Office Convention!
Meredith here from
The Office! The big-time show that takes place in small-town Scranton. How can I describe our cast trip to Scranton? Where do I start?
I have returned from the first annual
Office Convention, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where we were treated like royalty. Were you there? Did I have a drink with you? Did I do anything stupid? Steve [Carell], Rainn [Wilson], John [Krasinski], Paul [Lieberstein] and Jenna [Fischer] were absent but all the rest of the cast were there. They missed out! Too bad.
I have never met so many wonderful people in one weekend. Everyone wanted to sign my cast. The sweetest fans in the world. I have never been offered so much booze before. It was a major good-time party.
The town of Scranton literally closed the schools and opened its heart to us. The families who volunteered were so terrific. Lots of big Irish-Catholic families that I can relate to. The insanity began with Al Roker, 3,000 screaming fans and the University of Scranton cheerleading squad. Creed [Bratton], Oscar [Nuñez] and I were on the first segment of the
Today show. Wow! We usually don't get cheerleaders. FANominal! I know, I know - put down the pun and keep drinking. We actually needed police escorts to go anywhere. Very surreal. I felt like Jerry Lewis in France! We did a Q&A in the U of S Gym with 4,0000 fans.
The Office Olympics were a blast. They had fireworks for us at the rooftop dinner with Mayor Dougherty and the president of U of Scranton, Father Scott Pilars. Never had fireworks before, unless you count bar fights and kissing the wrong guy as fireworks. And yes, it's been a while since I have partied with a priest, and believe me, they know how to party.
I got to sing with the Scrantones - the band that plays the theme to
The Office. I got to play keyboard on the theme song. My piano teacher is very proud and so am I. I started off the show singing Meredith's new theme song, Pat Benatar's "Hit Me with Your Best Shot," aka "Hit Me Mr. Michael Scott." Creed sang some Grass Roots and we did a number together, the Pennsylvania Polka. Craig Robinson sang some Gnarls Barkley, Melora Hardin sang her original songs, Ed Helms sang "Werewolves of Pennsylvania," and Brian Baumgartner, aka Kevin, closed the killer show with the song "Roxanne!" Scrantonicity lives! It was an amazing show. We all felt like rock stars. Bob Thiele is the leader of the band and he has a Scrantones MySpace page, so go say hi!.
Were you there? The lookalike contest was one of the many unbelievable moments of the
Office Convention. I got my picture taken with the Meredith winner. She had a bat in her hair, a drink in her hand and it looked like she was wearing Depends for a cast. The imaginary world meets the real world. All the places we talk about on the show are real with real people. Great people. Great beer! And the most amazing time of our lives was fully documented.
Thanks to all the folks who came in from Canada, Texas, Oregon, even Ireland! Merciful Jesus! I left my heart in Scranton, along with my voice. It's taken me a few days to talk but it was worth it! If you're not sick and hung-over, then you didn't really live. Our cast will never forget this trip. I hope it's the first of many. Sorry Trekies - we got you beat. It doesn't get any better than this! I am so grateful for this experience. Let the cast of
Heroes go to France.
The Office cast is happier in Scranton. Next year? Piss or get off the pot! (Local ad was really fun to watch while we were in Scranton.)
"Branch Wars" is this week's episode and it's the return of Rashida Jones, aka Karen. So please watch early and often.
