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December 19, 2005
'West Wing' challenged by death
cnn.com
LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- The death on Friday of actor John Spencer, a cornerstone of the ensemble on "The West Wing" since its 1999 debut, is sure to send the show's writing team back to the drawing board for the second half of what could be the show's final season.
Spencer's character, former Bartlet administration chief of staff turned vice presidential candidate Leo McGarry, has played a key role in the election-year story line of the Emmy-winning White House drama this season. McGarry is now the running mate of fiery liberal Democratic congressman Matt Santos, played by Jimmy Smits, one of the candidates vying to succeed Martin Sheen's President Josiah Bartlet in the fictional Oval Office.
Another complication for "West Wing" writers in dealing with the real-life drama of Spencer's death from a heart attack at age 58 is the fact that his character was seen in a flash-forward sequence set three years in the future in the sixth season "West Wing" opener that aired in September. (In an eerie life-meets-art parallel, Spencer's character suffered a heart attack last season but recovered quickly enough to take on a bruising presidential campaign.)
"West Wing" was on a scheduled production hiatus for the holidays at the time of Spencer's death -- the actor died less than a day after he checked into a Los Angeles hospital with a bad cold, according to his publicist. Writers and producers for the series are expected to gather this week to decide how to handle the remainder of the season, a studio spokeswoman said.
Spencer appeared in seven of the 14 episodes of "West Wing" has completed for its sixth season as of last week, according to "West Wing" producer Warner Bros. Television. Nine of those 14 episodes have already aired; "West Wing" isn't scheduled to air a new episode until January. (Warner Bros. Television is a division of Time Warner, as is CNN.)
At its peak, "The West Wing" ranked among primetime's most-watched series, but the much-praised drama has struggled ratings-wise during the past few seasons. This fall, the show relocated from its longtime home on Wednesday to the Sunday 8 p.m. slot, where it has ranked 50th among network primetime series with an average of 8.2 million viewers and a 2.3 rating/5 share in the adults 18-49 demographic. As such, "West Wing" was already seen as a long shot to be renewed for a seventh year next fall.
The challenge now facing the "West Wing's" creative team recalls the situation producers of "The Sopranos" dealt with in 2000 following the death of Nancy Marchand, who played the pivotal role of villainous mob matriarch Livia Soprano. To wrap up her story line, "Sopranos" producers used old pieces of dialogue and CGI techniques to briefly insert Marchand's face on a body double.
In late December 2004, "Law & Order" veteran Jerry Orbach died shortly before the premiere of the NBC spinoff "Law & Order: Trial by Jury." Producers and the network decided to air the episodes in which Orbach was featured, though the show ultimately proved short-lived.
Actor John Ritter died in September 2003 on the eve of the sophomore-season debut of his promising ABC comedy "8 Simple Rules." Producers decided to reflect real life by writing the lead character's shocking death into the story line. "8 Simple Rules" continued for two more seasons but never regained the ratings momentum it lost along with its star.
Posted by MorganG at 01:02 PM
"West Wing" Star's Sudden Death
By Joal Ryan
E! Online
Tragically, for John Spencer, life didn't imitate art.
A year after his West Wing alter ego survived a heart attack, Spencer was felled Friday morning by a deadly one. He was four days shy of his 59th birthday.
A 2002 Emmy winner for the long-running NBC presidential series, Spencer was an original and still key cast member as Leo McGarry, the battle-tested chief of staff turned vice presidential candidate.
"I can't believe that he is gone," costar Bradley Whitford said in a statement. "We have all lost a dear, dear brother."
Allison Janney remembered her West Wing colleague as the "consummate professional actor." Series creator Aaron Sorkin and executive producer Tommy Schlamme hailed Spencer as "an uncommonly good man."
An NBC spokesman said Spencer died at a hospital. It was not known when the actor last worked on the set. After airing a new episode last weekend, the show is on hiatus until January.
As McGarry, Spencer acted out a heart attack in an October 2004 West Wing episode, "The Birnam Woods."
Spencer's sudden death would seem to throw into disarray the series' season-long presidential campaign storyline. With Martin Sheen's President Bartlet terming out, McGarry is party to one of two tickets seeking to claim the White House for their own. Earlier this fall, McGarry accepted the V.P. slot on the Democratic slate headed by Jimmy Smits' Congressman Santos.
