9.6.06 - You can bid on an autographed (by Martin Sheen) copy of "Apocalypse Now Redux" on DVD. All proceeds benefit the ACLU.

• Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for "Election Day" (Mimi Leder, Director)
• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Martin Sheen as President Josiah Bartlet)
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg)
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Alan Alda as Arnold Vinick)
• Outstanding Drama Series
• Outstanding Multi-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series or Special for "The Debate" (Edward J. Greene, Audio Mixer, Andrew Strauber, EFX Mixer)

Rob Lowe by James Sorensen/NBC

3.1.06 - TVGuide.com It's official: As speculated ever since it was announced that this is The West Wing's final season, original cast member Rob Lowe will return for the series' last two episodes, reprising his role of Sam Seaborn. Also resurfacing for one or more of West Wing's final five episodes are Mary-Louise Parker, Anna Deavere Smith, Emily Procter, Marlee Matlin, Gary Cole, Tim Matheson, Timothy Busfield and Annabeth Gish. But, alas, no Mrs. Landingham; besides being, well, dead, she's also busy yelling at the Scavo kids.

2.28.06 - Bradley Whitford joins Timothy Busfield, Sarah Paulson, Matthew Perry and Amanda Peet in Aaron Sorkin's new show for NBC, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Whitford will play a producer-director and recovering cocaine addict on the series' SNL-style sketch show-within-a-show.

2.21.06 - USA Network has ordered 13 episodes of Psych, an hourlong dramedy starring James Roday as an amateur sleuth who feigns being psychic in order to help the police solve cases. Dulé Hill plays his best friend, Corbin Bernsen his police-officer pop. Psych is slated to premiere July 7 at 10pm ET.

Martin Sheen and John Spencer by James Sorensen/ NBC Entertainment

by Matt Webb Mitovich

During this, The West Wing's seventh season, the NBC drama's producers have had to make one difficult decision after another. When should the on-screen election air? Who should win? Could the show continue on past this season, following Bartlet's successor? In the wake of original cast member John Spencer's sudden passing, how should Leo's absence be addressed? And lastly, once it was determined that this would in fact be the final season, how should the show come to an end?

Thinking back to the fall and the issue of the show's longevity, executive producer John Wells says, "We had a decision to make: Do we try to press NBC to continue the series [with] another presidency? Or were we coming to the natural end of our storytelling? The series has celebrated from the beginning the remarkable strength of American democracy, and one of the things that's most dramatic about that is the peaceful passing of power from one leader to another. So, as the numbers were declining, we started to think maybe we'd conclude the series at its natural place."

With that resolved, the next logical matter to tackle was the presidential race pitting Congressman Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) against Senator Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda). Originally, the contest was to be settled much earlier this season. But once production got underway, executive producer Lawrence O'Donnell says, "We were having too much fun. The campaign was working out better than we thought. The story determined where the election ended up." [The election episodes will air April 2 and 9, after West Wing returns from a Winter Olympics hiatus.]

Who will be delivering a victory speech, and who will be conceding? "It really is something we've been struggling with," says Wells. "We've spent the entire year going back and forth on that question and hearing from people passionate on one side and another." Come mid-January the decision was made — "which we certainly won't share, because it would be no fun," Wells says with a smile.

Of course, with John Spencer's Leo being Santos' running mate, the actor's sudden passing would need to be dealt with on screen, even though, Wells recalls, "we had conversations about whether it was even appropriate to continue to do the show without John." At the end of the deliberation, "the conclusion we came to was that, because John was so wonderful in the episodes [he had filmed but had yet to air], the best homage we could make to his contribution to the show was to let people see the last days of his work. We did not change or edit a single thing."

Since Spencer's death "happened at a point where we thought we had made a decision [about who wins]," Wells says, "it changed a lot of the storytelling" — and put The West Wing in a position to actually plumb new territory by having Leo, too, pass away, and not long at all before the show's Election Day. "We discovered that there really is no constitutional provision for how to deal with the death of a vice-presidential candidate during the electoral cycle," says Wells. "If it happens early enough [that] ballots can be reprinted, the DNC or RNC party can get together and name another candidate. But in the case where it's right up against the election... it's actually a very interesting gray area. It makes for some compelling drama on the show."

Once The West Wing's election is over, a few episodes will be left to air, building to the series' May 14 finale. In those final outings, Wells previews, "We will play the transition into a new government and new presidency, and we will also be spending time with all of the characters you've cared about in the life of the series, talking about where they're going to go and what they're going to do next."

As the final strains of West Wing's trumpeted theme sound and the series takes its final bow, television history will be left with the indelible impression of a show that, among its many accomplishments, was in the right place at the right time. As star Martin Sheen puts it, "We were a fantasy, there's no question. But we had a parallel universe to reality, a reality that changed when the Bush administration came and then with 9/11. As the country moved much further away from the center, we felt that we would give everyone a fair shot, and that we would be honest in what we did and reflect a kind of hope.

"If the real world was reality, we were like a novel," he continues, "and people were reading the novel, getting good ideas and developing a faith and trust in [the country's] leadership. If we go out having done that, I don't think we can ask for much more."

2.3.06 - Mary McCormack has landed the lead in USA Network's In Plain Sight.

1.23.06 - The West Wing will air its final episode on May 14th, not long after the show's presidential election is settled and Jed Bartlet's successor is named. Producers have revealed that the swan song, to be preceded that night by an hourlong retrospective, may feature the return of original cast member Rob Lowe, but not of series creator Aaron Sorkin.

1.10.06 - Jon Bon Jovi will guest star in the March 26th episode.

1.5.06 - Alan Alda was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series, and the whole cast of The West Wing was nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. The 12th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony will be on January 29th, 2006, and will air live on both TNT and TBS.

12.30.05 - Don't miss the lovely tribute to John Spencer on page 11 of the January 2nd issue of TV Guide magazine.

12.29.05 - The January 2nd issue of TV Guide magazine gives Jeers to The West Wing for staging a less-than-complete Bartlet family reunion. When first daughter Ellie (Nina Siemaszko) recently got married on the NBC drama, her sisters Zoey (Elisabeth Moss) and Elizabeth (Annabeth Gish) were inexplicably no-shows. If the writers were able to work mother-of-the-bride Abby Bartlet into the script even though Stockard Channing's busy doing doing another show (Out of Practice), surely they could've made Zoey and Elizabeth bridesmaids.

12.20.05 - TV Guide Online says that the latest word from NBC is that writers for The West Wing are in no hurry to address the off-screen death of original cast member John Spencer, who died of a heart attack on Friday. The political drama, currently on holiday hiatus, has five completed episodes (two featuring Spencer's character, Leo McGarry) in the can. The last one isn't slated to air until March 19, after network coverage of the Winter Olympics.

12.19.05 - E!Online: Which Way for "West Wing"? There's one man who perhaps best understands the predicament faced by the writers of The West Wing in the wake of actor John Spencer's death. Unfortunately, President Taft is unavailable for consultation. More...

12.19.05 - John Spencer died of a heart attack on Friday, December 16th. Writers and producers for the show will be convening this week to discuss how to handle this death in the storyline of the show.

12.15.05 - The West Wing was nominated for a Outstanding Acheivement in Writing for a Dramatic Series by the Writers Guild of America. Eli G. Attie, Debora T. Cahn, Carol Flint, Mark A. Goffman, Alex Graves, Peter R. Noah, Lawrence O'Donnell Jr., Lauren E. Schmidt, Josh Singer, Aaron Sorkin, John M. Wells, Bradley Whitford, and John Sacret Young were all named in the nomination. The episode "A Good Day," written by Carol Flint, was also nominated for an individual award. The 2006 Writers Guild Awards will be given out on Februrary 4th.

12.14.05 - Michael Ausiello of TV Guide online reports that he believe The West Wing is in its last season. While there's been nothing official from NBC yet, sources say that it's all over in May.

12.7.05 - Michael Ausiello of TV Guide Online reports that Aaron Sorkin not only got NBC to pony up a record $2-million-per-episode licensing fee for his upcoming hourlong drama, Studio 7, but the Peacock made a 13-episode commitment to the series sight unseen. And there's more: Reliable sources say the West Wing creator included in the contract a caveat saying that the show can only air between the hours of 9 and 11 pm, Monday to Thursday. Also, Sorkin has approached Matthew Perry to play the lead role, and is putting out feelers to see if Perry's "Whole Nine Yards" co-star Amanda Peet might be interested as a co-lead.

12.3.05 - TV Guide reports that Rob Lowe has been asked to return to The West Wing for one final episode. "I got a call from [executive producer] John Wells to come back," confirms Lowe, who is currently on stage in London for "A Few Good Men" — a play written by West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin. "Aaron was here through all the rehearsals," adds Lowe, "and it was a perfect reunion. If I go back to West Wing, I wish they would bring Aaron, too."

Word is this is the final season of NBC's hit political drama, so Sam's return "would be for the last episode," says Lowe's manager Bernie Brillstein. "They asked if Rob would do the last show and wrap it up. It would be like George Clooney coming back to ER one last time. Rob had four great years on the show, so why not?" —Mary Murphy

11.8.05 - TV Guide Online reports that, on the first Sunday of this November sweeps period, the live debate episode netted The West Wing's highest ratings of the season. Unfortunately, it still couldn't compete with ABC's triple threat of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (with 18.4 million viewers), Desperate Housewives (24.4 mil) and Grey's Anatomy (19 mil).

11.5.05 - Washington Post: Real Numbers for Fictional Candidates Viewers want Jimmy Smits to become the next leader of the United States, pollster Zogby International said on the eve of Smits's live faux presidential debate with Alan Alda on "The West Wing." On the other hand, viewers think Alda's character is more "presidential," and far better suited for the Oval Office. Only they'd rather not leave their child with him in an emergency. Though they'd vote for Alda if he ever ran for elected office in real life. Scarily, 99.8 percent of these people are registered voters. More...

