From Daily Variety:
"Jane Kaczmarek. who stars in Fox's "Malcolm in ihc Middle." and husband Bradley Whitford, of
Wells" "The West Wing," emceed the annual gala, with the latter joking that they "miss no opportunity to kiss our bosses' asses in public.""
Wireimage has photos of Janel Moloney, John Spencer, Stockard Channing, and Kristin Chenoweth.
Filmmmagic has photos of Bradley Whitford. Closeups are available at Getty here and here, the latter showing Bradley Whitford with former California Govenor Gray Davis.
Photo of John Spencer, Stockard Channing and Kristin Chenoweth.
If you are having trouble viewing the photos from Getty, delete the "http://" from your address bar, and then press enter.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Update on "Commander in Chief " - Popular With Older Viewers?
From the National Catholic Reporter:
"The theme of “Commander in Chief” is not merely that Allen is capable but that she is Superwoman -- smarter, more politically adept and tougher than the men who hover around and warn her to slow down and listen to their better judgments. That she rejects their advice has made her a feminist hero to Nation columnist Katha Pollitt, who writes that this “feminist fantasy” gives her a thrill. She loves Geena Davis, who is “so unflappable and warm and confident and kind and clever, to say nothing of gorgeous and six feet tall.”
The plots however are more soap opera or “Sherlock Holmes” than “The West Wing.” The great detective waits in his Baker Street apartment, a petitioner brings a mystery. Holmes spies the archcriminal Professor Moriarty’s hand at work. Here Moriarty is the malevolent Templeton, determined to become president himself, smiling in Allen’s face but sabotaging her at every turn."
From Cox News Service "10 Reasons to Watch 'Commander in Chief'" :
"7. The characters don't talk at warp-speed and sound like brainy Rhodes scholars: No, those would be the characters on that other White House drama. "We're not really as wonkish as 'The West Wing,' " Johnson says. "We're a little more accessible."
**
9. "Commander in Chief" doesn't waste time showing viewers how a bill becomes a law: You can see that on C-SPAN. Or old episodes of "The West Wing." "We're focusing on the president," Johnson says. "It's not about pushing legislation through."
From the Kansas City Star:
"“Commander in Chief” (8 tonight, ABC, KMBC-9). We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: In television, what counts isn’t always how good your work is but who sees it.
From the Calgary Sun:
"COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF (ABC): If you lobotomized The West Wing, you’d have this Geena Davis drama which has inexplicably catapulted into the top 10. Still, despite its early election victory, ABC clearly knew the show needed improvement — perhaps explaining why it removed creator Rod Lurie in favour of Steven Bochco. "
From the Mobile Register:
"In the 8 p.m. hour on Tuesdays, ABC's "Commander in Chief," the first-rate new drama starring Geena Davis as America's first woman president, has been winning its hour in total viewers.
Pretty good, right? You'd think so, but then that's only if you didn't realize that competitor Fox is actually doing better in the same hour among the advertiser-loved subset of viewers who are ages 18 to 49. The show on Fox is "House," which stars Hugh Laurie as a doctor with a bad bedside manner but a brilliance when it comes to diagnosing what ails his patients.
Last time, "Commander in Chief" had 14.78 million total viewers, but was fourth place among adults aged 18-49, according to Nielsen. "House," meanwhile, was in second place overall for the hour with 14.15 million viewers, but that show finished first in the 18-49 subset of viewers.
So "Commander" is committing the cardinal sin of appealing to -- gasp! -- older viewers.
Nevertheless, "Commander" has been appealing to me since its debut, and I've still got one foot in the 18-49 group. It's nowhere as richly detailed a political drama as NBC's "The West Wing" has been, but it is fun -- with Donald Sutherland's Speaker Nathan Templeton character the perfect political foil for Davis' President Mackenzie Allen. One thing "The West Wing" has lacked over its run has been a consistent political adversary for its fantasy administration, which could have heightened its drama here and there.
***
'll bet No. 1 on Bochco's agenda is making the show more appealing to younger viewers. We'll have to stay tuned, I suppose, to learn what that may actually mean to a show whose most ardent fans -- "old" as they may be -- don't see much that needs fixing."
From the Virginia Times Dispatch:
"Is it possible to be a fan of both "The West Wing" and "Commander in Chief"?
Read reviews and comparisons of "Commander in Chief" with "West Wing":
IMDB Poll Results
USA Today Comparison
October Review Collection 2
October Review Collection 1
Commander in Chief Follow Up
September Reviews
Ratings Sucess
"The theme of “Commander in Chief” is not merely that Allen is capable but that she is Superwoman -- smarter, more politically adept and tougher than the men who hover around and warn her to slow down and listen to their better judgments. That she rejects their advice has made her a feminist hero to Nation columnist Katha Pollitt, who writes that this “feminist fantasy” gives her a thrill. She loves Geena Davis, who is “so unflappable and warm and confident and kind and clever, to say nothing of gorgeous and six feet tall.”
The plots however are more soap opera or “Sherlock Holmes” than “The West Wing.” The great detective waits in his Baker Street apartment, a petitioner brings a mystery. Holmes spies the archcriminal Professor Moriarty’s hand at work. Here Moriarty is the malevolent Templeton, determined to become president himself, smiling in Allen’s face but sabotaging her at every turn."
