extras

The other day, I watched the latest season of Extras again and laughed just as hard as I did during my first viewing. It was also during this revisitation that I realized Stephen Merchant, who plays Andy's annoying agent, is still seriously under-appreciated. So, I did the only thing that a little blogger like I can do... Dedicate an "In the Limelight" profile to him.

Merchant was one half of the writing and directing team behind the original The Office. He appeared in the show as the Oggmonster only one and a half times (once during the Red Nose Day episode and another time as a voice over Gareth's speakerphone), so it was only natural that his writing and directing partner, Ricky Gervais, got all the attention as the star of the show.

According to Lisa de Moraes of The Washington Post, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant have officially stated that there will not be a third season of Extras (the story is at the bottom of this page). Just like with their other creation, The Office, the comedic creative team felt that two seasons were more than enough, and just like with The Office, the show will be wrapped up with a standalone special, air date TBD. Slightly more information is here, via The Hollywood Reporter.

In interviews, Gervais had been going back and forth on doing a third season, but I think most people knew what he and Merchant were really thinking all along. The two of them like the British format of short seasons that air whenever the creators get around to writing a new series, and they both seem like they like spending their careers doing different projects (Gervais is currently touring England with a one-man show called Fame). So hearing that Extras isn't getting a third season isn't a big surprise.

We've previously reported that funnyman and the star and creator of Extras and The Office Ricky Gervais was in a very short-lived pop group in the 1980s, but I recently uncovered a wealth of information on the subject that just had to be shared.

For those of you who might not know yet, Ricky Gervais was part of a pop duo from 1982 to 1984 called 'Seona Dancing' (shawn-uh, not see-own-ah). They released two singles ("More to Lose" and "Bitter Heart" - both wide b-sides) in the UK that climbed to numbers 117 and 70 on the charts, before they dropped into obscurity. However, in 1985 a DJ in the Philippines started playing "More to Lose", and it rocketed to the top of the Filipino music charts. According to the All Music Guide, "In one part of the world, Seona Dancing's "More to Lose" became an '80s anthem as ubiquitous as Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes."

You are not a true tabloid celebrity unless all of your roads lead towards a one way ticket to rehab. Celebrities wear their Chanel sunglasses and hats low, like a badge of courage, as they are driven in their chauffeured SUV's through the Mojave Desert on their way to places with names more appropriate for a nursery school than to a place for those down the downward spiral of celebrity excess.

Common pre-requisites for rehab include an undying love for cocaine, a struggle with food or a co-dependency on the bottle.

But say you don't have a problem with any of the above and find yourself being publicly scrutinized by society who seek a social remedy for your reprehensible behavior on national television?

We make foul discriminatory language a new reason for rehab and make Isaiah Washington our example.

Unfortunately for Washington, one of the side effects of going to rehab for foul language is being the butt of many jokes, from Wanda Sykes on Ellen to even your own co-worker at The SAG Awards.

It's only a matter of time before we find Harry Potter in rehab. Let me be the first to make this prediction after his...

Extras (Sun., 10PM, HBO)
Harry Potter is a dirty, dirty boy. Daniel Radcliffe guest stars on 'Extras,' where he hopes to shed his innocent image by making a very indecent proposal to Maggie. Dumbledore would be aghast. Meanwhile, Andy (Ricky Gervais) is a laughingstock after he makes a faux pas at a restaurant.

Did anyone catch Stephen Merchant on 24 last night? It was a "blink and you'll miss it" moment, and the poor guy didn't even get a line. However, as a self-professed fan of the show, it was probably a moment in heaven for him. Literally, a moment. Someone hands him a sheet of paper that he's supposed to ostensibly do something extremely critical with (hey, he works in the CTU after all), and he gives them a grim little nod in return.

Ahhh, the acting chops that had to take. Still, I would've jumped at the chance to be on the show, even if I was background extra number 48 in a crowd scene. I've missed the last two seasons, but this premiere sucked me back in. That's how easy I am.

Apologies for being a few days late with this news, but I thought you'd all like to know that the second season premiere of Extras is available for free at the iTunes music store. The new season kicks off tonight on HBO at 10pm, too, but if you're like me and love Ricky Gervais but don't have HBO, this is a nice option. Actually, it's pretty much the only option. I actually prefer to only have one option, as it makes it easier to make decisions. Someday I hope to open a restaurant that serves only one dish, but that's neither here nor there.

The second season of the popular series will feature guest stars such as Orlando Bloom, Daniel Radcliffe, David Bowie, Chris Martin, Sir Ian McKellen and Jonathan Ross.

