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August 30, 2005
'Psych' cast makes sense for USA pilot
By Andrew Wallenstein
Reuters
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Newcomer James Roday will star in "Psych," a lighthearted USA Network drama pilot about an amateur detective who cons the police into believing he has psychic powers that help him solve crimes.
Roday ("The Dukes of Hazzard") plays the bogus psychic, and Dule Hill ("The West Wing") plays his best friend.
Roday's addition lifts the cast contingency off the project, the first of several pilots USA is expected to greenlight in anticipation of settling on at least one series to introduce next summer.
USA is looking for a project that could fit into its new "characters welcome" branding alongside "Monk." The hit detective show ranks as basic cable's No. 1 original show in USA's adults 25-54 target demo, with just under 2.4 million viewers for the season to date.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Posted by Jo at 02:26 PM
August 29, 2005
‘West Wing’ Actor Sheen
By Michael Harvey
Lone Star Iconoclast
CRAWFORD — Cindy Sheehan and Camp Casey received a huge boost Sunday, both in support and in morale. Actor Martin Sheen came to visit. It had been rumored for some time that Sheen might make an appearance, and today, it came to fruition.
Sheen arrived around 5:30 p.m. with very little fanfare, and was greeted warmly by the crowd. Judging by the hugs and kisses, it was obvious that he and some of the Camp Casey clan already knew each other. After a five-minute photo session, Sheen retreated to the trailer that had been setup for Cindy Sheehan, where he was introduced to some family members of fallen soldiers.
It was described as a very passionate time that included many hugs, kisses, smiles, and even a few tears. Sheen was warm and friendly, and eagerly had his photo taken with many people. The time that Sheen spent near the trailer was a low-key, intimate, and personal time.
After some singing and talking on the stage, it was time for Sheen and Sheehan. Joining the two on stage were Iraqi veterans and family members of those who had fallen in Iraq. Sheen began his speech with a brief history of vigils.
“It is an Irish tradition. When a person had a disagreement with a landlord, for example, that person would stand vigil outside that landlord’s home until he came out to talk with them,” he said. “You all know what I do for a living, but this is what I do to stay alive.”
The crowd roared after hearing that.
Sheen continued to speak for a few minutes, and was followed by Sheehan, who spoke of how her son was a devoted Catholic and of how everyone who knew him knew how strong his faith was. She told of how, when his body was brought home to America, 11 Catholic Rosaries had been placed with him by his fellow soldiers. That gave her some peace, she said.
During Sheehan’s speaking, Sheen spent more time greeting soldiers and the families of soldiers.
He again was willing to shake hands, give hugs, pose for photos, and sign autographs for anyone who asked.
Sheen then rejoined Sheehan on stage, and along with about 10 other people, they began a Rosary vigil. After each prayer of the Rosary that Sheen said, Sheehan called out the name of a fallen soldier. Many tears were shed during this vigil, which lasted nearly an hour.
Sheehan called out the name of approximately 50 fallen soldiers. Following the vigil was a time of singing, including “Amazing Grace.” Fittingly, during the line “Bright shining as the sun,” a yellow-orange glow from the sun shone through the tent and onto the stage. Until that moment, the sun had been blocked all day by an overcast sky.
After the singing concluded, Sheehan and Sheen each spoke to the crowd briefly before heading to the field of crosses that has been erected at Camp Casey II. Along the way, the two posed for pictures with members of Iraq Veterans Against the War. They then moved to the middle of the field that contained crosses, flags, and flowers and were joined by approximately 20 friends, and observed a moment of silence. This moment of silence preceded the playing of “Taps” by Lance Corporal Jeff Key and the singing of “God Bless America.”
Sheehan and Sheen then knelt in front of Casey Sheehan’s cross and said a prayer together. Cindy wept, and after hugging Sheen goodbye, retreated to her trailer. The actor then made one last round of goodbyes, again stopping to hug and thank as many people as he could.
Sheen’s visit to Camp Casey II was described by many as powerful and meaningful. It was a stirring way to begin the final few days of the protest and vigil near Crawford.
Posted by Jo at 12:31 PM
August 24, 2005
West Wing actor to help launch UJA Federation campaign
by Frances Kraft
Canadian Jewish News
Joshua Malina’s first day of work on the set of the West Wing, where he plays White House speech writer Will Bailey, fell on Rosh Hashanah. Malina chose to observe the holiday instead.
