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Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2003 - 1:37 p.m.

The lure of the (fictional) White House

I think in this day of satellite TV, the internet and $200 video game systems, we're still getting some remarkable entertainment out of run-of-the-mill, basic, adjust-the-rabbit-ears, free television programming. While my access to ESPN, FSNY and pay-per-view allows me to watch any Notre Dame basketball game, I am still drawn nightly to CBS, NBC, ABC and occassionally Fox. While reality shows draw the viewers and, therefore, the advertisers, and our interest in voyeurism remains at an all-time high, I am still more satisfied and entertained by that which takes more effort � the dramas and comedies around which I coordinate two VCRs and TVs and digital cable boxes.

Driving in this morning, I heard an NPR interview with Martin Sheen. It was conducted only yesterday, in Washington, where Sheen and the cast of The West Wing are filming inauguration scenes for next week's episode.

Yeah, that's what I thought � next week??

So did Bob Edwards, the reporter, who marveled at the tight schedule of the show. Sheen explained that there have been instances where scenes were shot, reshot, added or deleted on Monday and appeared on NBC two days later. He's done some work on Tuesday that's appeared on the air less than 36 hours later. No plans for a live episode, however.

But that's remarkable. I've expressed my dedication to Aaron Sorkin before, and this interview affirmed it. In the longer, 26-minute version on the website, Sheen got into everything from his personal political beliefs (and arrests related to them), his contribution to the character of Jed Bartlet (the Notre Dame connection is all Sheen) and the future of his career. It reminded me why I'm so in love with this show and why I think, with all due respect to Lauren and Jessica, it's the best show on television. So much goes into the show � so much work, so much research, so much creativity, so much drama, so much suspense. At the end of the interview on NPR, they played The West Wing's opening theme song, and I felt a surge of patriotism. It might be the most patriotic tune written since The Star-Spangled Banner. Or that might by hyperbole.

Still, Jane Kaczmarek, star of Malcolm In The Middle and wife of Bradley Whitford, has said in an interview that she cries twice during each episode of The West Wing: once during the opening credits and once during the show. I still remember the pilot vividly: From the start, it was clear that series was going to be about what it advertised, the West Wing. Sheen didn't appear in the episode until the final minutes, walking into a White House room with all the authority and confindence you'd expect a president to have. His first line was a quote from the Bible, spoken to settle an argument between two parties in the room: "I am the Lord your God. Thou shalt worship no other god before me." (Sorkin originally envisioned the show as being all about the support staff in the shadow of the president, and Sheen was only going to be in about one of every four episodes. That plan quickly changed.)

In his NPR interview, Sheen refers to "the Republic" more than once in describing how seriously Sorkin and the cast (with the exception of Rob Lowe; my words, not Sheen's) take their jobs and the symbolism associated with it. He has strong opinions on things ranging from missile defense (To paraphrase: "Imagine a visitor from outer space looking at our planet from above and seeing we have all these nukes pointed at us.") to the environment, and he knows his facts too.

While I am just as riveted by Alias and 24, The West Wing has more of a sense of realism. Though all three shows deal with potentially true scenarios and the behind-the-scenes actions we'll never know, Alias and 24 are more fantastic. In my mind, that's just enough to place it above the others for now.

* * *

Random site of the day: If you want to morph random people into crazy, psychadelic works of modern computer art, select "Stretch my friends" from the dropdown menu on David Bessler's site. I don't know who he is, someone just told me about it.

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