In an episode that was slated to air Jan. 8, McGarry is front and center in a TV debate with his Republican counterpart, played by Brett Cullen. As recounted on a spoilers blog on the fan site, The West Wing Continuity Guide (http://westwing.bewarne.com/), Spencer's dialogue during an exchange on health insurance is, given Friday's events, eerie.
"By an overwhelming percentage, the first warning symptom of a heart attack is death," Spencer's McGarry says, per the blog. "I'm fortunate to be here."
Spencer's life mirrored McGarry's even down to their backstories--both men were recovering alcoholics.
In a 2000 interview with the Associated Press, Spencer argued that, of the two, McGarry was the "better man."
"He has qualities that I wish I had more of," Spencer told the wire service. "I often say to Aaron [Sorkin], 'You're writing the man I'd like to be.' "
Born on Dec. 20, 1946, Spencer was a teenager when he made his TV debut as a clean-cut suitor of Cathy Lane, the English identical cousin of Brooklynite Patty Lane, on the mid-1960s sitcom The Patty Duke Show.
By the time Spencer made his first lasting prime-time impression, he was far removed from the world of sitcom fantasy--not to mention teenagers. In 1990, it was a craggy, middle-aged Spencer who blew into NBC's L.A. Law. His hustling litigator Tommy Mullaney was just the kick in the tailored pants that the tiring legal drama needed. Spencer remained with the series until its 1994 demise.
After L.A. Law, Spencer had supporting roles in films such as Forget Paris and The Rock. His other movie credits include Presumed Innocent (the role that caught then-L.A. Law producer David E. Kelley's eye) and Black Rain, where he was invariably cast as a cop.
The West Wing came along in 1999, its long hours enough to keep even a self-described workaholic such as Spencer occupied, although he continued to work on the stage.
From 2000-04, Spencer earned five consecutive Emmy nominations as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. He won once, in 2002.
Smits, who worked with Spencer on both West Wing and L.A. Law, said he was grateful his friend would continue to live on via his work.
"John was a true pillar of a man, he set the stage for kindness and generosity," Smits said in a statement. "His humor and smile were infectious, he will be greatly missed."
Posted by MorganG at 01:00 PM
December 13, 2005
Maybe voters long for choices like this
by Anita Clark
Wisconsin State Journal
Television viewers may have enjoyed the "debate" on NBC's "The West Wing" because it presented an idealized version of politics, a UW-Madison professor suggests.
"I think this reflects a longing for idealized, high-level, principled politics that may never have existed in fact," said Stephen Lucas, a professor of communication arts.
He didn't see the program, but notes that shows and movies about the presidency often present strong leaders.
"They always seem to reflect a longing for a president who has real character and gumption," Lucas said.
Ratings climbed for "The West Wing" as people tuned in for the live "debate" between actors portraying Republican and Democratic candidates for president.
A national poll by MSNBC.com/Zogby International found that the Republican, played by Alan Alda, gained support despite the earlier lead of the Democrat, played by Jimmy Smits.
The show was scripted, but performed live, and early in the joint appearance the make-believe Republican proposed dropping the rules. The make-believe Democrat readily agreed.
We can only wish for the same in real life, said Kathy Cramer Walsh, an assistant professor of political science at UW-Madison.
"I can't imagine a candidate ever agreeing to that because it is so risky," she said.
Walsh, who watched the program, has a theory about why the Republican might have gained momentum.
"West Wing" viewers are likely to be liberals and Democrats, since it's a story about the administration of Democratic President Josiah Bartlet, she said, and they would naturally favor the Democratic character.
But then they hear a Republican position being articulated by the popular Alda, listen more carefully and find some merit in it, she suggested.
"So often, we tune out the message because of the people saying it," she said. "It's a commentary on the lack of energy we put into listening in our politics these days."
One young Democrat, Brian Shactman, a junior political science major at UW-Madison, liked the Democrat in the first place and thought he was "the clear winner" of the debate.
A young Republican, perhaps surprisingly, agreed that the Democrat "won" the debate. But that's because the script was written that way, said Robert Thelen, a senior in business management at UW-Madison.