From Cox News Service "10 Reasons to Watch 'Commander in Chief'" :
"7. The characters don't talk at warp-speed and sound like brainy Rhodes scholars: No, those would be the characters on that other White House drama. "We're not really as wonkish as 'The West Wing,' " Johnson says. "We're a little more accessible."
**
9. "Commander in Chief" doesn't waste time showing viewers how a bill becomes a law: You can see that on C-SPAN. Or old episodes of "The West Wing." "We're focusing on the president," Johnson says. "It's not about pushing legislation through."
From the Kansas City Star:
"“Commander in Chief” (8 tonight, ABC, KMBC-9). We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: In television, what counts isn’t always how good your work is but who sees it.
“Commander in Chief” is one of the highest-rated shows on TV, with about 15 million people tuning in most weeks. That’s almost double the audience for “The West Wing,” the original presidential fantasy, which was No. 52 in the Nielsens, last I checked.
So, is “Commander in Chief” twice as good as “West Wing”? It’s an absurd question. “The West Wing” is the victim of a struggling network (NBC) whose genius executives decided to move it to Sunday nights for a weekly pummeling at the hands of “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” and “Cold Case,” both top-20 shows.
“Commander,” meanwhile, has benefited from the ABC juggernaut. The network scheduled the show against “The Amazing Race,” “House” and “My Name Is Earl” and then proceeded to promote the heck out of it. Now, like Dr. Grey and the ladies of Wisteria Lane, President Mac Allen (Geena Davis) is kicking tush and taking names.
“West Wing” has never quite regained its lightly comic touch that it had for four seasons under writer-creator Aaron Sorkin. I suspect that made it a sitting duck for a show like “Commander in Chief,” which clearly wooed away “West Wing” viewers by offering the same scripts packed with the same self-important political mumbo-jumbo, but with an appealing variation on the theme. Like, more estrogen.
I still think “West Wing’s” Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen) looks and sounds more presidential than Allen. Yet “Commander” seems fresher and more compelling, thanks to a lively competition going on between Allen and her congressional nemesis, Nathan Templeton (Donald Sutherland)."
From the Calgary Sun:
"COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF (ABC): If you lobotomized The West Wing, you’d have this Geena Davis drama which has inexplicably catapulted into the top 10. Still, despite its early election victory, ABC clearly knew the show needed improvement — perhaps explaining why it removed creator Rod Lurie in favour of Steven Bochco. "
From the Mobile Register:
"In the 8 p.m. hour on Tuesdays, ABC's "Commander in Chief," the first-rate new drama starring Geena Davis as America's first woman president, has been winning its hour in total viewers.
Pretty good, right? You'd think so, but then that's only if you didn't realize that competitor Fox is actually doing better in the same hour among the advertiser-loved subset of viewers who are ages 18 to 49. The show on Fox is "House," which stars Hugh Laurie as a doctor with a bad bedside manner but a brilliance when it comes to diagnosing what ails his patients.
Last time, "Commander in Chief" had 14.78 million total viewers, but was fourth place among adults aged 18-49, according to Nielsen. "House," meanwhile, was in second place overall for the hour with 14.15 million viewers, but that show finished first in the 18-49 subset of viewers.
So "Commander" is committing the cardinal sin of appealing to -- gasp! -- older viewers.
Nevertheless, "Commander" has been appealing to me since its debut, and I've still got one foot in the 18-49 group. It's nowhere as richly detailed a political drama as NBC's "The West Wing" has been, but it is fun -- with Donald Sutherland's Speaker Nathan Templeton character the perfect political foil for Davis' President Mackenzie Allen. One thing "The West Wing" has lacked over its run has been a consistent political adversary for its fantasy administration, which could have heightened its drama here and there.
***
'll bet No. 1 on Bochco's agenda is making the show more appealing to younger viewers. We'll have to stay tuned, I suppose, to learn what that may actually mean to a show whose most ardent fans -- "old" as they may be -- don't see much that needs fixing."
From the Virginia Times Dispatch:
"Is it possible to be a fan of both "The West Wing" and "Commander in Chief"?
This born-again "West Wing" fan (the additions of Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda brought me back into the fold) says no.
You've got your similarities: Being president is not a fun job - just ask the people who work for you. But the tone is too different to grab the same audience.
Geena Davis' character on "Commander in Chief" is all too morally, ethically, spiritually and physically a goddess in her pursuit of justice to be believed. Or at least believed by viewers who prefer the in-the-trenches approach of "West Wing."
Read reviews and comparisons of "Commander in Chief" with "West Wing":
IMDB Poll Results
USA Today Comparison
October Review Collection 2
October Review Collection 1
Commander in Chief Follow Up
September Reviews
Ratings Sucess
"West Wing" Replacement Ratings Week 3
From Zap2It:
"FOX's NFL coverage bled into primetime at 7 p.m. and dominated the hour with a 13.4/21. CBS finished second with "60 Minutes," 9.4/14, and the first half of a two-hour "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" was third at 6.3/10. The movie "Shrek" put NBC in fourth, ahead of "Reba" repeats on The WB.
