does the same thing-- it sends mediocre singers on an American tour each year. I think the difference is the demogaphics.
Would you pay to watch Dancing with the Stars if they visited your town?
One of the highlights of Friday's press tour day was a visit to the set of The Office. During that visit, various cast members took groups of critics through the entire office set (Angela Kinsey was my group's guide, as you can see in the photo). After the tour, the entire cast, except for the ailing Rainn Wilson, joined creator Greg Daniels in the warehouse to answer our questions.
One of the most terribly underrated comedy shows on television today is FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Here's a hot tip for any Americans that have yet to experience the delightfully atrocious characters from the show: Get on it. 
Were you as shocked as I was that when the results of the 
We all know B.J. Novak as Ryan Howard on The Office (he's also a writer and associate producer on the series). However, long before that, he was sharpening his comedic skills on the unsuspecting patrons of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
Are you a fan of the rock band The Police and musical instruments that aren't plugged in? Then I have good news for you.
Here's some cool animation news from the past week or so:
Little House on the Prairie confounded my young mind on many levels: first of all, I thought the series was an adaptation of the Michael Landon vehicle I Was a Teenage Werewolf, which led me to the erroneous conclusion that all werewolves are farmers. This is not true: most werewolves, like zombies, work in the service industry.
In case you missed it the other three billion times I mentioned it, I'm a big fan of Tim and Eric. I thought their series Tom Goes to the Mayor was one of the funniest shows of the last couple years, and I'm growing more and more fond of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, their disjointed and smarter-than-it-seems sketch show.
The new sketch comedy series, Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!, from Tom Goes to the Mayor creators Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim kicks off February 11 at 11:45pm on Adult Swim. There are a 
The furriest member of the Comedians of Comedy and Dog Bites Man team 
Dancing with the Stars is getting a roadshow. Celebrities paired with real dancers will tour 38 U.S. cities, starting with San Diego on Dec. 19th. Celebrity contestants include Drew Lachey, Joey Lawrence, Willa Ford, Harry Hamlin (what?!?), Lisa Rinna and Joey McIntyre.
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