The Newsroom

[Freya]

There is a brand new show on HBO that just started this past week. I just watched it (had it set to record and forgot about it oops!) It is amazing! Take this clip from it!

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If you are too lazy to watch that just have a graphic.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/548610_453824701303123_759200772_n.jpg

Anyone else catching this show? It's awesome and I'm really looking forward to the rest of the season of it!

HBO was nice enough to put it on youtube. The first episode that is. I'll youtube link it here but it's an hourish long!



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[Jinx]

Haha, I love that little picture thing. So true!

[Freya]

It seems the critics are very, well, critical of this show. A lot of people are disapproving of his last bit of that diatribe that's not in the graphic. They are taking his comment of "worst generation ever" and his comment full of nostalgia about america prior. What I think people are failing to realize is the character of Will, couldn't even get his younger assistants name right. I didn't take his "worst generation ever" statement to be fact but more of sarcasm and even if it wasn't, it's not like he's that tuned in with the younger generation anyway! The general concept of his rant is very much right. America is not the greatest anymore, but we could be! And I love that.

Apparently this series did better in it's opening than Game of Thrones! Ratings wise that is.

[Bunny]

I forgot this aired but I am definitely going to watch it. Aaron Sorkin makes solid shows and with the backing of HBO it should be prime boobie time.

[Nice]

Will certainly look out for this masterpiece.

[The Man]

Caught the pilot. It's good. Very good. Possibly the best thing Sorkin has done since The West Wing, even. (And I wasn't one of those people with an irrational hatred of The Social Network because it was about Facebook; I thought that was great too).

[Freya]

I was very impressed and i'm looking forward to tonights new episode!

[Del Murder]

Shoot, I forgot to tape this show.

The begining and the ending of the pilot episode were pretty good. The middle kind of bored me, to the point where I played PSP while listening to it because there was nothing on screen I really needed to see. The crap with Don Quixote was just wtf? I also didn't like the character the Law and Order guy played.

But it has promise and we'll see if it can smooth out the rough edges. Ease up on the preachy monalogues for starters. I mean, it's Sorkin so that's mandatory, but only have like 1 or 2 per episode.

[Freya]

I really enjoyed the new episode. It was more character driven than preachy with the news points thing. I like the maggie/jim dynamic. I don't care what people say :colbert: Neal is my favorite though. People are always talking in front of him and he's all "Uhhhhhhhh o.o"

[Miriel]

I fucking loooooove The West Wing, so I've been eagerly waiting for this show.

I thought the pilot was great/not-great. If that makes any sense. The parts that were good were REALLY good. But there was so much... Sorkin-isms. He over Sorkined himself. There were points where the monologues just got laughably bad.

But I have faith! I think this show could be really really good. But I don't mind that the critics are spanking Sorkin with the reviews. Maybe those criticisms will help reign him in.

[charliepanayi]

Well it's been renewed for a second season so interesting to see if Sorkin does decide to tone things down a bit.

Or maybe he just needs to get back on cocaine like he was for the first few seasons of The West Wing!

[Freya]

I really liked this episode. The formatting of it that is. After the last scene where he gets the text/email for the meeting that had been overarching the whole episode I was like "Oh damn."

[Del Murder]

I don't know about this show. It's trying to hard to be The West Wing and not even coming close. It should try to be its own thing. Way too preachy for a show about news. It's just a damn news show. It works a lot better when it's about the president because that actually matters. The first few minutes of this episode bored me and were completely unrealistic.

I also wish they didn't follow actuall events because that's boring. I don't want to watch a show making fun of Republicans for what they did in 2010. I already got that by watching Jon Stewart as it was happening. West Wing was cool because everything was fictional, so there could be some pretty crazy situations created.

The characters are also not that great. I cannot stand Maggie. I just want to crack her egg-shaped face every time I see it. Will is actually better now that he's less grumpy, but he's no Martin Sheen. Newsroom Jim is ok, but he's not as endearing as Office Jim (almost the same situation). Law & Order guy is overacting way too much. McKenzie is not that bad but she needs to tone it down. The rest of characters are bleh. Except for the Indian/Middle Eastern guy. I like him the best.

[Freya]

I like Neal the best too. i like how they are always having convos in front of him and he's all "O.O"

[Miriel]

This show is getting worse instead of better.

BE THE INTEGRITY was probably one of the worst lines of dialogue I've ever heard on a show.

And this third episode was such a mess. Did they really just zoom ahead 6 months into the timeline which is already 2 years behind our current time?

It got so damn preachy that I zoned off and read a book while it was playing. I NEVER do that when watching a show. It got really really bad. The stuff with Jim and Maggie is really bizarre just because it's pretty much the EXACT situation as Jim and Pam in The Office. Like, identical. It weirds me out. I loved Sam Waterston in Law and Order so seeing him just overact and ham up every scene in this show is really startling and bizarre. Tone it down man!

In fact, pretty much everyone has to tone it down, except Neal who really is the best. And oddly enough I think Olivia Munn is doing a great job too. I haaaated her on the Daily Show but she's really fabulous here. Pretty much the only competent, non-crazy female we've seen so far.

The monologues are achingly bad but the lightening quick quips are still delightful. I think I'll keep watching just because there is a chance it will get better.

[Freya]

Have you never seen a Sorkin show? This is kinda his formula. Long monologues and a bit of preachiness. It's kinda how those go.

