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05 August 2007 @ 10:38 pm

Not only have I caught up on my sleep, but I've actually been having a Life unrelated to Blogathon. At least there's still plenty of Sorkin in it, what with both S60 and TWW on the telly here at the moment and Sports Night playing regularly on my laptop.

You should have had an email by now from the awfully nice Blogathon people telling you how to make your sponsorship payment to Tipitina's. If you haven't seen it, try your spam bin - that's where I found mine. Apparently they have this problem every year.

The blogathon as a whole raised over $120,000 for a whole raft of good causes. Tipitina's are over the moon about what we have done for them. All they are waiting for now is for addresses to send out the competition prizes. West Wing related prizes (books & mug) were sent earlier this week, although I don't know how long the book will take to get to Leftpondia.

If anyone knows Pitt Girl, WINOLJ, can you please get her to contact me and let me know where she wants her baseball cap sending.

3 comments | Leave a comment

30 July 2007 @ 10:19 pm

It's done and I did it

I've picked the winners for the S60 caption comp.

The book goes to

happeh_hobbit for both her entries

pic 1 - "I think, for the last number, we could do the thing with the thing. And then jazz hands. But I'm gonna need more coffee, because the blogathon's keepin' me up. But jazz hands, jazz hands are good."

pic 2 - "Did C.J. start a feud with Charlie again?"

I particularly liked the use of "the thing" in the first and the reference to Charlie's bitch slapping of CJ in the second.

The CD goes to

digitalred93 for her entry for pic 1

Bradley Whitford: With my magic fingers I can make my hair go from brunet to blond and back again... No! Ignore that magic light behind my head! Really, it's nothing!

Congrats, both of you. Email me with your addresses so I can get your prizes out as soon as I can get to the Post Office.

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30 July 2007 @ 06:18 pm

Blogathon fundraising update

I had to go to a meeting today (although in the end there were only 3 of us there), but managed to extract another £15 quid out of my fellow attendees. That brings the current total up to

$444.44 - what an amazing number!

I'll be emailing Tipitina's Foundation later on to tell them the news. I'm sure that they will be over the moon.

Thanks again to everyone who came and made it such a special day. I'm off to look at the last competition entries again and pick a winner. I'll post the results later on.

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29 July 2007 @ 11:12 pm

OK, not one of the Sorkin eps, but he was in it, so it counts!

I still haven't picked a winner for the last comp. I've been asleep for the last 7 hours and I'm about to go back to bed. I'll sort all that out tomorrow. If you won any of the other prizes and haven't let me know your address, please email me.

With that, I'm taking my napkin and my aeroplane and heading for the hills. Night all.

1 comment | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 01:42 pm

49) What Kind of Day Has It Been?

Oh, come on. You didn't really expect the last post to be called anything else, did you? Seriously?

( The Last Post )

OK, I'm off for a bath and a kip. Thanks again for being here. I'll catch you all later.

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29 July 2007 @ 01:22 pm

48) Roll credits

OK, this is the speech time. So I'd better start by thanking my mother. And probably Tracy's mum, too.

Thank you to Tracy for staying up with me all night and producing some really fantastic posts. I'm such a relative Sorkin newbie and these were brilliant to read.

Thanks to Caz for the gorgeous picspam and sending me a load of CDs and sitting up to the wee small hours chatting on MSN for the last few weeks. You've been a great help and the thought of that 2x4 lurking in the background has kept me going.

Thanks to

digitalred93 and strt15 for the previous bout of fundraising that started all this off.

Thanks to

coloneljack for making me such a wonderful layout and beautiful iconses. Well, all the beautiful iconses, not just for the blogathon.

Thanks to Beth and Mr L for encouraging me in the first place when I wondered if I should do it.

Thank you to Aaron for writing such great material, to Tommy for producing it and for all the amazing actors and crew who provided us with such entertainment (especially Brad, cos *Bruce Forsyth* he's my favourite).

And most of all, thank you to everyone who has sponsored us, been around, commented, entered the competitions (I still have to pick a winner for the last one, I haven't fogotten) and to Tipitna's Foundation for donating some brilliant prizes. If this were the BBC, I could have entered the comps myself and won everything!

If I've forgotten to mention you, I apologise profusely. I'll probably remember someone really important later when I'm asleep!

OK, only one more entry to go and then it's ALL OVER!

11 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 12:26 pm

47) What's Next

In true Sorkin style, Jed will look up and say "What's Next".

Well, our boy will be sorting his play out on Broadway. He's also apparently signed up to write the script for the Flaming Lips' musical version of their album "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots". I'm sure that this means something to someone, but I've never heard of it other than in connection with Mr S.

He's got a film coming out early next year called Charlie Wilson's War starring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Oh, and Ron Ostrow's in it.

And he's just signed a 3 picture deal with DreamWorks, with Speilburg to direct at least the first.

So he's going to be a busy lad. I just hope he finds time for more TV work in the not too distant future

8 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 12:41 pm

46) I can make glass tubes

The next Sorkin production we're likely to see is the Broadway production of his play "The Farnsworth Invention" this autumn.

It's the story of Philo T Farnsworth and his race patent the television he invents. In Sports Night, Sam explains that Farnsworth's Brother in law, Cliff Gardner, wanted to help Philo and the best way he knew how was to make the glass tubes to create the cathode ray tubes.

Sam was a facilitator. He did what he could to help other people to do what they wanted to do.

I'm hoping to get over to NY either the end of this year or early next to see it.

If there's anyonen who has seen it, please tell me about it.

6 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 12:00 pm

45) Sponsor Update

OK, we've still got 2 hours to go, but I think it's about time we made Brad do his thing. It's a toss up right now between Brad getting his kit of and me letting

caz963 and

teresadivicenzo loose with the Bad!fic. Believe me when I tell you that Brad is the better bet!

So, how are we doing?

At the beginning of the blogathon yesterday afternoon, we had pledges of $100 and I was wondering whether we'd make it to $200. As it is, you guys have been incredibly generous and promised us your dosh and so I can now tell you the current total of pledges is *checks mail box again and finds something there*

$383

Wow! Brad's impressed. Brad thinks he should take his shirt off. Who are we to disagree with a man on a mission?

