Scranton Office Convention Story – The Scrantones Concert

The night after the Cast Q&A we all headed over to another college in Scranton and attended as VIP only snack. No cast arrived because – well, to be honest – I think they were tired! Also, many were upstairs judging The Office Costume Party. It was Halloween anyway.

Many great costumes were everywhere – many Moses.

Right after the contest, we were treated to one of the most amazing moments of my career. Standing one row from the stage for The Scrantones!

Yes, I know – no one knows who they are. They recorded the Theme Song and they were the band on the Booze Cruise.

It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever been to. Most every star in attendance at the Convention took the stage to sing a song and they ALL stormed the stage at the end.

This video shows MANY of the cast performances from the show. It’s GREAT! Check it out!

These are videos I took:
The Concert Opening

Creed Playing The Blues

Melora Hardin Sultry Singing

Closing (part 1) Part 2

After the concert, NP and I jumped in the car, and with a tip from a certain cast member, headed over to Poor Richard’s Pub cause they would all end up there soon. Poor Richard’s is actually inside a bowling alley – it’s a little tiny place.

Scranton Office Convention Story – Cast Q&A

photo: thetwocents

An enormous crowd was spilling into the University of Scranton’s gymnasium. We were at the very end of this throng and I didn’t know how far away we would be sitting. Lord beer me strength if I need to sit in the back of this place.

photo: thetwocents

One glance at my Corporate ID and I’m led to the front seats. We end us third row, just off center of the stage. We are about an hour away from the cast arriving and are treated to the song stylings of the Univ of Scranton Jazz Ensemble. They did a great job of playing upbeat songs while we all waited.

Finally the magic hour of 5pm hits and the large jumbo tron goes into the video that the people in Scranton made and sent to Greg Daniels and company at The Office to convince them to come. Big applause. However the real treat was a 10 minute video clip of bloopers from this current season! I’m already excited for the season 4 DVD now!

photo: thetwocents

Finally Matt Smith and the local Scranton Weather man take to the stage to introduce us to our cast! Andy Buckley (CFO David Wallace) leads the charge with his hand up in the air. He’s followed by Bobby Ray Shafer (Bob Vance), Phyllis Smith (Phyllis), Creed Bratton (Creed), Oscar Nunez (Oscar), Kate Flannery (Meredith), Craig Robinson (Darryl), Mindy Kaling (Kelly), Leslie David Baker (Stanley), Melora Hardin (Jan), Brian Baumgartner (Kevin), Angela Kinsey (Angela), Ed Helms (Andy) and Greg Daniels (Executive Producer).

The cast spoke for almost 2 hours. Questions were pre-submitted via the internet and were read to the cast, and then they opened it up to the fans in the house to ask questions.

Here are some great questions and answers we got:

– Greg Daniels stated that Angela is probably least like her character while Mindy chimed in that BJ was most like Ryan!

photo: thetwocents

– A fan yelled out Rid it dit di doo! And Ed Helms answered back and broke into Andy’s version of Drift Away from the Product Recall episode.

– Ed feels that The Office is different than the Daily Show because he gets to play a character, not just a super swarmy version of himself.

– Angela was the first to get “THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID” yelled at her by the fans AND cast when she said preparing to be mean as Angela is “pretty hard”. TWSS was mentioned a ton of times over the course of the panel.

– Brian was asked to recreate the Kool-Aid Man facial expression and he complied.

– Melora enjoys the dance she gets to do between domestic Jan and vixen Jan. She said the character has a lot of meat to sink her teeth into. That’s what she said!

– Leslie was seen smiling ear to ear over the entire course of the Convention. He’s one of the happiest people I’ve ever seen. A fan asked how he keeps so straight faced as Stanley and Leslie replied that he does a lot of biting his tongue to keep from cracking up. He thinks about dead pets and such.

– Mindy can’t pick between Writing and Acting, likening it to having to choose which parent you want to go with after a divorce. She said that both are “Awesome”.

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– Craig stated that he hopes we’ll see more Darryl and when about his relationship with Kelly he answered by leaning over and kissing Mindy Kaling. Ed answered with Rid it dit di doo!

– Kate didn’t think she could top that and Oscar said – WATCH! He leaned over to move in for a kiss with a very confused Creed. He stopped and pointed at the crowd as if to say “Don’t start!” Kate said she believes one of Meredith’s ex husbands was a serial killer or something dark like that. She also loved that everyone in Scranton thought she was beautiful, and I must say, she really is in person!

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– Oscar said that improv really helps with comedic acting. He suggested that if anyone was thinking of being a doctor or lawyer or something that they should quit school and join an improv troupe.

– Creed was asked how closely related he is with his character on the show. Creed launched into a character story involving Ed Truck, bus rides to Scranton in the 60s, etc. Ed mentioned that Creed doesn’t really know it’s a TV show at all.

– Phyllis thanks all the cast members she read with as a casting director in helping to cultivate her skills as an actress.

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– Bobby believes that Bob Vance should get Phyllis an Escalade with spinners for their anniversary that’s coming up! Poor Bobby had lost his voice and had to whisper his answers to Phyllis for the rest of the time.

– All smiles, Andy Buckely was fast becoming a crowd favorite as chants of CFO CFO were erupting from the crowd whenever he was asked a question.

