Beyond confirming that a BBC executive in Beijing is working with a New York-based film financier on a Mandarin edition, official information on China’s version of The Office is virtually nil - yet that hasn’t stopped nay-sayers from declaring “It cannot be done!” more ›

• After having a read about the stats of disposable chopsticks...We decided that it was a moral imperative to take your own chopsticks out to eat.
• We got excited about Ricky Gervais bringing 'The Office' to China and discussed the influx of foreign television being remade for a Chinese audience.
• We were miffed when we found out that 51.25% of sold property in Shanghai remains vacant. Way to drive up rents, rich people!

It looks like the latest international television programme to be lined up for broadcast in China is... The Office. Ricky Gervais wrote in his blog on Thursday; “I have some amazing news ... We are about to start work on developing a Chinese 'The Office.' How cool is that?” more ›

For those who have no idea what we are taking about, Shanghaiist is having an 80s-themed Happy Hour this Friday at Freelance. All are welcome. There will be cheap drinks, free food, 80s music and at least one tall white guy wearing slip-on checkered Vans and a "Frankie Says Relax" T-shirt. More party details here. The best (or worst) dressed will get a bottle of Solid XS Vodka, courtesy of the friendly folks at Freelance. Some other prizes could trickle in this week, so stay tuned (and if you are a local business owner and want to donate a prize, please email us at info at shanghaiist.com). more ›

To truly appreciate the genius of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's The Office, all you have to do is watch an episode of the American version of the show, which Shanghaiist did for likely the final time last night. No comparison. While the original The Office only blessed us with about a dozen episodes, there are still things to be thankful for: those episodes are worth watching over and over and over again, Gervais and Merchant's Extras is now available on DVD (has it hit Shanghai yet?) -- and Gervais and Merchant have decided to give podcasting a try. Starting today, Guardian Unlimited will host The Ricky Gervais Show. A new episode will be available here every Monday for the next 12 weeks. Here's a description: more ›