The Office 2.0 Update

So, news regarding the upcoming Office spin-off has been pretty nill of late, but I finally came across some news. A lot of rumors have been going around, but not much has been available to confirm or deny what I've been hearing. I'm honestly still not sold on the idea, but it's sounding like it might be a viable project. All signs indicate that no one from the current cast will be spun-off, so I think that's a good sign. Anyway, per a couple of my online sources, here's the latest...

• The producers of NBC's The Office spin-off have made their first casting hire, and it's Aziz Ansari of MTV's Human Giant [[AND, who played Sinjay, the angry fruit-cart guy in a completely awesome episode of Flight of the Chonchods]]. "We met him pretty early on and thought he was very funny," exec producer Greg Daniels tells Variety. "[W]e have a good character for him."
  
  The spin-off's premise has yet to be finalized, as producers still are sorting through several ideas. It's unlikely that any current Office staffer will get spun off; rather, one or more characters from the new series probably will be introduced this fall on the mothership, paving the way for the companion show's midseason launch.
  
  "We're trying to come up with the best concept and hire the funniest writers," exec producer Michael Schur tells Variety. "In the next couple of weeks, we'll be making the final move to one specific idea." As first reported by TVGuide.com, Ansari will be featured on the final season of Scrubs, which finishes filming this August and will air on ABC. (Courtesy of Matt Mitovich from TVGuide).

• Consider this only a rumor for the time being. However, word has been rippling through the TV biz today that Rashida Jones (aka Karen Filippelli, presently of Utica, New York) may star in the upcoming NBC spinoff of The Office.
  
  Sounds pretty amazing to this Office (and Rashida) fan, so I did a little digging, and here's where this stands: 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." Hmmm...
  
  Meanwhile, a rep for Universal (which produces The Office) tells me: "Universal Media Studios has a talent holding deal with Rashida. It is premature to speculate about any potential projects she could be involved with." (Courtesy of Kristin from E!Online).