– A fan asked Greg how close MASH is to the Office and he answered, not at all. Angela said that some have compared Dwight and Angela to Frank Burns and Hotlips from MASH however.

– Ed and Brian went to high school together.

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– Angela loves the idea of her character being with Dwight but thinks she’ll try out Nardog (Andy Bernard) for a while.

– Brian doesn’t know how to play the drums and was taught by Paul Lieberstein (Toby) how to for the Phyllis’s Wedding episode.

– Mindy likens to the Kelly of recent seasons to a mallrat.

– Craig answered his next question by kissing Mindy again.

– Kate was so happy to be able to do her own stunt of jumping on Michael’s car in the Fun Run episode. Kent Zbornak did it first to prove to Kate it would be ok.

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– Melora told the crowd that Andy Buckley is actually a stock broker for Merryl Lynch and he comes down to do his scenes on days off from his real job.

– Ed is asked to sing Rainbow Connection and he does. Then mentioned that it should really be answered by Craig and Mindy kissing – and they do again. To which Mindy said Rid it dit di doo!(Watch Video)

– Ed was prompted by the cast to do Tom Brokaw and Al Gore impressions. They were spot on.

– Melora was asked how they achieved Jan’s new breasts and Melora said it’s a strap on – THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID! Ed followed up with, yes, that is what she said, she just said it.

– Mindy said that The Injury is the favorite episode she’s written.

– Phyllis has a broken ankle and according to Melora, Phyllis used to be a professional dancer.

– The audience asked Ed to sing Take A Chance on Me. One of the people on the phone in the episode was John Michael Higgins (Best in Show, The Breakup, etc). Ed did sing Take A Chance and the cast backed him up. (Watch Video)

– Ed was asked to finish “Give me a break, give me a break, break me off a piece of that…” Ed answered Football Cream. Then the girl said she brought him a KitKat bar and Ed said that was nice but he didn’t know what that had to do with anything. The man is very quick on his feet with the funny. Actually, they all were.

photo: thetwocents

– If Creed was an animal he’d be a duck billed platypus.

– Greg Daniels was friends with people named Jim Halpert and Andy Bernard in high school. He also blamed being lazy for using the actors names for their characters (i.e. Angela, Oscar, Creed).

– Legend states a UFO landed in Carbondale, the next town over. Look for this to be mentioned in a future Dwight storyline. They all seemed intrigued about his.

– Craig (after kissing Mindy a last time until she mentioned her boyfriend was somewhere in the audience) said that they all are in awe of how they are being treated this weekend. He said it was “beautiful” and “overwhelming”.

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– Brian spoke about meeting people who came from IRELAND to attend the Convention.

– Melora called this event surreal and Leslie said it was historical and ground breaking. Angela said nothing will ever compare with this. Ed called it Dawesome.

photo: thetwocents

This was one of the greatest moments of the entire Convention. The cast enjoyed being up there with each other as much as we enjoyed watching them. They were all laughing all the time. Just like us. I’m SURE it will be on a future DVD!

Back to the hotel to change yet again. All this wasn’t even CLOSE to the end of the day! But that’s another story…

Cast Q&A Photos

–Back to the Scranton Story Main Menu–

Scranton Office Convention Story – Uncommon Stockholders / Street Festival (Part 2)

photo: thetwocents

Walking down the street from the autographs towards the mall. It’s sizable walk. About half way down the street a trolley stops next to us and the driver tells us to climb on board. He drops us off right at the Steamtown Mall.

photo: thetwocents

We slosh our way in and the entire mall is decked out with Dunder Mifflin / Office stuff. We make our way up to a large open area which has many standups of Office characters. Two tables are set up, one for Froggy 101 and the other to sign up to be a Dunder Mifflin Uncommon Stock Holder. We sign up our names and are awarded our very own, limited edition, stock certificate.

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We walk around the rest of the mall and we encounter more of these Office standups all around. Tables are everywhere to sign people up to be the stock holders. The center court is decked out to look like a board room with the cutouts from Registration room behind it. Later in the day they will be having an improv session about being a board meeting. There is already a long line of people waiting to sit and watch this show.

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We head up to the food court to find the goal for every Office fan that comes to Scranton. And standing there, like a beacon of Dawesomeness is the original Welcome to Scranton sign that is in the opening sequence of the TV show. They have a booth set up to have your picture taken next to the sign, we just took our own though.

We didn’t stick around to watch the Stock Holder meeting because we needed to get back to our hotel and dry out our shoes/jeans. Did I mention it was POURING? After some time with the hotel dryer, we head back to our parking garage and back out to the Street Festival.

Glory! The sun has come out! We can get some pictures that are, as the signage everywhere said, Lackawanna Wonderful. Working our way back up to the main stage we actually see people all around and people performing on the stage.

photo: thetwocents

The Scrantones were doing a concert on the main page and as we got closer we noticed they had some special guests. Creed and Kate Flannery (Meredith) were signing the Pennsylvania Polka for the crowd (watch video).

We head over to the registration tent where Tucker’s eyes start to BEAM when he sees us. Our passes are finally ready! The Tim business card goes away and we have our real Corporate ID badges finally. Also, we notice that Andy Buckley (CFO – David Wallace) is walking around the crowd signing autographs. He’s dressed in a power suit with his prop glasses, he’s just a happy man to be here!

photo: thetwocents

We walk back over to the main stage where the Scrantones are still playing and their bass player looks very familiar. It turns out to be Scott Shriner from Weezer! Very cool.

