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The Star-Telegram has an interview with Danny Pudi, who plays pop-culture savant Abed on NBC’s Community. Here are some of the highlights:

On what Pudi knows that Abed doesn’t:

I grew up a huge baseball fan and sports fan. I remember just memorizing baseball cards and statistics as a kid. I’d get the newspaper every day with my grandma, and I’d read the newspaper’s sports section every day, and just kind of memorize statistics. I grew up in Chicago during a beautiful time in terms of sports, where Michael Jordan was winning championships left and right, and I’m a White Sox fan, so it was a great time to memorize statistics and stuff.

On how people react to Abed:

It’s kind of fun to be the voice of so many people. I’ll meet people all the time who’ll say, “Dude, I know someone just like [Abed]!” Or “I’m that guy! I quote movies all the time!” People will quote movies to me on the street sometimes, and I’ll just have to be like, “Yep! Totally!” Even though sometimes I don’t even get ‘em. Because I’m not Abed — but I am Abed. I think everyone can say that they know someone [like him], and I think there’s a little bit of Abed in everyone.

On whether appearing on a show with the very tall Joel McHale makes him feel short:

He doesn’t make me feel short, but he does make me feel like less of a man [laughs]. Joel McHale is, I think, 6-foot-4, and so is Chevy Chase. I’m 6-foot, which is great. One of the things people say often to me on the street is “Wow! You’re much taller than I expected!” Because of my frame — I’m kind of wiry and gangly, and I look like an Indian Gumby — my frame is way smaller than Joel or Chevy’s. Those guys are like real men. I’m kind of like a boy, though. I am married, though. And I think my wife’s happy.

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We hope you enjoyed last night’s episode – we really missed Community.

NBC has three mini episodes for us in which Annie’s instituted a policy of 90 second study breaks to keep the group focused.
Enjoy!

Mini Episode #1
It’s time for a 90 second study break…stop using your brain.

Mini Episode #2
Another 90 second study break gives the group a chance to have a little fun.

Mini Episode #3
Stupidity comes at all ages.

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Nola has an interview with ‘Community’ star, Ken Jeong. Here are some of the highlights:
“My dad was a professor for 35 years, ” said Jeong of D.K. Jeong, an economics professor now retired from the faculty of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. “I took a class with him in college — just audited it. Watching him teach was like watching him work a room, like Don Rickles.
“He’s clearly where I got my comedy. It amazed me how deeply similar teaching is to performing. When you teach a class, you’ve known the curriculum for years, and you develop a style, the way you present information. You want to develop it in an entertaining way so it sticks with the students. It’s really just like a stand-up comic working an act over and over again, years and years of work until it’s the tightest joke possible.
“My dad definitely had his act honed, after 30 years. It was amazing to see how smooth he was. It was really professional. There was no dead air, really tight. I think about it all the time when I’m doing my character.”
Jeong’s own fish-out-of-water background as a joke-telling physician also plays into Chang’s personality.
“A guy who is Asian who is teaching Spanish, a guy who has a chip on his shoulder — it’s not unlike me being a doctor, ” Jeong said. “Why comedy? Why acting? Why Spanish? Why me?”

…

“I was able to see the pilot months before it was televised, ” Jeong said. “Once I read my part of Senor Chang, I just laughed out loud and said, ‘I’ve got to do this. I will not get an opportunity to do this again.’
“I get to go to work every day and just kind of muck around with people like Joel McHale and Chevy Chase. Our chemistry and our friendships have gotten deeper both off camera and on camera.”
Though a critical success, “Community” isn’t a sure thing for a second season. It’s drawing larger average audiences than comedy-night companion “Parks & Recreation, ” which has been renewed for 2010-11, and NBC’s lineup isn’t exactly spilling excess quality at the moment, but you never know. An average of 5.4 million viewers each week puts it on the bubble.
Jeong isn’t hurting for fall-back opportunities. But losing Senor Chang would be a blow. “It’s the best day job ever, ” Jeong said. “It really is.”

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The 60th Annual ACE Eddie Awards, Feb. 14, recognized the outstanding editing of 2009. Top honors for Best Edited Feature Film, Drama went to The Hurt Locker, edited by Bob Murawski and Chris Innis, while Best Edited Feature Film, Comedy or Musical went to The Hangover editor Debra Neil-Fisher, A.C.E.

The black-tie ceremony was held in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel with over 1,000 in attendance to celebrate the achievements in the art and craft of editing. The glittering, crystal-embellished stage was a fitting backdrop for the star-studded event. ACE president Randy Roberts, A.C.E. presided over the evening, which was produced by the organization’s executive director, Jenni McCormick. Joel McHale, the star of Talk Soup and NBC’s Community, served as the evening’s master of ceremonies. He quipped to the enthusiastic crowd that, “Without editors, films would be wandering, confusing and hundreds of hours long.”

