Charlie Day

It's a crisp, breezy day in Long Beach, and Charlie Day is diving, over and over again, into the cold and not exactly crystal-clear water of the marina for a scene on the FX comedy "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." Day may be an executive producer on the series, which he and costars-cowriters Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton developed from a modest video in 2005. But today he's doing what's been described as "Charlie work." That's "Charlie," as in his character, Charlie Kelly — the intellectually challenged, chemically impaired, lovably loser-ish co-owner of the bar Paddy's in the City of Brotherly Love, who always seems to draw the short straw — rather than Charlie Day, the Rhode Island-reared actor who's making his way from TV into movies with a role the romantic comedy "Going the Distance."

"The Watch" must have seemed like a good idea to someone, at some point in time. Featuring Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill, the story of a civilian watch group that comes across an alien plot boasted three of comedy's biggest names. How big? The three, individually, were involved in some of the most successful and influential comedies of the last 20 years ("Wedding Crashers," "Knocked Up, "Tropic Thunder"). Yet "The Watch"-- which sat in development for years, dubbed "'The 'Burbs' with aliens” by some industry wags -- turned out to be a bad idea, a point one suspected from the dismissive reviews last week and confirmed Sunday with a soggy $13-million opening.

Most popular prime-time shows aren't run by a producer and star who has to finish shooting by 6 p.m. to rush to a night job waiting tables. Then again, most shows aren't like "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. " The irreverent comedy — created by Rob McElhenney, 33, who six years ago was making ends meet by working at a restaurant — revolves around a clutch of morally challenged misfits who own a dingy bar in South Philadelphia. McElhenney and two buddies write and star in the series, which this month began its sixth season on the FX cable channel.

EXCLUSIVE: Could there soon be more raunchy mayhem from the “Horrible Bosses” crew? New Line has made an offer to director Seth Gordon to return to the R-rated property he helped turn into one of the biggest comedy hits of last summer, said a person familiar with the project who was not authorized to talk about it publicly. Gordon also wants to be back behind the camera for the sequel and is in negotiations to take the gig, the person said. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, who were writers on the original, were brought on in January to write a script for a new installment.

Where you've seen him Charlie Day plays addlebrained Charlie Kelly on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," the impolite FX sitcom he also writes and produces with friends and costars Glenn Howerton and Rob McElhenney. He was on "Luis" (the Luis Guzmán sitcom) and had a recurring role on "Third Watch. " He's currently filming "Horrible Bosses" with Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman and "Going the Distance" costar Jason Sudeikis. Day is reluctant to name a favorite entry in "Always Sunny," but allows that the musical episode, for which he composed songs, is up there.

The first scene Charlie Day shot with his costar Jennifer Aniston on the set of the new comedy "Horrible Bosses" required him to sprawl out in a dentist's chair as though he had been drugged while the tanned and taut actress, dressed in lingerie, straddled him predatorily. "It was awkward," Day said, recalling the scene months later during an interview. Then again, the 35-year-old added pragmatically: "Actors put ourselves in awkward positions all the time. There's something methodical about it. You stand on a piece of green tape and say a line or you stand on a piece of green tape and pretend you're passed out while someone's half-naked on top of you. If you can't pull that off, God help you. " In the Warner Bros.

Like many comic actors, when he doesn't have to be "on," Charlie Day can be almost unrecognizably normal. "People have to remember that we write and produce that television show, which is a pretty heavy workload," says the calm, bearded star of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and costar of the new romantic comedy "Going the Distance. " "So when I'm not playing a character that is huffing glue and eating cat food and sleeping in my long underwear with Danny DeVito [as on the show]

EXCLUSIVE: Could there soon be more raunchy mayhem from the “Horrible Bosses” crew? New Line has made an offer to director Seth Gordon to return to the R-rated property he helped turn into one of the biggest comedy hits of last summer, said a person familiar with the project who was not authorized to talk about it publicly. Gordon also wants to be back behind the camera for the sequel and is in negotiations to take the gig, the person said. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, who were writers on the original, were brought on in January to write a script for a new installment.

So Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" has saturated the web with its vengeance-seeking goodness courtesy Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz and Kerry Washington. While Leo completes his bid to own your Christmas Day (when "Django" releases, in addition to his Baz Luhrmann-directed"The Great Gatsby"), it's undeniably Foxx's return to a leading man status. Sure, palling around with Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day and Jason Bateman in"Horrible Bosses" was novel, but he hasn't taken the wheel like this since 2009's "The Soloist.

Four twentysomethings running a dive bar in Philadelphia, all of them friends from high school, is a recipe for a much staler sitcom than "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," debuting on FX Thursday night.

So Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" has saturated the web with its vengeance-seeking goodness courtesy Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz and Kerry Washington. While Leo completes his bid to own your Christmas Day (when "Django" releases, in addition to his Baz Luhrmann-directed"The Great Gatsby"), it's undeniably Foxx's return to a leading man status. Sure, palling around with Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day and Jason Bateman in"Horrible Bosses" was novel, but he hasn't taken the wheel like this since 2009's "The Soloist.

The first scene Charlie Day shot with his costar Jennifer Aniston on the set of the new comedy "Horrible Bosses" required him to sprawl out in a dentist's chair as though he had been drugged while the tanned and taut actress, dressed in lingerie, straddled him predatorily. "It was awkward," Day said, recalling the scene months later during an interview. Then again, the 35-year-old added pragmatically: "Actors put ourselves in awkward positions all the time. There's something methodical about it. You stand on a piece of green tape and say a line or you stand on a piece of green tape and pretend you're passed out while someone's half-naked on top of you. If you can't pull that off, God help you. " In the Warner Bros.

Most popular prime-time shows aren't run by a producer and star who has to finish shooting by 6 p.m. to rush to a night job waiting tables. Then again, most shows aren't like "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. " The irreverent comedy — created by Rob McElhenney, 33, who six years ago was making ends meet by working at a restaurant — revolves around a clutch of morally challenged misfits who own a dingy bar in South Philadelphia. McElhenney and two buddies write and star in the series, which this month began its sixth season on the FX cable channel.

Where you've seen him Charlie Day plays addlebrained Charlie Kelly on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," the impolite FX sitcom he also writes and produces with friends and costars Glenn Howerton and Rob McElhenney. He was on "Luis" (the Luis Guzmán sitcom) and had a recurring role on "Third Watch. " He's currently filming "Horrible Bosses" with Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman and "Going the Distance" costar Jason Sudeikis. Day is reluctant to name a favorite entry in "Always Sunny," but allows that the musical episode, for which he composed songs, is up there.

Like many comic actors, when he doesn't have to be "on," Charlie Day can be almost unrecognizably normal. "People have to remember that we write and produce that television show, which is a pretty heavy workload," says the calm, bearded star of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and costar of the new romantic comedy "Going the Distance. " "So when I'm not playing a character that is huffing glue and eating cat food and sleeping in my long underwear with Danny DeVito [as on the show]

It's a crisp, breezy day in Long Beach, and Charlie Day is diving, over and over again, into the cold and not exactly crystal-clear water of the marina for a scene on the FX comedy "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." Day may be an executive producer on the series, which he and costars-cowriters Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton developed from a modest video in 2005. But today he's doing what's been described as "Charlie work." That's "Charlie," as in his character, Charlie Kelly — the intellectually challenged, chemically impaired, lovably loser-ish co-owner of the bar Paddy's in the City of Brotherly Love, who always seems to draw the short straw — rather than Charlie Day, the Rhode Island-reared actor who's making his way from TV into movies with a role the romantic comedy "Going the Distance."

Lightly watched when it debuted last summer on FX, the single-camera comedy "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" had wit and charm but few of the promotional tools with which to sell them. This actually helped you experience the show's wit and charm, like a "Friends" without the glam cast and too-big apartment. You still need an audience, though, which is why Danny DeVito and Anne Archer have been added to "Philadelphia's" no-name cast, and Fox recently aired episodes in prime time.

"The Watch" must have seemed like a good idea to someone, at some point in time. Featuring Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill, the story of a civilian watch group that comes across an alien plot boasted three of comedy's biggest names. How big? The three, individually, were involved in some of the most successful and influential comedies of the last 20 years ("Wedding Crashers," "Knocked Up, "Tropic Thunder"). Yet "The Watch"-- which sat in development for years, dubbed "'The 'Burbs' with aliens” by some industry wags -- turned out to be a bad idea, a point one suspected from the dismissive reviews last week and confirmed Sunday with a soggy $13-million opening.

As a director, John "Sully" Sullivan was no stranger to success. His "Ants in Your Plants of 1939" was an enormous comedy hit, and the studio was eager for a follow-up: "Ants in Your Plants of 1940," anyone? Sullivan, however, had different plans for his next effort. He yearned to travel around America, see the real country, and come back with a hard-hitting picture about big issues called "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

Though there are a few traditional sitcoms on the air these days that are filmed in front of a live studio audience, like CBS' "Two and a Half Men," the three-camera format is more the exception than the rule. These days, the majority of comedies on both the broadcast networks and cable are not studio-bound and are shot in the same method as a drama series -- they are filmed over several days without an audience.