PaleyFest: The cast of “The Newsroom” Teases Season 2
By Ashley Bornancin, RCR Host and Contributing Editor
Reblogged from the Red Carpet Report
PaleyFest continued Sunday night showcasing the cast of HBO’s “The Newsroom,” Aaron Sorkin’s latest work, at the Saban Theater for a 10 minute teasing clip of the season premiere followed by a question and answer panel from Aaron and the rest of the cast, moderated by CNN’s Piers Morgan.
Tease of the Season 2 Premiere
The premiere picks up right where it left off from Will being under investigation after calling The Tea Party the “American Taliban,” and he is now preparing for a deposition. Meanwhile, ACN has to deal with fact-checking errors and executive producer Mackenzie McHale (played by Emily Mortimer) smoothly solves the issue from a quick phone-recorded voice over. (I’ve never seen this done in a real newsroom- a recording over the phone would not sound as smooth and crisp as they made it to be, but hey, it’s movie magic.)
The 10 minute clip continued with the team dealing with switchboard failure and anchor Will McAvoy being completely unaware, jamming out to Rebecca Black.
From the teaser alone, Aaron is bringing “The Newsroom” back for season 2 with just the right amount of anticipation to keep you on the edge of your chairs, adding a bit more of a comedic element.
The Q. & A. Panel
The cast took the stage for the questionnaire led by Big Foot’s favorite fan, Dev Patel, along with Olivia Munn dressed classy in a long-sleeve somewhat revealing white dress and Allison Pill with bouncy girls and a fun t-shirt and skirt.
Piers opened up the night by deeming “The Newsroom” as “incredibly realistic,” stating that Sorkin “hit the nail on the head,” which is quite a compliment coming from someone who has worked in the industry for years.
(L-R) Photo of Jeff Daniels, Michael Lombardo (President, HBO Programming), Aaron Sorkin and Piers Morgan, courtesy of Samsung Galaxy, during the Paley Center for Media’s PaleyFest honoring The Newsroom, at the Saban Theatre, Sunday March 3, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. © Kevin Parry for Paley Center for Media.
Sorkin’s Writing
Daniels starts out the night by telling Piers that Sorkin “writes for actors” and produces “scenes you get to play and get your teeth into.” While the entire cast laughed about being able to improvise, Olivia Munn (“Sloan Sabbith”) admitted that Aaron’s ideas are always the ones that work best, and Daniels said they memorize the scripts “word for word.”
Real News Meets Historical Fiction
Sorkin admits that he wanted to create “historical fiction” within real news, and will continue to move forward in recent past events- that includes the elections, Trayvon Martin case, and he is still debating on covering the Connecticut shootings and Sandy Hook. Sorkin said they were very sensitive subjects and wouldn’t cover a story if it would minimize the actual event. Though, Piers encouraged covering Sandy, stating that he doesn’t see how the show could get away with not covering it.
Photo of Olivia Munn, courtesy of Samsung Galaxy, during the Paley Center for Media’s PaleyFest honoring The Newsroom, at the Saban Theatre, Sunday March 3, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. © Kevin Parry for Paley Center for Media.
Olivia Munn’s Opinions on Journalists and Sexy Vs. Smart
Olivia Munn was the only one who strongly expressed her views on journalism, majoring in broadcast journalism herself and working in the industry for a short stint. Munn said she didn’t believe that celebrity coverage was “real journalism” and didn’t think it was appropriate that “journalists make themselves too much a part of the story” and thinks opinions need to be left out of stories. She then looked over to Piers and said that she didn’t want to see “Piers Morgan” or “Diane Sawyer” on the red carpet, just on the news.
Munn later explained that women always have to deal with being sexy or smart, and that she wanted her character to represent both. Munn said she “didn’t want Sloan to flaunt her sexuality- but also not apologize for it.” And questioned why women have to “compartmentalize these qualities.
The Cast Really Enjoys Working With Each Other
Although John Gallagher Jr. (who plays “Jim Harper”) didn’t have much to say throughout the night, he was not quiet about his admiration for Sam Waterston (who plays “Charlie Skinner”) stating that working with Sam was like “getting a Ph.D. in acting,” saying, “Sam has routinely prove to be a master of subtlety and honesty.”
Meanwhile, Waterston credited Daniels, saying “We are all good, because Jeff is won-der-ful.”
What We Can Be Expecting
Sorkin told the audience that if they like “Sloan and Don” they will like Season 2. He also stated that eventually viewers are going to get sick of the cat-and-mouse game between Will and Mackenzie, and that the show will not go down if the two eventually get together.
For all those who haven’t given “The Newsroom” a shot:
One thing’s for sure, Sorkin said he is not concerned with the number of viewers watching the show, and more concerned with the current viewers continuing to like it. And feel like bashing Daniels? He doesn’t read reviews anyway!
Photo of Piers Morgan, far right, and Michael Lombardo (President, HBO Programming), second from right, with cast and creative team of The Newsroom, courtesy of Samsung Galaxy, during the Paley Center for Media’s PaleyFest honoring The Newsroom, at the Saban Theatre, Sunday March 3, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. © Kevin Parry for Paley Center for Media.
Stay tuned for the Season 2 Premiere of “The Newsroom” coming out this summer, and if you’re not a news junkie, flip the channel from “Kim and Kourtney Take on Miami” and give yourself a show that actually challenges what’s going on in the world, and will actually teach you something.
Visit the official site here on HBO, LIKE on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Newsroom or Follow on Twitter https://twitter.com/HBONewsroom.
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