Receptionist Pam Beesly of “The Office” was recently crowned “Employee of the Year” by Us Weekly. Well, more specifically, it was Pam’s portrayer, Jenna Fischer. She was one the honorees on Us’ “Hot Hollywood” list, along with American Idol Kris Allen (”Victor of the Year”), The Soup’s Joel McHale (”Comic of the Year”), and Leona Lewis (”Chanteuse of the Year”).
I love Pam, and Jenna Fischer seems pretty awesome too.
That said, does Us Weekly know there is a difference between actors and the characters they play on TV?
STA wants to offer a very hearty congratulations to Jack McBrayer, who was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Jack plays Kenneth the Page on 30 Rock, and he’s up against some stiff competition, including Neil Patrick “The NPH” Harris (who might have an edge, as he’s hosting the ceremony), Rainn Wilson (Dwight from “The Office”) and his own costar Tracy Morgan.
What are Jack’s odds for taking home a statue? It is definitely possible to win an Emmy for playing an assistant - just ask America Ferrera.
To relive some of your favorite Kennethisms, check out this post.
Sorry for posting two videos in one day (I never do that!) but I just couldn’t let this brilliant clip from last night’s Golden Globes ceremony go unnoticed. Sacha Baron Cohen, who has been running amok through the fashion industry for his upcoming film Bruno, presented an award last night and used his time onstage to dis some celebrities, including Charlie Sheen and Victoria Beckham. The best line, though, was a crack about Madonna’s personal assistant. I don’t want to ruin it, so enjoy:
Tracey Morgans (not to be confused with the very funny 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan) has won the title of Wales’ Top Assistant. Tracey is 38, married with two kids, and lives in a town called Caerphilly. She’s the PA to John Phillips, managing director of commercial finance specialists Kingswood Associates Ltd. In an interview with Wales Online she has some interesting things to say about the nature of her job: namely, that she never intended to be a PA and wound up in the position by surprise. “I have been a PA now for about 3½ years. It wasn’t originally the job that I’d applied for,” she said, “I thought I was applying for an accounts role which gradually combined into a PA role.”
I feel like everything ‘gradually combines into a PA role’. Maybe running this website has made me grumpy and bitter, but it bugs me how jobs that have little or nothing to do with administrative work end up becoming de facto assistant jobs when companies ‘cut costs’ by firing people and creating combo jobs or because everyone passes the buck until the most recent hire gets saddled with admin stuff regardless of whether it’s in their job description.
I’m proud of Tracey and all, and she sounds sweet, but the other problem I have with this article? The title: “Having a Fantastic Boss Really Helps.” Yes, it does help, but why can’t you use a title that a) explains what the hell the article is about, and b) mentions the assistant for once instead of the boss? Jeez.
With all the hullabaloo around the Olympics (and let’s not forget the crushing on all the fine young men in bathing suits and gymnastics outfits*), we naturally started wondering about all those nameless, medal-less faces running sprints, dodging bullets and shredding records in the office world. We thought we’d take a moment to recognize these Office Olympians with a few awards. Without further ado…
The Michael Phelps “Swimming Machine” Award goes to… the reason we have a Former Assistants Done Good category in the first place is Odessa Whitmire, who made the best of her time as Ben Affleck’s assistant, first by hooking up with Matt Damon, and then by joining forces with Affleck’s sister-in-law Summer Phoenix to open two high-end vintage boutiques. See, people, it is possible to be a former celebrity assistant with actual non-famewhore career ambitions, rather than just a CaCee Cobb.
Gallup (the same people who do the Gallup poll) apparently gives out annual awards for great workplaces. And this year’s big winner is… Country Inns and Suites.
Since we hadn’t heard of them either, we did some searching around on their site. Here’s what we learned about them: their website is phenomenally boring. If you want to look into career opportunities, click here. Regardless, boring website or not, kudos on being crowned America’s Best Workplace.
You know that part in Office Space when the consultants tell Peter he’s missed a lot of work, and he says “I wouldn’t really say I’ve been missing work”?
One guy may have taken that notion a bit too much to heart. Daniel Kuch, who lives in Washington State, was so eager to get out of going to work (his job has not been divulged) that he asked a friend to shoot him. Look, I’ve faked sick, I’ve lied about a family commitment…but I have never, ever been so desperate to weasel out of work that I asked someone to shoot me. I would rather quit my job than end up with a flesh wound. It seems that Daniel not only wanted to get out of going to the office, he needed time to stall a mandatory drug test.
Hey, Daniel? Maybe next time you could avoid a hospital stay and just send emails to STA instead. Get well soon, dude.
We love this article about the best, worst, and most amusing office goings-on of the year. You can read the whole list here or check out our highlights below:
Best Office Exit: Angry auction employee
From a farewell e-mail sent by a Christie’s employee to colleagues at the auction house: “I feel it is best to quickly express my fondest appreciation for some of the endearing ideas that I have seen peddled around me: like how everyone seems to be replaceable, thinking outside the box is liken to heresy, favouritism is thicker than water and speaking the truth gets you in trouble.” Anyone for farewell drinks?
Best Lawsuit Excuse: Massages and Sausage
James Bonomo, a former paper-sales manager for Mitsubishi International Corp., sued the company alleging he was subjected to a night of drunken karaoke followed by a forced “non-sexual massage” at a bathhouse while on a business trip to China. While in the bathhouse, he alleges, his supervisor compared his penis to an “Italian sausage” and another colleague snapped a picture of it with a cellphone. Even Dunder Mifflin’s paper salesmen would be appalled.
Best Work Quote: Gregg Adams
Mr. Adams, a professor of veterinary biomedical sciences at the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine, spends his days arm-deep in the rectums of various animals to check if they’re pregnant.
When asked about his job, he said, “Have I been pooped on by an elephant and a rhinoceros? Yes. I’ve been up to my shoulders in it.”
Tracey Morgans (not to be confused with the very funny 