I think the sight of that will loosen a further $17 from somebody's wallet.

3 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 11:36 am

44) I'm Andrew Shepherd and I am the President

Although we're not talking about the S7 campaign, I think we get a lot of Aaron's sense of "the Presidential Voice" in both TAP, were the President calls Senator Rumsden on a lot of his campaign rhetoric. We see it again with President Bartlet when he talks to Govenor Ritchie at the end of S3.

BARTLET
[sighs] We should have a great debate, Rob. We owe it to everyone. When I
was running as a governor, I didn't know anything. I made them start Bartlet college in my
dining room. Two hours every morning on foreign affairs and the military. You can do that.

RITCHIE
How many different ways you think you're gonna find to call me dumb?

BARTLET
I wasn't, Rob. But you've turned being un-engaged into a Zen-like thing,
and you shouldn't enjoy it so much is all, and if it appears at times as if I don't like you,
that's the reason why.

RITCHIE
You're what my friends call a superior sumbitch. You're an academic elitist
and a snob. You're, uh, Hollywood, you're weak, you're liberal, and you can't be
trusted. And if it appears from time to time as if I don't like you, well, those are just a
few of the many reasons why.

The start of a great tune is played inside the theater.

BARTLET
They're playing my song.

Bartlet stands and heads to the stairs, but he turns to Ritchie before reaching them.

BARTLET
In the future, if you're wondering, "Crime. Boy, I don't know" is when I
decided to kick your ass.

It really wouldn't matter if Toby and Sam wrote the best speeches in the world, if they had GWB delivering them, they would still sound like crap. I'd best stop there!!!

3 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 11:16 am

If there's anyone there who's just arrived, the caption competition at entry 39 is still open. Why not enter and see what happens.

I've been at this for over 21 hours now, ably assisted and supported by

caz963 and

teresadivicenzo. Please sponsor us. Any tiny amount will be gratefully received. I've resorted to begging now, because I want to see Brad take his shirt off!

7 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 10:59 am

43) Big Block of Cheese Day

"Andrew Jackson, in the main foyer of his White House had a big block of cheese..."

We heard the speech, we say the staff roll their eyes, Leo put them on the list. We saw “Throw Open Our Office Doors To People Who Want To Discuss Things That We Could Care Less About... Day”. Twice.

At the end of Crackpots, Jed says

"I understand that today was another one of Leo’s “big block of cheese” days!
You all start out so cynical, but it never fails. By the end of the day, there’s
always one or two converts, right? And today was no exception. C.J. Cregg is gonna
be up all night writing a position paper for the interior department on the
necessity of wildlife protection. [C.J. laughs.] C.J., I don’t mind the cost of
this wolves-only highway. It’s the segregation. The ACLU is gonna file a petition
on behalf of some reindeer and then we’re all screwed."

I have to say that in some ways, this sums up TWW for me. Yes, I have some interest in politics, but the vast majority of people really don't, especially not someone else's politics. But we threw open our living rooms to these people and we were converted. How many of you have learned something about something, anything, just from watching TWW. We learned about the census, about how even though it says in the constitution "all men are born equal", the founding fathers didn't include slaves in that. We learned about reparations - 40 acres and a mule. How a filibuster works. All that kind of stuff. OK, a lot of it was very minor stuff and very much romaticised, but we listened and we learned. And we want to know why it's not really like that.

What did you learn from watching TWW that you didn't get from an 8th grade social studies textbook? Have you taken an interest in the political process that you wouldn't have if you didn't watch TWW? Tracy, I'd be interested on an insider's view on this, as I know it isn't real. I've heard of life imitating art in certain circumstances over here.

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29 July 2007 @ 10:28 am

42) Those Stories Would Make Me Like You...

So, what better way to follow a post about Sorkin’s “Couples” than with some spam of the characters who became the most popular couple across all his work – The West Wing’s Josh and Donna. I know there are some out there who didn't like them as a couple, but I make no apologies for the fact that I adored them - and it’s my spam, so there!

Josh and Donna were never intended to be a couple romantically - in fact, it was clear that Sorkin intended for Josh to get back with his ex-girlfriend Mandy, but thanks to one of those happy accidents of casting, and (apparently) begging by Bradley Whitford, Janel Maloney became a regular cast member more or less straight away.

There was also the small matter of the chemistry between the actors, not something that can be predicted or created, but which was so incredibly good that their scenes together just crackled and which led very quickly to viewers deciding that here was the "couple" they wanted to see get together.

It was a very long wait.

So here's a looooong word and picspam of some of my favourite moments and pictures. Feel free to chip in with some of yours!

( Thank God. There's a pile of stuff on the desk. )

17 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 09:56 am

41) How many people make a couple?

I talked about love and mushy romantic stuff when I posted the last vid. I know my brain is beginning to shut down, but right now I can only think of Jed and Abbey across all 3 TV shows who were actually together all through the series. Yes, they had tiff, but they were a solid pair of people who supported each other, brought up a family together and complemented each others' strengths.

Leo and Jenny had been together for a long time, but eventually Leo put the job first and lost out. I guess it helps living in the tied cottage and having the wifey next door for a spot of bbqing in between meetings.

As for the other characters

Sports Night - Casey and Dana never made it, Natalie and Jeremy got together and then split up, Dan thought he'd got it with Rebecca and then she went back to her husband - only to return at the end of S2. Sam wasn't the kind of guy to commit to anyone.

TWW - Well, we never really saw what happened with Sam and either Laurie or Mallory. Laurie disappeared to Mandyland and Sam never called Mallory after the picture. CJ & Simon came to an abrupt end before they really got off the ground. Danny came and went and came back again (remember we're talking S1-4 here). Donna dated a string of "local gomers", none of whom were Josh or anything like Josh - they were mostly Republicans!!!! Even though Donna wanted to set Josh up with Joey Lucas instead of letting him "randomly tumble into a girl sideways and hopes she breaks up with you soon like you always do" he wouldn't let her. Caz is going to be hiding behind the sofa for the next few Sundays because WE DON'T LIKE AMY! Zoey and Charlie split up. OK, my brain's run out on that lot. Oh, yeah, Toby & Andy.

