I’m probably not alone in this, but the moment I saw “New Leads” listed as tonight’s episode, I was half-expecting, half-hoping for a Scrantonian send-up of Glengarry Glen Ross. Who’d be Shelly? Stanley? Or Phyllis? Would Michael perform his own version of Alec Baldwin’s monologue? Heck, Baldwin’s on 30 Rock, at the very least he could make a guest appearance…

Well, for fans of David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, the only resemblance is that there are new leads in, they’re gold, and the sales staff can’t have them—and it’s probably for the best because parodies are like Betty White hosting SNL bacon-wrapped Peeps: in the end, never as funny as the idea.

Also good because it would’ve weighed an otherwise very good episode down.

The titular new leads are $50,000 worth of names Sabre has spent to be doled out to the sales staff as per the corporate office’s new “Sales is king” policy.  Naturally the power’s gone to the salesmen’s heads—Phyllis refuses to answer Angela’s e-mails; Andy (while on the phone, no less) flaunts his supposed dibs to everything in the office, including Darryl’s pencil; and Dwight believes he’s in the same company as Jesus (“If sales is king, and I’m the king of sales, that makes me the King of Kings).

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In the latest The First Avenger: Captain America news, HeatVision is reporting that Hugo Weaving (Matrix, Lord of the Rings) is Marvel Studio’s first choice to star as the film’s villain, Red Skull. In the comic books, Red Skull is Captain America’s archenemy, engaging in espionage and sabotage as Adolf Hitler’s right-hand man.

If Weaving is tapped, it would reunite the star with director Joe Johnston, whom he worked with in this year’s The Wolfman. In other casting news, the list of Captain America contenders appears to have thinned.

We recently reported that five actors were in the running. However, HeatVision and Deadline New York have both reported that John Krasinski is no longer in the race for the coveted role. According to the sites, Marvel is now considering Wilson Bethel (Generation Kill), Mike Vogel (Cloverfield), Chris Evans (Fantastic Four) and Garrett Hudlund (Tron Legacy), who have all either read, tested, or received test offers.

The First Avenger: Captain America is slated for a July 11, 2011 release.

A classic staple of the sitcom, aside from the clip show (hmm, they covered that one a few weeks ago, right?) and the Big Wedding (that one, too) is the Baby Episode. Staples, yes, but also synonymous with jumping the shark.

Fortunately, The Office writers seem aware of this and made the wedding episode, Niagra, one the season’s strongest. On the other hand, the clip show, The Banker, was one of the weakest.

The Delivery, The Office’s Baby Episode falls somewhere in between. In this hour-long installment, Jim and Pam, on the verge of joy-bundling, are determined to hold off on getting to the hospital until the very last minute since their health insurance covers only two nights’ stay. As Pam begins contracting, Michael calls a conference to get her mind off the little fella inside her clawing to get out. Andy performs the evolution of dance (sans music, as it’d just throw him off), Erin recites Kentucky Derby winners, and Michael usefully suggests doing the opposite of 10 Things to Induce Labor.

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Well, Pam has been pregnant for nearly 9 months in “TV time”, which means that it’s time for a classic pregnancy episode! The Office returns this Thursday after NBC’s 2 week hiatus for the Winter Olympics. What better way to come back than with a one-hour baby special? From NBC:

Pam’s (Jenna Fischer) contractions begin but she and Jim (John Krasinski) are determined to wait it out as long as possible so they can have more time at the hospital. Meanwhile the rest of the office tries to distract Pam from the pain with food and entertainment.

In the second half hour, Michael (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell) anxiously waits for Pam and Jim’s baby to be born. Back at the office, Erin (Ellie Kemper) makes Andy (Ed Helms) jealous when she has lunch with Kevin (Brian Baumgartner).

We’ve got four brand new scenes from this week’s special, including some great moments, such as Andy doing the “Evolution of Dance” dance…in complete silence. Check out the clips after the jump, and be sure to catch “The Delivery Pt 1 and 2″ this Thursday at 9/8C on NBC.

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Even though filming is still some time away, recently director Joe Johnston told MTV Splashpage a casting decision on who would portray Captain America in The First Avenger “was weeks away.” Well, weeks have gone by and according to Deadline Hollywood, the list of actors for the titular role has been narrowed down to five finalists.

