‘The Office’ new spin-off series has been greenlit, but will it flop?



In a development that could be either devastating or thrilling for fans of “The Office,” the famous show has been greenlit for a spin-off series.

The Peacock series will be a fresh mockumentary featuring a brand-new cast within the same universe as Dunder Mifflin — where all the fan favorite characters worked. However, the show will not be set in Scranton, Pennsylvania, but instead at a failing Midwestern paper company.

“Because this new series will technically be a spin-off instead of a straight reboot, we are at least avoiding the possibility that we get black trans Michael Scott or, I don’t know, nonbinary Mexican Jim Halpert,” Lauren Chen says, who is admittedly a huge fan of the original series.

But Chen is skeptical.

“NBC has been so very blatant in marketing it specifically as a spin-off to ‘The Office,’” Chen says. "They had the opportunity, there was the possibility, of just marketing this new as of yet untitled show as a new sitcom from the creator of ‘The Office.’”

“However, the fact that they are really making it clear that no, this is a spin-off of ‘The Office’ and it’s the same universe, it kind of seems like they’re cheaply trying to attach ‘The Office’ and all the goodwill and fandom that show now has to this new thing.”

“It feels very cheap,” she adds.

While fans of “The Office” have hoped that old cast members will return to the new show, Chen says the “lead stars of the original series are absolutely not interested in it.”

Steve Carell, who played Michael Scott in the original series, shot the idea down right away in an appearance on Stephen Colbert’s show.

“I doubt it,” Scott said when Colbert asked if he’d appear in the show.

“He’s not interested; he’s not in it,” Chen says.

“Keep in mind, this is someone who didn’t even want to finish the rest of the original series. He peaced out.”

John Krasinski, who played the beloved Jim Halpert in the original series, has also said he won’t be in the spin-off series either.

“I’m just not confident that it’s going to be done well. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong,” Chen says.


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Toby Keith shares update on his battle with stomach cancer, revealing what's kept him going: 'He's been riding shotgun with me'



Country music legend Toby Keith announced in June 2022 that he was battling stomach cancer and had been undergoing chemotherapy for several months.

"So far, so good," he reassured fans, noting that he needed time "to breathe."

Ahead of receiving the Country Icon Award at the inaugural People's Choice Country Awards on Thursday, the 62-year-old Oklahoma native indicated how he purposed some of those precious breaths.

"I lean on my faith, and I just pray," he told Fox News Digital. "You gotta do what you gotta do, and I don't know how people do it without faith. ... That's that what I did."

Keith emphasized that throughout his battle, faith "was [his] rock."

Upon being presented the award Thursday night by fellow country star and Christian Blake Shelton, Keith joked, "I bet y'all never thought you would see me in skinny jeans."

While he made sure to thank his family, fans, and collaborators, he singled out his creator, saying, "I want to thank the Almighty for allowing me to be here tonight. He's been riding shotgun with me for a little while."

the man, the myth, the LEGEND. @tobykeith is your 2023 @peopleschoice country icon! \ud83e\udd29 watch the #PCCAs now on NBC and @peacock.
— NBC Entertainment (@NBC Entertainment) 1695949842

He appears to have an edge in his battle with cancer, telling E! News, "I feel pretty good. ... It's a little bit of a roller coaster. You get good days and, you know, you're up and down, up and gown [sic]. It's always zero to 60 and 60 to zero but I feel good today."

In June, the musician revealed to the Oklahoman that his tumor had shrunk by a third and that everything was "in a real positive trend."

At the award show, Keith played "Don't Let the Old Man In" from Clint Eastwood's 2018 film "The Mule" before an audience of misty eyes.

Concerning his choice of song, Keith told NBC, "Coming back on TV for the first time and performing live in front of a live audience, I thought it was fitting."

Keith sings in the song, "When he rides up on his horse,/ And you feel that cold, bitter wind, / Look out your window and smile. / Don't let the old man in."

Keith noted he looks forward to return to performing in the fall if "everything goes good."

