Rob Lowe And Other Cast Members Returning to "West Wing" For 2 Episodes

From the Phillipine Daily Inquirer:
"Were you emotional when you returned to tape a special appearance in the final episode of “The West Wing”?

First of all, since you’re all here, I thank you guys because, as you all remember, you were the first people to recognize “The West Wing.” We have never forgotten that and the last thing I did when I left the stage was look at the four Emmys and that first Golden Globe in an area of the studio where all of the trophies are kept. That was the last thing I looked at. I walked out and that was it. It was sad but more than anything, there was just a great sense of what that show was at its height. The show has changed a lot in the years that I was not on it. I don’t recognize a lot of it but it was good to be back at the end and sort of help put it to bed.

Didn’t you write and direct a short film?
I did. I had big plans. What happened was, I had a lot of people interested in me as a director and a lot of really fun stuff was happening. But then I read the script for this pesky little pilot called “The West Wing” and that did it. It fulfilled me so much creatively that I didn’t have anything left. It also left me exhausted in terms of the amount of time I had to commit to it. I am just now starting to get back into writer-director mode."

From the Desert Sun:
"'Wing' man
Spotted at Copley's on Palm Canyon on Saturday, former "West Wing"er Rob Lowe. We're told the one-time Brat Packer and a buddy took in some NCAA basketball tournament action and later enjoyed a steak dinner at the restaurant."


paberbktr posted at Television Without Pity:
"Rob [Lowe] will appear briefly in the finale episode. His "main story" (his words) is two episodes before that. Straight from Rob [Lowe]."



From the Boston Globe:
" Asked about her role on ''The West Wing," [Anna Deaveare] Smith said the appeal of the part was simple. ''Aaron Sorkin asked me to do it and I jumped at the chance," she said. ''He is a major talent of my generation."


Anna Deaveare Smith also gave an interview to the WAMU radio station here, in which there was a general mention of her "West Wing" role.

From Zap2It:
" Lowe is, however, ready for a return to the Beltway.

"I did the bulk of it last week and I think I have one more quick appearance," Lowe says of his scheduled return to NBC's "The West Wing," a cameo set to coincide with the Emmy-winning show's pending series finale
***
"I've been off the series for so long I don't really have a sense of what they've been doing, really," Lowe says in response to a question about whether or not this is the right time for "The West Wing" to be calling it quits. "I haven't watched it enough to know how the show really is since my departure."

Now, as "The West Wing" prepares for its last episodes this May, Lowe is one of several long-absent vets -- including Mary-Louise Parker and Marlee Matlin -- slated for returns.

"It was like going back to high school," Lowe says of his "Wing" visit. "You go, 'I thought my locker was bigger than this.'"

Lowe is reticent to offer any specifics on what Sam's been doing since he left or what brings him back to the White House.

"I cannot. It's not a huge thing -- I don't land in a spaceship on the South Lawn -- but it is a sort of fun return."

He admits, though, that being on the "West Wing" set without John Spencer, who died in December, made the experience bittersweet.

"It was very sad," he says. "I kept going to the trailers thinking he was going to come out and go 'Kid, I've missed you so much.'""



Tom Farley posted at Television Without Pity:
"[Rob Lowe] and William H. Macy were doing press for "Thank You For Smoking." On both shows, Macy was seated next to Rob Lowe. No other Wingers.

The "Extra" segment was maybe 10 seconds. I'm not even sure what he was in the middle of saying, they cut it off so abruptly.

The "Access Hollywood" segment was much better. Rob Lowe talked about thinking he was over John Spencer's death until he pulled up to the lot and saw where John [Spencer}'s trailer would be, and was saddened to know John Spencer wouldn't be emerging from it. He then did a pretty fair John Spencer imitation, had he been there, along the lines of "Hey Kid! Great to see ya!" (I'm guessing John Spencer called people he liked "Kid" since Wells imagined him using the same phrase regarding cutting the scenes he shot before his death.)

Rob Lowe said he was sworn to secrecy, but that he could divulge that Sam has not gotten Lasik, that the glasses are still on his face.

He did have a good line when the interviewer pressed him and Macy on Katie Holmes, their "Thank You" co-star; asked about a baby gift, Rob [Lowe] said "I'm thinking a 'Days of Thunder' action figure.""