"Cold Case," 12.2/18, grabbed one of its bigger audiences of the year to put CBS on top at 8 p.m. ABC moved up to second with the conclusion of "EM: Home Edition." "The Simpsons" and "The War at Home," with an assist from the final minutes of an overtime NFL game, averaged 7.8/11 for FOX. "Shrek" improved a little to 4.4/8 for NBC, while "Charmed" came in at 2.6/4 for The WB."
Guide to TV Ratings here.
Ratings for last week's "Poseidon Adventure".
"FOX's NFL coverage bled into primetime at 7 p.m. and dominated the hour with a 13.4/21. CBS finished second with "60 Minutes," 9.4/14, and the first half of a two-hour "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" was third at 6.3/10. The movie "Shrek" put NBC in fourth, ahead of "Reba" repeats on The WB.
"Cold Case," 12.2/18, grabbed one of its bigger audiences of the year to put CBS on top at 8 p.m. ABC moved up to second with the conclusion of "EM: Home Edition." "The Simpsons" and "The War at Home," with an assist from the final minutes of an overtime NFL game, averaged 7.8/11 for FOX. "Shrek" improved a little to 4.4/8 for NBC, while "Charmed" came in at 2.6/4 for The WB."
Guide to TV Ratings here.
Ratings for last week's "Poseidon Adventure".
Aaron Sorkin at Reading of Maureen Dowd's Book in CA
From the Jewish Journal of Greater L.A.:
"I’m sitting between the two most different women imaginable here at Temple Emmanuel in Beverly Hills: a matronly lumpish type who is well past her 50s, unmade up with short, graying hair and long triangular earrings — her only testament, of sorts, to fashion; and on the other side of me, a plasticized lady of the same indeterminate age, wearing a black leather miniskirt and crocodile skin yellow boots and an expression on her face — if one can call the pearly botoxed look an expression — of disbelief and shock.
From the L.A. Daily News:
"You dated me for a while!" a fawning Aaron Sorkin said to Maureen Dowd during a chat about her new book at Temple Emanuel in Beverly Hills on Monday night. "What was that like?"
The writer/producer kept it up close and personal with the New York Times columnist and author of "Are Men Necessary?" During a $20-a-head evening hosted by the Writers Bloc, Sorkin didn't bother to contest the book's controversial title and premise.
"I'm not going to even attempt to make the case that men are necessary," said Sorkin, calling Dowd "one of the most respected and revered columnists in the country." Then he made another personal admission.
"When I write dialogue for a woman, I often think about you," he said, adding that Dowd's beauty "inspires jealousy in other women."
Despite the maudlin "compliments," Dowd had time to take potshots at Hollywood, Saudi Arabia, chromosomes, parenting, child-rearing, politics and the status of the sexual revolution.
"Remarkably, many women today want to be sex objects again," Dowd proclaimed. "When Gloria Steinem said 'all women are bunnies,' that was supposed to be a call to arms, not a recommendation."
And what perplexes her about Hollywood?
"I'm curious about why, when women are running four of the six major studios, Hollywood is still making movies with heroines who are shop girls, hookers and geishas," Dowd said.
Do men have anything to fear from a book that claims many males are afraid to date smart women?
"It's playful - and intended to cause men and women to talk to each other about how they collide and cuddle in work, at play, in movies and in politics," Dowd said. "And it's practical. Take it to a restaurant, and I guarantee someone will come up to you and start a conversation about it."
Unless it's Aaron Sorkin.
Calendar Live has a report on the discussion between Aaron Sorkin and Maureen Dowd:
"Move over, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn! Make room for that ultra-modern snap-and-wise-cracking couple, Aaron Sorkin and Maureen Dowd.
Emmy-winning "West Wing" creator Sorkin seemed strangely determined to answer the question/title of Dowd's new book, "Are Men Necessary?" with his stammering, fawning cross-examination of the ravishing redhead at her only L.A. book signing for the Writers Bloc, held Monday at Temple Emanuel in Beverly Hills.
Sorkin, who started off by apologizing, "I'm not a professional interviewer, but I have to think that my being able to question you in a synagogue full of people is a little nightmare for you," initially seemed focused on Dowd's beauty. He repeatedly asked her to address the fact that people talk more about her looks than William Safire's, to the point that he made Dowd blush and ask him to stop because "You're embarrassing me."
Dowd did try to take control, talking about what Shakespeare could have done with Vice President Dick Cheney; the time she was almost jailed in Saudi Arabia for wearing a somewhat sheer burka; the growing popularity of Barbie, breast implants, Botox and Playboy bunnies, while making intriguing, insightful remarks on the decline of feminine consciousness — from women fighting for equal rights in the '60s to girls trying to find their "inner slut" today.
But why, she wanted to know, "when women are running four of the six major studios, is Hollywood still making movies portraying women as maids, shop girls, hookers, ghosts and geishas?"
"Don't encourage her," Sorkin warned the wildly applauding audience before patiently explaining, "Hollywood is about what is successful.
"The films that appeal to most women are films like 'Bridget Jones' Diary.'
"Women like seeing films about how hard it is to get a date, then eating ice cream after a bad date and ultimately having a good date. It's women who make these films successful.""
