Nette is hosting a moderated chat with Bobby Ray Shafer aka Bob Vance this week. Do you have a question you would like her to ask? If so, post it here.

He will take questions from people who are on the chat after the moderated part.

Thanks!

~ Diane

Here is the announcement from Nette

Next week I will have the first Bob Vance Fans Unite contest and there are two ways to win. I will post text from a Bob Vance scene from The Office. The first person to correctly complete the scene (I'll specify the amount of dialogue required) will win. And the person who comes up with the funniest/most creative alternate ending (I'm the judge) will win. The super COOL prize?!?!...a Vance Refrigeration magnet autographed by Bobby Ray Shafer/Bob Vance.

Bobby Ray Shafer graciously agreed to be interviewed for our fan page. (Thanks to all of you who contributed questions.) There are two groups of questions, the first for Bobby Ray Shafer as himself, the second for Bob Vance and he was kind enough to answer them in character. Enjoy!!

Questions for Bobby Ray Shafer:

Who is your all-time favorite actor and what movies made you want to become an actor?
Gary Cooper. High Noon.

Do you prefer improv to scripted acting?
Absolutely not. I want a script. Improv is not acting, it's reacting. "Scripted acting" is about creating and becoming a character. Would you rather watch Flava-Flav, or Sir Anthony Hopkins? As we like to say: "If it ain't on the page, it ain't on the stage." The Groundlings or Shakespeare? It's no contest. Improvisation which occurs within the context of a scene with character(s) committed to the same story is fine and BV-VR says bring that on anytime. Certainly working with Mr. Carell one can expect that sort of thing... it's a bit like finding a suitcase on the side of the road and when you open it up, a BOBCAT leaps out...

Will there be more of Bob Vance, Vance refrigeration, next season? We didn't get enough of him this season!
I certainly hope so, but that question can only be answered by Mr. Greg Daniels. (And he (BV-VR) didn't get enough of him either.)

Do you know if there will be another Office Convention in Scranton, and if so will you be there again? (Seeing you was the highlight for a lot of us.)
I think that there will be but I doubt that it will be this year because of the strike(s) and the fact that there are 28-30 Office episodes ordered for next season, not to mention the additional 13 episodes of THE SPIN-OFF (that dares not speak it's name)... and I believe from what Sherlock Shafer has been able to detect, that the shooting schedules for both series will prohibit that from happening this year, but again, that's merely an educated guess. From conversations I've had with the fine folks back in Scranton, PA I believe that they're all for it. And thank you, it's nice to be a highlight!

What do you like best about playing Bob Vance and how much of your own personality comes through in this character?
This is certainly a trick question and it's stumped me for two days now so I'll just say that what I like best about being Bob Vance is the R-E-S-P-E-C-T given to the show and the cast from our peers and of course the L-O-V-E from the fans. What I like best about playing Bob Vance is his inner strength and moral uprightness. He's a Marine and a gentlemen and very old school and he's just so ROCK SOLID... and as for the differences/similarities/ambiguities of his-mine-our personalities, all I will say is that Bob & Bobby are very similar and are very ambitious and strive to be pretty COOL.

What character developments would you like to see happen with Bob Vance in Season 5?
I'd like to see VANCE REFRIGERATION premiere after the Super Bowl. So there, I've said it. But that's part of 'THE SECRET', right? Tell the universe what you want. (And then go get it.) I think the best analogy was when I was a basketball player I wanted to be IN the game, not on the bench. "Put me in, Coach. I'm ready to play, today." (And never take me out because I'm gonna dunk on somebody soon.)

What do you like to do for fun?
I love to play golf and I love to cook and I love the beach and I love to read books by the pool and I love Lakers basketball and pretty girls and miracles.

A few either or questions…
John Wayne or Clint Eastwood?
I've been stealing, er, I mean paying homage to both of them for years, so it's almost impossible to pick between them but if I have to I'll go with The Duke.
Hamburgers or hot dogs?
One of each please... No? Burger, hold the onions.
Sports car or pick up truck?
A pick up truck with a sports car engine.


Questions for Bob Vance:

What is a typical evening at home with Bob and Phyllis like?
Dinner, TV, and an early bed time.

What inspired you to get into the refrigeration business?
Need and opportunity and an insatiable desire to keep things cool.

What do you like best about your work?
The cash.

What do you like least about your work?
Taxes. Federal regulations. Employees whining. Vending machine breakdowns.

How has the recent global warming fervor effected Vance Refrigeration?
Air conditioning sales are up.

Do you offer 24-7 Technical Support?
Only for our commercial accounts.

To what extent will Vance Refrigeration be involved in outsourcing?
Not.

Are all your technicians licensed and bonded?
Yes, except for Gino & Leo who's drug-urine test results which were somehow mysteriously tainted.

I heard that all you really need to keep your air conditioning running is a wire brush and a bottle of ammonia. Response?
Maybe after I stop laughing I'll be able to write something coherent.

Dual Compression & Redundancy: Necessary?
Not at all. Two compressors are usually better than one. The only time 2 is not better than 1 is when it is applied to girlfriends and/or wives.

My car's AC is running... well... mushy. It feels mushy in there. It's a '91 Mazda. Could you come look at it for a minute? I'll hold up the phone: Hear that? chirp chirp chirp... What IS that?!
The chirping sound is the timer on the explosive device which is about to blow that piece of junk out of your driveway. You'll thank me later. They always do.

Thank you for your questions and your support. Bob Vance loves you! And he's not just saying that like some phony Hollywood actor. Right, McDreamy? It's true and it's for real. So there. Unite! And always keep it cool,

BRS ~ BV-VR

Woo hoo!!! Bobby Ray Shafer/Bob Vance has agreed to be interviewed for our fan page!!

So, what do you want to know? Please post your proposed questions here by Friday, June 6th. I'll go through them, compile a list (weed out duplicates) and see how many we can get answered.

What a great way to start the weekend!

I was out of town with no internet access when the season finale aired, so I didn't get to take part in any of the post broadcast discussions. I'd love to hear what you thought about the episode. I was hoping for more Bob Vance, but what else is new, right? He did make it to the deleted scenes on NBC.com. Here is the link http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/video/cat=28287 (Clip 5).

I loved the part and the beginning with Dwight's phone. I thought Phyllis was great and loved how bitchy Angela was when Phyllis asked her for her vendors. I was a little bummed that the timing didn't work out for Jim and Pam. I wonder if they will be featured in the webisodes this summer.

I already have the DVD release date on my calendar. I plan to take the day off and watch all the extras right away!