Knope Knows

Blogger Amy J. Parrent sent me a link to a post she uploaded to her blog, Talented But Humble. On it, Amy makes a humorous, yet convincing argument as to why Emmy voters went way wrong this year in regards to the number of nominations Parks and Recreation received.

I’ve posted it in full here on Knope Knows. Enjoy!

From Talented But Humble:

After all these years, after seeing how you so often ignored other programs with just that right combination of warm and weird, offbeat and endearing – Moonlighting and Northern Exposure and The Gilmore Girls – I should know better.

But oh, Emmy, so little love for Parks and Recreation?

Why is the best comedy not nominated for best comedy? Why is a show that was consistently funny and filled with heart, not getting one slot for writing? And what about Nick Offerman being snubbed for supporting (scene-stealing) actor?

Well, I’m speechless. So I’d like Ron to give the speech “honoring” the other shows that did get the nod. Other shows: “It is true. That you have won this award.”

At least we have Amy. As sweetly strong, slightly crazed Leslie. Who can’t figure out why anyone would rather be Cleopatra than Eleanor Roosevelt. Leslie who insists “I’m Not Nervous” about this date. Leslie, who just happens to have Amy Poehler’s gift for singing and rapping.

And somehow the jaunty little theme song snuck in for a nom too. So Emmy voters, perhaps next year, you’ll watch the show all the way through. Not just the opening credits. And then we can all sing Kum Bay Yah together. Or maybe Jabba the Hutt, Jabba the Hutt.

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Best of luck to both!

The 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be on August 29, 2010 on NBC. Jimmy Fallon hosts.

Ben Schwartz, the comedian who plays Jean-Ralphio on Parks and Recreation, was interviewed by The Huffington Post. Check it out!

From The Huffington Post:

Start me from the beginning. At what point did you realize you were funny and going to really make a go at it?
Ben Schwartz: That’s a terrifying question. When I was young I loved comedy more than anything. My family was so funny. I’d watch SNL, The Simpsons, Whose Line is it Anyway?, Kids in the Hall. Just like anybody, I started as a fan. I was addicted to it, I was a goofball when I was a young. I love watching people laugh. So far you’re doing great with this interview by the way, I’ll tell you when you screw the pooch.

I’ll get us back on track. Talk to me about when you first thought to put your content on the web.
One day I passed by Letterman’s Ed Sullivan Theater and saw these people cheering up the crowd while they’re waiting in line. And I thought, “I would love to do that.” I had resumes on me from a different failed adventure, so I gave this guy one, and next thing I knew I was a page at Letterman. I was so happy, I got to watch this guy who I idolized and try to learn just by watching. I was a page for 9 months, I met everybody, and people started to know that I was doing stuff at UCB. So I asked the monologue writer for the show if I could freelance some jokes. He told me very politely that they were all filled up and I should ask again later. After another few months, I politely asked again he said “OK man, hand in five jokes.” I wrote my first batch of jokes, he gave me notes, I quickly learned how to write a monologue joke. And then I started to get a couple jokes on, and couldn’t believe it. But for every joke that got on, there were hundreds of rejected jokes.

How did you get to Parks and Rec? I love the show.
I went to meet with one of the creators of the show, Michael Schur, who is an absolute genius, and it was around the time they were casting Louis CK’s role, which I was not right for. Months later, Katie Dippold, a great writer from UCB, Harris Wittels, another great UCB guy, and Mike worked out this douchie character Jean-Ralphio and Mike thought I would be a great fit for it. I got the call and was beyond excited. I read it and I knew it was gonna be so incredibly fun. I improvise a little in the show but it’s so well written that I didn’t even have to. I think Parks and Rec is so funny, all the writers and actors should be nominated for Emmys. It was so fun. And I was surrounded by friends, which made it so easy. I hope that Jean-Ralphio keeps popping up throughout the series.

So next up is the JJ Abrams pilot.
I had a general meeting with some people from Bad Robot about writing and met the wonderful Athena Wickham who is a producer on the show. She told me about the script and thought I should come audition for the role of Hoyt. My first audition was the next day. Then I came back for a callback with JJ Abrams. So at that time, it felt that even if I didn’t get the role, I got to meet JJ Abrams which was pretty amazing. Luckily he and co-creator/showrunner Josh “Reims of Gold” Reims, who is as talented of a writer as they come, liked what I did with the character and two tests later, JJ called me up personally to tell me I got the role. It was amazing. I am so intensely excited to be a part of this show. I can’t wait for people to see it. It premieres in the fall, we start filming in July.

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This post lists open letters to NBC written by Parks and Recreation fans, republished here with permission by their authors. They are in response to news that NBC moved Parks and Recreation’s third season premiere to midseason 2011.

If you, too, have something to say, please e-mail me.

From MitsuCat2:

Parks and Recreation was pushed to midseason, which means no new episodes until 2011! I really don’t wanna wait that long.

(more…)

Below are snippets from an absolutely glowing review of Parks and Recreation’s “The Master Plan.”

From AV Club’s Todd VanDerWerff:

Yeah, it’s a great time for TV comedy. But to my mind, one show pretty much towers above all the rest of them. Because it’s been a long, long time since a show had a season as airtight as the season Parks and Recreation is having. Honestly, it may be since the heyday of Arrested Development. I don’t know that there’s been a dud episode this season, and the show, which famously started out pretty weakly, has really figured out its voice and where it wants to go both now and in the future. Even better, it’s started growing and expanding the world of Pawnee, Indiana, over the course of the season. The show is simply clicking on just about every level at this point, and it’s giving itself a tough act to live up to in season three.

[...]

I don’t know if Parks and Recreation will ever be anything more than an acquired taste for plenty of people, but for those of us who’ve keyed into its very specific sense of place and its terrific way with character-based humor, there’s really nothing else like it on the air. As much as I like the “50 jokes a minute” style of comedies like Community or 30 Rock (both of which have done very fine things with their characters, mind), I’m a sucker for a show where the characters are as well-wrought and as purely funny as they are on this show.

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