11.5.05 - Zap2It.com: 'West Wing' Tackles Live Debate Let the presidential debate begin ... even if it isn't for real. At one lectern will be Republican candidate Arnold Vinick, played by Alan Alda; at the other, Democratic challenger Matt Santos, portrayed by Jimmy Smits. The Emmy-winning actors will square off live as newsman Forrest Sawyer "moderates" their characters' showdown on the NBC drama series "The West Wing" Sunday, Nov. 6. As with the live season premiere of NBC's "Will & Grace," the episode will be staged twice: first for the Eastern half of the country, then again for the Western half. More...

The West Wing by Mitchell Haddad

by Matt Webb Mitovich

When NBC's The West Wing presents its first-ever live broadcast on Sunday at 8 pm/ET, it will be an experiment not to see who might flub a line amid giggles and titters, but to shed light on the predictable pablum-dispensing exercises that presidential debates have become over the years, as candidates Congressman Matt Santos (played by Jimmy Smits) and Senator Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) make their strongest bids for the United States' highest office.

"It's very unusual in a [real] debate that a candidate is surprised by a question," notes West Wing executive producer John Wells. "They're usually very rehearsed. So we're planning to solicit questions via the Internet from people who are interested.

"We had a wonderful tradition in this country in which we had debates where [politicians] actually spoke," Wells adds. "[We hope that] people will watch it and [wonder] why we don't have that [candidness] in our government today."

Alan Alda, seldom shy about his own strong political views, says, "I hope the arguments get a chance to be as good as they can be, so that it's a genuine debate that cuts through some of the 'fog' of keeping your bases covered that you see [in real life]. One of the things I don't like about debates is that people act as if they know exactly what the answer is. Sometimes you don't."

Adds Jimmy Smits, "We're going to go out there with a little bit of a net, but riff a little bit, too."

But will the two actors actually believe in what they're saying? As Vinick, Alda — long a champion of liberal causes — is playing a Republican senator for the second time in his career (after The Aviator's Ralph Owen Brewster). "If I were playing the Democratic candidate, there would be things I would not totally agree with; playing the Republican, the same is true," he notes. "I do feel strongly that I want to be convinced by the arguments I'm making." Smits concurs, saying, "You always want your character to have a strong point of view. If it's a position [you don't personally] agree with, but it's a strong one, that's fun to play as an actor."

Now let's get to the heart of the matter: Do West Wing's contenders know which candidate will come out of the live debate as the apparent winner? "No, we don't," says Alda. "And no one [on the production staff] is talking as if they know."

The fictional election's ultimate outcome — the November contest will be settled in a March 2006 episode — is an even greater mystery. So until the final lot is cast, Alda and Smits will make the best cases for their alter egos.

"It's hard to play any character and not want that character to get what he wants," says Alda, explaining his motivation. "I wanted to destroy Howard Hughes when I was in The Aviator, and I saw every good reason to do it, so I could play the guy convincingly. You have to go along with whatever the story is, but of course I want to win. Even in [my] imagination, I'd love to rule the world."

That last statement prompts a concerned Smits to quip, "Alan wants to cream me out there!"

10.24.05 - From the October 24th issue of TV Guide: Like Father, Like Son Martin Sheen may be stepping out of the Oval Office on The West Wing, but on November 7 he's stepping into son Charlie's CBS comedy Two and a Half Men. The elder Sheen will guest-star as Harvey, the father of Rose, who's been stalking Charlie's character for two years. "And he's every bit as bent as his daughter," says creator Chuck Lorre. "He sleeps with Evelyn [Holland Taylor], then he won't leave her alone. He's an obsessed Don Juan."

This is the fourth time the Sheens have worked togther, and the first since Martin did Spin City, in 2002. "When the audience saw Dad they went bananas," says Charlie, who adds his father "will probably return. It's sort of set up that way." —Mary Murphy

10.17.05 - From the October 17th issue of TV Guide: Will Wing's Snitch Confess? West Wing fans, brace yourselves: The show's White House national security leak is not who you think. And you'll never guess why. "When they subpoena vice presidential candidate Leo McGarry, the pressure becomes so intense that the character who leaked the information comes forward," says producer Alex Graves. As a result, adds exec producer John Wells, "a major character will leave the White House and the campaign trail." Chief of Staff C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney) has been tagged as the main suspect. TV Guide knows who the culprit is. But, unlike Karl Rove, we'll never tell. —Mary Murphy

10.17.05 - Zap2It.com: 'West Wing' Creator Sorkin Goes Backstage at NBC - Two years after leaving "The West Wing" over creative and production issues, writer Aaron Sorkin is returning to NBC. The network has ordered a pilot from Sorkin and fellow "West Wing" alum Thomas Schlamme about the backstage dealings on a network sketch-comedy show not unlike NBC's own "Saturday Night Live." More...

10.12.05 - Stockard Channing was sentenced to 36 months of probation after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor DUI charge. She was also ordered to pay a $390 fine and take part in an alcohol education program. Channing was arrested on Dec. 14 after allegedly trying to drive around a roadblock on the Hollywood Freeway.

10.11.05 - The New York Post reports that ex-ABC News anchor Forrest Sawyer will moderate The West Wing's presidential debate between the contenders played by Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda. Since the Nov. 6 episode will be broadcast live, producers reportedly wanted a seasoned newsman instead of an actor who might be "too nervous."

10.7.05 - NBC has confirmed that a live episode of The West Wing, featuring a debate between presidential candidates Santos and Vinick, will air on Nov. 6. Two separate versions will be shot, one for the East Coast and one for the West.

9.19.05 - Once Martin Sheen has finished up his second term at The West Wing, he'll move behind the scenes to exec-produce a sitcom about a guy rooming with his gay brother, his brother's boyfriend and the straight man's mother-in-law, a fundamentalist Christian. The Hollywood Reporter adds that the premise is reminiscent of a sitch that arose in Sheen's own extended family.

8.30.05 - USA Network has signed James Roday in the lead role opposite Dulé Hill in the drama pilot project Psyche, thereby lifting the cast contingency. The story is about a guy (Roday) who passes himself off to police as a psychic and helps solve crimes. Hill plays Roday's best friend. The project is from writer Steve Banks and Tagline Pictures.

8.22.05 - TV Guide Online reports that Martin Sheen will be doing a guest appearance on his son's CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men this upcoming season. Previous attempts to thave the veteran actor hang with the Men were waylaid by his schedule and other commitments (as leader of the free world and all). But now that West Wing's Jed Bartlet is on his way out of office, Sheen is available. "We're thrilled to have him," says son Charlie, "and I think it's going to be something really special [when he guest-stars]. It's just sad that he's coming because he has a little more free time this season!"

8.21.05 - In an article on TV's Top 10 Scene Stealers in the August 21 issue of TV Guide Emily Proctor (Ainsley Hayes) is #4 as ballistics expert Calleigh Duquesne on CSI: Miami.

8.17.05 - From the August 14th issue of TV Guide: They're Going Live!

How do you breathe new life into aging TV shows? Go live! At least that's the plan for two Emmy-nominated NBC series, The West Wing and Will & Grace.

The West Wing is planning to do a live special during November sweeps that will revolve around a heated debate between presidential hopefuls Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda). "We are in negotiation with NBC to do a live debate," confirms the show's executive producer John Wells. "We would actually film the hour leading up to the debate, the on-stage [action], all the backstage [stuff] and the aftermath."

Meanwhile, on September 29, Will & Grace will kick off its eighth and final season by doing two separate live telecasts at 8:30pm Eastern and Pacific times. Although the episodes will include some serious gags, little will be left to chance. "We'll rehearse more, that's for sure," says star Eric McCormack. "We usually don't rehearse that much because we like to keep it fresh, but we probably shouldn't make as many mistakes in the live episode."

-Bruce Fretts, with reporting by Mary Murphy and Michael Ausiello

7.26.05 - During the NBC press tour, entertainment president Kevin Reilly said that John Wells and Co. may still be on the fence about who'll be The West Wing's next president, Alan Alda or Jimmy Smits. "They had an idea," he says, "but... I think now they're kind of wrestling with how to change it up."

7.26.05 - At a recent press event for her new show, Stockard Channing said that she was committed to three episodes of The West Wing for this upcoming season, adding that she thinks the Bartlet administration will be gone by Christmas.

7.14.05 - Emmy nominations are out, and The West Wing was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series, while Alan Alda and Stockard Channing were nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor and Actress in a Drama Series respectively. The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards show will be broadcast on Sunday, September 18th on CBS.

6.17.05 - From TV Guide Online: The West Wing's New Flight Plan

by Mary Murphy

Don't count The West Wing out yet. The once-mighty series may have lost much of its buzz, but its loyal and upscale audience was enough to filibuster cancellation. Still, expect major changes when the seventh season begins this fall — starting with a move to Sundays at 8 pm/ET. Budget and potential pay cuts may result in the exodus of some veteran cast members. And if producers have their way, a certain dead Desperate husband will be returning to Washington.

"We had a licensing reduction of 50 percent [from NBC], and every actor's contract has to be renegotiated," executive producer John Wells says. "My hope is that everybody is going to want to come back."

So far, Martin Sheen (outgoing President Jed Bartlet), Alan Alda (Senator Arnold Vinick) and Jimmy Smits (Congressman Matt Santos) are signed for the new season. So is Stockard Channing (First Lady Abigail Bartlet), who will shoot her West Wing scenes around the schedule of her new CBS sitcom, Out of Practice.