(Note: last week was a really slow week for TV DVDs, which is why we didn't have a post up. Though the first season of Martin was released.)

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As I may have mentioned here once or twice, I was a huge fan of the British version of The Office. No matter what the US version accomplishes or how good it gets, I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the vision Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant had of the average dead-boring workplace and the relationships that are developed there.

So when I was sent a preview copy of the first season of the pair's follow-up effort, Extras (out Tuesday), I was intrigued but wary: after such a successful debut, the sophomore effort more often than not disappoints. Also, all the reviews of the show I had read during its BBC and HBO runs (I have neither channel) were of the mixed-to-positive variety. So... is it worth buying, renting, or neither? I'll let you know after the jump.

"Just Say No": There was a Holocaust denial conference, which brought in some colorful characters... The strangest of the bunch had to be the Orthodox Jews. Yup. Orthodox Jews. Correspondent John Oliver, wearing a "I did not attend the Holocaust denial conference and I certainly did not get this lousy t-shirt" shirt, reported from Tehran. The Nazi's If We Did It, This Is How It Would Have Happened book/television special was hilarious.

That's the major revelation from this Ricky Gervais interview in the latest issue of Esquire. Which is probably going to bum out fans of NBC's The Office and the original, hoping for a David Brent guest-spot on the show.

Gervais talks about his role in the new Ben Stiller comedy A Night At The Museum (which also stars Robin Williams, which pretty much means I won't go to see it in the theaters and will only see it on DVD if I read that Williams is only in it for a few minutes), his favorite comics (none are British!), why you have to be a complete fascist when creating art, and why he wouldn't have done the plot with Jim moving to the other Dunder-Mifflin office to get away from Pam.

The second season of HBO's Extras starts on January 14.

A third season of Ricky Gervais' Extras is in the works. This is good news for Gervais fans as the show was rumored to be getting a self-imposed axe after season two a la The Office. But, Gervais is back, and he's got a dilly of guest-star wish list.

For season three, he's looking to snag Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, Dick van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Considering that the show has managed to score Ben Stiller, Kate Winslet, Samuel L. Jackson, David Bowie, Orlando Bloom and David Bowie in the past, Gervais shouldn't have any trouble. My personal fave was the episode with Daniel Radcliffe and Diana Rigg. Seeing Harry Potter send a "johnny" flying into Dame Rigg's hair is worth the price of premium cable. And, as far as celebrities taking themselves down a peg, going on Gervais' Extras seems a far better tactic than hosting SNL or waiting around to screw-up and then make a public apology on The Tonight Show. At least with Gervais, you know that you'll actually come off as funny.

American Idol's Simon Cowell has turned down a role on Ricky Gervais' Extras because it required him to sing a karaoke version of Elton John's song "Daniel." The man who turned criticizing singers into a multi-million dollar global industry wisely took his own advice saying, "I can't sing. Why would I humiliate myself?" Singing is apparently the only thing Cowell wouldn't do, which is sort of a shame. I'm sure it would have been immensely gratifying to all of our fallen, former Idols to see Cowell be put through his vocal paces.

While I never think it hurts a celebrity's image to make fun of him or herself through vehicles like Gervais' Extras, I can't say that I blame Cowell for sparing us. If more pop wannabes would follow his example, than they could use their fifteen minutes of fame elsewhere -- like on Mark Burnett's Pirates or by waving frantically behind local news reporters on camera.

(S02E06) How do you round off a series like Extras?

Well, nabbing someone like Robert De Niro for the finale is probably one of the best places to start, and as sad as I am to see this fantastic show come to an end (let's hope I'm wrong), I'm happy with the way Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant let their characters walk off into the sunset.

With the UK's top chat show host, Jonathan Ross, kicking off the episode in his typical Friday night interview style, and a sterling appearence from British actor Robert Lindsay -- not to mention a sublime performance from De Niro (as himself), I can happily say goodbye to Andy Millman, Darren Lamb, Maggie Jacobs and the rest of the Extras cast, without feeling the urge to demand more.

However, I wouldn't say no to a Christmas special -- just to round everything off after my turkey dinner on the 25th December.

(S02E05) When I said last week that things couldn't get any worse for Andy Millman, I was clearly wrong.

The only other show I can think of that spirals so badly out of control for the lead character is Fawlty Towers, where Basil Fawlty, a victim of his own pomposity and bizarre circumstances ends up neck-deep in catastrophe upon disaster, finalising with a conclusion that often resembles the aftermath of a small war.

And this week, it was no different for Andy, in yet another classic episode of this genius comedy from Ricky Gervais.