I got to meet Aaron Sorkin today!!

[huskerlaw]

Actually, this is the second time I've meet him. But I never fail to walk away thoroughly impressed. He is so intelligent and funny and...actually, really nice.

Plus, he told great stories about West Wing. Like, for example, how it came to be. Apparently, one evening, he and a friend were in his study and the friend saw a poster from The American President on his wall and the friend randomly commented that The American President would make a great TV show, except that it should focus on the senior staff instead of the president.

It just so happened that Sorkin was having lunch with John Wells the next day. He thought it was just a casual lunch meeting, but when he showed up, it was Wells, agents from CAA and execs from NBC. Sorkin was like, oh shit, this isn't lunch, it's a meeting. And he wasn't really interested in doing a TV show at the time. But at some point during this lunch, Wells basically asked Sorkin to pitch a show and Sorkin was like, UHHH...how about a show focusing on White House senior staff???

And thus became the best show on TV...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear huskerlaw!

Oh, how cool to meet him again!

How did you manage that?

He sounds very nice and down-to-earth...

:hi:

[huskerlaw]

3. It was great!

The first time I met him, it was at a testing of The Farnsworth Invention, which is on Broadway now. He actually started conversations with my friends and I...he wanted to know how we liked his play!!

Today, we saw him in Santa Monica...he was part of a playwright's conference that's going on this weekend.

He's amazingly nice. I always think that people as successful as he is are going to be jackasses. Usually they are. :P

:hug:

[SPKrazy]

2. Awww, I'm really jealous!!!!

Why can't he bring back the West Wing with a new President

??????

WHY????

[huskerlaw]

4. I KNOW

He needs another series. I miss watching his work...it's so brilliant.

And he's such a nice guy!

[pokerfan]

5. I miss Sports Night

http://www.youtube.com/v/xgfF_50FAr4

http://www.youtube.com/v/XdVn22YIfDs

http://www.youtube.com/v/NcvorgRTCDA

[huskerlaw]

6. He talked about Sports Night quite a bit

Apparently, he pitched West Wing and Sports Night at basically the same time, but West Wing was postponed for a year because of the Lewinsky thing...NBC didn't think a show about the White House would be taken seriously.

I still can't believe he and Tommy Schlamme were doing both shows in Sports Night's second season. He said he was writing Sports Night on the weekends and West Wing during the week. Insane!

[pokerfan]

7. Yeah

Schlamme was pretty key to both shows. Songle camera means multiple takes and lots of editing. And he's the master of the long tracking shot.

I had a hard time getting into WW at first because it seemed like Sorkin was determined to recycle every joke or gag that he had used on SN.

[huskerlaw]

8. Actually,

Sports Night was 4 cameras, shot to look like 1 camera (he talked about that too).

He also commented about how many episodes of both shows were about writer's block. That wasn't a coincidence. ;)

I didn't watch Sports Night until after it was on DVD, so West Wing didn't bother me at all. But having watched both now, I can definitely see what you're saying. I'm a much bigger fan of West Wing though.

[pokerfan]

10. Depends on which one you saw first, I suppose

Had I seen WW first, I probably would have been annoyed seeing SN gags reused.

I could have sworn SN was single camera.

[Bennyboy]

9. I always thought it was cool that he is an acid head!

When he got busted it was for LSD wasn't it? I was like "that is why he is so much better than most".

[huskerlaw]

11. I thought it was cocaine...

Regardless...he did seem to do his best work while on drugs. Not the solution for everybody, but it worked for him!

On edit: I looked it up. He was busted with marijuana, rock cocaine, and 'shrooms. ;)

[Bennyboy]

12. Okay then 'schrooms.....

I knew there was some psychedelic in the mix.....

[GOPisEvil]

13. Nice!

My last "encounter" was my last flight up to see Madrone. I ended up having to connect in LA. There is a flight that makes that loop back and forth from Austin to LAX. So, as that flight was emptying, the first guy off the plane looked really familiar. It took me a second to realize it was Luke Wilson. He looked to be a in a hurry and didn't look like he wanted to be bugged, so off he went.

[huskerlaw]

16. Cool!

I've actually never encountered a celeb at LAX. Then again, I make up for that by bumping into them at the grocery store...so, that'll do! ;)

[KatyaR]

14. Okay, I'm beginning to believe you ARE a WW stalker . . . .

:crazy:

Sounds like fun--you're lucky to have those kinds of opportunities . . . .

[huskerlaw]

15. Hahahaha, well...

If by stalker you mean that I attend every public function that anyone from the West Wing cast is part of, then yup, I guess I am!

It's definitely one of the benefits of living in Los Angeles!