Newsroom. Anyone watching?

[BigRedChief]

First episode looks promising. I love excellent TV writing.

[Baby Lee]

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

? Does he recycle lines for different shows?

[blaise]

His dialogue always seems like, "Oh, look how clever I am!" to me.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by blaise

His dialogue always seems like, "Oh, look how clever I am!" to me.

What I'm trying to figure out is if Sorkin is smart enough to make Will look like a dope for correcting McKenzie on the Quixote/Horse/Donkey thing [Don actually did ride a horse, Sancho rode the donkey], or dumb enough to not know the difference.

[Omaha]

Originally Posted by blaise

His dialogue always seems like, "Oh, look how clever I am!" to me.

I agree. the cutesy-clever dialogue with rapid-fire delivery is fun to watch, but it doesn't sound natural at all.

[Baby Lee]

Great review

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2...e-for-optimism

The underlying thesis of The Newsroom is that the problems of TV news – no, the problems of news media – no, the problems of American political life – are really pretty easy to solve. What could turn things around, the story suggests, is one newsman who will look into a camera and speak the objective and easily discernible truth. And, it suggests, the only reason that hasn't happened anywhere (and is thus so revelatory) is that everyone in every media organization in the country is so obtuse that they've never thought of offering objective facts in a civil manner before, and is such a money-grubbing coward that they'd never do it if they did.

And the reason, under this same theory, that Americans are separated by deep and profound political divisions is simply that they don't know anything about anything. They are dumb and gullible and believe, en masse, whatever is put in front of them (MacKenzie calls one of the show's objectives "speaking truth to stupid"), the upside of which is that if you serve them better facts, you can improve them. That's the epiphany that comes to Will, and to his new executive producer MacKenzie McHale (Emily Mortimer), and to Charlie. It's so easy, they all realize. All you have to do is stop being a mindless stooge like everyone else is, and you can start to fix the fact that we are right now a nation of idiots. The title of the pilot episode is, in fact, "We Just Decided To," and that's absolutely, positively Sorkin's point: we fail each other not when we try but do not succeed, but when nobody "just decides to" do everything right.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Omaha

I agree. the cutesy-clever dialogue with rapid-fire delivery is fun to watch, but it doesn't sound natural at all.

Again, thats classic Sorkin. Thats what he does. It's clever not natural. Still its fun in its own way. No one does that. Like it or not, its orginal.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Great Expectations

I am an anti tea party independent who leans slightly right, although moving left more and more. About half of the show last night was talking about how dumb the tea party is and how their elected officials are a threat to our country. I agree with most of the sentiment, but I don't need to have politics thrown in my face for an hour when watching a HBO drama series.

I get that some of it is realistic in that all but one cable news show leans way left. The "news show" stated that they aren't going to push an agenda, but instead focus solely on the issues. That this "news show" is above all of that and the new direction is concentrating on the middle. Clearly over the 6-10 months in 2010 that the show covered there would be some things to criticize the left for, but all they did was pump anti right messages all night. It was the exact opposite of concentrating on the middle. Keith Olberman might as well have been the news anchor last night.

Dude, Did you not watch an episode of West Wing? He puts his politics in his art.

BTW, my new favorite phrase is "Speak truth to stupid".

[Omaha]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Again, thats classic Sorkin. Thats what he does. It's clever not natural. Still its fun in its own way. No one does that. Like it or not, its orginal.

You just restated everything I said.

[blaise]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Again, thats classic Sorkin. Thats what he does. It's clever not natural. Still its fun in its own way. No one does that. Like it or not, its orginal.

That's kind of the thing. Like it or not. I choose not.

[WoodDraw]

The last episode was the best so far, but I still find the parts where he's doing "the news" incredibly boring and annoying. And none of the characters are interesting yet. And since it's HBO and you're not talking about a long season, is there any time left to make them interesting?

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by WoodDraw

The last episode was the best so far, but I still find the parts where he's doing "the news" incredibly boring and annoying. And none of the characters are interesting yet. And since it's HBO and you're not talking about a long season, is there any time left to make them interesting?

Of course just need some nudity and sex.

[Great Expectations]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Dude, Did you not watch an episode of West Wing? He puts his politics in his art.

BTW, my new favorite phrase is "Speak truth to stupid".

I have never seen an episode of West Wing (I was in college at that time and didn't watch many prime time drama shows). I did watch a little bit of Sports Night and enjoyed it and he has made some pretty good movies like A Few Good Men, Charlie Wilson's War, The Social Network, and Moneyball.

[|Zach|]

Looking forward to the next one.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Again, thats classic Sorkin. Thats what he does. It's clever not natural. Still its fun in its own way. No one does that. Like it or not, its orginal.

Original, but inferior to Mamet.