Amy Poehler's new series is from the creators of The Office, but it's not an Office spin-off, OK? The show's executives are really hammering that home. So, what's the best way to distinguish the two? Correct: Cast ex-Dunder Mifflin employee Rashida Jones to star on the new show!

Here's the part that's the same: The show is a documentary-style sitcom by Greg Daniels.

Here's the part that's different: Jones will not play paper saleswoman Karen Filippelli; she will play a nurse named Ann.

You might remember Jones from the puppy/kitten PSAs she did recently with Natalie Portman. Or the doomed series Unhitched. Or, she might be forever etched in your mind as the final stepping stone in the path of my most beloved television couple, Pam Beesly and Jim Halpert. … continue reading

Natalie Portman and Rashida Jones are in bed together again.

Last time, the two paired up to solve the economic crisis with puppies. This time they're urging Americans to vote — with kittens.

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Some actresses take roles that just doom them to a life of being hated. Take poor Rashida Jones for example. Lovely girl, excellent comedic timing, but accidentally got in-between one of America's all-time favorite TV couples, Jim and Pam from The Office.

Looks like she's overhauling her image, though. She has teamed up with Natalie Portman to offer some real, viable solutions for the current global economic crisis.

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Here's the thing: I'm just as likely to laugh at the clever brilliance of Oscar Wilde as I am at someone slipping on a banana peel. Of course, for the latter, there are caveats, like who is the someone, where is the banana peel and under what circumstance has that certain someone slipped. I'm admitting to my range of humor because this Sunday night, Rashida Jones' new show Unhitched, debuts on Fox. If all the caveats align with the appropriate constellations, I might even find the show funny. What I do know is that the show was not written by Oscar Wilde, but rather by the Farrelly brothers, of Something About Mary and Dumb and Dumber fame. See, there is the rub. Caveats may abound for this show.

Fox's synopsis of the show follows:

"Dating in your 20s is like going to the farmers' market — if you get there early, there's plenty of fruit, all ripe, juicy and yours for the taking. But dating in your 30s is like getting there at closing time. The remaining fruit has been sitting in the sun all day. It's been dropped, squeezed and handled by a thousand different people."

Well, OK, then. Now that we're clear on that, let's move on to the pilot, which airs Sunday at 9:30. We are encouraged to watch the four thirtysomething friends as they try to find love once again. One goes on a blind date. Kate starts dating an NBA player, and apparently another guy goes out on a date with the woman of his dreams. See, none of that sounds so bad, does it? But as they say, it's all in the execution.

Jones plays Kate, an attorney who has handled the various divorces of the other characters. Kate is supposedly the voice of reason on the show, so I may be spared from cringing into a ball of embarrassment or from watching the show through the thin openings in my fingers, which of course will be covering my eyes if the humor drops below middle-school level. … continue reading

The roles seem to be piling up for Rashida Jones lately, and personally, I think the pile-up is a darn good thing. Since ending her stint on the popular American version of The Office, Jones has been hired for several parts in both film and television. The most recent job announcement came just this week. Jones is set to play opposite Paul Rudd in a romantic comedy from DreamWorks entitled I Love You, Man. Although it's billed as a romantic comedy, and in the film Jones and Rudd are engaged to be married, I was still a little thrown off by the "man" at the end of that title. But what the heck, it's from DreamWorks, and that's not chump change, right?

But it sounds like one of those male bonding movies. The early synopsis says it's about "a soon-to-be-married man who goes on a search to find a buddy to fill his empty best man spot." Hmm, yeah, OK. Whatever. I get it; it's another platonicomedy or platonomy (yes, I just made those up) between two straight men. They're all the rage these days. But forget about that at the moment and concentrate on Rashida Jones. I am.

Jones, the Harvard graduate and daughter of music guru Quincy Jones and actress Peggy Lipton, seems to be making steady headway in an on-screen career that poses barriers she has found difficult to break through. She has discussed more than once the challenges of being biracial in Hollywood: She is judged "too fair" for some roles and "too exotic" for others, and naturally, she finds it frustrating and irritating. … continue reading

This week, People magazine announced its "100 Most Beautiful People" (the issue hits newsstands today). Drew Barrymore gets the title "World's Most Beautiful" — really? They scoured the whole world? Drew must feel pretty special.

There are no big surprises on the list: Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Aniston and Halle Berry all made the cut, as did (hooray!) Helen Mirren.

But there is one slightly surprising additional list this year: "Beautiful Without Makeup." That one includes Katharine McPhee, Rashida Jones and Rosario Dawson. This is exactly what they look like in the morning, wearing only their very good genes. … continue reading