The same article also had a mention of Emily Procter, aka Ainsley Hayes who " was admiring the red carpet-worthy gowns at the Escada Spring 2006 fashion show fundraiser she hosted for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital last week......When not admiring the designs, Procter talked about her new film, "Big Momma's House 2," opening Jan. 27. Seems the spunky blond had to do a buncha time sittin' around the set with her in-full-out-drag costar Martin Lawrence, who disguises himself as Big Momma again to go undercover in a murder investigation.
"Some days Martin and I would be sitting there together for hours, and I just felt so comfortable with him that I'd talk to him about everything, just like we were really good girlfriends.
"Finally, one day he just looked at me and said, 'Emily, you do realize that I'm not a woman.'
"I said, 'Of course, I do, Martin. But, well, you just look so pretty.' "
"
From a press release of Writer's Bloc Presents:
"Maureen Dowd's new book, "Are Men Necessary?" will appeal to all who love her column in the New York Times. In her new book, Dowd blends sex with politics, and covers gender issues in the way only she can — without any reservations whatsoever. Aaron Sorkin, creator of "The West Wing," will talk to her about sex, politics and whatever else they come up with."
"I’m sitting between the two most different women imaginable here at Temple Emmanuel in Beverly Hills: a matronly lumpish type who is well past her 50s, unmade up with short, graying hair and long triangular earrings — her only testament, of sorts, to fashion; and on the other side of me, a plasticized lady of the same indeterminate age, wearing a black leather miniskirt and crocodile skin yellow boots and an expression on her face — if one can call the pearly botoxed look an expression — of disbelief and shock.
We three strangers are sitting in the way back of the temple, in that second room they open up only for special occasions like the High Holidays or this Writer’s Block event featuring Maureen Dowd, who is being interviewed tonight by Aaron Sorkin, “West Wing” creator and more relevantly, for this evening, Dowd’s ex-boyfriend.
Thousands have turned out on this late November evening to hear the redheaded New York Times columnist talk about her new book, “Are Men Necessary?: When Sexes Collide” (Putnam), which had been recently excerpted in The New York Times Magazine.
About three-quarters of the people in the audience are women — for the most part, women in their late 30s and older; in other words, not the generation of women Dowd is writing about in this book when she says they are turning back the clock on feminism, reverting to traditional gender roles, rejecting all that the women generations before them — probably like the women in this audience — had fought for.
It’s an odd setting for this type of discussion: Hanging over the stage are the two tablets of Moses bearing the Ten Commandments in Hebrew. My eyes rest on Lo Tin’af — Thou Shalt Not Covet (thy neighbor’s wife) — as Dowd and Sorkin, flanked by the Israeli and American flags, talk about matters far from holy.
Well, talk is an exaggeration. Spar is more like it. Sorkin, an expert TV writer (“he’s the guy who put the president we wish we had in the White House,” as he was introduced) is self-admittedly no expert interviewer. But still, he cannot get Dowd to straightforwardly answer many questions about her book. Actually, he can hardly get a word in edgewise.
In person, Dowd is like her columns: a coy, witty one-liner queen.
“That’s why I wrote this book,” she explains. “Because when you cover the White House, you never get to write about sex.”
She says how Bush Sr. didn’t know what a bikini wax was and our current president didn’t realize “Sex and the City” was a TV show. But beyond these witticisms, it’s hard to get at the depth of what Dowd is trying to say.
Each time Sorkin tries to ask her a question — Does she think men aren’t necessary? Is feminism really over? — she, Jewishly, answers a question with a question, and interrupts with a question of her own. Why is Sorkin one of the only men in Hollywood who can write a strong woman character (like C.J. Cregg on “The West Wing”), Dowd wants to know. Why are there never any compelling roles for women on the screen, she asks. Compelling questions, for sure, but not ones we’ve come for tonight. Nor is Sorkin getting what he wants, as he tries to turn the interview back on the subject herself. Yes, we’re in Hollywood — OK, Beverly Hills — but just for once could we not discuss the industry? Can we discuss Karl Rove and Presidents Bush and the topic at hand, “Are Men Necessary?” and its subtext, “Is Feminism Over?”
But Dowd practically won’t let that happen.
Which leads me to question her original theory, that men don’t like smart women, that men only want to marry their secretaries and assistants, that men want to go back to the 1950s. Maybe men don’t like women like her. Women who interrupt. Women who talk over them. Women who have to prove how smart they are in the most succinct way possible. Women who make mean and snarky comments — women who are more than challenging: These are women who need to win. Always.
That’s why the woman next to me — the plastic surgery one, the one who probably looks less like a feminist than the plastic surgeon who recreated her, is shaking her head in frustration. Her manicured nails are tapping her folded arms, a defensive posture as she nods her head, tsk tsk tsk. We don’t speak but we catch eyes, and then I turn to my right and see the short-haired woman with the same expression on her face: We are all united in our antipathy, three women of different generations, economic backgrounds and certainly fashion sense. We thought we’d be united here tonight in a rallying call to revive feminism, to get back in touch with our values, to take back the night, to be empowered, but instead it’s just another celebrity event, interesting but insubstantial, a possible role model — oh how we wish Dowd could be who we hoped her to be — fallen from on high.
