West Wing News Blog

Last Chance For "West Wing" To Win At Emmys

2006-08-26T11:36:00.000-04:00

"The West Wing" was nominated and could win Emmy Awards for the last time this year.

The Creative Arts Awards were already held last week to honor the technical aspects of television. "The West Wing" won against "Two and a Half Men" in the category Outstanding Multi-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series or Special for the Live Debate episode.

The official press release mentions that Bradley Whitford and Timothy Busfield presented some awards and news reports mention that Allison Janney was also a presenter.

E! is broadcasting the Creative Arts Awards at 8PM ET tonight, Saturday, August 26.

The primetime Emmy Awards will air tomorrow at 8PM ET on NBC. Presenters include Bradley Whitford, Martin Sheen (and son Charlie Sheen), Matthew Perry, Felicity Huffman, Jon Stewart from "The Daily Show" and Stephen Colbert. The Primetime Emmy Awards will be repeated on Bravo during the day Monday and early Tuesday,

Before this, E! will be interviewing celebrities arriving on the Red Carpet starting at 6PM ET until 8PM ET. This 2 hour special will reair on E! during the day Monday.

Starting at 7PM, NBC will also be interviewing arrivals on the Red Carpet. This broadcast will not be repeated.

E! 's Red Carpet Coverage will also be shown on its international station. In the UK, this broadcast begins at 11PM GMT and will be repeated frequently throughout the week. Check the listings of your digital TV provider.

The Primetime Emmy Awards will be shown in the UK starting Monday, August 28, on Living TV 2 at 9PM GMT. This broadcast will be preceded by some Red Carpet coverage at 8:30PM GMT. The Emmy Awards will be repeated on Living TV 2 a week from Sunday.

In Ireland, the Emmy Awards will air September 9 on TV 3.

There is currently a poll at IMDB.com where registered users can choose their pick for Outstanding Drama Series.

From Reuter s:
"ABC's hit medical drama "Grey's Anatomy" is favored to sew up the top award at Sunday's Emmy Awards and foil a bid by newly departed NBC political saga "The West Wing" for a record fifth term as U.S. television's best drama series. TV pundits say first-time nominee "Grey's Anatomy," coming off its breakthrough season as one of prime time's most watched shows, also faces a strong challenge from critically acclaimed Fox network spy thriller "24," a perennial Emmy contender."

From the Boston Globe:
"Supporting actor and actress, drama
Should win: Oddly enough, I find myself rooting for Alan Alda. He was critical in making the final season of ``The West Wing" work as well as it did. And Jean Smart brought needed emotional believability to ``24" as the first lady.

Will win: Voters will probably honor both Smart and Gregory Itzin, who played a weak, duplicitous president. They were the reason to watch ``24" last season."

From the Rocky Mountain News:
"If The West Wing wins its fifth Emmy as best drama, it would break a tie with Hill Street Blues and L.A. Law. Each has won four."

From the Boston Herald:
" ‘‘When they sit down and vote, I gotta tell you I think they’re going to vote for Martin Sheen,” Leary said of the ‘‘West Wing” star. ‘‘He’s a sentimental favorite, and this might be his last shot in terms of a series. This is a guy who’s played John Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy. He probably could play Teddy Kennedy if he wanted to start drinking again and putting on weight!”

2006-08-19T15:44:00.000-04:00

Happy 50th Birthday to Adam Arkin!

2006-08-18T15:57:00.000-04:00

Happy 37th Birthday to Christian Slater!

More4 Rerunning "West Wing" Series in UK on Sundays

2006-08-13T10:59:00.000-04:00

The British channel More4 is rerunning "The West Wing" from the beginning Sundays at 8PM GMT. It is rerun on on More4 + 1 an hour later as well as early in the morning Mondays. Toight episode 2, "Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc", is being shown.

Allison Janney Stars in Science-Fiction Production August 9 in San Jose

2006-08-09T09:40:00.000-04:00

From the San Jose Mercury News:
"Imagine a movie that actually depends on cell-phone interruptions and loud, incessant chatter.

For many, that will sound like a reel nightmare, the cineplex equivalent of the Tower of Babel.

At ZeroOne, San Jose's inaugural high-tech arts festival, such a confluence of media represents the future. You, however, can experience it Wednesday night at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Public Library -- or rather, on the library.

``Specflic 2.0'' -- a speculative discourse on the future of libraries -- utilizes MLK's walls and courtyard, multiple projection systems, live sound mixing, radio and Internet feeds, and a cast of five, including Allison Janney, who plays a book searcher in an InfoSphere, where ``book objects'' are accessed telepathically.

Janney, who co-stars with fiance Richard Jenik, said she still has trouble wrapping her mind around the mind-blowing concept.

``Do you understand it? Because I don't,'' said the former ``West Wing'' regular, only half joking.

The idea is to create viewing spaces -- or ``story zones'' -- that envelop the viewer, explained director Adriene Jenik, Richard Jenik's sister and an associate professor of computer/media arts at the University of California-San Diego. Director Jenik's largest images -- almost 40 feet wide by 30 high -- will rival some IMAX screens. Her ``near-future fiction'' unfolds in the year 2030 and brings to mind Aldous Huxley's ``Brave New World.''

``I call it `distributed' or `distracted cinema' because it utilizes cell phones, laptops, radio -- and other popular distractions,'' the director continued. ``It's an alternative to the traditional way of watching movies, where a group of people who are quiet face the same direction and watch something that's linear, time-based . . . has a beginning, middle and end.''

As passersby or those seated in the library courtyard view the unfolding drama, they will be encouraged to ``watch'' in new ways, using devices and various media that have traditionally been anathema to film-going. This interactive cinema, Jenik explained, will ``come at the participant from many directions at once'' and create ``a spectacular story world'' where we can reflect on how our culture is changing and what we are losing and gaining.

Janney, who spent much of a recent San Jose shoot telling her director, ``I have no idea what you just said,'' now senses she's part of something weird and exciting.

``In `Specflic,' I go around talking to this InfoSpherian person, who tells me to look for a book,'' said the actor. ``As I understand it, we're trying to create an environment in which the audience is surrounded by the art. It's terribly visionary, this wild interactive thing. You really have to see it to understand it.''

Janney -- who apprenticed in experimental off-Broadway theater and appeared in Jenik's earlier ``Specflic 1.0'' -- is obviously a whole lot more in tune with cutting-edge cinema than she lets on. She essentially volunteered her time on the new production -- for airfare and the price of a room at the Sainte Claire Hotel.

``It doesn't matter that I get paid nothing as long as I stay stimulated,'' she said. ``After the cancellation of `West Wing,' it was like being dropped off at a bus stop: I had no idea where I was going. So, instead of waiting for the next perfect thing, I decided to try something strange and challenging.''

What ``Specflic 2.0'' has to say about the end of the library as we know it is more prophetic than cynical, director and star agree. In the age of Google and Web surfing, libraries are not being used as they once were. Indeed, director Jenik and her crew couldn't remember the last time they'd visited a library.

``Libraries as we knew them growing up are not going to exist in the future,'' predicted the director. ``The librarians I've interviewed know this; they know that there are new ways to access information.''

Janney's return to a library left her feeling both exhilarated and nostalgic. ``Just being around the books, feeling them and looking at them, made me sad that I hadn't been in a library for so long,'' she said. ``I'm not sure how I feel about doing research now on the computer. In some ways I wish we could go back.''

2006-08-03T22:31:00.000-04:00

Happy 66th Birthday to Martin Sheen! And many thanks for bringing to life both the wisdom, gravitas and humor of President Josiah Bartlet for 7 incredible years!

2006-08-02T05:12:00.000-04:00

Happy 42nd Birthday to Mary Louise Parker!

Reruns of Season 7 on Bravo Start August 7

2006-07-26T21:40:00.000-04:00

According to Bravo's official schedule, the rerun of Season 7 starts with a marathon showing of the season's first five episodes on Monday, August 7 at 2PM ET, with a repeat of the season premiere at 7PM ET. According to the schedule, all episodes following the premiere will then be shown Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7PM ET.

"West Wing" Season 7 and Complete Series on DVD on Election Day

2006-07-26T20:36:00.000-04:00

From TvshowsonDVD:
" Warner Bros has announced the complete West Wing set they strongly hinted at during the recent Home Theater Forum chat. The box will hold all 7 seasons; 154 episodes on 45 DVDs. The contents of the DVDs will be the same as the previously released sets, however the set will also include the pilot script with a foreword from series creator Aaron Sorkin. The set will retail for $299.98 when it's released on November 7.

Warner will also release the seventh, and final, season of The West Wing on the same day. The 6 disc set will include all 22 episodes from the final season, along with never-before-seen footage and other bonus features. Of course the set will feature Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) episodes. Bonus material includes "Live From the Director's Chair" - a multiangle view from the truck as the director calls the live debate episode, and "Countdown to West Wing Live."

Link also includes cover art.

In Memoriam: Mako 1933 - 2006

2006-07-25T21:32:00.000-04:00

From Season 6, Episode 17 "A Good Day".

From Playbill :
"Mako, the Japanese actor who was Tony Award nominated for playing the Reciter in the original Broadway production of Pacific Overtures, died July 21 at his home in Somis, in Ventura County, California, according to friends and colleagues.

He was known by his first name only, and used his mother's surname Iwamatsu. In addition to his 1976 Best Actor (Musical) Tony nomination, the native of Kobe, Japan, was also Academy Award nominated for "The Sand Pebbles."

He also starred in the title role in the 1992 Broadway play Shimada.

The cause death, according to wire reports, was esophageal cancer. Mako was 72 and is survived by his wife, Suzie, two daughters, Mimosa and Sala, and a sister Momo Yashima. Per his wishes, there will be no funeral or memorial service.

Mako moved to the United States to join his parents, who had emigrated there earlier, when he was 15. After his service in the U.S. military, he embarked upon a career in film and theatre, and studied at the Pasadena Community Playhouse in California.

Mako founded the Asian-American theatre company East West Players, in Los Angeles. Over the years, he directed, designed and acted in East West productions. Mako directed several plays at EWP in the past several years, and was to have made his stage return as an actor in Motty-chon by Perry Miyake on the occasion of EWP's 40th Anniversary in May 2006. The production was cancelled in the third week of rehearsal as Mako had to start treatment immediately for his health condition.

As a teacher and acting icon, he was an inspiration to Asian-American actors.

"Personally, Mako helped open my eyes as a young artist just graduating from USC," East West Players' producing artistic director Tim Dang told Playbill.com. "He made me aware of the lack of opportunities in the industry and the valiant work that was ahead. He wanted to make sure that I was tough enough to survive in an industry where 80 percent of artists are unemployed and that percentage is even worse if you are an artist of color."

Mako's last public appearance for East West Players was on the occasion of its 40th Anniversary Gala on April 10, 2006 where he presented the Rae Creevey Award to Emily Kuroda and Alberto Isaac.

Dang added, "It's a very sad time for East West Players but also for Asian American artists. We've lost many of our pioneers in the last few years. And Mako's passing will affect us for a long time but I know that Mako would want us to keep the movement moving forward.

"With Mako's passing, there is a great feeling of loss in the Asian Pacific artist community. We have lost a pioneer who helped pave the way for all of us trying to make a career in the arts and the entertainment industry. East West Players is deeply grateful for the passion, the artistry and the activism that Mako displayed over the many decades as artistic director, director and performer. If it wasn't for Mako, none of us would be here."

Mako's film credits include "Memoirs of a Geisha," "Conan the Barbarian," "Seven Years in Tibet," "Pearl Harbor," "The Green Hornet," "Rising Sun," "The Ugly Dachshund" and more.

In "The Sand Pebbles," for which he was Oscar nominated in the category of Best Supporting Actor, he played a submissive engineer, Po-Han. It was his first film (the Disney picture, "The Ugly Dachshund" was released the same year, 1966). Mako was also featured as a guest on many television shows, including "F Troop," "Hawaii Five-0," "Kung Fu" and "The West Wing."

His sonorous performance in Pacific Overtures was captured on the original cast recording."

2006-07-24T21:42:00.000-04:00

Happy 38th Birthday to Kristin Chenoweth!

TV Critics Give "West Wing" Heritage Award

2006-07-24T08:53:00.000-04:00

The TV Critics Association has given "The West Wing" its heritage award "which recognizes a long-standing program that has had a lasting cultural or social impact.

Among those on hand at Pasadena’s Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel to accept were Carol Burnett, Hugh Laurie, Steve Carell, Jason Lee, Jaime Pressly, Rainn Wilson, B.J. Novak, John Krasinski, Ethan Suplee, Nadine Velazquez, Isaiah Washington, James Pickens, Chandra Wilson, Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Lucas Grabeel , Aaron Sorkin and John Wells."

There is a photo of Aaron Sorkin, Tommy Schlamme and John Wells at Wireimage. If you click "details", you can register to see an enlarged photo for 30 days.

From the Associated Press:
"The group, which includes more than 200 reporters and columnists working in U.S. and Canadian print media, voted a heritage award to "The West Wing."

Series creator Aaron Sorkin called the honor "an incredible compliment" to all those involved it the White House drama that wrapped up its seven-year run on NBC last season.

Sorkin also called it a tribute to "the memory of the unforgettable John Spencer," who played Leo McGarry in the series and who died of a heart attack in December 2005 at age 58."

From Reuters on May 31:
"Two recently departed NBC programs, White House drama "The West Wing" and gay-themed comedy "Will & Grace," picked up bids for the TCA's Heritage Award, which recognizes long-running programs of lasting cultural or social impact.

The third Heritage nominee was the CBS drama anthology "Hallmark Hall of Fame."

Winners of the TCA Awards, which are decided by critics rather than television industry members who vote on the Emmys, will be announced July 23 in Pasadena, California.
***
"M*A*S*H" veteran Alan Alda also drew a nod for his role as the Republican senator who loses the hard-fought race for president on the final season of "The West Wing."
***

While NBC led the pack in nominations, the General Electric Co.-owned broadcaster finished the 2005-06 season as the least watched major network overall, and in last place among viewers aged 18 to 49, the group most prized by advertisers.

In another sign that critical acclaim is often at odds with the Nielsens, some of the season's most popular dramas and comedies were snubbed by the TCA, including CBS powerhouses "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Two and a Half Men."

More4 Celebrates End of "West Wing" With Quiz Special and Marathon in UK

2006-07-20T15:40:00.000-04:00

More4 will broadcast the "West Wing" series finale next Friday at 10:30PM GMT. The finale will be preceded by episode 21 "Institutional Memory" at 9:30PM GMT, and at 9PM, by a Quiz Special, "The Ultimate
'West Wing' Challenge".
From More4:
"To mark the final broadcast of the last ever episode of The West Wing , More4 presents The Ultimate West Wing Challenge , an entertaining and intelligent celebration of the series. Hosted by Rory Bremner, the show unearths a hotbed of closet West Wingers in the form of the current Doctor Who David Tennant; Mark Oaten MP; columnist and comedian Arabella Weir; and UK editor of Newsweek Stryker McGuire. Alongside handling a CJ-style press conference and dicing with death on the speediest 'walk and talk' scene ever, the contestants trade their West Wing knowledge to discover the greatest all-round follower of Bartlet. Can you match the President's knowledge of Fjords Micronesia, National Parks and chess? Who can get across the White House fastest in a quick-fire round? Who said what to whom and where? Set in 'the Oval office' and recorded in front of an audience of hardcore 250 West Wing devotees, this is a chance to celebrate the greatest President America never had."

Episode 20 The Last Hurrah will air normally tomorrow at 9PM GMT on More 4.

Reader Jason wrote a couple of weeks ago that he intended to try and be in the audience for this Quiz show.
The 2 final episodes and the Quiz show will be rerun numerous times through the weekend on More4 and More4 + 1.

On Saturday, More4 is marking the occasion by rerunning selected older episodes:
the Pilot, What Kind of Day Has It Been, In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, The Stackhouae Filibuster, Two Cathedrals and 20 Hours in America.

Photos of Richard Schiff and Allison Janney....

2006-07-19T18:51:00.000-04:00

on Wireimage from the opening of the Hotel Angeleno. By clicking details, you can register for free to view somewhat enlarged versions of the photos for 30 days.

Allison Janney was also at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

From Calendar Live:
"West Wing" cast member Allison Janney, a Los Angeles Film Festival veteran whose feature film "Our Very Own" was screened last year, was named honorary co-chair this year. She said she felt gratified to be a part of Hollywood's hometown film fest, an 11-day event expected to draw 80,000 attendees with a mixture of studio films with theatrical distribution and shoestring indies looking for buyers.

"It's exciting to get behind this festival and make it the hottest one in the United States," Janney said. Reminded that the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, holds that title, she said: "L.A.'s not the hottest one and there's no reason it shouldn't be…. This is the film capital of the world!""

There are also photos of her there at Wireimage.

Allison Janney can currently been seen in "Strangers with Candy" in cinemas.

Bradley Whitford Joins Cast of New Film

2006-07-19T18:30:00.000-04:00

From Reuters/Hollywood Reporter:
"Fresh off the final season of "The West Wing," Bradley Whitford has joined the cast of "An American Crime," a gritty true-crime drama being directed by Tommy O'Haver.

The film, written by O'Haver and Irene Turner, tells the story of Sylvia Likens, a 16-year-old who died in 1965 while under the care of a woman named Gertrude Baniszewski. Whitford plays the prosecuting attorney in the trial of Baniszewski v. the state of Indiana.

Whitford's work on NBC's "West Wing" earned him an Emmy for supporting actor in a drama series. He next stars in "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," a behind-the-television-scenes drama from "West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin. It will air Mondays on NBC, beginning in the fall."

Bradley Whitford was also recently on Air America's Ring of Fire. You can listen to his appearance here.

Stockard Channing Speaks Out

2006-07-19T18:20:00.000-04:00

In the past weeks, Stockard Channing spoke out on a number of personal issues in some short interviews.

From Contact Music:
"Veteran actress STOCKARD CHANNING loves being out of work because it means she can spend her days lounging around in bed. The GREASE star enjoys nothing more than existing between the sheets. The 62-year-old says, "I feel most comfortable with myself in bed. "Reading in bed, getting up in the morning and going back to bed; talking on the phone in bed; and I love lots of covers, so burrowing with the dogs on the bed."

From Contact Music:
"STOCKARD CHANNING hates the idea of being a "raving beauty" in Hollywood, as she would miss out on all the best acting parts. The WEST WING actress admits she lives in a society which is obsessed with image, but she insists she'd rather grab the more interesting roles than be typecast as a bimbo. She says, "I think the toughest thing in this town is to be an absolute raving beauty with a capital B. "If my professional cachet was based on my physical looks, I can't imagine how hard it would be. "I don't have to live with that shadow of my former self because I'm a character actress - and I'm proud of that. "If I've had any satisfaction out of my career it's that I've created a lot of different females who don't fit a pattern." "

From WENN:
"THE WEST WING star STOCKARD CHANNING insists she was wrongly portrayed as a drunk in the media when she was charged with drink driving in 2004.
The former GREASE star was stopped by California police driving on the hard shoulder of Los Angeles' Hollywood Freeway and pleaded not guilty to two counts of driving under the influence in an LA court last year (APR05).
Channing says, "It was Christmas. I went out to dinner with a friend and we had a toast.
"I got into the car and there was an accident on the highway. I wound down the window and asked the officer what had happened and he smelt the red wine on my breath.
"I want to say for the record that I was 0.11 and the legal limit (in Los Angeles) is 0.08.
"They are very strict in LA and so they should be. But to my frustration it got turned into something larger than it was.""

From Contact Music:
"GREASE superstar STOCKARD CHANNING has sworn off marriage forever after undergoing four divorces. The WEST WING actress, 62, has four broken marriage behind her, with WALTER CHANNING (63-67), PAUL SCHMIDT (70-76), DAVID DEBIN (76-80) and DAVID RAWLE (80-88). Channing insists she is happy now living with her long-term partner, cinematographer DANIEL GILLHAM, whom she has been dating since 1990, she is more focused on enjoying the relationship as it is, rather then making it formal. She tells Now, "I think you can be funny about divorce. You have to. No one gets married expecting to get divorced. "But there are a lot of people who've lived with lots of different people because that's the modern world, whether we like it or not. "I've been with Daniel for 16 years. That's a huge achievement in Hollywood. "Marrying again would feel silly.""

From WENN:
"Actress STOCKARD CHANNING was shocked when her role in hit musical GREASE failed to secure her any other work as a young actress, despite the film's overwhelming popularity.
Channing, who was 34 when she played BETTY RIZZO in the 1978 movie, claims the film was as ridiculed as it was loved - prejudicing people against her talent.
She has since excelled as an older, character actress, winning two Emmys and a Best Actress Oscar nomination for the 1993 film SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION but she will never forget her post-Grease struggle.
She says, "I don't think I am just (remembered) for (Grease). There's Six Degrees and WEST WING.
"What upset me at the time was that it didn't help me to get any more work.
Grease was looked down upon.""

Martin Sheen Still Active On Screen and Off

2006-07-19T18:15:00.000-04:00

Last Month, Martin Sheen showed his support for the South Central Farm project in Los Angeles.

There is a short personal video clip of his appearance here.

Getty Images has photos of Martin Sheen at the Cannes Lion Advertising Festival and a Celebrity Golf Tournament.

At Wireimage, you can additionally see photos from "Sober Day USA". By clicking "Details" here, you can register to have access to enlarged photos for 30 days.

Reuters reports he will have a role in the new film "Talk to Me":
"Martin Sheen is returning to the Beltway.

he former "West Wing" president has landed a role in director Kasi Lemmons ("Eve's Bayou") mid-1960s real-life story "Talk to Me" for Focus Features.

Sheen will play E.G. Sonderling, the owner of a D.C. radio station that employs controversial black on-air personality Ralph Waldo "Petey" Green (
Don Cheadle).

As the radio station's owner, Sonderling gives Green his big break, thereby helping the outspoken commentator become an iconic radio personality in a turbulent era distinguished by vibrant soul music and shifts in social consciousness.

Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Green's radio producer, Dewey Hughes, who runs interference with Sonderling on Green's behalf. "Talk" began shooting in Toronto this week. The supporting cast includes
Keith Sweat, Mike Epps, Cedric the Entertainer and Taraji P. Henson."

Martin Sheen also recently narrated the documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car".Allison Janney was at that film's premiere.

And Martin Sheen is counselling his son Charlie Sheen on his new relationship with Brooke Mueller.

2006-07-09T06:42:00.000-04:00

Happy 51st Birthday to Jimmy Smits!

Emmy Nominations For "West Wing"

2006-07-07T18:53:00.000-04:00

From the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences:

"The West Wing" was nominated for Best Drama together with "Grey's Anatomy", "The Sopranos", "24" and "House". This is the "The West Wing"'s 7th Best Drama nomination. It has won 4 times, and it holds a record for most Emmys won in a first season.

Martin Sheen was nominated in the Lead Actor category together with Cristopher Meloni, Denis Leary, Peter Krause (also on "Sports Night") and Kiefer Sutherland. This is his 6th Emmy nomination for "The West Wing".

Allison Janney was nominated in the Lead Actress category together with Kyra Sedgwick, Geena Davis (from the now cancelled one season "Commander in Chief"), Mariska Hargitay and Frances Conroy. This is her 6th Emmy Nomination, she was four times.

Alan Alda was nominated in the supporting actor together with Oliver Platt ( for "Huff", also played Oliver Babish), Michael Imperioli, William Shatner and Gregory Itzin. This is his second nomination for "The West Wing".

Mimi Leder was nominated for Best Direction for Election Day Part 1 together with "Big Love", "Lost" "Six Feet Under" and "The Sopranos" (2 episodes). She has on Emmys in the past for "E.R." and "China Beach."

The Live Debate episode was nominated for in the category Outstanding Multi-Camera Sound Mixing For A Series Or Special together with "Two and a Half Men"

Other nominations:
Stockard Channing was nominated for her role in CBS's cancelled one season long "Out of Practice" in the category for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Stockard Channing has previously been nominated six times for "The West Wing", and won once. Also nominated in this category was Jane Kaczmarek, wife of Bradley Whitford, for Fox's now cancelled long-running "Malcolm in the Middle". Lisa Kudrow, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Debra Messing are also nominated in this category. This Jane Kaczmarek's seventh nomination.

Martin Sheen was also nominated for his guest appearance on Two and a Half Men, on which his son Charlie Sheen stars, together with Ben Stiller, Patrick Stewart, Alec Baldin and Leslie Jordan. Charlie Sheen is nominated in the category Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, together with Larry David, Tony Shalhoub, Kevin James and Steve Carell.

The Emmy Awards will be broadcast August 27 at 8PM ET on NBC.

arcadia215 posted at Television Without Pity:
"Allison [Janney] was just on CNN (by phone). She totally took the anchor to task (when the anchor clearly didn't watch the show or know anything about it)- the anchor made a comment like, Let's face it, not "The West Wing"'s best season, most critics said it had fallen a lot this past season and Allison Janney says, "Um, well, I totally disagree with that. Actually, most of the critics said this season the show reclaimed its crown" (or something to that effect). They cut away to the anchor's face which looked ready to shoot the segment producer who briefed her."

Cecily writes in an e-mail:
"I happened to be watching CNN this morning and they were talking to AJ on the phone about her nomination and she said was was surprised and excited, in addition to being happy about the other nominations for the show. The CNN person commented that this season wasn't as good as others, but allison came right back to say that it had made quite the comeback and then the CNN person admitted she didn't actually watch the show, she had just heard that. They also discussed that now she was worried about what to wear and they showed many clips of the last season in in the background while they were talking."

Thanks, Cecily!

Transcript from CNN.com:
" The Emmy award show airs on August 27the.

One nominee joining me on the phone now from California, "The West Wing's" Allison Janney.

Allison, good morning and congratulations.

ALLISON JANNEY, ACTRESS: Thank you, Daryn. Good morning to you.

Daryn KAGAN: Well, with all of your success with Emmy, we could almost make it Allison Emmy. You could be going for number five here.

Allison JANNEY: I know. It's completely overwhelming.

Daryn KAGAN: It doesn't get old to see your name pop up on the screen there?

Allison JANNEY: No, it doesn't. And I have to say, everyone has been the same amount of shock and surprise and excitement. It doesn't -- it doesn't get old.

Daryn KAGAN: Were you watching at 5:30 this morning there in California?

Allison JANNEY: No, I really -- I mean, I was asleep, and the phone rang. And I -- my first thought was, who died? I was very -- you know, because the phone never rings that early, and I completely forgot the nominations were being announced this morning. So I was kind of -- my mindset was not at all about the Emmys. And now, of course, it's wonderful.

Daryn KAGAN: What are you going to wear?

Allison JANNEY: Yes, exactly.

Daryn KAGAN: And then there's that.

Allison JANNEY: What am I going to wear, what am I'm not going to eat.

Daryn KAGAN: All of that kind of stuff. JANNEY: Yes.

KAGAN: Bittersweet this time? Because C.J. Craig one for the history books and "The West Wing"?

Allison JANNEY: Yes. It's such a lovely honor and a tribute to a lot of -- I haven't memorized the whole list of nominees, but it seems like the Emmy voters decided to honor a lot of these great shows. I mean, I really truly feel that I was, you know, honored -- blessed to be on one of the greatest shows -- greatest dramas in television.

Daryn KAGAN: And, of course, "The West Wing" getting a nomination, too. And a time, a season, let's be honest, people said not the strongest, not the best ever.

Allison JANNEY: This -- actually, I disagree with you.

Daryn KAGAN: I'm just saying what people have said.

Allison JANNEY: People were saying, what an amazing season this has been for "The West Wing".

Daryn KAGAN: So nice to have it wrap up with a nomination for the show as well.

Allison JANNEY: Oh, absolutely.

Daryn KAGAN: Let's look at your competition coming up. Some fabulous women actresses.

Allison JANNEY: Wonderful women.

Daryn KAGAN: Yes. OK. Kyra Sedgwick, for "The Closer." That's hot.

Allison JANNEY: I love her.

Daryn KAGAN: Yes.

Geena Davis, you got that presidential thing working as well for "Commander In Chief."

Allison JANNEY: Yes.

Daryn KAGAN: Mariska Hargitay with -- she just had a baby. Now she gets an Emmy nomination.

Alliosn JANNEY: Beautiful -- I mean, amazing actresses. And I'm excited to be there with them all.

And Geena Davis, of course, because I won't be -- I won't be able to look her in the eye.

Daryn KAGAN: Is it -- speaking of being tall, because I ask you as a fellow tall girl here, is it true that when you first started acting you couldn't get an agent because they told you were too tall and you would never make it? JANNEY: Oh, yes. You know, people always love to discourage you from acting, and they love to pick out the one thing that's, you know, obvious about someone, and say, well, you're not going to make it because of that. You know. But ha-ha.

Daryn KAGAN: Ha-ha. Ha-ha, times six for all the Emmy nominations.

Allison JANNEY: Exactly.

Daryn KAGAN: Besides the Emmys at the end of August, what's next for you now that "West Wing" has wrapped up?

Allison JANNEY: I'm looking for the next thing. I've been fortunate enough to feel like I can be a little picky right now. I'm looking for the right thing, whether it be on the stage and television again, or movies.

I'm really trying to find the right thing. And I'm also a little burned out in enjoying the time off.

Daryn KAGAN: Good for you. And that time off, do you ever tune into CNN midday or, I guess, morning in California and catch the actual White House briefings? Do you ever watch...

Alliosn JANNEY: Yes, I have watched them before. Not so much anymore. But it's just depressing. I can't bear it. But I have watched the briefings before on CNN.

Daryn KAGAN: And, of course, Tony Snow, the new guy with the job.

Allison JANNEY: Yes.

Daryn KAGAN: We wish you well. August 27th, good luck finding the dress.

Allison JANNEY: Thanks, Daryn. I appreciate that.

Daryn KAGAN: I know you'll look tall and fabulous and wonderful.

Allison JANNEY: Thank you.

Daryn KAGAN: Congratulations.

Allison JANNEY: Thank you.

Daryn KAGAN: Allison Janney, nominated once again. She's won already four times for the role of C.J. Craig in "The West Wing".

Emmy nominations coming out earlier this morning.

OK. Getting to the real West Wing,..."

The nominations for the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced at 5:39AM PCT, 8:39AM ET. The nominations will be webcast on the official Emmy site. They will also be broadcast on E!, and possibly also on E! International, although they are not currently listed there.

2006-07-07T15:32:00.000-04:00

Happy 38th Birthday to Jorja Fox!

Dulé Hill on Today Show This Morning...

2006-07-06T07:34:00.000-04:00

at 8AM ET, according to a post by Tom Farley at Television Without Pity, to discuss his new show "Psych".

