the cinema

The First Rule of Facebook Club Is...

Columbia Pictures is close to securing a director for its Facebook movie: David Fincher, of Fight Club fame, is reportedly in advanced talks. He'll be expected to move fast, before the market for a movie about the social network evaporates. More »

06/23/09

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23

By Ryan Tate

Comment by TedSez: I enjoyed his previous computer-related movies, F-Se7en, Panic Switch, and The Curious Case of the Number-Lock Button. 2 Responses | Other threads

books

Facebook Tell-All Released Into Wild

Facebook's creation myth has left the building, or so we hear: Fortune is said to be readying an excerpt of Ben Mezrich's tell-all book and movie about the social network. And another publication is, naturally, trying to ruin the scoop. More »

06/18/09

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13

By Ryan Tate

Comment by Niko Bellic: Apparently, our entire future depends on men who need to make a billion dollars just to get laid. 2 Responses | Other threads

aaron sorkin

Aaron Sorkin-Like Presence Invades Facebook In The Name Of Research

We invite devoted Defamer readers to think back now, to almost two years ago to the day. The U.S. dollar dominated global free markets. Whitney Houston was in the middle of a liquor-store-robbery crime spree that left dozens dead. And a little show by the name of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip had captured the imaginations of the American working class, caught up weekly in its by-turns harrowing and inspirational tales from the front lines of the network sketch comedy wars. If you're still with us, you'll too recall Defaker, the Defamer-inspired mock gossip site that attempted to promote the series on NBC.com by opening itself up to visitor comments. Several harsh insights followed ("Aaron Sorkin, I'll be seeing you soon! Posted by: Crack | September 21, 2006 08:30 PM" springs to mind), the site was quickly shuttered, and the ill-conceived exercise was chocked up by the lauded series creator as yet another example of the ugliness that will inevitably spring forth from the anonymous blogging wilds. More »

08/26/08

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10

By Seth

Comment by Little Mintz Sunshine: This bodes well for my treatment "LinkedIn: When a Stranger Links". In case the studios aren't interested in horror,... 1 Responses | Other threads

hollywood privacywatch

Don Cheadle Brightens Civilian's Day By Cruising By Bus Stop In Rented Lexus

PrivacyWatch celebrity sightings are submitted by our readers, and are posted several times a week, so send them in often—the fate of the universe relies upon it! Submit yours to tips[AT]defamer.com (please put "sighting" or "PrivacyWatch" in the subject line so we don't lose them) and tell everyone about the time you spotted Tara Reid having her credit card denied at Blockbuster. More »

02/20/08

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13

By Seth

Comment by Ssscorpion: Joe Isuzu lives! more » | Other threads

defamer

Aaron Sorkin Opens Up About The Demise Of 'Studio 60'

With the final episodes of ill-fated sociopolitical drama Studio 60 on The Sunset Strip now all ignominiously burned off by the network that renounced its onetime anointed Nielsen Messiah, showrunner Aaron Sorkin is ready to reflect upon the possible reasons that his much-hyped peak behind the scenes at a curiously humorless late night sketch comedy show failed. (In case you missed it, our recap of the series finale is here to help you get some closure.) While Sorkin is willing to admit to making "too many mistakes for it to survive," he posits that Our Obsession With Hugely Successful, Famously Troubled Man Behind The Curtain might have gotten in the way of the public's enjoyment of his characters' lively banter about the ethics of employing hostage-reclaiming mercenaries in Afghanistan or concerning potentially fatal pregnancy complications. Reports the LAT's Patrick Goldstein after a sit-down with Sorkin: More »

07/17/07

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By Mark

Comment by Trackback: The noble Sorkin blames himself for the demise of Studio 60. [via] more » | Other threads

defamer

DreamWorks Getting Into the Aaron Sorkin Business

· Onetime NBC Messiah Aaron Sorkin has signed on for a three-picture deal with DreamWorks. First up is a script for The Trial of the Chicago 7, a period political piece about the clash between protestors and police at the 1968 Democratic convention that Sorkin was able to adapt from an unaired Studio 60 sketch in which Lobster Boy and new character Pigasus the Immortal argue over who might be the better Yippee candidate for president. [Variety] More »

07/12/07

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8

By Mark

Comment by yellojkt: I'm dying to see Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman do the Gilbert and Sullivan number. more » | Other threads

defamer

The Complete Guide To The Series Finale Of 'Studio 60'