S60 - OK, we've got Matt & Harriet, who've been having the same fight in two centuries now. The Evil Blonde Lawyer Chick from Gage Whitney was never going to stand a chance there. We've got Danny stalking Jordan, who he's known for like five minutes. And there's love's young dream with Tom & Lucy. Martha O'Dell was an interesting character that never really got developed.

Who have I forgotten. Which pairs would you liked to have seen coupled up (apart from the obvious). Was there ever anything between CJ & Toby?

16 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 09:31 am

40) Bit of a cheat really

OK, this is totally a cheat. My brain is refusing to do much at the moment, so I'm going to repost the photos I took in DC when I was there on holiday last month. Yes, I am sad enough to spend 4 days wandering around and taking photos of West Wing locations and putting quotes to them.

You can find them here.

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29 July 2007 @ 08:49 am

39) Studio 60 Caption comp

So it's time to give your brains one last shake to see whether you can find the funny in there. These two pics are from S60. Usual rules apply.

Pic 1

Pic 2

Prizes

West Wing S3 & 4 script book and a Fats Domino CD from Tips

See if you can make me laugh hard enough to stay awake.

14 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 08:43 am

38a) Roll call time again

There's another comp coming up soon. Who's still awake? I have to admit I'm flagging a bit now and almost dropped off between the last couple of posts. I'm going in search of tea and toast and will be back in a moment.

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29 July 2007 @ 08:18 am

38) Recurring roles

Ok, this post is about the smaller roles in TWW who ran through the series. The White House has an enormous staff and they couldn't all appear every week. There were also non-staff members who appeared now and them.

We've spoken of Lord John Marbury already. He only appeared in 5 episodes across the first 3 seasons, but we all remember him for his eccentricities.

Admiral Fitzwallace is another of my particular favourites. Oddly, he and Nancy McNally only appear in 22 episodes each.

Adam Arkin plays Dr Stanley Keyworth, the psychiatrist who sees Josh and then comes back to talk to Jed. Again, a few episodes, but a real key character.

Joey Lucas first appears very forcibly in Take This Sabbath Day. She makes a huge impression on the show and on Josh. One of my very favourite scenes in the whole 7 seasons is when she meets with Josh and he tells her that the President has MS. She gets why it's a big deal, but she also wants to know how he is on a personal level - back to the old love & loyalty theme again.

Ed and Larry always appear together as a sort of comic double act.

Ron Butterfield is the head of the President's secret service detail. He will always be my hero for walking around with a bullet hole in his hand after being shot at Rosslyn. He gets his man in the car, takes him to the hospital and then goes back to the scene. One of my bestest lines ever is when he tells Toby

"It wasn't your fault. It wasn't Gina's fault, it wasn't Charlie's fault, it wasn't anybody's fault, Toby. It was an act of madmen. You think a tent was going to stop them? We got the President in the car. We got Zoey in the car. And at 150 yards, five stories up, the shooters were down 9.2 seconds after the first shot was fired. I would never let you not let me protect the President. You tell us you don't like something, we figure out something else. It was an act of madmen. Anyway, the Secret Service doesn't comment on
procedure."

So, who's your favourite recurring character?

14 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 07:59 am

37) Didn't you used to be...

Mr Sorkin seems to like working with people he knows and knows can speak his words as they should be spoked. There seem to be an enormous group of people who have appeared in more than one of his works and several who are almost part of the furniture for Sorkin productions.

The most obvious people are Brad and Matt, both of whom were in TWW and S60. Tim Busfield also went straight from one to the other.

Joshua Malina has been in pretty much everything Aaron has ever done from AFGM onwards. I think he may even have been in the stage version. He was also in Malice, a film where Aaron did some work on the script.

Martin Sheen got a promotion from CoS to POTUS between TAP and TWW. Anna Deveare Smith went from Press Secretary to National Security Advisor.

Jed Bartlet's middle daughter, Ellie was also the nanny in SN and Sydney's sister in TAP.

Felicity Huffman was Dana in SN, worked for the Majority Leader in TWW and appeared as herself in S60, as did Allison Janney.

I love that Janel Maloney was in one episode of SN and then was only originally cast in the pilot of TWW. It was her chemistry with Brad that got her a bigger part.

There are all kinds of other bit parts across the different shows and films that you see people in and think "oooh, he was a White House reporter, or a production technician, or something, but I know I've seen him before".

So, who else can you think of. I CBA to go rummaging through IMDB right now. I know that there are more and I know you guys can remember them all.

We'll discuss Aaron's other recycling habits later.

21 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 07:27 am

The Black Vera Wang

So we've ~~drooled over~~ admired the guys in their finery, so now it's the turn of the ladies.

Thing is, it's been practically impossible to find pics of the girls on their own - they're mostly in group shots or with the guys, but you're not gonna complain about that are you? :)

( Let's start with the eponymous Black Vera Wang then, shall we? )

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29 July 2007 @ 06:58 am

35) Men In Black

So, I'm back!

hooloovoo_42 is once again on a break (or has temporarily passed out, one of the two!) and so it's time to look at some more pretty pictures.

Here in one handy place, the Sorkin Men in Black – or guys in tuxes if you will. I think it’s pretty much a given that a well-tailored tuxedo will make any guy look good… but I think it works the other way around here!

( This is how they dress in times of occasion. )

20 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 06:20 am

34) Sponsor update and Pimping other bloggers

Again, huge, enormous thanks to the fantastically generous people who have pledged money so far. We've already surpassed any expectations I had about how much this might raise. Of course, now I have to lift my eyes and dream a little higher. Brad's started slowing down in his undressing, knowing that there are people out there who want to see what he's got ;-)

Click for bigness!

Current total allowing for exchange rates $337

Woo yay! You guys rock!

We've already mentioned Heifer International. from the WW episode "Guns Not Butter". Brad is also involved with their organisation, which sends cattle and goats to third world countries and teaches the farmers how to look after them and raise their own standard of living.