"It's very liberal and it's definitely slanted toward the liberals," he said. "They portray the Republicans as heartless and the Democrats as having the good ideas."
Anyway, "it is just a show. To take it as more than that is to take it out of context," Thelen said.
Posted by Jo at 08:06 PM
A familiar face, a singular faith
By Kevin D. Thompson
Palm Beach Post
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
You know the face, but may not know the name.
Joshua Malina is one of those "Hey, it's him!" kind of actors. Although the scholarly Yale graduate has had roles in such movies and TV shows as A Few Good Men, The American President, Bulworth, The Larry Sanders Show and Sports Night, Malina isn't a household name like, say, Rob Lowe.
Yes, the same pretty boy actor Malina replaced on The West Wing when he was tapped to play Will Bailey, a nebbish presidential speechwriter on NBC's long-running White House drama.
The 39-year-old Malina is scheduled to speak Thursday at The Kravis Center to help kick off the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County's 2006 Annual Campaign Opening. We caught up with Malina who chatted about everything from his Jewish heritage to what it was like saving Aaron Sorkin's life.
Question: Your speech is titled "Being Jewish In Hollywood." What does that mean?
Answer: (laughs) Being Jewish in Hollywood — not a rare thing! What I really talk about is living a Jewish life in a very public way and supporting Israel and being part of Hollywood and unfortunately that's a little bit rarer.
Q: Why do you think that is?
A: That's an interesting question. This whole area, the idea of giving a speech or a talk, is something that doesn't come natural to me. It isn't something I pursued. It kind of fell in my lap after I attended a rally that was organized by the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles in 2001. It was a pro-Israel rally but it was completely apolitical.
It wasn't about endorsing (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon or endorsing any particular Israeli government policy. It was really just Israel has a right to exist. To me, it's sad you even have to have a rally to make that statement. As uncontroversial as the mission statement was at the rally, it was pretty well attended but it was almost completely avoided by celebrities. I was one of, I think, two.
Now, my own celebrity is questionable... but I was surprised (about the low celebrity turnout) given that there are so many high-profile Jews in Hollywood. It was explained to me that anything that has to do with Israel, there's very little support from the entertainment community. I think part of it is, for some reason Israel has become a terrible p.r. liability and considered to be so controversial. Even those who support Israel privately are sometimes hesitant to do it publicly. And in a town that is extremely liberal politically, it's somehow become a liberal no-no to be strongly in support of Israel. That's a conflict I don't feel. but I think some of my colleagues do.
Q: What made you step out and speak out publicly?
A: I can understand the people who say, 'Who cares what an actor thinks?' I certainly don't expect anyone to value my opinion because I'm an actor. But I've sort of learned as my career has progressed that people will sometimes put a microphone in your face and if I can say something positive on behalf of Israel, I feel a responsibility.
Q: You've said that not enough young Jews are connected to their religion. Why do you think that's the case?
A: First of all, I don't want to paint too broad a stroke, I meant lots of young people for whom Judaism is an important and vibrant part of their lives. A lot of times you hear young Jewish people saying that to them being Jewish is just a cultural thing — Woody Allen movies or Mel Brooks movies. Cultural but avoiding any type of real religious content. I think part of it (that) we, as Jewish parents, have to pass on is the beauties of Judaism in more significant ways.
Q: Switching gears, I read when you were hired for The West Wing, someone on the Internet referred to you as that "horrible little man who's replacing Rob Lowe." What was your reaction?
A: Well, I'm one of those people who has as thick a skin as you can have. I sometimes get a kick out of reading the horrible, horrible, awful things people write about me. If you Google yourself, you have to be willing to take what you find.
Q: Was Rob a tough act to follow?
A: He was in one sense. I definitely didn't go into it thinking 'Oh my God I have to turn every Rob Lowe fan into a Josh Malina fan.' I had no angst about it. But I did know that he was very popular as an actor and his character was hugely popular, so I didn't really concentrate on whether I could replace him, per se. I also think if you look at the two of us standing next to each other, it's quite clear who's the good-looking leading man and who's more the supporting actor type of player. I don't think there's any danger of me really replacing him.
Q: Why does everyone talk so fast on The West Wing?
A: (laughs) That's a good question, too. To start with, if you compare one of our scripts to your average one-hour drama, we have more pages. We have to fit more dialogue into the same amount of time.
Q: Your first day on the set of The West Wing fell on Rosh Hashana. You chose to observe the Jewish holiday. Did that cause any problems?
A: It really didn't ultimately. I was aghast when I found out. This is one job I certainly didn't want to jeopardize. But by the same token, I knew I wasn't going to work that day. I had never before in my life. Being Jewish is who I am, being an actor is what I do, so the priority was clear to me. I gathered my courage and called the producers and said while I was delighted to be offered this role, I had a problem with the first day of work. Luckily they couldn't have been nicer or more accommodating. I definitely got a little bit of ribbing from the cast when I showed up.
Q: What'd they say?
A: I remember Allison Janney saying, 'Oh, so today is not a Jewish holiday? You can actually do some work?'
Q: So, who do you want to see win the election on The West Wing?
A: That's an interesting question, too. After watching the debate, I thought they both came off very, very well. Vinick (Alan Alda) is a rare Republican I could feel good about voting for. And Santos (Jimmy Smits) is a terrific candidate. I guess being a real Democrat and a fictional Democrat, I'd have to lean towards Santos.
Q: If the show is picked up next season, what's your deal?
A: All I know is that I don't have one. If they wanted to write me in somehow and make me part of the Santos administration, I'd be delighted. I get the feeling if the show continues, they're going to move on and try to get some fresh blood. My guess is they won't ask me to be a part of it, but it's been a very, very good run for me.
Q: Is it true that you got your start in show business by performing the Heimlich maneuver on Aaron Sorkin? Tell me about that.
A: That actually is true. I knew him a little bit as a kid. He went to high school near me with my cousin with whom I was very close. When I graduated from college in 1988, I moved to New York City and he was living there and I called him and we got to be good friends. He hosted a poker game every week, and we got to be very good friends across the poker table. The first job he offered me was (the Broadway play) A Few Good Men. We used to go bowling once a week with the rest of the cast, and one night (Aaron) was choking on a piece of hamburger and I'm not sure I really knew what I was doing, but I got behind him, picked him up off the floor and I Heimliched him and in the process cracked a few of his ribs. But ultimately I saved him.
Q: So does he feel beholden to you? Is that why you're in every Aaron Sorkin production?
A: It's a fair question. I'd like to think that he thinks I'm a good actor, but I'm comfortable if he just feels he's paying off some sort of karmic debt. That works for me too.
Q: Do you have a favorite Sorkin project?
A: It's very hard to answer, but (the short-lived ABC show) Sports Night has a very, very special place in my heart. I was there from the ground floor. Sports Night was my first television series as a regular and it was a lot of fun being on the ground floor watching (Aaron) create this whole world. Golden memories for me.
Q: You were a production assistant on Fletch Lives — that really bad Chevy Chase film. What did you learn on the set?
A: (laughs) That was my first job on a movie. I learned how everyone took their coffee. Seriously, what I learned was who works hardest on a movie set. And the answer is — and I hate to give out the secret — anybody but the actors. The crew and everybody else involved in making a TV show or a movie are working the hardest and getting the least credit for it.
Q: You're an executive producer for Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown and a big poker fan. What's the key to a successful poker face?
A: Ah, that's good. Essentially, the ultimate poker face is one that is really utterly devoid of emotion. Very frequently people will project strength when their hand is weak and project weakness when their hand is strong. If you could essentially try to project nothing, that's your best bet.
Q: What are some of the cool things about looking nerdy and book smart?
A: (laughs) Aaron has helped me out by creating characters that are smarter and better than I am. Some of that bleeds over. People attribute to me greater intellect than I actually possess.
Q: You made your film debut with Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men. What was that like?
A: I learned a lot, although literally in that movie I had five words — and three of them were 'yes' and two of them were 'sir.' I learned a lot simply by observing Nicholson. When it was time to shoot my single — the shot of just me at the door talking to Nicholson — the camera is only on me and anybody could've been off camera reading his lines and very frequently big stars will go to their trailer or go have a bite to eat and have somebody on the crew read the star's line. But Nicholson stood their off camera, did all his lines and did a full 100 percent performance. I was really struck by that. I was a nobody and he was a giant star. He didn't have to do it. But he takes his job seriously. It reminded me always be professional. If Nicholson could do it and go above and beyond what you have to do, I'm always going to be there and giving what I can give.