You may not have realized it, but at just a couple of minutes before 11 p.m. last night, the final credits rolled on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, ending Aaron Sorkin's bold, ill-fated experiment in melding the light-hearted Hollywood world of late-night sketch comedy shows with the absurdly high geopolitical stakes of his Emmy-winning White House drama, The West Wing. And while a lesser showrunner recently chose to cloak the last moments of his beloved series in frustrating ambiguity, Sorkin was confident enough in his creative choices to allow a metaphorical Man in the Members Only Jacket to wander the halls of the darkened studio, bringing each storyline to a satisfying conclusion with a bullet to the back of every character's head. Because we suspect that many of you missed the series finale, we're happy to run down how each of your favorite players finished up his or her primetime existence. [Warning to the DVR users whose selfish insistence on time-shifting the show kept it from reaching its Nielsen potential: There are spoilers ahead.] More »

06/29/07

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By Mark

Comment by Magister: @invalid-username: That's actually not a bad idea and if Sorkin were to write it, I'd definitely watch. Though his long-time... more » | Other threads

trade roundup

On Broadway, Aaron Sorkin Rekindles Tumultuous Love Affair With Television

· Aaron Sorkin returns to Broadway with The Farnsworth Invention, a play about the birth of television, the deliciously flawed storytelling medium he recently sought to redeem with a little-seen primetime serial about the life-or-death stakes involved in producing a weekly sketch comedy show. [Variety] More »

06/25/07

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By Mark

Comment by Sweet Panda Love: Good for you, Sorkin! Nobody gives a shit what's on Broadway. To quote the inimitable Helen Lawson from VALLEY OF... more » | Other threads

defamer

Saying Goodbye To 'Studio 60'

As the TV upfronts are intended to be a weeklong celebration of possibility and hope, there is generally no place in a network's presentation to advertisers to pause briefly and remember the once-beloved projects that won't be going forward into the Fall season; accordingly, it took a reporter's uncomfortable question to get NBC president Kevin Reilly to reflect upon the legacy of the newly euthanized Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, whose uncompromising, visionary showrunner was just one year ago anointed the savior of the last-place network. Notes the TV Week upfronts blog: More »

05/14/07

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By Mark

Comment by Trackback: You have some cream on the corner of your face. — guy who Tony Soprano beat up. You might as... more » | Other threads

defamer

NBC Gives You A Chance To Say A Proper Goodbye To Matt, Danny, Jordan, And Lobster Boy

NBC's website quietly brings good—nay, great, shout-Huzzah!-to-the-heavens-and-slaughter-the-fatted-calf—news to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip's legion of affluent, upscale, and long-suffering fans: The show will return to the airwaves on Thursday, May 24, presumably to burn off the remainder of its first-season episodes, just one day after the end of May sweeps and a week after the network is expected to announce a Sorkin-free Fall lineup at the upfronts. Of course, maverick NBC president Kevin Reilly could shock the world by taking the stage in NY and announcing he's giving the show another 22 episodes, explaining to a room full of disbelieving advertisers, "Come on, it's Aaron Fucking Sorkin! He made The West Wing! I know this sounds crazy now, but If you'd read his breakdown for the second season, where Matt and Danny decide to run in the presidential primary against Obama and Hillary, you'd understand. It's going to work this time, I can really feel it." More »

04/27/07

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By Mark

Comment by Xenu: What if we never wanted to say a proper hello to them to begin with? more » | Other threads

· This is what it looks like when Kiefer Sutherland watches Valencia get nuked. More »

01/22/07

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By Mark

Comment by Dancing Milkcarton: While watching last night I was hoping they would have cast his dad as... well, his dad. We get... more » | Other threads

aaron sorkin

'LAT' Gives Equal Time To Pro-Sorkin Voices

Showing a renewed commitment to journalistic fairness in the aftermath of Aaron Sorkin's shocking exposure of their anti-Sorkin agenda last week, in which the Studio 60 showrunner decried the paper's unacceptable reliance on negative quotes from "disgruntled" individuals whose level of entertainment industry success falls far short of his criteria for having a valid opinion, the LAT today offers equal time to those who have self-published positive words about Studio 60 on the internets: More »

01/22/07

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By Mark

Comment by Sulky Girl: But is the coyote okay? more » | Other threads

aaron sorkin

Aaron Sorkin Takes On The L.A. Times, Internets, Unemployed Writers

As part of yesterday's TCA press tour event, TV critics were bussed over to the set of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, where they were granted some face time with series creator Aaron Sorkin in his behind-the-scenes-at-a-distressingly- serious-minded-sketch-comedy-show environment. When asked to comment on a recent LAT piece claiming that comedy writers don't seem to be fans of the show, the beleaguered showrunner took the opportunity to decry the paper's transparent anti-Sorkin agenda, revealing that his research uncovered the shocking fact that some of his critics might be—audible gasp!—unemployed. Recounts The Oregonian's TV critic on his TCA blog: More »