Please go and check out these people who are blogging for Heifer International in its various forms. They'll probably welcome a few comments from someone else to keep them going.

http://community.livejournal.com/07allnighter/

http://wired_lizard.livejournal.com/

http://llama-go-moooo.livejournal.com/

http://www.seeworthy.org/

Share the Sorkin-love :-)

Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 05:58 am

Studio 60 Episode Poll

Only 3 choices!!!

Poll #1029680
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Here we go again. You only get 3 picks this time.

Pilot
13 (33.3%)

The Cold Open
6 (15.4%)

The Focus Group
6 (15.4%)

The West Coast Delay
0 (0.0%)

The Long Lead Story
2 (5.1%)

The Wrap Party
5 (12.8%)

Nevada Day (1)
2 (5.1%)

Nevada Day (2)
1 (2.6%)

The Option Period
4 (10.3%)

B-12
5 (12.8%)

The Christmas Show
22 (56.4%)

Monday
1 (2.6%)

The Harriet Dinner (1)
1 (2.6%)

The Harriet Dinner (2)
5 (12.8%)

The Friday Night Slaughter
10 (25.6%)

Post Hiatus eps

The Disaster Show
10 (32.3%)

Breaking News
4 (12.9%)

K& R (1)
7 (22.6%)

K& R (2)
1 (3.2%)

K& R (3)
3 (9.7%)

What Kind of Day Has it Been
18 (58.1%)

19 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 05:29 am

32) Video Interlude 2

I've taken an executive decision to deviate from the plan and move things around a bit. I've just been listening to some good old tracks on my mp3 player.

This is a new vid I made especially for the blogathon. When I first had the idea for it, my plans were for something altogether different, but this is what it turned into. As I said with the previous video, Sorkin to me is about family. It's also about loyalty and love. Yes, romantic love - there are plenty of mushy bits in, even if Aaron never actually got Josh & Donna together in 4 years. But also love for family and friends.

No prizes at all for spotting the most obvious link between the two vids. Again, it's one of my all time favourite tracks. This one is all the shows and TAP. I couldn't find a clip from AFGM that really fitted properly.

No apologies at all for the total mushiness here.

6 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 04:56 am

31) TWW S4 Poll

Poll #1029654
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Top 5 episodes in TWW S4

20 Hours in America (1)
15 (42.9%)

20 Hours in America (2)
18 (51.4%)

College Kids
3 (8.6%)

The Red Mass
1 (2.9%)

Debate Camp
7 (20.0%)

Game On
12 (34.3%)

Election Night
3 (8.6%)

Process Stories
3 (8.6%)

Swiss Diplomacy
0 (0.0%)

Arctic Radar
1 (2.9%)

Holy Night
14 (40.0%)

Guns Not Butter
6 (17.1%)

The Lng Goodbye
1 (2.9%)

Inauguration: (Part 1)
1 (2.9%)

Inauguration: Over There
25 (71.4%)

You know the drill

The California 47th
1 (3.6%)

Red Haven's on Fire
1 (3.6%)

Privateers
2 (7.1%)

Angel Maintenance
5 (17.9%)

Evidence of Things Not Seen
21 (75.0%)

Life on Mars
4 (14.3%)

Commencement
10 (35.7%)

Twenty Five
8 (28.6%)

9 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 04:35 am

OK peeps, it's just gone 4.30 am here. I've been up for nearly 20 hours already and there are another 7 and a half to go, so it's time for a bit of action to keep me awake. I've got the music on and am currently singing along to "Three Lions", which all you Leftpondians won't understand because it's about foopball.

When I was at school, we had a maths teacher who, if we had a double lesson, would make us stand up, jump up and down and wave our arms around while the other kids milled around making a noise changing rooms. So, I want you all to jump up and down and make some noise - I mean posting comments to keep me going and let me know there's still somebody listening. I've got 4 more entries to make before Caz comes back with some more pretty pictures.

And now I'm going to sing along to "Freebird", which has a very special place in my heart :-)

16 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 04:29 am

30) Quotable quotes

I have to say that IMHO, Sorkin is like Shakespeare. His work is full of quotes. In years to come, when the government finally leave education alone and let the teachers get on with it, the Works of Sorkin will become a staple part of the British curriculum. As it is, Ma rolls her eyes whenever she says something and I say "there's an episode of The West Wing where..." and proceed to quote huge chunks of what Leo or Josh or Toby says.

Tracy has already mentioned the Jack Nicholson line in AFGM - "You can't handle the truth".

Jed's first entrance in the pilot of TWW where he declares "I am the Lord your God" is one of the only ways that I can remember which is the first commandment and which is the third.

Josh, standing on a chair to reach something on the top shelf of the bookcase says "Well, that was predictable" as they all fall on his head.

Toby watched over Sam's shoulder as he's typing something and says "Any time you want to use punctuation, that'd be fine"

Sam, explaining why he's not in favour of school vouchers tells Mallory "Mallory, education is the silver bullet. Education is everything. We don't need little changes. We need gigantic monumental changes. Schools should be palaces. The competition for the best teachers should be fierce. They should be making six-figure salaries. School should be incredibly expensive for government and absolutely free of charge to its citizens, just like national defense. That's my position. I just haven't figured out how to do it yet."

There are a lot more that I could think of. But what about you? Tell us what your favourite Sorkin quote is. Film, play, tv show, they all count. It doesn't have to be a huge speech, I like the little throw away lines too. The more mundane the better - "Toby, come quick, Sam's getting his ass kicked by a girl!"

There really is a Sorkin quote for every occasion. I'm just waiting until I get the chance to use "I'm so sick of Congress, I could vomit" in everyday conversation :-p

22 comments | Leave a comment

teresadivicenzo

28 July 2007 @ 07:59 pm

29) Oh, the language!

I want to set up the next entry, which I know is going to be about how there is a Sorkin line for every occasion. So *points at icon* I’m going to invoke Bruno and say “You can’t DO that to the English Language!” Or in the case of Sorkin, he completely can.

I never initially understood all those actors who said “the rhythms are his own” until I read some of what he wrote out loud, Then the musical part of my brain kicked in. Seriously – go try it. Stand up and read that monologue that I included in my previous entry. Or try Sam’s from the pilot of ‘The West Wing’.

