Salon.com > Parks and Recreation http://www.salon.com Sun, 19 May 2013 13:30:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 “Parks and Recreation” star Jim O’Heir shops at A&F http://www.salon.com/2013/05/17/parks_and_recreation_star_jim_oheir_shops_at_af/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/17/parks_and_recreation_star_jim_oheir_shops_at_af/#comments Fri, 17 May 2013 13:06:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13301365 Jimmy Kimmel recently invited actor Jim O'Heir, who plays "Parks and Recreation" office oaf Jerry Gergich, to shop at the infamously douchey retail store Abercrombie & Fitch. The stunt was inspired by a 2006 Salon story that quotes Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries as saying his store is only for "cool kids":

"Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. "

Abercrombie does not carry plus sizes. Fortunately for O'Heir, Abercrombercrombercombie does.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/17/parks_and_recreation_star_jim_oheir_shops_at_af/feed/ 1 NBC cancels “Whitney” after two seasons, renews “Parks and Recreation” http://www.salon.com/2013/05/09/nbc_cancels_whitney_after_two_seasons_renews_parks_and_recreation/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/09/nbc_cancels_whitney_after_two_seasons_renews_parks_and_recreation/#comments Thu, 09 May 2013 21:56:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13294288 NBC has (finally) canceled ailing sitcom "Whitney," the two-season comedy series starring frequent "Chelsea Lately" guest Whitney Cummings.

The show opened to 7 million viewers in its premiere two years ago and dropped to 4 million after its first season. The show now brings in less than 3 million.

Rearragning its comedy lineup, Deadline reports that the network has also canceled "Guys With Kids" and sophomore White House comedy "1600 Penn" after their first seasons. "Up All Night," which suffered from a series of departures and formatting changes, has also been axed.

The verdict is still out on "Community," but Amy Poehler's "Parks and Recreation" will stay on for a sixth season.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/09/nbc_cancels_whitney_after_two_seasons_renews_parks_and_recreation/feed/ 5 A porn parody of “Parks and Recreation” now exists http://www.salon.com/2013/04/29/a_porn_parody_of_parks_and_recreation_now_exists/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/29/a_porn_parody_of_parks_and_recreation_now_exists/#comments Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:36:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13285068 A porn parody of cult comedy "Parks and Recreation" now exists, because, why not? Called "Porks and Recreation," it stars Dick Chibbles as Ron Swanson and Aiden Starr as Leslie Knope, who has decided to watch some porn "because it's not something that I would normally do."

Watch the amusing trailer (SFW), below:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/29/a_porn_parody_of_parks_and_recreation_now_exists/feed/ 3 “Parks and Recreation”: TV’s most progressive show http://www.salon.com/2013/04/25/is_parks_and_recreation_secretly_socialist_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/25/is_parks_and_recreation_secretly_socialist_partner/#comments Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:38:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13282008 Los
Angeles Review of Books NBC’s PARKS AND RECREATION, never shying from political controversy, examines current beltway tensions in ways one might expect from a more overtly political program. This season more than ever, the tendentious questions of American governance have become the show's lifeblood, its fictive small town of Pawnee, Indiana, struggling with political tribulations closely mirroring those on the national stage — and proposing some bold solutions.

The season’s first episode follows the lead character, Amy Poehler's Leslie Knope, to Washington DC, where she met real political figures such as Joe Biden (her hero), Olympia Snowe, Barbara Boxer, and John McCain. Recent episodes have been titled "Soda Tax" and "How a Bill Becomes a Law" and highlight the nitty-gritty — if comically histrionic — details about local politics. In addition, the show's constant use of innuendo surrounding current political events, reenactment of debates concerning economics and governance, and tongue-in-cheek references to the increasing conservatism of American politics have made Parks and Rec more a comedic primer in American politics than a primetime comedy.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/25/is_parks_and_recreation_secretly_socialist_partner/feed/ 18 Patton Oswalt improvises 8-minute “Star Wars” rant on “Parks and Recreation” http://www.salon.com/2013/04/17/patton_oswalt_improvises_8_minute_star_wars_rant_on_parks_and_recreation/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/17/patton_oswalt_improvises_8_minute_star_wars_rant_on_parks_and_recreation/#comments Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:15:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13273798 Comedian Patton Oswalt has been all over TV lately, playing cameos in "Portlandia" and "The Simpsons," and, tomorrow, he'll make an appearance on NBC's "Parks and Recreation" as an angry Pawneean who wants to block Leslie Knope's proposal to amend the outdated laws in the town charter. Using his public platform at a town hall, Oswalt's character launches into a filibuster to prevent the vote.