01/17/07

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By Mark

Comment by The Driver: ....the West Wing was so fucking good. more » | Other threads

defamer

The Hollywood Foreign Press Crushes Aaron Sorkin's Golden Globes Dreams

More »

12/14/06

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By Mark

Comment by Little Mintz Sunshine: Frankly, I think he looks like Beaker from the Muppet Show...if Beaker were a smug asshole. more » | Other threads

defamer

Will The Golden Globes Pretend To Like 'Studio 60'?

With all the bongo-beating build-up to tomorrow morning's announcement of the Golden Globe movie nominations, it's easy to forget that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's annual awards ceremony also celebrates excellence in the Dramatic Televised Arts. And where Emmy voters are seemingly bound by conservative voting practices (or just can't be bothered to watch the screeners in the first place), the HFPA members are free to reward on merit alone, often taking it upon themselves to champion groundbreaking programming in its nascency. THR looks at the chances for some of this TV season's boldest new voices, including Aaron Sorkin's drama about the serious-minded people who make sketch comedy, Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip: More »

12/13/06

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By Seth

Comment by yellojkt: Even better would be if Matthew Perry showed up strung out on "legal" back pain medicine and fell asleep right... more » | Other threads

aaron sorkin

Even Aaron Sorkin's Product Placement Insufferably Pretentious

This (admittedly grainy) still comes from the most recent episode of Aaron Sorkin's No-Fun-Time Heavy-Handed Liberal Moralizing Hour — er, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Not content with merely spouting his self-righteous decaffeinated Mametisms in ludicrous dialogue, he's also decided to provide "characterization" through a cast member's choice of reading material. Look closely and you'll see that D.L. Hughley, the name of whose character we would know if we watched the show, which we don't, because, you know, fuck Aaron Sorkin, is reading Harper's, that bible of liberal certainty favored by those who find the fast-paced delivery of NPR reporters to be too agitating. While we're sorry for Mother Jones that they failed to make the cut, we want to give props for Hughley, who somewho manages to actually look at a page of Harper's without immediately drifting into a deep slumber. That, friends, is acting!

12/06/06

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By abalk2

Comment by RichMansWorld: This post is a parody of Sorkin-/Studio 60-haters, right? Ha good one. About time someone started mocking those pretentious, lip-chewing... more » | Other threads

defamer

Real-Life Pahrump's Politics Let Aaron Sorkin Down

More »

11/16/06

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By Mark

Comment by gorillavsmarykate: everytime you build Studio 60 a set, an NBC employee loses their wings. more » | Other threads

trade roundup

Trade Round-Up: Resurgent 'Studio 60' Picks Up A Handful Of Affluent, Upscale Viewers

Comcast pulls the plug on its talks with Al Jazeera International, effectively putting an end to the network's hopes of getting U.S. distribution in time for the worldwide launch of their English-language channel on Wednesday. [Variety] More »

11/14/06

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By Mark

Comment by jamesi-kins: Studio 60 sorks. more » | Other threads

defamer

'Studio 60' CancellationWatch: NBC Officially Picks Up A Full Season

Good news both for genuine fans of Studio 60 and for those who derive their primary enjoyment from the series from their spirited Tuesday morning discussions about why Jesus running a network Standards & Practices department isn't actually funny: Despite our spies' forecast of an imminent mercy killing, NBC has officially picked up a full season's worth of episodes, giving Aaron Sorkin nine more episodes and many more millions of dollars to continue his bold exploration of the curiously serious side of sketch comedy. THR's Ray Richmond (who notes he called it two days ago) has the press release: More »

11/09/06

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By Mark

Comment by EvilMinion: I really don't watch Deal or No Deal either. It's way too complicated for dumb little me. What... more » | Other threads

nbc

'Studio 60' CancellationWatch: NBC Ready To Pick Up Either Nine Or Zero New Episodes

Yesterday, THR columnist Ray Richmond interviewed beleaguered showrunner Aaron Sorkin and gave Studio 60 fans hope that their favorite, serious-minded weekly examination of the culture-salvaging possibilities of late-night sketch comedy shows is on the verge of a season-completing back nine episode order, news contrary to earlier reports (like this one, we imagine) that the series is teetering on the precipice of primetime oblivion. Blogged Richmond: More »