2006-07-04T08:23:00.000-04:00

The West Wing News Blog Wishes All its American Readers a Happy Independence Day!

(c)screenmusings.net

See Seaon 5, "Jefferson Lives"

"West Wing" Shout-Out From "New York Times": Dream About C.J.

2006-07-02T09:13:00.000-04:00

From the New York Times Metro Section "On the Road with C.J. and the Demons":
"THE other night I dreamed I was in an accident with C. J. Cregg of "The West Wing." The accident was of immense proportions — something involving colliding vehicles or collapsing buildings — and it was crucial that we returned to the White House at once: C. J., who was the President's press secretary, needed to be there for an extremely important news conference her boss was about to give.

(True confession: Before going to bed, so help me God, I had watched the five episodes leading up to President Bartlet's shocking public revelation that he had multiple sclerosis.)

Post-accident, C. J. and I found ourselves on a highway, which I somehow knew was in New York City, though it looked nothing like the F.D.R. Drive or the West Side Highway. Our clothes were shredded, and C. J. was covered in dirt; one of her teeth had been knocked out. Half-naked, we tried desperately to hail a cab, but the cars were whizzing by at top speed, and none of them had their lights on. The only cabby who stopped was unacceptable to C. J. — he seemed to be drunk, and the inside of his cab was dirty.

Even in my dream I remember thinking: You want to move back there?

I have never been blessed with the ability to recognize that I am dreaming, even in the midst of the most absurd and unlikely scenario. I am never able to say to myself, "This isn't real — wake up!" as I begin to walk onstage, my lines a blur, or as I prepare to jump off a tall building without reason or a parachute.

But somehow the other night, in the midst of frantically running around with a fictional character from a television series that had been canceled weeks ago, I knew that staying in Boulder, Colo., where I lived for eight months last year, would have been easier than returning to New York, where I had built a life since 2000.
***
What worries me more is that I am not the same New Yorker I was when I left. My body is not all that has weakened. While I was away, my tough outer layer of skin started to peel off, and what is underneath is something soft to the touch.

The dream about me and C. J. made all too clear my subconscious belief that living in New York can sometimes feel like being a player in a horrible and continuing disaster. How does a New Yorker so transformed survive in a city that hasn't changed a bit? Can one continue to exist here without at least the illusion of invincibility?"

"West Wing" Alums Update: Writer Debora Cahn Married in New York

2006-07-02T09:03:00.000-04:00

From the New York Times Style Section:
"Debora Tamar Cahn and Michael Adam Heller were married on Thursday by Blanca Martinez, a community associate, at the New York City Municipal Building. Jeffrey Cahn, a member of the Kehilat Romemu congregation and the brother of the bride, is to lead a Jewish ceremony today at the Faculty House at Columbia.

Ms. Cahn, 35 is keeping her name. In April, she became a supervising producer and writer in Los Angeles for "Grey's Anatomy," the Touchstone television program on ABC. From 2002 until April, she was a producer and writer for Warner Brothers on "The West Wing," the NBC program, for which she won a 2005 Writers Guild Award. She graduated from Barnard College and received a master's degree in acting from the American Repertory Theater's Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard.

She is a daughter of the late Theresa Cahn-Tober, who lived in New York and the late Herbert Cahn, who lived in Avon, Conn. Her father was a nuclear physicist in Windsor, Conn., for the Combustion Engineering subsidiary of ABB, the Swiss industrial engineering company. Her mother was a clinical psychologist at the Tuba City Indian Medical Center on the Navajo reservation in Arizona, and the author of a memoir, "Hide and Seek: A Wartime Childhood" (Harmony Press, 2002). The bride is a stepdaughter of Gerald Tober of New York.

Mr. Heller, 43, is a law professor at the Columbia School of Law and until this month was a vice dean there. Next month he is to become a visiting professor of law at the University of California, Los Angeles. He graduated from Harvard and received his law degree from Stanford.

He is a son of Dr. Naomi Heller and Jack Heller of Washington. His mother is a clinical professor of psychiatry at George Washington University Medical Center. His father is a partner and founder of Heller & Rosenblatt, a firm in Washington specializing in international law.

The bridegroom's previous marriage ended in divorce."

2006-07-02T06:47:00.000-04:00

Happy 60th Birthday to Ron Silver!

"West Wing" Charlie Rose Interview For Free on Google Video, "West Wing" Cast Was on "Ellen" on May 11

2006-06-24T06:33:00.000-04:00

Today you can watch watch the May 2001 "Charlie Rose" interview with Aaron Sorkin and Cast Members Martin Sheen, John Spencer, Allison Janney, Richard Schiff and Bradley Whitford discussing the second season finale for free on Google Video!

Ellen De Generes' official website has a new clip of the "West Wing" cast's appearance if you click on Thursday's show. This clip plays in Quicktime.

The calendar for the "Ellen" show confirms that the cast of the "West Wing" will be her guest on May 11th. There is a clip on the website with a preview for the whole month of May which includes shots of the cast members Bradley Whitford, Richard Schiff, Allison Janney, Martin Sheen, Janel Moloney, Dulé Hill, Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda on the show.

Some posts from Television Without Pity:
thel22 posted:
"I guess we did get our retrospective after all. With so many cast members present, there was really no in depth discussion, but it was very moving and very funny. Lots of clips shown during bumpers in and out of commercials. And Richard Schiff, presenting Ellen with roses because John Spencer always brought them to her when he appeared on the show, is the man."
Kolonaki posted:
"Also the Allison [Janney] love - "you know I flirt with all of you" Richard Schiff : "Yeah, but me most!", and Bradley Whitford to Alan Alda - "You married the prop guy? Wow...Congratulations!" That man has perfect comedic timing. And, of course, for probably the last time (*sniff*), Allison Janney saying she loves the President's balls. I know she's done it before, but it cracks me up every time. Martin Sheen's reaction was priceless."

SueB posted:
"I agree, the Ellen show was just as good, if not better, than a retrospective.

Ellen summary:

Ellen (as usual) spends the first 10 minutes dancing and chatting with her audience.

They brought out the "West Wing" cast in groups (adding another couch or chairs as each group was added so that in the end everyone was on stage) to give more focus on each person. The set was sort of Oval Office-ish.

Group 1: Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, Bradly Whitford. The previously mentioned roses was the highlight of Group 1 plus a set of John Spencer clips.
Group 2: Dule Hill& Janel Moloney. A "secret handshake" moment w/ Dule & Martin and a discussion on the fan adoration of Josh & Donna
Group 3: Josh Mallina, Kristen Chenoweth, Mary McCormack ...good story of how Josh begged buddy Sorkin for the job. Ellen played a game where a cast member was identified by their attributes....pretty easy guesses, showed lovely comraderie
Group 4: Alan Alda & Jimmy Smits good discussion on the debates. Alan Alda said he took the wedding ring from the prop department because it fit. Bradley Whitford said "Does that mean you're married to the prop guy?" It was a hoot.

At somepoint, Ellen asked if anyone took trinkets from the set and Allison [Janney] said she took "the President's balls". And made little hand motions like she was grabbing glass paperweights. Well....the word "balls" was not out of her mouth for a nanosecond and then what she said hit her and she just about died. Everyone roared. A great moment. Almost as good as "I hawd woot canal".

The cast played "Presidential Movies" charades...pretty funny to see Alan Alda give "birth" as in "Born on the 4th of July".

Finally, Ellen presented the cast each with "Remember Me? I Was On The West Wing" bumper stickers, commemorative plates with their individual pictures, and cakes with their pictures. At some point Bradly Whitfrod chases Josh Malina and Mary McCoramck joins in and pretty soon everyone is holding Josh Malina while Mary McCoramck pitches the cake at his face. Very funny."

Joshua Josh Josh posted:
"About the Ellen show, did I mishear or did someone say after she presented them with the commemorative plates "this is going straight on ebay!""
krizmic posted:
"My favorite part of the Ellen show hasn't been mentioned yet. After Richard pours the praise onto Allison (followed by Martin's praise), Allison grabs Richard's hand. Then, as they were going to commercial, Allison grabs Richard's hand again--but this time, she's not even looking and does it in mid-air. It's just such a sweet, intimate gesture. You really got the sense (from this and all the interactions) that this is a family.

Oh, and I also loved the nametags ;)"

Originally posted April 4
From a poster at the WWSpoilers Yahoo group:
"I heard that the cast was taping an "Ellen" episode today that will air sometime during the week before the season finalé.

I don't know what cast members were actually involved though.

And I'm sure it had to be done this early because they are in their last couple of weeks of filming and everyone will be going in their separate directions."

The poster later added:
"Airdate is Thursday, May 11th."

***
You can listen to an appearance of Aaron Sorkin on the Charlie Rose show on October 2, 2002 here.
***

fposte recently posted a link to information on how to order a DVD of a "West Wing" cast appearance on the Charlie Rose show in May 2001.

A video of this appearance is also available for purchase on Google Video. You can see 2 minute clip of the video for free. The entire video cosst 99 cents.

Rob Lowe Wins Lawsuit, Can Build Mansion On "Dream Estate"

2006-06-22T18:02:00.000-04:00

From the Associated Press:
"Rob Lowe narrowly won approval from planners for a massive dream estate on his $8.5 million Montecito lot despite a neighbor's complaint the mansion would spoil his panoramic ocean view.

"I've always been a big believer in the process. I'm obviously pleased with the outcome," the 42-year-old former star of "The West Wing" said after Wednesday's 3-2 vote by the Montecito Planning Commission.

The vote came after a daylong commission debate over whether the proposed 14,260-square-foot estate would overwhelm the Picacho Lane neighborhood, which is also home to mystery writer Sue Grafton.

Lowe's proposal calls for a 24-foot-high privacy hedge that would screen the estate from neighbor Fred Gluck, former head of the international consulting firm McKinsey & Co. Gluck said the hedge would partially block views of the Pacific.

The complaint blossomed into a debate on the expanding size of Montecito homes.

Lowe, who purchased the 3.4-acre undeveloped property for about $8.5 million last year, told the commission that Gluck first complained about potential view loss, then on the size of the home.

He noted that Gluck's 8,577-square-foot home also exceeds Montecito guidelines for what planners call floor-area ratios.

Lowe's proposal is to build a 9,860-square-foot home with a 2,000-square-foot basement, an 800-square-foot guesthouse, an 800-square-foot second-story cabana with an 800-square-foot garage below. There will also be a swimming pool, spa and tennis court.

On Wednesday, three commissioners sided with Lowe and said the estate was compatible with the neighborhood. Two agreed with Gluck that the project sets a disturbing precedent."

TV Guide Interview with NiCole Robinson, aka "Margaret"

2006-06-12T19:07:00.000-04:00

From TV Guide:
" After the series finale, I thought my season-long Watercooler coverage of The West Wing was complete. Thankfully, not so. A few weeks after the series wrapped up, I heard from NiCole Robinson (aka “Margaret”), who had read some of the posts (Pretty cool.) and she was nice enough to agree to an interview. What follows are highlights from a fun and funny conversation which touched on the West Wing finale, Margaret’s “baby daddy” and the late, great John Spencer. Enjoy.

Watercooler (Jon McDaid): Let’s start at the beginning. How were you cast for the role of Margaret?

NiCole Robinson: I was in an acting class and Jeff Roth from Warner Bros. casting saw me. As a result, I got 12 auditions in the Warner Bros. casting department. Those were the first professional auditions of my career and number 12 was The West Wing. It was the very first pilot for which I ever read, the other 11 were shows already on the air, including Friends and ER . I was only given one page of the script because, after all, I only had one line and when I read that page I knew for sure it was a very funny comedy. Luckily, before I walked in the door, I was told that it was definitely not a comedy and Aaron Sorkin was the writer. This kind of freaked me out because I am really a comedic actress. So, I walked in the room and there was John Wells, Tommy Schlamme, two of the biggest casting people in the business, John Levy and Kevin Scott, and I am told that the person I am going to be reading with is Aaron Sorkin. Aaron said to me, and I will never forget it, “this is going to be the shortest audition of your life.” He was right. It was the shortest audition and, ironically, the longest job.

My one line was “Is this for real or is this just funny?” This is exactly how I feel now, seeking Emmy consideration, for the role that came from my one line audition.

WC: Emmy consideration, how does that procedure work?

Robinson: You have to be sponsored into the Academy. Two of my sponsors were John Spencer and Martin Sheen. Isn’t that cool? Once you are a member, you’re automatically eligible for Emmy consideration. So, basically, all you have to do is fill out a form. You have to pick the episodes that you send them to consider you for.

I have never put myself in. John Spencer, every single year, would get on my back and say "Put yourself in, kid, put your name in the hat, put your name in the hat.” I always felt like, you know, I don’t have as big a part as these other actors. Three weeks before he passed away, we had dinner up as his house and he invited me over to grill me about putting my name in for the Emmys. And he went over all the procedures. Then when he passed away I felt, like, disrespectful to be quite honest. I thought if I don’t do this, it would be weird, and wrong, and I’d feel funny if I didn’t honor him in that he felt so strongly. So, I’m doing what I was told.

WC: Could you talk a little bit about working with John Spencer?

Robinson: On the very first day we worked together he said to me “I’m going to say your name in a way that, if I do it right, people will yell it at you.” Five years later, on my wedding day, I was in a room while the guests were entering and even then I hear one of them shout “Margaret!” Just like Leo would. Let’s just say it happens a lot. John was a master. He was my teacher and my friend. This question is very hard for me. I’m sorry. I just miss him so much.

WC: At the time of the pilot, did you sense the show was something special?

Robinson: Well, once I realized that it, in fact, wasn’t a comedy and got to set and Tommy Schlamme gave me a tour of the set, an exact replica of the White House, yeah, I sensed this might be a pretty important show. I’m quick like that.

WC: Seven seasons is an eternity in TV time. Were you surprised at all at the show’s success and longevity?

Robinson: No, absolutely not. When you have the combination of Aaron Sorkin writing, Tommy Schlamme directing and John Wells producing, topped off with an awesome ensemble cast (Don’t forget me, cast member No. 11 on this cast of nine.) the success and longevity is not surprising. I knew the potential because I got the whole script, about a week after I shot the pilot, and when I read that script I saw that it depicted politics and government without the usual cynicism.

WC: Margaret has a very unique kind of regal quirkiness. How did you create the character? How do you feel she changed over the years?

Robinson: Don Richardson was my teacher and mentor and he would always say to me “Think of what everyone else is going to do and then do something different.” When I auditioned with my one line, the line was pretty sassy and I thought everyone would go in playing the old-school sassy secretary so I thought I would play the proud and devoted secretary. I guess that would be the regal part. As for being quirky, I have been called “quirky” my whole life and I’m not even sure what it means exactly. Wait, I think that was a quirky answer, right?

Margaret changed a lot! I think like anyone in a new job she was more timid at first, but after dealing with heads of state day after day, year after year, she gained a lot of confidence, just like the people in Washington.

WC: I know some of your fellow cast members talked to their real-world counterparts in the White House. Did you feel that kind of research was necessary?

Robinson: I did extensive research. When the cast was invited to meet our counterparts at the White House, I went. Who knew you needed an ID to get in? I was stuck at that little guard hut at the front gate. By the time I got in, I became painfully aware that the cute little sundress I wore was not exactly “inside the beltway” attire. The Rose Garden pictures are pretty funny. I definitely stood out, I guess it’s that quirky thing. Now, here’s the cool part: the woman’s name who was the Assistant to the Chief of Staff was Josephine Robinson. Kinda weird that we had the same last name. She showed me that she actually had a peep hole looking into the Chief of Staff’s office so she could tell if a meeting was wrapping up or what was going on before she entered. Cool, huh?

WC: Did you create a whole backstory for Margaret? Did she have a home life, hobbies, any superpowers?

Robinson: John would always say to me he thought she had a lot of cats. I have no idea where that was coming from. There are a lot of actors who do create this whole life and that tends to fall more for a method actor. I was trained by a man who had a very different philosophy, who was very writer-and-director driven. For me, if it’s not on the page, it’s not there yet. I was taught “don’t try to make things up,” because that’s the writer’s job. My job is just to interpret what’s on the page in front of me.

WC: As an actor, how hard is it to develop a character, when you only have a limited number of scenes in a given episode?

Robinson: I take offense to that question. It shows that you obviously do not understand how poignantly someone can say, “Excuse me, Leo. Line one.”

WC: Do you have any favorite “Margaret moments” from the show. Mine was when she confided to Leo that she could forge the President’s signature.

Robinson: That was definitely one of mine, too! That was during the Aaron years. He gave me that and Margaret’s muffin mystery, telling the French joke, listening at the door when Ainsley came…man, that was fun. After Aaron, I loved “Lift-Off”, when we get to see the power the assistant has, because Margaret is indispensable to CJ when she becomes the new chief of staff. One moment that I will never forget is in the first season, when we are meeting Charlie for the first time and Leo calls on John Amos’ character, Admiral Fitzwallace, to talk about the President having a black kid carry his bag. The work that John and John were doing was so interesting to me, NiCole the actress, that I was watching them shoot from a crack in the door. All of a sudden I noticed that I could see the camera. And if you can see the camera, it can see you. I was sure they would fire me for ruining the scene when, in fact, that is the take they used. I guess I have a little Margaret in me. By far, my favorite of all, was the scene when they mention Margaret being pregnant. I got to watch it from my hospital bed with all the nurses, my husband and my brand new baby in my arms. That was cool.

WC: I thought it was great that so many characters were given “curtain calls” as the West Wing wrapped up. What were the last few weeks of production like?

Robinson: In the last weeks, we had to shoot the episode about Leo’s passing. That was weird, it was like the ultimate method acting or some sort of ultimate reality TV. We had to go to work every day dress in black, and mourn the passing of our friend over and over, take after take. That was incredibly hard and extremely draining for everyone. We loved him so much. I can only speak for myself when I say that was the fat lady singing.

WC: It still seemed to me the series got a little short shrift at the finale (one-hour episode, no finale special). Did you think NBC should have made a bigger deal? I mean, Will & Grace got a two-hour sendoff.

Robinson: I’m not going to tell NBC how to run their network, but a Margaret clip show could have commanded some serious ratings. “CJ, you're needed in the Oval.” That’s gold! And, let’s be honest, the fans want to know who Margaret’s baby daddy is.

WC: All right, I’ll bite, who is Margaret’s baby daddy?

Robinson: I get that a lot. A lot of people think it was Ron Silver.

WC: My two choices are Bruno [Silver’s character] or [Secret Service agent] Ron Butterfield, because you know that guy could keep a secret.

Robinson: I hadn’t heard that one. The UPS guy and Bruno are the two that I heard. I like the Ron Butterfield one.

WC: With the West Wing wrapped, what’s next for NiCole Robinson?

Robinson: I always dreamed of being a theatre actress in New York. I was too poor to go to college and get a theatre degree that might get me that chance, so I thought the next best thing would be to go to Hollywood and get some TV credits and maybe then I would get a chance. We have moved to New York, I am pursuing my dream and enjoying the city with my family. I am also keeping my finger on the pulse of my fans by doing a lot of stand-up comedy at the bar attached to the Denny’s in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

WC: Stand-up, really?

Robinson: I’ve been doing it for a few years. I actually started just prior to getting on the show and I really had to stand back from it a lot, because everyone thought that I was going to be some genius stand-up comedian because I got on The West Wing. They didn’t realize I was brand new. I was very young in that. Now, I’ve been for doing it for quite a few years and I really enjoy it.

WC: Stand-up always seems like a really tough gig.

Robinson: It is hard, but I don’t see how it’s any harder than being an actor. I’ll tell you what’s scary: when you are on a set and there are no less than 50 people scuffling around, doing their jobs, and then they yell “action,” and everybody stops and stares at you. And all you can hear is the film ticking in the camera. That, to me, is pressure. A bunch of drunks in a comedy club? Like I care!

WC: Finally, as a TV GUIDE writer with copy editors who always doubted me, I have to ask: why the capital C in NiCole?

Robinson: Why not? Life is too short to be all lower case. Seriously, it’s what poor people do to look fancy. I was born in a potato plant town in Idaho of 1211 people, 1210 of whom are related to me. I actually had to be born in the next town because there is no hospital in Paul, Idaho. People think I made it up for show biz, but the honest truth is it was made up, by my mother, for no reason at all. Truth be told, I’m just grateful she was too drunk to figure out where to put the accent mark.

WC: “Life is too short to be all lower case.” I love that. That’s my new motto. I won’t even read the poetry of e.e. cummings anymore. Thank you so much, NiCole.

Robinson: Thanks a lot. This has really been fun."

2006-06-12T07:45:00.000-04:00

Happy 49th Birthday to Timothy Busfield!

Happy 45th Birthday to Aaron Sorkin....

2006-06-09T08:09:00.000-04:00

... the Emmy winning writer who created idealistic, smart, sympathetic characters with a sense of humor from President Josiah Bartlet and C.J. to Ed and Larry and Margaret , and wrote some of the most touching and funny dialogue on television, striking a great balance between drama and comedy, laying the basis for 7 seasons of inspiring and brilliant stories from the White House, that became real for millions of viewers due to the talented actors who spoke his words. The West Wing News Blog wishes him all the best for his new show, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"!

First lines written on the show:
"WAITER [Voiceover]
Two Absolut Martinis up; another Dewars rocks.
SAM SEABORN
I don’t think we’re going to run the table, if that’s what you’re asking."
Last lines written on the show:
"JUSTICE DAY
And I will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the
Constitution of the United States.

WALKEN
And I will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the
Constitution of the United States.

FADE TO BLACK
END CREDITS"

Lily Tomlin on "The Daily Show" Tonight

2006-06-08T21:35:00.000-04:00

Lily Tomlin is a guest tonight on the "Daily Show With Jon Stewar t" on Comedy Central at 11PM ET. This show is broadcast in the UK Friday, at 8:30PM GMT on More4 and at 9:30 GMT on More4 + 1 before a broadcast of "The West Wing"

2006-06-08T10:17:00.000-04:00

Happy 35th Birthday to Mark Feuerstein!

Warner Brothers Home Theater: "Beautiful Things" Planned for "West Wing" This Year

2006-06-07T12:21:00.000-04:00

TVShowsonDVD posted some mysterious comments from a representative for Warner Brothers made in an online chat:
"'West Wing'...there are beautiful things planned...coming later this year. Warner may have a holiday present for you...or 2..."
***

What about a series set of The West Wing? And any chance that ER could be sped up? Keep up great work!

I think I answered the "West Wing" question...well, sort of...you won't be disappointed. More ER is coming. Look for the next release later this year.
***

There have been rumors in the last few days that new series sets of "Friends" and "West Wing" with new bonus features will be released in the near future. Will these new extras be available seperately for those who already own the individual seasons? It seems that choosing to re-release an entire series with new features will only lead fans to resist buying the initial release if such a re-release pattern becomes the norm.

I can't comment on the specifics but I wouldn't believe everything you hear. It is not possible to please everyone all of the time but we do carefully weigh all of the possibilities and ramifications and hope to do what is in the best interest of the series and the fans."

2006-06-06T21:54:00.000-04:00

Happy 43rd Birthday to Jason Isaacs!

Martin Sheen Presents Bradley Whitford With Award

2006-06-06T10:06:00.000-04:00

Gordon Shumway posted at Television Without Pity:
"Bradley Whitford was awarded the Office of the Americas annual Peace & Justice award on Sunday at a brunch held at the home of Oscar-winning writer/director Paul Haggis. The award was presented to Brad [Whitford] by Martin Sheen.

Martin also presented Brad [Whitford] with his "Remember Me from The West Wing" bumper sticker that was presented to cast members on the "Ellen" show."

There are photos of the event at the WWSpoilers Yahoo Group and Quid Nunc, Martin, a Yahoo Group devoted to Martin Sheen.

Rob Lowe Public Service Announcements

2006-06-02T19:36:00.000-04:00

Jim writes in an e-mail:
"I guess it's not exactly "West Wing" news per se, but... Rob Lowe, aka Sam Seaborn himself, recorded a series of fake public service announcements for Comedy Central's "Showbiz Show," but they never aired. With the recent success of fake PSAs for "The Office," the Rob Lowe PSAs are starting to see the light of day.....

Rob Lowe on Sex Education
Rob Lowe on Barbershop Rights
Rob Lowe on Homeland Security "

Thanks Jim!

Lily Tomlin on Tour in California June 2

2006-06-02T15:29:00.000-04:00

From the San Jose Mercury News:
"She's still reeling from the cancellation of ``West Wing,'' done in by ratings and star John Spencer's death. She was so impressed by the quality of the drama, she says, she approached the creators about writing her into the show. She eventually took over the role of the president's no-nonsense secretary.

``When the show came on, I was crestfallen that I wasn't in it,'' she says. ``It was one of the few shows on the air that had anything to say. And it didn't hurt that it expressed a political view that I preferred to see expressed. So I immediately tried for a guest spot. I said I could be a lobbyist or something. I never expected to finally end up with a recurring role.''"
***
Lily Tomlin:

Unique Lives & Experiences Series

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday

Where: San Jose Center for the Performing Arts

Tickets: $38-$73

Contact: Events Unlimited at (877) 882-8124 or www.uniquelives.com"

From the Santa Cruz Sentinel:
"Sentinel: About "The West Wing." What was the experience of shooting the last season like for you?

Tomlin: We were all weepy. I had to leave the stage. When I did my last shot, I was turning the office over to the new presidential secretary, and that was the last shot and it was too close to the truth. And I was going to start some ugly crying unless I left. So I had to leave, so I could come back with some kind of dignity. I was really choked up and moved. Unless you were very attentive, you wouldn't have noticed, because they never want us to overplay anything. I had to turn away when I said my last line to her, "Be empathetic, and you'll be fine." And it was really like we were leaving the White House.

Sentinel: To what degree were you clued in on who would win the election in the show?

Tomlin: None, really. For ages, I just assumed it was Jimmy Smits who played Democratic candidate Matthew Santos, and I think most everybody did. But I read an article not too long ago that they had sorta planned Alan Alda, who played Republican Arnold Vinick to win. But we're not told much."

"West Wing" Mention in Article on "Slash"

2006-06-02T15:20:00.000-04:00

From the New Jersey Herald News:
"Which means that pretty much anything is ripe for slashing. Hawkeye and Trapper John in "M*A*S*H*"? Slashed. Jed Bartlett and Leo McGarry in "The West Wing"? Slashed. Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson in the family-friendly buddy flick "Shanghai Noon"? Slashed. "If you see it," Sidewinder says of the movie, "it's laced with homoerotic jokes.""

Martin Sheen Supports California Pre-School Initiative in Commercial

2006-06-01T18:25:00.000-04:00

From a press release:
"A new television commercial for Prop 82, the Preschool for All initiative, features the voice of Emmy-award winning actor Martin Sheen and begins airing statewide today. Sheen, who has played fictional President Josiah "Jed" Bartlet on NBC's The West Wing since 1999, is backing Prop 82 because it will provide quality preschool to all California children.

The new ad, which will run until Election Day, highlights the broad coalition of education leaders supporting Prop 82, including Senators Boxer and Feinstein, the California Teachers Association, the California Federation of Teachers, the California Kindergarten Association, and groups representing tens of thousands of early educators.

"We Can" was produced by Armour Griffin Media Group. The ad is available online at: http://www.yeson82.com."

A transcript of the ad:
"Yes on Proposition 82
"We Can"
TV :30
(Martin Sheen voice-over)

Our kids can't vote for better schools. But we can.

Every leading education group in California is saying Vote Yes on 82.

So our kids can read better and learn faster.

That's why Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer ...

450,000 California Teachers ... the Kindergarten Association ... principals ... and parents ... all say Vote Yes on 82.

So all our kids can do better in school."

There are also reports of California residents receiving phone calls with a taped message from Martin Sheen urging them to support the initiative.

Richard Schiff's Father Gets Bachelor's Degree

2006-06-01T09:44:00.000-04:00

From New York City's 1010 Wins:
"It took almost 60 years, but the father of "West Wing'' star Richard Schiff is finally getting his bachelor's degree from City College.

Edward Schiff dropped out of the college, where he'd been studying business, to get a bachelor's and law degree in an accelerated program at Brooklyn Law School in the late 1940s.

He was inspired to hit the books again after watching his son -- who played the character Toby Ziegler on the long-running NBC drama -- receive an honorary doctorate from CCNY, his alma mater, two years ago."

Updates from "West Wing" Alums

2006-05-30T18:30:00.000-04:00

Playbill reports on a play written by "West Wing" and future "Studio 60" writer Mark Goffman currently playing in Los Angeles, and starring Danica McKellar, who played Elsie Snuffin, until June 4:
"Kelly Overton, who made her Broadway debut in The Graduate, will replace Danica McKellar in Mark Goffman's romantic comedy Me Too in Los Angeles.

McKellar, the actress known for her turn as Winnie Cooper on "The Wonder Years," originated the role of Lucy in the work at the Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood. She leaves the production June 4 "for various new projects," according to a release. Overton takes over for the final three weeks of the run, from June 8-25.

Zeke Rettman directs the work by writer/producer Mark Goffman ("The West Wing," "Studio 60") which began May 20. David O. Sacks, Room 9 Entertainment and Garmar Ventures present the work with additional support from Broadway producer Barry Weissler and BWF Foundation
***
"Me Too is a story about how the curative properties of love, which have been documented in scientific journals, can be used as a therapy of sorts," according to Rettman. The story follows a woman who faces an illness while being pursued by a stubborn young romantic.
****
McKellar met writer Goffman on the set of "The West Wing" during her run as the recurring character Elsie Snuffin. This is the television scribe's first venture into theater.
***
Tickets to Me Too at The Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles, CA are available by calling (323) 960-7745."

From the Los Angeles Daily News:
"It's been just a little over a week since Jimmy Smits became the first Latino president of the United States — as "The West Wing's" Matt Santos — when the much honored show closed out with him taking the Oath of Office. He's already sifting through independent film scripts and going to his office at Disney to take meetings about the ABC/Touchstone series for which he has a development deal.

He jokes that Santos had "the shortest administration in history" — but he's still savoring the experience. "I got a little misty-eyed when I saw it on the air, I have to admit," he says.

Don't think that the actor has political aspirations himself, however. "Matt Santos could be president — with a bunch of writers. I have to save the rage for the stage. The things politicians have to deal with on a daily basis, the forks in the road in terms of what they compromise hoping for a worthwhile outcome — it's not for me." Still, "There are certain issues I'm very committed to, like education," says the Cornell alumnus. And he cares passionately about Puerto Rico, where he has deep roots on his mother's side. Getting involved as narrator of pal Rosie Perez's highly personal documentary film on the Puerto Rican experience, "Yo Soy Boricua, Pa'que Tu lo sepas!" ("I'm Baricua, Just So You Know"), was a natural for him.