“Being Jewish is really important to me in a daily way,” the 39-year-old actor said last week in a phone interview from his home in Malibu.
Career and religion began to intersect for him four years ago when he became a regular on the Jewish speaking circuit. On Sept. 1, he will talk about “Being Jewish in Hollywood: A Look Behind the Scenes” at UJA Federation of Greater Toronto’s 2006 campaign launch at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. Israeli musician David Broza will perform at the same event.
In 2001, Malina took part in a Los Angeles rally supporting Israel. He was very disappointed – “appalled,” he said – at the dearth of Jewish celebrities on the dais, and said so in an interview with the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles that kick-started his Jewish speaking involvement.
The rally, he said, “wasn’t really a political event. Israel has a right to exist. It wasn’t about supporting [Israeli prime minister Ariel] Sharon or [a particular] government policy.”
Malina – who is also passionate about poker and is executive producer of Celebrity Poker Showdown – said he has many friends and colleagues “whose inclination is in support of Israel, but who sometimes feel a little cowed, or daunted, by the type of things they hear that are critical of Israel.”
He feels it’s important to become educated about Israel. “Anyone with any kind of sophistication realizes it’s not black and white. There’s a way to care about Israel and still have opinions about what’s going on… Let’s start from the point that Israel has a right to exist in a peaceful way.”
Malina, who majored in theatre at Yale University, expressed some hesitancy about his role as a spokesperson – he’s an actor, not a Middle East affairs expert, he pointed out. But, he said, “for better or worse,” people will seek out his opinions because of what he does for a living. “I’ve realized that there’s an up-side. I have an opportunity to support Israel in a public way.”
A Jewish day school alumnus who grew up in New Rochelle, N.Y., Malina and his wife, who have two young children, keep a kosher home and put up a sukkah at Sukkot.
Their lifestyle is not incompatible with his career, he said. “We don’t live a very Hollywood lifestyle.” On the few occasions he has had a conflict with a Jewish holiday, his employers have always accommodated him, he said.
In June, Malina visited Israel with his father. He said he felt comfortable immediately. It was his first trip there in 11 years, and he figured it was time to put his money where his mouth is, as he put it. Although others were concerned for his safety, he said that if he made it to the Los Angeles airport, he would have made it through the most dangerous part of the journey.
Posted by Jo at 06:31 PM
August 17, 2005
Garofalo Joins 'West Wing' Campaign
zap2it.com
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Janeane Garofalo, who's not shy about airing her real-life political views, will enter the fictional political world of "The West Wing" this fall.
The "Reality Bites" star will appear in three episodes of the NBC drama this season, playing a media strategist hired by Democratic presidential hopeful Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits). Her advice to move away from political gamesmanship and start speaking directly to voters ruffles feathers within the Santos campaign, including those of Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford).
Her first episode is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 2 ("The West Wing" is moving away from its long-time Wednesday home this season to 8 p.m. ET Sundays).
Garofalo, who first gained notice as part of "The Ben Stiller Show," earned two Emmy nominations for her role as Paula on "The Larry Sanders Show" and also did a short stint on "Saturday Night Live" in the mid-1990s. This spring, she starred in an NBC comedy pilot called "All In," which wasn't picked up.
In addition to "Reality Bites," her movie credits include "Cop Land," "The Truth about Cats & Dogs," "The Matchmaker" and "Wonderland." She also co-hosts a show on the liberal Air America radio network.
Posted by Jo at 06:32 PM
August 15, 2005
Tuned In: Group reshaping indecency debate
By Rob Owen
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- TV Watch, an advocacy group that started within the past few months with assistance from NBC Universal, News Corp. (corporate parent of Fox) and Viacom (corporate parent of CBS), is trying to move the public debate over indecency on TV away from what its leaders say is a vocal few and toward parental control and a minimum of government interference.
The formation of TV Watch follows numerous complaints about indecent TV -- an unbleeped profanity in a live telecast here, worries over a rebroadcast of "Saving Private Ryan" there -- that snowballed in the wake of Janet Jackson's breast-baring during the Super Bowl telecast in 2004.
TV Watch's Web site, www.televisionwatch.org, explains its primary goals: Americans should determine what is seen and heard in their own homes based on their own personal tastes. The TV industry should rate programs and promote awareness of ratings tools. The group warns, "Either we take responsibility for what our children watch or the government will decide what all of us can watch."
That's a logical and reasonable approach, and "American Dreams" executive producer Jonathan Prince appeared on a TV Watch panel late Friday and encouraged other show runners to take greater responsibility for what's on TV.
