It was Silverman who wanted to land Steve Carell as the star in "The Office," Daniels said.
Silverman has acknowledged he's more of a big-picture guy who doesn't get bogged down with such details as poring over scripts after a show goes on the air. "I'm not going to be giving out page notes," he said.
That hands-off approach might win him even more friends among the writers.
"The job of a senior network programming executive is to place bets on the right horses, not to show the horses where to run," said Dana Walden, a president of 20th Century Fox Television. "We as an industry have micromanaged the process to too great of a degree. Working with someone who will give great creators some freedom will be a welcome change."
Even before Silverman settles into the job, Hollywood has been busy building the lore of its latest leading man. Everyone, it seems, has a favorite Silverman story, many of which involve his signature eyebrows, which amazingly arch and flutter.
Owens told about a business dinner where they first met country music singer John Rich. Rich, who later became an advisor on "Nashville Star," was initially "freaked out" by Silverman's eyebrow action.
"He was staring at them all dinner long. He thought Ben was the devil," Owens said, quickly adding, "But now, they are really good friends."
--
meg.james@latimes.com