Director Perez puts herself and her lovable family members in Brooklyn upfront in the documentary, and, as Smits points out, "It throws you for a loop. You think you're going to go for this merry little ride." There is a merry ride aspect to "I'm Baricua," which debuts on the Independent Film Channel June 12 — but it also covers such matters as the forced sterilizations and birth control testing that went on in Puerto Rico, where the people are U.S. citizens who pay taxes and have faced the draft, but can't vote.

"I look at Rosie's footage of the New York tenements in the 1950s, and I see my family, my history," says Jimmy."

From Back Stage:
""ER" and "The West Wing" veteran Carol Flint has come on board as executive producer-showrunner of "Six Degrees," J.J. Abrams' new drama for ABC.
The title of the project refers to the popular six degrees of separation concept that claims anyone can be linked to any other person in the world though a chain of six people.
The show, from Touchstone TV and Abrams' Bad Robot, follows the intertwined stories of six strangers (Jay Hernandez, Bridget Moynahan, Hope Davis, Campbell Scott, Dorian Missick, Erika Christensen) in New York.
On the series, which will run in the Thursday 10 p.m. period after ABC's hit medical drama "Grey's Anatomy," Flint will serve as an executive producer alongside creators Stu Zicherman and Raven Metzner, Abrams and Bryan Burk.
For many years, Flint worked closely with producer John Wells on such series as NBC's "ER" and "The West Wing" and ABC's "China Beach" and "The Court."
She shared a best drama series Emmy in 1996 as a member of the producing team of "ER."
Flint most recently served as an executive producer on CBS' promising midseason drama "The Unit."
With "Six Degrees," which will be filmed in New York, Flint is returning to her roots. She began her career as a playwright in the city before moving to Hollywood to work in television.
Flint is repped by CAA."

From the Hollywood Reporter:
""The West Wing" writer- producer Debora Cahn has inked an overall deal with Touchstone Television.
Under the two-year pact, Cahn will join "Grey's Anatomy," the studio's hit medical drama for ABC, as a supervising producer and will develop new series projects.
"We're very excited to have Debora join the team at 'Grey's Anatomy,' " Touchstone TV executive vp creative affairs Julia Franz said. "Her unique voice and passion for the series will be a great complement to our already stellar writing staff."
Cahn said she has been a fan of "Grey's" since the pilot.
"It's a thrill to be working on a series that I've enjoyed as a viewer and clearly speaks to so many people," she said. "The show's a great cocktail of drama and comedy (and) the characters are dynamic and relatable."
For Cahn, the prospect of tackling the characters on "Grey's" was as attractive as working with the people who have been shaping them.
"('Grey's" creator) Shonda Rhimes and (supervising producer) Krista Vernoff are incredibly bright, funny, talented women, and Touchstone's development group is fantastic," she said. "I'm really looking forward to working with all of them."
Cahn has worked on "West Wing" for four years, most recently as a producer. She has written more than a dozen episodes of the White House drama, including the seventh-season opener.
For writing "The Supremes" episode of "West Wing," she won a WGA Award in 2005.
Cahn is repped by CAA, manager Stephen Marks at Evolution and attorney Bruce Gellman."

From the Hollywood Reporter:
""The West Wing" executive producer Peter Noah has inked an overall deal with NBC Universal TV Studio.
Under the one-year pact, which has an option for a second, Noah will de-velop series projects for the studio. He also is poised to join the studio's drama project "Raines" as an executive producer if it is picked up to series.
NBC Uni TV Studio president Angela Bromstad first worked with Noah on "War Stories," a drama project about war correspondents he originally wrote as a spec before the events of Sept. 11.
"Peter is so ahead of the curve," she said. "He writes intelligent, sophisticated, complicated characters with humor, which is rare."
The NBC Studio/20th Century Fox TV-produced "War Stories" was picked up by NBC as a two-hour pilot starring Jeff Goldblum for fall 2002 consideration and ran as a two-hour movie during the 2002-03 season.
"I feel I owe a great amount to Angela, and I enjoy working with her enormously," Noah said of his decision to sign with NBC Uni TV.
As for "Raines," Noah said he was impressed by creator-executive producer Graham Yost's script and liked the prospect of working again with "War Stories" star Goldblum.
Noah is wrapping a three-year stint on the NBC/Warner Bros. TV White House drama "West Wing."
Noah, whose series credits also include the comedies "Ladies Man" and "Mr. Rhodes," is repped by CAA, manager David Greenblatt and attorney Eric Greenspan."

From Scripps Howard News Service:
"Much like a real White House staffer in an outgoing administration, actress Janel Moloney, who plays Donna Moss on the show, is looking for work. She's been put back in the acting pool, going out for auditions and meeting job contacts. "It's been interesting _ and humbling," she said."

Jimmy Smits will be master of ceremonies at the American Red Cross's 125th Anniversary Gala May 11th.

Broadwayworld reports that "Kristin Chenoweth--whose theatrical popularity has extended to TV and film--will perform a one-night-only concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on July 9th at 8 PM."

Kristin Chenoweth will also be featured on the "Ellen De Generes" musical episode.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Kristin Chenoweth will star as Danny Devito's wife in a new Christmas movie called "Deck the Halls":
"Kristin Chenoweth, who co-stars in the family comedy "RV," has signed on to play Danny DeVito's wife in "Deck the Halls."

The holiday comedy revolves around two neighbors in a small New England town who go to war when one of them decides to decorate his house with so many Christmas lights that it will be nearly visible from space. The neighborhood is turned upside down as the two families try to discover the true meaning of Christmas. Matthew Broderick also stars.

20th Century Fox will release the film November 22. Principal photography is set to begin May 29 in Vancouver. John Whitesell ("Big Momma's House 2") directs.

Chenoweth, a Broadway star-turned-film and TV actress, co-stars on "The West Wing." She next appears in "Stranger Than Fiction" opposite Will Ferrell and the ensemble drama "Running With Scissors.""

Kristin Chenoweth is performing at the Goodman Theatre Gala in Chicago on May 6th.

She is also part of a jury attempting to choose a canine mascot for "Old Navy".

From the Sioux City Journal:
"Meanwhile, there's a recording career to consider. Chenoweth did a CD of inspirational songs that has done well with Christian audiences. But, she cautions, don't look for her to win a slew of Dove awards.

"I'm a very controversial figure in the Christian world. I don't believe if you're gay or you have a drink or you dance you're going to hell. I don't think that's the kind of God we have. The Pat Robertsons and Jerry Falwells of the world are scary. I want to be a Christian like Christ -- loving and accepting of other people."

Politics? Don't even get her started. When she was cast on "The West Wing," Chenoweth didn't even know some of the cities that had to roll off her tongue. "I thought Ramallah was a purse brand."

When her father watched the show, he called and said, "Kris, you sound pretty smart on the TV. I can't believe that's you."

"I'm learning a lot," she says.

As "West Wing" winds down, Chenoweth will segue into film and keep her options open for Broadway. There's a rumor she'll star in the Dolly Parton story, but a return to New York seems distant.

"There's still a dream of mine to be in 'My Fair Lady' but I don't want to be 'My Fair Lady' with just a little speck of dirt across my face. I want to make her homeless and gritty and really have a transformation. Yes, I'll always go back to the stage. I just don't know if I can do a long run because of the concert tours."

And "RV," the vehicle that could bridge the gaps? "It's a transition piece," she explains. "What I'd really love to do is a movie musical.""

From UPI:
"Tony Award-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth says she hopes to return to Broadway in the musical adaptation of a classic Mel Brooks film.

While promoting her new big-screen family comedy, "R.V.," in New York Saturday, the star of the stage shows "Wicked" and "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," told reporters: "I promised to do 'Young Frankenstein' when Mel finishes with that."

As Brooks completes the new musical based on his beloved 1974 monster comedy, the actress said she is also considering playing Betty Boop in a new play, as well as starring in a Broadway revival of "The Apple Tree," which she did last year for a brief "Encore!" series run.

"I loved making 'R.V.,'" Chenoweth said, adding she also enjoys her recurring role on TV's "The West Wing." "I loved making the transition, but I will always come back to Broadway."

Joking that she is a "laugh whore," who lives for the "instant gratification" she gets from performing on stage, Chenoweth said: "There's nothing better than having that audience and creating something new or reviving something that's been done and putting your own spin on it and touching people in a live way.""

Kristin Chenoweth had to cancel her scheduled performance of the national anthem at the start of the Los Angeles Dodgers' season due to laryngitis.
From the Press Enterprise:
"Broadway singer Kristin Chenoweth backed out of her commitment to sing the national anthem due to laryngitis. She was replaced by Darius Rucker, the lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish. The band gave a 30-minute performance in the outfield before the game."

Kristin Chenoweth has two stage projects lined up post "West Wing".
Playbill reports that a production of "The Apple Tree" is talks to move to Broadway:
"Malcolm Gets, who co-starred opposite Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth in the Encores! mounting, told Playbill.com columnist Michael Buckley, "Producers are ready to move [The Apple Tree] to Broadway. It was delayed because Kristin was on 'West Wing,' but now that's canceled. They're talking about how many players they need in the orchestra. We should be on Broadway in the fall or next spring."
Playbill also reports that Kristin Chenoweth is in talks to star in a production of Gilbert and Sullivans's "The Pirates of Penzance", to premiere in spring of 2007 at the New York City Opera.

In an interview with the Howard Scripps news service, she talks about some of her difficulties with succeeding in Hollywood:
"When "West Wing" actress Kristin Chenoweth met with a television producer recently about a dramatic part, she was taken aback by his assessment.
He looked at me really funny and said, 'you're really smart,'" she recalls with a laugh, "and I said, 'well, I am. I do have a master's degree. I'm not an idiot.'"
Despite garnering acclaim on Broadway, Chenoweth is finding life in Hollywood is far different than being on the Great White Way.
She has figured out that biology _ not geography _ is part of the problem.
The 36-year-old Chenoweth is a wisp of a woman. She's 4-foot-11, petite with glowing blonde hair and a tiny voice that squeaks when she talks. Such traits have worked for well in stage productions of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" and most recently in "Wicked."
Such attributes have allowed her to nab comedy and musical roles, often as the dumb blonde. Her foray into series television was the short-lived 2001 NBC sitcom "Kristin," where she played a naove career woman.
When she decided to broaden her horizons by doing dramatic parts, she managed a meeting with the producers of "The West Wing." Even Chenoweth thought landing a part on that show was a long shot.
"I never thought I could possibly do anything like this," she says.
Here she is now, though, as plucky media consultant Annabeth Schott. Chenoweth says she's cutting her teeth in dramatic material and bringing some levity to the often seriousness of "The West Wing" (8 p.m., ET/PT, Sundays, NBC).
"This person is actually in charge and also very smart. It's a thrill for me to not play the dumb blonde, to actually be maybe the smartest person in the room sometimes," she says with a laugh.
"It's a real honor for me. Nobody really would have ever thought that I would do a show like this, but I'm so lucky."
Chenoweth is expanding her image as well.
Recently she was featured on the cover of the men's magazine FHM, wearing a bikini and posing provocatively. It was a very un-Chenoweth-like turn.
Born in Broken Arrow, Okla., amid picnics and listening to country music, Chenoweth grew up in singing in church and has, in recent years, recorded a spiritual CD. She graduated from Oklahoma City University and sang at the now-defunct theme park in Nashville called Opryland.
Moving to New York, she made her Broadway debut in the spring of 1997 in the Kander and Ebb musical "Steel Pier," for which she won a Theatre World award.
She followed it up with roles in "Strike Up the Band" and the Lincoln Center Theater production of "A New Brain." During the 1998-99 season, she created the role of Sally in the first Broadway production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." It earned her a Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards.
She has also recorded a CD of standards, cementing her sensibilities for entertainment from another era. "I feel like I am a throwback from a different time," she says.
It all seems to lead back to one thing for Chenoweth. She is a performer who wants to escape typecasting before it's too late.
"I don't think anyone should peg me as being just one kind of person," she says. "I try hard to do really good material no matter what it is. I hope I can prove that in my career."

The National Science Board is honoring Alan Alda with its 2006 Public Service Award:
"He gave us decades of laughs as the mischievous Hawkeye Pierce on M.A.S.H., introduced piercing political tension as the brusque, altruistic conservative senator Arnold Vinick on The West Wing, and enraptured us with inspiring performances on stage.

But Alan Alda is much more -- a versatile actor, writer, producer, director and communicator with an intense desire to research subjects thoroughly and be true to them.

Like a scientist, Alda's study of his subjects sometimes resembles an extended research project, such as his six-year quest to produce a play on the life of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman, QED. It's a story of the complicated genius whose work developing the nuclear bomb and redefining principles of quantum mechanics never deterred him from studying what, to Feynman, was fun.

With Feynman's kind of passion for physics and the compelling, simple stories he told about his research, Alda has replicated the style as host of Scientific American Frontiers on PBS. Alda endears us to his own passion about pure discovery and his quest to understand the process of how scientists answer questions and create new ones simultaneously.

Today, the National Science Board honored Alda with its 2006 Public Service Award for bringing to his audiences the most complex work of the nation's top scientists and engineers, illuminating their findings with a respectful, uncomplicated approach that evokes excitement among viewers and comfort about the veracity of the scientific process. Alda will accept the honor May 9 at the Smithsonian's National Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C."

He has also joined the cast of a new movie directed by Rod Lurie, who also created "Commander in Chief", called "Resurrecting the Champ". Variety reports:
"Alan Alda has joined Josh Hartnett, Samuel L. Jackson, Kathryn Morris and Rachel Nichols in "Resurrecting the Champ," the Rod Lurie-directed drama that shoots in Canada in June.

The Yari Film Group arranged financing on the pic, produced by Bob Yari; Phoenix's Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer and Brad Fischer; and Marc Frydman.

Fact-based story concerns an L.A. Times reporter who wrote about a homeless man who was once a famed fighter, then found the pugilist wasn't who he claimed to be. By then, the journo and his subject had formed a father-son bond.

Alda was last seen on the bigscreen in "The Aviator.""

John Sacret Young, a one-time "West Wing" writer and producer, is involved in a new series for TNT, as reported by Multichannel:
"One-hour drama Generations, from executive producer Robert Redford and writer/executive producer John Sacret Young (The West Wing), cuts back and forth between three generations of a family that still reside under the same roof."
He has also contributed to an anthology of essays by screenwriters giving advicen to future producers and screenwriters.

The Associated Press reports that Marlee Matlin, who played Joey Lucas, is joining the cast of Showtime's "The L Word" as "a fiery artist who catches the attention of Jennifer Beals' character, Bette Porter."

The L.A. Daily news also recently had some news on Marlee Matlin's other future plans.

Multichannel News reports that Elisabeth Moss, who plays the youngest Bartlet daughter Zoey, is starring in a new TV pilot:
" AMC began filming an original one-hour pilot episode of Mad Men in New York Thursday.

Mad Men was created and written by Matthew Weiner, co-executive producer and writer of Home Box Office’s The Sopranos, and its cast includes Jon Hamm (We Were Soldiers), Elisabeth Moss (The West Wing), Vincent Kartheiser (Angel), John Slattery (K Street), January Jones (American Wedding) and Christina Hendricks (Kevin Hill).

The network said the drama will debut in 2007."

Variety describes the plot:
" AMC has ordered its first original drama pilot, "Mad Men," from "Sopranos" producer-scribe Matthew Weiner.

Period drama follows the personal and professional lives of New York advertising execs in the 1960s.

Weiner penned the script and exec produces. Alan Taylor ("Sopranos," "Lost") will direct the pilot to be produced by @radical.media. Production begins next month in New York City; casting is under way.

Cabler will greenlight production on at least three one-hour pilots this year with the aim of premiering its first pair of original dramas in 2007.

Weiner wrote "Mad Men" while he was on the writing staff of CBS comedy "Becker." Script found its way to David Chase, who hired Weiner on to "Sopranos" after reading it.

"Mad Men" follows thirtysomething Don Draper, creative director for the Sterling Cooper ad agency, which hawks everything from cigarettes to political candidates. Pilot episode centers on Don's fight to keep a major tobacco account from leaving the agency while juggling his increasingly complicated romantic life.

Weiner said he's interested in the two drives of men: "to be a great father and provider, and to drink, smoke and get laid as much as possible."

"In the '60s those two things converged. Don is a guy's guy of his time, a boy scout with a dark side," Weiner said. Project also delves into "the introduction of the pill and Valium. Women were coming into more choices than ever."

For AMC exec veep of programming, packaging and production Rob Sorcher, "Mad Men" fit right into the cabler's movie brand, "tying into movies like 'The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit' and 'The Apartment,' " he said.

"It's retro but contemporary at the same time," Sorcher continued.

AMC, which airs a mix of classic and contemporary movies, began its push into scripted skeins last year. Network came aboard to co-produce the BBC crime hour "Hustle" and greenlit "Broken Trail," a four-hour Western exec produced by and starring Robert Duvall for this summer.

Sorcher also recruited VP Christina Wayne to oversee scripted development and director Jeremy Elice to head up the cabler's efforts on the West Coast.

Weiner's other writing credits include "Andy Richter Controls the Universe" and "The Naked Truth."

From the futon critic:
"ANDY BARKER, P.I. (NBC) - Peter James Smith (Ed on "The West Wing") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about an accountant-turned-private detective (Andy Richter). He'll play Chang, who's detailed in the casting notice as: "20s-30. He is Lew's (Harve Presnell) Asian assistant, relegated to performing occasionally demeaning tasks. Chang doesn't seem to mind Lew's offhandedly racist remarks, but they disturb Andy." Amy Farrington, Marshall Manesh, Tony Hale and Ion Overman also star in the NBC Universal Television-based project, which comes from executive producers A.J. Morewitz, Conan O'Brien, David Kissinger, Jeff Ross and Jonathan Groff. Jason Ensler is directing from a script by O'Brien and Groff."

A press release announces that Adam Arkin, who played psychiatrist Stanley Keyworth, will be involved in TV movie for Lifetime:
"Kelli Williams ("The Practice"), Emmy® Award-winner Adam Arkin ("Hitch," "Chicago Hope") and Academy Award® and Emmy® nominee Amy Madigan ("Carnivale," "Twice in a Lifetime") star in the Lifetime Original Movie "Murder on Pleasant Drive," it was announced today by Trevor Walton, Senior Vice President, Lifetime Original Movies, Lifetime Entertainment Services. Based on a true story, the chilling drama centers on a woman's search for her missing mother. With the help of her aunt, together, they uncover evidence that points to her mother's new husband as the prime suspect in her disappearance. "Murder on Pleasant Drive" premieres Monday, May 8 at 9:00PM (ET/PT) on Lifetime Television.

"This is the story of two courageous women who devoted ten years of their lives tracking down the person they believed killed their beloved family member," said Walton. "Ultimately, it was their perseverance that brought this man to justice. Kelli Williams brings the perfect combination of integrity and valor to the role of a young woman determined to put her mother's murderer behind bars. The immensely talented Adam Arkin convincingly plays the man who, without remorse, robs a family of their loved one."

"Murder on Pleasant Drive" follows the story of Deanna Whelen (Williams), a single working mother, whose vivacious mother, Fran, marries a charming man she barely knows named John Smith (Arkin). Shortly after the newlyweds move to New Jersey, Fran mysteriously disappears. Deanna, determined to find her mother, enlists the help of her Aunt Sherrie (Madigan) and the two women repeatedly question John about Fran's disappearance. Although John's contradictory explanations raise their suspicions, the police tell them that without a body, there is no hard evidence of a crime. Ultimately, Deanna and Sherrie join forces with the police and uncover some disturbing facts about John, including the grim revelation that his first wife also suspiciously disappeared 25 years earlier. With this new discovery, the two women become convinced that John murdered Fran and decide they will stop at nothing to find out what happened to her.""

It was reported in December that "Weeds" starring Mary-Louise Parker has been renewed for a second season.

The Marquette University student newspaper has an interview with John Bobek, who was a minor guest star in the second episode of the current season.

Joyce Guy, who plays a White House press corps reporter, is participating in the Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival:
"Friday, March 24 at 8 p.m. Program theme: “BLOODLINES.”

In “Slanted,” Andrea Lwin depicts a quirky Chinese-raised Muslim girl whose quest for social acceptance is thwarted by her immigrant mom.
Juliette Jeffers presents an excerpt from her acclaimed show “Batman and Robin in the Boogie Down.” On the tenth anniversary of her brother’s death, Juliette takes a poignant yet funny look back on their close relationship.
Stand-up comic Bernadette Balagtas riffs on her view of life as a Filipina-American.
Host: Michele LaMar Richards (“The Bodyguard”) and Joyce Guy (“The West Wing,” “Nobel’s Son,” choreographer for the current play “Beneath Riplling Water.”)."

the futon critic reports that Kathleen York, who plays Toby's wife Andi Wyatt, has a new TV project:
"A HOUSE DIVDED (ABC) - John Benjamin Hickey (Aaron Solomon on "Law & Order"), Kathleen York (Andrea Wyatt on "The West Wing") and newcomer Antonio Elias have all joined the cast of the drama pilot, about the escalating conflict between a Midwest farming community and the U.S. government that sows the seeds of what will be the next civil war in present-day America. Hickey will play President Russell with York as Susan Russell and Elias as Sanchez in the Touchstone Television-based hour, which comes from creator Andrew David Chapman and director Michael Rymer. Alison Elliott, Bill Smitrovich, Dylan McDermott, Jason Wiles, Nestor Serrano, Sarah Clarke, Shannon Lucio and Tyress Allen also star in the project, which is executive produced by Chapman, Deborah Spera and Mark Gordon."

Kathleen York recently performed her Oscar-nominated song for "Crash" at the Academy Awards.

Harry Groener, who played agriculture sectary Roger Tribbey, is joining the Broadway cast of "Spamalot", according to Broadway World.

Reuters reports on a new project for Steven Eckhold, who played Bartlet son-in-law Doug Westin:
"Steven Eckholdt and Susan Walters have joined the cast of the CW's drama pilot "Split Decision," about a teenage girl (Jessy Schram) navigating the high school social scene."

Ruben Santiago Hudson, who played dommed presidential physician Morris Tolliver in the first season, is directing the play "Seven Guitars" at the Signature Theater in New York City this summer.

the futoncritic reports on a new TV project for Gary Cole, who plays Vice President Bob Russell:
"Company Town - Gary Cole (Lieutenant Conrad Rose on "Wanted") and Catherine Bell (Emily Patterson on "The Triangle") have both joined the cast of the drama pilot, about a suburban Washington, D.C., cul-de-sac that's home to government officials. Cole will play Martin Amberson in the CBS Paramount Network Television-based project, who's detailed in the casting notice as: "Early-Late 40's. A member of the CIA possibly working as a double agent, Martin Amberson is a lethally seasoned operative, first seen on a mission in the Ukraine. As a man who is as comfortable with a gun in his hand as he is with a child in his arms he must lead a double life and is forced to keep his work with the CIA distinctly separate and secert from his home life with wife Angie [Sherry Stringfield], son Kevin and daughter Ronni. One moment he is an attentive and loving dad at his son’s baseball game and the next he is a CIA operative put in the hot seat after an informant is killed during a supposed botched overseas operation.
***
Blair Underwood also stars in the hour, which Thomas Carter is directing from a script by creator Elwood Reid. Larry Sanitsky also serves as an executive producer."

Gary Cole's previous tv series "Wanted" on TNT was cancelled after 13 episodes. (links to some reviews here, here, and here).

Gary Cole also attend the Prism Awards, which" recognize the accurate depiction of drug, alcohol and tobacco use and addiction in film, television, music and comic book entertainment."

the futon critic also reports on a new project for Lee Garlington, who plays Toby's lawyer:
"SOUTHERN COMFORT (ABC) - Bruce Davison (Doug Hellman on "Close to Home") and Lee Garlington (Alana Waterman on "The West Wing") have been added to the cast of the comedy pilot, about a nerd-turned-billionaire (Johnny Lewis) who returns to his small hometown. Details on their respective characters weren't released. Gill Gayle and Shawn Hatosy also star in the 20th Century Fox Television-based half-hour, which Roger Kumble is directing from a script by creator Brad Copeland."

Clark Gregg, who played FBI Agent Mike Casper, is currently starring in CBS's "The New Adventures of Old Christine" with Julia Louis-Dreyfus from Seinfeld.

Jesse Bradford, who played intern Ryan Pierce in Season 5 has the main role in a new pilot, the futon critic reports:
"20 QUESTIONS (ABC) - Jesse Bradford (Ryan Pierce on "The West Wing"), William Lee Scott (TNT's "The Winning Season") and China Shavers (Olivia Evans on "ER") have all joined the cast of the drama pilot, about an idealistic young State Department employee who inadvertently stumbles onto a deadline conspiracy to undermine the United States. Bradford will play the lead role in the Touchstone Television-based hour, which Michael Engler is directing from a script by Thomas Hines. Scott and Shavers then will play Burnet and Angela respectively. The trio joins the previously cast Ben Shenkman. Matthew Gross and John Wirth also serve as executive producers."

Suzy Nakamura, who played Sam's assistant Cathy in Season 1, is involved in a new project according to the futon critic:
"HELP ME HELP YOU (ABC) - Suzy Nakamura (Tina on "Half & Half") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about a disparate group of people connected through therapy. It's understood she'll be playing Inger in the project, who's described in the casting notice as: "20s, Caucasian or Asian-American. Inger is a sweet-faced, nervous woman with acute social anxiety disorder. Inger spent five years in her room inventing a piece of software. Those years made her a lot of money, but kept her from having any kind of normal social life. She is in her 20s, rich and retired, ready to get out there, but manages to sabotage any romantic connections. However, thanks to Bill's boozy advice, she winds up actually connecting - both physically and emotionally - with her latest internet prospect." Ted Danson, Charlie Finn, Darlene Hunt and Jim Rash also star in the Regency Television-based half-hour, which comes from creators Jenni Konner and Ali Rushfield. Brian Dannelly directs."

Reuters reports on a new project for Jay Mohr, who played TV talk show host Taylor Reid in Season 5 :
"Jay Mohr is set to star in the NBC comedy pilot "Community Service," playing an arrogant New Yorker who goes to a small town in Ohio to get back a girl he lost. He doesn't get the girl but ends up trapped there doing community service."

Both "West Wing" Producer John Wells and sometime "West Wing" Director Paris Barclay are involved in a new project detailed by thefutoncritic:
"PRODIGY/BULL(NBC, New!) - Hank Perlman ("New Jersey Turnpikes") and Steve Elliott have scored a pilot order at the Peacock for a new single-camera comedy about a family whose genius son uses his smarts to get what he wants. The project is set up at John Wells's Warner Bros. Television-based banner with Wells, Paris Barclay ("The West Wing") and Jon Feldman ("Reunion") serving as executive producers. Perlman will also direct from a script he co-wrote with Elliott."

Steven Culp, who played Majority Leader Jeff Haffley, is starring in new pilot for ABC, the futon critic reports:
"TRAVELER (ABC) - Steven Culp ("The West Wing") is the latest addition to the drama pilot, about two friends (Matt Bomer, Logan Marshall-Green) who are framed as terrorists by someone they both thought was their friend (Aaron Stanford). No details were given about his character in the Warner Bros. Television/Jinks-Cohen Co.-based hour, which also stars Viola Davis. David Nutter is directing the project from a script by David Digilio with Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen also serving as executive producers."

the futon critic reports that Stockard Channing's show "Out of Practice" will return with a new airtime on March 22, now on Wednesdays at 8PM on CBS.

Reuters reports on a new project for Teri Polo, who plays Matt Santos' wife Helen:
"Teri Polo is set to topline CBS' comedy pilot "Welcome to the Jungle Gym."

The show centers on a talented, successful television journalist (Polo) who is having second thoughts about her decision to work part time so that she can stay at home with her toddler son and who confides in her two best friends.

Polo, who was pursued for several pilots this season, is said to have been attracted to "Jungle" because the project resembles her own life as a successful actress who juggles career and motherhood while raising her toddler son.

Polo, best known for her starring role in the "Meet the Parents" movies, has played a recurring role on NBC's "The West Wing" as presidential candidate Matthew Santos' wife, Helen."

the futon critic reports on a new project for Mark Feuerstein, who played Cliff Calley, for CBS:
"UNTITLED PETER OCKO PROJECT (CBS) - Mark Feuerstein ("The West Wing") is the first to be cast in the revamped drama pilot, about a rising-star brain surgeon (Feuerstein) who is doing a fellowship under the guidance of a brilliant but unpredictable surgeon. Feuerstein, who had a role in the original version of the pilot last season, will play Jonathan Singer in the CBS Paramount Network Television-based hour. The original casting notice described his character as follows: "30-34. Upper West Side New York over-achiever with a rare gift for neurosurgery. Jonathan has come through the long and intensely competitive training with his conscious and heart amazingly still intact. His greatest challenge is yet to come as he has landed the most sought after apprenticeship in the country and relocated with his wife and children to Brentwood to work alongside his mentor, Dr. Douglas Hanson. A man who's quite unused to the freeways and the beaches and the size of the homes on the Los Angeles west Side (dwarfing the living spaces of the New York West Side), Dr. Fowler is a fish out of water, unsure that this move will make him happy, a little homesick for New York, quietly fearful that his job will force him to chose between his family and success." Peter Ocko created the pilot and will executive produce along with Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana."

the futon critic reports that "West Wing" producer John Wells has a new project:
"SMITH (CBS, New!) - Uber-producer John Wells ("ER," "The West Wing") has booked a pilot order at the Eye for a new drama about the inner workings of a team of criminals. Ray Liotta ("ER"), Virginia Madsen ("Sideways"), Amy Smart ("Road Trip"), Franky G. ("Jonny Zero") and Jonny Lee Miller ("Aeon Flux") have already been cast in the project, which has a significant penalty attached if it isn't ordered to series. Liotta will play Bobby with Madsen as Hope, Smart as Annie, G. as Joe and Miller as an unspecified character. Full character details however weren't released. Warner Bros. Television and John Wells Productions are behind the hour, which "ER" veteran Christopher Chulack (who helmed Liotta's Emmy-winning "ER" guest spot) will direct from a script by Wells."

The same report has info on actor Taye Diggs, who played Special Agent Wesley Davis:
"DAY BREAK (ABC) - Taye Diggs ("Kevin Hill") is reportedly close to signing on for the lead role in the drama pilot, about an L.A.-based cop who's trying to stop the murder of a loved one while trying to find the person who framed him for murder. Rob Bowman ("The X-Files") is on board to direct the Touchstone Television/Gross Entertainment-based hour from a script by creator Paul Zbyszewski ("After the Sunset"). Zbyszewski and Matthew Gross are the executive producers."

