Post by Admin on Jul 20, 2003 1:18:25 GMT
From TVGuide.com:
In this expanded "day-in-the-life" episode, it's an especially long day for Toby, Josh and Donna (Richard Schiff, Bradley Whitford, Janel Moloney), who are stranded in Indiana when the Presidential motorcade leaves without them after a campaign speech. Back in the West Wing, Sam (Rob Lowe) fills in for Josh as the President's "wide-angle lens," and the President (Martin Sheen) again interviews feisty secretarial candidate Debbie Fiderer (Lily Tomlin). Meanwhile, Abbey (Stockard Channing) creates a firestorm when she calls herself "just a wife and mother"; the Qumaris are making noise about their missing Defense Minister; and the Dow keeps dropping.
Conclusion Part 2:
The President interviews feisty secretarial candidate Debbie Fiderer (Lily Tomlin) for a second time. Again, it doesn't go well. He's also rattled by the tumbling Dow, and takes it out in an odd way on an elderly White House visitor. Meanwhile, Fitz and Nancy McNally worry about what the Qumaris might know about the Shareef affair; and Toby, nearing the end of the daylong Indiana odyssey he's sharing with Josh and Donna, meets a man (John P. Connolly) in a hotel bar who's visiting Notre Dame with his teenage daughter. He's worried about paying for college. "It should be a little easier," he tells Toby. "Just a little easier."
From NBC:
Two-hour season premiere sees President on campaign trail as probe of downed plane grows.
From Warner Bros.:
The reelection campaign of President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) is underway and moving quickly--so quickly that after Bartlet finishes a speech in Unionville, Indiana, Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford), Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff,) and Donna Moss (Janel Moloney) are accidentally left behind by the motorcade containing C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney) and the other staffers. The three must find their own way back to Washington, D.C. At the White House, Leo McGarry (John Spencer) and Admiral Fitzwallace (John Amos) become anxious when they learn that the country of Qumar has reopened its investigation into the death of one of its officials. Later, Bartlet is informed that Qumar intends to accuse Israel of the assassination, in which Bartlet was actually involved. Also troubling the staff are the floundering stock market and a casual remark made by First Lady Dr. Abigail "Abbey" Bartlet (Stockard Channing) about the importance of being a mother. In Josh's absence, Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) tends to the President. Sam also gets a surprise visit from Mallory (Allison Smith), his former girlfriend and Leo's daughter, who asks Sam on a date.
Meanwhile, the staffers deal with the crisis caused by a bomb that explodes at a University of Iowa swim meet. Also, Charlie Young (Dulé Hill) revisits the idea of hiring Deborah Fiderer (Lily Tomlin) as Bartlet's executive secretary.
"I still have to figure out a season premiere." - Aaron Sorkin
The president and his staff are coming to Western Pennsylvania. Yes, George W. Bush will be here next week for a Mike Fisher fund-raiser, but we're talking about the television president -- Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and his staff on "The West Wing."
NBC's hit political drama will film a quarter of its two-hour season premiere in the region, which doubles as Indiana, including two days on a farm.
Producer Neal Ahern Jr. has already set up a production office in a Downtown hotel for the shoot, which will last from Aug. 20 to 27. In "The West Wing's" two-hour season opener, Bartlett [Bartlet] will make a speech at a soybean farm about alternative energy sources. Press secretary C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney) will be there, too.
"We'll be out in farm country," said Ahern. "We found several options. It might be in an area of Mercer County."
In the episode, communications director Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff), deputy chief of staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) and his assistant Donna Moss (Janel Moloney) get left behind and spend much of the episode trying to catch up with the president's motorcade.
Other locations find the trio on country roads, at a remote gas station, a diner and a train station.
"The West Wing" shoot will be the first extensive Hollywood production in the region since "The Mothman Prophecies" filmed here in early 2001. Ahern said he and his crew scouted locations in Indiana; Austin, Texas; Wilmington, N.C., and Maryland, but the work of the Pittsburgh Film Office and a recent visit sold producers on Pennsylvania.
Dawn Keezer, director of the Pittsburgh Film Office, which represents Allegheny and the 10 counties that make up Southwestern Pennsylvania, said discussion began with "West Wing" producers about four weeks ago. Keezer was in Los Angeles on business, heard they were looking for locations and met with them to tout the benefits of filming in Western Pennsylvania.
"We were the only film office that was able to take our photos [of locations] and present them in person, which is real important because this business is a relationship business," Keezer said. "People buy from people they know."
After that meeting, Keezer followed up with additional pictures and a box filled with two pounds of soybeans "so they wouldn't forget. It was a fun little marketing thing and it did get their attention, which is half the battle with these things."
She drove producers through Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Armstrong, Lawrence and Mercer counties on their scouting trip -- 400 miles in a single day.
"Dawn Keezer, who's incredible, convinced us to come out here," Ahern said. "I scouted [locations] with [executive producer] Tommy Schlamme on July 19 and he said, 'Neal, we're staying here.'"
Ahern said Western Pennsylvania appealed to him over Maryland because the farms were older.
"These people owned these farms in their family for 150 years, which was a great turn-on for us," Ahern said. "That's what it's all about, the center of America, and that's what Tommy was looking for."
Another bonus: Ahern said Pittsburgh has the infrastructure -- talent, crews, equipment -- to support the "West Wing" shoot. "Pittsburgh has a great pool of people," he said. "It's just been incredibly friendly here and helpful."