A HUGE crowd of people are wrapped through the streets of Scranton making their way into the Univ of Scranton for the cast Q&A. But that’s another story…

Uncommon Stock Holders Photos
Street Festival Photos

–Back to the Scranton Story Main Menu–

Scranton Office Convention Story – Street Festival / Autograph Signings

photo: thetwocents

Up bright and early on Saturday morning we head out to Downtown Scranton and back to our favorite parking garage.

Scranton has closed off a few of the main roads and set up a Street Festival which is open to the public. Tents were everywhere, which is good because it was POURING buckets of rain. Our umbrellas were barely holding up to the rain. We sloshed our way down the main road and turned back up another.

Standing there in front of us was the Main Stage all set up for concerts and the ribbon cutting and the Office Olympics. Due to the rain nothing was started yet and so we headed over to the large tents set up for today’s registration. Also under these two tents were the Dunder Mifflin Infinity tables, the NBC store and the upcoming autograph tables. We meet up with Tucker still has no passes for us. The color printer just isn’t working.

We wait in the line for a long time at the NBC Store. NP needs a poncho and I’m looking at those two-tone Dunder Mifflin hats to help keep the rain out of my eyes. The major problem over here today (aside from the rain all around) is the lack of power in the tents. No registration printing, no laptops for DMI and no cash registers for the store. We finally get power about an hour later and poncho and hat in hand, we head off into the rain to see what else is going on.

photo: thetwocents

We head off down to the food tents of the street festival and see familiar names to the show. Names like Farley’s, Poor Richard’s Pub and Cooper’s. We get some crab bisque in a bread bowl from the Cooper’s booth and some potato pancakes from a booth called Nice’s. Very tasty on this gloomy day. The Olmpics have been postponed and we can’t find them.

photo: thetwocents

After eating up a bit we head back to the registration tent and start to wait in line for the 12pm autograph session. Here is how the autograph sessions worked. VIP were guaranteed one autograph ticket and everyone else had chances to get them. Every hour 2 stars of the show would be at table A and 2 stars would be at table B. We wait in line and NP gets Leslie David Baker (Stanley) and Craig Robinson (Darryl) to sign our souveneir program, she hands it off to me, standing in line B so I can get Oscar and Creed on the program too.

photo: thetwocents

The lines for registration, NBC Store, autographs have now all intertwined under these two little tents and it’s a bit crowded. To keep the crowd happy, Craig starts signing mini candy bars and throwing them into the crowd.

As soon as we get our autographs we take off back down the road. We are a few hours away from the Dunder Mifflin Uncommon Stock Holder’s convention. It’s at the Steamtown Mall, so off to the Mall we go. But that’s another story…

Street Festival Photos
Autograph Session Photos

–Back to the Scranton Story Main Menu–

Scranton Office Convention Story – VIP Casino Night

photo: thetwocents

After a quick stop off to check-in to the hotel, we were back in the car and back to downtown Scranton. The very nice parking spot across the street was gone, but we found a great parking garage around the corner.

Back into the Radisson to wait for the buses to the Casino and to check for our VIP passes. Tucker is still hunched over his laptop and we still don’t have our passes. The backup plan? Tim Holmes’ business card on a lanyard. Tim Holmes was the man in charge of everything for the Convention, from what I was told, his business card is like gold around Scranton.

photo: thetwocents

A fun moment of getting back to the Radisson was meeting up with a MySpace friend – Bobblehead Gary. He was waiting for his VIP pass as well. Such a nice guy.

We go to check out the rest of the lobby and NP points over my shoulder. Standing there in the lobby was Creed Bratton. Our first cast sighting. He signed a few autographs and then ran into the elevator with the Scrantones. Nice.

The buses finally arrived and the VIPs all poured on to about 4 or 5 city buses. 30 minutes later we arrive at the Mohegan Sun Pocono dogtrack/casino. The casino is a relatively new part and only is allowed slot machines. The VIPs are given 100 credits to use in our charity event. We are told over and over and over again that we are not allowed to take pictures in the Casino and cameras/camera phones will be taken if they are used. NP and I didn’t even bring our cameras in.

There are many food tables set up. Crackers and cheese, seafood such as shrimp and oysters, a roast beef carving station and 4 open bars carved of ice. We have gaming tables such as craps, texas hold-em, and blackjack. I sit myself down at a hold-em table and the games begin.

About 30 minutes later I look over my shoulder and sitting at the hold-em table behind me is Craig Robinson (Darryl). Over the next few minutes, poker is being played by Ed Helms (Andy)and Angela Kinsey (Angela). At a blackjack table, Brian Baumgartner (Kevin) is dealing. Phyllis Smith (Phyllis), Kate Flannery (Meredith) and Oscar Nunez (Oscar) are walking around chatting with fans.

I lose my poker money on a bad beat and head up to the stage where a local band is performing fun cover songs. Just as I get to the stage, Creed is strapping on a guitar strap and here come some Scrantones! They rip into the Blues Riff they played on the deleted scene of Booze Cruise. Good times!

photo: thetwocents

They end the song and I literally run right into Angela. She and I chat for a little bit and I thank her for her TwoCents Interview and give her a TwoCents logo pin. Angela recognized the name and was so gracious in putting the pin directly on to her scarf.