John Amos, who played General Fitzwallace, will be performing his one-man play "Halleys Comet" in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

the futon critic reports that "West Wing" Director Alex Graves is directing a pilot for ABC:
"NINE LIVES (ABC) - Scott Wolf ("Everwood") and Lourdes Benedicto ("N.Y.P.D. Blue") are both reportedly the latest additions to the drama pilot, about the lives of nine strangers who share a bond after experiencing a 52-hour hostage crisis that stems from a bank robbery that goes bad. No character specifics however were mentioned. Wolf's involvement is likely in second position to "Everwood" should it return next season as part of the new CW network. The pair joins the previously cast Chi McBride and Jessica Collins in the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, which comes from creators Hank Steinberg and K.J. Steinberg. Alex Graves is directing the pilot from a script by the Steinbergs."

Jon Robin Baitz, who wrote the 4th season episode "The Long Goodbye", is the writer for a new project from ABC:
"BROTHERS & SISTERS (ABC, New!) - Writer/producer Jon Robin Baitz ("The West Wing") has scored a pilot commitment from ABC and Touchstone Television for a new family soap opera set against a group of adult siblings. Baitz penned the pilot script while Ken Olin ("Alias") is attached to direct. Both will also serve as executive producers of the project, additional details of which weren't specified."

NBC Sports Writer Fired For Copying Lines from "West Wing"

2006-05-30T17:30:00.000-04:00

This incident was mentioned May 18 on "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart. You can watch the clip here under the title "plagarism". Comedy Central reruns the show various times during the day. It also airs on More4 in the United Kingdom at 8:30PM GMT, and at 9:30PM GMT on More4 + 1 .

From the New York Times:
"A freelance writer will no longer receive assignments from NBC Universal Sports after copying two passages from a 2002 episode of "The West Wing" in his script for a feature that preceded the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

Ken Schanzer, the president of NBC Universal Sports, confirmed that the plagiarism had occurred. He would not identify the writer but said, "He won't work here anymore."

The short feature, which was preceded by a commercial for the final two episodes of "The West Wing," looked at the difficulties faced by Barbaro's trainer, Michael Matz, who survived a plane crash in Sioux City, Iowa, then led three children to safety; Alex Solis, who broke his back in a track spill two years ago but rode Brother Derek on Saturday; and Brother Derek's trainer, Dan Hendricks, who was paralyzed in a motocross accident.

In the script, read by NBC's Tom Hammond, Matz was extolled because he "ran into the fire to save the lives of three children." Hammond paused dramatically and added, "Ran into the fire."

The two-hour opening episode of the fourth season of "The West Wing" included a plot line in which two pipe bombs exploded and killed 44 people in the swim team's facility at the fictitious Kennison State University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Martin Sheen, who plays President Josiah Bartlet, delivered a speech praising the rescuers who "ran into the fire to help get people out." He paused and added dramatically, "Ran into the fire."

The Derby script summed up the changed lives of Matz, Solis and Hendricks by saying that the "funny thing about life is that every time we think we've measured our capacity to meet its challenges, we're reminded that that capacity may well be limitless."

In "The West Wing," Bartlet said, "The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels, but every time we think we've measured our capacity to meet a challenge, we look up and we're reminded that that capacity may well be limitless."

The similarities between the Derby feature script and the script for the episode of "The West Wing," written by Aaron Sorkin, were discovered by a reader who sent an e-mail message to The New York Times."

2006-05-28T11:23:00.000-04:00

Happy 27th Birthday to Jesse Bradford!

2006-05-27T07:36:00.000-04:00

Happy 51st Birthday to Richard Schiff!

"West Wing" Props on eBay

2006-05-26T09:24:00.000-04:00

There are various "West Wing" props been sold on eBay, including the door to the President's office on Air Fore One, various official signs, and an invitation to Ellie Bartlet's wedding. There are also tribute ads, one to Allison Janney, and one to the entire production team.

Reviews for "Over the Hedge".....

2006-05-24T09:37:00.000-04:00

in which Allison Janney supplies the voice for one of the human characters, are available here.

2006-05-21T20:00:00.000-04:00

Happy 38th Birthday to Lisa Edelstein!

The "West Wing" Episode That Wasn't: "The Limousine"

2006-05-18T17:59:00.000-04:00

From the Los Angeles Times:
"Some of television's top creative talents urged networks and studios Wednesday to give writers a greater say when products are woven into the story lines.

John Wells of "ER" and Marc Cherry of "Desperate Housewives" joined Writers Guild of America officials at a hotel news conference to criticize the encroachment of products into scripts.

The WGA timed the event to coincide with the networks' "upfronts," when thousands of advertisers converge in Manhattan for the unveiling of fall schedules.

"By the time we realize that we've gone too far we will have chased away some of the elusive audience that we worked so hard to get," Wells said.

Wells gave an example of a meeting he attended by the makers of presidential limousines at which it was suggested that an entire episode of his recently ended show "The West Wing" be built around their product.

"It was very, very uncomfortable to say that while I admired the construction of their limousine, the viewers of 'The West Wing' would probably not respond well to an entire episode about the car," Wells said."

"West Wing" Shout Outs from San Francisco Chronicle Columnist

2006-05-18T17:42:00.000-04:00

San Franicisco Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll has been giving several shout-outs to the "West Wing" at the end of his columns this week:

May 16th Column
May 17th Column
May 18th Column

(Thanks to eleanorrigby at TWOP for pointing this out.)

Bradley Whitford, Jane Kaczmarek at Short Story Reading in L.A. This Weekend

2006-05-17T17:40:00.000-04:00

From the L.A. Weekly:
" The weather’s warming, and it’s shorts season again as Selected Shorts: A Celebration of the Short Story returns with the delicious theme “Food Fictions.” Friday’s “Much Ado About Dinner” kicks off the three-day series with Samantha Eggar, Fionnula Flanagan and René Auberjonois reading works by Alice McDermott, V.S. Pritchett and Kenneth Grahame, among others, plus John Lithgow’s sure-to-be-biting rendition of a truly twisted story by Roald Dahl. On Saturday, it’s Christina Pickles and Isaiah Sheffer, and on Sunday, Jane Kaczmarek and Bradley Whitford serve up the prose. The Getty, Harold M. Williams Auditorium; Fri.-Sat., May 19-20, 8 p.m.; Sun., May 21, 3 p.m.; $30, includes reception. (310) 440-7300."

"Out of Practice" Cancelled

2006-05-17T11:40:00.000-04:00

CBS has cancelled the comedy "Out of Practice" starring Stockard Channing.

Stockard Channing Buy on "Out of Practice"
October Reviews
September Reviews
Stockard Channing on "Out of Practice"
New Show "Out of Practice"
"Out of Practice" Hopeless ?

Searches for "West Wing" Actors Go Up On Yahoo

2006-05-17T09:37:00.000-04:00

Searches for "West Wing" actors Richard Schiff, Janel Moloney, Jimmy Smits, Bradley Whitford and Stockard Channing increased by much over 100 % Monday according to the Yahoo Buzz.

Rerun of "West Wing" Finale in South Carolina on Saturday

2006-05-17T08:02:00.000-04:00

From the Post and Chronicle:
"WCBD-TV viewers who missed the final minutes of the series finale of "The West Wing" on Sunday night because of breaking news about dangerous weather will get another chance to see the show at 7 p.m. Saturday, said station General Manager Joe Pomilla.

"We just think it's the right thing to do. It's just good customer service," Pomilla said.

Pomilla said Tuesday that his decision to rebroadcast "The West Wing" finale hinges on approval from NBC, which he anticipated would not be a problem.

"The West Wing" concluded its seven-year run Sunday. WCBD pre-empted a few minutes at the beginning of the finale and cut into the final three minutes of the show for weather coverage.

"The priority is the safety of the community. You can't control a tornado," Pomilla said. At the time, there were severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings in the area, he said."

New Movie Project For Rob Lowe

2006-05-17T03:30:00.000-04:00

From Variety:
"Rob Lowe will star in sequel "Stir of Echoes: The Dead Speak," to be produced and financed by Lionsgate.
Ernie Barbaresh wrote the script for and will direct the horror thriller, which begins shooting in mid-July in Toronto.

Pic is a followup to the 1999 Kevin Bacon starrer "Stir of Echoes," which was written and directed by David Koepp and based on a Richard Matheson novel.

Story revolves around a soldier who returns home from a tour of duty in Iraq only to be haunted by visions of the dead. Producers are Toronto-based Philip Stilman, who has a deal with Lionsgate, and Claire Welland.

Barbaresh, a producer on "American Psycho," wrote and directed "Cube Zero." Lowe was just seen in "Thank You for Smoking.""

*****

There are also photos of Rob Lowe at the Lupus Gala from Wireimage. If you click Details, you can register to see enlarged photos from the last 30 days.

"West Wing" Officially Wraps Filming

2006-05-17T03:25:00.000-04:00

From a Clarion Ledger interview with Marlee Matlin:
"Q: Of your West Wing co-stars, who do you think has the messiest kitchen at home? And who has the most organized kitchen?

A: I think Allison Janney must have the messiest kitchen because she's probably never home and constantly working! She probably runs in, makes her meal and runs out. No offense, Allison! As for the most organized kitchen, I bet it belongs to Janel Moloney. She's just perfect in every way and always looks so put together, that I probably think her kitchen is, too."

From the Los Angeles Daily News:
" GETTING PERSONAL: Marlee Matlin is turning her attention to her literary pursuits, now that she's wrapped up her seven-year recurring stint as deaf lobbyist Joey Lucas on "The West Wing." The Oscar-winning actress has her second children's book set for an end-of- May release by Simon & Schuster, and a third one is in the works for next year.

The soon-due book is called "Nobody's Perfect," "and one theme is acceptance," says Matlin. "It's about the friendship between a deaf girl and another girl in school who seems practically perfect in every way, but the friendship is frustrating, and it turns out she is hiding a brother who is an autistic kid."

Matlin is being honored by AOL as its CEO of the year at a ceremony in New York on May 17, where she will be introduced by Felicity Huffman and give a keynote address.

That's CEO as in "Chief Everything Officer" - women and men who manage households and multiple other activities. As a mother of four, Girl Scout troop leader, activist, actress and writer, Matlin certainly fits the description. The Internet giant has also created a network special (at www.aol.com/ceo) to honor these kinds of CEOs. "

From the New York Post:
"It’s time for a transfer of power in the Oval Office—at least on TV—as the groundbreaking political drama The West Wing finally says goodbye after seven seasons on the air. But don’t feel too sorry for Allison Janney: Even though she’s out of a job, the towering actress took home four Emmys in a five years span for her portrayal of White House Press Secretary (and later Chief of Staff) Claudia Jean “C.J.” Craig [sic], got famous, delivered some of the most whip-smart dialogue in TV history, got engaged and, she tells Hollywood.com, had the time of her life.

Hollywood.com: You’re at the end of a pretty phenomenal run with The West Wing. What’s next for you?

Allison Janney: I think now, I take a breath. I very much want to get back to Broadway, I want to do theater, I want to do movies and I’d like to take a break though and find my passion again because this has been an exhausting thing doing this show. It’s been so wonderful but I’d like to visit my family and get to know them again. Maybe take care of my relationship, my personal life, my friends.

HW: Was this going to be the last season no matter what?

AJ: I think so. It was ready, and then John [Spencer] dying, I felt, I can’t go on. I don’t want to. He’s my buddy, John and Brad [Whitford] and Richard [Schiff] and I had a special relationship, the four of us. It’s tough. I hate to see it go because it’s been so glorious. We don’t like to think of it as canceled. We like to think of it as reaching its conclusion and going off the air. I think we all knew, that when they changed our time. Maybe it’s a good thing. I don’t know, I guess we started to feel like maybe this is the end, and then as I said, when John died we all just felt that we all didn’t want to go on anyway, so it feels right. We’re all ready to move on. It’s sad, but…

HW: What happened to the show, in your view? Why did it lose momentum?

AJ: It was reality TV, that really put a dent in us the first time we saw slips in our ratings—The Bachelor was the first thing that dug into our ratings. That and the transition from Aaron going, getting our feet there and finding our way again.

HW: What would your career have been like without The West Wing?

AJ: At the time I got West Wing I was doing American Beauty and Nurse Betty, both those movies at the same time. Who knows? I probably would have continued doing movies. I think it would have been fine, it just would have been different. Now this has propelled me into that other category of celebrity, whatever that means. Sometimes I think it hurts you, sometimes I think it helps you in terms of the next role. People tend to typecast you. But thankfully I’ve done enough different roles in the past.

HW: What want to swipe from set as souvenir?

AJ: The president has these beautiful glass paperweight bowls on his desk that have beautiful things in them, and I want one of those. I’ve got to get a lot of White House pens. I love CJ’s chair in her office. And also a lot of my wardrobe. I have beautiful clothes—Armani suits and Max Mara, Calvin Klein.

HW: Will they let you take what you want?

AJ: I don’t know if they’re gonna know about it! They’ll probably let me have some things.

HW: Has doing this show made you political?

AJ: I’m definitely more aware. I’m not like Brad, on that level. He’s pretty involved. I am interested, but I don’t know if I can give up my life and go out and…Martin [Sheen] gives so much.

HW: When they changed your position on the show, how did things change for you?

AJ: It was more difficult. I didn’t have as much fun because of the responsibility. As press secretary it seemed that there were more chances for her to mess up and have fun. And as Chief of Staff she had to be in charge and delegate. I kept telling the writers, ‘I want her humor to come through more.’ I didn’t want her to just become the authoritative delegator. What’s so interesting is that our lives after West Wing are meshing. Every scene is sort of coping with that question.

HW: Where would you like to see CJ end up?

AJ: Where do you go after Chief of Staff? Maybe she’d work for another president some day. I think she’ll get married, have a dog. I think she wants to be the woman behind the curtain. I don’t think she wants to run for office. She could head a corporation. She’s very smart. There’s no end to what CJ could do.

HW: You had less romantic luck on the show than some of the others.

AJ: All of CJ’s lovers tend to spontaneously combust. I always thought Richard Schiff and I always had something going. I would have liked that. And there were a couple of guest stars I wouldn’t have minded. I loved my storyline with Mark Harmon. I loved that.

HW: They had to make set elements like the Oval Office desk and chair bigger on Commander in Chief for Geena Davis because of her height. Did they ever do it for you, or just tell you to duck down?

AJ: No. We have a lot of tall Secret Service men, and Alan Alda and Jimmy Smits are all tall. It never was an issue. Our costume designer always put me in heels, and sometimes I’d end up in fuzzy slippers anyway. I’d say, ‘can you see my feet?’ If they can’t I wear fuzzy slippers. It’s been hard being tall, but…

HW: Being so statuesque hasn’t seemed to hinder you.

AJ: It hasn’t yet, thank God.

HW: We love when you have scenes with tiny Kristin Chenoweth.

AJ: I wish we had more scenes together. Brad wrote that episode where I said, “Are we from the same species?”

HW: Was it harder being tall when you were younger?

AJ: I think so, I never had a date till I was in college because I was taller—at least that’s what I think it was.

HW: Did you always sit in the back of the class?

AJ: Yes, the back. And at the apex in the group pictures. Now I love it. It’s a commitment, though, because I love to wear heels, too. So I’m always impossibly tall.

HW: Do you have trouble finding shoes?

AJ: Not any more. A lot of people have size 11.

HW: Would you do another series?

AJ: Yeah I would, probably not another hour drama, at least right away. I want to see my family. I want to have a life a little bit. But it’s been the best job of my life so far. I can’t imagine doing another hour drama right away. I’ve always been interested in half hour comedy. Those were my roots before anything else, comedy. So if it comes along I definitely wouldn’t turn it down.

HW: Any projects on the horizon

AJ: Yes I do have some things, some plays. Nothing I’ve committed to yet, because I don’t want to commit to anything. I want to have a month at least to sit and relax and start thinking about it.

HW: And after a year of engagement, will you finally squeeze a wedding into your schedule?

AJ: I know. We’re not married yet and I think we’re finally going to do it. It’s been so difficult to plan it. It will be so nice to finally get married and take care of my man and take care if my dog and my mom and dad. "

From New York Vue magazine (from a poster at J/D Talk)
"'Wing'-ing it to 'Studio 60'
During the final week and a half of production on The West Wing'-the series finale airs next Sunday--Bradley Whitford was also shooting the pilot for Aaron Sorkin's 'Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.' "I felt like I was at a funeral and a birth at once. It was schizo. I had one day where I was shooting a 'West Wing' episode in the morning, then doing 'Studio 60,' then coming back and doing 'West Wing,' jumping into bed with Donna," he says referring to his character, Josh Lyman's love, played by Janel Moloney.At least Josh and Donna finally got together. Whitford says, " I was joking that it would have been funny if Josh suddenly had become this satisfied Buddha in the final episodes. All that anxiety --gone. This is the most emotionally constipated guy ont he planet. Seven years of sexual tension! I'm sure he took a big nap after that. I'm sure she wanted to talk, but he went right out," says the actor. In 'Studio 60,' Whitford plays a producer-director whose position is not unlike that of 'Saturday Night Live' godfather Lorne Michaels. So Whitford may be going from Josh, a character "as exhausted and caffeinated as I am in real life," to another such frazzled individual. Says the actor, "That's my wheelhouse.""

From the Deseret News:
"There's a week back in 1999 that stands out in the memories of husband and wife Bradley Whitford and Jane Kaczmarek. Both were making a living as actors, but they hadn't achieved break-out success. And they were the parents of a 1-year-old.

We always remember a week in May when the phone rang one day and it was NBC saying 'West Wing' had gotten picked up," Kaczmarek said. "And the next day Fox called and said 'Malcolm' had gotten picked up. And the next day the doctor called and told me I was pregnant again.
***
Seven years of starring in TV series wasn't something they were anticipating. Kaczmarek had appeared in dozens of series and movies, but "I was also suffering the indignities of an actress in my early 40s during pilot season." And she was "very happy not acting and taking care of my baby."
But she loved the "Malcolm" pilot script, even though she never for a moment thought it would get on the air.
"I thought it was just so good that it wouldn't get picked up," Kaczmarek said. "My husband was doing the pilot for 'The West Wing,' and we were renovating a house. . . . And he kept saying, 'Are you sure you want to work?' And I said, 'It'll never go. And if it does, I'll be the mom on a kids show and I'll work one day a week.' "
***
Whitford, meanwhile, couldn't resist the offer to join "The West Wing." "It is a miracle to make a living as an actor. It's a miracle to make a living in a non-humiliating way as an actor," he said. "And it is an incredible miracle to have a situation like this." The odds against one actor landing a role on a TV series that runs seven years are astronomical. The odds against two actors married to each other doing it at the same time are incalculable. "These television shows, they're like alchemy," Whitford said. "It's like a miracle when it works." As "Malcolm" and "West Wing" draw to an end, "Our lives are certainly going to change again," Whitford said. And, for the moment, slow down quite a bit.
***
Whitford and the rest of the "West Wing" cast also lost their friend and fellow cast member, John Spencer, who died suddenly in December. "It's very hard," Whitford said. "We spend many, many, many hours together. We've all gone through this identity crisis together of being in public and just spent so much time together. It's — it's very hard to understand how somebody just goes away.
***
Whitford and Kaczmarek aren't thinking about retiring from acting, but they can pick and choose their roles. They haven't spent the past seven years living an opulent Hollywood lifestyle — they don't have to take roles for the paycheck. "I've paid for the house. I drive a Honda hybrid. I don't live big. I'm not a shopper or a jewelry person," Kaczmarek said. "Brad and I, we've saved, we've paid off mortgages, we've paid . . . for the kids' college and it's a great luxury to be able to just sit and think about what you really want to do. And to just read the newspaper for hours and hours and not worry about too much."
***
In the meantime, the big question at the Whitford-Kaczmarek house is — which show to watch and which to TiVo on Sunday? "We've been leaning toward watching 'Malcolm' and TiVo-ing 'The West Wing,' but then someone said when you TiVo it, you get to watch it over and over again," Kaczmarek said. "You can't be TiVo-ing them both at the same time." "Jane, you need to upgrade your TiVo," interjected "Malcolm" creator/executive producer Linwood Boomer. "They totally have ones that can tape two shows at one time." "You're kidding!" Kaczmarek said with genuine surprise in her voice. "I have one. It's fantastic," Boomer said. "It will save your marriage.""

From The Hub:
"At 9 p.m. Sunday, both of her family's shows will end. She stars in "Malcolm" and her husband, Bradley Whitford, is in "West Wing."

They plan to watch one, tape the other, then sort of sleep in.

"Monday mornings were always the really, really early day," Kaczmarek said. "Sometimes, the day would start with waking up at 5 o'clock, to be at work at 5:30.""

TV Squad's Bob Sassone had a lengthy interview with Bradley Whitford:
"BS:....so how was it filming the final episode of The West Wing?
BW: It was tremendously disorienting and sad. Because doing a TV show, especially a one hour drama that had the big-ass aspirations of this show, it's like being in a cult. The hours are insane ...
BS: The other cast members must be like other members of the cult.
BW: Yes, and the crew. It"s all a big cult, and you know everthing about everyone and everyone's been revealed to everybody and it's got all the nourishment and horror of family.
***
BW: Yeah, and actually it's interesting to me because on one hand, I remember reading the pilot, and what you often think in Hollywood is that it will never go. So on one hand it's a miracle it went seven years. On the other hand, I feel it's been underreported that this show went seven years, it had a cultural impact, it made a lot of people a lot of money, and we did it without really having a lead-in. So the emotional trauma of a show ending, and I hesitate using that word because it"s not like we had leukemia. It's just a big show ended.
*****
BS: Yeah, I was going to ask you ... I can't imagine having to go back to work that first episode after he passed away, because Leo McGarry is the most beloved character, and I would assume he was the heart and soul of the show off-camera as well.
BW: Yeah, he was the connection. Him and Martin [Sheen]. Unfortunately in television there aren't many central middle-aged characters (whispers) -- I'm hoping to change that -- but he was a meticulously prepared professional. Nobody was more comfortable with the joy of knowing that for how long he had been an actor, how fortunate it was to be on a show with a bunch of great theater actors, saying words that weren't humiliating. He knew it was a miracle, and he appreciated it every day. It was very, very hard. I'd known him since Presumed Innocent.
BS: That's right, you were both in that.
BW: Yeah. It was very ... the awareness part of it was, you know, shooting scenes of running to the hospital, and finding out he was dead. Which is something I did in life. And I did it with a stinkin' camera in my face. I was a pallbearer at his funeral ...
BS: And then you had to film that.
BW: Yeah, in some ways ... ultimately I think they handled it very well. John Wells is a really unsung hero in all of this, because I think he really found his voice with the show, and it was a tough way he came in.
BS: Did the writers struggle with how to write John's death into the show ...
BW: Yes, very much.
BS: ... because they had to write it for the show but also make it part of the election storyline.
BW: Yeah, and also you didn"t want to do that tacky, "hey, gee, actor's death, there may be ratings here." So they struggled with it a lot and thought about it a lot and checked in with us and were sensitive to us when it came to shooting it, and made sure we had our ... Chris Misiano, one of our great executive producers, was directing it, and we're all going through it ... it was very strange. In one hour television the hours are so relentless that life blurs with ... you're spending more time acting than you are living. Which is always great for your mental health.
***
BS: Now, I think I speak for all West Wing fans when I say we were really happy to see Rob Lowe come back. It's one of those times where, you find out the show is ending, and you say "wouldn't it be great to have Rob Lowe come back, as a bookend" ...
BW: Yeah!
BS: ... and you think it's never going to happen because you want it to happen so much.
BW: Yeah, yeah, when he came back it was fun. God, I remember when he left, and I walked into his trailer and I said, are you sure you want to do this? (laughs)
BS: So that was good having him back?
BW: Yeah, things snapped right back.
BS: Now, are fans going to like the way the Josh/Donna storyline plays out?
BW: It depends on the fan.
BS: (laughs) That's true.
BW: It certainly made sense to me. I always say that the difference between me and Josh is that if I'm really in love with someone, I have sex with them before seven years go by.
***
BW: Yes. It was disorienting. It was sad. We couldn't imagine the show without [Aaron Sorkin], and we couldn't imagine the show without Tommy [Schlamme]. I think it's a testament to the world they created that it lived beyond them.
BS: Yeah, it was strong enough to survive even after the creative forces left.
BW: Yeah, and by the way, everyone talks about that Aaron left. The miracle is that he was there that long. I have never, nobody has ever seen anyone work that hard. In the last couple of years I've gotten to write a couple ... and I felt this ... when I sat down to write it it was fucking hard. (laughs)
BS: And he was doing it every week.
BW: I mean, seriously, try it. It hurts!
BS: People think that writing is mentally hard, but it's physically hard too.
BW: It absolutely is. And as someone who has spent their life getting nervous and creatively scared, writing was a whole new level of mind fuck.
BS: Now, I don't think I've ever been more excited about a show coming on than Studio 60.
BW: Oh really?
BS: Oh, yeah.
BW: Now tell me what you know about it.
BS: I actually read the pilot script, an early pilot script ...
BW: Where did you get that?!
BS: (laughs) It's going around online actually. I think it"s a realy early draft. I think the title was still Studio 7?
BW: Yes.
BS: And I think a couple of character names are different. I don't know how they got it, but it seems real enough to me, the way that it's written seems like something Aaron Sorkin would write. It seems great, and the cast ...
BW: Yeah, the cast is great, and I just heard they're very happy with it.
BS: So, you've filmed the pilot?
BW: Just the pilot. Technically we don't know if we've been picked up.
BS: Now I thought I heard that NBC had picked up 13?
BW: You know, probably. I think we'd all be surprised if it didn"t, given Aaron and Tommy's pedigree.
***
BS: That's wild. It's funny, if you stay in your business as long as you have, you work with people that you worked with years ago. Let me give you an example. This might blow your mind. I was The Equalizer. And you're in it. And in the very same episode, Ed O'Neill (Baker, West Wing) is in it.I don't know if you had any scenes with him.
BW: Can I tell you something? Ed O'Neill is on our show, and he's a really good actor.
****
BS: So what are you working on now (besides Studio 60)?
BW: I'm doing some light writing ...
BS: Light writing. You mean like poetry? Haikus?
BW: (laughs) I'm pursuing my haiku dream.
BS: (laughs)
BW: John Wells let me write a couple of West Wings, which was an incredible gift. I loved it once I got past the brain injury part of it, and so I'm working on a couple of things that are far from fruition, but what I want to pursue.
BS: It's weird, you and your wife (Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle) both have shows ending.
BW: Yeah, we're actuallly opposite each other. These shows got picked up the same week, and the finales are in the same time slot opposite each other.
BS: The same day, May 14?
BW: Yeah.
BS: Wow.
BW: Very bizarre.
BS: Don't tell her, but I'll be watching yours.
BW: Thank you.
BS: That's why God made TiVo.
BW: Exactly. And that's why I'll be in the poolhouse. (laughs)"

Bradley Whitford contributed this to the newest print edition of TV Guide (transcript by a Josh/Donna Talk poster):
"BRADLEY WHITFORD: On Leaving West Wing and Getting the Girl

The memorizing was endless. Our first season we were shooting in Washington DC, and my character, Josh Lyman, had a huge speech. I have to walk when I memorize, so I went outside and started pacing back and forth, saying the lines out loud. It was a speech railing against moronic Republican congressmen.
Suddenly a guy comes running around the corner with his gun drawn,screaming at me - "What's your name?! What's your name?!" I drop the pages, throw my hands up in the air and start yelling back at him. "Don't shoot! I'm Brad Whitford. I'm an actor. There's no reason to kill me!"
It turns out I had been pacing back and forth in front of the FBI National Headquarters. It's always fun trying to convince a guy who's pointing a gun at you that you're on a television show that he's never seen.
There was a lot of laughter on the set. Martin Sheen forgetting people's names. Richard Schiff laughing so hard it actually shut down production. Allison Janney acting so beautifully in her big furry slippers. Josh Malina,who played Will Bailey, thinking practical jokes were funny. You'd go to get in your car at 2am and the door handle would be slathered with Vaseline. I'd get it open and it's filled with trash. If he saw me reading a book, he would tear out the last couple of pages when I wasn't looking. I would like to take this opportunity to say that Josh Malina is a talentless, unemployed fool.
There were difficult times as well. It was a nightmare for us all to lose our beloved brother John Spencer, who died of a heart attack in December. And it was strange to film Leo's funeral so soon after being at John's.
I think Josh Lyman is going out on a good note. He got to see his man elected president and he got his girl. Finally. Man, we stretched that thing out to the snapping point. I was beginning to wonder about this guy. By the way, the difference between Josh and me is that I didn't wait seven years to have sex with someone I'm in love with. Josh and Donna both end up working in the White House, and I believe they are going to be together for a long, long time.
It broke my heart to say goodbye to the show. It was surreal at the end. We had gone through so much together. Martin was very emotional and that was hard. It hit me when I watched Jimmy take the oath of office. And most of all, I knew I was going to miss these people, my dear friends on the cast and crew who were the most important part of this wonderful experience."

From Broadcasting & Cable :

"NBC’s The West Wing is leaving office for good May 14. But actor Bradley Whitford, who starred as the always frazzled Joshua Lymon [sic] for the show’s seven-year run, isn’t going to become a highly paid lobbyist. Instead, he’s starring in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, a drama that goes behind the scenes of a Saturday Night Live like series, to which NBC has already given a commitment. Whitford spoke to B&C’s Ben Grossman about whether it was really time for West Wing to go, show scheduling, and why he’d mow Aaron Sorkin’s lawn.

How did the shooting of the finale go?

I think it’s very hard emotionally when shows like this end, but some of that has been put into perspective by the death of John [Spencer, who played politico Leo McGarry on West Wing]. So the end of a show feels pretty puny. But the last thing we shot was Martin [Sheen] walking out of the West Wing, and everyone gathered when it was shot; it was pretty emotional.

It was also a nice moment for Martin because the way our characters are supposed to feel about Bartlett [Sheen’s presidential character] is the way we feel about Martin.

What sticks out about the show as it reaches its conclusion in the next couple of weeks? One of the most underreported parts about the show is, we got a great full run and [we had] cultural impact, and a lot of people made a lot of money, and we never once had a lead-in. I can tell you that, if we had been following Friends for five years, it would have been different. We had a full run with it, even in this era of procedural crime dramas and reality programming with people eating slugs, but it had a certain commercial power that was underrated.it now. Plus, the network made it clear when it moved us to Sunday night that the show was not going to be a priority."

Did you want to see another season?

There were areas I would have been interested in going into, but it did make sense to end it now. Plus, the network made it clear when it moved us to Sunday night that the show was not going to be a priority.

