'The Office' is closed

Productivity at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin has reached a new low: NBC’s The Office was forced to shut down earlier this week during the filming of an episode titled “Dinner Party” after several actors—including Steve Carell—skipped work in support of the WGA strike. What does this mean for all of you Dunderheads? It means that the installment airing Nov. 15, the ninth of the season, could wind up being the finale if the strike drags on and on; in any case, it will almost certainly be the last fresh episode of 2007. And to anyone who still hasn’t gotten around to checking out the original BBC version of the show on DVD, now is a really good time.