SAM
Ms. O'Brian, I understand your feelings, but please believe me when I tell you that
I'm a nice guy having a bad day. I just found out the Times is publishing a poll that says a considerable portion of Americans feel that the White House has lost energy and focus. A perception that's not likely to be altered by the video footage of the President riding his bicycle into a tree. As we speak, the Coast Guard are fishing Cubans out of the Atlantic Ocean while the Governor of Florida wants to blockade the Port of Miami. A good friend of mine's about to get fired for going on television and making sense, and it turns out I accidentally slept with a prostitute last night. Now. Would you please, in the name of compassion, tell me which one of those kids is my boss's daughter.

MALLORY
That would be me.

I’m telling you - genius.

I started to recognize the rhythms – particularly the staccato use of words - once I read enough Sorkin. I have to say that I don’t agree with the criticisms that it’s too repetitive and nobody speaks like this in reality. Maybe many don’t, but I do know people who do and I certainly have no problem with a playwright constructing four acts by using the English language in this manner. It’s like music. Did anyone tell Bach that his music was too repetitive? Well, maybe they did, but that’s not my point.

Whilst I do enjoy more visual movies and TV shows, I must confess that it’s nice to know that there is popular appeal for words. ‘A Few Good Men’ was in the main set in a courtroom – no action scenes there. In fact, Aaron joked that he had to include an action scene of people walking in a corridor and of Kaffee getting into a car and driving away from work just to get some movement into the movie. Walk and talks were born. Tommy just took them to a whole new level.

For me, reading or watching Sorkin is like getting lost in music. The words ARE music and he can make them be mighty powerful. We can all quote a line or chunks of his work that are quite profound. He can use language in a manner that many writers can’t and use words to powerful effect.

And with that, I'm signing off. This is my last entry. Good luck to Fenny and Caz with the rest of it. I'll be sticking around to comment. Have fun all of you!

Tracy

20 comments | Leave a comment

teresadivicenzo

28 July 2007 @ 07:26 pm

28) Hidden In This Picture

This is probably something many Sorkin fans haven’t read, but it is available to buy if you’d like to read it. It’s a one act play that he wrote way back when, even before ‘A Few Good Men’ which is what it eventually led to him writing. I’m going to refer back to it in my next entry, but I’ll just give you a bit of plot to give you an idea of this. It’s comedy-Aaron trying things out and the plot is best shown through one of his now signature-trip-over-them-if-you-attempt-them-out-loud monologues.

Robert, a movie director seeking a perfect Academy Award winning shot, is explaining to his production manager Reuben why he should be stood atop a hill and not concerning himself with budgets and overruns. Sound familiar? Anyway. It is the final shot of the movie and there is a cast, a crew, six-hundred and ninety-four extras, the cameras, the lights, the food, the trailers and they all go home if there are any mistakes. Robert has planned meticulously for this moment. He turns to Reuben and explains why he knows what he’s doing.

ROBERT
Because we’ve been rehearsing for the past six hours. Because despite the fact that this is my first film, a fact that you’ve seen fit to remind me of four times a day since pre-production, despite that fact, I’m not an idiot. Because, whether you know it or not, and I suspect you don’t, this is the most important shot in the movie and I have no intention of screwing it up. Because I have left absolutely no room for human error, Reuben. At seven thirty-seven, the sun will begin to set. At seven thirty-seven the cameras will roll, three of them. Two Pana-flex 9-80’s and an Aeri-BL. There is film in the cameras and the focus is pulled, I’ve checked them all six times. There are security guards posted by the cameras at the foot of the hill and there are twenty-six kids out of UCLA with walkie-talkies posted around the perimeter of the shot. Eleven minutes and thirty seconds. The cameras will roll for eleven minutes and thirty seconds. And during that eleven minutes and thirty seconds, our six-hundred and ninety-four extras, already costumed and approved in their uniforms, will, in a slow, trickling, symphonically theatrical stream, trot the four-thousand, five-hundred and sixty foot diagonal past the blue flag and out of camera range. Roll credits. Six hours we rehearsed, Reuben, you should’ve been here. I ran them, and I ran the, and I ran them. And they got it right the first time. Craig is down on the deck, he’ll be calling it. And when he does, there isn’t a man, woman, or child who doesn’t know what they’re supposed to do. So I staked out this hill, and Jeff’s gonna join me, and together we’re going to watch art being made.

I would have said THAT was art, but that’s just my odd sense of humour I guess.

If anyone cares, I wrote a parody of this play a while back that also crossed-over into some of his other work. I live in fear that he will hunt me down and cause me much pain should he ever read what I’ve done to his wonderful words.

6 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 03:18 am

27a) Totaliser update

Time for another update, I think, before Tracy takes over for a couple more posts.

Allowing for exchange rates, the current total is....

*drumroll*

$237

Let's try for $250 and see what happens next :-)

1 comment | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 02:58 am

27) TWW S3 poll

Poll #1029620 27) The West Wing S3 poll
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

OK, here we go again. Up to 5 choices

Isaac & Ishmael
13 (36.1%)

Manchester: Part 1
6 (16.7%)

Manchester: Part 2
5 (13.9%)

Ways and Means
0 (0.0%)

On the Day Before
2 (5.6%)

War Crimes
8 (22.2%)

Gone Quiet
1 (2.8%)

The Indians in the Lobby
5 (13.9%)

The Women of Qumar
9 (25.0%)

Bartlet for America
26 (72.2%)

H. Con-172
1 (2.8%)

100,000 Airplanes
10 (27.8%)

The Two Bartlets
2 (5.6%)

Night Five
4 (11.1%)

Hartsfield's Landing
8 (22.2%)

And there's more

Dead Irish Writers
19 (54.3%)

The U.S. Poet Laureate
7 (20.0%)

Stirred
5 (14.3%)

Enemies Foreign and Domestic
0 (0.0%)

The Black Vera Wang
12 (34.3%)

We Killed Yamamoto
2 (5.7%)

Posse Comitatus
19 (54.3%)

6 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 02:21 am

26) It's *Special* Agent Sunshine

I've been ~~lusting after~~ a huge fan of Mark Harmon since I was about 16 and he was in the ill-fated "Flamingo Road". I'd only just got a television in my bedroom back then in 1981 and there were some hot nights when he was on :-)

A little after that - well, when I was a student, anyway - he was in Moonlighting. He played Sam, Maddie's ex-boyfriend in 4 episodes at the end of S3.