From the L.A. Daily News:
"Shooting the final episode of "The West Wing" was "heartbreaking," admits Bradley Whitford, who has spent the last seven years playing Josh Lyman on the revered NBC series, which will make its final bow May 14. "Working on this show, it's very familial — a crushing level of intimacy, of everyone knowing what everyone else has gone through. People have become parents, toddlers have become teenagers. And then it's the end. I've never experienced anything comparable." He reports that the final shot, the final day, had Martin Sheen, as President Bartlet, "walking through the West Wing and people applauding, feeling sad. Martin is a hugely beloved guy. We never had to act what our characters felt about Bartlet because we felt that way about Martin." Still, adds Whitford, the death of co-star John Spencer last year "gave everyone more perspective than we would normally have had. It makes the end of a TV show feel pretty puny." Whitford says he was hoping he'd have time to "shake my Etch-a-Sketch" before jumping back into the series game, but when "West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin had a role for him in his "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" pilot, it was too good to pass up. The probable NBC fall series goes into the backstage world of a sketch comedy show, with Whitford as a director with a drug-ridden past. Also in the cast are Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet, D.L. Hughley, Steven Weber and Tim Busfield. Besides — Whitford, who is wed to Jane Kaczmarek of "Malcolm in the Middle" fame, with whom he has three children, adds, "Our kids are in school 15 minutes away from the studio. I'm one of the very few actors who knows he isn't going to leave town.""

Scott Foster, a former production assistant for "The West Wing" posted at WWSpoilers:
"Well, tomorrow, Monday, marks the last full week of filming for our
beloved show. Friday, March 31, will be the last filming day for "The
West Wing" crew.

This date was given to me when I worked on the DC filming at the
beginning of the month. So, unless the schedule has changed, the
lights will go out sometime Friday night/Saturday morning.

It was a fun ride, glad I had the opportunity to be a small part of
such a great show.

Scott Foster
Production Assistant
"West Wing" -- DC 2003-2006"

Defamer posted an observation from the last days of "West Wing" filming:
"Motorist Learns The Consequences Of Protesting The Fake President Courtesy of an operative watching some action unfold over by the Burbank studios, Sign #12,574 That People In This Town Take Themselves Far Too Seriously:my window today... So a guy going the other direction in a Mustang honks his horn and flips off the crew as they are going by... One of the real Burbank cops peels off and chases him down. Now there are 4 cop cars and about 10 cops going through his car while he is handcuffed sitting on the ground over by Chadney's parking lot.. Fun outside my window at someone else's expense... It doesn't get any better than this.motorcade can result in real trouble? Of course, we all live together in this wonderful land of make believe and must entertain the possibility this is staged for the show. So if you happen to be looking out your window and think you see the guy getting roughed up, don't worry, those are probably just prop billy clubs made of rubber bouncing harmlessly off his kneecaps"

From Movieweb:
"By the way, Lily just wrapped production on her work on The West Wing; her episode will appear very soon on NBC."

ABC Officially Cancels "Commander in Chief"

2006-05-16T11:00:00.000-04:00

From Reuters:
"In a sign that television can be a tougher business than politics, the major U.S. networks have lost two prime-time presidents in a week.

Two days after the acclaimed White House drama "The West Wing" ended its seven-year run on NBC, rival network ABC announced on Tuesday it was pulling the plug on its new series "Commander In Chief," which starred Oscar winner Geena Davis as the nation's first female president. Donald Sutherland co-starred as her political arch enemy.

However, ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson left open the possibility of bringing back "Commander" sometime next season in the form of a two-hour TV movie.

The show got off to a promising start in the ratings last fall, then steadily lost ground, even after returning this spring from an 11-week hiatus with a less-competitive time slot and a renewed promotional push.

In its most recent telecast last month, "Commander" averaged a meager 6.5 million viewers, ranking 64th among all prime-time shows that week.

"It's frustrating," ABC's McPherson told reporters in New York at the network's annual "upfront" presentation to advertisers. "Creatively, the show didn't build to where it needed to be."

The final three episodes, which were pulled from ABC's schedule for the duration of the May ratings "sweep," will air on May 31, June 7 and June 14, concluding the series' prime-time run, network executives said."

From Zap2I t:
"ABC Impeaches 'Commander In Chief'
Show pulled for remainder of sweeps; no airdate for remaining episodes

LOS ANGELES -- The Allen administration, which started off with such promise, is coming to a rather ignominious end.

ABC has yanked its freshman drama "Commander In Chief" from the schedule for the rest of May sweeps after the show performed poorly in its new, and exceedingly difficult, Thursday time period. Newsmagazine "Primetime" will take its place at 10 p.m. ET Thursdays for the remaining three weeks of the season.

The pulling of "Commander In Chief" probably spells doom for the show's chances of renewal and puts a cap on a remarkable slide that sent it from sparkly new hit to probable lame duck in eight months. The series began life as the most-watched new show of the fall, and star Geena Davis won a Golden Globe in January for her portrayal of Mackenzie Allen, the first female president. Behind-the-scenes upheaval and a steep ratings decline, however, conspired to bring the show down.

The backstage changes came first, with ABC and Touchstone (both of which are owned by Disney) relieving creator Rod Lurie of his showrunner duties a few weeks into the season after production had fallen behind schedule. Steven Bochco ("NYPD Blue") took over the show, bringing in a number of new writers and adding "Blue" alum Mark-Paul Gosselaar to the cast.

Through November, though, the show was still averaging a robust 15.2 million viewers per week, the best of any new series to that point.

"Commander" was off the air until Jan. 10, and on its return its ratings took a hit thanks largely to the return of "American Idol" on FOX. Three episodes in January averaged about 10.8 million viewers, which isn't all that bad, but the younger viewers that advertisers love were dropping away as well.

Another long hiatus followed, during which Bochco also gave up day-to-day running of the show (though he remains an executive producer) to work on an ABC pilot. Dee Johnson, who had been with the show from the start, became the showrunner.

ABC then moved the show from its Tuesday home to 10 p.m. Thursdays, where it would have to face CBS' powerful "Without a Trace" and NBC's still-solid "ER." Ratings have been meager since the switch -- the three episodes that have aired on Thursday have averaged only about 7.5 million viewers, less than half what the show was doing in the fall.[Note from this blog's editor: see "West Wing"s current ratings]

The network says the final three episodes of the season will likely air during the summer, but no dates have been set."

Other "Commander in Chief" news:
Guest Appearance by Adam Arkin
How to Ruin a TV Show ("Commander in Chief" Exhibit A)
West Wing News Blog's April Fool's Joke:
"Commander in Chief" to Merge With "West Wing"
Commander in Chief Ratings Trouble
Commander-In-Chief Update
West Wing Writer on "Commander in Chief"
Smits/Alda on "Commander in Chief"
IMDB Poll Results
USA Today Comparison
October Review Collection 2
October Review Collection 1
Commander in Chief Follow Up
September Reviews
Ratings Success

Comments on Final "West Wing" Episode "Tomorrow"

2006-05-16T10:55:00.000-04:00

Discuss the episode here.
Discuss the pilot episode again.
Write an open message to John Wells.

From the Washington Post:
"One of the best things about "The West Wing" was catching those Washington bloopers. Fortunately, Sunday night's finale contained some delicious whoppers spotted immediately by sharp-eyed political obsessives. For the record:· The show opens on a frigid Inauguration Day: "Who in his right mind decided that January would be the best time of year to hold an outdoor ceremony north of the equator?" asks the first lady. "Jefferson, Adams, Franklin," answers President Jed Bartlet . Wrong! Bartlet should know that presidents were sworn in on March 4 until FDR's second inauguration on Jan. 20, 1937. (It's the 20th Amendment, people.)

· It was supposedly 10 degrees, but there was no frosty breath or shivering. Where was the congressional leadership when President-elect Matt Santos walked through the Capitol? And where the heck were his kids on the biggest day of his life?

· The new first lady wonders if she has to wear nine different gowns to the nine balls. She waits until that day to think about her inaugural ball dress?

· Chief of Staff C.J. Cregg slips out the White House front gate and walks across a sleepy Pennsylvania Avenue -- mysteriously devoid of the crowds, reviewing stands and security folk on the inaugural parade route.

· The Bartlets leave for Andrews and jet home to New Hampshire, an 83-minute flight that seems to last hours and take them over open sea. Okay -- maybe if they got delayed by bad weather and maybe if they took the coast-skimming route between Andrews and Manchester.

And yes, that was "WW" creator Aaron Sorkin in a cameo shot during the swearing-in."

From the New York Times:
" Sentimentality tends to choke the spirit out of most series finales. It was inevitable that "The West Wing" would end on a pious note, but the mawkish fillips were disappointing if only because in the final season the plot shifted to a new president and a new White House staff that breathed new life and political machinations into the series. The finale turned the spotlight back to Josiah Bartlet, and seven seasons had already sucked all the poignancy from his presidency. There were no real surprises: White House workaholics at last found time for love, President Matt Santos was sworn in — by a female chief justice — and President Bartlet went home to New Hampshire.

Mostly, the final episode sought backstage catharsis by bringing the series's defectors back for a victory lap: Sam, played by Rob Lowe, came back late in the season to work in the Santos administration. In the inauguration scene, the camera panned the audience and stopped briefly on the face of the show's creator, Aaron Sorkin, who quit in 2003. "

From the Associated Press:
"NEW YORK - It was an orderly transition Sunday night as President Jed Bartlet left office and "The West Wing" came to a graceful end.

After seven TV seasons (and two terms in his fictional White House), the heroic, quirky, often embattled chief executive played by Martin Sheen was succeeded by Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits). As the Bartlet administration came to its inevitable conclusion, so did the NBC drama.

"You did a lot of good, Jed, a lot of good," the First Lady (Stockard Channing) told her husband as Inauguration Day dawned.

Bartlet's mood at that moment must have matched many viewers': relief, satisfaction, gratitude and sadness that it was about to be over.

And later on, Abbie Bartlet said proudly, "Jed, you made it. You're still here" — after the assassination attempt, his battle with multiple sclerosis, and the punishing duties of his job.

Sentiment hung heavy through the hour, both for the characters and the audience. In particular, former chief of staff Leo McGarry, who had died suddenly on the campaign trail as Santos' vice-presidential running mate, was repeatedly recalled (as was, implicitly, the late
John Spencer, who played him until his death of a heart attack last December).

"I'm gonna take one final stroll around the joint, to make sure nobody's making off with the cutlery," Bartlet told his secretary (Lily Tomlin) after tending to one final presidential task: signing some pardons in the oval office.

Caution: Spoiler alert. Would he pardon Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff), a trusted senior adviser who had leaked classified information out of conscience, then confessed; been fired, tried and indicted; and now was facing prison?

Though still torn between feelings of betrayal and affection — well, of course, Bartlet pardoned Toby.

For the episode, a full-scale inauguration platform was erected, where the ceremony would soon begin as, back at the White House, Bartlet staffers watched coverage of it on their TVs and finished packing up.

Then, at 42 minutes into the hour, Santos took the oath of office. An era was over. So, remarkably, was the brief inauguration scene.

"Nice speech," the former president told President Santos (viewers will never know).

"No JFK," Santos replied.

"No," smiled Bartlet. "But you've got time. Make me proud, Mr. President."

"I'll do my best, Mr. President," Santos said.

And Bartlet was gone.

In the unseen Santos administration ahead, "West Wing" favorites Donna Moss and Josh Lyman (Janel Moloney and Bradley Whitford) will be part of the team — and presumably will remain an item, a recent development after having been partners for years in TV's sexiest unconsummated, unacknowledged romance.

"The West Wing," which premiered in fall 1999, was the vision of Aaron Sorkin, whose genius was reflected in the pilot episode, repeated Sunday night just before the finale aired. Sorkin not only created the series, but wrote all the episodes for several seasons before leaving it.

Although a popular hit as well as a critical smash, the series in recent seasons dropped precipitously from its former Top-10 status and was canceled by the network.

Even so, this season's episodes have been strong, charting not only White House goings-on but also the campaign between Santos and his Republican challenger, Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda).

Viewers can be cheered that Sorkin will be back on TV: NBC has announced that his new series, "Studio 60 on Sunset Strip" will be on its fall lineup, with stars including "West Wing" alumni Whitford and Timothy Busfield.

And Sunday the final scene of "The West Wing" left the audience on a forward-looking note, too, even if expressed in a wistful tone.

"What are you thinking about?" Abbie Bartlet asked her husband as they flew back home to New Hampshire after the marvelous adventure they had shared with "West Wing" fans.

"Tomorrow," he replied."

From the Hollywood Reporter:
"It came on with a bang seven seasons ago, startling viewers who could scarcely believe a TV series could be so smart, thought-provoking, beautifully written and well-acted, all at the same time.

And with the final episode of "The West Wing" on Sunday, it seems a safe bet that it will be a long time, if ever, before TV again tackles profound topics like politics as policy with as much dramatic mettle.

The series, a contemporary video version of President Kennedy's Camelot conceived by Aaron Sorkin and upheld by John Wells, went out with its head held high. Instead of tackling thorny issues with compelling explosive story lines, the finale was a long goodbye, filled with emotional moments that evoked the richness of the show's past. These included references to Leo McGarry, the character played by late actor John Spencer. His death in December seemed to foretell the lowering of the curtain on this much-honored yet oddly underappreciated series.

Clinging to tradition, "West Wing" imparted yet another important civics lesson before leaving the stage for good. This time, it demonstrated the efficient and orderly way power is transferred from one administration to the next. Perfect timing, considering it was broadcast on the eve of the "upfronts," the annual week of TV transition."

From Nation:
"Illegal wire-tapping, millions of civilian telephone records turned over to the NSA, National Guard troops "temporarily" deployed on the Mexican border, "extraordinary rendition" of nameless suspects, "detainees" imprisoned in Guantanamo without due process, a limitless war on terror, an "axis of evil" -- sounds like the President has been reading Michel Foucault's Society Must Be Defended, a series of lectures given at the College de France that reverses Clausewitz's famous aphorism and explores how "politics is war continued by other means.

That President, however, is not George W. Bush. He's Democrat Josiah Barlett, who departed The West Wing after two terms, seven seasons and a raft of Emmy nominations. Yes, in last night's series finale observant viewers spotted Foucault's book among President Barlett's private possessions.

I'll leave it to TV critics to debate what this might signify. But note to the real Prez in case he decides to take the lead of his fictional counterpart and, uh, read: Though Society Must Be Defended "deals with the emergence...of a new understanding of war as the permanent basis of all institutions of power," it is NOT a how-to manual."

From the Washington Post:
"Washingtonians gathered around televisions last night for the series finale of "The West Wing," a program from a parallel universe in which the president is named Bartlet, terrorists come from Qumar and no one in the White House is allowed to finish a sentence.

The NBC program, which signed off its final broadcast at 9 p.m., was television's homage to Washington, from its regal theme music and iconic imagery of the city to its celebration of leaks, news briefings and spin control.

Viewing parties popped up across the region. "West Wing" was, in many ways, a home-town show, as "Cheers" was for Boston and "Seinfeld" for Manhattan. For some, it was a little too close to home.

"It was exactly like watching work," said Adam Levine, a communications specialist in the District who was an assistant White House press secretary for two years under President Bush. "You'd sit there and you would have just come out of a meeting in the Roosevelt Room, and you'd flip on the show and they are all sitting there having a meeting in the Roosevelt Room."

The show wasn't necessarily water-cooler material inside the real West Wing; people there work just as hard as their counterparts on the program and they haven't the time, Levine said. But it was a beloved weekly ritual for many former West Wingers, some of whom, such as Levine, consulted for the show's writers.

"I watched the show early on and haven't missed an episode in the last two seasons," said Scott Stanzel, another former Bush White House spokesman [who comments on this article on his blog]. He stopped watching only during what he calls the show's "preachy period," in the middle of its seven-season run, when the left-leaning Democratic administration portrayed on the program went a bit "over the top with its devout liberalism."

In an Arlington County apartment last night, six young Democrats watched the finale on a projection screen after an "all-American" turkey dinner. The core of the group -- twin sisters Morgan and Lauren Miller and Christy Gill, all 22 -- began watching "The West Wing" three years ago with their Democratic club at the University of California at Los Angeles and imported the tradition to Washington when they moved east.

Someone in the group noted how old everyone looked: NBC had replayed the show's 1999 pilot before airing the final episode.

"They're supposed to look old when they leave the White House," Lauren Miller responded. "Look at Bush; look at Clinton."

The general consensus among fans, insiders and TV critics is that "The West Wing" began as a riff on the Clinton administration. Critics say it continued down that path even as it strayed further and further from political reality, to the point that its fictional White House would find liberal resolutions to real-life problems faced by the right-leaning Bush administration. Some Republican detractors dubbed the show "The Left Wing."

Jennifer Palmieri, a press aide during the Clinton years, recalls when the real West Wing learned of an early concept for the show.

"We heard it was going to be about a young former Southern governor who was divorced and had a 13-year-old daughter. Does that sound familiar? Except for the divorced part," she said. Producers ended up giving the fictional president a New Hampshire background and three daughters and patching up his marriage.

Palmieri, who lives in the Old Town section of Alexandria, remembers when the cast came to visit their counterparts in summer 1999: John Podesta, Clinton's chief of staff and Palmieri's current boss, hung out with actor John Spencer; Press Secretary Joe Lockhart paired off with Allison Janney.

But she stopped watching the show after the 2001 season because "when Gore lost, it was like being at your ex-boyfriend's wedding, every week."

There are good reasons for the show's undeniable appeal to legions of Republicans, whatever its apparent Democratic bias.

Its accuracy in rendering real life in the West Wing was "jaw-dropping," said Levine, who was a consultant early in the series, down to "which staffers would talk to what people about what subjects, to what pins they would wear."

Do real-life West Wingers really talk as fast as the jabber-jaws who play them on television? No, said Levine: The real halls of power have "more the feel of a library." Yes, Palmieri said: "I don't think anybody ever finished a sentence in eight years in the West Wing, including Clinton."

Some of the program's best moments transcended partisan politics, as when, in a recent episode, victorious Democratic presidential candidate Matt Santos, played by Jimmy Smits, offers to make his vanquished foe, Alan Alda's Arnold Vinick, secretary of state.

Alda's character so eloquently expressed Republican views in the final weeks of the show that he changed some minds on the predominantly left-leaning writing staff, said Lawrence O'Donnell, an executive producer.

"It's Pat Buchanan's favorite TV show," O'Donnell said. "And that, for me, means that it's a very successful TV show."

Ultimately, "The West Wing" was not a program about politics, he said.

"I was always trying to write the best drama that I could write for television," O'Donnell said. "If it had been a politics show, it wouldn't have lasted a season."

Joel Bradshaw, 44, a computer consultant to a defense contractor, had "absolutely no interest in politics, or a show about politics," when he stumbled across a "West Wing" episode early on. The Fairfax resident was hooked by the plot lines, and "it got to the point where I planned my week around not missing an episode of 'West Wing,' " he said. "I've seen people around town with 'Bartlet is my president' T-shirts, and if I knew where to get one, I'd probably buy one.""

From the Chicago Tribune:
" And so the Bartlet era ends.

For those who have no idea what that means, and as a reminder to fans who've drifted in recent years, the term of Josiah Bartlet, fictional U.S. president on NBC's "The West Wing," ended Sunday as the series finished its seventh and final season.

Though down in the ratings, "West Wing" left with grace, typically mixing the elusive thrill of grand politics with the familiar emotions of everyday life: an apt, affecting playlet about the prickly sweetness of change.

An amusing and wry Lily Tomlin, as outgoing presidential secretary, warned her successor, "At some point, the president is going to ask you to suspend his wife's [Oval Office] walk-in privileges. Don't do it. No matter how much he begs."

Seven years bequeath fond memories, for cast and viewers alike. C.J. (Allison Janney), the show's emotional center, leaving the realm of power, was asked by an ordinary citizen just outside the gate if she works in the White House. Clearly content, she confidently replied, "No."

Meanwhile, Bartlet (Martin Sheen), who pardoned errant Toby in the eleventh hour, pondered a framed napkin promising "Bartlet for America" while aboard his flight from Washington. When asked by his wife (Stockard Channing) what he was thinking about, he answered, smiling, "Tomorrow.""

From the Boston Globe:
"Last night, after seven years of high-strung political drama, ''The West Wing" finally heaved a sigh. Famous for its huffing, puffing, and over-the-top twists, the NBC series said goodbye with an admirably restrained finale. The hour was a bittersweet coda with no big tears -- just a few heavily glazed eyes.

As President Bartlet and his staff moved out of the White House on Inauguration Day, a series of sad moments unfolded, none of which were milked shamelessly. Bartlet handed law-school-bound Charlie a worn copy of the Constitution. Bartlet opened a gift from Leo's daughter, which was the ''Bartlet for America" napkin Leo once used to get him to run. Bartlet and C.J. said farewell with not much more than significant eye contact.

The atmosphere was poignant, acknowledging the sorrows of the end of the Bartlet era but then turning toward ''Tomorrow," which was the title of the episode. ''Tomorrow" was also Bartlet's last word, after his wife, Abbey, asked him what he was thinking about.

Fortunately, the finale didn't need to resolve any big mysteries. Producer-writer John Wells has not been coy about how this series would end, once Jimmy Smits's Matt Santos won the election a few weeks ago. In recent episodes, we saw Josh and Donna finally relax into a sexual relationship and roles in the Santos administration. We saw C.J. choose Danny and turn away from the intensity of White House life. The only leftover question mark -- would Toby go to jail -- was answered last night when Bartlet signed a pardon shortly before leaving office.

And so the finale had the freedom to wind down, since we went into it knowing everyone's futures. Wells could let go of the show's trademark braininess in order to leave on a gentle note.

There was only one stunt, more accurately a stunt-ette. During the Inauguration, while Keb' Mo' performed at the podium, the camera caught the show's creator, Aaron Sorkin, in the audience. It was a deserved nod to the man who made ''The West Wing" great, before leaving it in 2003. The hour also provided a glimpse of Sorkin's future, with a commercial for his fall series, ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," a dramedy about a late-night-skit show that will feature ''West Wing" star Bradley Whitford.

Last night's finale was preceded by an airing of the ''West Wing" pilot, since a series retrospective was scrapped after cast costs became prohibitive. Watching the pilot offered its own pleasures; it was fascinating to see just how complete Sorkin's overall vision of ''The West Wing" was from the get-go. Interestingly, Bartlet began and ended the series with a cane, first for a bike accident and later for his MS.

Certainly, the pilot's focus on Rob Lowe didn't last long, as Martin Sheen and other cast members, particularly Allison Janney, gained prominence. And the atmosphere got darker. But still, the show's intelligence, sincerity, levity regarding the media, and joy in democracy were well in place before the first commercial."

From Zap2It:
"During the inauguration scene in Sunday's series finale of "The West Wing," the camera panned to several people watching new President Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) being sworn into office.

There was outgoing President Bartlet (Martin Sheen), his wife, Abby (Stockard Channing), Santos' wife, Helen (Teri Polo) and Bartlet staffers-turned-Santos aides Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) and Donna Moss (Janel Moloney). And also one other guy whom you may not have recognized.

During bluesman Keb Mo's rendition of "America the Beautiful," the camera settled on none other than "West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin for a wordless cameo. Considering he brought the show's version of the presidency to life, it seemed fitting that he would be on the Capitol steps to watch Santos take over for Bartlet.

Sorkin, however, did not create Santos. He and fellow executive producer Thomas Schlamme left "The West Wing" at the end of the show's fourth season; the campaign storyline that carried the show through its final days didn't kick in until season six.

The finale, written by executive producer John Wells, was a fairly understated affair, focusing on the outgoing Bartlet staff's transition back into civilian life and the Santos administration's move into the White House. It also paid tribute to cast member John Spencer, who died in December, by having his character's daughter (Allison Smith) pass on a memento from the past -- a cocktail napkin with the words "Bartlet for America" written on it -- to Bartlet.

Sorkin and Schlamme will return to NBC in the fall with a new series, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." The workplace drama, about a "Saturday Night Live"-esque sketch-comedy show, received its first on-air promotion during "The West Wing" finale."

From the San Jose Mercury News:
""The West Wing'' made a very graceful exit Sunday night after seven seasons:Inaugural sentimental without being mawkish and still quick with the one-liner. One small flaw: Making whether or not President Bartlet would pardon former aide Toby Ziegler, under indictment for leaking classified information, something of a cliffhanger. Anyone who was paying attention to the opening scene of the season's first episode -- the one set in the future at the opening of the Bartlet presidential library -- already knew that Toby didn't spend time in the slammer since he made it to the opening.

A couple of curiousities in the hour:

A nice inside moment during the inauguration ceremony when the camera cut to a closeup of "West Wing'' creator Aaron Sorkin -- who left the series after season 4 in a dispute with Warner Bros. -- sitting in the crowd.

As fans of the show know, the chief justice of the Supreme Court is Evelyn Baker Lang, played by Glenn Close in a memorable 2004 episodes called "The Supremes.'' Obviously, Close wasn't available for a finale cameo so the producers used an actress to double for her in long shot. (You never saw her face.) It was a bit like the actress who played the back of Patty Duke's head on the old "Patty Duke Show.'' (And my thanks to colleague Mike Antonucci, now back from his time at E3, for pointing this out.)"

From Salon.com

Commentary from TV Squad.
Commentary from Roger Catlin of the Hartford Courant.
Personal comment by Alan Sepinwall of the Newark Star Ledger.
From the Broadcasting & Cable blog
Commentary by Matt Roush of TV Guide.
From the TV Guide Watercooler.
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"West Wing" Ratings Week 22

2006-05-16T10:48:00.000-04:00

From the New York Times:
"President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) pardoned Toby (Richard Schiff), watched the inauguration of Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and gazed at the napkin on which Leo (John Spencer, who died in December) had written "Bartlet for America" years before. So ended the seven-season run of NBC's "West Wing." An audience of 9.91 million had their tears jerked during its series finale on Sunday, which also included a cameo appearance by the show's bygone creator, Aaron Sorkin and, oddly, the detail that the president kept a book by Michel Foucault, the French philosopher, in the Oval Office."

From NBC:
"On Sunday, the series finale of "The West Wing" polled that drama's highest numbers to date as a Sunday series. The finale was up 32 percent in 18-49 versus the show's Sunday average this season and up 71 percent versus its lead-in, a special encore telecast of the drama's original debut episode. "

From Calendar Live:
"The series finale of "The West Wing" rounded up 9.9 million viewers, with a 2.8 rating/7 share among 18- to 49-year-olds."

From Broadcasting & Cable:
"NBC’s The West Wing left office for good on Sunday night, airing the pilot episode at 7 and the show’s final episode at 8, but the TV audience didn’t vote it a ratings winner. The final airing of Wing scored just a 2.8 rating/7 share in the key 18-49 demo, according to Nielsen Fast Affiliate numbers, beating only The WB’s Charmed (1.5/4) in the time slot. Originally, a clip show was going to air in the first hour, but the retrospective was scrapped in favor of the re-airing of the pilot (which earned a 1.7/6), reportedly for financial reasons.

Wing did have some formidable competition in the first hour of the series finale of CBS’ Survivor. The reality show scored a 5.9/15 in the time slot, going up to a 6.3/14 in its second hour. But it was no match for ABC’s Desperate Housewives, which scored an 8.1/18 in the time slot. And the Survivor reunion at 10 was trounced by Grey’s Anatomy (4.9/11 to a 9.6/22)."

Guide to TV Ratings here

Last Week's Ratings

What Kind of "West Wing" Has It Been - Cast & Crew Comments

2006-05-16T01:09:00.000-04:00

A video news report from Cleveland's Channel 3 including short interviews with some cast members.

Washington Post Actor Profiles:
- Bradley Whitford
· Dirty little secret: Personally, Whitford wanted his character to end up with Amy Gardner (Mary-Louise Parker) rather than Donna Moss (Janel Moloney).

· Most memorable interaction with a real-life politico: Shaking former president Bill Clinton's hand after a dinner he held for the cast, while a heckler repeatedly screamed "Monica!" "He looked me in the eye and asked me what the guy said," Whitford says of Clinton. "And I said, 'Sir, I think he said 'Attica.' "

· Real-life politico Josh resembles: "This guy was a mix of Rahm Emanuel, Paul Begala and George Stephanopoulos, with a touch of James Carville's hair loss."

· Weirdest time he was mistaken for a real-life politico: "Some reporter once asked me about the trade deficit with China. And I was like, 'I wear makeup for a living. I have a favorite moisturizer.' "

· Funniest Martin Sheen anecdote: The time Sheen -- legendary on the set for mangling names and titles (Allison Janney remained "the tall one" all seven seasons) -- was asked to present an award (in real life) to Cardinal Roger Mahony and announced it as the "2002 Abortionist Award." (Um, that would be "abolitionist," Mr. President.)

· Thing he really, really wants people to know (in jest): "Josh Malina is a terrible actor."

-Allison Janney
· Dirty little secret: "There's more happening in her trailer than in most nightclubs," cast mate Josh Malina says. After wrapping the final episode, most of the actors drowned their sorrows in Janney's hospitality. "I eventually called it Club Flamingo after my Secret Service name," she says. "I have to say I'm a bit of a hedonist. A harmless one, but I like to have fun."

· On-set reputation: The Emmy queen (she's won four). The crew named brilliant takes after her -- a "Janney" was impressive, and the patented "Double Janney" really took the crew's breath away.

· Favorite things about trips to Washington to shoot exteriors: "We were like rock stars in D.C." Besides the people here, Janney also gives kudos to the Ritz-Carlton, Asia Nora and shopping in Georgetown.

· Funniest Martin Sheen anecdote: "I think the day we laughed most was when he called Toby 'Topol,' " she says. Richard Schiff, it seems, laughed so hard that it was 40 minutes before they could reshoot.

-Janel Moloney
· Dirty little secret: Has crush on Alan Greenspan. "There's something kind of mythical about him," Moloney says. "He's so powerful. He and his wife watch the show. And I just thought, 'My God, Alan Greenspan is sitting on Wednesday nights watching me on TV.' "

· Coolest show-related perk: When ex-prez Clinton invited the whole cast out to dinner. "It was amazing," she says. "I don't think the cast of 'ER' is having dinner with Clinton."

· On Donna and Josh finally getting together: "He was a damn good kisser!" Writer-producer John Wells says Moloney "got into it with gusto" when that story line took off, and adds: "After all those years, she was fully committed to playing out sexual repression."

· Best on-set anecdote: Moloney was the mastermind behind a Valentine's Day practical joke played on Jimmy Smits and Brad Whitford. She took Whitford's stationery, attached it to a bouquet of pink roses and penned this ditty: "Dear Jimmy, Working with you has been a delight. Be my Valentine." (Smits responded, gamely, by kissing a baffled Whitford on-set.)