Another familiar face likely to return is Steven Culp — best known as Desperate Housewives' casualty Rex Van De Kamp, who was poisoned by a pharmacist with a crush on his wife, Bree (Marcia Cross).

TV Guide has learned that negotiations are under way for Culp to reprise his West Wing role as House Speaker Jeff Haffley. "The whole plan for last fall had to be scrapped once he landed such a big hit," Wells says. "But now he is available again. We just have to figure out what we will do with the character."

The presidential election will certainly be the major story this season — and don't assume that the liberal-leaning show will put Santos, a Democrat, in the Oval Office. "We sit down and we plan where things are going to go, but the people you cast make a huge difference in how stories change for the future," Wells says. So should we expect Republican candidate Vinick to win the election? "Well, it would make for good drama, wouldn't it?"

5.24.05 - Rob Lowe and Julia Ormond will star in Lifetime's miniseries "Beach Girls" this summer. The six-hour limited series, based on the novel of the same name by Luanne Rice, follows the relationship forged by three girls in a beachside community as teenagers. They drift apart in adulthood, until the death of one of the three brings her family and the other two girls back together. Lowe will play the husband of the dead woman, who along with his daughter (Chelsea Hobbs, "Lords of Dogtown") travels to the beach town of Hubbard's Point to connect with his wife's past. Ormond will play another of the three friends. Chris Carmack ("The O.C.") has also signed on to the cast, playing a local guy who catches the eye of Hobbs' character. "Beach Girls" is set for a two-hour premiere Sunday, July 31. The remaining four episodes will follow on Sundays through Aug. 28.

5.18.05 - Stockard Channing's new show with Henry Winkler, Flesh & Blood, has been officially picked up by CBS. The sitcom is about a family of single doctors.

5.17.05 - NBC announced their fall schedule yesterday, and The West Wing will be moving to Sundays at 8pm ET.

4.25.05 - Rob Lowe is set to headline a stage revival of Aaron Sorkin's "A Few Good Men" in London beginning this August. "I try to make it a policy to stay on good terms with the few geniuses I know in the world," Lowe told Variety. "There was never a problem between us, and this was a case of kismet. I called him, and when he told me he was adapting the play for the West End, it was exactly what I wanted to do."

4.21.05 - Stockard Channing pled not guilty Wednesday to drunken-driving charges stemming from an incident late last year when she allegedly tried to drive around a roadblock on the Hollywood Freeway. The next hearing is scheduled for May 26.

4.8.05 - An untitled CBS comedy pilot about a family of doctors has cast Paula Marshall to join Christopher Gorham, Stockard Channing and Henry Winkler.

4.4.05 - Zap2It.com: Smits Diplomatic About 'West Wing' Future - Jimmy Smits seems to have learned a few things about being a politician from his time on "The West Wing" this season. Like how to answer a question without really answering....

3.24.05 - From TV Guide Online: Jimmy Smits for President

by Daniel R. Coleridge

Will Jimmy Smits win The West Wing's upcoming fake Democratic presidential nomination? We're guessing that's pretty much a yes, though NBC's making viewers wait until the sixth-season finale on April 6 for full confirmation. But more importantly, do Smits' fans — who by then will have enjoyed him for 18 of this season's 22 episodes — need to worry whether he'll return for WW's seventh (and possibly final) year?

"All of us players who have been involved this season will be part of next season, in some form or another," Smits confirms. Regarding his chances of beating out Alan Alda to succeed Martin Sheen as the prez, he says, "My hiatus will be a little bit like, 'Hmm... I wonder, wonder, wonder.' I'm OK anyway it goes. The way [executive producer] John Wells set it up, there's so much fodder for story lines that could happen, and we're all up for that."

Smits' fans everywhere just let out a collective "Phew!" But what does this mean for his series-development deal with ABC? "It's definitely in place," Smits says. "I've got my offices at Touchstone. The deal is comprised [sic] in such a way that it doesn't kick in until after The West Wing is over."

The 49-year-old actor plans to spent his aforementioned WW hiatus meeting with various writers and producers about prospective star vehicles for himself. So has he any good post-Wing TV projects ahead of him? "There's a couple of things that really look good," Smits teases, "but you know I'm not gonna talk about them."

3.17.05 - NBC has confirmed that The West Wing has been picked up for a seventh season.

3.16.05 - Variety reports that NBC is very close to finalizing a deal that will bring The West Wing back for a 7th, and possibly final, season. Apparently, Warner Bros. is prepared to give NBC a huge discount on the show in exchange for the renewal, slashing the show's $6 million per-episode license fee in half.

2.24.05 - Variety reports that Janel Moloney has scored the title role in the upcoming CBS telepic "Witness: The Amber Frey Story."

2.24.05 - The West Wing won the award for best television drama at last Saturday's 57th Annual Writers Guild Awards.

2.23.05 - From TV Guide Online: Lily Tomlin's Favorite Flop

by Tim Williams

Back in the '60s, Lily Tomlin burst on the scene in the flower-powered series Laugh-In, where she created classic characters like the precocious Edith Ann and phone-operator-with-attitude Ernestine. But the quirky Tomlin has never been just a comedian. Her performance in Roger Altman's 1975 film Nashville made it clear she had more than sketch comedy on her mind. With I Heart Huckabees (out this week on DVD), Tomlin again shows off her crafty acting and takes on some serious existential questions. Here, the ex-hippie treats TVGuide.com to some groovy gossip.

TVGuide.com: Huckabees looked fun to make. Had you and Dustin Hoffman worked together before?
Lily Tomlin: No, but we came close one time, back when Robert Evans was producing Popeye. They wanted Dustin as Popeye and me as Olive Oyl, but that never happened. Dustin is a real rascal and a very playful person. I thought I was going to be a little nervous or intimidated around him, but he doesn't let that happen.

TVG: What did you think of the rest of your costars, like Jude Law and Mark Wahlberg?
Tomlin: I hate to go into how really nice everyone was — but they were! Actors are like kids playing, so why would someone want to be known as a jerk? I've been on sets where someone won't come out of their trailer, but that has to do with feelings of insecurity.

TVG: The film didn't do that well at the box office. Did that upset you?
Tomlin: Well, [director] David O. Russell is a very original filmmaker and it's an extremely unusual film. I love it; I've seen it six times. I just hope more people see it on DVD. It's a real emotional and intellectual trip.

TVG: We've heard you're doing another film with your old pal, Robert Altman.
Tomlin: I'm hoping that happens. It's based on the [National Public Radio] show A Prairie Home Companion, and I'm supposed to work with Meryl Streep, [whom] I know but have never [gotten] to work with.

TVG: Care to reminisce about your TV days on Laugh-In?
Tomlin: You know, I thought Laugh-In was square and I chose to do another show called The Music Scene, but it lasted only half a season [on ABC in 1969]. We'd have concerts with Jimi Hendrix. It aired before a show called The New People, which was kind of like Lost, but parents were irate because these long-haired dopers were in prime time. So when it got canceled, I went to see [Laugh-In producer] George Schlatter and he immediately [cast] me.

TVG: Do you like it when fans come up and do impersonations of your Laugh-In characters?
Tomlin: You mean when they say "one ringy-dingy"? I enjoy it — what could be a better connection with another human being than having the same sense of humor?

1.11.05 - Allison Janney was nominated for SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series, and the whole cast was nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. The awards will be presented on Saturday, February 5th, at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition and will be televised on TNT at 8pm ET.

1.11.05 - Fox has ordered a drama pilot called Amy Coyne from West Wing writer Kevin Falls about a woman who inherits her father's sports agency following the sudden death of her father.

1.8.05 - Zap2It.com: Chenoweth Takes 'Wing' - Rising star Kristin Chenoweth is learning that it's possible for a performer to be just a little too much in demand by her peers. The Tony-winning actress, who sings the demanding role of Cunegonde in a PBS "Great Performances" presentation of "Candide" Wednesday, Jan. 12 (check local listings), recently spent a lonely Thanksgiving tucked into bed with her Maltese, Maddie....

12.16.04 - Showtime has ordered 10 episodes of a series called Weeds (Lions Gate Television). The show stars Mary Louise Parker as a newly widowed wife/mother (think "soccer mom" type), who without an alternative source of income, decides to grow marijuana to support her family. The project also stars Kevin Nealon and Elizabeth Perkins. The show is scheduled to debut in 2nd or 3rd qtr 2005.

12.7.04 - TV Guide Online: Alan Alda for Senator

by Daniel R. Coleridge

Back in 1979, Alan Alda played a Ted Kennedy-esque senator in The Seduction of Joe Tynan. He returns to fictional political office in tomorrow's West Wing (9 pm/ET on NBC). Although he's well-known to be a member of Hollywood's liberal set, Alda joins the cast as Republican senator — and presidential hopeful — Arnold Vinick. The M*A*S*H star denies having any political qualms about taking the role.

"Although this guy on The West Wing is a Republican, he's one of those [idyllic] candidates because he's moderate on social issues and conservative fiscally," Alda says. "He is willing to debate issues, looks to do good for his country and is not trying to use public service as a way to increase his holdings in the bank.

"What I'm trying to do with my character is to show what's possible in the democratic process, not look at how awful they are," he adds. "We see how awful it is every night on the news."

Alda certainly sums up the White House drama's spirit very neatly. Sounds like he's angling for Martin Sheen's job once President Bartlet's term expires. "It seems like everybody's falling apart!" he jokes. "I think I'm coming in at the right moment."

But seriously, Hawkeye. "I'm gonna do five episodes this season and five next season," says Alda, who adds he's unaware of any plans for Vinick to actually win the Oval Office. "I don't know what [producer John Wells and his writers] have in mind, but I seriously, strongly doubt that I'd want to do a weekly show. Before I even get to that, what would they do with all these Democrat [characters] that they have under contract if I took office? Let's get serious here."