This is where it became very evident that NP and I may have been the ONLY two people who listened to the no camera rule. Camera, flashbulbs, video everywhere. I had my camera phone. So, we got a few grainy shots, but it’s pretty upsetting we missed out on some great shots.

From there we went and had a conversation with Bobby Ray Shafer (Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration). Again I thanked him for his TwoCents Interview and gave him a pin. We chatted about the reception they have gotten so far.

photo: thetwocents

We hear I Will Survive, turn around and who’s on the microphone? Craig Robinson! He was great! The guy is excitement personified. Later on in the evening, towards the end, Craig got back on the stage and ripped into a version of Creep. Who’s standing next to me enjoying it? Ed Helms. He was very nice and was into the performance as much as any fan. It was at that moment that I realized that the stars of the show are having as good a time as the fans are. I get some chat time with Craig and thank him for his TwoCents Interview too.

Tim Holmes announced a special guest – Kent Zbornak, Office Executive Producer, who had some special prizes for the big money winners. He brought with him the following: glasses worn by Rainn Wilson, a calculator watch worn by Rainn Wilson, a watch worn my Steve Carell, the green recorder played by Rainn, the jellybean candy dish from Pam’s desk and mustaches worn by Rainn, Steve and John Krasinski in this past week’s episode of Branch Wars.

We all loaded back on the buses and the night ended, but what a full first day!

Casino Night Photos

–Back to the Scranton Story Main Menu–

Scranton Office Convention Story – The Drive Down/Registration

photo: thetwocents

Hey Dunderheads! It’s story time! And boy do I have a lot of stories to tell. This long weekend in Scranton for the official Office Convention was amazing. So much to share, so let’s get on with it – shall we?

After watching some of the cast on The Today Show, NP (TwoCents Staff Photographer) and I left the driveway and pointed the car towards Scranton around 12:15pm on Friday afternoon. At 12:58 we crossed the border into New York state and at 1:58pm New York gave way to Pennsylvania!

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Getting closer to Scranton, in the POURING rain, we start to notice signs with names we recognize. Places like Lake Wallenpaupack (Booze Cruise) and Honesdale (Schrute Farms). It was starting to become real.

Pulling off the exit of 81 you come around a bend and before you know it – BAM – there’s the Welcome to Scranton sign. Not the one filmed by John Krasinski and used in the opening of the show, but the new and improved sign. We make a vow to get a picture of it next time.

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You come around another bend and in front of you is the backside of The University of Scranton. You pass under a bridge and the walls of the ramp is painted with Welcome to Scranton (The Electric City) signs and all kinds of colors.

The Radisson Hotel is an old train station and incredibly beautiful to look at, even if it is from under our Dunder Mifflin umbrellas. We luck out and get a parking spot directly across from the hotel, grab out information and run in.

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Making our way to the the grand ballroom of the Radisson we are greeted by nice ladies handing out Scranton tourism information, the Univ of Scranton bookshop and then a nice volunteer in a royal blue Convention shirt shows us the way. The registration is set up in lines leading to a LONG counter. To the left is a huge screen showing Office episodes. Behind the counter are enormous painted cut-outs of many of the Office characters and a separate booth for each ticket level for the Convention. I need to find my Convention contact – Tucker Hottes and I’m pointed towards a bearded man hunched over a laptop.

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After a few brief hellos, he takes our picture for our Corporate Convention IDs and we sign in. Upon sign-in we get a manila inter-office envelope filled with important information, a souvenir program, a black shirt with the Convention logo on it and then the woman behind the desk says “And you get…. a World’s Best Boss mug … signed by Steve Carell.” I was stunned. BONUS! NP got a copy of the painting Pam did of the Office’s building, autographed by Jenna Fischer. Already it’s a great trip!

Tucker then introduces us to his partner in crime on the Convention Committee, Matt Smith, and we start to realize that even amid all the chaos of registration that everyone from Scranton is SO nice. Matt informs us that it’s going to be a WHILE for the ID passes to print and we might as well come back later on.

So we check out the Dunder Mifflin Infinity booth (GO DANBURY BRANCH!) and make our way back to our car to head to the hotel to get ready for the VIP Casino Night later that evening. But that’s a different’ story.

Trip Down Photo Album
Registration Photo Album

–Back to the Scranton Story main menu–

2007 Holiday Guide

We all need to keep our dates open for our favorite Holiday TV Specials, now don’t we?

So, we here at TheTwoCents are more than happy to spread the holiday love! Here’s what we have so far! If you don’t see a favorite of your here, shoot us an email and we’ll try to find when it’s on for you!

[Updated: November 26th]

Thursday, November 22nd
9:00AM (NBC)
“Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade”
America’s favorite Thanksgiving Day parade features all the spectacular pageantry, fun and surprises that have made this annual New York City extravaganza a perennial favorite. Heralding the start of the Christmas season, this beloved holiday features colorful grand floats, lively marching bands, amazing character balloons and special performances by some of today’s hottest stars and Broadway performers. This year’s special guests include Ashley Tisdale, Bindi and Terri Irwin, Corbin Bleu, Dolly Parton, Good Charlotte, Grandma from the Big Apple Circus, Jonas Brothers, Jordin Sparks, Kay Hanley, Lifehouse, Menudo, Michael Feinstein, Miss U.S.A. 2007 – Rachel Smith, Ne-Yo, Nikki Blonsky, Sarah Brightman, and Wynonna Judd — plus an appearance by Santa Claus.