Yeah I can see the Maggic/JIm comparison to Jim/pam thing but I loved that so I'm fine with seeing it again!

I actually liked this one better than episode two. So I don't get both of your "it bored me!" statements. But whatever.

I like Sam Waterston's crazy antics. They amuse me since in other stuff he was so much more calm. I like it. But that's just me.

[Trumpet Thief]

Despite their inherent flaws, I absolutely adore Sorkin shows. At least for the 'Newsroom', it looks like it's built for longevity, compared to 'Studio 60'.

That said, I'm only two episodes in and that could very well change. 'The West Wing' will always be the victor, regardless. :p

[Del Murder]

I actually liked this one better than episode two. So I don't get both of your "it bored me!" statements. But whatever.
The opening monologue went on for way too long, was super unrealistic, and was just not interesting. We alread knew everything he said in that monologue because that's the whole premise for this show. The point also could have been made in half that time. The rest of the episode wasn't as bad but this set it up terribly.

I've seen The West Wing and I love it. I've also seen Social Network and didn't care for it much. So maybe I'm just a West Wing fan instead of a Sorkin fan.

[Miriel]

Have you never seen a Sorkin show? This is kinda his formula. Long monologues and a bit of preachiness. It's kinda how those go.


I'm pretty sure I made it unequivocally, unambiguously, crystal clear that I have seen other Sorkin shows and that I KNOW the trademark Sorkin wheelhouse moves. So yeah, even for Sorkin this is over the top. That says something.

[Freya]

Alright.

[McLovin']

The old silly guy was awesome. "Can you give us the room?" "Get the fuck out." :D
I'll watch just for more of that kind of stuff.

Can't stand the weird-eyed, weird-headed blonde chick. She's psycho.

[Tavrobel]

Olivia Munn

non-crazy female

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I bet you loved episode 4.

[Del Murder]

Well, I gave this one a chance, but it's just not my bag. Way too much preaching, even for Sorkin. I liked the end of this episode and the stuff about Bigfoot but the lectures are just too boring and come out way too forced.

[McLovin']

Latest episode was really bad. I really didn't care. Also fuck Neil. Stupid character. The Jim and blonde chick dynamic is horrible and sooooo stuuuppiiiiiid. I give this show my stamp of disapproval.

[The Captain]

It needs Allison Janney.


Take care all.

[Tigmafuzz]

http://i.imgur.com/5goSj.jpg

[Bunny]

It is a good show, and I will continue to watch it, but it is really hard to avoid comparing it to Sports Night or The West Wing, since they are pretty similar in styles.

The biggest thing I dislike about it is how much it jumps around to try and cover the "big stories" that happen. It ruins any flow that the show might have.

[Clo]

This show is my latest addiction.

[The Man]

How to Write an Aaron Sorkin Script, by Aaron Sorkin (http://www.gq.com/entertainment/tv/blogs/the-stream/2012/06/how-to-write-a-monologue-like-aaron-sorkin.html)

[Del Murder]

How to write an Aaron Sorkin script, by Del Murder

*Open with an out-of-character out-of-place 5 minute preachy monalogue on a subject Aaron Sorkin cares about.

*Cut to: Two characters walking though a halway while having a conversation about the previous monalogue as well their personal lives.

*Cut to: The two characters walking through an office full of people while still having a deep and personal conversation, which goes something like this:

Character 1: Did you read the Johnson report yet?

Character 2: It's on my desk. I'm going to read it at lunch.

Random coworker: What are we going to do about the Johnson report?

Character 2: It's on my desk. I'll read it at lunch.

Character 1: So anyway, I'm getting a divorce from my husband because I'm pregnant with your child.

Random coworker 2: Johnson report?

Character 2: Desk. Lunch.

*Cut to: The two characters walking through another hallway, still in conversation.

*Cut to: The characters walking through a subway tunnel, still in conversation.

*Cut to: The characters walking through hellfire, still in conversation.

The Devil: Hey, did you see that Johnson report?

Character 2: It's on my desk and I'll read it at lunch!!

*Cut to: The characters entering an office, still in conversation. They sit down and immediately get interruped by a coworker informing them of some crisis involving, you guessed it, the Johnson report. Scene end.

[Jinx]

I need to watch this show, Del Murder.

[Raistlin]

Overall, I like the show. It is full of preachiness which at times is unbearable, but it is entertaining. Well, until the latest episode, which was just intolerably bad. It was absolutely nothing except for a tribute to bin Laden's death, which was frustratingly vapid even as it was happening. Even Maggie, who I can generally count on for a laugh, is just starting to get old. I don't know how anyone dislikes Charlie, though. Crazy, bow-tied Sam Waterston is great.

Minor nitpick: I found it mildly amusing that a show critical about lying in the news so flagrantly lied about the Citizens United decision (it did NOT allow corporations to "donate unlimited amounts of money to any political candidate without anyone knowing where the money was coming from"), and ignored the legitimate criticisms of it in favor of pulling a Glenn Beck-style "FOLLOW THE MONEY!" to trace the funding of amicus briefs (http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Amicus+brief), of all the ridiculous non-issues to get worked up about. But at least they only discussed it briefly to take another shot at the Koch brothers. It's also disappointing to see the show even weighing in on one of the most asinine left vs. right political debates: who is more evil, George Soros or the Koch brothers?