Meanwhile, Alda can currently be seen on the big screen in yet another senatorial gig. "I'm coming out as a senator twice in the same month!" he laughs. "This other senator I play in The Aviator [costarring Jude Law] is totally scuzzy. What a creepy guy."

12.6.04 - Zap2It.com: Alda Throws His Hat in the 'Wing' - When "The West Wing" was starting up back in 1999, Alan Alda was reportedly one of the actors considered to play President Jed Bartlet, the role that eventually went to Martin Sheen. The story may be apocryphal. If it is true, the show's creator, Aaron Sorkin, and NBC must not have pursued Alda very doggedly, because he doesn't really recall it....

11.17.04 - A TVGuide.com reader emailed Mike Ausiello, worrying that John Spencer was ill in real life since he looks frail this year and his heart attack storyline takes him off the main stories. Mike Ausiello assured the reader that Spencer's "frail" appearance is the result of a new diet, not some mysterious illness. Turns out, Leo's health scare served as a profound wake-up call for the actor. "Leo worked himself into a heart attack by not taking care of himself," Spencer told Ausiello's colleague, Mary Murphy. "Unlike Leo, I do not want to burn out completely. I do not want to have a heart attack in the woods. Since [I shot that episode] I have taken much better care of myself. I went on a nutritional diet, I hired a cook to make health meals, and I did the thing I have been trying to do for years — I stopped smoking."

11.12.04 - TV Guide Online: Love is in the air: Marlee Matlin was joined by her former West Wing costar John Spencer at Cure Autism Now's Acts of Love benefit.

11.4.04 - TV Guide Online: West Wing's C.J. Promoted

by Daniel R. Coleridge

As reported by TV Guide Online last month, Leo McGarry's sudden heart attack will prompt The West Wing's President Bartlet to appoint himself a new chief of staff: C.J. Cregg. In tonight's episode (9 pm/ET on NBC), the spunky press secretary learns the stunning news of her promotion. Yeah, we can just hear you asking, "Isn't the choice of a PR flack to fill Leo's shoes just a bit silly?" Well, here's what the flack in question thinks...

"I'm sure it came up with [the writers]," says Allison Janney, "and yet, they found it a fascinating way to go and not that far-fetched. At the White House, job descriptions don't necessarily define who trusts your input. It's more relationship-driven, and C.J. has proved herself a respected member of the administration.

"When I first heard about it, I was terrified," she admits. "Then I thought, 'Why not? It's TV.' C.J.'s a great role model. This is very positive for women. I don't think there's ever been a female chief of staff before, so why not?"

Speaking of White House staffing problems, we'll wager the current cast is angsty about talk that a new administration may come in to replace Martin Sheen's Bartlet. Wouldn't that mean the show's stars will lose their jobs?

"It does make for some paranoia," the 43-year-old Janney chuckles. "We're all like, 'Are we gonna have a job?' But as John Wells has said, it's unrealistic that C.J. would be press secretary for that many years. The turnover is high in these [White House] jobs.

"Anything is possible," she continues. "I certainly hope that if they go into the next administration, and if there's room for C.J., they'd ask me to be a part of it. If not, I'm happy with the ride I've had so far, and I'd go on and do something else. I don't know what's gonna happen. It's a little scary, but you never know what's next."

Meanwhile, Janney looks forward to new challenges for C.J., as well as new love. "There are plans underway to bring someone in for C.J.," she confirms, although she'll spill no specifics on whom. In case you're wondering, it's not Jimmy Smits.

"[Smits] certainly fits the height requirement for C.J.," the 6-foot-tall actress laughs, "but his character is happily married. Although we're trying to get C.J. happy in her personal life, I don't think she'll go there. But boy, he's nice to look at."

10.20.04 - Aaron Barnhart's TVBarn: 'The West Wing' returns on a grim note - "Ideas! I want new ideas! C'mon!" we hear Martin Sheen's Bartlet stammering as he paces the Oval Office early in the season premiere of 'The West Wing' (9 ET tonight, NBC). That might as well be John Wells speaking....

10.20.04 - Associated Press: 'West Wing' Eyes Successor for Bartlett

(it's really too bad they spelled the president's name wrong)

The prospect of a change in the White House tends to draw a strong reaction, pro or con. Not from "The West Wing" executive producer John Wells, though. He seems unfazed by the coming end of Democratic President Josiah "Jeb" Bartlet's tenure — and maybe even a Republican successor.

"We were a year and a half into the administration when we started the show," Wells said of the NBC drama entering its sixth season.

"We have term limits in this country and so, on our electoral schedule, Bartlet's second term would end a year from this coming January."

That fact foreshadows a hybrid season when "The West Wing" returns Wednesday (Oct. 20, 9 p.m. EDT). Bartlet (Martin Sheen) grapples with his legacy while others fight for the chance to replace him.

Among them are contenders played by two familiar actors: Jimmy Smits ("NYPD Blue"), who's a potential Democratic candidate, and Alan Alda ("M-A-S-H") vying for the GOP nomination.

Also in the running is Vice President Russell (Gary Cole), with talented staff member Will Bailey (Josh Malina) at his side.

Could Wells envision "The West Wing," if re-elected by NBC to a seventh season, with a Republican president?

"I really could," he told The Associated Press. "What we've tried to put forward in the Bartlet administration is a Democratic presidency that was a bit of wish-fulfillment of what you'd really want your Democratic president to be. I don't think there's any reason you wouldn't want to see that show with a Republican."

Is he concerned that the show, called "The Left Wing" by those who find Bartlet's politics grating, might be seen as making the move to pander to conservatives?

"I think it depends on who the Republican candidate is and how you feel about the candidate by the time he or she is elected," he said.

Series creator Aaron Sorkin cast Bartlet in the same liberal mold as the leader in his 1995 film "The American President." Sorkin, who left the series in 2003, could not be reached for comment, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Change could reinvigorate the series' ratings, which dropped from a season-high average of 17.2 million viewers in 2001-02 to 11.8 million viewers last season.

But Wells, whose relationship with NBC is bolstered by the other shows he provides, including longtime linchpin drama "ER," said "The West Wing" ensures an affluent viewership for sponsors and that he's confident of renewal.

A new commander-in-chief, from either party, would mean wholesale changes in the White House staff and the cast. But Wells told a phone news conference Wednesday that he hopes current stars would be able to remain — although that's less likely with a Republican administration.

He's also hoping that Sheen, whose contract is up this year, decides to come back for another season and maybe for post-presidency appearances.

Before the NBC show wades into the heat of primary contests and before Bartlet gives up power, there are lingering issues to resolve.

At the end of last season, growing violence in the Middle East led to the death of prominent U.S. officials and left an angry Bartlet weighing military action — and now trying to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

The Gaza Strip attack also critically injured Donna Moss (Janel Moloney), who was part of the traveling White House contingent along with her boss, deputy chief of staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford).

Whether Donna survives (and whether she and Josh finally become an item) are obvious cliffhangers. Wells promises other immediate upheaval in "The West Wing."

"There are substantial changes in the White House at the beginning of the season, within the first two episodes," Wells said.

Involving the White House staff that viewers know and love? "In the staff that we know and love, things are happening," Wells says, with vague discretion that would make a bureaucrat proud.

After the dust settles, the latter part of the season will focus on the campaign trail with Smits' and Alda's characters and on how Bartlet delivers his swan — or lame-duck — song.

"How does the Bartlet administration deal with the remaining time they have in trying to be effective?" Wells said. "What does he really want to accomplish in his remaining year in office?"

Writers for the series, which makes a point of drawing on real-world Washington expertise, asked former Reagan and Clinton administration figures to reminisce about their second-term experiences.

Politicos returning as advisers for the season include former Clinton press secretary Dee Dee Myers and Laurence O'Donnell, who worked for the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

Two newcomers are former Clinton economic adviser Gene Sperling and Reagan chief of staff Ken Duberstein.

They're all crucial to the series, Wells said.

"The most important thing about writing the show, as far as political issues go, is having arguments. We have to have people in the room to argue both points — and they do," he said. "It's a load of fun. It's actually my favorite part (of creating the show): You get to sit there and listen to these people harangue each other."

Will the series be affected by the outcome of November's President Bush-Sen. Kerry election?

For some viewers, he speculated, the desired goal is fantasy rather than reality.

"I think we have a number of viewers who showed up after (the 2000) election because they felt that who they wanted in office wasn't there, so they came to see what Bartlet did."

This is the first season "The West Wing" has returned without a best-drama Emmy in hand. After four consecutive wins, the award went to HBO's "The Sopranos."

Wells said he was pleased with the outcome. The mob drama was overdue for a win, he said, and "The West Wing" can proceed without the question of whether it or any show is worthy of so many laurels.

Some critics argue the political drama fell short of the dramatic heights reached when Sorkin was on board, through the end of the 2002-03 season.

Wells largely disagrees but acknowledges the challenge of shifting from a show written by the prolific Sorkin to one relying on a new staff of writers.

"We had the experience of changing drivers in a race car in the middle of the track doing 200 mph. ... It was as difficult a thing as I have ever been involved in creatively," he said, adding: "A lot of the shows we were very proud of."

10.14.04 - From TV Guide Online: Martin Sheen's West Wing Dilemma

by Daniel R. Coleridge

The real-life showdown between Dubya and Kerry happens next month, but The West Wing's timetable for presidential elections is, of course, different. They've got more complicated considerations than Washington politics, like actors' employment contracts!