2:00PM (NBC)
“Miracle on 34th Street”
NBC continues its tradition of bringing home the holiday classics with this Academy Award-winning feature. Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn)–the real Santa Claus–is hired to play himself at Macy’s Department Store in New York City. His gentle, joyous spirit and magical powers soon transform those around him including a little girl (Natalie Wood) and her cynical mother Doris Walker (Maureen O’Hara). However, Kris’ attempts to spread the true meaning of Christmas in a cynical world land him in the psychology ward with only lawyer (John Payne) on his side.

Friday, November 23rd
8:00PM (ABC Family)
“White Christmas”
After leaving the Army after W.W.II, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis team up to become a top song-and-dance act. Davis plays matchmaker and introduces Wallace to a pair of beautiful sisters (Betty and Judy) who also have a song-and-dance act. When Betty and Judy travel to a Vermont lodge to perform a Christmas show, Wallace and Davis follow, only to find their former commander, General Waverly, is the lodge owner. A series of romantic mix-ups ensue as the performers try to help the General. Starring Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby.

Tuesday, November 27th
7:00PM (ABC Family)
“Prancer”
Jessica, the daughter of an impoverished apple farmer, still believes in Santa Claus. So when she comes across a reindeer with an injured leg, it makes perfect sense to her to assume that it is Prancer, who had fallen from a Christmas display in town. She hides the reindeer in her barn and feeds it cookies, until she can return it to Santa. Her father finds the reindeer an decides to sell it to the butcher, not for venison chops, but as an advertising display.

8:00PM (CBS)
“A Charlie Brown Christmas”/”Charlie Brown Christmas Tales”
In the digitally-remastered 1965 special, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Charlie Brown complains about the overwhelming materialism that he sees everywhere during the Christmas season. Lucy suggests that he become director of the school Christmas pageant, and Charlie Brown accepts, but it proves to be a frustrating struggle. When an attempt to restore the proper spirit with a forlorn little fir Christmas tree fails, Charlie Brown needs Linus’ help to learn what the real meaning of Christmas is. “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” created by late cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, airing TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET/PT; OAD on ABC: 12/6/01). The hour will also include a series of Christmas-themed animated stories entitled “Charlie Brown Christmas Tales,” based on Schulz’s work, in which each of the beloved PEANUTS characters – Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy and Sally – star in his or her own charming animated vignette.

Wednesday, November 28th
8:00PM (CBS)
“Shrek the Halls”
Just when Shrek thought he could finally sit back, relax and enjoy his happily ever after with his new family, the most joyous of all holidays arrives. It’s Christmas Eve and everyone is filled with holiday cheer — except for Shrek. He isn’t exactly the picture of yuletide joy, but for the sake of Fiona and the kids, he tries to get into the spirit of things as only an ogre can. Unfortunately, everyone seems to have their own ideas about what Christmas is all about, so when Donkey, Puss In Boots, Gingerbread Man and the whole gang try to join in on the fun, Shrek’s plans for a cozy family celebration end up spiraling into one truly unforgettable Christmas.

8:30PM (CBS)
“Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas”
Based on the classic children’s book by the legendary Dr. Seuss, “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” takes viewers inside an animated snowflake to Whoville, the magical land of the Whos. But high above this holiday-loving town resides the Grinch, a hateful creature with a heart three sizes too small, who despises Christmas and plots to steal it from the Whos.

Friday, November 30th
7:00PM (ABC Family)
“Frosty’s Winter Wonderland”
Frosty’s kind of lonely, so the kids think of making him a wife, Crystal. But will Jack Frost let them be happy?

8:00PM (ABC)
“THE POLAR EXPRESS”
Can children still believe in Santa Clause? In the Academy and Golden Globe Award-nominated “The Polar Express,” one doubting child gets the surprise of his life when, while lying in bed wishing he could hear reindeer bells from Santa’s sleigh in the final hours of Christmas Eve, an incredible event occurs: A roaring locomotive grinds and hisses to a halt outside his bedroom window. The mysterious conductor (voice of Tom Hanks) invites him to join the other children already aboard on a fantastical journey to the North Pole. It is an adventure filled with wonder and learning, at the end of which lies a gift that only those who believe can still experience.

8:00PM (NBC)
“Christmas in Rockefeller Center”
NBC heralds the arrival of the holidays on Wednesday, Nov. 28 (8-9 p.m. ET/PT) with a dazzling display of musical talent and the lighting of the world’s most famous Christmas tree during the 10th annual “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” telecast. Co-Hosted by Nick Lachey, Al Roker (“Today”), and Ashley Tisdale the star-studded annual tree lighting extravaganza will feature Natasha Bedingfield, Tony Bennett, Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Sean Kingston, Taylor Swift, Ashley Tisdale and Carrie Underwood performing current hits and holiday classics from Rockefeller Center in New York City.