Sure, at the end of the Q & A — where many Qs are asked and not many As are given — there will be a line snaking out the door of the temple to sign books and get a smile from the famous columnist. Sure, many women on their way out are glad they got to eavesdrop on such a private public conversation. But right now, in the middle of the event, the three of us are all crossing our arms, tapping various parts of our bodies. That is, until Ms. Beverly Hills stands up, pulls down her leather skirt and excuses herself past us. She’s leaving in the middle, and barely glances at the stage — Dowd, Sorkin, Ten Commandments and all — on her way out."
From the Los Angeles Times:
“The way you look is a factor in everything that people write about you,” Sorkin persisted. “It is, Maureen. You are the only female columnist at the New York Times. You are the only female columnist of note in the entire country, and I think that people expect you to look different and I’m just wondering if you want to talk about that?
“No,” clipped a sweetly smiling Dowd to the thunderous applause.
Next, Sorkin tried out an old joke. “You are the most respected, revered columnist in the country and you have a Pulitizer Prize and you dated me for a while. What was that like?”
"I asked you in the green room not to mention that," replied Dowd, smiling through gritted teeth. "It was fantastic, of course."
***
She praised Sorkin’s strong, well-written female characters on “West Wing” before asking, "Why, when women are running four of the six major studios, is Hollywood is still making moves portraying women as maids, shopgirls, hookers, ghosts and geishas?"
“Don’t encourage her,” Sorkin warned the wildly applauding audience, before patiently explaining, “Hollywood is about what is successful. The films that appeal to most women are films like 'Bridget Jones’ Diary.' Women like seeing films about how hard it is to get a date, then eating ice cream after a bad date and ultimately having a good date. It’s women who make these films successful.”
Sorkin admitted he often thought of Dowd while writing witty banter for actresses. And he did tell a funny, if slightly embarrassing, shoe fetish tale about Dowd, whom he met during the first season of "The West Wing" when he was shooting scenes in Washington, D.C.
“I wrote an off-screen character who was a powerful, highly feared female columnist for the New York Times. One of the White House staffers had inadvertently made a joke about her shoes and was afraid that the administration was going to suffer if he didn’t apologize.”
To thank Dowd for being “a good sport” about the thinly veiled reference, Sorkin sent her a slew of expensive shoes from Barneys the day the show aired.
“She liked them a lot,” recalled Sorkin. “But she told me that because she sometimes covers Hollywood in her column, to accept the gift was unethical. But she didn’t give back the shoes. What she has done, and this was five or six years ago, is, every once in a while, she will just give me cash. Forty, sixty, one hundred dollars … It’s not clear to me how giving me cash makes the ethical picture less murky, but it was terribly important to Maureen that this be done right and this is her version. She just gives me cash.”
“It’s gonna take me to the year 2030 to pay off those shoes,” confessed Dowd, still smiling, albeit not quite as sweetly.
From the L.A. Daily News:
"You dated me for a while!" a fawning Aaron Sorkin said to Maureen Dowd during a chat about her new book at Temple Emanuel in Beverly Hills on Monday night. "What was that like?"
The writer/producer kept it up close and personal with the New York Times columnist and author of "Are Men Necessary?" During a $20-a-head evening hosted by the Writers Bloc, Sorkin didn't bother to contest the book's controversial title and premise.
"I'm not going to even attempt to make the case that men are necessary," said Sorkin, calling Dowd "one of the most respected and revered columnists in the country." Then he made another personal admission.
"When I write dialogue for a woman, I often think about you," he said, adding that Dowd's beauty "inspires jealousy in other women."
Despite the maudlin "compliments," Dowd had time to take potshots at Hollywood, Saudi Arabia, chromosomes, parenting, child-rearing, politics and the status of the sexual revolution.
"Remarkably, many women today want to be sex objects again," Dowd proclaimed. "When Gloria Steinem said 'all women are bunnies,' that was supposed to be a call to arms, not a recommendation."
And what perplexes her about Hollywood?
"I'm curious about why, when women are running four of the six major studios, Hollywood is still making movies with heroines who are shop girls, hookers and geishas," Dowd said.
Do men have anything to fear from a book that claims many males are afraid to date smart women?
"It's playful - and intended to cause men and women to talk to each other about how they collide and cuddle in work, at play, in movies and in politics," Dowd said. "And it's practical. Take it to a restaurant, and I guarantee someone will come up to you and start a conversation about it."
Unless it's Aaron Sorkin.
Calendar Live has a report on the discussion between Aaron Sorkin and Maureen Dowd:
"Move over, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn! Make room for that ultra-modern snap-and-wise-cracking couple, Aaron Sorkin and Maureen Dowd.
Emmy-winning "West Wing" creator Sorkin seemed strangely determined to answer the question/title of Dowd's new book, "Are Men Necessary?" with his stammering, fawning cross-examination of the ravishing redhead at her only L.A. book signing for the Writers Bloc, held Monday at Temple Emanuel in Beverly Hills.
Sorkin, who started off by apologizing, "I'm not a professional interviewer, but I have to think that my being able to question you in a synagogue full of people is a little nightmare for you," initially seemed focused on Dowd's beauty. He repeatedly asked her to address the fact that people talk more about her looks than William Safire's, to the point that he made Dowd blush and ask him to stop because "You're embarrassing me."