Just to catch you up: Back in 1999, NBC's White House drama launched almost two years into President Josiah Bartlet's first term. In Season 4, Bartlet (aka Martin Sheen) defeated James Brolin to score himself a second term. Presidential fever heats up again in Season 6 (beginning Oct. 20 at 9 pm/ET) when various guest stars — including Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda — start surfacing as candidates for Sheen's Oval Office digs. The decision as to when Sheen will pass the torch rests entirely in the star's hands, though.

"This is the last year of Martin's contract, and he has to decide what he wants to do next," says executive producer John Wells. "It would be our preference to do the election next season. But if Martin tells me around Christmastime that he doesn't want to do any more beyond this season, we may accelerate that. We may choose to speed up [the election], we may choose to do something else. We haven't made any plans yet for if he doesn't [come back]. We're in full denial!"

For more of this story, which contains some big spoilers of the upcoming season, see the previews page.

10.13.04 - TNT has a pilot from Spelling Television and Jorge Zamacona, and starring Gary Cole. The drama project features Cole as the head of an elite crime fighting unit based in southern California.

10.11.04 - Kristen Chenoweth joins the cast of The West Wing this season in a recurring role as a media consultant to the White House.

Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press

8.24.04 - NBC's The West Wing will get some new faces this season beginning with Alan Alda as a republican senator from California. Also, Marley Shelton returns as a feature reporter who becomes the W.H. deputy press secretary. No news yet if anything has been finalized with Jimmy Smits, but Mary McCormack will return this season as a regular character.

8.23.04 - Alan Alda is joining the cast as a senator. For more info on his role, see the previews page.

8.16.04 - Jimmy Smits (NYPD Blue) is currently negotiating for a recurring role as a Congressman from Texas.

8.5.04 - Mary-Louise Parker has been cast in a new Showtime pilot called Weeds. It is about a fine upstanding woman looking to support herself after the sudden death of her husband, and turning to the growing, harvesting, and selling of marijuana.

7.15.04 - The West Wing received 12 Emmy nominations: Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Martin Sheen), Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Allison Janney), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (John Spencer), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Janel Moloney and Stockard Channing), Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (Matthe Perry), Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series ("Gaza"), Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series (casting by Laura Schiff), Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series ("7A WF 83429"), Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series, and Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series. The awards ceremony will air live on ABC on Sunday, September 19th, from the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium, and will be hosted by Garry Shandling.

6.18.04 - Don't miss Rob Lowe in Salem's Lot on TNT this coming Sunday and Monday nights.

6.18.04 - TV Guide Online reports that Universal Pictures has tapped Aaron Sorkin to adapt George Crile's nonfiction book Charlie Wilson's War for the big screen. The story focuses on how a Texas congressman and a CIA agent helped assist the Afghan rebels in their fight against the Soviets in the 1980s.

6.17.04 - From Daily Variety: All great dynasties must come to an end. "The West Wing" has won Emmy's drama series statuette four straight years -- every year it has been on the air. But, if listening to TV insiders is any indication, a fifth straight win for President Bartlet would make for a greater comeback story than Truman over Dewey. More...

6.14.04 - The Hollywood Reporter: Summer lovin': "It is hot in Tennessee," Allison Janney says in a slow, Southern drawl, perfected for a little independent film called "Our Very Own" but dampened by the 100-plus degree temperatures. The Emmy-winning actress doesn't sound at all irritated by the heat or the work, and maybe it's because she's in love with her co-star. Janney got engaged in early May to actor Richard Jenik, and the two are spending part of their summer vacation working together for the first time on film. "This is especially great," she says by phone from the set. "It's our dear friend's movie, Cameron Watson, and it's about his time growing up here in Shelbyville. (All of us on the project) are all very good friends, and it's a dream come true. The fact that Richard and I are working together for the first time, and we got to do a scene together that wasn't written in the original script but the director let us put in so we could do something together. It was great experience, and I hope we have many more. I think it's so rare when couples get to work on projects together." "And stay a couple," Jenik finishes, as they both laugh. It's clear they plan on staying together and hopefully, as Janney says, continue to work together. The two met through a mutual friend about six years ago and have been dating for the past 18 months. Up next for Janney and Jenik is a trip to visit their respective parents, training their new dog, Chauncey, and planning the upcoming nuptials. "My 'West Wing' schedule leaves open basically Christmas and next hiatus, so we're trying to figure it out unless we go to Vegas and do it on the sly," Janney says. Just like Britney Spears. "Hopefully ours will last a little longer," Jenik remarks.

6.1.04 - The Hollywood Reporter: Can NBC's "The West Wing" earn its fifth consecutive outstanding drama series trophy and tie the consecutive outstanding-series win record held by the NBC comedy "Frasier"? Or will this be the year voters finally anoint HBO's "The Sopranos," with the series joining its perennial acting winners Edie Falco and James Gandolfini? More...

5.26.04 - On Memorial Day (May 31st) Bravo will air viewers' choice marathon of The West Wing. Ten episodes will air starting at 2pm and continuing until 11pm. Viewers can vote online for their favorite episodes at BravoTV.com.

5.26.04 - Allison Janney's boyfriend of two years, actor Richard Jenik, popped the question during a romantic getaway in San Francisco on May 17th. Janney, reportedly, said yes. Congratulations!

5.26.04 - From TV Guide Online: Rob Lowe's Vegas Gamble

Two years ago, Rob Lowe quit The West Wing with dramatic flourish. Then his follow-up gig, 2003's The Lyon's Den, was swiftly canceled by NBC for low ratings. TV hasn't soured on Lowe, though. CBS has greenlit dr. vegas, an hourlong dramedy featuring Lowe as the in-house physician at a Las Vegas casino. Well, it's a funny premise, Sin City is a TV hotspot (CSI and Las Vegas are set there), and the cast includes Joey "Pants" Pantoliano. So what's not to like?

"Good! I'm glad you get it!" Lowe tells TV Guide Online, sounding relieved. "People are saying, 'I don't get it. Is he a serious doctor or is he comedy? What is it?' This is fun and different for me."

It isn't hard to grasp the allure this role holds for an actor of Lowe's high caliber and, well, considerable self-esteem. "I went to Sunrise Hospital in Vegas to research and I saw these critical-care doctors literally bring a baby back from death," he says. "Then, when you're done with that, man, the adrenaline is pumpin'. You hang that stethoscope up, and if you're single and into gambling... You're in Vegas! Sky's the limit!

"I was really interested in playing a guy like that," Lowe enthuses. "A stud f---in' doctor in the operating room — but when he leaves, he's an adrenaline junkie who takes the town for all it's worth."

Although Lowe's a producer on this series, he plans to leave the shot-calling to executive producer Jack Orman (ER). "On The Lyon's Den, I was so exhausted making that show," he admits. "I swore to myself I'd never do it again like that. I can't micromanage everything because I gotta be onscreen for such a large portion of the show. Here, I can sit back and trust it's in really good hands."

While Lowe doesn't mean to be the boss on dr. vegas, old habits die hard. "I found the theme song and picked it," he chuckles. "I told them, 'You don't understand. This is our theme song.' It's 'Get Yourself Connected' by Stereo MCs. I defy you to turn the TV channel on that song!"

5.21.04 - Bradley Whitford has booked two films for his summer hiatus. He will be in "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," an adaptation of the best-selling Ann Brashares book, as well as a romantic comedy called "Little Manhattan."

"Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" is being directed by Ken Kwapis (Malcolm in the Middle) and is an adaptation by Delia Ephron and Elizabeth Chandler. It's a coming-of-age story revolving around four friends during the first summer they spend apart. They vow to keep in touch by circulating a magical pair of secondhand jeans that fits each of them perfectly. Whitford plays the father of one of the girls and Nancy Travis (Becker) plays his fiancee. Also starring are Alexis Bledel (Gilmore Girls), Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia), America Ferrera, Blake Lively, and Jenna Boyd.

"Little Manhattan" is written and directed by Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett, and is described as being in the spirit of "My Girl." It centers on a love story between two 11-year-olds. Whitford plays the father of the boy who will be played by Josh Hutcherson. The film will shoot in New York starting next week.

5.20.04 - CBS has confirmed that Rob Lowe's new show, Dr. Vegas, will air this fall on Fridays at 10pm ET.

5.19.04 - From Zap2It.com: 'West Wing' Romance? Actors Aren't in Love with It

They've been dancing around the subject for five seasons now, and on the season finale of "The West Wing," it looks like White House staffers Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) and Donna Moss (Janel Moloney) might finally realize they're in love.

Unless, you know, they don't.

"I'm not sure this will turn into anything other than just a deeper part of their platonic relationship," Moss says of the two characters. "I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case."

The situation in Wednesday's (May 19) finale is certainly ripe for a declaration of love. The penultimate episode saw Donna seriously injured when, on a fact-finding trip to the Gaza Strip, her car was bombed, killing two congressmen and retired Adm. Fitzwallace (John Amos). Josh is overcome when he hears the news, and later flies to the German hospital where she's been taken for treatment.

President Bartlet (Martin Sheen), meanwhile, struggles with the question of responding to the attack on the American delegation, with his advisers calling variously for military or diplomatic action.

Whitford and Moloney seem a little ambivalent about whether their relationship should take a romantic turn. On one hand, Whitford says that when he's asked the will-they-or-won't-they question, "My standard answer is I've always been ready to move further with our relationship, and I'm just waiting for the pages to come down."

Yet he realizes that such a relationship might not ring true in the context of the show. However "The West Wing" differs from the real-life White House, its depiction of staffers not having much of a life outside work is on the nose, Whitford says.

"Partially because there's a kind of hierarchy to them" -- Donna works for Josh -- "acting upon romantic feelings would be kind of inappropriate," he says. "But it's also a very realistic situation of working in the White House, where people are usually too busy to have relationships."