Posted by Jo at 08:03 PM
Right wing improving `West Wing'
By Ralph E. Shaffer
Whittier Daily News
UNEXPECTED things may be popping up on the story board for NBC's long-running primetime series, "The West Wing" (which airs at 8 p.m. Sundays). Much to the chagrin of Democrats everywhere, and no doubt to the program's producers and script writers, Republican presidential candidate Arnold Vinick played by Alan Alda clobbered Democratic upstart Matt Santos, who was played by Jimmy Smits in their recent made-for-TV "live" debate. It was just what a flagging seventh-season show needed to put life back into a Nielsen also-ran.
NBC's own viewer poll showed Santos winning the debate, 72 percent to 28 percent.
The problem is that those still watching are already pro-Santos. It was like a Schwarzenegger or Bush "town hall meeting" where the only folks in the audience are partisan supporters.
But independent viewers had no doubt. Vinick won hands down. And that could make for some very interesting future episodes.
Santos' miserable performance has put the script writers and producers in a quandary. Fortunately for those who must be working frantically to rescript the program, "West Wing" took three weeks off. I'd like to think the hiatus stemmed from consternation caused by Vinick's dazzling performance and Santos' fumbling presentation.
Before the largest audience the program has had in some time, Santos looked and sounded more like a combination of John Edwards and Dan Quayle than the presidential nominee of a Democratic Party convention. Maybe this is why third-term representatives are unlikely nominees of either party.
While Vinick spouted the usual statistics that candidates feel they must mouth, he effectively put down Santos time after time. On health care Vinick showed the shallowness of Democratic programs, which leave millions uncovered. Santos should have responded with a stirring defense of universal health care but failed to do so. Nor could he adequately explain how he would pay for his program.
The same was true when it came to job creation. Vinick's telling comment - that his administration wouldn't create a single job because jobs stem from private business, which he would promote - left Santos speechless.
Since the "live" debate was in fact a charade - those watching closed caption were often half a sentence ahead of the speaker - script writers must have counted on Santos' on-stage
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persona to make his scripted, simplistic comments appear convincing. But he didn't come through.
The guy is just not presidential. He has about as much dynamism as the woman chief executive on "Commander in Chief."
If Santos wins the election, how can the show possibly stay on for four more years? It can't. And if it did, do viewers really want another full term of Josh Lyman, C.J. Cregg and Leo McGarry? Phony liberals all, their compromises and lack of backbone make this lefty wish for a Vinick sweep.
Wouldn't it be a hoot to watch clones of Karl Rove, Scott McClellan and George Bush? Think of the script possibilities that would open up if Vinick won the White House: staff meetings where the prexy's advisers plot to privatize social security, drill in nature preserves, or protect pharmaceutical companies from lawsuits. The vistas are boundless.
But Vinick is a moderate Republican. Alan Alda demonstrated in the debate that he does have scruples. Liberal script writers can get in digs at the Rove-types in the West Wing. They can also trump the religious right's attempts to highjack the nation by scripting Vinick to override their zany proposals. (OK, so that means firing the cast and hiring new faces. Not entirely.)
The chameleons working in incumbent Jed Bartlet's west wing have shown, with few exceptions, they are ready to compromise on principles to the point that it wouldn't be too hard for a Josh Lyman to stay on in some capacity.
With the exception of Toby Ziegler, none of them were really committed liberals. So look forward to the upcoming election. More than likely we'll be left dangling with voting results dribbling in as the last episode of the season fades out. We'll have all summer to debate who won.
If those behind "West Wing" are bright, they'll go for Vinick.
Posted by Jo at 08:01 PM
December 02, 2005
Rob Lowe could return to 'West Wing'
Associated Press
(12/1/05 - NEW YORK) - If "The West Wing" is saying its final farewell this spring, Rob Lowe will probably be there.
Lowe tells TV Guide he got a call from the show's executive producer John Wells to come back. Lowe hasn't signed on yet.
But his manager, Bernie Brillstein says it would be like George Clooney coming back to "ER" one last time. Brillstein says Lowe "had four great years on the show, so why not?"
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Posted by Jo at 08:59 AM