"Sometimes we are cavalier about the responsibility we have," he said. "If we police ourselves better and they still come down on us, then I think we have a problem. But part of the problem lies in our own lack of moderating our behavior in order to, what? Shock an audience? Get people to write about us? So people get buzz and the network gets ratings? That cavalier attitude has put networks in a dangerous place."
Again, Prince takes a smart, measured approach.
Then it all went to, uh, downhill.
Richard Schiff, who plays liberal White House staffer Toby Ziegler on "The West Wing," said his character will be phased out this season by what he described as mutual consent. But then he tried to blame his departure on the corporate culture at Warner Bros., which produces the series.
"There is pressure to relieve him of his voice," Schiff said. Later he backtracked, saying it was not direct corporate control but that the studio had an influence on the show's budget. Yes, the studio does, and that's why it's called show business. "We're in a bottom line culture right now," Schiff said. "More money can be made if it's quicker, faster. In the days of Aaron Sorkin, it was quite expensive because his artistic process demanded more time. That has been eliminated."
After the press conference, Schiff continued to back away from his initial tone.
"I'm not accusing Warner Bros. of suppressing Toby in any way, shape or form," Schiff said. "It's not some suit at Warner Bros. that goes, 'That Toby, we've got to suppress him.' I know it sounded like that, but it's not what I mean, and that's stupid."
Basically, Schiff's frustration boils down to an artist who said his suggestions for his character were more often heeded under original show runner Sorkin than current show runner John Wells. But that has little to do with TV Watch or the FCC's rash of fines over content.
Schiff said he's contracted for 11 episodes this year, and other actors will also appear in fewer episodes to accommodate a smaller budget that resulted from lower ratings. At the same time, he and other cast members will get the same pay for the episodes they are in as they have in the past.
"It's not a bad deal," Schiff acknowledged.
No, it's really not.
Posted by Jo at 07:54 PM
August 10, 2005
Will & Grace, West Wing Go Live!
by Matt Webb Mitovich
TVGuide.com
How do you breathe new life into aging TV shows? By going live! At least that's the plan for two Emmy-nominated NBC series, The West Wing and Will & Grace.
The West Wing is planning to do a live special during November sweeps that will revolve around a heated debate between presidential hopefuls Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda). "We are in negotiations with NBC to do a live debate," confirms the show's executive producer, John Wells. "We would actually film the hour leading up to the debate, the on-stage [action], all the backstage [stuff] and the aftermath."
Meanwhile, on Sept. 29 Will & Grace will kick off its eighth and final season by doing two separate live telecasts at 8:30 pm Eastern and Pacific times. "I think it's great," says star Eric McCormack. "We've always wanted to do something special, like a musical episode or a live episode."
Although the Will & Grace broadcasts will, of course, include some serious gags, little will be left to chance. "We'll rehearse more, that's for sure," insists McCormack. "We usually don't rehearse that much because we like to keep it fresh, but we probably shouldn't make as many mistakes in the live episode."
But all the rehearsal time in the world can't guarantee there won't be live and uncensored outbursts of laughter, should the Will & Grace players get caught up in a moment. "Sean [Hayes] is a cracker-upper," notes McCormack. "But I think we'll all be on our game. I think it'll actually be exhilarating how on our game we are."
One thespian's exhilaration, however, is another's anxiety. Who does McCormack predict will be the most nerve-racked going into the without-a-net venture? "I imagine somebody is, but I don't want to be the one to say [who]." He laughs. "It ain't me. I'm excited." — Additional reporting by Mary Murphy and Michael Ausiello
Posted by Jo at 10:15 AM
El Dorado native Graves nominated for an Emmy
By STEVE SMITH
El Dorado Times
One night in September a name familiar to many El Doradoans may also be broadcast across the nation.
El Dorado native Alex Graves has been involved with the NBC television drama series "West Wing" almost from the beginning - in fact, he joined the series at its sixth episode.
Nominations for the 57th annual prime time Emmy Awards (for the period of June 1 of last year through May 31 of this year) were announced July 14 by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
The awards presentation telecast - awarding the Emmys in 27 categories before a black-tie audience - will be telecast Sunday, Sept. 18 from the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium by CBS.
This year it could be Graves' turn to accept a singular honor for his work with the series.
When the Emmy Award nominations were announced that list includes Graves, who was nominated for outstanding directing for a drama series.