Dowd did try to take control, talking about what Shakespeare could have done with Vice President Dick Cheney; the time she was almost jailed in Saudi Arabia for wearing a somewhat sheer burka; the growing popularity of Barbie, breast implants, Botox and Playboy bunnies, while making intriguing, insightful remarks on the decline of feminine consciousness — from women fighting for equal rights in the '60s to girls trying to find their "inner slut" today.
But why, she wanted to know, "when women are running four of the six major studios, is Hollywood still making movies portraying women as maids, shop girls, hookers, ghosts and geishas?"
"Don't encourage her," Sorkin warned the wildly applauding audience before patiently explaining, "Hollywood is about what is successful.
"The films that appeal to most women are films like 'Bridget Jones' Diary.'
"Women like seeing films about how hard it is to get a date, then eating ice cream after a bad date and ultimately having a good date. It's women who make these films successful.""
The same article also had a mention of Emily Procter, aka Ainsley Hayes who " was admiring the red carpet-worthy gowns at the Escada Spring 2006 fashion show fundraiser she hosted for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital last week......When not admiring the designs, Procter talked about her new film, "Big Momma's House 2," opening Jan. 27. Seems the spunky blond had to do a buncha time sittin' around the set with her in-full-out-drag costar Martin Lawrence, who disguises himself as Big Momma again to go undercover in a murder investigation.
"Some days Martin and I would be sitting there together for hours, and I just felt so comfortable with him that I'd talk to him about everything, just like we were really good girlfriends.
"Finally, one day he just looked at me and said, 'Emily, you do realize that I'm not a woman.'
"I said, 'Of course, I do, Martin. But, well, you just look so pretty.' "
"
From a press release of Writer's Bloc Presents:
"Maureen Dowd's new book, "Are Men Necessary?" will appeal to all who love her column in the New York Times. In her new book, Dowd blends sex with politics, and covers gender issues in the way only she can — without any reservations whatsoever. Aaron Sorkin, creator of "The West Wing," will talk to her about sex, politics and whatever else they come up with."
Interview with Josh Malina - In Florida Thursday
Josh Malina will speak this Thursday at The Kravis Center to start the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County's 2006 Annual Campaign.
From the Palm Beach Post:
"Q: Switching gears, I read when you were hired for The West Wing, someone on the Internet referred to you as that "horrible little man who's replacing Rob Lowe." What was your reaction?
A: Well, I'm one of those people who has as thick a skin as you can have. I sometimes get a kick out of reading the horrible, horrible, awful things people write about me. If you Google yourself, you have to be willing to take what you find.
Q: Was Rob a tough act to follow?
A: He was in one sense. I definitely didn't go into it thinking 'Oh my God I have to turn every Rob Lowe fan into a Josh Malina fan.' I had no angst about it. But I did know that he was very popular as an actor and his character was hugely popular, so I didn't really concentrate on whether I could replace him, per se. I also think if you look at the two of us standing next to each other, it's quite clear who's the good-looking leading man and who's more the supporting actor type of player. I don't think there's any danger of me really replacing him.
Q: Why does everyone talk so fast on The West Wing?
A: (laughs) That's a good question, too. To start with, if you compare one of our scripts to your average one-hour drama, we have more pages. We have to fit more dialogue into the same amount of time.
Q: Your first day on the set of The West Wing fell on Rosh Hashana. You chose to observe the Jewish holiday. Did that cause any problems?
A: It really didn't ultimately. I was aghast when I found out. This is one job I certainly didn't want to jeopardize. But by the same token, I knew I wasn't going to work that day. I had never before in my life. Being Jewish is who I am, being an actor is what I do, so the priority was clear to me. I gathered my courage and called the producers and said while I was delighted to be offered this role, I had a problem with the first day of work. Luckily they couldn't have been nicer or more accommodating. I definitely got a little bit of ribbing from the cast when I showed up.
Q: What'd they say?
A: I remember Allison Janney saying, 'Oh, so today is not a Jewish holiday? You can actually do some work?'
Q: So, who do you want to see win the election on The West Wing?
A: That's an interesting question, too. After watching the debate, I thought they both came off very, very well. Vinick (Alan Alda) is a rare Republican I could feel good about voting for. And Santos (Jimmy Smits) is a terrific candidate. I guess being a real Democrat and a fictional Democrat, I'd have to lean towards Santos.
Q: If the show is picked up next season, what's your deal?
A: All I know is that I don't have one. If they wanted to write me in somehow and make me part of the Santos administration, I'd be delighted. I get the feeling if the show continues, they're going to move on and try to get some fresh blood. My guess is they won't ask me to be a part of it, but it's been a very, very good run for me.
Q: Is it true that you got your start in show business by performing the Heimlich maneuver on Aaron Sorkin? Tell me about that.
A: That actually is true. I knew him a little bit as a kid. He went to high school near me with my cousin with whom I was very close. When I graduated from college in 1988, I moved to New York City and he was living there and I called him and we got to be good friends. He hosted a poker game every week, and we got to be very good friends across the poker table. The first job he offered me was (the Broadway play) A Few Good Men. We used to go bowling once a week with the rest of the cast, and one night (Aaron) was choking on a piece of hamburger and I'm not sure I really knew what I was doing, but I got behind him, picked him up off the floor and I Heimliched him and in the process cracked a few of his ribs. But ultimately I saved him.
