The West Wing
When I first heard about this debate, I was a little skeptical. Between the parade of guest stars and the announcement of a live stunt, I thought this thing had a whiff of Will & Grace desperation stink. And while it didn't reach the level of President Bartlet's debate drubbing of Rob Ritchie a few seasons back, it was still pretty darn exciting to watch Bobby Simone and Hawkeye Pierce get it on without a net.
First off, did we need Ellen DeGeneres playing host? I dig Ellen as much as the next guy (or girl), but she doesn't exactly ooze executive-branch gravitas. I was also kinda surprised they started with a backstage segment. I guess director Alex Graves really wanted to try his hand at a live West Wing walk-and-talk.
Wasn't Alan Alda's long opening pause great? For a minute, I thought he had lost it like Admiral James Stockdale in the 1992 VP debate. Vinick's gambit to dump the debate rules turned o
read more
The West Wing
When NBC's The West Wing presents its first-ever live broadcast on Sunday at 8 pm/ET, it will be an experiment not to see who might flub a line amid giggles and titters, but to shed light on the predictable pablum-dispensing exercises that presidential debates have become over the years, as candidates Congressman Matt Santos (played by Jimmy Smits) and Senator Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) make their strongest bids for the United States' highest office.
"It's very unusual in a [real] debate that a candidate is surprised by a question," notes West Wing executive producer John Wells. "They're usually very rehearsed. So we're planning to solicit questions via the Internet from people who are interested.
"We had a wonderful tradition in this
read more
The West Wing
Is it just me, or does it still seem weird to see Alan Alda as the first credit in the opening of The West Wing? Maybe it's because he's practically been invisible this season. Well, tonight the focus shifts to the Vinick camp. After two weeks of watching the learning curve of young Matt Santos, we get to see behind the curtain of a seasoned pro. Granted, the professionalism of "multitasking" is questionable. (Another reason to be glad I work at TV Guide: no meetings at the urinals.) Alda is ideal at playing the compromise inherent to big-time politics. You can see the wheels turning as he decides not to go negative or to court the Latino vote. He's a guy struggling between the need to do the right thing and his overwhelming desire to win, and it's this kind of tension that has always been at the heart of the show. It would be easy to portray the Republicans just as treacherous enemies. However, Vinick's staffers come off as thinking people of conviction (even
read more
NBC is now confirming what TV Guide first told you back in August: A live episode of The West Wing — featuring a debate between presidential candidates Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) — will air on Nov. 6. Two separate versions will be shot, one for the East Coast and one for the West. Everyone in between is once again screwed.
read more
Boston Legal
Question: Since this is the first time that I've ever really felt passionate about the Emmy Awards, I have to ask you — how can you stand it? Not only did I see my favorites lose, but my second choices as well. Terry O'Quinn and Alan Alda lost to Captain Kirk. Tony Shalhoub beat Jason Bateman and Zach Braff (and Ray Romano, for that matter). James Spader beat Hugh Laurie, Ian McShane and Kiefer Sutherland... Holy crap, Lost just won best drama. Forget I said anything. Emmy rules!
Answer: Loving those mood swings, Phil. Join the club. And let the rants begin. For the record, the post-Emmy e-mailbag was pretty close to 100 percent rants. I have to agree. (Check out my Dispatch from Monday for my complete morning-after analysis.) If there was unanimous scorn for anything, it was the double repeat wins of James Spader and William Shatner for Boston Legal. Again, I have to agree. In an era of remarkable drama on network and cable, these are the best dramatic performances? Not by a long
...
read more
Peter Jennings
During the 41 years Ted Koppel and Peter Jennings worked together at ABC News, Koppel knew where each one stood in the universe.
"He was known as the handsome one, and I was known as the smart one," Koppel said at a memorial service for Jennings held Tuesday at Carnegie Hall. "Over the course of the decades he was still known as the handsome one, and also as being very, very smart. I still was known as being the smart one."
Viewers knew Jennings as the confident, sophisticated and authoritative anchor of ABC World News Tonight. But at the service to celebrate his life — which ended Aug. 7 after a battle with lung cancer — he was most remembered as a devoted father who truly cared about the human condition.
Koppel recalled walking with Jennings in Manhattan's Upper West Side and being stopped by a homeless man who asked for money. "Peter stayed and talked to the man for about 10 minutes," he said. "He asked about his life and he listened." For year
read more
Question: I know I'm beginning to seem like a stalker with my constant questions about next season's The West Wing, but could you answer just one question: If Alan Alda wins the race, do you predict another season with him as president? (My prediction is yes to both.)
Answer: I'm still trying to get my brain around the concept of a West Wing stalker. (What, would you talk me to death?) Anyway, all will be answered once we see how well The West Wing does in its tough new Sunday time period. If it comes in, as I expect, way behind Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and even Cold Case, then I think the writing will be on the wall and no matter who succeeds Bartlet, the show will end when the season does. If the ratings polls are more favorable, then NBC will almost certainly stick with it, because what else does the network have going for it these days? My druthers: End the show when Bartlet and Co. vacate the premises ...
read more
Will Jimmy Smits win The West Wing's upcoming fake Democratic presidential nomination? We're guessing that's pretty much a yes, though NBC's making viewers wait until the sixth-season finale on April 6 for full confirmation. But more importantly, do Smits' fans — who by then will have enjoyed him for 18 of this season's 22 episodes — need to worry whether he'll return for WW's seventh (and possibly final) year?
"All of us players who have been involved this season will be part of next season, in some form or another," Smits confirms. Regarding his chances of beating out Alan Alda to succeed Martin Sheen as the prez, he says, "My hiatus will be a little bit like, 'Hmm... I wonder, wonder, wonder.' I'm OK anyway it goes. The way [executive producer] John Wells set it up, there's so much fodder for story lines that could happen, and we're all up for that."
Smits' fans everywhere just let out a collective "Phew!" B
read more
Back in 1979, Alan Alda played a Ted Kennedy-esque senator in The Seduction of Joe Tynan. He returns to fictional political office in tomorrow's West Wing (9 pm/ET on NBC). Although he's well-known to be a member of Hollywood's liberal set, Alda joins the cast as Republican senator — and presidential hopeful — Arnold Vinick. The M*A*S*H star denies having any political qualms about taking the role.
"Although this guy on The West Wing is a Republican, he's one of those [idyllic] candidates because he's moderate on social issues and conservative fiscally," Alda says. "He is willing to debate issues, looks to do good for his country and is not trying to use public service as a way to increase his holdings in the bank.
"What I'm trying to do with my character is to show what's possible in the democratic process, not look at how awful they are," he adds. "We see how awful it is every night on the news."
Alda
read more
