New HBO show that starts next Sunday. Based on a fictitious cable news network like CNN. Created by Sorkin, starting Jeff Daniels as the lead news anchor, Sam Waterson as the CEO of AGN, the name of the network, and Jane Fonda as some type of psuedo-Rupert Murdoch. Looks interesting, I'll check it out.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

You do that and report your findings here.

I was quite pleased with the first episode...loved the interplay between Daniels and Waterston...looking forward to seeing how this plays out...

Just kept the channel on after True Blood, and I'm extremely glad I didn't reach for the remote.
Both my wife and I liked it.
I kept waiting to see if Daniels' character would drive up in a vehicle shaped like a dog.

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President of Blake Shetlon fan club

sorkin is so much better when he writes in this medium. this is a perfect blend of "sports night" and "west wing". it's a bit preachy in the beginning, and sorkin cutesies dialog up like it's a bodily function (i do believe he wants to copyright "sorkening") but he just knows how to write fresh, sharp dialog.

the main characters are well fleshed out, but some of the ancillary characters are typical sorkin archetypes. i hope he develops them a little more as well.

great start, though.

I look forward to checking it out tonight.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Good first episode!

A bit preachy?

I thought the first episode was good. A little confusing at times, but that's typical of any new show.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Did you see this Zack?

http://gawker.com/5921191/the-same-old- ... rkins-work

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Saw it. Pretty predictable and I thought it kinda sucked.

I thought it was pretty darn good overall. I felt there was quite a bit of tension in there. I didn't
think them showing a breaking story going to air could be "exciting" so to speak. I think this
should get better with more character development. I'll keep watching for sure. Sam Waterson
stole this episode in my opinion. He has really aged but still has some acting chops.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

I know. I expected it to be more realistic -- like Fox News.

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President of Blake Shetlon fan club

Thought so, have not seen it but I am no fan of Daniels, looks bad.

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I enjoyed it alot. I am not familiar with alot of Sorkin's other work (never saw West Wing - don't stab me Lipid!) so I found the dialog engaging. The opening scene was awesome.

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i didn't know he recycled stuff verbatim but he has a style that he reuses so it's bound to repeat itself...though it'd be interesting to see a comparison between him and mamet, because mamet is a "device dialog" writer as well.

i loathed "the social network" so it was just refreshing to see him go back to writing things he's good at--politics. and yeah...i know i was being too easy saying "a bit" preachy...it's sorkin after all.

Loosely based on Keith Oberman's winning personality from what I've read (without the extreme left wing agenda)...

Maybe it is my disdain for the media in general that makes me hate them all..I would like to punch maddow in the face.

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I just thought "a bit preachy" was funny. I'm pretty sure Sorkin blew his load writing that opening monologue.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

yes...it's what's known as a sorgasm.

Uh, yeah sure, whatever you say....

While listening to some Carlin bits on Slacker tonight it got me to thinking about this. I got a good laugh out of the YouTube video, but I also think that what you were saying is true. It's hard for successful, creative people to let go of their accomplishments and create something new.. I think that's why you see so much self-plagarism and oft-repeated lines. If I can excuse Carlin for it, it's kinda hard to get self righteous about anyone else.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

That was the best series opening since Leo McGarry walked from the front door of the White House to his office.

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I find Sorkin's penchant for creating magical fantasylands where liberals are always brilliant, pure of heart, and infallible in their actions to be kind of perverse. Satire is effective; this is mere wishcasting.

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I was really looking forward to this and it didn't disappoint me at all. It also seems the first episode of any series is usually the worst or least interesting, so if I really enjoyed this, I have high hopes for the rest of the series.

Now I'm gonna see if I can use W-Z' "sorkening" and "sorgasm" in conversation at least a couple of times today.

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better see one of the two broads naked in the next episode or two or I'm out.

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KO will be kicking the dog screaming, "This is based on meeeeeee." No one else will be hearing him.

"I know how to spell his name. I have met the man twice!"

[Jenny]
Hi, my name is Jenny, I’m a sophomore and this for all three of you. Can you say in one sentence or less – what – (laughing in background) you know what I mean: “Can you say why America is the greatest country in the world?”

[Sharon]
Diversity and opportunity.

[Debate Moderator]
Louis

[Louis]
Ah freedom and freedom, let’s keep it that way.

[Debate Moderator]
Will?

[Will]
The New York Jets.

[audience laughs]

[Debate Moderator]
No, I’m gonna hold you to an answer on that. What makes America the greatest country in the world?

[Will]
Well, Louis and Sharon said it. Diversity and opportunity and freedom and freedom.

[Debate Moderator]
I’m not letting you go back to the airport without answering the question.

[Will]
Well, our Constitution is a masterpiece. James Madison was a genius. The Declaration of Independence is for me the single greatest piece of American writing.

[Will]
You don’t look satisfied.

[Debate Moderator]
One’s a set of laws and the other is a declaration of war. I want a human moment from you.

IT’S NOT

[Debate Moderator]
What about the people? Why is it...

[Will]
It’s NOT the greatest country in the world, Professor. That’s my answer.

[Debate Moderator]
You’re saying...

[Will]
Yes.

[Debate Moderator]
Let’s talk about...

[Will (Speaking to Sharon)]
Fine. Sharon, the NEA is a loser. Yeah, it accounts for a penny out of our paycheck, but he gets to hit you with it anytime he wants. It doesn’t cost money. It costs votes. It costs airtime. And column inches. You know why people don’t like liberals? Because they lose. If liberals are so fuckin’ smart then how come they lose so goddamn always?

[Sharon]
Hey

[Will (to Lewis)]
And with a straight face, you’re gonna sit there and tell students that America is so star-spangled awesome that we’re the only ones in the world who have freedom? Canada has freedom. Japan has freedom. The U.K. France. Italy. Germany. Spain. Australia. BELGIUM has freedom. (laughs) Two hundred and seven sovereign states in the world, like, a hundred and eighty of them have freedom.

[Debate Moderator]
All right...

[Will]
And you, Sorority Girl, just in case you accidentally wander into a voting booth one day, there’s some things you should know. One of them is there’s absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we’re the greatest country in the world. We’re seventh in literacy. Twenty-seventh in math. Twenty-second in science. Forty-ninth in life expectancy. A hundred and seventy-eighth in infant mortality. Third in median household income. Number four in labor force and number four in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: Number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real, and defense spending, where we spend more than the next twenty-six countries combined, twenty-five of whom are allies.

Now none of this is the fault of a twenty-year-old college student, but you nonetheless are without a doubt a member of the worst, period, generation, period, ever, period. So when you ask what makes us the greatest country in the world, I dunno what the fuck you’re talkin’ about. Yosemite?

(Audience surprised.)

[Will]
Sure used to be. We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reasons. We passed laws, struck down laws, for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not poor people. We sacrificed. We cared about our neighbors. We put our money where our mouths were. And we never beat our chest.

We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases, and we cultivated the world’s greatest artists and the world’s greatest economy. [pause] We reached for the stars. Acted like men.

We aspired to intelligence. We didn’t belittle it—it didn’t make us feel inferior.

We didn’t identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election, and we didn’t, oh, we didn’t scare so easy. Ha. We were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed. By great men. Men who were revered. First step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore. [pause] Enough?

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Thanks Terry Peeps. That was a rant that Josh Lymen or Toby Zeigler would have approved of.

It was reminiscent of the Toby beatdown of Mary Marsh and John Van Dyke in the premiere.

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