Moloney is aware that a number of the show's fans are rooting for Donna and Josh to become a couple, but she thinks just about as many are hoping they don't. She also says that showrunner John Wells is concerned that "it's gonna get silly" if a romance is thrown into the mix.

"I think three-quarters of the fun is just, you definitely wanting them to get together," she says. "One of the incredibly artful things about this accident and him coming to Germany is you get to see the relationship become very intimate. There's an intimacy and an emotionality that you haven't seen between them that's pretty fun, I think.

"I'm not sure it's totally necessary to put them together. I know that a lot of people want us to, but I think it's probably 50-50. I think a lot of people don't."

"The West Wing" certainly doesn't want to succumb to the David-and-Maddie syndrome, in which characters (like those in "Moonlighting") become less interesting when after taking the romantic plunge. Whitford puts it this way: "Unlike life, there's nothing more boring on television than consummation."

by Rick Porter

5.19.04 - From TV Guide Online: West Wing's Love Dilemma

White House staffers Josh Lyman and Donna Moss have been through so much on The West Wing. When he was shot, she was there for him. Now, she's been injured in a terrorist car-bombing, and he's there for her. They've had it rough, but darn it, they're still single, available and breathing! So why don't these two political vets just hook up already?

According to Donna's portrayer, Janel Moloney, Josh and Donna will grow closer as she recovers from her injuries in that German hospital. "You get to see the relationship become very intimate," she tells TV Guide Online. "There's an intimacy and an emotionality that you haven't seen between them."

Now, hold on. This teasing thespian doesn't mean that kind of intimacy. "I'm not sure it's totally necessary to put them together," Moloney says. "Like a lot of us, [WW producer John Wells] has a fear it's gonna get silly if we start running around together romantically. Three-quarters of the fun is you desperately wanting them to get together! I think it's very good for the show."

"There's a wonderful thing — it certainly was not intentional — that happened in the dynamic between these two characters," adds Bradley Whitford, who plays Josh. "The writers think it's pretty precious. It's very hard to write a romantic comedy in this day and age — if you like somebody, you just jump in bed with them! But here, you have a situation where it makes sense that these characters [don't]. There's a hierarchy [at work, so] acting upon romantic feelings would be inappropriate. There's also this very realistic situation of working in the White House, where people are usually way too busy to have a relationship."

Whitford also thinks sex would spoil the duo's intellectual chemistry. "Part of what's fun to play — that you would put at risk by completely embracing a romantic relationship — is that Josh's arrogance is constantly punctured by Donna. [She] very often sees things more clearly on sophisticated issues that Josh doesn't see."

Excuses, excuses. Well, if they won't resolve this will-they-or-won't-they stuff, at least these West Wingers can solve one mystery for viewers: What's up with Josh calling Miss Moss "Donnatella"? Is that really her first name? "Yes, in fact. In the first scene of us together in the pilot, he called me Donnatella," Moloney reminds us. "Whenever I get in trouble or he's making a point, he calls me Donnatella. And when I testified [in court], I said my real name."

by Daniel R. Coleridge

5.17.04 - NBC has announced that The West Wing will keep its 9pm ET Wednesday time slot for its 6th season starting next fall. However, The West Wing will divide its season into two halves, with 8 episodes of a new show called "Revelations" airing in the middle.

5.10.04 - By the way, in case you hadn't heard, The West Wing has been officially renewed for a 6th season by NBC.

5.2.04 - The May 2nd issue of TV Guide reports that The West Wing is developing a fatal attraction to Glenn Close. If the scheduling can be worked out, the Oscar nominee will reprise her role as Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Baker Lang next fall. "We have a story we want to do with her, and she's interested," reports executive producer John Wells. "It'll be for one, maybe two episodes."

4.30.04 - In their first project since exiting "The West Wing," Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme will join forces at New Line on "The Farnsworth Invention," a drama about how Philo Farnsworth invented TV technology and was robbed of the glory by broadcast pioneer David Sarnoff.

Project was sold as a spec package. After entering into exclusive negotiations early this week, New Line agreed to pay $2.5 million against 2% of gross for Sorkin to write and produce, with Schlamme receiving just north of $1 million to direct the film and produce.

Script is set in the late 1920s, when the 22-year-old genius from Utah became the first to capture a moving image in a box. That led to a skirmish with rival scientist Vladimir Zworykin, who years earlier had filed a patent for the technology even though he hadn't made it work until Farnsworth's invention.

Since Zworykin was under the employ of radio giant RCA and Sarnoff, the young mogul who ran the broadcasting giant engaged in a take-no-prisoners battle for control of the invention that would change the world.

New Line president Toby Emmerich made the buy and will oversee the project. "The way (Sorkin) portrayed Philo and Sarnoff on the page, I'd say (they were) two of the best characters I'd read in a movie script over the last 10 years. They are adversaries, but it is subtle and sophisticated. It is a compelling drama that will have the feel of 'Seabiscuit' in that it covers one of those periods in the country where everything changed."

Sorkin and Schlamme met while working on the Sorkin-created series "Sports Night," and then became exec producers on "The West Wing."

Thanks to David for sending this along.

4.7.04 - Peter Isaacs ("Peter Pan," "Black Hawk Down") will play a photographer and love interest for Donna Moss in a three-episode arc. The British actor played Lucius Malfoy in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."

3.29.04 - TV Guide Online reports that starting April 21st, Mary McCormack, last seen in USA Network's druggie drama Traffic, will appear in at least four episodes of The West Wing as the President's Deputy National Security Advisor.

3.19.04 - From the March 13th issue of TV Guide: White House Liaison
When guest star Glenn Close began work on a West Wing episode to air later this month, she stunned her cast mates by revealing that she's—gasp!—human. Playing a wannabe liberal Supreme court Justice seeking confirmation, the five-time Oscar nominee "had a little bit of trouble with the [heavy dialogue], so it was fun seeing a legend stumble for the first hour or two," Richard Schiff says. "But she caught on real quick, and we ended up having a great time." Too late, Rich. Your bunny's as good as cooked.

3.8.04 - Zap2It.com: 'West Wing' Appoints Close to Bench - Five-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close will don a judge's robes for a guest appearance on "The West Wing" later this month. Close will play a potential Supreme Court nominee in the episode, scheduled for Wednesday, March 24....

3.2.04 - TV Guide Online reports that Rob Lowe isn't letting that whole Lyon's Den debacle sour him on TV. CBS has tapped the former West Winger to headline Dr. Vegas, an hour-long drama pilot that centers on the in-house physician at a Las Vegas casino.

3.2.04 - Five-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close will guest-star on NBC's The West Wing later this month playing a potential Supreme Court justice. "A conservative judge just died, so it's the business of trying to get her nominated and the confirmation drama around it," costar John Spencer explains to TV Guide Online. "The Senate we're dealing with is a Republican majority, as it is in the real world." For more on Close's WW gig, pick up next week's issue of TV Guide magazine, on sale March 8.

3.1.04 - Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Rep. John McHugh have written a letter to Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman. According to the AP, the letter is in opposition to a scene that aired this past Wednesday night when an aide talked about the potential closing of Fort Drum, a real life military base. The Clinton/McHugh letter asks Lyman not to allow "... such a recommendation doesn't make it into another West Wing scene. It is important that all White House advisors have the most current information to respond to such flawed proposals." The letter went on to thank Lyman for his efforts in trying to save Social Security, and offered to meet to discuss the military base issue more thoroughly.

2.18.04 - Big Bird, Elmo and Rosita will be visiting the West Wing from Sesame Street on Wednesday, March 3rd. This will mark the first time that these Muppets have guest starred on a prime time series. For more info on the episode, see the previews pages.

1.27.04 - From E!Online Red Carpet Pics

1.25.04 - Congratulations to Mary-Louise Parker for winning the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Movie. Janel Moloney said that she would pay her $1,000 if she thanked her newborn son for making her boobs look so good in her dress, so she did.

1.20.04 - The West Wing was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for the episode "Disaster Relief," teleplay by Alexa Junge, story by Alexa Junge & Lauren Schmidt. The awards will be handed out on February 21st.

1.19.04 - From TV Guide Online - West Wing: Life After Sorkin

Last spring, The West Wing's quirky creator, Aaron Sorkin, ended his four-year run as the drama's head writer. Fellow exec producer/director Tommy Schlamme also took a powder. That left exec producer John Wells in charge, and the cast worried about the show's future. Flash-forward now to 2004. How's life after Aaron? Last week, the residents of his fictional White House mulled it over at the Television Critics Association press tour in Hollywood.

"I can only speak for myself," said Bradley Whitford, who plays Josh Lyman, the deputy chief of staff. "It was a hugely emotional and difficult thing to see Aaron and Tommy go away. It was bewildering and disorienting.

"I always say, being on a one-hour drama is like being in an acting cult," he added, laughing. "It's like David Koresh left!"

After Sorkin's resignation, what did the cast think? "All of us really wondered, 'Does the idea [of the show] hold?'" Whitford admits. "I think I do speak for the cast that there was a tremendous sense of relief, very early on this [season], that the idea does hold, the characters hold, and the quality of the scripts was going to be high, and that these were going to continue to be interesting stories to act out.

"That's a testament to the talent of the writing staff, and it's a testament to Tommy and Aaron's vision, which I think was very strong and audacious."

"The big surprise is that Aaron stayed as long as he did," says John Spencer, who plays chief of staff Leo McGarry. "I had a real member of the West Wing say to me, 'You guys are getting very overblown about Rob [Lowe] and Aaron leaving. You know, in the real West Wing, we lose people every four or five months.' It kind of put things in perspective."