11/08/06

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By Mark

Comment by gorillavsmarykate: It was obviously the black man's marijuana. So, just to make sure, this week's episode slandered both gay people... more » | Other threads

aaron sorkin

The One Where Aaron Sorkin Sucks All The Fun Out Of A Routine Teeth Cleaning

Die-hard Aaron Sorkin junkies who find themselves unable to wait until Monday night's Studio 60 broadcast (NBC says they're standing behind it for now, despite nasty, nasty rumors) for their next fix of his signature rat-a-tat, call-and-response banter might find themselves temporarily sated by McSweeney's transcript of Sorkin's last trip to the dental hygenist: More »

11/02/06

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By Mark

Comment by raincoaster: McSweeney's is far too wistful and tranked to be Sorkinesque. Sorkin would never run a pirate-supply shop! A Radio Shack... more » | Other threads

defamer

'Studio 60' CancellationWatch: Plug-Pulling 'Imminent'?

We usually reserve our speculation about Studio 60's chances of being allowed to continue to trumpet the socially redeeming power of unrelentingly serious-minded sketch comedy shows until the disappointing Tuesday morning ratings numbers for NBC's little momentum-stopper come in, but Fox 411 gossip Roger Friedman's report that the network is ready to nail presumed Nielsen Messiah Aaron Sorkin to the crucifix of cancellation forces us to consider the sad possibility that we may have watched our last tortured interaction between Matt Albie and the woman he dumped for singing to Pat Robertson: More »

10/30/06

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By Mark

Comment by HeatherNumber1: Will they at least wait 'til the inevitable episode in which an overweight member of the cast ODs, prompting every... more » | Other threads

defamer

'Studio 60': Yeah, It's Still Not Looking Good

Believe it or not, we take no pleasure in Studio 60's consistently anemic ratings—should NBC eventually cut its losses and send to Cancellation Valhalla the show the network once believed would deliver it to a Nielsen Viking orgy, it will probably just push new hit Heroes back to 10 p.m. and offer it a two-hour lead-in of people shouting at briefcases, robbing us of our enjoyable Tuesday morning debates about how an episode we thought was going to be about Matthew Perry trying to get laid by bimbos who din't know what "writing" is could instead get clogged with stories about senile blacklist victims, resentful parents from Columbus who've been locked in an underground bunker with no access to the pop culture of the past half-century, and black comics getting plucked from obscurity and staffed on the show based on a poorly articulated joke about his barber's insufficient profit margins on high-quality marijuana sales. In any case, the overnight ratings for last night's installment don't look good, especially when framed as a "momentum stopper." THR runs the numbers: More »

10/24/06

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By Mark

Comment by Chas1954d: What the hell's wrong with you people? We love Studio 60...you morons JUST DON"T GET IT! The fact that ONLY... more » | Other threads

defamer

NBC Cares What You Think About Their Low-Rated Dramas

We continue this afternoon's exhaustive coverage of disappointing, expensive television dramas with this brief report about an online survey regarding Studio 60 a reader was asked to take after self-identifying as a disgruntled viewer of NBC's programming, an interesting window into how the network tests a show that recently built an entire episode about the evils of focus group testing: More »

10/23/06

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By Mark

Comment by jengod: Fire the writing staff. The cast are all charming, the premise is fine, the production values are great. Even Ricky... more » | Other threads

nbc

Layoffs 2.0: NBC Lops Off 700 Heads, Wants To Clone Howie Mandel

The media world is still awaiting NBC Universal executioner Jeff Zucker's "town hall" meeting with his employees, in which he will calmly bar the doors to the "hall," step up to the podium, and then announce that 700 or so (or 5%, for you percentage junkies) of his beloved underlings aren't getting out of their meeting alive. But once the blood is mopped from the floors and the guillotine baskets are cleared of severed heads, how does this affect you, the person who doesn't particularly care about corporate streamlining enabling a faceless multimedia conglomerate to take bold, more cost-efficient steps (cutely named NBCU 2.0) into the brave new digital world? The WSJ reports on the revised mandate given to NBC Uni's fourth-place TV division (sub. req'd.): More »

10/19/06

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By Mark

Comment by Scout: So the new Rule of Thumb is: Don't watch NBC from 8 pm to 9 pm no matter what, because... more » | Other threads

tv

Dick Wolf: Anybody Who Says They Know Something Is On Drugs

With a background in advertising and roughly sixty-eight versions of his Law & Order franchise currently on the air, cops-and-lawyers-procedural brandmaster Dick Wolf is uniquely qualified to declare that anyone who thinks they know how commerce, emerging platforms, and traditional programming will intersect in the future is quite obviously hitting the pipe. Reports the WSJ: More »