Rob Lowe will be interviewed on the entertainment news show Extra tonight about his return to "West Wing". A preview for today's Access Hollywood showing also is promoting an interview with Rob Lowe on the "West Wing" and John Spencer. Check your local listings for air times.



paperbktr posted at Television Without Pity:
"A little factual input if anyone is interested. Rob [Lowe] has taped one episode already and is scheduled to tape the other in a few weeks. "




From the Boston Globe:
"It was love at first sight -- puppy love, that is -- for Mary-Louise Parker at the American Repertory Theatre party. There to receive an award, the actress nearly left with a purebred pooch. The show-quality canine, which came with its own fashionable collar and leash, was one of the more exotic items up for auction Monday. When the bidding stalled at $2,400, the ''Weeds" star was encouraged by her tablemates to up the ante, which she almost did. But then the Tony winner thought better of it, wondering who'd feed and bathe the blessed beagle when she's in LA this week taping the last few ''West Wing" episodes.
***
Mary-Louise Parker, incidentally, was struck by the evening's theme -- ''Love Is Hell" -- because her friend Ryan Adams has a CD of the same name. The actress even text-messaged the alt-rock troubadour to tell him about the party."





Rob Lowe left a message at his official fan site:
""As you've probably heard, Sam Seaborn will be present as "The West Wing" ends. For all the devoted fans, and in particular the "Save Sam Seaborn Society" ....this one's for you.

As always, thanks for your
support and kindness."

Rob"







From NBC:
"ALL-STAR ALUMNI OF NBC'S 'THE WEST WING' WILL REPRISE THEIR ROLES IN ONE OR MORE OF THE FINAL FIVE EPISODES AS SERIES NEARS FINALE ON MAY 14

Rob Lowe, Mary-Louise Parker, Anna Deavere Smith, Emily Proctor, Marlee Matlin, Gary Cole, Tim Matheson, Timothy Busfield and Annabeth Gish to Reprise Memorable Roles from "The West Wing"


BURBANK - March 1, 2006 - The final episodes of NBC's "The West Wing" (Sundays, 8-9 p.m. ET) will see many familiar faces return to see the Emmy Award-winning series off. Rob Lowe, Mary-Louise Parker, Anna Deavere Smith, Emily Proctor, Marlee Matlin, Gary Cole, Tim Matheson, Timothy Busfield and Annabeth Gish will return to the drama to reprise their memorable characters in one or more of the final episodes - but all will not specifically appear in the finale on May 14.

Lowe will come back to serve as a senior political official. The season-long presidential race between Senator Adam [sic] Vinick (Alan Alda) and Congressman Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) will be decided before Lowe's return.

Likewise, Deavere Smith will portray presidential adviser Nancy McNally; the Golden Globe-winning Parker ("Weeds") will play women's right advocate Amy Gardner; Proctor returns as Republican attorney Ainsley Hayes; Oscar winner Matlin reprises polling expert Joey Lucas; Cole is Vice President John Hoynes; Busfield comes back as intense reporter Danny Concannon; and Gish will portray Elizabeth Bartlet Westin, the married daughter of President Bartlet (Martin Sheen).

From the drama's inception in 1999 until 2003, Lowe portrayed Seaborn, a Deputy Communications Director who left to run for Congress in California. For his performance as Seaborn, he earned an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2001."








From Reuters:
" Rob Lowe and eight other alumni of "The West Wing" are set to return for the White House drama's final episodes.

Lowe, who quit in 2003 partly because he was getting less screen time, will reprise his role as speechwriter Sam Seaborn in the show's final two episodes.

Also reprising their roles with appearances in one or more of the drama's final five episodes are Mary-Louise Parker, Anna Deavere Smith, Emily Procter, Marlee Matlin, Gary Cole, Tim Matheson, Timothy Busfield and Annabeth Gish.

"The West Wing" is ending its run after seven seasons and four Emmys for top drama series."

From Variety:
"Former cast members -- including Rob Lowe -- and frequent guest stars are flocking back to NBC's "The West Wing" as the politico drama nears its finish. Lowe is set to star in two of the last episodes, while others, including Mary-Louise Parker, Gary Cole, Tim Matheson and Annabeth Gish, will appear in one or more of the final five segs."