-Richard Schiff
· Little-known Washington connection: The Brooklyn-to-the-bone guy was born in Bethesda and spent his first three months of life in Falls Church (his dad was in the Navy).

· Situation he'd like to set straight: No matter what those &;%$! scriptwriters make him say, Toby would never, ever have been the one to leak classified information about the space shuttle (See: Season 7). Says Schiff: "I don't think that Toby would betray the man he respects and loves most in the world," President Bartlet.

· Coolest show-related perk: The day he received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, City College of New York, and former president Bill Clinton (also an honoree) joined him for the stroll to the graduation site, with tens of thousands of screaming fans lining the streets in Harlem.

· Coolest show-related perk II: The day he got to play basketball on the street in front of the White House with then-Wizard Juwan Howard.

· Dirty little secret: So maybe Toby didn't really hook up like Josh-and-Donna or C.J.-and--Danny or even Will-and-Kate. But the "WW" men are agog over Schiff's real love life: His wife, actress Sheila Kelley (once on "L.A. Law" with Smits), is known for holding in-home pole-dancing workouts. Hey, what better way to lose that post-pregnancy fat than do a striptease? "I think he was greatly admired for that," Malina says.

-Joshua Malina
· Dirty little secret: When Whitford was not on the set, Malina would sneak into his trailer and steal stuff. Seriously. Like stationery for future embarrassing pranks. "I thought it would come in handy someday," Malina says. It did (See: Moloney, Janel).

· Career history: He admits he owes his career to "West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin, who has cast him in just about everything he's written, including "Sports Night," Malina's breakthrough sitcom. Says Malina: "I clearly have some sort of pact with the devil . . . um, or pact with Aaron."

· On-set reputation: Famous for grade school practical jokes, like ripping out the last four pages of whatever book Whitford happens to be reading.

· Best practical joke he pulled: Stealing producer-writer Alex Graves's iPod, deleting 4,000 songs and resetting it to Mandarin Chinese. "Once your iPod is functioning in Mandarin Chinese, it's pretty hard to set it back," Malina says with relish.

· Thing he really, really wants to say back to Whitford: "I'll cop to being the most annoying person on the set and I'd like to say that I, personally, find Brad to be the most inspirational. He's a shining example that despite poor looks, advanced age and lack of talent, you can still make it as an actor."

-Jimmy Smits
· Most curious comment about a colleague: "What? Alan actually said that?" Smits says, laughing, when told Alda actually thought Vinick was going to win. "I find that very funny. Okay, whatever."

· On Santos vs. "Commander in Chief" President Mackenzie Allen: "At least we'd be able to see eye to eye." (Smits is 6-3; Geena Davis is 6-0, but she's got those three-inch pumps.)

· Real-life Washington politicos who most influenced his character: "The whole thing about charm and being able to work a room and making a person feel like you're one-on-one with the person of power? That was my experiences of being with the Clintons."

· About those Valentine flowers (See: Moloney, Janel): Call Smits a sap, but he thought Whitford was being genuine, albeit a little "intimate." He wasn't clued in for nine months. "I think that's what really got me hot under the collar," Smits says. "We're all working together and it takes nine months to admit it? But they were great flowers."

· Dirty little secret: Sorry, Jimmy, but apparently your beloved cast mates left you in the dark in more ways than one. "Wait, there was a bar in Allison's trailer?" Smits says. "I never knew that!"

-Alan Alda
· Biggest disappointment: "Right up until the end, I was so involved with the character that I really wanted the character to win. When I was watching it on television, right up until the last scene, I thought I had a chance."

· His explanation for the loss: The death of actor John Spencer, longtime "West Wing" character (and Democratic vice presidential candidate) Leo McGarry, of a heart attack during the final season. "They had decided that my character should win," Alda insists (for a competing viewpoint, see: Smits, Jimmy). "Then they changed their mind when John Spencer died."

· On what kind of president he thinks winner Matt Santos would make: "Fortunately or unfortunately, the television presidents have to leave when the audience turns them off. There's like a giant difference there. He's going to have a very short term."

· On working with Ron Silver (political strategist Bruno Gianelli), an outspoken Republican: "He's a very funny and smart guy. He has these new ideas that hit him probably because of a virus."

-John Wells
· The final word on the Alda-Smits presidential dispute: They're both rewriting history. Smits didn't have it in the bag, and it was never decided that Alda would win. But, yes, the death of John Spencer sealed it for the Democrats. "Let's just say they were two very competitive people who both seriously thought they should win," Wells says.

· Real-life Washington politico he couldn't get rid of: Ted Stevens. Many politicians liked to write the show and compliment or correct it. But no one could keep up with the distinguished Republican senator from Alaska, who became something of a pen pal. "I was complimented that he was watching the show," Wells says, "but I got a lot of corrective letters from his office, telling us why there really should be this bridge in Alaska and so forth."

· Funniest Martin Sheen anecdote: When Wells and Sorkin met with Sheen to talk him into doing the show, Sheen acknowledged that he knew and liked Sorkin from their work together on the 1995 film "The American President" -- but said he was skeptical of Wells because he didn't know anything about him. Wells's reply: "Well, we just wrapped a movie together" ("Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story").

· On the drinking in Allison Janney's trailer: Cue "stern" voice: "As an executive, I have to say that drinking in the workplace is frowned upon by everyone at Warner Brothers and John Wells Productions."

From the Washington Post:
"Allison Janney caught a glimpse of politics-meets-Hollywood when she appeared in "Primary Colors," the 1998 satiric story of a Clintonesque presidential campaigner.

"When it came out, the [Monica] Lewinsky scandal broke," she said. "That's probably why it didn't really go anywhere. But I got 'The West Wing' because of that movie."

Janney, 45, spent seven seasons as C.J. Cregg, press secretary and chief of staff for the Bartlet White House, through wars, elections and personnel changes. Janney talked to TV Week recently from her Los Angeles home.

What was the most enjoyable thing about doing this show?

The fun, the opportunities came about in the beginning when most of us had come from theater or small parts in movies. It was exciting going to Washington and having the red carpet rolled out, to be invited to the correspondents' dinner and go to the Russian Embassy. It was all very heady.

The series underwent some changes . . .

It became a bit splintered and different after Aaron [Sorkin, the show's creator] left. But it was a great ensemble, and we still had fun together as actors and as friends.

John Spencer's death last December had to be tough, both on and off the set.

It was devastating. Brad [Whitford] called to tell me, and we were all in shock. John certainly had his health problems and we figured, at the least, he'd be in the hospital awhile. But it was so unexpected, you don't know where to put it in your mind. He is irreplaceable and was such an essential part of the group for seven years [playing Leo McGarry, chief of staff and vice presidential candidate]. Doing the shows about Leo's death, that was reliving the grief over and over.

Talk a little about C.J. and all she went through over the years.

Oh, C.J.'s romances! She was so busy working she couldn't make anything happen in that department, because of how much she gave to her job. It was all about that relationship with her work, and that kind of explains everything.

In fleshing out your character, did you talk to any of the others who have had that job in the White House?

We had conversations with Dee Dee [Myers, President Clinton's first press secretary] and it was nice to hear her take on it, but I wanted to make the character my own. And certainly C.J. has inspired a lot of women, from what people have said to me, and things like that are the icing on this job. I have always had an affinity for women who are strong and capable and can hold their own against anybody. It's the very opposite of the way I am in real life. I want to be like them. And I will miss getting to step into her shoes.

What will you do for fun?

Right now I'm looking forward to reading books -- I got a big stack of them the other day, a lot of guilty-pleasure reading -- and visiting my family. I'm not big for travel. I love to have people over. My fiance [actor Richard Jenik] and I love our rescued dog, Chauncy; he's the best dog on the planet. Part retriever, part Great Dane. He's 130 pounds, and we created a thing in the back yard for him to play and run around, so we have friends over and have fun out there.

Other "West Wing" memories?

Monica Lewinsky rowed me around in a canoe. This was way back when we first started, the end of the first season. Camryn Manheim had a party in Venice, and there I was in a canoe, and Monica and Camryn paddled me around this canal in Venice.

What did you and Monica talk about?

We talked about her handbag line and about everything except the white elephant in the room. And I had lunch with Linda Tripp. We were filming out in Virginia and we all were having lunch . . . and she sat there at another table, engaging us in conversation. So "The West Wing" really brought me to meet people I otherwise would not have met. I can't imagine ever regretting the ride."

From the Washington Post:
"C.J., Josh, Toby, Sam -- the men and women of TV's "West Wing" arrived in 1999, and Washington greeted them like rock stars. We tried to elbow into their entourage; we yearned to get inside their faux-D.C. bubble. We even managed to make it a bipartisan event.

Rep. Tom DeLay crowed about plans to add a House majority whip to the cast. Madeleine Albright made a late-night visit to a taping in Georgetown. Alan Greenspan professed his addiction to the program. And Mayor Anthony Williams managed to get his name linked to "The West Wing" by announcing that the show had "pumped $2.6 million into the local economy" in its first season.

Even the First Fan (then-President Bill Clinton) was compelled to summon series creator Aaron Sorkin to the White House.

Why such reactions? Because they made us look good. They made us feel incandescent instead of battery-operated. Theirs was a Washington where power brokers were deliciously Machiavellian instead of merely malevolent. Watching the show was like looking into the Reflecting Pool -- only the reflection seemed more luminous.

And when the actors came to visit (only a few times per season, alas), we hoped some of that star power would rub off.

The glow, though, has dimmed -- actually, it had been fading for a while. Clinton left office and, as show stalwart Allison Janney puts it: "I have a feeling President Bush has never seen 'The West Wing.' " After 9/11, there was a distinct dialing-down of the humor, the pratfalls, the quirky repartee, because it just no longer seemed right . The ratings sagged. President Bartlet -- and the show itself -- became a lame duck.

The red carpet grew so threadbare that at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner last month, not one "West Wing" star was in attendance.

Now the political party's over-- after seven seasons, the series finale airs tonight at 8 on NBC. Still, we couldn't let it go without a last attempt to slip inside that world, that fantasy Washington. Fortunately, some of the show's power players are now willing to tell (almost) all, before the "West Wing" motorcade pulls away one last time.

"As you might guess," says writer-producer John Wells, who ran the show after Sorkin left, "we laughed a lot.""

Hollywood Reporter Cast Interviews:
"Martin Sheen
In Character: Josiah "Jed" Bartlet

Sheen almost certainly is the only "West Wing" castmate whose next role will be as a student -- and a real one at that. At age 65, he'll be a collegiate man for the first time, enrolling this fall at the National University of Ireland, Galway, taking English literature, philosophy and oceanography courses. It's hardly the typical thing to do for a veteran performer coming off a seven-year stint playing the president of the U.S. But Sheen has little left to prove in his chosen craft and presumably has enough money socked away thanks to a job that has paid him upward of $300,000 per episode.

"Trust me, we had no idea when we started out that we'd be around this long," Sheen says. "We just didn't know if you could sell cars and insurance in primetime by projecting images and politics and issues. We were a show that had no fistfights or car chases, no bullets, no explosions. And we were confined mostly indoors with a lot of dialogue. But -- surprise! -- we pulled it off."

Timing surely helped, Sheen agrees, as the show premiered at the tail-end of the Clinton administration. "I think that gave us more freedom to project a vision of what we might hope for in our leaders and public servants," he believes. "We got to explore an awful lot of socially relevant issues, and you don't get to do that in TV terribly often. So all that I'm feeling right now is tremendous gratitude to have been able to play with this kind of team."

Stockard Channing
In Character: Abbey Bartlet

Channing remembers the first time she came into contact with "West Wing." Not yet hired for the show, she was watching the pilot episode in a hotel room and thought the show was "fabulous." Getting the call three weeks later to be on the series was a no-brainer. So, while the actress only was a recurring player during the drama's first two seasons, she finally would become a regular in Season 3.

"It may be a crappy thing to say, but I never thought the show would last," Channing admits. "I figured it was just too good. But it just goes to prove you should never underestimate or talk down to an audience. The production values on this show consistently remained so extraordinarily high that we all used to kind of marvel at it even as we were shooting it."

Most recently, Channing has been working in London as one of the recurring players in a production of Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen's "The Exonerated" and has shuttled back to Los Angeles for the finale. And while she'll be busy in the future, it's not the same as having a steady role on a long-running quality drama. "Even though we were expensive, we really earned our keep," she believes. "With economics in this business the way they are, it's going to be tough ever to achieve what we were able to achieve again."

Allison Janney
In Character: Claudia Jean "C.J." Cregg

No member of the "West Wing" cast -- and few series actors, period -- have been honored as regularly and resoundingly as has Janney. As Press Secretary-turned-White House Chief of Staff C.J. Cregg, she has been nominated for Primetime Emmys in five of the show's six seasons and has won four -- twice as lead dramatic actress and twice for supporting. Janney isn't shy about saying it: This show has been an utter revelation for her.

"This role, this show, will always be something I consider one of my proudest achievements," Janney says. "I had never won anything as an actress before this. To get the recognition has been incredibly overwhelming. But the true reward is to have been part of such a magical collection of writers and actors and directors."

Although Janney will be heard -- if not seen -- in a film that opens next Friday, Paramount and DreamWorks Animation's animated release "Over the Hedge," in which she supplies one of the voices, she admits, "Now, I'll have to go out and look for a steady job again. But the truth is, I'm kind of tired, and I have a home, a relationship and a dog to help me recharge my batteries before I find out what's next."

Bradley Whitford
In Character: Josh Lyman

It's easy to tell from chatting with Whitford that his emotions are running all over the map as "West Wing" ends.

"Everybody is very sad," says Whitford, who portrayed Deputy White House Chief of Staff-turned-presidential campaign manager Josh Lyman during all seven seasons. "It's so hard to unglue all of these years of intimacy. But you know, this show is too special to stretch the taffy too thin. It's time. That became clear after John (Spencer) passed away (last year). We all felt strongly that we didn't want to go on without John."

Whitford, a political animal in his personal life as well, emerges from this "greatest creative experience" he has ever had with a particular sense of pride about two things. One is his belief that the writers, producers, cast and crew never got to the point where they were simply going through the motions and mailing it in. The second is Whitford's contention that they all did some of their finest work during the difficult transition following the departure of executive producers Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme after Season 4.

"The expectation was that we always had to care a lot to make this show work," says Whitford, who has a role in the Sorkin-Schlamme pilot for NBC, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." "That level of dedication never fell off, from what I saw. Our reward is to be able to go out on our own terms.

Richard Schiff
In Character: Toby Ziegler

Until signing on to play White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler in 1999, Schiff had carved himself a nice little niche as a steadily employed stage thespian and film and TV character actor. But that part of his career life has been hindered by dint of his working as a regular on such a demanding series throughout its seven-year run.

"Not that I'm complaining," Schiff points out.

"For the most part, I've loved working with this cast. It's a great ensemble. I got to direct a few times. I won an Emmy. When you spend more waking hours with a group of people than you do your loved ones, they really do become your surrogate family. We'd be together 15-18 hours a day sometimes. It helps that I love all of those with whom I shared the trenches."

Yet, as much as he is grateful for the high-profile job and the doors the show has opened in terms of people wanting to work with him, Schiff is just fine with moving on.

"The truth is that I wanted to leave earlier," he says. "I'd been doing fine in the movies when 'West Wing' came along. A job this time-consuming obviously limits you greatly, though I was able to do (2004's) 'Ray' and (2002's) 'I Am Sam' during hiatus. I loved this. But seven years is a long time in a person's life. I'm ready to get back into warrior mode and relearn how to hunt.

Alan Alda
In Character: Arnold Vinick

As if "West Wing" already didn't enjoy enough cachet as television's most-honored series, it earned an extra boost when it signed Alda in 2004 for his first regular TV role since "M*A*S*H" left the air in 1983.

"I never really thought about it in terms of going back to TV," Alda says. "The material I got to do on 'West Wing' was as good as anything I've done in film. The actors, the directors, the writing, the production values -- they're all first rate. And it was fun coming onto a moving train. We made the same thing on 'M*A*S*H,' adding people, replacing people. It always gave us a shot in the arm."

Is this the right time for the show to leave the air? Alda figures that it is, arguing that "everybody wants to go out before they run out of steam. And I think we still have plenty. There's almost no end to the stories you can tell about the White House." But that doesn't mean he won't miss it. "I got to work with such sensational people. It was an honor. But, you know, weekly TV takes a lot out of you. My plan now is to sleep for three months."

Jimmy Smits
In Character: Matthew Santos

Although he was a part of the "West Wing" cast only for the past two seasons in the memorable role of Congressman (and President-elect) Matthew Santos, Smits boasts a claim to fame that might just be unprecedented. He has been a regular on three different primetime hours -- "L.A. Law," "NYPD Blue" and now "West Wing" -- that have won Emmys for outstanding drama series.

"Well, that's just luck, pure and simple," Smits says. "They didn't need me. They had a deep bench. But I'm proud to have been able to contribute."

It piqued Smits' interest to work on a show in which he would have a chance to run a presidential campaign, and he believes it "really upped my game as an actor."

And now, it's time to say goodbye, which Smits is none too pleased about. "I'm not sure what it says about the TV landscape when a topical show that hasn't lost its luster at all is forced to drift away. But I'm glad we're ending on a high note. This show surely deserves it.""

From the Hollywood Reporter:
"When NBC's "The West Wing" ends its two presidential terms with Sunday's series finale, it won't be just another show putting out the "closed" sign. Throughout its 156 episodes, "West Wing" has held office during one of real-life America's more contentious and controversial periods -- and attempted to mirror parts of that reality back to its viewing audience -- while stepping through another kind of minefield: the politics of television.

Until "West Wing" surfaced in 1999, no series in the history of scripted TV entertainment had really made a go of telling an inside-the-White-House story. The president was merely a gray, shapeless figure onto whom dialogue beyond the most basic of orders was rarely projected; his staff seemed almost impossible to imagine as flawed, striving human beings. But the Warner Bros. Television-produced hour has proved through the years that it is possible to be artful and innovative with a subject as dry as politics -- while reinventing the ensemble drama in the process.

Creator, executive producer and -- for many of the show's episodes -- writer Aaron Sorkin already had enjoyed success with his humanistic approach to the Oval Office in his screenplay for 1995's "The American President." Plus, developing the concept for the small screen would give him a place for all of his unused plot elements.

"Television tends to cling to the artificial rules of drama, if only because the real rules of drama are much harder to master," he asserts. "Twenty-five years ago, you couldn't do a show about a divorced person, a Jewish person or someone from New York. But those unwritten rules are made to be broken."

Breaking them is what Sorkin did, crafting an inside-baseball look at those who fight the good fight in the nation's highest office. Assisting him were Thomas Schlamme, his fellow executive producer and primary director, and a talented cast headed up by veteran leads Martin Sheen (as President Josiah Bartlet), Stockard Channing (first lady Abbey Bartlet) and Rob Lowe (Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn). Immediately, the show shot into the ratings top 20 during its first season, remaining in the top 5 thereafter as a Wednesday night network anchor.
***
In 2003, the series managed to weather the disruptive and controversial exodus of Sorkin and Schlamme, which forced a midstream emphasis shift in the series from Sorkin's snappy dialogue and sharp banter to executive producer John Wells' more story-focused approach. Wells, who had previously demonstrated his writer-producer chops on the late-1980s drama series "China Beach" and NBC's current hit "ER," made it his life's mission not to drop the ball (or at least, not fumble it too badly).

"My real difficulty was trying to live up to the standards Aaron set for writing the show," Wells acknowledges. "He's one of our greatest living writers -- you don't just easily step into those shoes. I have to believe we've done pretty well under the circumstances. While I don't think we've done as well as Aaron did, at least we got to the runway without crashing the plane."

With any change that major, turbulence was expected -- and having the network move the show to Sunday night in 2005-06, which resulted in a drastic ratings drop, didn't help matters. But then again, the plane was never expected to get airborne in the first place. In 1999, a show about politics was a hard sell in a market that knew ratings could only be squeezed from cops, doctors, detectives or lawyers. But Sorkin didn't want to play it safe, and the larger story of "West Wing" is about revitalizing the serial ensemble drama. The series' seasonlong story arcs and its large and vibrant cast of appealing characters ultimately would allow the pendulum to swing back from procedurals and allow programs such as ABC's "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" to flourish.

Also notable in "West Wing's" style: the "walk and talk" device (pioneered by Schlamme), which continuously tracked in front of characters over long sequences as they strode down hallways and from room to room. It was a stylistic conceit borne out of Schlamme's refusal to allow scene cuts that relocated characters without explanation of how they got there.

"You almost never see how anyone travels from point A to point C (on most TV shows)," he says. "I wanted the audience to witness every journey these people took. It all had a purpose, even seeing them order lunch. It just seemed to be the proper visual rhythm with which to marry Aaron's words. I got lucky that it worked."

Luck, Schlamme adds, has been a proven factor in creating the "West Wing" phenomenon. "Shows that work are like needles in haystacks," he reasons. "If one ingredient goes wrong, it can transform a really great show into a good or even mediocre one. Something in the zeitgeist has to come together for you."

And luck aside, there also was Sorkin and his mighty pen. Prolific in an almost superhuman way, he wrote nearly every episode during the show's first four Emmy-winning seasons (87 scripts in all), crafting an unabashedly idealized depiction of a virtuous Democratic administration that inspired some to dismiss the show as "The Left Wing."

"I wanted the show to define patriotism as something other than a bumper sticker," Sorkin recalls. "I also wanted to give a little sex appeal to the idea of trying to do the right thing. We were used to our leaders being portrayed in popular culture as either Machiavellian or complete dolts. It was nice, I think, to see them once a week as extremely capable, hard-working, dedicated public servants who thought about the country before they thought about themselves. And they were funny. In its own way, it was very romantic."

Critics were nearly unanimous in their praise, despite a perception that "West Wing" carried an agenda that peered at the Clinton administration through a revisionist lens. The charge didn't diminish the notion that the show possessed the ambition, as well as the savvy, to turn political issues into compelling mainstream entertainment.

"It was pretty clear to us from the start that this show was going to be something unbelievably special," WBTV president Peter Roth recalls. "It has represented television at its absolute best: aspirational, educational, provocative, hugely entertaining and stimulating all at once. Reading one of the scripts for us here at the company was really like eating candy. A lot of shows have one or two elements nailed, but 'West Wing' had everything: great writing, brilliant story-telling, fascinating characters, superb acting."

But "West Wing" never promised anybody a rose garden: The show weathered salary holdouts among its regular players and the departure of original cast member Lowe in a financial dispute after Season 3. (He returned this campaign to reprise his role in several episodes.) And that, coupled with the creative exodus of Sorkin and Schlamme, made many believe the series would not survive.

Wells, however, has continued to keep the show interesting. He admits that this has been "the most challenging thing I've ever tried to do in my professional life," but the Wells era on "West Wing" has not been without its highlights -- in particular, this season's presidential election story line and November's much-praised live debate episode featuring candidates Jimmy Smits (as Congressman Matthew Santos) and Alda (Sen. Arnold Vinick).

Hanging over the show during the past five months, however, has been the death in December of the beloved John Spencer, who so memorably portrayed Chief of Staff Leo McGarry. McGarry had served as Santos' running mate, and Spencer's passing (mirrored in the story line by McGarry's) spurred a plot change that found Santos winning the election rather than Vinick, which had been the original plan. The writers decided it would have been too tough on viewers for them to swallow not only the bitter pill of McGarry's death but a loss as well.

For NBC Entertainment chief Kevin Reilly's money, the work of everyone on "West Wing" this year has been "as fine as anything the show has done and as good as television gets. I'm so proud to have had this series on NBC because it honestly never checked its ambition at the door. It obliterated all of the beliefs about doing political drama -- that it's too complex, it's too dry, it's too inside, it's too talky. And it was also a great piece of wish fulfillment for the best of what our government can do and be. When the show was on my watch, John Wells kept the flow going and the quality high in such an impressive way."

As "West Wing" prepares to take its final bow Sunday, Wells appreciates that praise. While he is reluctant to take too much credit for his contribution to the show's legacy, he will allow that "the fans of the show are still enjoying it, and I think we've managed to live up to the basic premise that Aaron and Tommy originally laid down."

It has long been commonly acknowledged among cast and crew that "West Wing" might likely be the best thing they'll ever be professionally associated with -- a sobering yet comforting idea. At a second season staff meeting, Bradley Whitford (who plays Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman) noted, "Guys, no matter what we do for the rest of our careers, this show is the first line of our obituaries."

Today, Sorkin is perfectly comfortable with that idea: "I'd be very proud -- though also dead -- if that turns out to be true," he quips.

And like Sorkin, Wells also is comfortable with that concept. "We'll all remember and cherish this as a high point in our careers for the rest of our lives," he says. "When you start out in this business, you're never thinking about doing something that leaves a lasting imprint. You just want to be able to work, period. So, to be part of a 'West Wing' isn't just the cherry atop the career sundae. It's the whole sundae.""

The BBC features a video news report with short comments by Bradley Whitford and Richard Schiff.

NPR's Fresh Air featured a retrospective on the show by TV critic David Bianculli, which included old interviews with cast members.

NPR's Day to Day interviewed John Wells, who discussed his favorite episodes.

In Entertainment Weekly, Aaron Sorkin talks about how the show began:
"'The idea for The West Wing happened very much by accident. It never occurred to me to try to write a TV show. I had nothing against it — I just didn't know anything about it. I watched as much TV as anybody else, but I just didn't know anything about the world of making TV shows. My agent nonetheless wanted me to meet with John Wells, which I was happy to do because John was an important producer who had done ER and China Beach.

''The night before this meeting with John, some friends came to my house for dinner, including Akiva Goldsmith, who won an Oscar for directing A Beautiful Mind. I happened to mention I was having the meeting the next day with Wells, but said we were just having lunch to talk; I wasn't thinking about TV. At some point Akiva and I wandered into a little office I had, and the poster for The American President [which Sorkin wrote] was up on the wall. And he said, 'You know what would make an interesting TV series? That. Forget about the romance between the president and the lobbyist, and just sort of write it about the senior staffers.' I said, 'Akiva, that's a good idea, but I'm not doing a TV show. I'm just having this lunch with John.'

''So I showed up to the lunch the next day and I clearly misunderstood what the lunch was supposed to be about, because I walked into the restaurant and saw that it was John, three guys from CAA, and people from Warner Bros. who were expecting me to pitch an idea. Rather than say, 'Um, you know, I think there has been a misunderstanding' and say I didn't have any ideas to pitch, I said, 'I want to do a TV show about senior staffers at the White House.'

''There weren't a lot of questions because I was kind of spitballing, making it up as I went along. I didn't have a pitch prepared. What I did have was some tiny moments and little shards of stories I had to cut from the screenplay of The American President, or little stories I heard at the White House while researching the movie. Warner Bros. didn't ask for much in terms of 'Will it be this or that' — they just let me go away and write, which is always a really nice thing to do. Most of my time spent writing something is spent walking around the room not writing. Once I have an idea to start, it will start going very fast. The typing of the script I probably did in about five days, but there were a couple of months of not writing it, and just being scared of it. I beat Akiva up. I couldn't believe what he got me into.

''[Director and fellow executive producer] Tommy Schlamme was able to recognize right away that what I write, nothing is blowing up. Basically what I write are people in a room talking — but we are doing this in a visual medium. Tommy brought in the more talked-about visual elements of the show, like Steadicams and the walk-and-talks, which some people call pedi-conferencing. Tommy put a lot of glass on the set. In real life, the Roosevelt room doesn't have glass in the doors; it's a room with walls. But Tommy put it in glass right in middle of things, across from the communications bullpen where Toby and Sam worked, which is also enclosed in glass, so you can have a scene going on in Leo McGarry's office, and if the door is open, Tommy's camera can see out in the corridor, out into the Roosevelt room, across to the other corridor into bullpen, where all this kind of life is going on, while Leo and Josh are talking about soybean exports. It gave the show an extremely exciting look despite the fact that nobody was shooting at anybody.

''I didn't allow myself to think it would have the kind of success that it enjoyed over the last seven years, critically and publicly. I think the thoughts going through my head were the thoughts that always go through the head, which is I try to write something that I like that I think my friends are going to like, and then I cross my fingers and hope enough other people were going to like it so I'll earn a living from it. And I don't think that far beyond that.

''I remember at the first Television Critics Association press conference — and at this point critics had seen the pilot — I was getting questions like, 'Do you think this is too smart for network TV?' I'm not capable of writing something that is too smart for other people to understand. I felt like these were fun stories. I didn't have a political agenda, it wasn't meant to be angry in any way, and I didn't ever think of it as political. I thought of it as a workplace drama in an extremely exciting and interesting workplace. There was glamour — this was a place you could tell a lot of different stories.

''For thousands of years, people have been writing stories about kings and their palaces. Let's just do one that is our modern-day equivalent. Finally, the thing that appealed to me was that in popular culture, by and large, our leaders are portrayed as Machiavellian or dolts. I like to write idealistically and romantically. I thought, Let's write about government leaders who are extremely capable, who are trying to do the right thing but who fail sometimes. People who are flawed, but whose hearts are always in the right place. And let's make them all funny.

''As a matter of course, they don't tell you you are picked up until 24, maybe 48 hours before the upfront presentation [where the networks unveil their fall schedules to advertisers] in New York City in May. When I heard that West Wing got a pickup, there was no question that 99.9 percent of me was jumping for joy, but that one-tenth of 1 percent was saying, 'I have no ideas for episode 2 and I have to write another one now. This is going to be a catastrophe.'

''I remember the first time we screened it for the cast — there was a feeling of, 'Well, we did a great pilot, but we're not going to be able to do this every week. What will become of the show now?' There was a sense of pride that a great pilot had been made, but isn't it a shame that now it's going to turn into a bad TV show. And yet these guys all came back every week determined to make every episode as good as our best episode. And they kept it up for seven years.''"

From the Palm Beach Post:
"It didn't rely on sex or car chases or alien invasions. There were no lurid, ripped-from-the-headlines murders to solve. The characters were super intelligent Rhodes scholars who waxed poetically about such boring political topics as the use of corn-derived ethanol as fuel.

Despite those obstacles, The West Wing became an instant hit when it debuted in 1999 and immediately proved that millions of viewers would watch and actually enjoy a smart political drama that moved at the speed of light and forced you to pay attention.

The West Wing, which ends its seven-year term Sunday (8 p.m., WPTV-Channel 5), wasn't your typical workplace drama. The hyper-verbal White House staffers spoke at warp speed while almost walking just as fast. And thanks to creator Aaron Sorkin, the characters didn't recite dialogue, but Shakespearean soliloquies.

