I’m thinking that I might need to get a TV and hook it up to the HBO

It looks to me like a reboot of Paddy Chayefsky’s Network. I’m generally against such things, but I’ve had a soft spot for Sorkin’s writing since Sports Night, and I think America could use another network news protagonist who takes it upon himself to speak truth to power. Here, as we haven’t run it in a while, is a link to Peter Finch’s epic “mad as hell” rant from Network, so that you can compare the two side by side.

Oh, and I love that Sorkin and company have cast Jane Fonda in the role of Ted Turner. It’s truly inspired. And it’ll be great to see her on the screen again…

Now I just have to make friends with someone who has HBO.

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8 Comments

  1. Posted April 1, 2012 at 11:26 pm | Permalink

    We should all get together and watch this somewhere.

  2. Eel
    Posted April 2, 2012 at 6:01 am | Permalink

    Wait, did he have the audacity to declare that America wasn’t the “best” country?

  3. Tommy
    Posted April 2, 2012 at 6:23 am | Permalink

    I have always aprreciated Jeff Daniels’ talent. Did a great George Washington in ‘The Crossing’ and was fantastic in Gettysburg. This looks very good.

  4. Posted April 2, 2012 at 8:33 am | Permalink

    This is how I always feel about Aaron Sorkin shows. “Ooh, someone spoke truth to power on a national stage. I really want to hear more of that.” (re: the promo for Studio 60). Then it turns out it was just the opening scene of the first episode and it all devolves in to smarmy ass internal character relationship dramedy (re: the rest of Studio 60) and well-scripted pontificating about “the heartland” (re: just about all of The West Wing).

    That said, I’m still gonna watch this, it looks awesome.

  5. Bob
    Posted April 2, 2012 at 9:44 am | Permalink

    Thank god I looked again to see that it was a different Peter on that last post as I totally agree with him. I would hate to start seeing the world as the usual Peter does.
    It’s a good assessment of Aaron Sorkin’s work. West Wing has to be one of the most overrated dramas ever. It got endless good press because media pundits and critics get a tingle out of seeing themselves dramatized on TV and giggling over their insider information.

    That trailer looks great though, Daniels is always good. I hope it lives up to its potential. I also hope there is a ghostwritten version of Rachael Maddow who can condescendingly lecture us each week with five-syllable words about what it all means.

  6. Eel
    Posted April 2, 2012 at 9:52 am | Permalink

    I hope he gets at least one “Dumb and Dummer” type toilet scenes a season.

    I also hope his character kills politicians, like Dexter.

  7. K2
    Posted April 2, 2012 at 11:53 am | Permalink

    Very much related:

    ……..Welcome to the 21st century U.S., where logic is fine and dandy as long as it doesn’t threaten the infallible notion of American exceptionalism. In the past, this meant belief in the potential of a fledgling nation to thrive above the rest because of our work ethic and independent spirit. Now it’s a cover-all justification to resist “change,” which, as everyone knows, is just a liberal code word for socialism.

    Never mind that American education lags behind the rest of the first world, our bloated prison system has nearly 10 times the number of prisoners as any other developed country, and a significant amount of adults believe radio hosts with no college degrees are better informed about science than actual scientists.

    We are Americans, dammit. We are always right, without question, and if you disagree you might as well chow down on a bald eagle and use the flag as toilet paper afterward.

    Look, I’m pretty darn proud of my country. Americans were easily the MVP of the 20th century and did a lot of the heavy lifting in ushering the world into the Internet era.

    I love our senselessly violent football culture, jaw-dropping array of cable television options and regulated capitalist system, which, despite some spectacular inequality, generally offers the opportunity for advancement. Occasionally, I even dabble in country music. Give me some repressed homosexual urges, and I could pass for a Republican senator.

    Pride becomes dangerous, however, when we assume that simply being born in a place entitles us to excellence. In a civilized society, each generation is expected to build upon the progress of their forefathers to ensure the survival of the state.

    What exactly has ours accomplished to warrant feelings of exceptionalism? Successfully reboot “21 Jump Street?” Prove this country is over racism by electing a black president, only to become more racist as a result?

    Americans are so caught up assuming our nation is God’s gift to the planet that we forget just how many parts of it are broken.

    What many politicians call “the best health care in the world” is a costly, inefficient mess. Our college system has become a farce; even this fine institution of learned doctors is filled with people who deserve a college degree like Kirk Cameron deserves a GLAAD award. Worse, it’s nearly impossible to fix these problems because our two-party political system is an abject failure that forces moderates to pick their poison most elections.

    Rather than look at other countries to see what they’ve done right, we brand their ways as un-American and trudge ahead boorishly. God forbid we tarnish the founding fathers’ memories by incorporating any European policies.

    http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/19519/wryly-reilly-the-myth-of-american-exceptionalism/print

  8. Elf
    Posted April 2, 2012 at 3:40 pm | Permalink

    Good. But. David Lynch’s new video is better.

    http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/david-lynchs-new-music-video-c.html

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