Showbiz411

Ricky Gervais is not going to be the new boss on “The Office.” He told me so definitively last night, at Chris Rock’s Broadway debut in “The Mother-you-know-what With the Hat.” Ricky, decked out in all black formal wear and looking sharp, said: “I could lying to you, but I’m not the new boss. Why would I move to California to get up at 6am when I already own the show? Hello?”

Gervais said that he will do cameo in the final show of this season, but it’s brief. He’s the same guy he played on January 27th, looking for a job. So who will be Michael Scott’s successor? Ricky said: “I already told you I thought Will Arnett was right for it.” But Will has a pilot to shoot, so then what? “I think it’s not who replaces Steve Carell, but who replaces Michael Scott. I think Ed Helms would be great.” Helms, who plays Andy, may wind up as the man. “But I don’t think there is a plan yet,” said Ricky. Hmmm…That seems unlikely, given that new scripts will be ordered soon for the fall season. But at least we know it’s not Ricky.

Meantime, PS: you think Ricky is jaded about celebrities? While we were talking, Richard Thomas–John Boy Walton himself– walked by. Ricky nearly flipped. He said to Thomas: “Your show is one of the reasons I came to America.” I think Richard Thomas was even surprised. He told Ricky, “I’m a big fan of yours, too.” So there you go. Who knew?

Roger Friedman

Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News. Friedman previously wrote the Intelligencer column at New York Magazine, He writes for Parade magazine and has written for Details, Vogue, the New York Times, Post, and Daily News and many other publications. He is the writer and co-producer of a film about R&B Music called “Only the Strong Survive,” which was released by Miramax in 2003 and was a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals.