Tag Archives: aaron sorkin

Randomments

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Every once in a while, I realize it’s been like two weeks since I posted anything, and decide to info-dump a bunch of random stuff. This is one of those times.

Stuff about Books:

I’ve actually gotten a lot of fluffy, just because I want to, reading done in the past couple of weeks, and it’s been very enjoyable. You can find me on Goodreads (feel free to friend me, but if I’m unlikely to recognize your name, just drop me a line or two telling me who you are!)

If you’re my facebook friend (and if you aren’t, why not?), you’ve already seen my plug for PaperBack Swap…but for those of you who haven’t, here’s where you can find me. I’ve found PaperBack Swap an incredibly useful source for trading used books. I have a bunch of books posted right now, and I’d love to find them homes!

Stuff about TV

Rand and I just finished watching the entire run of Sports Night on dvd (again), and I’m reminded of how ridiculous it was that it got canceled after two seasons. Sigh.

I’m trying desperately to catch up on episodes of So You Think You Can Dance, which I got behind on when we went on vacation. Since writing that sentence, I am caught up UP TO this week, which means I have not watched the performance or results shows that aired this week.

We just got the first disc of Castle in the mail from Netflix, so that’s on our to-watch list. Finally. 😉

I swear that when I started this post, I had more than two categories of things to write about…but *whoosh* whatever it was is gone now. I guess I’ll post again later if I remember!

Books read in 2010

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It’s been a while since I posted a book update. I’ve been pretty good about keeping up on Goodreads, but not so much with the post. I’m too lazy to go into detail right now, so if you have any specific questions, please ask!

1. The Enchantment Emporium–Tanya Huff
2. Stitches–David Small
3. When You Reach Me–Rebecca Stead
4. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians book 1)–Rick Riordan
5. To Kill a Mockingbird–Harper Lee**
6. Macbeth–William Shakespeare**
7. Memoir of an Occasional Superheroine–Valerie D’Orazio
8. A Local Habitation–Seanan McGuire
9. A Few Good Men–Aaron Sorkin
10. Planetary–Warren Ellis (vol. 1-3)
11. Romeo & Juliet–William Shakespeare
12. Pygmalion–George Bernard Shaw
13. Rats Saw God–Rob Thomas
14. The Losers–Andy Diggle
15. I Read It, But I Dont’ Get It–Cris Tovani
16. Understanding and Engaging Adolescents–Jeffrey A. Miller
17. Feed–Mira Grant
18. Airhead–Meg Cabot
19. Being Nikki–Meg Cabot
20. Odd Thomas–Dean Koontz
21. The Walking Dead
22. Ex Machina (v. 9)–Brian K. Vaughan
23. The Hunger Games–Suzanne Collins
24. Club Dead–Charlaine Harris
25. Scott Pilgrim (1)
26. Scott Pilgrm (2)
27. Scott Pilgrim (3)–Bryan Lee O’Malley
28. Juliet, Naked–Nick Hornby
29. Only the Good Spy Young–Ally Carter
30. Thirteen Reasons Why–Jay Asher

30 Day Challenge – Day 7

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Favorite TV Show

Really?

I love TV. In fact, there’s a 30-day meme going around that’s ALL TV that I might have to do when this one is finished. But in the meantime…

There are so many things to love about The West Wing. I had a hard time choosing a scene to post, but I do rather like this one where Ainsley Hayes meets the president for the first time.

I love this show. I love the writing. I love the characters, and the actors who play them. I love the blend of drama and comedy. I love everything about it.

I have lots more to say about TV, so I think I will be doing that other meme. 😉

The Farnsworth Invention

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farnsworth

I remember back a few years ago, when I first heard that Aaron Sorkin was working on a project (at the time, it was going to be a movie) about the guy who invented TV. I thought, “Hmmm…really?”

Then it kind of went away. I didn’t really think about it again until a couple of months ago, when I picked up one of those free “things to do” weekly tabloids that was lying around, and I saw that the Kavinoky Theater would be staging The Farnsworth Invention this May. Even though I was initially skeptical about the concept, I am enough of a Sorkin fangirl that I knew I would have to see it.

Fortunately for me, Rand feels the same way, so I didn’t have to convince or drag him along! We saw it last week, and it was utterly and completely fantastic.

Rather than recount the plot, I will give you this description (from the Kavinoky webpage):

It’s 1929. Two ambitious visionaries race against each other to invent a device called “television.” Separated by two thousand miles, each knows that if he stops working, even for a moment, the other will gain the edge. Who will unlock the key to the greatest innovation of the 20th century: the ruthless media mogul or the self-taught Idaho farmboy? The answer comes to compelling life in THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION, the new play from Aaron Sorkin, creator of The West Wing.

(aside–I started this post nearly a week ago)

The dialogue was as snappy and playful as I’ve come to expect from Sorkin. No, they didn’t really do the whole “walk and talk” thing (which was actually Rob Reiner’s idea anyway), and Gilbert and Sullivan didn’t make a single appearance. 😉 There were a couple of moments that we’ve seen before–the one (where I assume this whole idea came from) from Sports Night where William H. Macy talked about Philo Farnsworth’s brother-in-law learning how to blow glass so he could help, and another from The West Wing that had to do with space exploration.

The story isn’t 100% factually accurate. Some details are tweaked and adjusted to suit the dramatic structure of the play, and I’m fine with that.

And yes, in fact, I did cry. Sorkin has a way of doing that to me. See: every episode in the first season of The West Wing.

All of the actors did a beautiful job with their roles. This was my first time at the Kavinoky (despite having been a student at D’Youville, AND being married to a guy who happens to work there), and I loved the intimate setting.

The Farnsworth Invention is running for another week (through May 31), and I highly recommend it, if you’re so inclined.

Oh! And they apparently loved doing Sorkin so much that A Few Good Men is on next season’s schedule. YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH. 😉

Clicky: The Kavinoky Theatre (for more info)

Someone’s been watching The American President

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Lewis Rothschild: People want leadership. And in the absence of genuine leadership, they will listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. They want leadership, Mr. President. They’re so thirsty for it, they’ll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there’s no water, they’ll drink the sand.

President Andrew Shepherd: Lewis, we’ve had Presidents who were beloved who couldn’t find a coherent sentence with two hands and a flashlight. People don’t drink the sand ’cause they’re thirsty. They drink the sand ’cause they don’t know the difference.

I need to watch that movie again…