I had such a fun time during my trip to the Office Convention that I wanted to show you a few of the sights and sounds I encountered along the way.
Today I'm excited to post the first-ever Pop Candy video. It includes a few of the moments I Twittered last weekend, brief interviews with cast members and music by The Scrantones. I hope you like it.
Other highlights that didn't make the video:
1. Talking to Ed Helms. We just chatted for a few minutes, but I got to ask him about the banjo (he plays bluegrass-style, I play clawhammer), and he told me he loved seeing a bluegrass band at cool bar The Bog the night before. Helms was the fan favorite of the weekend, though Creed came in a close second.
2. Listening to Creed's thoughts. Creed is the master of random statements, and the crowd loved every minute of it. During a press conference, he would blurt out lines like, "Is it me, or is there a chlorine smell in here?" During a concert with the Scrantones, he delivered a monologue about how he believed his character developed only four toes. (It involved being adopted by a Chinese family.)
3. Casino Night. Honestly, I thought this event could turn out to be kind of lame, but it was one of the most fun parties all weekend. The cast openly chatted with fans, the food was plentiful, and the music didn't stop. Fun fact: Weezer bassist Scott Shriner sat in with The Scrantones.
4. Meeting Candy readers. I'll post a recap of the Scranton meetup later, but I was so surprised by how many Pop Candy readers attended the convention. One of them, D.C.-based Clark Ferguson, said he was glad it was raining. "It's like, would I expect anything less from Scranton?" he said. He felt it added to the Office-y vibe.
5. Attending the "Writer's Block." This was the session where the show's writers divulged how they concoct the series. B.J. Novak revealed he was the first person to add "That's what she said" to a script. We found out Pam started at Dunder Mifflin before Jim. Executive producer Greg Daniels said Carol Burnett has offered to play Michael Scott's mother, but he hasn't decided whether to use her or not. The cast and crew has (finally) discovered Yuengling. Mindy Kaling went shopping at Boscov's.
And I loved how someone asked Novak why he decided to make Ryan "such a butt" this season. Answer: The character is more interesting this way. In fact, Daniels said, when he saw Novak in character behind the desk, "He really reminded me of David Brent."
I've got a few photos to share, so sit tight. And oh, by the way, the cast's favorite blog is Office Tally, which has some great coverage of the weekend, too.
