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Whether Andy going off to anger management training or sailing off to the Bahamas, Ed Helms’ absence from The Office has been quite noticeable. Well, guess what? The actor was actually struggling with scheduling conflicts between the NBC sitcom and his hit blockbuster movie The Hangover.

Ed Helms as Andy Bernard in The Office | image: NBC

To be fair, it wasn’t just Ed Helms who was balancing between The Office and Hollywood projects, even Steve Carell was having scheduling conflicts due to film offers. But, while the actors on the show were more lenient towards Carell and his timing issues, Helms’ absence sparked a cold war on set. He soon realized that he was nowhere near the beloved Michael Scott actor.

Ed Helms’ role as Andy in The Office launched him in Hollywood Ed Helms as Stuart “Stu” Price in The Hangover franchise | image: Warner Bros.

No matter how...

Fans still can’t seem to get over the fact that the beloved mockumentary sitcom The Office ended after nine seasons. Hoping for it to continue further, netizens seemed to blame Steve Carell for his exit, which significantly affected viewership of the show and killed it after 2 seasons post his exit. But what if we tell you that Carell didn’t want to leave?

Steve Carell in a still from The Office | image: NBC

While it was always noted that Steve Carell’s exit after season 7 ruined the show and its popularity among fans, reports suggest how the actor was apparently forced to quit. Andy Greene’s book The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s revealed how Carell had hoped to renew his contract until NBC let it expire.

Steve Carell was blamed for leaving The Office when he was actually forced to quit

Even today,...

By the time the fifth season of "The Office" came around, the NBC comedy series was already an award-winning hit. The show had a huge fanbase, averaged around nine million viewers with each new episode, and it had previously won Emmys for Best Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Steve Carell, and a variety of wins and nominations for writing, directing, and various supporting performances from the rest of the cast. But season 5 would bring a new challenge when the show was given a prime time slot following Super Bowl Xliii in 2009, bringing millions of new eyes to the series.

As longtime producer Halsted Sullivan recalled in Andy Greene's book "The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s," the pressure was on to make the show appealing to both dedicated fans and new viewers who had never seen the series before:...

Jim Halpert's proposal to Pam Beesly on "The Office" was one of the most anticipated moments of the entire series. So fans were completely caught off guard when the romantic moment seemed to come out of nowhere in an almost anti-climactic way. But it was always designed to be like that. 

The proposal came in the fifth season premiere, "Weight Loss," after Andy stole Jim's intended grand gesture, by proposing to Angela during Toby's going away party in the fourth season finale, "Goodbye, Toby." At the time, Pam was living in New York, attending art school. According to author Andy Greene in the book "The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s," series creator Greg Daniels was the one that pushed for the proposal to unfold at the midway point between Scranton and New York City. But shooting "halfway between Scranton and NYC" proved to be quite the challenge,...

Jim and Pam’s wedding episode “Niagara” is often considered one of the best installments of “The Office,” but it could have been the moment the NBC comedy series jumped the shark had it not been for Steve Carell. Andy Green’s new book “The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s” reveals an axed “Niagara” subplot that found Jim and Pam’s romantic boat ride to the eponymous waterfall disrupted by a horse plunging to its death (via Collider). Episode director Paul Feig told Green that Pam’s ex Roy (David Denman) was originally going to crash the wedding on horseback.

“It was supposed to be that Pam and Jim are in the middle of the ceremony and Roy has been haunting around and regretting that he let her go and wanted her back,” Feig said. “When they were in the middle of the ceremony,...

Steve Carell’s decision to leave “The Office” during the show’s seventh season wasn’t entirely his own, according to crew members quoted in a new book about the show.

According to excerpts of Andy Green’s oral history, “The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s,” Carell was pushed off the show by ambivalent executives at NBC. The book quotes several former crew members who said that Carell left the show because no one asked him to stay.

“He didn’t want to leave the show,” hairstylist Kim Ferry said in an excerpt published in Collider. “He had told the network that he was going to sign for another couple of years. He was willing to and his agent was willing to. But for some reason, they didn’t contact him. I don’t know if it was a game of chicken or what…...

Steve Carell’s exit from “The Office” after seven seasons was a game-changing moment for the beloved NBC comedy series, but Andy Greene’s new book “The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s” reveals it was never Carell’s intention to leave the sitcom (via Collider). Numerous crew members spoke to Greene about Carell’s exit and said it was a battle between the actor and NBC executives that forced the comedian off the series. Sound mixer Brian Wittle and hairstylist Kim Ferry said Carell let it slip during a radio interview that he might leave after Season 7; Carell had not made a definite decision at the time, but he was pushed to exit after his comments made news and he was never contacted by NBC executives to stay.

“He didn’t want to leave the show,” Ferry said. “He had told the network that...