Fast forward to TWW and who should crop up in 4 episodes at the end of S3, but that nice Mr Harmon as Special Agent Simon Donovan, part of the security detail protecting CJ after she gets a death threat.

( Special Agent Donovan )

I'll leave the rest of the tale for all those who haven't seen the end of S3 to catch up on.

10 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 02:06 am

25a) Comp 2 results

Well, I had trouble with this one. I really did laugh myself silly at some of the captions. As ever, the judges decision is final and speeling and grandma *were* taken into consideration.

The mug goes to

coloneljack for several entries, all of extremely high standard. Also, for posting when drunk ;-)

First, for pic 2 "iditos guide to pilates by sam notman seabron"
also for pic 2 "....and that's waht hapepedn whehen TInkerbelel forgeot her fairy sdust."

The t-shirt goes to

piepeloe for pic 1 and
Sam: Leo has to be stopped, he's taking this too far.
Josh: I agree. Big Block of Cheese Day I could handle, but Little Pink Panty Day?

Well done to everyone for a great giggle. Winners, email me (Linz, wait until you can type straight) and let me know your addresses.

We're half way through now, so only another 12 hours before I can get some kip.

9 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 01:54 am

25) Different kind of competition

Sorry I haven't announced the winners of the last comp yet. My broadband went down for about an hour earlier and although I managed to fire up the dial up, I've had a few things to sort out in the meantime. I will get to it when I've sorted out this post and the pics for the next one.

Right. This competition is a little different. I haven't decided that the prise might be, but I'm looking for some seriously daft ideas.

I had a thought in the bath the other night (it's where I do my best thinking!). I have a sat nav in my car that tells me which way to go. When I first had it, I thought it would be interesting if it came with different personalities and voices. So I thought how funny it would be if the sat nav had Josh's voice and personality and when we came to a junction it said "DONNA! Which way do we go now?" or something equally stupid.

Then I had another idea that they could make telephone answering machines that say "Phone Message! Phone Message!" in an annoying fashion (although they wouldn't wave bits of paper at you).

So the question is, what machine would you imbue with a Sorkinesque character and who would it be?

Come on, use your imaginations and make me laugh some more, I've got another 12 hours of this to go!!!

Comments will be left open.

22 comments | Leave a comment

teresadivicenzo

28 July 2007 @ 05:23 pm

24) A Few Good Men

I suspect that his may turn into an excuse to post pictures of John Barrowman and Rob Lowe in uniforms. I’ll attempt to just tell you a little bit about the play and the movie first though.

‘A Few Good Men’ was a play Sorkin wrote on cocktail napkins when he was working in a theatre bar in New York soon after graduating with his BFA in Theatre. The play has been described as reminiscent of ‘The Caine Mutiny Court Martial’ and is a military courtroom drama which, as with other Sorkin works, focuses on the ‘Fathers and Sons’ theme by having the main character, LTJG Daniel Kaffee question his relationship with his father.

The play concerns the trial of two marines in Guantanamo Bay who are accused of murdering a fellow marine. They claim that they merely wished to discipline him with a ‘Code Red’ that was ordered by senior officers – a practice that was then subsequently covered up. The plot explores the "Unit, Corps, God, Country" code of the Marines and questions the price we should be prepared to pay for our freedoms. Considering what has happened in Guantanamo Bay recently, this has taken on a new importance.

Originally running on Broadway, ‘A Few Good Men’ is probably better known for the 1992 film starring Tom Cruise as LTJG Kaffee and Demi Moore as LCDR Jo Galloway. However, the real star of the show was the ever wonderful Jack Nicholson as Lt.Col. Nathan Jessep. Sorkin said in the DVD extras to the movie that when they were sat around at the initial table read that everyone suddenly looked up when Nicholson spoke his first line: “It wasn’t someone doing Nicholson – it WAS Nicholson!” Says it all really.

The movie has also probably given us one of the most quoted (and parodied) scenes and lines of the decade – YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!

In 2005, it was staged in the West End in London with Rob Lowe as Kaffee, Suranne Jones as Galloway, Jack Ellis as Jessep and John Barrowman as Lt. Jack Ross. So I’m going to stop now, and just let you look at gorgeous photos. Much nicer at this time of night.

( Gorgeous men. In UNIFORMS! )

25 comments | Leave a comment

teresadivicenzo

28 July 2007 @ 04:55 pm

23) Is Sorkin anti-religion?

I’ll try and be brief as I’m fairly certain that had I have got bored of my own PhD thesis, that I could have just taken this particular title and run with it. That, and I’ve just got a load of very vocal opinions about this which I’ve often blogged about elsewhere. One day I really will write that article and get it published. Until then, you guys get the quick snapshot.

( I didn't say it would be THAT short... )

16 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 12:25 am

22) What About Matt?

Yeah, well I'm the first to admit that I can get kinda tunnel visioned where Brad's concerned, but I guess Matt's quite cute, too!

Having to go through all those pics of Brad over and over again was really tough, and having to do it again with Matt, well... another tough one, but I play with pain. ;)

( Matt's cute too! )

7 comments | Leave a comment

29 July 2007 @ 12:00 am

21) How Hot is Brad?

Okay, so when

hooloovoo_42 said she wanted to include a post called “How Hot is Brad?” in the blogathon, I naturally offered her copious amounts of chocklit, cake and a small fortune in order to land the job!

So, it was really tough trawling through all those pics to find the ones that best demonstrate the hotness that is Bradley Whitford, but I think I managed it to my satisfaction!

The problem of course was keeping this post to a manageable size, and I was threatened with a head of cabbage and a two by four if I didn’t restrain myself at least a little bit. Looking at all that pretty has almost certanly affected my ability to count, but I was supposed to include 5 Brad, 5 Danny Tripp (Studio 60) and 10 Josh Lyman (The West Wing, S1-4 mostly - there's one from S7 that was far too hot to leave out!)