Saturday, December 1st
8:00PM (NBC)
“The Radio City Christmas Spectacular”
For the first time ever, NBC will televise the 75th celebration of the “Radio City Christmas Spectacular” in a one-hour exclusive special from the great stages at Radio City Music Hall. Hosted by Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira (“Today”), the show will feature brand new glamorous costumes, state-of-the-art special effects and new eye-popping numbers performed by the world-famous Radio City Rockettes, as well as traditional favorites including the famed “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers.”

Monday, December 3rd
7:00PM (ABC Family)
“Rudolph’s Shiny New Year”
Father Time sends Santa a message telling him that the baby new year, Happy, is missing! And without the baby new year, it’ll remain the old year forever. But it’s foggy and snowing, so Rudolph’s the only reindeer for the job. Rudolph learns that Eon (ugly buzzard) is also searching for Happy, so that eon life will never end. With the help of 1 Million B.C. and Sir 1023, and 1776, Rudolph searches through the islands of the Archipelago of Last Year and races against eon to ensure a Happy New Year.

8:00PM (ABC Family)
“The Year Without A Santa Claus”
Mrs. Claus tells us about the time Santa had a bad cold and decided to take a vacation from Christmas. Two of his elves, Jingle Bells and Jangle Bells decided to go out (with Vixen) to find children to convince Santa that the Christmas spirit is still important to everybody else. But they have to get past Heat Miser and Snow Miser, first, before they land in Southtown, USA, where it never snows for Christmas. But the Miser Brothers can’t agree to let it snow in Southtown. But Mrs. Santa knows their mom–Mother Nature.

9:00PM (ABC FAMILY)
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & the Island of Misfit Toys”
When the Evil Toy Taker takes all of Santa’s toys, it’s up to Rudolph and his friends Hermey, Yukon Cornelius and the Abominable Snowman “Bumbles” to stop him and bring Christmas to the children of the world.

Tuesday, December 4th
8:00PM (CBS)
“Rudolph: The Red Nosed Reindeer”
The longest running holiday special in television history celebrates its 43rd anniversary in this digitally re-mastered version. Since 1964, millions of families have watched Rudolph and his friends, Hermey the Elf, Yukon Cornelius and the Misfit Toys, save Christmas. The classic “Animagic” special features a world-renowned musical score from Johnny Marks and the voice of legendary performer Burl Ives.

8:00PM (ABC)
“Sants Claus is Coming To Town”
In the perennial favorite created in 1970 by Rankin-Bass Productions (“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman,”) Fred Astaire narrates this timeless tale of Kris Kringle (Mickey Rooney), a young boy with an immense desire to do good things for others. In his home village of Sombertown, Kris has started a gift factory where he builds toys and gives them to all the local children. But when the evil ruler, Burgermeister Meisterburger (Paul Frees), bans toys from the land, Kris is forced to go directly to Mother Nature and ask her for assistance. With the help of magical elves and several special reindeer, Kris overcomes the Burgermeister and delivers toys to children all over the world, earning him the name Santa Claus.

Wednesday, December 5th
7:00PM (ABC Family)
“‘Twas The Night Before Christmas”
One Christmas season, the citizens of a small town, both human and mouse, find their letters to Santa Claus have been unceremoniously returned. Furthermore, there is a message that says the entire town has been removed from Santa’s delivery itinerary due to being insulted by a letter from that town dismissing his existance. While Father Mouse confronts his cynical son, Albert, who wrote the letter; their human companions, a clockmaker and his family work to find a way to regain Mr. Claus’ favour.

Saturday, December 8th
7:00PM (ABC Family)
“Santa Clause 2”
Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) has been Santa Claus for the past eight years, and his loyal elves consider him the best Santa ever. But Santa’s got problems (he’s even mysteriously losing weight) and things quickly go south when he finds out that his son, Charlie, has landed on this year’s “naughty” list. Desperate to help his son, Scott heads back home, leaving a substitute Claus to watch over things at the Pole. But when the substitute institutes some strange redefinitions of naughty and nice, putting Christmas at risk, it’s up to Scott to return with a new bag of magic to try to save Christmas.

8:00PM (ABC)
“How The Grinch Stole Christmas”
Jim Carrey stars as the Grinch in this 2000 live-action film based on the classic Dr. Seuss book. Also starring are Christine Baranski, Jeffrey Tambor, Molly Shannon and Taylor Momsen.

Monday, December 10th
8:00PM (ABC)
“I Want A Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown!”
“I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown!” centers on ReRun, the lovable but ever-skeptical younger brother of Linus and Lucy. It’s Christmas vacation and, as usual, ReRun’s big sister is stressing him out, so he decides to turn to his best friend, Snoopy, for amusement and holiday cheer. However his faithful but unpredictable beagle companion has plans of his own, giving ReRun reason to ask Snoopy to invite his canine brother Spike for a visit. When Spike shows up, it looks like ReRun will have a dog for Christmas after all… but then the real trouble begins

Tuesday, December 11th
7:00PM (ABC Family)
“Jack Frost”
The Groundhog tells the story of how, for once, Jack Frost became human, and helped a knight win his lady love.

7:30PM (ABC)
“Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too!”
Nominated for a 1992 Emmy Award in the Outstanding Children’s Program category, the primetime special was honored by TV Guide as the “most lushly animated” holiday program of all time. Pooh and Piglet retrieve a letter to Santa, but while trying to add some forgotten Christmas wishes, their plans go amiss. Realizing the letter won’t find its way to the North Pole in time, Pooh and Piglet decide to play Santa, with some decidedly comic results!

