Hardin times for ‘Office’ actress

Melora Hardin is forsaking the offices of Scranton’s Dunder Mifflin for the bright lights of Broadway.

On Dec. 29, the actress – who plays Jan Levenson on the hit NBC TV series “The Office” – will join the cast of “Chicago” to portray the character Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger’s part in Rob Marshall’s 2002 movie version).

Hardin will appear in the long-running revival through Feb. 12.

“I’m thrilled. I’m so excited,” Hardin said. “I have been dancing all my life, since I was 5. … In a way, I was made for musicals. But I have been working so much in film and television that I never really had a chance to do them.”

Hardin auditioned by singing “Roxie” and “All That Jazz,” the big number of the show’s other lead, Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones in Marshall’s movie).

Hardin’s last stage role was in August’s Hollywood Bowl version of “Les Miserables.”

Beam them both out, Scotty

William Shatner just won’t make nice with his former “Star Trek” co-star George Takei. In an online video, Shatner says: “George has been mean to me for a long time – I mean, decades and decades.”

Shatner griped in a prior video about not being invited to Takei’s September wedding to Brad Altman. Now he’s inviting Takei to appear on his Biography Channel talk show, “Shatner’s Raw Nerve.”

J-Lo has no (birth) control

As opposed to William Shatner and George Takei, husband-wife Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez are getting along swimmingly. In fact, an insider told In Touch Weekly, the happy couple is actively trying to have another baby.

J-Lo, 39, and Anthony, 40, wed in 2004 and become parents of twins in February.

Success is in its blood

In climbing to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 165,000 copies sold, the soundtrack of the film “Twilight” joins those of “Juno” and “Mamma Mia” among 2008’s top sellers. Downloads of the album represent 29 percent of its first-week sales.

“ ‘Twilight’ may be a suck-your-neck vampire love story,” said James R. Saunders of the Philadelphia Inquirer, “but that’s not affecting the collection’s popularity.”

“Twilight” the film, which stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, is set for a Nov. 21 release.

Their love will last for … now

Finally, if you’ve been following the melodrama involving the Joe Jonas-Taylor Swift breakup, you’ll be happy to know that the Jonas Brothers singer has rebounded. He’s now dating “10,000 BC” actress Camilla Belle.

Jonas, 19, is said to have been quietly dating Belle, 22, who recently starred in the Jonas Brothers music video for their tune “Lovebug.”

The birthday bunch

Jazz pianist Ellis Marsalis is 74. Writer P.J. O’Rourke is 61. Singer-accordionist Buckwheat Zydeco is 61. Guitarist James Young of Styx is 59. Singer Stephen Bishop is 57. Pianist Yanni is 54. Actor D.B. Sweeney is 47. Actress Laura San Giacomo (“Just Shoot Me”) is 47. Actor Patrick Warburton (“Seinfeld”) is 44. Actor Josh Duhamel (“Transformers”) is 36. Drummer Travis Barker of Plus-44 is 33.