Graves was the director for the "2,162 Votes" season finale episode of "West Wing," which aired on April 6.
Graves said El Doradoans and the rest of the nation will have another opportunity to see that show in September, when the series begins another season.
Graves was a director for the series during the first two seasons he was involved with it.
He started producing the show in his third season, then moved into the role of executive producer before becoming fulltime producer/director beginning this season.
Now, Graves said, he's moving into another facet of the show; for the first time, he said, he's writing an episode for "West Wing."
That episode, which will run during the upcoming new season, is scheduled to air in October, he said.
Graves said working with the cast of "West Wing" - people who are "wonderful actors"- has been one of his most rewarding experiences in being involved with the show.
Also, he said, "working with political consultants from Washington and learning how the presidency really works continues to be really fascinating."
Graves said "we get lots of people in Washington" calling all the time to comment on the show.
"We seem to have as many Republican fans as Democrats," he quipped, adding "some of our biggest fans are Republican and Democratic members of government."
Graves said people in Washington contact the show all the time to "back up what we do" with the "West Wing" series.
He said it's a "big compliment" to hear those kinds of accolades, adding those are coming from people who understand "it's very hard to get it right."
Graves said people in Washington are also complimentary of the series because it helps to tell the nation's television viewing audience "not everybody in government is corrupt."
Posted by Jo at 10:13 AM
August 09, 2005
Actor Martin Sheen held at no-nukes protest
CBC Arts
Actor Martin Sheen, known for playing fictional U.S. president Josiah Bartlet on The West Wing, was detained on the weekend for his part in a protest that commemorated the bombing of Hiroshima.
Sheen was released Sunday after being taken into custody on the fringes of the Nevada Test Site.
Along with about 180 other protesters, Sheen was issued a citation for trespassing after crossing police lines Saturday to step onto the desolate outdoor range.
The protest marked the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima during the Second World War.
The Nevada Test Site was used by the U.S. government for decades as a proving ground for nuclear weapons.
Before agreeing to appear in NBC's White House drama as the Liberal Democrat Bartlet, Sheen carved out a career in features such as Apocalypse Now and Wall Street.
He is also known as an outspoken peace activist, and has used his star power to champion a number of other causes. He garnered headlines in 2003 for speaking out against the impending U.S. invasion of Iraq.
The protest in Nevada was one of a number that took place around the world on Saturday.
Other events were also held to mark the bombing, including a concert last week in Hiroshima, headlined by guitarist Carlos Santana.
The destruction of Hiroshima was the first time in the history of warfare that an atomic bomb had been used. A second was dropped in Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945, bringing the war to an end.
According to a spokesperson for the test site, authorities in Nevada's Nye County won't pursue in court the citations that were issued on the weekend.
Posted by Jo at 07:06 PM
Stars in the war of the roses
By ADAM NICHOLS
New York Daily News
It was "The West Wing" that made him famous, but it's the north border of his backyard that has put Bradley Whitford at the center of a war of the roses.
The actor, who plays Josh Lyman on the NBC hit show, has been slapped with a lawsuit that claims he relandscaped his elderly neighbor's garden while she nursed her dying husband in the hospital.
The work began after Whitford had his property surveyed in 1998 and found a 5-foot-wide strip of land, previously considered to belong to Nancy Simpson, was legally his. The lawsuit said Simpson wasn't told about the survey.
Simpson contends that while she was busy tending to her husband, Whitford had his workers rip out her roses and fences, redirect sewage pipes and plant trees that block the sunlight.
She said all this was done although the workers never had permission to be on her land.
"The conduct of Whitford ... was willful, spiteful, intentional, malicious, despicable, fraudulent and oppressive towards Mrs. Simpson," said the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles, where the feuding neighbors live.
"As Dr. Simpson was dying in the hospital, Mr. Whitford came onto the Simpson property without any permission ... and removed ... a 6-foot-tall chain-link fence," the suit said. "Climbing roses had become attached to the removed chain link fence. Some were damaged and others destroyed by Whitford."
The complaint is also leveled against Whitford's wife, "Malcolm in the Middle" star Jane Kaczmarek.
"We believe this is a baseless and malicious lawsuit and an unfortunate waste of the court's time," a spokesman for Whitford and Kaczmarek said.
According to the suit, Whitford:
Ripped down a wooden fence, trampled plants and fenced off land Simpson thought was hers.
Dug up a sewer line and reinstalled it in a different position.