Thursday, December 13th
7:00PM (ABC Family)
“The Little Drummer Boy”
When Aaron’s family is killed, he hates all people and his only friends are the lamb Baabaa, the donkey Samson and the camel Joshua. But an unscrupulous travelling performer convinces them to join his troupe, and then sells Joshua to a trio of kings. Aaron follows the star to find Joshua, but then Baabaa is badly injured, and Aaron must overcome his hatred of mankind and find a gift with which to approach the babe in the manger and ask for help.

9:30PM (NBC)
“Saturday Night Live Christmas Special”
‘Saturday Night Live’ presents a compilation of holiday themed sketches from its over 30-year history. Hosted by Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey, highlights run the gamut from Dan Aykroyd’s “Irwin Mainway” selling dangerous Christmas toys to Eddie Murphy’s “Gumby Christmas Special” and Alec Baldwin’s “Schweddy Balls” and much more star-studded holiday fun.

Friday, December 14th
8:00PM (NBC)
“It’s A Wonderful Life”
NBC marks a milestone for the nation’s visually impaired as the network presents this exclusive and special telecast of Frank Capra’s 1946 holiday classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” starring James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore. Through a process of Descriptive TheatreVision, the special presentation will be described for the blind and visually impaired by former President George Bush. Bush’s description will inform the viewer of what is occurring on the screen, filling the blanks where no dialogue or other sounds tell a visually impaired person what is happening during a television presentation. The film follows the life of George Bailey (Stewart) from childhood to maturity in the town of Bedford Falls. On what might be his last Christmas Eve, a discouraged Bailey wants to throw his life away. Fortunately, Clarence (Henry Travers), a second-class angel, is sent to show him the value of life. After Clarence gives Bailey a view of Bedford Falls without him, Bailey realizes how precious his life is and gets a second chance. He comes to learn that Clarence was right when he said, “No man is a failure who has friends.”

Monday, December 17th
7:00PM (ABC Family)
“Pinocchio’s Christmas”
It’s Pinocchio’s first Christmas, and he sells the book Geppetto gives him for present money, but Cat and Fox trick him out of it. So, Pinocchio becomes part of a (Christmas) Marionette show to make present money. He steals a girl puppet when he leaves, and the gendarmes chase him into the Forest of Enchantment. There, he meets Azora, a fairy with a cricket who try to fix Pinocchio’s lying and set him on the right track. But then he’s sold to a Duke, whom Pinocchio convinces to spend time with his children. And only Santa’s reindeer can get Pinocchio home in time for Christmas.

8:00PM (ABC Family)
“Jingle All The Way”
Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Howard Langston, a father who has promised his son that he will get anything he wants for christmas. Unfortunately for Howard, his son wants an immensely popular “Turbo Man” action figure. Howard forgets to get it, and since it’s Christmas Eve, it’s sold out everywhere. Since Howard knows he has let his son down in the past, he goes on a quest to track down a “Turbo Man” action figure, and will stop at nothing to get his son the gift that he wants.

8:00PM (NBC)
“Clash of the Choirs”
In an exciting four-night event series, “Clash of the Choirs,” has tapped five musical superstars — Michael Bolton, Patti LaBelle, Nick Lachey, Kelly Rowland and Blake Shelton to embark on a musical challenge as they return to their hometowns to assemble an amateur choir and prepare them to compete live in studio for the title of America’s best choir. From December 17-20 the show will feature music genres ranging from current pop hits to holiday classics and the choir hopefuls will be judged each night by viewers watching at home. Jason Raff and Suzy Lamb will executive produce this BBC Worldwide Production based on a series format acquired from Scandinavian based Friday TV.

Wednesday, December 19th
8:00PM (CBS)
“Frosty The Snowman”
Comedian Jackie Vernon provides the voice of Frosty in the Christmas fable, originally broadcast Dec. 7, 1969 on the Network. The special, based on the popular song of the same title by Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson about the happy-go-lucky snowman with the “corncob pipe, a button nose and two eyes made out of coal,” features Billy De Wolfe as the voice of the villainous Professor Hinkle, a magician whose stovepipe hat transforms the lifeless snow figure into an enchanting song-and-dance man.

8:30PM (CBS)
“Frosty Returns”
The first winter storm of the season brings the magical Frosty to the snow-covered town of Beansborough just as a new invention, a snow-removal spray called Summer Wheeze, is being introduced on the market. Not only does Summer Wheeze de-ice the town’s annual Winter Carnival, it also threatens Frosty’s very existence.

Friday, December 21st
8:00PM (CBS)
9TH ANNUAL A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
WITH SHERYL CROW — Inspirational stories about adoption will be enhanced by performances by Crow, James Blunt, Carol King, Reba McEntire and others. Rene Russo will be among the celebrities telling touching stories about adoption to raise awareness for this important social issue.

Saturday, December 22nd
8:00PM (CBS)
“Elf”
Will Ferrell, James Caan and Mary Steenburgen star in this comedy about a man raised as an elf at the North Pole who is sent to New York in search of his true identity.