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MSNBC-linked Mehdi Hasan suggests imagining 'if liberals or the Dems had ... an actual propaganda arm'



Leftist media figure Mehdi Hasan suggested imagining a situation in which the left had "an actual propaganda arm" that frequently targeted former President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

"Imagine if liberals or the Dems had a nationwide messaging apparatus, an actual propaganda arm, which pumped out Jared Kushner’s name and alleged misdeeds daily, 100s of times," he wrote. "Then you start to understand the messaging imbalance in this country & how GOP gets away with so much."

Hasan, who hosts a show that appears on the notoriously left-leaning cable channel MSNBC and streams on Peacock, made the comments in response to a tweet in which Aaron Rupar had said that "Hunter Biden has already been mentioned at least 104 times *this morning* on Fox News and Fox Business, according to a transcript search. It's not 10am eastern yet."

People pounced on Hasan's comment.

"That's literally what your network is," Brad Polumbo responded.

"You work for MSNBC," Nicholas Fondacaro tweeted.

"Lol, you’re joking right? Msnbc and cnn are the dnc propaganda arm," someone else wrote.

"Most of us call that the mainstream media," another person tweeted.

"They do. It’s called the media (Even though it should branded satire). You are a part of that messaging apparatus," someone else commented.

"The absolute most hypocritical and mindless tweet for the day," another commenter declared.

"I don't have to imagine it. You're it," another person wrote.

— (@)

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'US Women' soccer team loses 12-0 to men in million-dollar tournament: 'We're being brave'

'US Women' soccer team loses 12-0 to men in million-dollar tournament: 'We're being brave'



A team comprised of U.S. women's soccer legends and some of the best female players in the world lost with an astounding 12-0 score to Wrexham AFC, a team from Wales made up of current, former, and guest players.

CBS Sports reported on the game featured in "The Tournament," a 7-on-7 soccer competition with a $1 million prize to the tournament winner.

The "US Women" brought a team made up of "a roster full of some of the best women’s soccer players in the world," which was "captained by legendary U.S. Women’s National Team player Heather O’Reilly. O’Reilly has been playing professional soccer since 2004."

The outcome was less than desirable for the women's team however, as they gave up seven goals in the first 20 minutes of the game, which was played in two 20-minute halves. The game ended with a 12th and final goal, initiating a mercy rule just after the 40th minute in the overtime period.

\u201cIgualdad de genero: equipo de 5ta divisi\u00f3n inglesa, golea a la selecci\u00f3n nacional de mujeres de USA. US Women vs. Wrexham 0x 12\u201d
— ClintJoselito \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf1 (@ClintJoselito \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf1) 1685814818

While the women's goalkeeper, Lindsey Harris, was often pictured emotional and at times dejected, the women's team made no excuses and had an extremely positive outlook on the game.

"We're super proud," said O'Reilly, a World Cup Champion. "Hopefully we've proved to anybody, just go for it, just live. What's the worst that could happen? We lose 16-0 to Wrexham?" she asked.

"We don't care because we're living, we're being bold and we're being brave. Here we have two amazing products that American soccer fans are getting behind. It's just a ton of fun and it's brought all of us together," she added.

\u201c"What's the worst that could happen? We lose 16-0 to Wrexham? We don't care because we're living, we're being bold, we're being brave."\n\n@HeatherOReilly knows the result isn't everything. \ud83d\ude4c\n\ud83d\udcfa: @TST7v7 on @peacock\u201d
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBC Sports Soccer) 1685666198

The team scored just one goal in their three games played, losing 5-0 to a team representing historically black colleges and universities and 7-1 to a second-tier professional Italian team. The aforementioned Wrexham AFC is a Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who have made a historic rise in the ranks of English soccer through the help of their celebrity ownership.

The pleasant responses from the female players is indeed a change of tune when compared to the official U.S. Women's National Team, which sued the U.S. Soccer Federation. Five women from the team filed a complaint claiming they did not receive pay equal to the men's national team. The federation settled for $24 million.

