'West' May Be Forced To Wing It Next Season (WEST WING POLL, SHOULD IT STAY OR GO)

Metromix.com ^ | Wednesday, May 7, 2003 | Steve Johnson

[fight_truth_decay]

With Aaron Sorkin "voluntarily leaving" his show "The West Wing" and John Wells stepping in to replace him — a Very Bad Sign for the future of the slipping NBC White House series — it's probably now or never for the unveiling of my lyrics to the show's stately theme music. So here goes. It helps to read these while watching or, better, as I do, to sing them zestily aloud: "In D.C., there is a wing That's on the west side of a house It's not the east wing, or the south It's not the north wing, shut your mouth …" And that, despite years of trying to develop a second verse, is where I'm stuck. It's probably where I'll stay stuck because it's hard to imagine the series being worth much next season without Sorkin, it's creator, co-executive producer (with Wells) and writer of most of its scripts. Founding director Thomas Schlamme is leaving, too, It is indisputable that the series (8 p.m. Wednesday, WMAQ-Ch. 5) has developed a desperate air in the tail end of this season, throwing in unlikely, momentous events willy-nilly (Another White House shooting! A pending kidnapping!) in an attempt to either regain audience or mimic a daytime soap opera plot. What Wells is really known for, inside TV land, is being able to make the trains run on time. Sorkin's reputation is for holding up the trains as he pounds out the last few pages of a giddily literate script. Such indulgences were granted when the show was cleaning up in the ratings, winning three consecutive best drama Emmys, but this season, as the show has lost close to a third of its young-adult audience (mostly to "The Bachelor"), cost overruns apparently became more annoying. So prepare ye, "West Wing" fans, for a much more efficient television program next year, one where maybe the lows won't be so low, but the highs won't even come close. I'll be curious, yes, but I'll be a lot more interested in what Sorkin and Schlamme come up with next.

[patriciaruth]

Your blood pressure thanks you. I only went in to see the final few minutes because my husband yelled out they were swearing in a Republican.

[patriciaruth]

The show didn't have a Vice President??

I only RARELY, once a year, maybe, watching this show. So I don't know why there was no V.P.

In this episode, according to hubby, the President's daughter had been kidnapped and he sent a naval fleet to the Gulf, and then he blacked out and had loss of memory from M.S. and couldn't remember sending the fleet.

That's all I know.

[SevenofNine]

OHHH my mom told me just now on AOL IM THANK MOM I don't care

West WING SUCKS

I hate the show kinda bad here you are Marty Sheen your show getting their a*** kick BY UPN Remake of Twilight Zone

HOW WRONG IS THAT

I hear Marty threw Diva fit on NY Post this weekend he all tick off at NBC giving Law and Order cast

NICEEEEEEEE PAY RAISE

HEY Marty

Unlike you nomintee for oscar

Least Jerry Orbach is not only Tony winning actor

Also other nominatioin

Don't call yourself Martin Sheen

You are friggin Ramon Estevez

Even your son Emilo used family name

BE TRUE TO YOURSELF

Also it known fact that maybe Adam might be turn into Mushroom head Again

[MJY1288]

My goodness....... From C-Span, talk radio, cable news, prime time news, weekly cereals and live on TV, The democrats are imploding all across the media spectrum.

It's a beautiful thing to watch

[nutmeg]

Before it goes I want to see the episode where Dennis Miller defeats Martin Sheen for President.

I'd definitely tune in to see that! :-)

[patriciaruth]

I love to watch a West Wing series in which the President was a decent Republican and issues were discussed honestly. I'd even have watched it with a Democrat President if they hadn't painted all the Republicans as evil slave holders and gave our views a fair shake.

[nutmeg]

See graphic in #35 (LOL)

[Mo1]

In this episode, according to hubby, the President's daughter had been kidnapped and he sent a naval fleet to the Gulf, and then he blacked out and had loss of memory from M.S. and couldn't remember sending the fleet.

And this President on their show is a Dem President right?

Also, I admit not to a lot about folks with MS, but is it normal for them to black out and lose their memory?

[MJY1288]

When you find that Hollywood producer that will produce such a thing, I'll show you all those "snipes" I caught when I was a kid "snipe" hunting :-)

[patriciaruth]

Sheen is gone. He resigned under the 25th Amendment. And because he has M.S., although they could say he had recovered from this attack and should come back, he really should never return as the same thing could happen again under another stressful crisis. But they left the door open for a totally falacious means of returning him to the show.

[Mo1]

To be perfectly honest, I have never seen a single episode of "Left Wing"

I admit, I did see it once a couple years ago

[patriciaruth]

Snipes exist.

[MJY1288]

"Also, I admit not to a lot about folks with MS, but is it normal for them to black out and lose their memory?"

Hillary Clinton must have MS, because she always blacks out and loses her memory about really important things :-)

What's with these democrats and MS? :-)

[patriciaruth]

That this President would have won reelection despite the electorate knowing he had multiple sclerosis is part of the fantasy. Yes, any neurological symptoms can be present with M.S. because it randomly attacks the brain. Dizziness and double vision are among the most common presenting symptoms.

[MJY1288]

Good Night All, it's been fun :-)

MJY

[patriciaruth]

Giggle.

[Mo1]

OK .. the 25th amendment states that if the VP is vacant then the President has to appoint an new one with the approval of the Congress



25TH AMENDMENT


The Twenty-Fifth Amendment (1967) to the CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES provides procedures for fulfilling the duties of the presidency in the event of the removal, death, or resignation of a PRESIDENT; it is also concerned with the prompt filling of a vice-presidential vacancy.

The amendment has four provisions stating that: (1) in the event of removal, death, or resignation of a president, the VICE-PRESIDENT becomes president; (2) in the event of a vacancy in the vice-presidential office, the president nominates a vice-president who must be confirmed by a majority vote in the SENATE and HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; (3) when a president declares himself or herself unable to serve in office, his or her duties will be taken over by the vice-president as acting president until the President declares himself or herself able to serve again; (4) when the vice-president and either a majority of the heads of the executive departments or a specific congressionally determined body considers a president unable to fulfill his or her duties, the vice-president becomes acting president; when the president then declares that he or she is again able to fulfill the office, he or she resumes those duties unless the vice-president and either a majority of the heads of the executive departments or a specific congressionally determined group declare within 4 days that the president is unfit. At that point CONGRESS is required to assemble to decide the issue within 21 days. A two-thirds vote is required to declare the president unfit, in which case the vice-president continues to be acting president.

[Mo1]

Good Night All, it's been fun :-)

*L* .. Sweet Dreams Mike

[rwfromkansas]

I know conservatives who like it.

I just can only hack so many Dems at one time.

[patriciaruth]

So, if you know any liberals, maybe you can ask then what happened to the V.P.. Maybe he dropped dead from a heart attack just before the President blacked out, for all I know.

It occurred to me that the liberals must have been weeping buckets as their beloved President Martin Sheen Barlett walked out into the dark with the evil, overbearing Republican left in charge of the Oval.

Poor babies.