The five front-runners for the role of Captain America are, according to the site, Chace Crawford (Gossip Girl), John Krasinski (The Office), Scott Porter (Friday Night Lights), Mike Vogel (Cloverfield) and Michael Cassidy (Smallville). All five actors have reportedly agreed to test deals with Johnston and Marvel Studios to try out for the role.

Not only must these actor agree to test for the role, if eventually cast, they must also sign for nine other options, including potential sequels to The First Avenger. This makes sense considering the upcoming Marvel movies and their desire to team them all for a potential Avengers movie in the future. Still, that’s a lot to negotiate.

Of course, fans everywhere have their personal favorites and I we have ours. Picking from this list as if these were the only choices, our first choice would be Smallville’s Michael Cassidy. He’s able to do the action as well as being a pretty good actor as well, so he’d be good for the part.

Sadly, our favorite choice of all and not on this list, Joel Gretsch (The 4400, V), is probably too old now, even though he would be great in the part. No matter who they choose, let’s hope they take this movie as seriously and do as great a job on it as Marvel did with Iron Man. Cap deserves no less.

Who do you think should play Captain America in The First Avenger?

Are you missing shows like The Office and Law and Order SVU during the Olympics hiatus? Us too. Fortunately, NBC has sent us over some new videos to tide us over until these shows return.

The first is a promo for SVU, which returns March 3rd with two back-to-back episodes. In the promo we get to see what’s up with our favorite cops and how they’re dealing with a new and potentially explosive case.

Also, to commemorate and get you excited for the special “Baby” episode of The Office where Jim and Pam’s bundle of joy finally makes an appearance, we’ve got some clips highlighting their budding romance. In the clips, follow Jim and Pam through Season 4 as they struggle to keep their relationship a secret from the rest of the office and finally make the decision to take it official.

Check out all the videos after the break. The Office “Baby” episode airs March 4th and SVU returns March 3rd on NBC.

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This season of The Office has shown some interesting changes for our favorite cubical-living gang. Dunder-Mifflin has gone bankrupt, which has left the Scranton branch the last of the paper company. And now, they’ve been picked up by the company Sabre, which is run by guest star Kathy Bates.

This week, Bates makes an in-person appearance to check out the branch, and things get a bit difficult from there. From NBC:

The office is eager to welcome Sabre CEO Jo Bennett (guest star Kathy Bates) to Scranton, and are dazzled by her Southern ways. Butwhen Jo finds out there are two branch managers, she says either Michael (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell) or Jim (John Krasinski) must go back to being a salesman. Meanwhile, Andy’s (Ed Helms) Valentine’s Day plan backfires.

Check out 3 exclusive new clips from tomorrow night’s episode, “Manager And Salesman”, after the jump. Be sure to catch the full episode of The Office on NBC this Thursday.

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Sometimes there’s not that much going on in the world of movies, tv, comics, games and all things geek. But sometimes, we also get what some could refer to as “an embarrassment of riches.” We’ve got that second one going for you right here.

Our friends at NBC have just sent us a whole bunch of clips from most of their big comedies that aired this week. Sure, you might have already watched 30 Rock, Community or The Office this week, but if you didn’t, the following clips can at least help you ease some of the pain from the loss of these great shows. I could take the time to explain each clip and walk you thorough what happens but with the sheer volume of material, that could take a long time.

Instead, click through and just enjoy all that these videos have to offer. If you’ve watched these scenes before, this will be a a bit of a nostalgic trip for you. If they’re new to you, then enjoy them and remember to set your DVR for these shows next week.

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Fan of NBC’s show The Office have no doubt been counting down the months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and yes, even the seconds, until Jim and Pam finally tie the knot. Well, the time is almost at hand becuase those crazy kids are taking the big plunge tonight. But just in case you can’t wait until the show hits the air and you just need to see a hint of what’s going to happen, we’ve got a couple videos to share with you today that will hopefully do the trick.

First up, we’ve got a promo for the episode, which runs a full hour and is entitled “Niagra” because Jim and Pam had wanted to have their wedding at Niagra Falls so none of their office mates could attend. Unfortunately for them, Michael gives the entire office the day off to attend and, of course, hilarity ensues.

Next is a behind the scenes video that gives you some insight into all the time and effort that went into this very special episode of The Office. Finally, we’re bringing you excepts from Pam’s very own Vlog where we can see how happy, and prhaps how nervious, she really is to finally be marrying Jim.

Check out all the videos after the jump. The Office Jim and Pam wedding special airs on NBC tonight at 9/8C.

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