Today's Entertainment

Stand-out comedy Rookie ‘Outsourced’ shows staying power By Kyla Brewer TV Media A good comedy is hard to find these days.Al- though TV used to be swarming with sitcoms, those looking for a few laughs may have to search a little harder than in days gone by. As the fall season shakes down, there remain only four real contenders in the rookie- comedy category:CBS’s “Mike & Molly,”Fox’s “Raising Hope,” ABC’s “Better With You”and NBC’s “Outsourced.”Response has been so good that the pea- cock network recently gave a full-season order to “Out- sourced,”which airs Thursday, Nov.18. Just about everyone can re- late to the call-center experi- ence, from one end of the phone or another.Whether it’s a complaint or a sale, consumers want to be able to talk to some- one on the double. In “Out- sourced,”one young man faces culture shock as he moves to In- dia to work in a call center. Bolstered by the numbers, and hoping to capitalize on a few favorable comparisons to its existing hit sitcom “The Of- fice,”NBC has promoted the comedy extensively,notably on- line.The series has also attract- ed attention for its innovative virtual-call-center technology developed with Jetset Studios and Telefon Projekt. Launched in early September, the applica- tion allowed web savvy viewers to visit www.midamericanovel- ties.com,enter their phone numbers and receive a tele- phone call from Mid America Novelties, the company fea- tured in “Outsourced.” It’s a new and unique spin on TV show promotion,and it ap- pears to be paying off. “We are always looking for innovative ways to engage and interact with viewers,and the virtual call center creates an op- portunity to do that,”said NBC Entertainment marketing exec- utive Adam Stotsky. Of course, there’s more to the show’s success than online pro- mos.The strength of the story and characters shine through in “Outsourced.”The series is based on the 2006 movie of the same name from director John Jeffcoat about an American call center employee who learns his center has been outsourced to India.Executive producer Ken Kwapis adapted the story for television. In the NBC version,Ben Rap- paport stars as Todd Dempsy,an eager,hard-working American from the Midwest who under- Stutzman MOTOR SALES , INC. 09 Hyundai Elantra GLS 4 dr., loaded, 4 cyl., tilt, cruise, CD, silver, 30,000 mi. 09 Toyota Camry XLE 4 dr., loaded, 4 cyl., p. seat, heated leather seats, p. suroof, CD, charcoal, 33,000 mi. 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Ben Rappaport and Rizwan Manji star in “Outsourced” goes management training at the Mid America Novelties call center.Ready to get back to work selling novelty goods such as bacon wallets and whoopee cushions,Todd discovers that the call center has been out- sourced and he must move to India if he wants to keep his job. Series star Rappaport is a bit of a rookie himself.“Out- sourced”marks the screen de- but for the Juilliard-trained ac- tor,who was waiting tables not long ago.The Texas native nonetheless earned his alma mater’s prestigious Michel and Suria Saint-Denis Prize,and has a fair bit of previous experience on stage. He shows off his acting chops as the displaced Ameri- can who must cope with culture shock as he adjusts to his new job in Mumbai.Todd struggles to find his way in his adopted home,and he must also edu- cate his employees about Amer- ican culture. Second in command is assis- tant manager Rajiv Gidwani (Rizwan Manji),a mischievous employee who’s gunning for Todd’s job. In contrast,Man- meet (Sacha Dhawan),a fan of all things American,quickly hits it off with his new boss.Smart and striking,Asha (Rebecca Ha- zlewood) finds herself drawn to Todd.The sales team also in- cludes socially awkward Gupta (Parvesh Cheena) and painfully shy Madhuri (Anisha Nagara- jan). Todd soon learns he isn’t the only fish out of water when he befriends fellow expatriate Charlie Davies (Diedrich Bader), who’s in charge of the All Amer- ican Hunter call center.Aus- tralian beauty and Koala Air em- ployee Tonya (Pippa Black) also catches his eye. The culture clash is,of course, a prominent part of the plot,but there’s more to “Outsourced.” Boling Vision Center 2 x 3” D R E A M B I G A D O E S N ’ T D I S A P P E A R J U S T B E C A U S E Y O U R E Y E S I G H T I S N ’ T P E R F E C T . 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Sneeze & Snooze C L I N I C 2417 South Berkshire, Goshen 574-534-9911 www.md4lungs.com Watch informational videos on our website. Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The series is in essence a work- place comedy,with different personalities and rivalries,per- haps even romantic entangle- ments,as there would be in any office situation. Both audience and critical re- sponse has been promising,es- pecially considering today’s cut- throat prime-time landscape. With more than six million aver- age viewers and high ratings in key demographics,“Out- sourced”is among the top new series on any of the four major U.S.networks. Homestyle Country Dining On or off-site catering All occasions Dine under the glow of gas lanterns Breakfast & Lunch Meals also available Open Tuesday through Saturday Mullets Dining 2 x 3” Mullet’s Dining, LLC 574-773-2140 Voice Mail 72280 CR 100 N • Nappanee Barb Chupp-Grove RN, BS, NP-C Nurse Practitioner Our friendly staff is ready to help you!

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