1.15.04 - The West Wing has received four Screen Actors Guild Award nominations: one for Male Actor in a Drama Series (Martin Sheen), two for Female Actor in a Drama Series (Stockard Channing and Allison Janney), and one for Ensemble of a Drama Series. The SAG Awards will air on TNT Sunday, February 22nd.

1.14.04 - Christopher Misiano has received a nomination from the Directors Guild of America for directing the episode "25."

1.6.04 - The West Wing has been nominated by The Producers Guild of America as one of the best dramas on TV. Winners will be announced on January 17th.

12.30.03 - Marlee Matlin has given birth to her fourth child, a baby girl named Isabelle Jane. Matlin gave birth on December 26th, and Matlin's publicist reports that the baby weighs eight pounds and has "two tiny dimples and lots of black hair."

12.24.03 - Don't miss Celebrity Poker Showdown on NBC featuring cast members of The West Wing, scheduled to air on Monday, December 29th at 10pm ET.

12.19.03 - The West Wing was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Drama. In addition, Allison Janney received a nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and Mary-Louise Parker received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Movie for her role in HBO's "Angels in America." The Golden Globes will be presented on Sunday, Jan. 25 and the show will be televised live on NBC.

12.5.03 - Don't miss the article that starts on page 81 of the December 5th issue of Entertainment Weekly, entitled "The Mild, Mild 'West': A wonky, watered-down West Wing flounders under a new administration."

12.3.03 - Martin Sheen has been nominated for a People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Television Performer. The People's Choice Awards will air live from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on CBS on January 11th.

11.20.03 - An excerpt from a recent TV Guide Online interview with Lily Tomlin:

TVGO: Do you ever wish that your West Wing character, Debby, could do more than show guests into the Oval Office?

Tomlin: Well, yeah. I'd like to be powerful, instead of having to say, "The president has a dog." Listen, I'm not going to look a gift show in the mouth. I lobbied to get this part. When I first saw West Wing, I said, "God, why didn't I get on this show?" and I sent out word. That worked for me a couple of times before, on Homicide and X-Files. Then, God love her, Mrs. Landingham died. I suggested that, if and when they hired another assistant, I could be the assistant. And a year later, I was!

11.13.03 - Zap2It.com: Cromwell Acts Presidential on 'The West Wing' - James Cromwell will bring his considerable presence to the 100th episode of "The West Wing." The Oscar and three-time Emmy nominee has signed on to appear in the 100th episode of NBC's White House drama, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He'll play a former president, the last Democrat to hold the office before Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen)....

11.12.03 - Mary-Louise Parker and actor Billy Crudup have split, the New York Daily News reports. The break-up comes two months before Parker is due to give birth to their baby.

10.21.03 - Kristin from E!Online reports that Ben Affleck is in Vegas this weekend taping Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown. We'll also see plenty of West Wing folks, as star Joshua Molina is a coproducer of the show.

10.16.03 - From TV Guide Online: West Wing fans expecting an original episode of their favorite White House drama last night were mighty disappointed when they found a repeat of Law & Order: Criminal Intent instead. What gives? "With such huge baseball competition [on Fox], it didn't make sense for us to air original programming," an NBC spokesman tells TV Guide Online. "Strong repeat programming was the way to go."

10.7.03 - Zap2It.com: Perry Returning to 'The West Wing' - "Friends" star Matthew Perry will reprise his Emmy-nominated guest role on "The West Wing" next month. Perry will return to the White House drama for one episode during November sweeps, again playing Joe Quincy, a Republican lawyer who has a job in the Bartlet administration. He appeared on the show twice last season....

10.7.03 - TV Guide interviews Rob Lowe in this week's issue, and he talks about how and why he left The West Wing.

10.6.03 - Zap2It.com: TV Gal Focuses on the Positive

You know in those horror movies when the hero and the audience think the bad guy is dead? Then just when the hero believes it's safe, the villain makes his inexplicable last move. That's what it's like with Mary-Louise Parker on "The West Wing." Parker's Amy simply won't go away. She could disappear (just like Mandy did sans explanation at the end of the first season) and would anyone care?

I'm still not quite sure what Amy said last week (who can understand her?), but she'll make a move on Josh in this Wednesday's episode. Suffice to say I'm not happy about this development. But are we all about negative thoughts here at Team TV Gal? Nooooo. Of course we're not. So let's focus on what's been great about this season.

9.26.03 - From TV Guide Online: West Wing fans are giving NBC's troubled political drama a second chance. Wednesday's season premiere attracted 18.1 million viewers and improved 32 percent over last May's finale among adults 18-49.

9.24.03 - If you're a fan of The West Wing, you know you've seen several episodes where the White House staff get together for a little game of poker. That little game may now show up on Bravo, says Variety. Celebrity Poker Showdown has been okayed by NBC for six episodes, airing on Tuesday nights this winter on Bravo. Potential players include many from West Wing including Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, John Spencer, Bradley Whitford, as well as Emily Procter, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer. The series will feature five different players in each episode and no limit - the winning player gives the pot to their favorite charity. The last episode will have the winners from each of the five previous eps playing each other in a championship game. Kevin Pollak will host.

9.24.03 - Thomas Schlamme will be executive producer of a new buddy detective drama called "Nice Guys," a pilot for which has already been ordered by CBS.

9.24.03 - E!Online Fashion Police: Democratic Party Girl - West Wing First Lady Stockard Channing definitely gets our vote in an elegant peachy high-collared shirt-style halter gown, drop earrings and a brand-new short cut. "Carolina Herrera is my fairy godmother," she says. But something else looks new. Eyes? Nose? Lips? Yes, that's it! It's a new lipstick. That's our politically correct story, and we're sticking to it.

9.23.03 - A day after The West Wing picked up its fourth consecutive best drama series Emmy, four members of the show's supporting cast — Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, Bradley Whitford and John Spencer — have quietly resolved their salary dispute with Warner Bros. TV. Although exact figures were unavailable, Variety reports the quartet had been looking to bump their salaries from $90,000 to $150,000 per episode.

9.22.03 - Zap2It.com: New 'West Wing' Chief Toes Party Line - Never mind that John Wells is one of the more respected producers working in television, a four-time Emmy nominee for his writing and has won multiple Emmys as a producer. His latest endeavor, overseeing day-to-day operations on "The West Wing" after the departure of creator Aaron Sorkin in the spring, has him feeling like "Ethel Merman's understudy in 'Gypsy....'"

9.21.03 - Congratulations to Christopher Misiano for winning an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for the episode "25." And, of course, congratulations to everyone for their win for Best Drama Series.

9.19.03 - MSN: 'West Wing' Hits the Ground Running - On-screen conflict, off-screen changes for hit show....

9.18.03 - Jennifer Aniston (Friends) will auction off the gown that she wears to this Sunday's Emmys ceremony to benefit the Cure Autism Now Foundation and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Bradley Whitford and his wife, Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle), are spearheading the "Clothes Off Our Back" fundraiser, and more than 30 other celebs will participate, including Stockard Channing, Dulé Hill and Martin Sheen.

9.16.03 - Tommy Schlamme, along with Greg Berlanti, is putting together a new show for the WB about two teen boys called Jack & Bobby. The link of the boys' names to a couple of very famous brothers and that one of them eventually becomes POTUS, is intentional. WB has given a put pilot commitment to the Warner Bros. project, says Variety.

9.13.03 - "Alias" star Jennifer Garner and a trio of past winners lead the latest round of Emmy presenter announcements. Last year's best actor and actress in a drama series, Michael Chiklis and Allison Janney, and four-time best actor winner Dennis Franz will also give out shiny golden trophies. The Emmys will air live on FOX on Sunday, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. ET.

9.10.03 - Zap2It.com: 'Practice,' 'West Wing' Get Ready for Change - As familiar shows undergo major changes, it can be useful to look again at the episodes that set up the changes. Usually, the previous season's finales offer the biggest clues to what's to come. Two such stories are airing again within days of each other....

9.3.03 - E!Online: Rob Lowe - TV Lawyering Is More Work Than TV Politics--That's the Point - It's the medium that brought his career back from the dead--or at least from the barely breathing. So, it came as no surprise when Rob Lowe signed on to another high-profile NBC drama after his much buzzed about departure from The West Wing. After all, now he's headlining--and he's an executive producer to boot....

8.26.03 - Old episodes of The West Wing will begin airing in weekly syndication starting September 22nd.

8.25.03 - Wow! Tommy Schlamme made it into Ted's gossip column on E!Online: Christine Lahti and Tommy Schlamme flew from L.A. to Chicago for a family vacation. United Airlines. C.L. joined her kiddos in biz class while her spouse, West Wing helmer T.S., settled into foist with his Blackberry, cell phone and Starbucks coffee in hand. Quite the Chatty Christi, C.L. gabbed to her seatmates that the Schlamme fam planned to rent a car once arriving in Chicago for the next leg of their trip.

8.21.03 - Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme will provide audio commentary on the show's upcoming first season DVD, due out on Nov. 18, Variety reports.

8.19.03 - Gary Cole has been cast as the new Vice President of the United States and will appear several times over the course of the upcoming season. His first episode will be the third of the season.

8.18.03 - From TV Guide Online: Former West Wing exec producer Aaron Sorkin has expressed interest in developing a new series that would be set behind-the-scenes of a Saturday Night Live-type sketch comedy show, the New York Daily News reports.

8.15.03 - E!Online: Arnold's New Costar: Rob Lowe - Sam Seaborn's got a new staff position. Rob Lowe, who served as deputy communications director under Martin Sheen's President Bartlet on The West Wing, will be chief celebrity wrangler for Arnold Schwarzenegger's California gubernatorial campaign, the actor's publicist confirmed to E! Friday....

