you've got to check this out
Is it possible I can make a blog post without mentioning "The Office"?
Apparently not.
Really, though, today's topic is the most recent project from "Office" creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant: "Extras." The show is, at its core, another half-hour workplace comedy -- only here, the workplace in question just happens to be the film industry. And the story follows an extra, played by Gervais, who's trying to break into show business and will do anything to get a line in one of the many films on which he works.
I can't say enough good things about this program. The first season came out on DVD a while back, but I only just got around to watching all six episodes -- man, I wish I had gotten around to it sooner. Each installment features a different big-name actor, playing a slightly skewed version of her- or himself. For example, Patrick Stewart plays himself as a wannabe screenwriter whose opus centers around the main character's ability to make women's clothes fall off. This is truly funny stuff -- wacky British humor at its best, with the peculiar brand of subtlety only Gervais and Merchant can provide.
The special features on the DVD are worth mentioning, too, if only because one of them is my favorite kind -- a blooper reel -- and another is a video diary of Gervais and Merchant trying to get Leonardo DiCaprio's agent's phone number, which has to be seen to be understood.
So this is my recommendation: Run, don't walk, to your nearest DVD-selling establishment and procure your own copy of "Extras." And then wait, as I must, for the next season to be released.