10/18/06

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By Mark

Comment by Juancho: "C'mon. Please, you think ringtones are going to be a major revenue stream for studios or networks?..." For Record Companies, yes.... more » | Other threads

defamer

Deep Inside 'Studio 60': Aaron Sorkin's Musical Comedy Influences Revealed

More »

10/12/06

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8

By Mark

Comment by raincoaster: Well, to be fair Tom Lehrer mashed the hell out of that song repeatedly. more » | Other threads

sightings

Hollywood PrivacyWatch: Jack Nicholson Seen Not Taking Shit From The Grove Trolley

PrivacyWatch celebrity sightings are submitted by our readers, and are now posted several times a week—so start sending them in more often. Send yours to tips[AT]defamer.com (please put "sighting" or "PrivacyWatch" in the subject line) and let the world hear all about the time Aaron Sorkin betrayed his high-minded comic tastes for the hilarious, acorn-hoarding hijinks of a prehistoric squirrel. More »

10/10/06

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By Seth

Comment by Heinz The Baron Krauss Von Espy: Peter Dinklage would be towering over Brad Gray, he's that small! In fact Brad should try to convince Sumner to... more » | Other threads

trade roundup

Trade Round-Up: Fictional 'Studio 60' Rising, Actual 'Studio 60' Falling In Nielsens

20th Century Fox wins a bidding war for the rights to Moneyball author Michael Lewis' just-released football book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, his latest sport-related tome that a studio hopes to one day figure out how to make into a movie. [Variety] More »

10/03/06

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5

By Mark

Comment by Xenu: Now that the 'Mount's got a big wad of cash, maybe their five-month-long "head count" (read: hiring freeze) will end. more » | Other threads

defamer

There's Nothing Like 'Studio 60' On TV Except The Other Shows It Borrows Heavily From

Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch blog notes that on an improv theater internet message board discussing the merits and missteps of frequent Defaker fodder Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, an astute Sorkinologist had an acute moment of déjà vu when Sarah Paulson's character storms in on Matthew Perry during a writer's meeting:
More »

09/28/06

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15

By Seth

Comment by Reviser: The West Wing episode is called "And It's Surely to Their Credit," which is also a song title from HMS... more » | Other threads

defamer

Trade Round-Up: 'Studio 60' Slips

Heroes premieres strong, beating CBS's comedy block of Two and a Half Men and Old Christine. Meanwhile, Studio 60 was down 16 percent from its premiere, a ratings drop-off that might force Aaron Sorkin to finally address the network's note that he find a way to replace Bradley Whitford's cocaine addiction with a superpower. [Variety] More »

09/26/06

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7

By Mark

Comment by raincoaster: More Aaron. Simple. Who's with me? more » | Other threads

nbc

'Studio 60' Premiere Just OK; Howie Mandel To Overtake Aaron Sorkin As NBC's New Ratings Savior

After months of hype declaring prodigal showrunner Aaron Sorkin as perpetually fourth-place network NBC's Nielsen Messiah, the (preliminary) ratings numbers for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip's breathlessly anticipated premiere are finally in. And? While NBC seems to have edged out longtime tormentor CBS for first place in both overall viewers and the coveted™ 18-49 demographic, the Peacock's savior was proven to be the bald-pated, OCD-riddled ringmaster of their lowbrow, people-shouting-at-briefcases circus, not their troubled, celebrated dialogue-stylist. Reports Zap2it.com: More »

09/19/06

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24

By Mark

Comment by shaved ape: Megan and others... I too was confused by Amanda Peet's facial expressions. Perhaps she is trying to take understated acting... more » | Other threads

aaron sorkin

'Studio 60' Article Provides Yet Another Opportunity For Us To Bring Up Aaron Sorkin's Substance Abuse Problems

Not to put too fine a point on it, but next Monday's series debut of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, fourth-place NBC's extravagant show of faith in troubled-but-gifted West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin, is easily the most important moment in the network's history since an infamous 1949 episode of Texaco Star Theater, in which a clearly intoxicated Milton Berle scandalized a then-record live television audience by allowing his enormous manhood to "accidentally" dangle below the hem of his dress for a full three seconds, threatened the shutdown of their entire broadcast operation. The NY Times visited Studio 60's set recently, where NBC's commitment to Sorkin's exacting vision was apparent: More »

09/11/06

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2

By Mark

Comment by Cutting Makes You Sexy: Does that mean that after the fake executives are done watching the fake performers through the fake windows of their... more » | Other threads

defamer

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