8.8.03 - From TV Guide Online: Bring It On hunk Jesse Bradford is joining NBC's The West Wing as a spoiled twentysomething intern from a known political family. He's signed on for at least 10 episodes.

8.7.03 - Marlee Matlin announced on Tuesday's Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn that she and husband Kevin Grandalski are expecting their fourth child.

8.1.03 - Kristin at E!Online has some comments on Rob Lowe's new show, Lowe's current relationship with Aaron Sorkin, and the rumors of a West Wing spin-off.

7.30.03 - Zap2It.com: Lowe Sheds 'Wing' to Jump into 'Lyon's Den' - There's a line in the pilot of the new NBC series "The Lyon's Den" in which Rob Lowe's character, a Washington, D.C., lawyer, says he doesn't really like politics. If viewers take it as a reference to Lowe's former gig on "The West Wing," he won't be too upset....

7.30.03 - The season premiere of The West Wing will air on Wednesday, September 24th.

7.29.03 - From TV Guide Online: Anne Heche and West Wing star Dule Hill have joined the cast of Sexual Life, an indie feature about intertwined relationships among a group of adults. The pic -- which begins shooting next month in Los Angeles -- also stars Tom Everett Scott, Azura Skye and Ally McBeal's James LeGros.

7.28.03 - TV Guide Online: Rob Lowe Is So Over West Wing - In NBC's fall drama, The Lyon's Den, Rob Lowe plays good guy attorney Jack Turner, a senator's son who works at a shady Washington, D.C., law firm. One of Jack's first lines in the pilot — "I don't like politics" — suggests that star/executive producer Lowe is taking a crack at his ex-employer, The West Wing. Is he?...

7.28.03 - E!Online: "West Wing" Salarygate - Four West Wing staffers--Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, Bradley Whitford and John Spencer--have approached Warner Bros. and John Wells Productions and demanded significant pay hikes, reports Variety....

7.24.03 - Zap2It.com: New Scribes Occupy 'West Wing' - After years in the shadow of creator and executive producer Aaron Sorkin, the writing staff of "The West Wing" will get to stand out this season. Executive producer and showrunner John Wells has assembled a powerful team of scribes to pick up the slack for Sorkin, who was praised for his dialogue and pacing, but notorious for his lateness and need for script control.

Wells will write the first two episodes himself before settling back into a pack that includes Eli Attie, Debora Cahn, Carol Flint, Mark Goffman, Alexa Junge, Peter Noah, Lawrence O'Donnell, Paul Redford, Josh Singer and John Sacret Young....

7.24.03 - From TV Guide Online: Steven Eckholdt, who most recently starred opposite Nia Vardalos in CBS's My Big Fat Greek Life, has landed a much steadier gig: The actor is joining the cast of NBC's The West Wing as the husband of President Jed Bartlet's eldest daughter (played by X-Files alum Annabeth Gish).

7.22.03 - From TV Guide Online: The truth about President Bartlet's MIA daughter is right here: She looks like former X-Files star Annabeth Gish. The West Wing has tapped Gish for the recurring role of Bartlet's never-before-seen older daughter, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The actress will make her debut in this season's first two episodes, which were written by exec producer (and successor to Aaron Sorkin's throne) John Wells. Sources say Gish is one of several new faces Wells plans to introduce on West Wing this season.

7.17.03 - The West Wing got 17 Emmy nominations this morning, including Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series ("20 Hours in America"), Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series, Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series ("Holy Night"), Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series ("25"), Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series ("25"), and Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series ("25"). Aaron Sorkin was nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for "25." Martin Sheen was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Allison Janney was nominated as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Bradley Whitford and John Spencer were both nominated as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Stockard Channing was nominated as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Matthew Perry and Tim Matheson were both nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. And The West Wing was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series. The Emmy Awards will be presented live on Fox from the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium on Sunday, September 21st.

7.14.03 - At a recent WB press conference, John Amos (Fitz) was overheard saying that he was actually "looking forward" to an Aaron Sorkin-less West Wing.

7.10.03 - The West Wing comes to Bravo as of August 11, airing M-Th at 7p and 11p. Previewing the syndicated off-net strip, is a 6-hour marathon of the first 6 episodes, airing August 10 beginning at 11am.

6.2.03 - Zap2It.com: Writer-Producer Falls in 'Lyon's Den' - Former "West Wing" co-executive producer Kevin Falls will reunite with Rob Lowe on the new NBC legal drama "The Lyon's Den." Falls will co-run the show with creator Remi Aubuchon ("24") and he'll join Aubuchon, Lowe, Brad Grey and Bernie Brillstein as executive producers....

5.31.03 - Don't miss the article that exposes the real reasons behind Aaron Sorkin leaving the show. It's called "Broken Wing" and it's on page 37 of the May 31st issue of TV Guide.

5.28.03 - TV Guide gives CHEERS to Aaron Sorkin's parting gift. The final episode of NBC's West Wing under the helm of its creator was one of the series' most powerful episodes ever.

5.21.03 - Lily Tomlin has been named this year's recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for humorists.

5.13.03 - Moira Kelly's (Mandy, first season) new drama, One Tree Hill, has been picked up as a mid-season show for next season by the WB.

5.13.03 - John Amos's (Fitz) new comedy, All About the Andersons, has been picked up for the fall season by the WB, and will air on Fridays at 9:30pm ET.

5.12.03 - Rob Lowe's new show, The Lyon's Den, has been officially picked up by NBC for next season. It will air at 10pm ET on Sundays.

5.12.03 - Not that it's any surprise, but NBC announced their fall line-up today, and The West Wing will be keeping its Wednesday, 9pm time slot for next season.

5.10.03 - Zap2It.com: 'West Wing's' Whitford Talks in the Oval Office - It's late on a Thursday, and "The West Wing" star Bradley Whitford has come in on his day off to do an interview. It wasn't originally his day off, but the production schedule was pushed back and back until it became his day off. All in all, it's a typical day on the NBC drama about a Democratic president, which recently saw the departure of creator and chief scribe Aaron Sorkin and principal director Tommy Schlamme after four seasons....

5.2.03 - TV Guide Online: West Wing Creator Quits! What Now? - Talk about political upheaval. Late Thursday, West Wing's creator and exec producer Aaron Sorkin sent shockwaves through the TV industry when he announced that he would be stepping down as the show's Emmy-winning commander-in-chief. And what's more, he's taking his No. 2, exec producer/director Tommy Schlamme, with him. Although insiders speculate that Sorkin was driven out in part due to the show's declining ratings, all parties insist the split was an amicable one. That's a sentiment pretty much shared by fellow WW producer John Wells, who in this exclusive interview with TV Guide Online, sets the record straight about the surprising behind-the-scenes shake-up at NBC's fictional White House....

5.2.03 - From TV Guide Online: Aaron Sorkin, creator and exec producer of The West Wing, announced Thursday that he will be stepping down at the end of this season. "This has been the experience of any writer's dreams," Sorkin says. "I had the best job in show business for four years, and I'll never forget that." Fellow exec producer/director Tommy Schlamme will also be leaving. In a statement, NBC thanked the two for helping create "one of the finest shows to ever air on television," and added that exec producer John Wells has agreed to "assume a more active role next season."

4.29.03 - Joshua Malina will be on Celebrity Jeopardy on Friday, May 2nd.

4.23.03 - TV Guide Online: Perry Mulls West Wing Return - Does Matthew Perry have a future in politics? The Friends actor, who kicks off his two-episode stint on The West Wing this evening (9 pm/ET), admits he'd be open to another term in NBC's faux White House. "We haven't really talked about it, but I had a really great experience doing the show," he tells TV Guide Online. "So, we'll have to see...."

4.21.03 - TV Guide gives JEERS to fading from office. World events have left NBC's West Wing looking more and more irrelevant, never more so than when the political drama goes into high dudgeon over events in the fictional country of Qumar. We haven't cared less about a "nation" since Dynasty discovered Moldavia.

4.18.03 - Access Hollywood: Rob Lowe: Life After West Wing - Rob Lowe made his final appearance on NBC's political drama the West Wing on Feb. 26, but it's far from the end for the actor. He has a new movie, another TV show in the works, and a personal crusade that he's focused on. Access Hollywood's Billy Bush sat down for an exclusive interview with the star who discussed his new projects....

4.14.03 - TV Guide Online: West Wing Rocked by Chandlergate! - Matthew Perry will never forget where he was when war in Iraq broke out. "I was sitting in a replica of the Oval Office," marvels the Friends cut-up, who was taping his two-episode West Wing stint (airing April 23 and 30) at the time. "It was very surreal. Things got very quiet and tense, and it [became] difficult to work...."

4.11.03 - Taye Diggs will do a guest spot on "The West Wing" in two episodes that will air during May sweeps. For more info on his role, see the previews page.

4.8.03 - Roush Riff from TV Guide: Turns out there is life after The West Wing. But is it worth watching? The question arises as you listen to Rob Lowe unconvincingly affect a tough Noo Yawk accent as a disgraced detective seeking redemption in the mediocre psychological thriller Framed (TNT, April 13, 8 pm/ET). Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) enjoys himself as the suave and devious con artist being grilled by Lowe in preparation for trial. But wouldn't it have been more fun to watch Lowe playing the ambiguously bad guy? Seems to me I'm probably not the only one missing Sam Seaborn these days. It really was the role of a lifetime.

3.24.03 - Timothy Busfield has been cast in the NBC pilot Stuck in the Middle with You with Annie Potts. Busfield will play the father of a family desperately scrambling to stay in the middle class. The comedy is from Tim Doyle (Roseanne).

3.14.03 - Matthew Perry (Friends) will guest star on two episodes of The West Wing to air April 23 and 30. He'll play a Republican lawyer looking for a job in the White House.