Included in that lawsuit was player Megan Rapinoe, who has made rounds in the political talk-show circuit speaking on the issue and recently joined a group to oppose the exclusion of female-identifying men in women's sports.

\u201c\u201cThis message is for Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) & @RMcElhenney!\u201d\n\n@HeatherOReilly had some words for the @Wrexham_AFC owners. \ud83d\udc40\u201d
— TST (@TST) 1685667878

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Jill Biden bombarded with boos, 'FJB' chants at Eagles game. But neither could be heard on NBC broadcast: Report



First lady Jill Biden reportedly did not receive a warm reception at Lincoln Financial Field, the home of her beloved Philadelphia Eagles. Biden — who grew up in Hammonton, New Jersey, just outside Philadelphia — was an honorary captain for the Eagles' Sunday night matchup against their bitter NFC East rivals, the Dallas Cowboys. But when she attempted to help lead the crowd in a rendition of "Fly, Eagles, Fly," those in the stands reportedly responded by booing mercilessly and chanting expletives about her husband.

Mrs. Biden, who was on hand to support the Cancer Moonshot initiative, clearly knew the fight song and smiled as she sang ardently in front of nearly 70,000 raucous fans. NBC included a brief clip of her appearance on its national broadcast and then shared that clip on social media.

".@FLOTUS leads the crowd in #FlyEaglesFly ahead of kickoff," the official account of Sunday Night Football on NBC wrote in sharing the video on Twitter.

\u201c.@FLOTUS leads the crowd in #FlyEaglesFly ahead of kickoff. \n\n#DALvsPHI on NBC and @peacock.\u201d
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@Sunday Night Football on NBC) 1665966446

"Fly, Eagles, Fly" is the only sound coming from the audience in that clip. However, folks in the stands heard different sounds and shared their observations on social media.

According to Tea Party Patriots, the crowd booed and shouted "F*** Joe Biden."

\u201cICYMI: Jill Biden was met with boos and chants of "F*** Joe Biden" at the Philadelphia Eagles game last night:\n\nhttps://t.co/dk26K4dits\u201d
— Tea Party Patriots (@Tea Party Patriots) 1666016550

In a video shared by Newsmax host Benny Johnson, some in an upper corner of the stadium were chanting a more family-friendly version of "FJB," "Let's Go, Brandon":

\u201cVIDEO EVIDENCE: Jill Biden gets LOUDLY boo'ed by MASSIVE crowd at Eagles game: "Let's Go Brandon!"\n\n\u201d
— Benny Johnson (@Benny Johnson) 1666021212

Others in attendance did not share video evidence, but still reported the boos and the chants on social media.

NFL veteran Clay Harbor, who was drafted by the Eagles in 2010 and spent three seasons with the team, wrote, "Philly just BOO’d Jill Biden BAD." He also included a laughing emoji to indicate he found the incident humorous.


\u201cPhilly just BOO\u2019d Jill Biden BAD. \ud83d\ude02 #FlyEaglesFly\u201d
— Clay Harbor (@Clay Harbor) 1665965849

Self-described "Eagles insider" John McMullen tweeted, "FLOTUS Dr. Jill Biden gets booed. Being an 'Eagles fan' didn't save her."

\u201cFLOTUS Dr. Jill Biden gets booed. Being an "Eagles fan" didn't save her #DALvsPHI\u201d
— John McMullen (@John McMullen) 1665966144

Several media outlets have also reported the story. Notable sports site OutKick is one such outlet, though writer Matt Reigle claimed late Sunday night that videos of the boos and "FJB" chants were difficult to find on social media. However, a quick search of "Jill Biden" on Twitter on Monday afternoon yielded dozens of tweets that included the video. It is unclear whether the videos were less readily available when his story was published.

Jill Biden's husband, President Joe Biden, is also a lifelong Eagles fan. In May 2021, he described his fellow Eagles fans as "the most informed and most obnoxious fans in the world."

Regardless of any supposedly anti-Biden sentiment from the crowd on Sunday, the Eagles went on to best the Cowboys, 26-17, and are now the only undefeated team in the league.