Racist fruit vendor scores job at new 'Office'

For those of you who maybe forgot that a spinoff for "The Office" was in the works — and in doing so hoped that the whole ill-advised endeavor would simply go away — here comes some news that brings the project one step closer to reality.

Variety reported yesterday that actor/comedian Aziz Ansari is the first member of the yet-untitled sitcom's cast to be hired. What role he'll be playing — doofish boss? lovelorn slacker? a new, exciting stereotype perhaps? — is being kept mum. But executive producer Greg Daniels isn't so tight-lipped as to why Ansari — a member of MTV sketch troupe Human Giant — was picked. "We met him pretty early on and thought he was very funny," Daniels said. "We loved his work in 'Human Giant,' which I'm a huge fan of, as is (co-executive producer Mike Schur), and we have a good character for him."

As good a character as Sinjay, the racist outdoor fruit vendor and certified mutha'ucka from "Flight of the Conchords"? Because I'll admit, I've never watched "Human Giant" (is it on MTV? Yeah, then I've never seen it), and therefore am only familiar with Ansari's portrayal of a prejudiced produce monger, whose misplaced hatred for New Zealanders drove a fruit-deprived Bret and Jemaine to unleash a fury of extended middle digits. But he was funny enough — "You can have fruit from the New Zealand section ... it's for dogs from America and people from New Zealand" — that his involvement in this stupid damn "Office" spinoff malarkey gives me a glimmer of hope that it won't entirely suck.

Also promising is this rumor from E! that the focus of the spinoff will be none other than Karen a-Filippelli, played by button-cute Rashida Jones. Here's what E!!! says: "While one inside source (who has always been reliable) says 'it's true' that Rashida will be a part of the new series, another source inside Rashida's camp says, 'As far as I know, she has not been approached.'" C'mon, E!!!!!!, get your facts straight.

— Adam Reinhard, areinhard@greenbaypressgazette.com