( So.... just how hot is Brad? )

41 comments | Leave a comment

28 July 2007 @ 11:54 pm

20a) Intermission

The standard of entries on this comp is fantastic. I'm laughing so hard I can't eat or drink.

Caz is going to be along shortly to provide a nice chunk of teh pretty for us to look at. Then Tracy is going to do some sensible posts! I'm going to have another cuppa and work out which of these entries is cracking me up the most and I'll let you know later.

2 comments | Leave a comment

28 July 2007 @ 11:34 pm

20) West Wing Caption Competition

Time for another competition. This time we have 2 pics from The West Wing. Again, you can enter for either or both. Entries due in 1 hour from now. That's 12.30 am BST and you can all work it out for yourselves wherever you are!

Pic 1

Pic 2

Again, we have pwizes. They are a West Wing mug and a Tip's t-shirt. Again, worth proper money. Please think about making a pledge and getting the total moving again, or Brad will have to keep his shirt on.

17 comments | Leave a comment

28 July 2007 @ 11:13 pm

19a) Roll Call #2

Helloooo out there??

Just checking to see who's still with us, because Competition no. 2 is coming up shortly. So give us a wave or jump up and down - or just post a comment - to let us know who's out there!

14 comments | Leave a comment

28 July 2007 @ 10:59 pm

19) West Wing Season 2 poll

OK, I realise there's going to be a lot of whining here, but you can pick up to 5, that's five episodes that are your favourites.

Poll #1029552 TWW S2 episode poll
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

You can pick up to 5, right!

In the Shadow of Two Gunmen: Part 1
23 (56.1%)

In the Shadow of Two Gunmen: Part 2
25 (61.0%)

The Midterms
1 (2.4%)

In This White House
3 (7.3%)

And It's Surely to Their Credit
4 (9.8%)

The Lame Duck Congress
1 (2.4%)

The Portland Trip
4 (9.8%)

Shibboleth
9 (22.0%)

Galileo
8 (19.5%)

Noël
29 (70.7%)

The Leadership Breakfast
4 (9.8%)

The Drop In
0 (0.0%)

Bartlet's Third State of the Union
3 (7.3%)

The War at Home
2 (4.9%)

Ellie
10 (24.4%)

Remember, you're voting for your favourite(s)

Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail
12 (30.0%)

The Stackhouse Filibuster
10 (25.0%)

17 People
29 (72.5%)

Bad Moon Rising
0 (0.0%)

The Fall's Gonna Kill You
4 (10.0%)

18th and Potomac
5 (12.5%)

Two Cathedrals
24 (60.0%)

5 comments | Leave a comment

28 July 2007 @ 10:26 pm

18) And Now for Something Completely Different...

I'm looking after the show temporarily while

hooloovoo_42 takes a well-earned break.

Seeing as this is a Sorkin-related blog, I asked her if I she'd like me to post a piece of fanfic as one of my entries - those of you who know me know I dabble occasionally in WW and S60 fic, and those of you who don't - well maybe after this you'll decide you want to keep it that way!

Anyway, imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, here's a short dialogue only ficlet I wrote recently, featuring Matt and Danny from Studio 60 post The Disaster Show

Because I'm a lazy beeyotch, this is a fake cut to my LJ.

Leave a comment

28 July 2007 @ 10:10 pm

17a) Total update

Wahey! We're up to $165 so far. Thank you all for your pledges. Now Brad can start taking his shirt off :-)

The next entry is going to be a good one. I'm not doing it!

13 comments | Leave a comment

28 July 2007 @ 10:00 pm

17) West Wing S1 Poll

Right, here's the poll for the first season of TWW. I'm really struggling to decide which ep I like best. When it comes to S2, I may have to do a "which is your least favourite ep", as they really are 22 of the most fantastic hours (42 minuteses) of television.

Poll #1029527 The West Wing S1
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

What's your favourite S1 episode?

Pilot
9 (20.9%)

Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc
2 (4.7%)

A Proportional Response
1 (2.3%)

Five Votes Down
2 (4.7%)

The Crackpots and These Women
20 (46.5%)

Mr. Willis of Ohio
3 (7.0%)

The State Dinner
0 (0.0%)

Enemies
0 (0.0%)

The Short List
2 (4.7%)

In Excelsis Deo
20 (46.5%)

Lord John Marbury
3 (7.0%)

He Shall, from Time to Time
4 (9.3%)

Take Out the Trash Day
2 (4.7%)

Take This Sabbath Day
6 (14.0%)

Celestial Navigation
19 (44.2%)

More eps

20 Hours in L.A.
5 (20.8%)

The White House Pro-Am
2 (8.3%)

Six Meetings Before Lunch
2 (8.3%)

Let Bartlet Be Bartlet
8 (33.3%)

Mandatory Minimums
2 (8.3%)

Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics
4 (16.7%)

What Kind of Day Has It Been?
11 (45.8%)

16 comments | Leave a comment

28 July 2007 @ 09:27 pm

16) Autism Speaks / Cure Autism Now

TWW episode 17 of S2 is called "The Stackhouse Filibuster". A grumpy old senator decides to take to the floor of the house and speak for as long as he can to talk out a bill the President wants to pass on Child Health Reform. It's a good bill and none of the staff can work out why he's against it and won't let it go to the vote. Earlier in the day, Grumpy Senator Stackhouse asks Josh to put another $47m in the bill for research into autism, but Josh refuses.

Hours pass. The Senator is still speaking. The staff begin to email home to their parents and explain the situation. We learn CJ's dad is celebrating his 70th birthday and she is going to be late for the party. Sam is finally speaking to his father again. Josh explains to his mother where the term "filibuster" comes from, because his dad isn't around to tell her. We also discover Josh's mother sends him shoes.

Eventually, it's Donna - good old Donna, how come she's just an assistant - who works out what the problem is. Senator Stackhouse has a bunch of grandchildren, but they don't all appear with him at public events. She realises one of them must be autistic and rallies the staff to see how they can work with the Senator to avoid the vote so they can rewrite the bill.

