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.
John Krasinski is best known for playing the Jim on The Office, but it turns out he has a pretty impressive resume. In addition to majoring in playwriting at Brown University, he studied acting at various places including The Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon and The Actor’s Center in New York City. Not only does the guy have technique, he also put in time doing less-than-glamorous work before finding TV stardom. He spent some time working as a script intern on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
Not only is this guy yummy, he is willing to work hard. If I wasn’t already planning to go check out his bearded hipster hotness in the movie Away We Go, learning this information would have totally pushed me over the edge.
“Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?” - Edgar Bergen
“You don’t want another Enron? Here’s your law: If a company, can’t explain, in ONE SENTENCE….what it does….it’s illegal.” - Lewis Black
“The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working when you get up in the morning, and doesn’t stop until you get to the office.” - Robert Frost
“What happens to a company if somebody takes a boss away? I will answer your question with a question. It’s like what happens to a chicken when you take its head away. It dies unless you find a new head. I need to find which one of these people has the skills to be a chicken head.” - Michael Scott, The Office
“I do not like work, even when somebody else is doing it.” - Mark Twain
Have you ever watched an episode of The Office and wondered what it might be like to actually have to work with Dwight Schrute? I mean, the guy’s hilarious on TV, but would he amuse the hell out of you in person, or make you want to kill him?
A researcher at Brigham Young University, Dr. Katie Liljenquist, had that same question. She did a study about “socially distinct newcomers” and their effect on offices. She believes that “Dwights” can make cause offices to become more cohesive and work better as a team while they deal with the weirdness or intractibility of their new coworker.
Insecure and conflict-averse employees who are comfortable in their groups often bristle when a newcomer arrives.
That’s because their social cohesiveness is threatened, says Prof. Liljenquist… If one person agrees with the outsider, the group is spurred to brush aside that discomfort and sharpen its focus on the task at hand. Members will open up to new ideas, have a few productive, yet civil boardroom tussles, and voilà: A higher-quality team session will ensue.
Not sure I buy it, but an interesting theory nonetheless.
As assistants, it’s sometimes useful to try and get inside the mind of a boss. After all, if you’re fighting a war you need to anticipate the enemy’s next move. This article from Guidespot is hilarious - it’s a manual for bosses who want to treat their assistants like shit. Here are some of the “helpful” “tips”:
I recently bought my best friend a Rubik’s cube covered in Dharma logos from the Lost store on ABC.com, and that reminded me that there’s some super cute gear to be had out there related to my favorite TV assistants. Here are a couple of the best bits:
The Financial Times has an interesting article about the wardrobes of TV’s “businesswoman” characters. I remember being a teenager when all the talking heads weighed in on Ally McBeal’s miniskirts, and I still think a lot of TV women dress inappropriately for the workplace (even the actresses playing Grey’s Anatomy doctors have their scrubs tailored to fit their bodies better). One of the most realistically-dressed female employees on TV, in my opinion, is Pam from The Office, with her cardigans and cute skirts. She’s office-appropriate without being totally frumpy, and she dresses like a real person and not a fashion model.
The article talks about TV businesswomens’ wardrobes, in particular the trio from the now-cancelled Lipstick Jungle, and asks real businesswomen if their own office ensembles ever look like the ones on TV. (Here’s a hint: no.) There’s also a rundown of how certain characters’ clothes might translate to an actual office - my Pam gets dissed for not wearing enough jackets.
I think TV businesswomen are slightly more realistic than they were ten years ago, but with everybody trying to be the next Pat Field, will that trend continue?
Thanks to STA reader Brett for giving me a heads-up about this week’s issue of TV Guide (the one with House stars Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard on the cover). Damian Holbrook’s “Countdown” column lists the five best and worst TV assistants ever. He includes some of my recurring faves (Joan, Lloyd, Betty) and some who haven’t gotten much time here because their shows ended before the site began (Karen Walker from Will and Grace). Here’s the list:
5. Betty Suarez (Ugly Betty) - Never mind that she dresses like a color-blind hobo and has picked up zero style tips from the fashion mag for which she toils. La Suarez is so faithful to Mode–and the Meade family–that she barely has a life outside the office. Of course, when you have hotness like Daniel, Gio and Henry all on staff, that’s perfectly understandable.
4. Agnes DiPesto (Moonlighting) - Anyone who could answer the Blue Moon Detective Agency’s phones in rhyme and fall for Booger from “Revenge Of The Nerds” is OK by us. Plus, with all the bickering between David and Maddie, the fact that she kept on reporting for duty earns this one Employee of the Year!
3. Waylon Smithers (The Simpsons) - So maybe he’s a little too into serving Mr. Burns, but ya can’t say the guy isn’t devoted. After all, the only thing he loves more than his job is his Malibu Stacy doll, and it’s not every employee whose computer starts up with a nude photo of their boss. We should probably thank God for that.
2. Lloyd (Entourage) - He entures the gay-baiting abuses of superagent Ari Gold, the idiocy of Drama Chase and the indignity of fetching human feces for his boss’ prank against a competeing power player. All with a smile and an unswerving loyalty to his leader.
1. Joan Holloway (Mad Men) - As the curvy wonder says, the only way to succeed is to be more than just a secretary. And based on the after-hours “work” she put in with the head honcho Roger Sterling, we’d say this office administrator is a real up-and-comer.
“Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?” - Edgar Bergen
Have you ever watched an episode of The Office and wondered what it might be like to actually have to work with Dwight Schrute? I mean, the guy’s hilarious on TV, but would he amuse the hell out of you in person, or make you want to kill him?
The Financial Times has 
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