Source: BTL News

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One of the best and, surprisingly, underrated new shows of the season, Community, still hasn’t been picked up for a second season by NBC. The problem? Selling soap.
Community features the “biggest band of misfit schoolmates since The Breakfast Club,” which finds itself alluded to more than once on the show. Their leader, Jeff, is an ex-lawyer (The Soup’s Joel McHale) who’s more interested in the social aspects of community college than making the grade.
Jeff’s friends at Greendale Community College include Britta (Gillian Jacobs), the object of his attention; Abed (Danny Pudi), a pop culture junkie; perfectionist teen Annie (Alison Brie); jock Troy (Donald Glover) and Pierce (Chevy Chase), the oldest member of the group. The show also stars Ken Jeong who plays mean-spirited Spanish professor Senor Chang.
The show’s gotten critical support but when it comes to viewers, but Community falls in the middle of the 130 network programs on the five networks.
Last week, from 8-8:30 p.m. ET, Community (2.3/7 in 18-49, 5.2 million viewers overall) matched its highest 18-49 rating since January 14 and is currently reporting its biggest overall audience since that same date. Thursday’s Valentine ’s Day themed episode was up 35 percent versus NBC’s 18-49 average in the time period this season prior to the Community debut in the slot (2.3 vs. 1.7).

Read the full story on Satellite TV Guru

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THINGS GET AWKWARD BETWEEN JEFF AND BRITTA—Jeff (Joel McHale) sets out to fix his relationship with Britta (Gillian Jacobs) after things get awkward with a drunken phone call. Meanwhile, Annie (Alison Brie) and Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) make plans to humiliate Señor Chang (Ken Jeong) in order to defend Troy (Donald Glover) and Pierce’s (Chevy Chase) dignity. Danny Pudi also stars.

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The New York Magazine has an interview with Community Creator Dan Harmon. Here are the highlights:

When I first started watching the show, I was initially turned off by McHale’s character, Jeff. And then very quickly, it seemed like he turned into a nice guy. Was that always the plan?
When we started out, I wanted to spend the first twelve episodes telling the story of this guy who’s this lone wolf, having his membranes dissolved by a new community. That plan sort of went awry in that I think we were more successful than we predicted we would be with making the audience comfortable with this group as an unlikely family. So really, by the Halloween episode, it already felt like we’d told the story of Jeff growing on these people and vice versa. We also didn’t predict that people would adore every single one of those characters for different reasons. It feels like we jumped light years ahead of schedule, and could do this ensemble-comedy show. … And Joel McHale can do his own thing in the background that can be some sort of geek psychological story about him overcoming his pettiness. That’s an upcoming episode, by the way.

What’s up with Jeff and Britta (Gillian Jacobs)? Are they going to be the next Pam and Jim?
That’s actually another important thing about the pop-culture aspect of the show: The characters have all watched Friends, they know Star Trek, they’ve watched The Office and 30 Rock, even. Much like the audience, they’re not going to tolerate having a “will they/won’t they” shoved in their face. The nice thing about having a character like Abed is that you can be meta, and the audience can trust you because you can send them little signals that you’re on the case.

And what about some of your other pairs, like Abed and Troy. They’re such a funny duo; was that a casting choice?
No, it was way more organic than that. I remember the writers and I being very excited about Chevy Chase’s character and Troy, how they were going to be the Beavis and Butt-head of the show. But we sort of abandoned that story, because it didn’t germinate as quickly. And then when we did that first 30-second tag that goes on the end of an episode, that rap with Troy and Abed, and people loved it so much, and you could feel the chemistry while we were shooting, it was instantly apparent that that’s the thing you go towards.

How long do you think the show can last?
Jeff is going to get a bachelor’s degree, and contrary to popular belief, you can get one of those at a community college. And so we’ve got that four-year story — is his life changed or the same? Or is something going to happen to derail the whole thing, for example, the cancellation of our show? I don’t have any ambition to be the next Laverne & Shirley, and have it run two decades. Jeff’s not going to grow a beard and start teaching there while the rest of them open a pet store across the street.

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Joel was his usual funny self and he even pledged his support of Conan and offered him the hosting duties of The Soup!

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Actor/Comedian Joel McHale,of the TV show Community, Christmas shopping with his wife Sarah and their two kids.

Source: Taragana

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TV.com has both Community and Modern Family has the best new comedies of the season, but they are trying to decide which one of them is the best. Here are some of their thoughts:

Cast: This critical category is a tight one. Community boasts Chevy Chase, the man who once played Fletch, and Joel McHale, the man who could play him today. Add fall’s freshest faces—Danny Pudi and Donald Glover—and you’re looking at TV’s most surprising new motley crew of a cast. But Modern Family has Ed O’Neill, who is looking like an Emmy candidate right now, and adding Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Sofia Vergara, and a bushel of funny child actors only seals the deal. Point: Modern Family.
Guests/Recurring Actors: Like sexually frustrated couples, comedies need to throw others into the mix to spice things up. Shelley Long in ModFam’s “The Incident” was hilarious. It was nice to see Diane Chambers get absolutely lubed on booze and destroy a wedding. Unfortunately, Ed Norton’s appearance as Spandau Ballet’s bass player was a disaster, despite the “Fandau” gag. Elizabeth Banks was so-so, but just reminded us how much we’d rather watch Cam and Mitchell instead. On Community, John Oliver’s portrayal as Jeff’s nemesis/friend (frienemesis?) is hysterical, and I don’t care what anyone says, Ken Jeong as Senor Chang is muy awesomo. Fred Willard’s upcoming role as Phil’s dad in Modern Family could change our minds, but for now, it’s Point: Community.

The Winner: Just a second as I count the votes… it’s Modern Family by the official score of three to two! But let’s face it, we’re all winners here! Except for Community, which is slightly less of a winner. But in this race, there’s no shame in second place. Let’s just be happy we actually have “best new comedy” candidates this season. Modern Family, stop by the TV.com offices anytime to pick up your trophy.