Bradley Whitford is a long time supporter of the charities Autism Speaks and Cure Autism Now. Earlier this year, he appeared before a Senate subcommittee to ask for more funding for research into autism.

At this point, I was going to send you all over to another blogathon entry, but it seems like the people supporting autism charities must have dropped out, cos I can't see them in the list any more.

So, instead, I ~~give you this goat~~ point you towards the Autism Speaks web site. This is the page about Brad appearing at the Subcommittee hearing, but I'm sure you can check out all the other interesting stuff there.

5 comments | Leave a comment

28 July 2007 @ 08:56 pm

15) Sport Night S2 poll

OK, here's the S2 poll for Sports Night. This has ticky boxes so you can vote for more than one episode (I hope).

Poll #1029507 SN S2 Episode poll
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

What's your favourite SN S2 ep?

Special Powers
1 (9.1%)

When Something Wicked This Way Comes
2 (18.2%)

Cliff Gardner
1 (9.1%)

Louise Revisited
3 (27.3%)

Kafelnikov
3 (27.3%)

Shane
0 (0.0%)

Kyle Whitaker's Got Two Sacks
2 (18.2%)

The Reunion
0 (0.0%)

A Girl Named Pixley
0 (0.0%)

The Giants Win the Pennant, the Giants Win the Pennant
5 (45.5%)

The Cut Man Cometh
0 (0.0%)

The Sweet Smell of Air
0 (0.0%)

Dana Get Your Gun
1 (9.1%)

And the Crowd Goes Wild
0 (0.0%)

Celebrities
3 (27.3%)

More eps

The Local Weather
2 (18.2%)

Draft Day: Part I - It Can't Rain at Indian Wells
1 (9.1%)

Draft Day: Part II - The Fall of Ryan O'Brian
1 (9.1%)

April is the Cruelest Month
5 (45.5%)

Bells And A Siren
1 (9.1%)

La Forza Del Destino
0 (0.0%)

Quo Vadimus
5 (45.5%)

4 comments | Leave a comment

28 July 2007 @ 08:32 pm

OK, a bit of switching entries around here. I was going to do the next poll, but having lost so much time, I'll do this and then put the poll in the field in the next entry.

Animals. Aaron likes his animals. In TWW we get a goldfish, a pair of turkeys and a goat. Gail the goldfish is one of my favourite characters in TWW. She appears in S1 ep 9 after Josh tells Danny (the reporter who fancies the Press secretary) that CJ likes goldfish. He presents her with a fish and she tells him she likes "The crackers, Danny. The cheese things that you have at a party". Gail then continues to appear throughout the remaining 6.5 seasons.

The turkeys are called Eric and Troy. POTUS gets to pardon one of them at Thanksgiving in "Shibboleth". CJ is upset that "The most photo-friendly of the two gets a Presidential pardon and a full life at a children's zoo. The runner-up gets eaten." Jed replies "If the Oscars were like that, I'd watch." He eventually drafts the other turkey into the military to spare its life.

In the S4 episode "Guns not Butter", the President is going to have his picture taken with a cow that Heifer International (more on this later) are sending to Africa to help poor farmers. The cow ends up being a goat and at the end of a bad day, Jed insists that the entire staff are in on the picture.

The animals in S60 are all linked to each other in The Harriet Dinner parts 1 & 2 (IIRC). During the shooting of a sketch, a snake escapes through a vent and ends up under the stage. The snake wrangler has to send a ferret into the hole to eat the snake so it won't get loose in the building. Cal tries to hush this up and tells the cast and crew they can't use the stage because they failed the mold inspection. Meanwhile, the snake has got the ferret cornered under the stage and it won't come out. By this time, the animal wrangler has decided the only way to get the ferret out is to send in a coyote. Of course, this doesn't work and they have "the animal axis of evil" under the stage.

Eventually, the Humane Society come along and fine the show for mistreating the animals and failing to report the problem. The only answer is to rip up the stage to get them out again.

11 comments | Leave a comment

28 July 2007 @ 08:21 pm

Competition winners

OK, here we go with the results of the first competition. I have to say that I chuckled a great deal - I'll unscreen the comments in a bit.

So, the winners are:

The WW Script book goes to

jobiegirl for her caption to Pic 1 "Look guys, it's John Wells's sanity flying out the window!"

The Tip's cap goes to Pitt Girl (WINOLJ) for "Dear Casey,That suit isn't gray, it's gunmetal!
Sincerely, Monica Braselton"

Well done to both of you. Drop me an email at the address in the comm profile with details on where to send your prizes.

Leave a comment

28 July 2007 @ 08:05 pm

13) Fathers and Sons

I'm still chortling over the competition entries and will decide on the winners shortly. But on with the next post after the downtime.

I don't know whether there's something we don't know about Aaron's past, and frankly I don't want to know. But he seems to have a real thing about the relationship between fathers and sons.

In Sports Night we see Dan with his father, who seems to think what his son is doing is not really important or a real job. We also find out that Dan's brother died and he thinks his parents blame him for it. Casey is divorced and doesn't live with his son, but is trying desperately to keep a good relationship with him. He doesn't care that his kid is no good at baseball and it breaks his heart when Charlie shakes hands instead of hugging him. Jeremy finds out his father has been having an affair for over twenty years.

In TWW, Leo's father was an alcoholic who beat his kids and then killed himself. Jed's father didn't like him and hit him. Toby's father was a gangster and did time for murder. Sam's father had an affair for more than 20 years. Josh's father, who wasn't a murderer, a drunk or an adulterer died on the night of the Illinois primary.

In Isaac, Leo and Jed we have a bunch of father figures who not only have kids that they love and nurture, but look upon members of their staff as sons. Jed rails against God in "Two Cathedrals" for injuring Josh. When Leo dies, Jed tells Josh that he thought of him as a son. Jed gives Charlie a carving knife that had been passed down from father to son through generations of his family.

Toby wonders whether he will have the capacity to love his children and at first doesn't believe Leo when he tells him "it's a mortal lock". Later, he admits to Huck and Molly, who are too young to understand, that Leo was right.

I don't remember any father/son revelations in S60, but I may be wrong.

12 comments | Leave a comment

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