Installed fake-stone facing on a wall belonging to Simpson, and put in other landscaping. The lawsuit claims he called her property "ugly."
Planted 21 trees alongside a stretch of the boundary. They are now up to 16 feet tall.
Put in 14 trees along another stretch. Now 11 feet tall, they block the sunlight on Simpson's property, she claims.
The lawsuit said the actions were "so utterly intolerable as to go beyond all reasonable bounds of decency in a civilized community."
Simpson is seeking an unspecified amount of damages.
Originally published on August 7, 2005
Posted by Jo at 07:00 PM
August 05, 2005
A change in direction in store for West Wing?
by Tom Jicha
Sun-Sentinel
Beverly Hills, Calif. · White House fever can afflict even actors playing fictional characters with presidential aspirations.
The West Wing white paper on handling the election between politicians played by Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda is in flux. It has been widely assumed Smits would win -- partly because he is a Democrat, like the other regulars, and partly because he has made more of a commitment to the NBC drama, which moves to Sunday in the fall.
Alda, however, has gotten caught up in the spirit of the contest and has made it known he would be available for more episodes. "It's funny," NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly said. "They went in with a pretty clear idea when they made these deals with Jimmy and Alan. But they're kind of getting the fever a little bit. Alan, who initially said, `Oh, I'm only going to do X number of episodes,' said, `Well, I could do more if you want me to.' All of a sudden, I think collectively they're going, `We thought the election was going to go this way. Maybe we could let it seek its own course.'"
The uncertainty has already resulted in a significant change of plans. Election Day was going to be early in the fall. Now it will probably be postponed until deeper into the season. The longer it is delayed, the more possible it is that Alda's Republican candidate could win. This is considered to be the series' final year, so a late-season upset would not entail casting a whole new support staff for an administration of a different party.
"They just want to see how much fun they have with this thing," Reilly said. "They've got some really good surprises in store."
Posted by Jo at 08:20 PM
West Wing limps toward perhaps its final season
by Bill Goodykoontz
Arizona Republic
Remember when The West Wing was good?
Granted, it'll tax your memory trying to reach back that far. Back in the day, Aaron Sorkin's version of political wish-fulfillment was a TV lovers' dream, full of dialogue - almost of it written by Sorkin in a herculean feat - that flowed through the excellent cast and managed a neat trick, not just to entertain but at times to inspire.
Plus, other than Apocalypse Now, it's the only role I've ever liked Martin Sheen in.
Those glory days are gone. So is Sorkin, from the show at least, exiting in a reported wake of personal demons, missed deadlines and blown budgets (and, truthfully, lesser scripts at the end). Gone also are the walking-and-talking scenes that served as the show's glue.
But The West Wing marches on. It'll be back in the fall, the new and presumably last season centering on the presidential election, which pits Democrat Matthew Santos (Jimmy Smits) and Republican Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda). NBC is showing back-to-back episodes tonight that will help you get the lay of the land of the current version of the show, and help you decide which candidate you're pulling for.
Producers swear it's not a given that Santos will win, even though Smits would obviously play right into the younger demographic that advertisers covet. And although Smits is OK in the role, I'm a Vinick man, myself. It's great to see Alda back on television in a meaty role, and this one affords him plenty of opportunity to make big, thoughtful speeches. From what we've seen, he's far from a reactionary; instead (and this is getting back into wish-fulfillment territory), he's a thoughtful conservative who listens to all sides of an issue and usually takes the most sensible position.
It won't make you forget Hawkeye Pierce. And it won't make you forget those first three or four great seasons of The West Wing. But at least it's something, and the way this show has declined, that's about all we can hope for.
Posted by Jo at 08:03 PM
Days in White House numbered
The Cincinnati Post
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - The Bartlets are packing their White House bags. "I think they'll be gone by Christmas," said Stockard Channing who plays first lady Abbey Bartlet in "The West Wing."
Channing said she is signed up for only three episodes as the first lady and expects President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) to be written out of the show by then.
Channing plays a very different character - a wisecracking divorced doctor - in the new CBS sitcom, "Out of Practice."
There will be a "West Wing" election campaign in fall episodes between candidates played by Jimmy Smits and Allan Alda. Channing, who won an Emmy for her "West Wing" role and is nominated again this year, doesn't know who the next "president" will be.
It's a unique gamble by producers in which the show's ensemble cast could be replaced by the end of the season with a new president.
"I don't think I've ever seen that kind of forum on television," Channing said. "So, how they're going to play it, I think they don't know yet."