Q: So does he feel beholden to you? Is that why you're in every Aaron Sorkin production?
A: It's a fair question. I'd like to think that he thinks I'm a good actor, but I'm comfortable if he just feels he's paying off some sort of karmic debt. That works for me too.
Q: Do you have a favorite Sorkin project?
A: It's very hard to answer, but (the short-lived ABC show) Sports Night has a very, very special place in my heart. I was there from the ground floor. Sports Night was my first television series as a regular and it was a lot of fun being on the ground floor watching (Aaron) create this whole world. Golden memories for me.
***
Q: What are some of the cool things about looking nerdy and book smart?
A: (laughs) Aaron has helped me out by creating characters that are smarter and better than I am. Some of that bleeds over. People attribute to me greater intellect than I actually possess.
Q: You made your film debut with Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men. What was that like?
A: I learned a lot, although literally in that movie I had five words — and three of them were 'yes' and two of them were 'sir.' I learned a lot simply by observing Nicholson. When it was time to shoot my single — the shot of just me at the door talking to Nicholson — the camera is only on me and anybody could've been off camera reading his lines and very frequently big stars will go to their trailer or go have a bite to eat and have somebody on the crew read the star's line. But Nicholson stood their off camera, did all his lines and did a full 100 percent performance. I was really struck by that. I was a nobody and he was a giant star. He didn't have to do it. But he takes his job seriously. It reminded me always be professional. If Nicholson could do it and go above and beyond what you have to do, I'm always going to be there and giving what I can give."
Josh Malina will also be participating in the Alamo Poker Tour Celebrity Tournament at Casino Morongo, benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation on December 8 and 9. The first place winner of an online poker tournament this Sunday can win a place at this tournament. More information from the Desert Sun.
From the Palm Beach Post:
"Q: Switching gears, I read when you were hired for The West Wing, someone on the Internet referred to you as that "horrible little man who's replacing Rob Lowe." What was your reaction?
A: Well, I'm one of those people who has as thick a skin as you can have. I sometimes get a kick out of reading the horrible, horrible, awful things people write about me. If you Google yourself, you have to be willing to take what you find.
Q: Was Rob a tough act to follow?
A: He was in one sense. I definitely didn't go into it thinking 'Oh my God I have to turn every Rob Lowe fan into a Josh Malina fan.' I had no angst about it. But I did know that he was very popular as an actor and his character was hugely popular, so I didn't really concentrate on whether I could replace him, per se. I also think if you look at the two of us standing next to each other, it's quite clear who's the good-looking leading man and who's more the supporting actor type of player. I don't think there's any danger of me really replacing him.
Q: Why does everyone talk so fast on The West Wing?
A: (laughs) That's a good question, too. To start with, if you compare one of our scripts to your average one-hour drama, we have more pages. We have to fit more dialogue into the same amount of time.
Q: Your first day on the set of The West Wing fell on Rosh Hashana. You chose to observe the Jewish holiday. Did that cause any problems?
A: It really didn't ultimately. I was aghast when I found out. This is one job I certainly didn't want to jeopardize. But by the same token, I knew I wasn't going to work that day. I had never before in my life. Being Jewish is who I am, being an actor is what I do, so the priority was clear to me. I gathered my courage and called the producers and said while I was delighted to be offered this role, I had a problem with the first day of work. Luckily they couldn't have been nicer or more accommodating. I definitely got a little bit of ribbing from the cast when I showed up.
Q: What'd they say?
A: I remember Allison Janney saying, 'Oh, so today is not a Jewish holiday? You can actually do some work?'
Q: So, who do you want to see win the election on The West Wing?
A: That's an interesting question, too. After watching the debate, I thought they both came off very, very well. Vinick (Alan Alda) is a rare Republican I could feel good about voting for. And Santos (Jimmy Smits) is a terrific candidate. I guess being a real Democrat and a fictional Democrat, I'd have to lean towards Santos.
Q: If the show is picked up next season, what's your deal?
A: All I know is that I don't have one. If they wanted to write me in somehow and make me part of the Santos administration, I'd be delighted. I get the feeling if the show continues, they're going to move on and try to get some fresh blood. My guess is they won't ask me to be a part of it, but it's been a very, very good run for me.
Q: Is it true that you got your start in show business by performing the Heimlich maneuver on Aaron Sorkin? Tell me about that.
A: That actually is true. I knew him a little bit as a kid. He went to high school near me with my cousin with whom I was very close. When I graduated from college in 1988, I moved to New York City and he was living there and I called him and we got to be good friends. He hosted a poker game every week, and we got to be very good friends across the poker table. The first job he offered me was (the Broadway play) A Few Good Men. We used to go bowling once a week with the rest of the cast, and one night (Aaron) was choking on a piece of hamburger and I'm not sure I really knew what I was doing, but I got behind him, picked him up off the floor and I Heimliched him and in the process cracked a few of his ribs. But ultimately I saved him.
Q: So does he feel beholden to you? Is that why you're in every Aaron Sorkin production?
A: It's a fair question. I'd like to think that he thinks I'm a good actor, but I'm comfortable if he just feels he's paying off some sort of karmic debt. That works for me too.
Q: Do you have a favorite Sorkin project?
