Liveblogging the Paleyfest 2012

[diaphenia]

2:30 I like how much care this stage guy is taking with the cutouts as well as corralling the actual actors. 

4:37 The cardboard cutouts, as well as the long lingering camera gazes, are hysterical. But where's Nick Offerman? Am I just not seeing his? (Also, this is terrible but for the life of me I couldn't figure out who the tenth cast member was. I need more sleep)

8:42 Now, I've never watched an episode of The Office. But I've been under the impression, and maybe I'm wrong, that they were excellent as non-together soulmates and once they got together they were ruined as characters. Maybe not the show to pattern things after?

10:32 Chris kissing Aubrey's cutout is also lovely

11:32 It is, in fact, not clear why Ann's going after Tom

12:00 Thank you, Amy, the word slut is terrible

13:45 Oh we already hate the election, the national election, by now. Shut up Republicans.

15:53 Amy talking about performing both a concession and acceptance speech is just breaking my heart. 

17:32 Except I love that the extras also have their heart broken by that. 

18:20 Chris should just giggle all the time, I love that

18:50 Retta's top is just beautiful. Not my style at all, but she looks fantastic

Also I could listen to her talk about Twilight forever. I almost want to pick up the books, based on her discription

21:01 Mike has brought this up, that they don't decide when the characters look at the camera, and I just find that fascinating. 

23:30 Jim looks great for 64, shit for 50

25:07 Jim's wink was fantastic

25:48 Ron: last of the Tammys for the year. And Nick might show up? But presumably doesn't, since tumblr would have said

27:22 Andy: First off, Chris Pratt looks hot tonight. He says characters learn lessons and remember them in this world. He's growing as a person. I love this story about practicing stunts as a kid with his brother. I wonder if he's going to get injured in 4x22. Actually, I'll be disappointed if they don't.

30:32 Jean-Ralphio: they shot another scene with him, but no one knows if it'll be in the episode, though he'll have amazing hair (according to Retta). Also, Ben Schwartz sent Amy a text message of someone in a Knope 2012 sweater, with the message "representing Knope whatever trailer I'm at" which is charming

31:26 Chris: accompanied by a very serious shot of his cutout. The design of the season is that Leslie helps her friends, then they help her, especially in the pre-Christmas episode. Amy starts crying when they talk about this. Nick makes her cry with his giant eyeballs. 

33:36 Calzone obsession among the writers. Cute story about that episode. Rob improved the "game changer" line. That low-cal-calzone story was the most important storyline.

35:40 Paul Rudd: Amy wrote/directed 4x20. Big city council debate with Bobby. Paul is so damn funny. And there's three other candidates. Gun advocate (Buddy Garrety), animal advocate, and Brandi Maxxxx. Lots of great guest stars. Mike O'Malley runs a van place in the second to last episode, Newport pays him off, and Tom, Donna, and Ron have to get it back from him. Great Donna episode; she strongarms him. Retta: Donna makes it happen

38:10 Amy as writer, director and star of 4x20. True collaboration. Everyone's the best. Louis CK offered her advice, and she doesn't remember it. Chris loves her feedback, the giggling. Retta and Nick are great at crying on cue. 

42:01 Philly Justice. My version cut out. This is so sad. Cute story about Adam creating a fake email address for this weird fake show. Mike is really into this story too. Joan of Arcadia shoutout! Also, of note: did everyone know Elizabeth Smart recently got married? The cast of Rob! is not doing this. 

46:56 Back to Chris the character: Mike likes that's he's a crazy spiraller. Rob Lowe is a perfect human being. More camera shots to the cutout. Challenge is to give him achilles heels. Chipping away at him, hitting bottom, and what does he want to do to get himself out of the rut? In ten years Andy will be mayor and Chris will be an obsess homeless man. Jim tells a story about Rob taking off his shirt while filming the dancing in 4x14, and how is he human? And Jim realizes they're only three years apart (thank god he said it). But Jerry has the penis. (btw: Jim's blazer is very flattering. Too bad Jerry'll never wear it)

49:30 the book. There's an upcoming plotline about A/A not paying their cable bill. Art department uses it. Amy praises them on their creations since everything is real, every list, stuff in drawers, newspapers.