Last night was Steve Carell's last episode as a series regular on The Office, although, according to one of the show's producers, the actor may return as a guest star next season. Producer Randy Cordray revealed the show is open to bringing back Steve Carell. Here's what the producer had to say below.

"We created a #1 jersey for Steve Carell [to honor the fact that Steve Carell is #1 on the call sheet]... and gave that to him. We retired #1... in hopes that [Steve Carell] will return some day and do a guest spot for us. We haven't killed the guy; we haven't killed his character...I can't say that he will, but [Steve Carell] hasn't ruled that out; he hasn't said that he wouldn't come back and do another episode for us in the future."

As of now, there are no concrete plans for Steve Carell to return. It won't be known until the Season 7 finale on May 19 who will be the permanent successor to Michael Scott on the show,...

Last night’s episode of The Office may have been a tearful goodbye to one of television’s favorite characters, but as it turns out, we may not have seen the last of Michael Scott.

Speaking with The Office producer Randy Cordray on FusedFilm’s FusedTV podcast, Marc Vibbert, Justin Vactor and I discussed anything and everything related to television production with Cordray, including the evolution of the single-camera comedy and, most importantly, The Office.

While Cordray was quick to reveal that it costs $150,000 a day to take ‘The Office’ on location to film, the television veteran made sure not to reveal any Spoilers of what’s to come. Fortunately, while talking in-length about Steve Carell’s final days on The Office, and the wrap-party that followed ...

Click to continue reading ‘The Office’: You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Michael Scott...

FusedFilm had a nice exclusive this afternoon with producer Randy Cordray, the producer on The Office. In our podcast interview, he told us that Steve Carell may return next season as a guest star and that the finale episode is called the “Search Committee.” It is awesome that Carell would come back as a guest star, showing fans he still cares about the show. Here is what Cordray had to say:

“We created a #1 jersey for Steve Carell [to honor the fact that Steve Carell is #1 on the call sheet]… and gave that to him. We retired #1… in hopes that [Steve Carell] will return some day and do a guest spot for us. We haven’t killed the guy; we haven’t killed his character…I can’t say that he will, but [Steve Carell] hasn’t ruled that out; he hasn’t said that he wouldn’t come back and do another episode for us in the future.”

Now, to put this into perspective, Cordray is not sure either,...

Welcome to the FusedTV podcast where we have reorganized our television talk into one show and tell you what overloaded us during the week. This episode is hosted by Marc Vibbert and ScreenRant’s Anthony Ocasio. Entertainment Overload Radio is the official podcast network of FusedFilm.com. Tell us what you think in the comments below!

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On this episode, we talk to The Office producer Randy Cordray, a long standing comedy producer in the business with a career that goes back to Coach, Dharma and Greg and much more. Currently Cordray has been on the Office for 3 seasons as the line producer. Other shows he worked on include The Loop, Titus, Unhitched and Still Standing.

Thanks for listening to Entertainment Overload Radio! Please let us know what you thought of this episode by leaving a comment below or e-mailing us at kcoll@fusedfilm.

"The Social Network's" climb to Oscar victory was put to a halt by the Producers Guild, giving its much-coveted Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures to Tom Hooper's "The King's Speech!" (Full list of PGA Awards nominees and winners below)

Thus, making this one of the most unpredictable Oscars in recent years. Will the unclear antagonists and protagonists of "The Social Network" triumph over the "against all odds" story of "The King's Speech"?

Keep in mind that PGA has a better simulation of Oscar process (ten-picture slate, preferential ballot system) but still, taking the last ten years into account, PGA has matched only six out of the ten Best Picture Oscars.

In 2000, "Gladiator" won both Oscars and PGA, but 2001, PGA picked "Moulin Rouge!" but the Oscar went to "A Beautiful Mind."

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In 2002, both Oscars and PGA chose "Chicago," and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King...

The Producers Guild of America Awards were held last night in Los Angeles, with filmmaker Judd Apatow hosting the ceremony. Here are all of the winners along with the full list of nominees below:

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:

The King's Speech Producers: Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gareth Unwin

127 Hours Producers: Danny Boyle, Christian Colson

Black Swan Producers: Scott Franklin, Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver

Inception Producers: Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas

The Fighter Producers: David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, Mark Wahlberg

The Kids Are All Right Producers: Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Celine Rattray

The Social Network Producers: Dana Brunetti, Ce&#225n Chaffin, Michael De Luca, Scott Rudin

The Town Producers: Basil Iwanyk, Graham King

Toy Story 3 Producer: Darla K. Anderson

True Grit Producers: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Scott Rudin

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:

Toy Story 3 Producer: Darla K. Anderson...

hollywoodnews.com: Today the Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced this year’s winning motion picture and television productions at the 22nd Annual Producers Guild Awards ceremony held at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

In addition to the competitive awards, the PGA honored several individuals with tribute awards including James Cameron with the 2011 Milestone Award; Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman with the 2011 Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television; Scott Rudin with the 2011 David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Motion Pictures; Laura Ziskin with the Visionary Award; Sean Penn with the 2011 Stanley Kramer Award; and RealD with the 2011 Vanguard Award.