A: It's very hard to answer, but (the short-lived ABC show) Sports Night has a very, very special place in my heart. I was there from the ground floor. Sports Night was my first television series as a regular and it was a lot of fun being on the ground floor watching (Aaron) create this whole world. Golden memories for me.
***
Q: What are some of the cool things about looking nerdy and book smart?
A: (laughs) Aaron has helped me out by creating characters that are smarter and better than I am. Some of that bleeds over. People attribute to me greater intellect than I actually possess.
Q: You made your film debut with Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men. What was that like?
A: I learned a lot, although literally in that movie I had five words — and three of them were 'yes' and two of them were 'sir.' I learned a lot simply by observing Nicholson. When it was time to shoot my single — the shot of just me at the door talking to Nicholson — the camera is only on me and anybody could've been off camera reading his lines and very frequently big stars will go to their trailer or go have a bite to eat and have somebody on the crew read the star's line. But Nicholson stood their off camera, did all his lines and did a full 100 percent performance. I was really struck by that. I was a nobody and he was a giant star. He didn't have to do it. But he takes his job seriously. It reminded me always be professional. If Nicholson could do it and go above and beyond what you have to do, I'm always going to be there and giving what I can give."
Josh Malina will also be participating in the Alamo Poker Tour Celebrity Tournament at Casino Morongo, benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation on December 8 and 9. The first place winner of an online poker tournament this Sunday can win a place at this tournament. More information from the Desert Sun.
Tim Matheson to Star in Lifetime Movie
Tim Matheson, who plays Vice President John Hoynes, will be producing and starring in the Lifetime movie "Augusta". From Reuters:
"Sharon Lawrence, Tim Matheson and Mika Boorem will star in the Lifetime original movie "Augusta, Gone," based on the true story of a mother who struggles to save her teenage daughter from self-destruction.
Matheson also will direct and executive produce the movie, which is based on the book by Martha Tod Dudman.
In "Augusta," which will premiere in March, Lawrence will portray Martha, whose once-sweet daughter, Augusta (Boorem), becomes overwhelmed by feelings of anger and self-loathing upon entering her teen years. When Augusta begins taking drugs and drinking and ends up on the streets, Martha and her ex-husband, Ben (Matheson), are forced to seek professional help."
"Sharon Lawrence, Tim Matheson and Mika Boorem will star in the Lifetime original movie "Augusta, Gone," based on the true story of a mother who struggles to save her teenage daughter from self-destruction.
Matheson also will direct and executive produce the movie, which is based on the book by Martha Tod Dudman.
In "Augusta," which will premiere in March, Lawrence will portray Martha, whose once-sweet daughter, Augusta (Boorem), becomes overwhelmed by feelings of anger and self-loathing upon entering her teen years. When Augusta begins taking drugs and drinking and ends up on the streets, Martha and her ex-husband, Ben (Matheson), are forced to seek professional help."
Oliver Platt to Star on Broadway
Oliver Platt, known to "West Wing" fans as Counselor Oliver Babish, will be starring in "Shining City" starting in spring 2006. From Playbill.com:
"Originally produced at London’s Royal Court Theater, Conor McPherson's Shining City "focuses on John (Oliver Platt), a guilt-ridden man who visits a therapist after seeing the ghost of his recently deceased wife. What starts out as an everyday exchange becomes a gripping struggle to survive — a struggle that will change both men for the rest of their lives."
McPherson had a Broadway and London sensation with his The Weir.
Tony Award winner Robert Falls (Long Day's Journey Into Night) will direct the Broadway staging at the Biltmore Theatre. Previews begin April 13, 2006, toward a May 3 opening."
"Originally produced at London’s Royal Court Theater, Conor McPherson's Shining City "focuses on John (Oliver Platt), a guilt-ridden man who visits a therapist after seeing the ghost of his recently deceased wife. What starts out as an everyday exchange becomes a gripping struggle to survive — a struggle that will change both men for the rest of their lives."
McPherson had a Broadway and London sensation with his The Weir.
Tony Award winner Robert Falls (Long Day's Journey Into Night) will direct the Broadway staging at the Biltmore Theatre. Previews begin April 13, 2006, toward a May 3 opening."
Allison Janney Nominated for Independent Spirit Award
Allison Janney has been nominated as Best Suppporting Female for her role in "Our Very Own" at the Independent Spirit Awards. She is competing against Amy Adams for "Junebug", Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robin Wright Penn and Michelle Williams. One review of "Our Very Own".
Alan Alda on Diane Rehm Show and Other Appearances
Tomorrow, Thursday, Alan Alda will be on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien and the syndicated talk show Live with Regis and Kelly according to Interbridge's lineups page.
Alan Alda will be a guest on the Diane Rehm radio show today (Tuesday), starting at 11AM ET.
He will also be on Hardball with Chris Matthews later tonight on MSNBC.
"West Wing" writer Lawrence O'Donnell will be on Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show on CBS. (Thanks, Cyndy C, for those last two)
Alan Alda will be a guest on the Diane Rehm radio show today (Tuesday), starting at 11AM ET.
He will also be on Hardball with Chris Matthews later tonight on MSNBC.
"West Wing" writer Lawrence O'Donnell will be on Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show on CBS. (Thanks, Cyndy C, for those last two)
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