Aaron Sorkin Fires Majority of Newsroom Writers
The Newsroom was recently renewed for its second season, but it appears that not everyone is making a return. According to The Daily, creator Aaron Sorkin laid off the majority of the writing staff. Sources report, “They’re not coming back, except for Sorkin’s ex-girlfriend [Corinne Kinsbury].”... read more
Found in: TV, NewsThe Newsroom Review: "I'll Try to Fix You" (Episode 1.04)
I admit, for the first few episodes of HBO’s The Newsroom, I was hate-watching. I searched for nits to pick—not that Aaron Sorkin made it particularly difficult—and was reluctant to accept any merits the series might have held. The fourth episode, however, made it abundantly clear that Sorkin’s newest creation is nearly devoid of value. The episode opens with a New Year’s Eve party in the ACN studios, where Will is curmudgeonly sitting in the dark, wearing a tuxedo and desperately waiting to explain his attire to innocent passersby. In the events of the party, our beloved Neal shifts from... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsThe Newsroom Review: "The 112th Congress" (1.03)
Between airings of the second and third episode of The Newsroom, HBO announced the series’ renewal for a sophomore season. It seems the only way the network will end this trainwreck and put everyone out of our collective misery is if a horse dies on set. read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsIn Defense of The Newsroom
Fresh off winning the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Social Network, Aaron Sorkin probably wasn’t expecting to become the Internet’s new whipping boy after the first couple episodes of his latest TV drama The Newsroom. read more
Found in: Blogs, High GravityThis Week In News
Even with the Fourth of July putting everyone in hotdog-filled good spirits, this week started on a sad note as beloved actor Andy Griffith died from a heart attack at 86. Kanye West also snagged headlines everywhere when he premiered “New God Glow” at the B.E.T. awards, a song off his upcoming album. Indie music lovers were also plagued with a few unfortunate lineup changes as Girls lost frontman Christopher Owens, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s bassist and guitarist announced their last show. Amy Winehouse‘s estate (by way of her father) revealed that there’s still enough material for one... read more
Found in: NewsHBO's True Blood and The Newsroom Renewed
It may come as a shock to no one that True Blood has been renewed for another season, according to TV Line.True Blood‘s “the wait is almost over” ad campaign isn’t exactly indicative of poor ratings, but HBO might be taking a small gamble on The Newsroom. The network must have faith that Aaron Sorkin and company can overcome any early criticisms to become a regular in HBO’s summer lineup.... read more
Found in: TV, NewsThe Newsroom Review: "News Night 2.0" (Episode 1.02)
After the last week’s premiere of The Newsroom, a video popped up on the internet—surely to Aaron Sorkin’s chagrin—that showed all the instances of repeated lines in Sorkin films and TV shows. (You can view it here). Taken at face value, this isn’t something to fret about. Quentin Tarantino, for example, steals from himself almost as much as he steals from others, and it doesn’t diminish the quality of his work. The problem this repetition presents in Sorkin’s work is that his shows purport to portray the inner workings of specialized groups of people. When everything is the same, his... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsThe Newsroom Review: "We Just Decided To" (Episode 1.01)
As far as TV shows go, The Newsroom is remarkable. Its cast is incredible, its production values are sky-high, and its writing is intelligent in ways seldom seen on Two and a Half Men. Unfortunately, The Newsroom is not TV; it’s HBO. Further, television’s golden boy, Aaron Sorkin, writes the series. Because of these two leading characteristics, expectations for the show are understandably much higher than they would be for whatever CBS and ABC plan to trot out during primetime. Compared to the standard established during the past several years by HBO and AMC, early returns on The Newsroom are... read more
Found in: TV, Reviews12 TV Shows To Watch This Summer
Summer TV is no longer the land of re-runs. This year, June and July host plenty of promising series debuts and the return of a few of our favorite shows. read more
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