On set, the producers asked Oswalt to "ramble a bit about whatever subject he wanted." The result: an improvised, impassioned and totally bizarre 8-minute proposal for the plot of "Star Wars: Epsipode 7," which somehow merges Marvel comics and a pantheon of gods into the Jedi world.

Only a few parts of the monologue made it into the episode, "Article Two," which will premiere on Thursday night, but NBC has released the full clip below:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/17/patton_oswalt_improvises_8_minute_star_wars_rant_on_parks_and_recreation/feed/ 11 Nick Offerman break dances on “Late Night” http://www.salon.com/2013/03/29/nick_offerman_break_dances_on_late_night/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/29/nick_offerman_break_dances_on_late_night/#comments Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:45:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13255562 On "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," "Parks and Recreation" and all-around perfect human being Nick Offerman dropped some "kickass routines" from his childhood days as a break dancer.

Offerman revealed his old crew, which consisted of him as Tick Tock, known for his "propensity for popping and locking" and his cousin, Flip Flop, who had "more of a knack for the acrobatics."

And then Offerman and Fallon broke it down:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/29/nick_offerman_break_dances_on_late_night/feed/ 0 “Enlightened” makes us all into Amy Jellicoes http://www.salon.com/2013/03/04/enlightened_makes_us_all_into_amy_jellicoes/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/04/enlightened_makes_us_all_into_amy_jellicoes/#comments Mon, 04 Mar 2013 19:53:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13218456 HBO’s “Enlightened” finished its second season last night, amid deep anxiety from its devoted admirers that the second season will also be the show's last. The series, created by Mike White and starring Laura Dern, is truly like nothing else on TV: Lyrical and unflinching, poetic and brutal, idealistic and incisive, gorgeous and painful, it is steadily, quietly up to something new. It has a searching thoughtfulness, an earnest interest about how one should be in the world, and how this can run afoul of how one is in the world. It is genuinely philosophical, which perhaps means it’s up to something old, something much older than TV anyway.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/04/enlightened_makes_us_all_into_amy_jellicoes/feed/ 7 Twelve TV weddings that made us awww and guffaw http://www.salon.com/2013/02/24/twelve_tv_weddings_that_made_us_awww_and_guffaw/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/24/twelve_tv_weddings_that_made_us_awww_and_guffaw/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2013 20:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13208628 This past week on "Parks and Recreation," Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt got married. In keeping with the other weddings that "The Office"-"Parks and Recreation" brain trust have written (See: Jim and Pam, Andy and April) it was a very sweet, aww-worthy affair, complete with vows (not, thankfully Leslie's 70-page version), candles, heavy drinking and a good kiss. On the occasion of the Knope-Wyatt nuptials,  a look at some of TV's other funniest weddings. (Note the funniest: We're eschewing famous drama weddings here.)

1. "The Office," Jim and Pam

The major difference between the American “Office” and the British “Office” is a matter of heart: The American “Office” has a lot of it, a big sentimental, sweet streak that the British “Office” would have scoffed at. So despite being about a dozen dysfunctional weirdos stuck in dead-end jobs, “The Office” has always been aces at romance, the adorable, sweet, funny kind. Nowhere was this more evident than Jim and Pam’s wedding, which took place both on a boat in Niagara Falls, just the two of them, and at a more public ceremony where their colleagues ripped off a viral video. This is the only instance it's totally fine to tear up, in a squishy way, at a Chris Brown song.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/24/twelve_tv_weddings_that_made_us_awww_and_guffaw/feed/ 7 Salon’s 2013 Golden Globe Awards liveblog http://www.salon.com/2013/01/14/salons_2013_golden_globe_awards_liveblog/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/14/salons_2013_golden_globe_awards_liveblog/#comments Mon, 14 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13167637 [liveblog id=47]

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/14/salons_2013_golden_globe_awards_liveblog/feed/ 2 Nick Offerman announces new book, reads tweets from Miley Cyrus http://www.salon.com/2013/01/10/nick_offerman_announces_new_book_reads_tweets_from_miley_cyrus/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/10/nick_offerman_announces_new_book_reads_tweets_from_miley_cyrus/#comments Thu, 10 Jan 2013 18:35:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13167291 Burly "Parks and Recreation" star Nick Offerman issued another edition of "Nick Offerman from Parks and Recreation Reads Tweets From Young Female Celebrities" on Conan last night, which is exactly what it sounds like:

The comedian is also working on a memoir, "Paddle Your Own Canoe: Nick Offerman’s Fundamentals for Delicious Living,"which will presumably not include tweets from Miley Cyrus or Demi Lovato. Instead, it will be “peppered with salty treatises about the state of manhood," feature an "ode to bratwurst," and explore Offerman's patronage of the "manly arts." His book comes out Oct. 2013 by Penguin’s Dutton imprint.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/10/nick_offerman_announces_new_book_reads_tweets_from_miley_cyrus/feed/ 0 Must-see morning clip http://www.salon.com/2012/12/20/must_see_morning_clip_78/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/20/must_see_morning_clip_78/#comments Thu, 20 Dec 2012 12:50:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13150730 Actress Aubrey Plaza went on "Conan" last night, where she revealed that she stole a secret document from the White House when her show, "Parks and Recreation" was taping an episode there.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/20/must_see_morning_clip_78/feed/ 0 Nick Offerman returns to Twitter, but only to “disseminate information” http://www.salon.com/2012/12/12/nick_offerman_returns_to_twitter_but_only_to_disseminate_information/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/12/nick_offerman_returns_to_twitter_but_only_to_disseminate_information/#comments Wed, 12 Dec 2012 18:44:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13122923 After taking more than a 6-month hiatus, Movember pioneer and "Parks and Recreation" actor Nick Offerman has announced his triumphant return to The Twitter:

[embed_tweet id="278930298392154113"]

Although he warns us not to get our hopes up, Offerman has been tweeting steadily for the past 20 minutes. The most exciting of which is a picture (presumably) of him in character as staunch libertarian and expert hunter Ron Swanson:

[embed_tweet id="278934610073767936"]

Offerman also announced that he will be taping a humor special on March 2 in New York. "There will be minor nudity," he warns.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/12/nick_offerman_returns_to_twitter_but_only_to_disseminate_information/feed/ 1 Newt Gingrich gets surprise role in “Parks and Recreation” http://www.salon.com/2012/12/04/newt_gingrich_gets_surprise_role_in_parks_and_recreation/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/04/newt_gingrich_gets_surprise_role_in_parks_and_recreation/#comments Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:32:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13114349 NBC's "Parks and Recreation," set in fictional town Pawnee, Indiana, this week filmed in Indianapolis, where the cast had a serendipitous run-in with former House speaker Newt Gingrich. "It was a completely random chance," said co-creator Mike Schur to the Indianapolis Star. "But you can't pass up an opportunity like that."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/04/newt_gingrich_gets_surprise_role_in_parks_and_recreation/feed/ 4 David Letterman kisses Amy Poehler while talking about Joe Biden http://www.salon.com/2012/11/21/david_letterman_kisses_amy_poehler_while_talking_about_joe_biden/ http://www.salon.com/2012/11/21/david_letterman_kisses_amy_poehler_while_talking_about_joe_biden/#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2012 16:42:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13104850 On last night's "Late Show," "Parks and Recreation" star Amy Poehler told host David Letterman what it was like for her character, Leslie Knope, to meet vice president Joe Biden. Biden, who performed a cameo on the show, is Leslie Knope's biggest crush (Knope's ideal man would have "the brains of George Clooney and the body of Joe Biden," says Poehler). At the end of her meeting with Biden, "just for the heck of it," Poehler "went in for a kiss." And then Letterman went for it, too.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/11/21/david_letterman_kisses_amy_poehler_while_talking_about_joe_biden/feed/ 5 “Parks and Recreation”: Joe Biden’s sex appeal http://www.salon.com/2012/11/16/parks_and_recreation_joe_bidens_sex_appeal/ http://www.salon.com/2012/11/16/parks_and_recreation_joe_bidens_sex_appeal/#comments Fri, 16 Nov 2012 18:12:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13100607 “Parks and Recreation” kicked off this season with a Washington D.C.-set episode and some political star power. Sens. Olympia Snowe, Barbara Boxer and John McCain gamely appeared in the premiere, though they weren’t asked to do much. “Parks” was saving the higher degree of difficulty cameo for Vice President Joe Biden, Leslie’s longtime lust object, who taped a top-secret scene for the show this past summer. Because of regulations about candidates receiving equal airtime, “Parks” had to stay quiet about Biden’s role until after the election, lest they be forced to write a part for Paul Ryan, too. (I’m feeling a flash of regret for the Paul Ryan–Chris Traeger discussion of marathons that might have been.) The scene aired last night and Biden’s natural hamminess made him a perfect guest.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/11/16/parks_and_recreation_joe_bidens_sex_appeal/feed/ 2 Joe Biden is excited for tonight’s “Parks and Recreation” episode http://www.salon.com/2012/11/15/joe_biden_is_excited_for_tonights_parks_and_recreation_episode/ http://www.salon.com/2012/11/15/joe_biden_is_excited_for_tonights_parks_and_recreation_episode/#comments Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:39:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13099791 Vice President Joe Biden will star in a cameo role on tonight's "Parks and Recreation." As if America wasn't excited enough, the Office of Joe Biden tweeted this awesome picture of him and Amy Poehler cracking up on set at the White House:

[embed_tweet id="269115432710070273"]

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/11/15/joe_biden_is_excited_for_tonights_parks_and_recreation_episode/feed/ 0 Movember men: Nick Offerman says your mustache will get fuller http://www.salon.com/2012/11/14/movember_men_nick_offerman_says_your_moustache_will_get_fuller/ http://www.salon.com/2012/11/14/movember_men_nick_offerman_says_your_moustache_will_get_fuller/#comments Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:40:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13072737 Now that Movember is well underway, men all over the world are walking around with nascent "in-between" mustaches to raise awareness of prostate cancer. With help from "Office" stars Oscar Nunez (Oscar) and Brian Baumgartner (Kevin), perennially mustachioed Nick Offerman (aka Ron Swanson), is here to tell those fellas to "stick with it." "It gets fuller," Offerman says.

h/t Uproxx

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/11/14/movember_men_nick_offerman_says_your_moustache_will_get_fuller/feed/ 0 Joe Biden’s new role: “Parks and Recreation” guest star http://www.salon.com/2012/11/08/joe_bidens_new_role_parks_and_recreation_guest_star/ http://www.salon.com/2012/11/08/joe_bidens_new_role_parks_and_recreation_guest_star/#comments Thu, 08 Nov 2012 19:41:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13066270 Oh, life, thank you thank you thank you. In what sounds like the greatest pairing since that first pretzel got dipped in a jar of Nutella, it's been announced that Vice President and cantankerous, malarkey-calling uncle to an entire nation Joe Biden is guest-starring on next week's episode of "Parks and Recreation." What is there to say today but, "Wheeeeeeeeee!"

It helps, of course, especially for those of us here in the godless left-wing media in the Gotham full of sodomites, that Biden makes his appearance as a man heading into his second term. For Amy Poehler's city councilwoman Leslie Knope to have a brush with a guy who'd just lost to Mr. Backwards Baseball Cap would have been a downer moment for the sitcom, a little hiss of air going out of the bit's tires. The scene, which was gently adjusted for two possible election outcomes, had to be kept top secret until after Nov. 6, lest "some provision might have to be made to give the Republican vice-presidential nominee, Representative Paul Ryan, a similar cameo."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/11/08/joe_bidens_new_role_parks_and_recreation_guest_star/feed/ 4 The political evolution of Leslie Knope http://www.salon.com/2012/11/05/parks_and_recreation_the_political_evolution_of_leslie_knope/ http://www.salon.com/2012/11/05/parks_and_recreation_the_political_evolution_of_leslie_knope/#comments Mon, 05 Nov 2012 19:28:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13062740 There is a moment during "Parks and Recreation’s" second season when Leslie Knope, the department’s effervescent and overachieving deputy manager portrayed by Amy Poehler, breaks down and has a libertarian moment. An attempt to fill in a pit adjacent to the house of her friend Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) is progressing slowly, and when it seems like Leslie’s efforts to better her community – a consistent "Parks and Rec" theme – have stalled indefinitely, she vents: “I have never realized how frustrating it is to be in the government. In my next life, I am going into private industry, maybe strip mining.”

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/11/05/parks_and_recreation_the_political_evolution_of_leslie_knope/feed/ 5 “Parks and Recreation”: One of the only sitcoms that knows how to portray love http://www.salon.com/2012/10/26/parks_and_recreation_a_sweet_treat_councilwoman_knope_would_never_outlaw/ http://www.salon.com/2012/10/26/parks_and_recreation_a_sweet_treat_councilwoman_knope_would_never_outlaw/#comments Fri, 26 Oct 2012 14:15:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13052043 [Warning: Spoilers ahead.]

Last night’s episode of “Parks and Recreation” was titled “Halloween Surprise,” but it overflowed with treats, not tricks. They started small and sweet — Donna’s art-imitates-life arc as a prolific tweeter, Ron trying out Solomonic wisdom on two little girls, Leslie’s Rosie-the-Riveter-Is-a-Total-Hottie costume, Tom trying to make fart attack happen, among others – and ended with the big tear-jerking sugar rush of Leslie and Ben’s perfect engagement.

The proposal came as a surprise to Leslie. Ben wrapped up his campaign in D.C., only to get offered a job in Florida that would keep him and Leslie long distance. Ben loves his job, but as the end of the episode made clear, he loves Leslie more. He showed up at the house they had been planning to lease together and dropped to one knee. ”I am deeply, ridiculously in love with you …" he began, only to be interrupted. “Wait, I need to remember this, give me a second,” Leslie said. “I need to remember every little thing about how perfect my life is right now at this exact moment.” The writing in this scene was good, but it was Amy Poehler and Adam Scott’s teary happiness and cracking voices that made the moment so contagiously happy.

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