50:30 LA spots. They can't repeat Leslie's 30 campaign promises, so they had to write over 130 more. 45 minutes after the episode, the list was up

51:45 The internet fan base works well together. Chris thinks the fans are smart. True that

52:12 audience questions. Actual Parks and Rec dude.
Next guy: problems with breaking? Everyone in every episode, different combos of people. Tom/April coming up. Ron/Chris coming up. Ten great actors, shut up and stop complaining.

West Wing references? Yes, Mike loves TWW. Lots of references, Bradley Whitford makes a Josh Lyman "ok." Going to be a Walk-and-Talk.

Improv? (these people aren't real fans) not that much, since the writers are excellent. Jump cut stuff is occasionally. They improvise, but the jokes are usually pre-written. "Do I look like I drink water?" was an improv. Chris's "network connectivity" improvised, made Mike angry since it was the funniest one ever. Apparently Chris has a great improv in 4x20, but he's not going to write an episode. Stream cut out again. Super safe environment with improv according to the Jim. 

Amy's favorite behind the scenes moment? stream cut out. Dance party after lunch in the trailers (I remember there was a tweet about that from Rob Lowe once). Once two hours late to the set because of dance party. Mood is set by number one person on the call sheet aka Amy. 

Amy coming back for Arrested Development relaunch? if they want. Working on getting the scripts. Will Arnett is really excited. 

Amy/Spring Breakdown is excellent. When is Anna Ferris be on the show? If they get another season (WHY ARE YOU SO UNSURE) she'll be there

Pawnee Goddess lady and her Pawnee Ranger husband: cautiously optimistic about it returning. Used to getting jerked around by the network. Hope they'll be back with ten seasons. 

Comments

[rikyl.livejournal.com]

You've seriously never seen an episode of The Office? I probably already knew that. I think the problem with Jim and Pam is that they weren't very interesting characters outside of the fact that they wanted to be together. So once they got together, there wasn't much story left. It used to be that Jim had ambitions outside the paper company, and Pam wanted to be an artist, but those plotlines really faded away. Also, The Office was more literal about the documentary style, so a lot of the relationshippy stuff we wanted to see seemed to happen off-screen. Ben and Leslie have so much more going for them.

[stillscape.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I would agree with that. I mean, I loved Jim, but his biggest personality trait was always being in love with Pam, and neither of them has ever been particularly ambitious. And by the time they got together, the show was starting to have other problems. (For me, the decline started when Jan changed so much.)

I do not understand how you have never seen an episode of The Office. The first three seasons are great, and four is good, and you should watch them.

[craponaspatula.livejournal.com]

If you need any more convincing, IT IS BY THE CREATORS OF PARKS & RECREATION. Seriously. No brainer, here. You will love it. I've been pretty open about the fact that the way I feel about Parks is how I used to feel about The Office.

[saucydiva.livejournal.com]

And you loooooove that Jim dude, John Kras-whatever.

[craponaspatula.livejournal.com]

I doooooo.

[saucydiva.livejournal.com]

It takes some doing. I mean, I've seen five minutes here are there, waiting for the show to end or not turning the tv off immediately. But I've pretty much actively avoided it, since it doesn't seem like a show you could just watch an episode here and there.

[stillscape.livejournal.com]

Actually, you can. It's got some serial aspects, but I think even the episodes with more throughlines would be comprehensible if you came in in the middle. All you really need to know for the early seasons is Jim/Pam, and you're good.

[craponaspatula.livejournal.com]

I agree about the limitations of the documentary style were a big factor in that. And the fact that Jim and Pam were always supposed to be completely average, NORMAL people in a BORING environment. Another MAJOR limitation of that show in general is that it's just such a closed world. It's always the same people in the same room, with minor variations. There really is no way these people can grow and still remain on the show. It's just unsustainable in the long run. Parks has done a much better job of opening that world up, so they are constantly interacting with new people and in new settings. Plus Leslie and Ben are just more neurotic on top of being more ambitious to begin with.

[saucydiva.livejournal.com]

I've been busy.

Why don't people get how busy I am?

But obviously Ben and Leslie are better. Just, of course.

[whimsical-irony.livejournal.com]

I laughed when the stage guy tried to move Adam's cutout at the beginning and Amy was like NO.

And I haven't seen the Office either oops.

[saucydiva.livejournal.com]

Those cutouts were just hysterical. The audience really seemed to love whenever the camera lingered on those things- I know I did.

[whimsical-irony.livejournal.com]

I wonder if anyone took the moderator up on hugging one of those.