Ricky Gervais Talks ‘Office’ Cameo & Steve Carell’s Decision to Leave the Show

Whether you approved of his Golden Globes performance or not, Ricky Gervais is undoubtedly one of the most significant voices working in comedy today.

As one of the masterminds behind the brilliant comedy series The Office, Gervais gave audiences some of the edgiest mainstream comedy in years, constantly pushing the limits of our social mores via his obnoxious character, David Brent. Likewise, as an executive producer of the American version of The Office, Gervais also left an important imprint -- namely by choosing not to be too involved in the creative process.

That decision, which many original Office fans were nervous about, allowed the U.S. Office to take shape on its own and become one of the most popular television shows of the last ten years. Interestingly, Gervais is now set to return to the American version of The Office as the character that started it all, David Brent.

In an interview for Piers Morgan’s new CNN show Piers Morgan Tonight, Gervais talked about his decision to make a cameo appearance on The Office and why he told Steve Carell that he was doing the “right thing” in leaving the show after its seventh season.

Check out the segment below:

Even though he can come off quite brash, I really admire Gervais for his attitude toward comedy. In all of their shows thus far, Gervais and creative partner Stephen Merchant have never forced a show past its expiration date. For example, the UK version of The Office ran for only 14 episodes, yet it is continually hailed as one of the best comedies in recent memory. Likewise, Gervais and Merchant’s show Extras only ran 13 episodes. They both know how to quit while they’re ahead.

Some would argue (and many have) that the American version of The Office has gone on too long -- and there are good arguments for either side. The important thing to remember, and the thing that Gervais gets across the most in his interview, is that the American Office is something special all by itself and that, regardless of what happens to the show after Steve Carell leaves, it was something to enjoy.

Source: CNN

View the original article here

Liam Neeson Talks Cameo in ‘Hangover 2′ Plus New Set Photos

Last year, The Hangover scored big with audiences by delivering raucous action, raunchy humor, and a genuinely intriguing mystery.

Indeed, the movie was so successful that many have wondered whether the Thailand-based sequel will be able to outdo its predecessor.

Back in October, director Todd Phillips promised that The Hangover 2 would deliver some “some f@#$ed-up surprises.” While there’s no reason to doubt Phillips, thus far the only glimpse of the movie we’ve seen has been beyond benign (unless you think photos of the actors walking through the airport is exciting).

Thankfully, TMZ got a hold of some set photos that hint at the movie’s plot as well as some of the crazy antics the guys will be getting into.

Check out the set images below. These images, and the discussion after them, should be considered SPOILERS, so if you want to be totally surprised, you should probably move on.

–

–

–

Looking at these photos, two questions immediately come to mind: Why is Zach Galifianakis bald, and why did Ed Helms get a Mike Tyson-style face tattoo? As to the former question, TMZ claims that Galifianakis’ character shaves after becoming a monk. Given that the movie is set in Thailand, this definitely makes sense.

As to the face tattoo, it jives with previous reports that Liam Neeson would play a tattoo artist for his cameo role. Interestingly, however, Neeson recently told People Magazine that he wouldn’t be playing that role after all. According to the article, “Neeson revealed his part is being filmed at a movie studio in Los Angeles and shot down rumors he’ll play a tattoo artist – but would not reveal what his role will actually be.“

It’s interesting that Neeson “shot down” rumors about playing a tattoo artist when the “rumors” were based on his direct quote to Variety. Could it have been that he wasn’t supposed to reveal his role, and now he’s just running damage control? Whatever the case, I’m sure that the explanation for Helms’ new look will be just as entertaining as the reason why he woke up missing a tooth in the first Hangover.

What do you think of these new set photos? Any thoughts on the potential plot for The Hangover 2?

The Hangover 2 is currently slated for release on May 26, 2011.

Source: TMZ, People

View the original article here