The following is a list of 2011 Producer Guild Awards nominees and winners (in bold and noted with*), listed in alphabetical order by category, along with producers. The producers? names listed for each nominated production are listed in alphabetical order and are not necessarily the proper order of credits.

The theatrical...

Here’s the full rundown of award nominations for the 2011 Producer Guild Awards in Theatrical Motion Picture and Television. See who the producers thought wore the crowd in 2010.

The theatrical motion picture nominees are:

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:

127 Hours

Producers: Danny Boyle, Christian Colson

Black Swan

Producers: Scott Franklin, Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver

Inception

Producers: Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas

The Fighter

Producers: David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, Mark Wahlberg

The Kids Are All Right

Producers: Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Celine Rattray

The King’S Speech

Producers: Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gareth Unwin

The Social Network

Producers: Dana Brunetti, Ceán Chaffin, Michael De Luca, Scott Rudin

The Town

Producers: Basil Iwanyk, Graham King

Toy Story 3

Producer: Darla K. Anderson

True Grit

Producers: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Scott Rudin

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:

Despicable Me

Producers: John Cohen,...

The Producers Guild of America (PGA) has announced the television and motion picture nominations for the 2011 Producers Guild Awards. The three motion picture categories include The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures; The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures; and The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures.

The guild previously announced that James Cameron, Laura Ziskin, Scott Rudin, the producing team of Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and gasp, RealD (!) will receive honorary awards.

The Producers Guild Awards ceremony will be hosted by Judd Apatow and will be held Jan. 22.

Here's the complete list of nominees (Check our Awards Avenue for complete winners/nominees for all award-giving bodies):

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:

127 Hours

Producers: Danny Boyle, Christian Colson

Black Swan

Producers: Scott Franklin, Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver

Inception

Producers: Christopher Nolan,...

By Sean O’Connell

Hollywoodnews.com: Nominees for the 22nd annual Producers Guild Awards were announced this morning, and if you have been paying even the slightest bit of attention during the awards race, you could guess the 10 titles picked for Best Picture, otherwise known as the Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award.

Regular nominees like “The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech” led the list, paired alongside the likes of “127 Hours,” “Black Swan,” “Inception,” “The Fighter,” “The Kids Are All Right,” “The Town,” “Toy Story 3” and “True Grit.”

If there’s a big winner, it’s Ben Affleck’s “The Town,” which also found its way into the Top 10 nominated by the Broadcast Film Critics Association for their Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, which air Friday, Jan. 14. Does this mean it will make the cut when the Academy picks 10 later this year?

The guild previously announced,...

"The Office" tries to put "The Sting" on a rival, and it goes horribly awry. Which, from a comedy standpoint, is a good thing.

We're officially going to declare "The Office" out of its Season 6 doldrums, because this season has thus far not had a dud episode yet. Not every story in every show has worked, but there's been good stuff every week.

The good stuff in "The Sting" revolved mostly around Timothy Olyphant as rival salesman-turned-Dunder Mifflin employee Danny Cordray (named, we're assuming, after producer Randy Cordray), who got a chance to show off his comedy chops and not wear a cowboy hat. As noted in our preview, he mostly played the straight man (or reacted to regulars drooling over him), but he meshed really well with the cast.

And Omg Danny dated Pam! It happened (offscreen) while Jim was in Stamford, and someone never called someone back, and...

Arriving on DVD and Blu-ray late this summer will be the fifth season of NBC's "The Office." You can expect to see box sets of the comedy on store shelves on September 8, 2009. 5 Disc DVD Set: * Anamorphic Widescreen * English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround * English and Spanish Subtitles Special Features - Weight Loss Commentary with Randy Cordray, Michael Gallenberg, Brian Wittle, Nick Carbone, Ben Patrick, Alysia Raycraft, Kelly Cantley, and Jake Aust - Business Ethics Commentary with Bj Novak, Peter & Vartan, and Sergi* & Alan - Employee Transfer Commentary with Dave Rogers, Anthony Farrell, Veda Semarne, Chuck Canzoneri, Kyle Alexander, and Phil Shea - Customer Survey Commentary with Stephen Merchant, Paul Lieberstein and Mindy Kaling - Moroccan Christmas Commentary with Kate Flannery, Angela Kinsey, and Brian Baumgartner - The Duel Commentary with Rainn Wilson, Rusty Mahmood, Jennifer Celotta, and Dean Holland - Dream Team Commentary with Bj Novak, Aaron Shure, Charlie Grandy, and Matt Sohn...