From the beginning, it was clear The West Wing wasn't the kind of show you could watch and, say, do the dishes at the same time. But viewers didn't mind. Almost 17 million watched the pilot, which won three Emmys. (The show won 25 overall.) The series averaged almost 19 million viewers during its glory days from 2001-02 and nabbed four consecutive Best Drama Emmys — an impressive feat only duplicated by Hill Street Blues and L.A. Law.

The West Wing resonated for a reason. The series painted an idealized, almost Fantasy Island portrait of the inner workings of the federal government — the kind of fair-minded government and dedication to public service we all like to think we have, but know we always don't.

When The West Wing premiered, then-President Clinton was mired in Monicagate. Threats of impeachment for lying swirled around him like a gang of sting-happy bees. Voters were losing confidence in their political leaders. So it was refreshing to turn on the TV to see an idealistic president in Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) who loved his wife and always wanted to do the right thing politically. It didn't really matter if you were a Republican or Democrat.

Like all long-running shows, however, The West Wing hit several creative bumps along the way. Sorkin's departure in 2003 dealt the series a devastating blow. Sorkin, after all, was the show's singular voice. He wrote practically every script and rewrote those he didn't. ER vet John Wells took over and proceeded to dumb down the series to the dismay of the show's loyal fans.

"We had a lot of odd internal transitions going on," Alex Graves, one of the show's executive producers, told me at the time. "Aaron leaving was hard because everybody loved Aaron. It was hard to keep making the show with John."

Sadly, The West Wing finally had become the show NBC originally feared viewers thought it would be — a tedious civics lesson. It was like watching C-SPAN for an hour. No wonder ratings started sliding. I started taping The West Wing and watching it whenever.

But then a magical thing happened. The West Wing enjoyed a creative renaissance. Once the show began phasing out the Bartlet administration and started focusing on the compelling presidential race between Republican Sen. Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) and idealistic Texas Congressman Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits), The West Wing felt like a brand-new series.

In a way, it was.

"The shake-up and all of the changes were really refreshing for everyone on the show and allowed us to do things we hadn't done before," Graves said. "We were bored with ourselves."

But The West Wing is no longer boring. While most shows limp to the finish line, The West Wing is sprinting to it like a seasoned champion. Although the show's ratings are lackluster (it only averages 8 million viewers), the series has been one of TV's best the last year.

It was nice to see Josh (Bradley Whitford) and Donna (Janel Moloney) finally hook up after years of endless flirting and knowing glances. C.J. (Allison Janney) will also try her hand at a real relationship for the first time with White House reporter Danny (Timothy Busfield).

For seven years, The West Wing gave us an often interesting peek inside the Oval Office. It was a smart series for smart people. But nothing lasts forever — in life or on television. Presidents come and go, as do TV shows.

Despite some up-and-down seasons, The West Wing leaves a proud legacy. And it's a legacy that will be remembered for a long time."

From BBC News:
"After seven long years, through overseas crises in the Middle East, rising tensions with China and interesting romantic dalliances, The West Wing is ending its critically acclaimed - although recently low-rated - run in the United States.

The show's demise will surely bring tears to the eyes of liberals who sought refuge from the current occupant of the real White House by watching the romantic portrayal of Democratic president Josiah Bartlet.

Played by real-life Democrat supporter Martin Sheen, he gave liberals a parallel universe they would have far preferred.

Many of the cast make no apologies for the show's left-wing tilt - partly because they're Democrat supporters in real life.

Bradley Whitford, who plays the politically savvy Josh Lyman, says: "Does anybody want to watch a television show where the music swells at the end and we jump up and down and go, 'We're drilling on protected land', 'We got a tax cut for the rich people'? It wouldn't work."

In truth, the series took advice from both sides of the political divide in trying to make it as real as possible, and it has appealed to a much wider audience than just downcast Democrats.

But was there any concern as to what the current occupant of the real White House thought about the portrayal of his party?

That remains a mystery, says Richard Schiff, who plays former communications director Toby Ziegler.

"We met the support staff of the Bush administration very early on in their takeover and then we had tea at the White House with the staff.

"The president was walking with his wife and his dog on the lawn and didn't come over to say 'Hi'. I don't think he watches it.

The notion that The West Wing somehow transformed the American political landscape is of course as far-fetched as some of the drama's plot lines.

It was President Bush, the anti-Jed Bartlet, who came to power during the show's early heyday.

And even Sheen, never afraid to make his own opinion known, could not help his friend Howard Dean win the presidency in 2004.

Sadly for Democrats, their fairy-tale ending only came true in Hollywood.

Then again, even with the recent ratings dip which contributed to its ultimate demise, The West Wing still drew millions of viewers weekly.

And Joe Lockhart, a White House spokesman for former President Bill Clinton, thinks it may have had an even greater impact.

"If this show could make people want to get involved in government, that's great for government, and I think it actually did.

"I think there's more enthusiasm now for working in government and getting into public service and - ratings aside, awards aside - that's a service that this show provided."

To quote President Bartlet, the show may have contributed to a new generation of Americans aiming to serve in government to "ensure that the promise of this country is the birthright of all the people".

The West Wing ends in the US on Sunday with the inauguration of a new president."

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
"Even in this heady company, "The West Wing" stood head and shoulders above the rest. It was smart. It was provocative. And it moved at a breathless pace through the corridors of power and political intrigue.

Many wondered at the time how it could keep going at that pace. Well, it couldn't. "The West Wing," truth be told, hasn't been at the top of its game for the last three seasons.

Like many presidential administrations, it began with an era of warm, hopeful feelings. It began with a sense of purpose, energy and optimism.

Still, even if "The West Wing" never quite regained its top form, it also never completely lost its sense of purpose and optimism. And, wonderfully enough, it experienced a renaissance of sorts in this final season, which ends with the episode airing at 8 tonight on WKYC Channel 3.

There has been a late surge of excellence from this White House drama about President Josiah Bartlet (Dayton native Martin Sheen) and his Oval Office team. There were some silly turns and clumsy missteps, to be sure, yet "The West Wing" recaptured much of the old magic in the Santos-vs.-Vinick campaign to decide Bartlet's successor.

So having steadily declined in the ratings over the last few seasons, the once-mighty drama leaves the prime-time scene bloodied but unbowed. It ends tonight with Santos (Jimmy Smits), having asked Vinick (Alan Alda) to be his secretary of state, being sworn in as president.

Bartlet's presidency is officially over, and we are the poorer for it.

"We all felt going in that we had something very special," Sheen said. "The only real doubt we had was whether or not it would work on network television. It was a political show. There were no car chases or special effects. The action was in the word."
***
"The series has celebrated, from the beginning, the remarkable strength of American democracy," executive producer John Wells said. "And one of the things that's most dramatic about American democracy is the peaceful passing of power from one leader to another. We thought that was a really wonderful way to end the series."

It is the right decision. It is the wise decision. It is the kind of decision we expect from a show that has displayed as much dignity and intelligence as "The West Wing."

From the Post Gazette:
"As NBC's "The West Wing" (8 tonight, WPXI) ends its seven-year run today, policy wonks and fans of quality drama alike will bid the series goodbye.

At a January news conference, star Kristin Chenoweth recalled being quizzed by former Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor about which candidate would win the show's recent election. Series regular Bradley Whitford recalled his own encounter with a Washington power broker.

"Alan Greenspan once said to me, with that face that is just trained not to express anything, he said that he was really upset that when our Fed chairman died, nobody cared," Whitford said. "It wasn't even the 'A' story."

Martin Sheen, who starred as President Jed Bartlet, said he was proud the series showed American viewers the hard work done by government employees.

"If the show had any effect on the country at all, I think it was a positive one for all public servants," Sheen said.

Executive producer John Wells, a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, agreed.

"Nobility doesn't make for good ink. ... It's not news," Wells said. "People I've met in both Democratic and Republican administrations are people I deeply admire. ... If we showed anybody that's what a lot of the people actually are in public service, then I think we did something good."

From the Sun Sentinel:
""If the show had any effect on the country at all," said Martin Sheen, who played beloved President Jed Bartlet, "I think it was a positive one for all public servants. I think if we achieved some level of grace to the country, it would have been that we made the average American appreciate the level of service that the three million government employees supply, that they are good and decent people, everyday people, who take their job seriously, who serve their country anonymously and they do it out of a sense of patriotism and service."
***
"We were a fantasy, there's no question," Sheen said. "We had a parallel universe to reality and it changed drastically when the Bush administration came in and then 9-11. The country moved much further away from the center," at least the politically active Sheen's center, which is far to the left. "We felt we were dead in the center and that we would give everyone a fair shot and be honest in what we did. We would reflect a kind of hope that this was possible and we should aspire to this always. We were like a novel and the real world was reality. But people were reading the novel and they were getting good ideas and kind of having a hope, faith and trust in their leadership."
***
"It's so infrequent in a series life that you actually have a chance to decide when it's going to end," said executive producer John Wells, who has been with The West Wing since the start. "That's usually decided for you. Oftentimes you've already finished shooting and everybody is gone. You just don't come back. We had the great luxury of actually deciding, `What's the best story to tell? What's the most compelling story we can think of that will serve the series and viewers best?'"

From the moment these discussions began, the inauguration of a new president was the front-runner. "This series has celebrated from the beginning the remarkable strength of American democracy," Wells said. "One of the things that's most dramatic is the peaceful passing of power from one leader to another. We thought that was really a wonderful way to end the series.""

From the Gannett News Service:
"When the first script for "The West Wing" arrived, people knew this was something special.

It flowed with big words and big subjects. It was intelligent and important. Chances are, no one would watch it.

"There were no car chases or fires or special effects," actor Martin Sheen recalls. "The action was in the word ... The only real doubt we had was whether or not it would work on network television."

For many years, it did. "The West Wing" departs today as an audience and financial success.

Critics raved and voters gave it four straight Emmys as best drama series. Ratings also surged.

"The West Wing" caught on after a slow start in 1999. In its second season, it tied for No. 11 in the annual Nielsen ratings; in its third, it reached its peak, No. 8.

"I don't think any of us thought for a moment it was going to do what it did," says actress Allison Janney.

Even when its audience declined, the show was a success. It had DVD sets and Bravo reruns; Nielsen said it had the wealthiest audience of any fictional TV show.

This show about a populist, Democratic administration had rich people watching. "We have a very, very large Republican audience that loves to kind of watch the show and throw things at the screen," says John Wells, the show's producer.

That includes key people from both parties, cast members say. Kristin Chenoweth recalls Sandra Day O'Connor (then a Supreme Court justice) and then Sen. Tom Daschle pumping her for information on who would win the show's election. Bradley Whitford has had lobbyists trying to get their issues mentioned.

Whitford also recalls a conversation with Alan Greenspan, retired head of the Federal Reserve Board. "He was really upset that when our Fed chairman died, nobody cared."

Chenoweth didn't reveal secrets, so O'Connor and Daschle learned at the same time as everyone else: Matthew Santos (Jimmy Smits) won. In the final episode, he'll take office and the Josiah Bartlet administration will depart."

From the Chicago Sun Times:
"Martin Sheen plans to be a loud political agitator again now that his presidential terms have expired on "The West Wing." He once got arrested for protesting the Star Wars missile-defense shield. But he toned down his activism after that so he could keep portraying President Bartlet on "The West Wing."

"I faced six months in jail if I lost at trial, so I plea-bargained and got three years probation and a heavy fine. And then the war in Iraq broke out in 2003, so I protested," he says. "But I was afraid of being arrested, because it would end my time on 'The West Wing,' and that was my first commitment."

His probation ended last fall. "The West Wing" ends tonight.

"So I'm now free to go back to the thing I love!"

Conservatives can breathe easier knowing Sheen will have less time to politic in America come fall, when he plans to attend the National University of Ireland in Galway. He's set to study English literature, philosophy, theology and oceanography.

t's not always right-wingers who wish celebrities wouldn't express themselves politically, as if First Amendment rights don't apply to famous citizens. It just seems as if naysayers are often Republicans who conveniently forget that the only recent actor-politicians have been in the GOP -- Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sonny Bono.

Even Bradley Whitford, who has played Josh Lyman on "The West Wing," understands the cringe factor when stars speak out -- he just doesn't it let it stop him.

"My heart sinks just instinctively when an actor starts yapping about politics," Whitford says, "and I was concerned about that. And then I thought, 'Well, you know, I want the oil executives to shut up, so we're even. The least-democratic thing you can do is to tell somebody else to shut up."

With the end of "The West Wing" -- a show so liberal Bill Clinton visited the set, and Al Gore appeared with the cast in a "Saturday Night Live" scene -- liberals can no longer take solace in knowing one of them is president somewhere in America, even if it is in a fantasy.

Also, maybe fewer people will ask Martin Sheen if he'll turn his role as President Bartlet into an actual run for office.

"There have been occasions where people have asked me if I was interested in public life," according to Sheen. "And I thought, 'My God, are we in that bad a shape?' "

Sheen realizes how hard it would be to politic and govern for any party. "I can't even imagine going through the real thing -- the campaign, the job itself, the demands, the time away from family and friends," Sheen says. "It is a real, deeply personal sacrifice, and it's very costly. It's not something we [actors] are trained for. You've gotta have some skills. You've gotta lead, and come from a place that's positive and inspire people."

He's been quite disappointed by today's most high-profile actor-politician, Schwarzenegger. Sheen, who volunteers for Homeboy Industries, which trains and employs gang members, was "crushed" when the Governator denied clemency for Stanley Tookie Williams, a Crips gang creator who claimed to be innocent of murder charges and who worked to dispel gangs.

"It would have just said something about our humanity," Sheen says, "if he had stood up as a governor of a huge and powerful state and said, 'You know what? I don't think killing another person is going to make us any better than we are.' ... That's the kind of leadership I look forward to."

I ask Sheen if he perceives political disappointments as coming from a lack of courage.

"It's basically a lack of heart," Sheen responds. "You have to be human -- this above all. You're serving other human beings. I think you have to be in touch with your own basic humanity. You have to be more fully human. And it has to cost you something. Otherwise, it's not worth anything."

Sheen doesn't believe actor-politicians so far have had the best intentions.

"I think their thing was where they could win, not what they could do," he says. Reagan's motivation, "for the most part, I don't think it really came from any core values about 'How can I best serve my country?' "

Another actor on TV has been portraying a president, though Geena Davis' "Commander in Chief" looks to be canceled on ABC. Sheen says he knew another West Wing show would be a tough sell. But he was thrilled the president was a woman -- even if was one more fantasyland.

"There are so many more-than-qualified, overqualified women for that office. And I hope we have that grace descend on us before long," Sheen says. "My God, Dostoevsky said that the world would be saved by beauty. I think he meant women. It's the women that always seem to pull us through. The women give life and sustain life and do most of the work on the planet and get very little compensation or credit."

That literary-philosophy bent could be the biggest knock against a Sheen candidacy right there. When was the last time you heard a politician quote a Russian existentialist?"

From the Press Register:
" On the set of "The West Wing," during the storied political drama's first acclaimed season on the NBC airwaves, the late John Spencer's inviting hospitality made Alabama-born actor Michael O'Neill feel welcome at once.

O'Neill, 54, is a Montgomery native, a graduate of Auburn University and a frequent player on prime-time television shows and in feature films. Since "The West Wing" debuted seven seasons ago, he has returned to the fictional White House again and again to reprise his role as Secret Service Agent Ron Butterfield.

He was there at the end, too, in early March -- shooting scenes in Washington, D.C., with star Martin Sheen and other cast members for the final episodes.

His final portrayal of Butterfield will be televised tonight, during the series finale showing at 7 p.m. on affiliate WPMI-TV15 and other NBC stations around the country.

The network will repeat the show's very first episode from 1999 at 6 p.m.

But Spencer, O'Neill's good friend, wasn't there in Washington for those final scenes.

Spencer, who played Chief of Staff Leo McGarry from the program's beginning, died Dec. 16 of a massive heart attack. Spencer's on-screen "West Wing" persona, who during the final season was running for vice president, died during the show's long-anticipated presidential election day late this season.

The last days of filming took the players to D.C. area locations including Cleveland Park, to Baltimore for McGarry's funeral and to the real White House.

"On our last D.C. day of filming the final episode of the series, Martin (Sheen) and I talked about how much we missed John," O'Neill said. "And I commented on how odd it seemed to be in Washington, in that place, on those marble stairs without him, and Martin said, 'Oh, he's here.' And he was."

Sheen has played President Jed Bartlet through the run of the series.

O'Neill's Secret Service character has played pivotal roles in episodes such as the ones involving an assassination attempt that was the first-season cliffhanger and the abduction of Bartlet's daughter later.

O'Neill and Spencer were colleagues before either actor worked on the same television series. O'Neill recalls doing a play with Spencer at the Yale Repertory Theatre, as well as a couple of movies in New York.

"He was my friend," said O'Neill. "My first day on 'The West Wing' back in season one, John took me by the hand and led me around to introduce me to the other cast members. (It was) his way of vouching for me. And, they, in turn, welcomed me with open arms."

The actor from Alabama, who has made his life and career on the West Coast, said Spencer and fellow "West Wing" castmate Bradley Whitford were the show's "unofficial ambassadors." He described Sheen as "the storyteller and authentic father."

Richard Schiff, he said, was "the fierce conscious" of the cast. Allison Janney? "Allison, well, Allison was amazing," he said.

"They knew every 'guest' actor comes in anxious and pressing, trying to raise his or her level of play to meet a cast that is already up and running and rich in shorthand," O'Neill said.

"The West Wing," created by acclaimed TV producer Aaron Sorkin and in later seasons under the stewardship of executive producer John Wells, has been credited with bringing to TV a political world in which public service is a noble cause. Emmy winner for best drama for four seasons, the show slipped in favor among many viewers and critics during its latter seasons, but O'Neill believes it has remained a class act.

He can't say enough good things about the cast.

O'Neill said, "They were, as a cast, not only immensely talented, but immensely gracious to their fellows. I will miss them all, their good humor, their thoughtfulness, their desire to raise the level of the discourse in this country, and their generosity. If it sounds as if I admire them, I do. They were a rare confluence of really fine actors and who turned out to be even better as people."
***
His work on "The West Wing" will remain a high point, however.

"It was hard to get through those last scenes," he said. "There was so much history in the air, and, of course, John's absence, though I suspect he was there. It's been a great ride, and I'll be forever grateful for it." "

From the San Jose Mercury News:
"On tonight's episode of ``The West Wing,'' there will be a change of government. The two-term administration of Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) will come to an end; Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) will be sworn in as the new president of the United States.

That, says executive producer John Wells, is how the White House drama should conclude and depart, after seven seasons.

``From the beginning, the series has celebrated the remarkable strength of American democracy, and one of the things that's most dramatic about American democracy is the peaceful passing of power from one leader to another,'' says Wells. ``We thought that was a really wonderful, totally appropriate way to end.''

In other words, the last installment (8 p.m., Chs. 8, 11) is one final fantasy in the politics-and-government-as-we'd-like-them-to-be world of ``The West Wing.''

When the series made its debut in the fall of 1999, few people thought it would work for more than a handful of episodes. ``We all felt going in that we had something very special,'' says Sheen. ``The only real doubt we had was whether or not it would work on network television. It was a political show. There were no car chases or fires or special effects. The action was in the words.''

But the show did work, with critics and, for much of its run, with viewers. At its high point, it was one of the most-watched and certainly most-discussed shows on television. It has been nominated for 89 Emmys, winning 24 including four straight (2000-2003) for best drama. It leaves the air with its place in TV history assured.

While the trappings of the show were an extremely accurate reflection of the real White House -- particularly in comparison with such ``West Wing'' pretenders as ``Commander in Chief'' -- much of the show's appeal came from its portrayal of flawed politicians and public servants who, despite their shortcomings, most often tried to do the right things for the right reasons.

In a second-season episode, conservative Republican Ainsley Hayes (Emily Procter, now on ``CSI: Miami'') is offered a job by the Bartlet administration. When her friends dis the president and his advisers, Hayes snaps back, ``Say they're smug and superior, say their approach to public policy makes you want to tear your hair out. Say they like high taxes and spending your money. Say they want to take your guns and open your borders. But don't call them worthless.

``The people that I have met have been extraordinarily qualified. Their intent is good. Their commitment is true, they are righteous, and they are patriots.''

That was the underlying belief that Aaron Sorkin, the show's creator and the man most responsible for the show's triumphs (and occasional failures), brought to the series. In a comparison often used by both those who loved ``West Wing'' and those who hated it, Sorkin brought the same view of the American way of life to the drama that director Frank Capra brought to such films as ``Meet John Doe'' and ``Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.''

``Capra evoked the mythic image of America as a `lighthouse of freedom' in a darkening world,'' wrote television and film historians John E. O'Connor and Peter C. Rollins in 2003.

``In our time, it seems clear that the fundamental attraction of `The West Wing' for Americans is its promise that, despite our failings and lapses, our system is still such a lighthouse.''

Even those involved in the series acknowledge that, like Capra's best films, the series is set in a world that doesn't exist, reflective of but divorced from today's often poisonous political atmosphere.

``We were a fantasy, there's no question,'' says Sheen. ``We were like a novel, and the real world was like reality.''

Wells adds, ``We always try not to take ourselves too seriously because that can be very dangerous when you're trying to entertain people. But people have connected to the idea of what the White House could be, even though they know we made it up and they know it's idealized.''

Of course, the ideal expressed in ``The West Wing'' didn't connect with everybody. The Bartlet administration was Democratic and the show wore its blue state liberalism with pride. Even conservative Republicans -- notably Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda), the GOP presidential candidate who lost to Santos -- were filtered through that prism.

That led some commentators, like John Podhoretz in the Weekly Standard, to view ``The West Wing'' as ``political pornography for liberals.''

As a piece of television entertainment, ``The West Wing'' had two very different periods: the one from the fall of 1999 to the spring of 2003 when Sorkin did almost all of the writing and the three seasons following his departure.

The early period was its heyday, with a string of superb episodes mixing rapid-fire dialogue that wouldn't have been out of place in a 1930s screwball comedy, discussions of ideas ranging from the politics of the census to the federal deficit and some of the most memorable characters in recent television history.

It made stars and Emmy winners out of such unknown actors as Allison Janney (press secretary C.J. Cregg) and Bradley Whitford (aide Josh Lyman) and gave veteran actors Sheen and the late John Spencer (Leo McGarry) defining roles. A string of excellent actors -- Stockard Channing, Mary-Louise Parker, John Amos, Marlee Matlin -- took on small recurring roles just for the chance to be on the show.

``It's a pinnacle for an actor because the writing is so fantastic,'' says Annabeth Gish, who played Elizabeth, Bartlet's oldest daughter. ``In my career, I was the most nervous guest-starring on that show because you have to speak politically, you have to speak eloquently and you have to speak rapidly.''

Problems with the show and its direction began to crop up following the election of President Bush and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. ``The West Wing'' was set firmly in a world where Bill Clinton had been president, and the Bush election shifted reality to a different place.

The overriding issues of the war on terrorism further complicated matters, with Sorkin finding it harder and harder to set a consistent tone in his writing.

``We had a parallel universe to reality, and it changed drastically when the Bush administration came and then 9/11 happened,'' says Sheen. ``The country moved much further away from the center, and we felt that we were dead in the center.''

Beset by some personal demons -- drug abuse, a failing marriage -- Sorkin struggled to produce scripts on time, and his disputes with Warner Bros. led to his exit with Wells taking over as the show's executive producer.

The fifth season of ``The West Wing'' was a mess as Wells and a new set of writers tried to replace Sorkin, and the viewership began to drop. The series made a significant comeback after that, though even in its worst days, it was still smarter than just about anything else on network TV.

But it soon was clear that when the Bartlet administration came to an end, so would the series. The death in December of Spencer -- the heart and soul of the cast and the series -- removed any thoughts of continuing into the Santos years.

``We honestly thought we wouldn't get past a couple of years with this subject matter. But we've gone seven years and gone through the entire Bartlet administration,'' says Wells. ``It's so infrequent in a series' life that you actually have a chance to decide when it's going to end. That's usually decided for you.''

There is no question ``The West Wing'' will leave a gap. As such other series as ``Commander in Chief'' have proved, it's difficult to intelligently mix politics, ideas and entertainment.

``The networks really should take a lesson from `The West Wing' that this stuff can work,'' says Lawrence O'Donnell, a former political consultant who became a long-time writer and producer on the series. ``I hope the business takes it as a lesson rather than an exception.

``My fear is that they will take it as an exception and no one will even try to make another `West Wing.' ''"

From the Montreal Gazette:
"Martin Sheen is philosophical about The West Wing's leaving office tonight (WPTZ-5, 7 p.m., ) as one of the most venerable, and venerated, ensemble dramas in the history of television.

The time has come, Sheen feels, to call it a day.

In private conversation, he is cheerful and talkative - he has aged physically, but he feels like a youngster again. The laughs come easily. Despite The West Wing's reputation for earnestness and his own, hard-won reputation as a firebrand political activist, he's quick to laugh at himself.

"I was constitutionally directed toward the exit," Sheen said wryly, about his own impending departure from the show. "I knew it was coming."

He thought until recently that Jimmy Smits's Matt Santos and Alan Alda's Arnold Vinick would pick up where the Bartlet administration left off, but veteran cast member John Spencer's sudden death in December hastened the end of the series, Sheen believes.

"It's probably the best way to go out. I think John's death signaled that it was time to leave, for all of us. We were the parents. We were the oldest guys. We had been around the longest and we lost one of us. It's hard to go on without a family."

As so often happens to actual U.S. presidents, Sheen has aged noticeably since that day in September 1999 when The West Wing aired for the first time, and a national television audience was introduced to President Josiah "Jed" Bartlet.

Nothing about The West Wing unfolded as it was supposed to.

Media analysts insisted a mass audience would never embrace a talky ensemble drama about politics, especially one that presented public service as a noble calling, driven by idealists.

Sheen, a career actor who now counts The West Wing's Bartlet as one of his three defining roles - the others are Capt. Willard in the 1979 Francis Coppola war classic Apocalypse Now, and spree killer Kit Carruthers in Terrence Malick's 1973 social allegory Badlands - was supposed to appear as a peripheral character only.

The West Wing was ostensibly about policy wonks, overworked White House staffers and neurotic speechwriters, and it was all that.

From that first scene where Rob Lowe's Sam Seaborn is paged by the White House, though, it was clear to West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin and executive producer John Wells that everything that happened in the program, from the policy directives to the backroom deals to the rapid-fire discourse in the corridors of power, flowed down from the man at the top: Sheen's President Bartlet.

Sheen, 65, thought he had signed on for a part-time gig. Instead, The West Wing became all-consuming. For four years - Sorkin's period of tenure with the show - Bartlet, and Sheen, became The West Wing's most readily identifiable face, its heart and soul.

In The West Wing's heyday - the years between 2000 and '03, when it won an unprecedented four consecutive Emmy Awards for outstanding drama series, putting it in the same league as Hill Street Blues and L.A. Law - it was the focus of occasional attention from the actual White House, Sheen recalls with a wry chuckle.

"Mr. Clinton was a big fan of the show. He made no secret of it."

Former President Bill Clinton visited The West Wing set. Sheen and Clinton filmed a public service announcement together for victims of the 9/11 terror attacks and their families.

Clinton welcomed The West Wing cast to the White House on several occasions.

That didn't prevent Sheen from attending political protests, however. He admits there was a moment, in October 2000, when he became seriously concerned that his activism would clash with his responsibilities to The West Wing.

Sheen was arrested at an anti-nuclear peace demonstration at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base and charged with trespassing and failure to disperse.

"I had signed on for three years to The West Wing, and I faced six months in jail if I lost my case. So I plea-bargained and got three years probation and a heavy fine. The war in Iraq broke out in 2003. I protested and went to many rallies and was publicly vocal in my opposition, but I was afraid of being arrested because it would end my time on The West Wing. That was my first commitment, and that's why I remained out of jail. That probation ended last fall, so now I'm free to go back to the thing that I love."

Bartlet's screen time was whittled down in later years, but Sheen said that had nothing to do with the network's nervousness about his activism.

"I wasn't a kid any more," he said, "and I needed the three-day weekends. The amount of work and the hours were overwhelming, and I found my energy depleted. I needed more time. So that was given to me in lieu of more money - which was far more valuable to me, frankly."

The years have not softened his activist leanings - "The best thing about (California Governor Arnold) Schwarzenegger is Mrs. Schwarzenegger," he said cheerfully, "and I'll settle for him as long as she's there," - but he is not about to throw himself back into the protest movement any time soon.

"I plan to do what is necessary," Sheen said, suddenly pensive, "and I hope I'm guided by a true spirit. I don't know when I'm going to be called, and to do what. I just hope I have the courage to speak truth to power, to do justice, to walk humbly and to serve."

He is not looking to land that one great role, either. Instead, he is going back to college, he says, to earn the degree he never had, at the National University of Ireland in Galway.

He hopes to study English literature and philosophy, "and maybe theology, and maybe oceanography. They have a great oceanography school there.

An old guy like me has to start somewhere."

Sheen says only a fool would think a television actor would make a good president - he has ruled himself out as a candidate for political office - but he holds strong feelings about leadership just the same.

"I have a great respect for anyone who goes through (public office), no matter what their age," Sheen said, "because it'll make a man out of you. I can't even imagine going through the real thing - the campaign, the job itself, the demands, the time away from family and friends. It is a real, deeply personal sacrifice, and it's very costly."

"Leadership is example. Leadership is taking risks, being more fully human, not being afraid to fail. You have to go above your constituency. You have to go to the future.

"There's the old Hebrew adage: 'He that hath offspring giveth up hostages to the future.' If you are a leader, the best thing you can do is inspire people to be better than they are, to say, 'We're better than this.' If The West Wing did anything, as a TV show, it was that it provided a sense of hope, a sense that we're better than this, that there are better days ahead."

Great leaders are rarely recognized in their own time, Sheen says.

"I hear Eisenhower now called a great president. When I was a kid, he was called everything under the sun, but not that. He was not appreciated until he was gone. I think that's true of most our leaders."

Sheen says he has not seen the political drama Commander in Chief, although he wished Geena Davis well in person at the outset as she tackled the role of president of the United States.

"It's a tough sell, politics (and TV). I thought it was great that there was a woman president. I had hoped that we would have one in my lifetime, and I still hope that we'll have one. There are so many women who are qualified - who are overqualified - for that office, and I hope to God we have that grace descend on us before long. Dostoevsky said that the world would be saved by beauty. I think he meant women."

For now, Sheen hopes to get through life day by day.

"Every day is a risk and a blessing, of equal measure, as you know." Sheen said, and laughed. "You give thanks and praise, and hope you get through it.""

From the Lansing State Journal:
"When the first "West Wing" script arrived, people knew this was something special.