Channing's co-star in her new sitcom is Henry Winkler.
They play a divorced couple with three grown, single semi-dysfunctional children.
Winkler will abandon his great role in "Arrested Development" as an inept attorney for the new sitcom. One thing he can never get away from is "jumping the shark."
The phrase has been coined to describe a TV show that loses its creative edge, a reference to Winkler's Fonzie on water ski's jumping over a shark in a late '70s "Happy Days" episode.
Winkler said he's not put off by the reference, noting the show remained a hit for the next six years after the shark stunt. And besides, it made his parents happy.
"My parents were from Germany," he said, "and I was a water ski instructor as a counselor in camp. They would say to me, "Tell zem you water ski. Zis vill be good for the Fonz."
Posted by Jo at 07:59 PM
Channing ready for White House goodbye
The Arizona Republic
BEVERLY HILLS - Shows don't just get dreamed up a week before they're put on the air, you know.
No, there's something called "pilot season," a mad dash to get a single episode made to try to sell it to networks for fall. This requires, in addition to scripts and crews and such, one more big ingredient: actors. Trouble is, a lot of the ones you'd want are busy acting in existing shows. It's an awkward situation, but sometimes you see the writing on the wall. Stockard Channing, for instance, still has a three-episode commitment on NBC's The West Wing, but that didn't stop her from getting cast in Out of Practice, a CBS comedy for fall. She knew her time as first lady was winding down.
"When all those crates are being packed in the White House," she said, "you kind of get the hint."
Posted by Jo at 07:56 PM
Award-winning writer ponders past/present
By JIM GRANSBERY
Billings Gazette
When the remains of slain soldiers are returned to their families, they are tagged viewable or nonviewable depending on the violence of their death and the limits of mortuary art.
The author of a new book, centered on the death of a cousin in Vietnam, uses the title "Remains: Non-viewable" as the metaphor for his own life and times and for the current milieu in the United States.
John Sacret Young, co-creator of "China Beach," a dramatic series set in Vietnam, and producer of "The West Wing," which earned an Emmy nomination last week for best TV dramatic series, said the "lying of the '60s is well on its way of replicating itself" in regard to Iraq.
Young, who has a home near Roscoe, will be the one to collect the Emmy if "The West Wing" wins this year. He received a Golden Globe and a People's Choice Award for "China Beach."
At 59, he is among the eldest of the baby boomers. In contrasting his own life and work to that of his father, uncle and his close first cousin, Doug, who died in Vietnam in December 1969, Young's memoir takes a harsh look at his life, viewing the remains that were submerged over the past 35 years.
The dead don't care how they look.
"We think they do somehow; and many funeral directors facilitate our wishes. With their blessing, we seek to make the dead look alive," Young writes. "Aren't our memories the same?"
Memories become stories and through them "They become history; they become prayer; they become our afterlife. We tell them so that we can live. They are what we have to refute death," he writes.
Young puts a sharp lens to his past: His relationship to his alcoholic father, his failed relationships with women, including an affair with "China Beach" star Dana Delaney, and the long unknown facts of his cousin's death. Doug's death was by "friendly fire," a term of Orwellian paradox that finds a home in the current U.S. war.
Memory, Young said, is a mixture of facts and truth. "There is a subtle difference there."
"China Beach" was not one story, but of many of the men and women who served. "Many of those stories were locked up inside themselves," Young said.
"Now we have the 'never served' sending men and women into the conflict in Iraq," he said. The atmosphere today is "If you served in Vietnam, somehow you are suspect," he said referring to the political attacks against Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., during the 2004 presidential campaign. "It seems that even (Sen. John) McCain is marked by that service."
"This is a more hidden war," Young said, and the percentage of men and women serving is low because of the all-volunteer army.
"It exists without us knowing anything," he said. "There is no societal impact because it is not our neighbor, brother sister or cousins" as it was in previous conflicts.
Young said the United States has "entered a place we do not know or understand; without doing our homework about its geography, culture or topography."
"There were no weapons of mass destruction and no (Iraqi) terrorists linked to 9/11," he said. "Iraq is a wound that will play across the next decade."
He emphasized "The West Wing" series "is a parallel universe that does not intersect with reality. It is how we wished government worked, an attempt to deal with our higher selves."
The next season will feature a "presidential campaign we wish we could get," he said. "Based on issues and character. People you can admire who are not craven and melodramatic."
Posted by Jo at 07:53 PM