Sunday, December 23rd
7:00PM (ABC)
“Elmo’s Christmas Countdown”
Uh-oh, Christmas is in trouble! When the ten numbered boxes to Stiller the Elf’s magical Christmas Counter-Downer become lost, the arrival of Christmas is impeded. Can Elmo and Abby find the missing boxes and restore the big countdown to everyone’s favorite holiday? It just might take a Christmas miracle! In a world where reindeers report the news, Elves do yoga and Santa is issued speeding tickets, you never quite know what’s going to happen. That’s why it’s good to have your friends around!

Monday, December 24th
8:00PM (TBS)
“A Christmas Story” – 24 Hour Marathon
TBS celebrates the holiday with an all-day marathon of one of the most enduring Christmas classics of all time. Peter Billingsley stars as young Ralphie, whose desire for a Red Ryder BB gun leads to hilarious complications. Melinda Dillon and Darren McGavin play his parents in this nostalgic comedy based on the writings of Jean Shepherd, who also narrates.

Monday, December 25th
10:00AM (ABC)
“Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade”
The Emmy-Award winning show is once again scheduled to be hosted by Regis and Kelly at Walt Disney World and Ryan Seacrest at Disneyland. This year’s program promises to be bigger and better than ever with new floats, characters, and performances — such as the show-stopping “Dancing with the Stars” number in which Joey Fatone, Drew Lachey, the cast of professional dancers from “Dancing with the Stars” and over 200 additional dancers perform a spectacular number in front of Cinderella Castle. Other celebrities scheduled to appear include Miley Cyrus (from Disney Channel’s hit show “Hannah Montana”), Josh Groban, Jonas Brothers, Billy Ray Cyrus and many more.

Monday, December 31st
10:00PM (ABC)
“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve”
For the 36th consecutive year, “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” will lead America into the New Year when Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest host. The American tradition of Dick Clark counting down to midnight will once again take place during the three-and-a-half hours of specials from Times Square in New York City. This year will include special performances from both New York and Hollywood. Additionally Marysol Castro, “Good Morning America Weekend’s” weather and features correspondent, will return to report on other happenings in and around New York City.

11:00PM (FOX)
“New Year’s Eve Live”
Join the celebration live from New York City’s Times Square as Cat Deeley counts down to 2008 on FOX. Deeley, reprising her role as host, will take a look back at the year’s most memorable moments in pop culture and introduce live performances by some of the year’s hottest musical artists. During the broadcast, TALKSHOW host Spike Feresten will report from the heart of Times Square to conduct his signature “man-on-the-street” interviews with partygoers. As 2007 comes to a close, Deeley and Feresten will bring in the New Year as the world-famous New Year’s Eve ball makes its descent into Times Square .

11:35PM (NBC)
“NBC’s New Year’s Eve With Carson Daly”
Carson Daly will be on the east coast this holiday season when he and “Last Call” executive producer David Friedman produce “NBC’s New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly” live from Times Square in New York City. Expanding on the success of last year’s music-filled event, this year’s celebration will begin at 11:35 pm (EST) and ring in 2008 with performances by Grammy winning artist Lenny Kravitz, among others.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008
11:00AM (HGTV)
“Tournament of Roses Parade”
The other networks carry the parade too, but only the Home and Garden Network shows it commercial free!

TwoCents & FiveQuestions With…

Angela Kinsey

…Angela Kinsey, Actress

The day has finally arrived. It seems like an eternity since we last were watching new footage of our friends at Dunder Mifflin in Scranton! Today, the wait ends. We will know what happens to Jim and Pam, Michael and Jan, and Dwight and Angela!

Oh, speaking of Angela, the one and only Angela Kinsey spent some time to share her TwoCents and Five Answers with us!!

Angela has appeared everywhere since the show began, from guesting on “Thank God You’re Here” to numerous appearances on talk shows, internet specials, Emmy broadcasts, and movie appearances! She’s everywhere and we consider ourselves fortunate to include TheTwoCents on that list of Angela Kinsey sightings! Enjoy!

TwoCents: Could you tell the TwoCents readers what path led you to The Office?

TwoCents & FiveQuestions With…

Jeff Probst

…Jeff Probst, TV Host

Here at TheTwoCents we don’t cover a lot of reality shows. However, sometimes a show is so good, you have to make an exception – Survivor is just such a show! This season we will be covering Survivor: China all season long.

Survivor is the first American program that has been allowed to film in entirety inside China. This is historic television in the making.

Recently I was able to get Jeff Probst, the long time host of Survivor, on the phone for an interview and to ask him a few key questions about the show and he was kind enough to share us his TwoCents on Survivor this season! Enjoy!

TwoCents: How you doing Jeff?

Jeff Probst: Good, how you doing?

TTC: Great Thanks! What was the thought process about bringing people that already had a kind of notoriety onto the show? Such as Leslie being a radio talk show host or especially Ashley from the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment).

TwoCents & Five Questions With…

David Denman

…David Denman, Actor

Our Summer of Office interviews continues with one that is special for today, the day that NBC runs a repeat of the episode called “The Negotiation”!

David Denman came into our lives on the big screen with “The Replacements” and left his mark most recently as Roy in our beloved “The Office”.

David was kind enough to recently lend his Two Cents & Five Answers to us and so now we present you with David Denman!

TwoCents: “The Office” tends to really focus on so many different characters and the fans love every single one of them. What’s it like to be one of such a great ensemble and be recognized as Roy and is it always a positive reaction or not due to your character’s involvement in the love triangle with Jim and Pam?