It flowed with big words and big subjects. It was intelligent and important. Chances were, no one would watch it.

"There were no car chases or fires or special effects," actor Martin Sheen recalled. "The only real doubt we had was whether or not it would work on network television."

For years, it did. "The West Wing" departs tonight as an audience and financial success.

Critics raved and voters gave it four straight Emmys as best drama series. Ratings also surged.

After a slow start in 1999, "The West Wing" caught on. In its second season, it tied for No. 11 in the annual Nielsen ratings; in its third, it reached its peak, No. 8.

"I don't think any of us thought for a moment it was going to do what it did," actress Allison Janney said.

Even when its audience declined, the show was a success. It had DVD sets in stores and reruns on Bravo; Nielsen said it had the wealthiest audience of any fictional TV show.

Yes, this show - about a populist, Democratic administration - had rich viewers. "We have a very, very large Republican audience that loves to kind of watch the show and throw things at the screen," producer John Wells said.

There were key fans from both parties, cast members say. Kristin Chenoweth recalls Sandra Day O'Connor (then a Supreme Court justice) and Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) pumping her for information on who would win the show's election. Bradley Whitford has had lobbyists trying to get their issues mentioned.

Whitford also recalls a conversation with Alan Greenspan, retired head of the Federal Reserve Board. "He was really upset that, when our Fed chairman died, nobody cared."

Chenoweth didn't reveal secrets, so O'Connor and Daschle learned at the same time as everyone else: Matthew Santos (Jimmy Smits) won; tonight, he'll take office and Josiah Bartlet will depart.

"One of the things that's most dramatic about American democracy is the peaceful passing of power," Wells said. "We thought it was a really wonderful way to sort of end the series."

Wells had never expected to be presiding over this. "The West Wing" was Aaron Sorkin's show.

A successful young playwright ("A Few Good Men"), Sorkin had written the 1995 movie "The American President," spending a lot of time in the real White House. He wanted to make a series about the staffers there; the president would mostly be an unseen presence.

"I was the last actor to join the cast for the pilot," Sheen wrote in "The West Wing" (Warner Bros. Publishing, 2002). "The character of President Bartlet was a sometime thing, only appearing in about 20 percent of the episodes."

That soon changed. Bartlet grew; new characters arrived. Sorkin made this up as he went along.

Actors got used to that, Whitford and actress Janel Moloney recalled after the first season. If rehearsals and filming started on a Monday, Sorkin would cut it close.

"It will be Friday and ... he'll look like he's been beaten up," Whitford said. "He'll say, 'I'm on Page 10. Does anybody have any ideas?' He'll look like a plasma donor."

That's no exaggeration, Moloney said. "He's like wearing his pajamas, strolling around the set like a crazy guy."

he production company (Warner Bros.) and network (NBC) weren't amused. Ratings fell, particularly after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001; scripts continued to be late. In 2003, Sorkin was fired and Wells took over.

The praise and the awards stopped for a while. Then, as the fictional election campaign settled in, "West Wing" seemed to find its stride again.

Tonight's wrap-up has been planned ever since the show was moved to Sundays this season and its ratings collapsed, Wells said.

In this fictional world, some of the staffers will stay in the White House and some will retire. Bartlet will retire, sort of.

"He's not going to go out quietly," Sheen said last year. "He's going to rage against the darkness."

From USA Today (includes 2 "West Wing" quizzes, an easy one and an advanced one):
"As "The West Wing" approaches Sunday's finale, it leaves a broadcast legacy presidents might envy: The Bartlet administration saga won four straight best-drama Emmys early in its seven-season tenure, averaging nearly 19 million viewers for new episodes at its 2001-02 peak.

More important, it is seen as groundbreaking in depicting politics and government on TV.

"There's a little, unpublished TV handbook about verboten areas. (Politics) led the list. But "West Wing" took that page and shredded it up," NBC entertainment president Kevin Reilly says.

Allison Janney, who won four Emmys portraying press secretary/chief of staff C.J. Cregg, says "West Wing" might not have worked in the hands of someone other than creator Aaron Sorkin, who left after writing 87 episodes over the first four seasons.

"Aaron did the right mix of reality and drama and comedy. He was always able to ride that edge," she says.

Sorkin, interviewed via e-mail, says he'll leave legacy talk for others. He notes, however, that perceptions changed after Sept. 11.

"Rooting for fictional heroes so soon after the attacks was hard because there were so many real ones to root for," he writes. "And because the perception of Bartlet was that was he was liberal and the perception of George Bush is that he's conservative, it became slightly un-American to like "The West Wing.""

An October 2001 episode that alluded to a similar type of atrocity in the drama's parallel world was "too soon," he says. But "the show had to bow its head somehow before it moved forward."

After Sorkin left in 2003, "West Wing" suffered negative reviews, which the actors and Reilly attribute to a transition of producers. Some luster returned with this year's presidential campaign.

Ratings, like some presidential polls, have plummeted in recent years, averaging 8 million viewers in this non-rerun season.

Cast and crew also faced the shock of actor John Spencer's death. His character, Leo McGarry, was eulogized in April.

The series offered a hopeful vision at a time when so many are downbeat about government, says Bradley Whitford, who won an Emmy in 2001 for playing presidential aide Josh Lyman.

"I think it succeeded in attaching a shred of humanity to a process people have become very cynical about," he says.

In the end, Whitford believes "West Wing" lived up to its mission: "We wanted to do a television show that showed that government really matters."

From Black Entertainment:
""The lone African American cast member, Hill said he was a nervous wreck during the first day of shooting in 1999, but Sheen was quick to put the young Orange, N.J. native at ease – taking him aside early on and teaching him the soul brother handshake that a teenaged Laurence Fishburne taught him on the set of 1979’s “Apocalypse Now.” Dule says he and Sheen have been tight ever since.
“The last scene that was shot was a scene that’s going to air in the season finale with myself and Martin,” says Hill. “That was very personal to me because he was such an important figure in my life for the last seven years. To be able to end my run on the show with Martin, I couldn’t ask for anything better. What was exchanged in the scene, I took it home as my little keepsake.”
***
“John Spencer would always say, ‘You would never experience this if you were on a cop show.’ And it’s the truth,” Hill explains. “I mean we’ve met presidents, we’ve met ambassadors, we’ve been to the White House. Some of us have even played basketball on the top of the Supreme Court. I played basketball in front of the White House in front of Pennsylvania Ave. It’s like, that’s pretty much never, ever gonna happen again. So, I’m definitely thankful for the ride.”
***
The scrapped retrospective episode, however, doesn’t diminish the seven years of pure bliss experienced by Dule Hill. The actor believes firmly in the old cliché – that all good things must come to an end. “I think it was the right time for the show to end,” he says. “It’s better the show ends when the people are still enjoying it than for the show to end where it’s trailed off and people have been over it. I think we were still a show that people paid attention to and were aware of what we spoke about. I just gotta give thanks for having that ride.”"

From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:
""It's no secret that TV critics can be a cynical lot. We slobber all over quality programs only to rail against them a few years later when their quality begins to decline. Then we curse the Emmys for recognizing the same tired old show, even when, just a few years earlier, we were championing it ourselves.
****
Unlike most series that start strong and decline, "The West Wing" has reclaimed its former glory, not in ratings, but certainly in dramatic, engaging storytelling. This season the show has crackled with nearly the same intensity it had in the beginning, when series creator Aaron Sorkin oversaw the story of President Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and his loyal staff. Given the strength of the current season, I wouldn't object to lauding "The West Wing" with a few more Emmys. "We try not to take ourselves too seriously, because that can be dangerous when you're trying to entertain people," said current show runner John Wells, a 1979 Carnegie Mellon University graduate. After a January press conference that included a loving clip reel from the series that left more than a few jaded TV critics misty-eyed (yours truly included), Wells was asked if such an emotional reaction from a bunch of grumpy sourpusses surprised him. "Any good, long-running television show works because you become connected to the characters in a way that you really care about them. If you don't get those kind of emotional responses, then the show isn't working." "The West Wing" certainly had its ruts, particularly immediately after the departure of Sorkin at the end of season four, but in its last two seasons, Wells managed to create something Sorkin could not: A credible campaign. In Bartlet's Sorkin-scripted season four re-election drive, which shot for five days around Western Pennsylvania in August 2002, the president faced off against a Republican candidate (played by James Brolin) who even executive producer/director Christopher Misiano called "a straw doll." But in the past two seasons, Democrat Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and Republican Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) waged a fierce political battle -- either candidate could have won the election and both were deserving. Santos prevailed, but "West Wing" viewers were the real beneficiaries; we got to watch two noble, idealistic men spar over policy and debate governance. It was classic "West Wing." Sunday's series ender, not available for review, depicts Santos' inauguration as Bartlet leaves the White House. "The series has celebrated from the beginning ... the remarkable strength of American democracy," Wells said. "And one of the things that's most dramatic about American democracy is the peaceful passing of power from one leader to another. And we thought that was a really wonderful way to end the series." Some fans have questioned why the series won't continue, following the newly elected Santos. The answer is an easy one: While loyal fans remain, too many viewers abandoned the show. Ratings were already down when it aired on Wednesday last season, and they dipped further with the move to Sunday last fall. Wells said even if NBC hadn't moved "The West Wing" to Sunday, going up against ABC's "Lost" on Wednesday would likely have led to "The West Wing" ending, too. Wells and cast members have no regrets about the show's demise "If we had the opportunity, we would have kept going," Wells said, "but I don't think any of us, as storytellers, felt this was a situation where a ton of stuff pops into your mind [for another season]." "We all knew the writing was on the wall," said series star Allison Janney, who plays Bartlet's chief of staff, C.J. Cregg. "And especially with John's death we felt very much it was time to go."
***
"It's a miracle to make a living in a nonhumiliating way as an actor," said Bradley Whitford, who plays Santos' chief of staff, Josh Lyman. "And it is an incredible miracle to have a situation like this that both creatively, and on some cultural level, has material that is fascinating and an area where the stakes are high. It actually makes the work more frustrating because you're constantly wanting to rise to the level around you. But it hurts us in a certain way because it's hard to know that you'll never get this again. I'd rather get it when I'm 85." For Sheen, the show's success came as a huge surprise simply because it was about politics, which had never been staged in a prime-time drama to the extent that it played a role on "The West Wing." "There were no car chases or fires or special effects," Sheen said. "The action was in the word and we were public servants. Would an audience that had a choice, support us and would sponsors sell their products with us?"
***
No question, "The West Wing" will go down in television history as one of the best dramas of all time due to its writing and strong performances, but also because of the feelings it evoked in viewers. "We were like a novel and the real world was like reality," Sheen said. "But people were reading the novel, and they were getting good ideas and kind of having a hope and a faith and a trust in their leadership. And if we go out with that, I don't think we can ask for much more.""

From the Deseret News:
""When "The West Wing" was elected to NBC's schedule 1999, not much of anybody expected it to be re-elected for six more seasons.
"Well, I think that we all felt going in that we had something very special," said Martin Sheen, who played President Josiah Bartlet in this series about a sitting president of the United States and his staff. "The only real doubt we had was whether or not it would work on network television.
"It was a political show. There were no car chases or fires or special effects. The action was in the word, and we were public servants. Would an audience that had a choice support us?"
Executive producer Lawrence O'Donnell Jr. didn't expect anyone to tune in because, "as far as I (could) tell, in TV terms, nothing happened. . . . I just didn't think we had a chance."
***
Bartlet has served longer than seven of the nine real presidents since 1961.
"When I knew that (creator and former executive producer) Aaron Sorkin was writing it and I knew the pedigree of the people involved, I thought — if anything is going to make it and be an important series, this is," said Allison Janney (C.J. Cregg). "But I don't think any of us thought for a minute that it was going to do what it did."
But fans began to express "the passion they had for the show. . . . That was exciting for me to realize what an impact the show was making."
Tens of millions of viewers were passionate about the Bartlet administration. More passionate, it seemed, than about the Clinton or Bush administrations..
"One of the weirdest things about the show — and, honestly, the last thing anybody expected — was that it would be taken seriously," said Bradley Whitford (Josh Lyman). "I think a lot of people misinterpreted that Aaron must be this incredibly civic-minded guy who wanted to serve Americans their civic vegetables, so he wrote a show about the White House to show how great politicians are. Actually, it's a very impatient, entertainer-storyteller hitting this material that kind of made it work."
***
"Ironically, fictionally you can see people actually not know what they think about an issue, and you can carry an issue as boring as the decennial census for an hour and 15 million people actually watch it," Whitford said.
***
Sheen said "the most rewarding part" of the show was its positive portrayal of public servants. "We can be very cynical about the people that lead us. . . . No matter what administration is in, the government continues because of the people who care for the country."
If the cast and crew were surprised that America embraced the show, they were shocked when Washington insiders did. O'Donnell, a former aide to Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan and chief of staff to two U.S. Senate committees, said that when he worked in Washington, "nobody watched any TV shows at all," so he was "very surprised" that capital insiders "latched onto this thing as quickly as they did."
"I actually would get lobbied by lobbyists," Whitford said. "I thought they wanted my autograph, and they were giving me their card because they wanted to get their issue mentioned on the show."
In the reality of "The West Wing," the characters rarely forgot they were public servants.
"We were a fantasy, there's no question," Sheen said.
And there was definitely a wish-fulfillment element — these were the kind of leaders we hope for and the kind a lot of real-life leaders could learn a few things from.
"I hope they were taking some behavior or lessons from it," O'Donnell said. "It was very peculiar for me the first time I had to type 'interior Oval Office, day' because in our show, this was inhabited by a good and decent person. And that had not been my experience."
***
But knowing the show would be ending gave the writers the opportunity to craft a satisfying sendoff at a "really beautiful place to end the series," Wells said.
"The series has celebrated from the beginning, in Aaron's conception, the remarkable strength of American democracy. One of the things that's most dramatic about American democracy is the peaceful passing of power from one leader to another. And we thought that was a really wonderful way to sort of end the series . . . at its natural place," Wells said. "It's so infrequent in a series' life that you actually have a chance to decide when it's going to end. That's usually decided for you, and oftentimes you've already finished shooting and everybody is gone and then you just don't come back.
"So we had the great luxury of actually asking, 'What's the best story to tell? What's the most compelling story that we think will serve the series and its viewers best?' "
Neither the show nor its loyal fans deserve less."

The Syracuse Post Standard interviewed Aaron Sorkin:
""Q. If you were asked to point out the greatest legacy of "The West Wing," what would it be? Was it raising the bar on the quality of TV drama, helping the public better understand the process of government, or something else?
A. I think it's probably for others to decide the show's legacy.
Q. After you left the show, was there any continuing involvement on your part in terms of providing notes, suggestions or other advice to the people in charge?
A. Larry David, who left "Seinfeld" before the end of its run, gave me a piece of advice. He said, "Don't watch the show ever again. Either it'll be great and you'll be miserable, or it won't be great and you'll be miserable." While I've stayed in close touch with all my friends from the show, I haven't seen it since I left at the end of the fourth season.
Q. Five or 10 years from now when NBC wants to make a "West Wing" reunion movie, would you be in?
A. With ideas like that I'm surprised you're not running a major network.
Q. What will you be doing at 8 p.m. May 14 when the final episode airs?
A. The timing's poetic because the next day NBC announces its fall schedule. I'll be in a hotel room in New York waiting for a call from (NBC Entertainment president) Kevin Reilly to tell me if I'm back on television with "Studio 60.""

From the Scripps Howard News Service (First Article):
"At its best, "The West Wing" roared into the brain and stuck like so few TV shows do, stamped there by a wildfire of dialogue and its now-famous "walk and talk" tracking shots.It was both symphony and cacophony, rolling out complex, finely honed and lively political stories that made the glum and ho-hum sparkle. Stacked up against an age of cynicism, glazed-over disinterest and scandals, "West Wing" succeeded anyway. It made Washington and policy wonks seem interesting and hip and human. Suddenly, civics, at least the way it was served up Wednesday nights, was entertaining."West Wing" became appointment TV, water-cooler fodder and, for some, a parallel universe. But "West Wing" wasn't so much fantasy as it was wildly optimistic hope.As it nears the end of its seven-year run with the May 14 series finale, "West Wing" will bow out as one of the most honored dramas in TV history. It has Emmy, Peabody and Golden Globe awards on its mantle.< href="http://www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action=detail&pk=WESTWING2-TV-05-09-06">Scripps Howard News Service (Article 2):
"As the cast and crew shot the series finale of "The West Wing" on a Los Angeles set March 30, the doors to the famous address were thrown open. "We stayed up all night for the last shot, which was extraordinary," says Allison Janney, a four-time Emmy winner for her portrayal of press secretary C.J. Cregg (the character was promoted to chief of staff in 2005). "Around midnight, the lobby of the 'West Wing' area was just packed with tons of actors and people. We were all there as the president says goodbye to his staff for the last time. We stood there and clapped for half an hour.

Veteran actor Martin Sheen had become a father figure to his cast mates _ much as his fictional President Bartlet had been to the "staff." For Bradley Whitford, an Emmy winner as Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman, "It was tremendously disorienting and sad. It's like leaving a cult _ an unprecedented volume of intimacy and camaraderie." "West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin and producer Thomas Schlamme returned for the group hug and ensuing wrap party."I think the show ended at the right time," says Whitford, whose wife Jane Kaczmarek's show, "Malcolm in the Middle," airs its own series finale Sunday. "It was such a special experience for all of us who worked on it, and you don't want to pull the taffy too thin on these things."One key to the show's early success, says Whitford, was Sorkin, who left the show after the fourth season: "Aaron assumes the audience is as smart and funny as he is. He's trying to entertain himself." It was a tightrope, Janney says, that could be hard to walk. "Aaron writes in this incredible rhythm," she explains. "Every word, every punctuation mark was put there for a reason. So if we added an extra 'uh,' we had to go back and re-shoot because it wrecked the rhythm of it. That drove people crazy sometimes. But it was worth it when we got it."
***
Janney, who voices a character in the animated film "Over the Hedge" (opening May 19), says she still feels as if the show is on hiatus. The idea of no more C.J. Cregg, she says, is "mind-boggling." "What am I possibly going to do that's going to fulfill me and satisfy me and challenge me as much as 'The West Wing' did?""

From the Wichita Eagle:
Alex Graves is amazed that NBC's "The West Wing" lasted seven years because "It was always too big for television." "It's a very expensive show to produce: $3.3 million an episode -- the largest in TV history," said executive producer Graves, a Kansas native from El Dorado who has been with the show since it launched in 1999. "It was like a mini-movie every week. We did large things for a very long time."
***
In Wichita, some of the show's biggest fans are members of the Wichita State University College Democrats, said the group's president, Lyndsay Stauble."About 80 percent of us are 'Wing'nuts," she said. "We've had 'West Wing' marathons. "It's an excellent drama and one of the best series that's ever been on television," said Stauble, whose group is planning a finale party. "Government is so complex that it's hard for people to understand, but 'The West Wing' took it and made it interesting and funny with its rat-a-tat style."Vickie Sandell Stangl, a political science instructor at Wichita State, is another fan." I thought it did an excellent job of bringing to life what I teach in the classroom," Stangl said. "It shows how complex the issues are.... There's more drama in the show than in real life, but you could learn things from it." While revered in many circles, the series has skeptics.Ed Flentje, who was secretary of administration for Republican Kansas Gov. Mike Hayden in the mid-1980s, dismissed the show as "showing a clear liberal bias." And Mel Kahn, professor of political science as Wichita State University, said he found it more entertaining than accurate."They do give some idea about what happens in government but I don't believe there is that much speed or action in the White House. The wheels of government turn slowly," Kahn said.
Eerily, some storylines from the show seemed to anticipate headlines, from Wall Street Journal reporter Danny Pearl's capture and execution by Middle Eastern terrorists to the outing of CIA spy Valerie Plame to America's escalating oil troubles."It's always been amazing but it's always been coincidental because our episodes are written four or five months before they air," Graves said."I guess if you travel the same territory as real life, you're bound to come up with some of the same things."
***
Now that the series end is near, Graves is philosophical that "It's time.""In a way, the series is leaving at the right time for everyone who has been working on it. We're tired," Graves said."It's a show that could have gone on artistically, even with a new president. There's so much material to draw from." This final season has centered around the campaigns of Democrat Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and Republican Arnie Vinick (Alan Alda) as they vied to succeed President Bartlet. Santos won, but it wasn't always planned that way, Graves said. The real-life death of Emmy-winning actor John Spencer in December changed the course of the show at the last minute and gave producers a way to wrap things up. Spencer played Chief of Staff Leo McGarry, who was running as Santos' vice president. Originally, Graves said, Vinick was to win in a squeaker of a race. "We figured there was a lot more story to tell if we put Vinick as a moderate Republican in the White House in a time of extremism," he said. "We wanted to show how difficult it would be for moderate Republicans to have a voice."But with John's death, we just didn't have the heart to have him lose the election, too. It would have been too depressing a note to end on." The final episodes, he said, are about the peaceful transfer of political power from one president to another. "We wanted to show the unification of power -- something we're missing in the real world," he said. "The division that has taken place in this country in the past six years is something I've never experienced before in my lifetime."It's too soon, he said, to determine the long-term effects of "The West Wing.""Our hope from the very beginning was to keep alive the idea that TV shows could aim high, not only in ideas but in production values. We wanted to be a positive thing in the culture. We invited people to think." The indelible effect on many fans is undeniable, he said."The reaction I've been getting from viewers is sadness that it's ending," Graves said. "Overwhelmingly, they are also saying 'Thank goodness this series happened. Thank goodness there was a 'West Wing.'"

From Entertainment Weekly(Entertainment Weekly's homepage also has a poll asking which television series will be missed the most):
""The end of ''The West Wing''

As the NBC drama prepares to say goodbye, join the cast and crew as they recall their first trek down Pennsylvania Avenue.

Time to pack up the china and ship it to the presidential library — The West Wing is closing its doors forever. The often brilliant political drama never lacked in its ability to generate headlines, and managed to overcome impossible odds — the premature departure of creator Aaron Sorkin, a late-in-the-game critical backlash, and ultracompetitive time slots — to last seven years on NBC. Along the way, it won the best drama Emmy an impressive four times, a feat matched only by L.A. Law and Hill Street Blues. Not bad for a show that relied on the (rapidly) spoken word rather than violence, nudity, explosions, or high concepts to engage its viewers.

As Josiah ''Jed'' Bartlet (Martin Sheen) prepares to cede the Oval Office on May 14 to the country's first Latino president, Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) — oh, what we wouldn't give to watch his first 100 days! — EW asked the cast and crew to put down the fake policy papers and reflect on how The West Wing came together, from the early negotiations with NBC and the arduous casting calls, to Sorkin's uncanny ability to turn even the most mundane discussion about clean coal power initiatives into an oratorical work of art.

1. THE CAMPAIGN TEAM

In summer 1997, Sorkin — who'd written erudite mainstream hit movies likeThe American President and A Few Good Men — was readying his first TV script, ABC's Sports Night, when his agent suggested he meet with ER executive producer John Wells to discuss other opportunities.

SORKIN The night before the meeting, screenwriter Akiva Goldsman [A Beautiful Mind] came to my house for dinner and at some point wandered into my office where I had a poster from The American President up on the wall. Akiva said, ''You know what would make an interesting TV series? That.''

WELLS I'm always interested in ideas that sound impossible and haven't worked on the air before.

SORKIN I wanted to do a TV show about senior staffers at the White House. Our leaders are always portrayed as Machiavellian or dolts, so I thought I'd write about government leaders who are trying to do the right thing but who fail sometimes. I thought of it as a workplace drama — in an exciting place. Once I have an idea, it starts going very fast. I probably did The West Wing in about five days.

WELLS [Then-NBC Entertainment president] Warren Littlefield purchased the Wing script in the fall of 1997 under a deal I had with NBC. He had to make it by a certain time or give it back, but then he left.

SCOTT SASSA (NBC ENTERTAINMENT PRESIDENT, 1998-1999) My first day, I had a meeting with John Wells. John told us we've been sitting on [the Wing] script and if we don't do it, we wouldn't get his next project.

WELLS They were prepared to make Wing in exchange for me doing something they wanted: a companion piece for ER. I made it a condition of writing Third Watch that they also make The West Wing.

SORKIN I wanted to beat Akiva up. I couldn't believe what he got me into.

2. PRIMARY SEASON

In January 1999, Sorkin and director-exec producer Thomas Schlamme began casting Wing's fictional White House. Their administration: the Latin-speaking President Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen), trusted chief of staff Leo McGarry (John Spencer, who died last year), cantankerous communications director Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff), sexy deputy chief of staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford), poised press secretary C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney), feisty assistant Donna Moss (Janel Moloney), and handsome deputy communications director Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe, who would not comment for this article).

SORKIN John was the first person we cast. I had to change the character's name, which was originally Leo Jacoby. I pictured Judd Hirsch playing the part, but John was obviously Irish. The role of Toby came down to either Richard Schiff or Eugene Levy.

SCHIFF Eugene told me later that he listened through the door to my audition and since he couldn't hear anything, he thought he was a lock for the role. I started giggling at my own performance. But for some reason I knew I was going to get it.

WHITFORD Aaron told me he wrote Josh for me. Auditioning is hell on earth. Aaron said I hit it out of the park, but then I started hearing that I wasn't funny or sexy. So I auditioned again with Moira Kelly [who was later cast as political consultant Mandy Hampton] and was told she blew me out of the room. I definitely wasn't going to get it.

JANNEY I've always gotten parts who are strong and the glue of the family, so I related to C.J. right away.

SORKIN Allison ended up testing against CCH Pounder, who was fantastic. It was agonizing.

MOLONEY I read for C.J. first, and they said, ''Do you want to read for this smaller role? There's no guarantee or anything.'' I wore gray slacks and a black turtleneck to the audition...which became Donna's outfit for the entire seven years.

The role of President Bartlet was originally intended to last no more than six episodes. According to Sorkin, ''I was worried that if Bartlet was the main character in the show, the show would become about him, and I did not want to do what I did with The American President.''

SORKIN The first person we talked about to play the president was Sidney Poitier.

SCHLAMME It got far enough to find out what his fee would be, which was very high.

WELLS It was more than just his fee — he didn't want to do it. His manager told me to stop calling.

SORKIN Another actor we thought would be great was Martin Sheen. As soon as he said he wanted to do it, we called off the search.

SHEEN I signed on immediately, and went off because I [thought I] would be available for other work.

Sheen ended up staying for the duration of the series, and his contract was renegotiated not long after the pilot was shot. According to Wells, however, NBC still wanted another marquee name.

WELLS NBC wanted to know who else was in the cast. If we are going to make something this unappealing to the public, could we get a bit of a star to drive it?

SORKIN I remember coming into the casting session one day and seeing Rob's name on the sheet. We never said we needed a young, sexy guy because we felt John Spencer could fill that role [laughs] . But there was some difficulty making Rob's deal, so we thought it would be easier to find another actor to play Sam.

WHITFORD My agent called and said they were offering me Sam. I called Aaron and said, ''That's not who I am. I want to be Josh.''

JANNEY It was very much supposed to be an ensemble show, which I think Rob ultimately didn't like. But he had the most experience in TV and I was deferential to him. He was responsible for getting us big trailers.

3. ELECTION DAY

Lowe wasn't locked in until the day before production, a development that would ultimately portend bigger problems. (Lowe left the series during season 4 to seek out bigger roles.) Nevertheless, on the morning of March 29, 1999, the cast gathered to begin shooting the pilot on Wing's Burbank set, a gigantic glass maze that best exploited Schlamme's kinetic shooting style and Sorkin's snappy dialogue.

WELLS I remember how much the set cost because it was screamed at me in loud volumes: $1.2 million.

SORKIN Up until the pilot aired, no one knew that the abbreviation for President of the United States was POTUS. Sam says it at the beginning.

WHITFORD I thought it was some sort of sexual euphemism.

SHEEN I said, ''I don't really know how you want me to play this — and who is this guy, Jed Bartlet?'' Aaron said, ''He's you, Martin. You don't have to go anywhere. You just have to go inside.'' That's what I did.

MOLONEY During my first scene, Leo comes in and asks for Josh, so I turn around and scream ''Josh!'' without getting up from my chair. Leo replies, ''I could have done that, Donna.'' We did a couple of takes, and afterwards John said, ''You're going to be here until the curtain comes down. '' He was the first person to say that.

SCHIFF I had to recite all this aeronautical nomenclature to the stewardess on a plane after she told me to shut off my cell phone. It was the beginning of a tradition of both drinking in Allison's trailer and being ambushed with a four-page monologue that you'd have to shoot that day after lunch.

JANNEY Martin was always eating. I think he took the job for craft services, because he always had food in his mouth while they were trying to shoot.

4. THE INAUGURAL BALL

NBC and the producers fretted that nobody would watch Wing's Sept. 22, 1999, premiere — after all, this was a wonky, dialogue-heavy drama about the inner workings of the federal government. Their fears were allayed when Wing grabbed nearly 17 million viewers. The pilot went on to win three Emmys, and Wing soon became one of the most critically acclaimed series of its time.

SCHLAMME When we turned the pilot in, everybody was like, ''It's extraordinary. But can it be on TV?''

SORKIN The first time we screened it for the cast, the [feeling was] ''We did a great pilot, but we're not going to be able to do this every week.'' Yet these guys all came back determined to make every episode as good as our best. And they kept it up for seven years.

SHEEN At our worst, we were better than anything else that was out there. We knew it. We couldn't use the F-word. We weren't allowed any overt sexuality. We had no special effects. We depended on the text, each other, and the intensity of that. It was like Shakespeare.

WELLS All good shows get made accidentally. I'm very proud of The West Wing. It was extremely hard to get on the air and extremely hard to make. Every moment — from beginning to end.

FIGURES OF SPEECH
EW picks a few of the best quotes from Wing's talky, Emmy-winning pilot.

''I'm a nice guy having a bad day.... As we speak, the Coast Guard are fishing Cubans out of the Atlantic Ocean while the governor of Florida wants to blockade the port of Miami, a good friend of mine's about to get fired for going on television and making sense, and it turns out that I accidentally slept with a prostitute last night.''

''I'm gonna make a suggestion which might help you out, but I don't want this gesture to be mistaken for an indication that I like you.''

''17-across is wrong. You're spelling his name wrong. What's my name? My name doesn't matter. I'm just an ordinary citizen who relies on the Times crossword for stimulation, and I'm telling you that I've met the man twice and I've recommended a preemptive Exocet missile strike against his air force, so I think I know how to.... They hang up on me every time.''"

What Kind of "West Wing" Has It Been - Part 2

Also see Reactions to "West Wing" Cancellation
And the reports from the announcement of the cancellation.