...
After filming in Pennsylvania, some of "The West Wing" crew will continue on to Washington for a few additional days of shooting before returning to the show's home base on Warner Bros. sound stages in Burbank, Calif.
This rural village, known locally for its shopping, will be a campaign stop for President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and several "West Wing" cast members, said Nancy Mosser, local casting director for the production.
A soybean farm will double for one in Indiana where the president will speak about alternative energy sources. Allison Janney, who plays press secretary C.J. Cregg, will be there too, she said.
Communications director Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff), deputy chief of staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) and Lyman's assistant Donna Moss (Janel Moloney) get left behind and spend a good part of the episode trying to catch up to the president.
"It sort of focuses on them on the road. It's a whole different atmosphere from the White House where we normally see them. The script is funny," Mosser said.
The sometimes torrential downpour Thursday soaked the set - a presidential rally area, complete with a grandstand, a sea of empty white chairs and red, white and blue bunting and signs. Cranes with camera booms were silent and dripping as were the many "The only way to make it work is to audition a lot of actors who normally don't audition," said Sepulveda, who made an exception for Mary Louise Parker when offering her the role of Amy Gardner, women's rights advocate and the love interest of Bradley Whitford's deputy chief of staff. Sepulveda terms the casting of Parker his "crowning achievement of the year."official"The only way to make it work is to audition a lot of actors who normally don't audition," said Sepulveda, who made an exception for Mary Louise Parker when offering her the role of Amy Gardner, women's rights advocate and the love interest of Bradley Whitford's deputy chief of staff. Sepulveda terms the casting of Parker his "crowning achievement of the year." vehicles to be used during the taping.
Props, including presidential and American flags, were tucked away in a barn, right next to the McConnell's farming equipment.
Actor? Politician? Martin Sheen blurred, bent and ultimately erased the line between the two yesterday while filming the first scene from the season premiere of NBC's "The West Wing" on a Lawrence County farm.
Taking his place at a podium before a crowd of more than 400 extras who cheered his arrival, Sheen quickly and easily won them over.
"Now what is this rally all about?" he asked as the crew worked to position cameras.
"Soybeans!" one person shouted.
"Anarchy!" said another.
"Martin Sheen for president!" screamed a third.
In between takes he told jokes, sang "Love Me Tender" ("Don't quit your day job," one of the extras yelled playfully) and teased fans about upcoming plot developments.
According to one West Wing insider, who asked not to be named, Sorkin had only two weeks after the end of last season to begin writing this year's episodes.
In this expanded "day-in-the-life" episode, it's an especially long day for Toby, Josh and Donna (Richard Schiff, Bradley Whitford, Janel Moloney), who are stranded in Indiana when the Presidential motorcade leaves without them after a campaign speech. Back in the West Wing, Sam (Rob Lowe) fills in for Josh as the President's "wide-angle lens," and the President (Martin Sheen) again interviews feisty secretarial candidate Debbie Fiderer (Lily Tomlin). Meanwhile, Abbey (Stockard Channing) creates a firestorm when she calls herself "just a wife and mother"; the Qumaris are making noise about their missing Defense Minister; and the Dow keeps dropping.
Conclusion Part 2:
The President interviews feisty secretarial candidate Debbie Fiderer (Lily Tomlin) for a second time. Again, it doesn't go well. He's also rattled by the tumbling Dow, and takes it out in an odd way on an elderly White House visitor. Meanwhile, Fitz and Nancy McNally worry about what the Qumaris might know about the Shareef affair; and Toby, nearing the end of the daylong Indiana odyssey he's sharing with Josh and Donna, meets a man (John P. Connolly) in a hotel bar who's visiting Notre Dame with his teenage daughter. He's worried about paying for college. "It should be a little easier," he tells Toby. "Just a little easier."
From NBC:
Two-hour season premiere sees President on campaign trail as probe of downed plane grows.
From Warner Bros.:
The reelection campaign of President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) is underway and moving quickly--so quickly that after Bartlet finishes a speech in Unionville, Indiana, Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford), Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff,) and Donna Moss (Janel Moloney) are accidentally left behind by the motorcade containing C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney) and the other staffers. The three must find their own way back to Washington, D.C. At the White House, Leo McGarry (John Spencer) and Admiral Fitzwallace (John Amos) become anxious when they learn that the country of Qumar has reopened its investigation into the death of one of its officials. Later, Bartlet is informed that Qumar intends to accuse Israel of the assassination, in which Bartlet was actually involved. Also troubling the staff are the floundering stock market and a casual remark made by First Lady Dr. Abigail "Abbey" Bartlet (Stockard Channing) about the importance of being a mother. In Josh's absence, Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) tends to the President. Sam also gets a surprise visit from Mallory (Allison Smith), his former girlfriend and Leo's daughter, who asks Sam on a date.
Meanwhile, the staffers deal with the crisis caused by a bomb that explodes at a University of Iowa swim meet. Also, Charlie Young (Dulé Hill) revisits the idea of hiring Deborah Fiderer (Lily Tomlin) as Bartlet's executive secretary.
"I still have to figure out a season premiere." - Aaron Sorkin
The president and his staff are coming to Western Pennsylvania. Yes, George W. Bush will be here next week for a Mike Fisher fund-raiser, but we're talking about the television president -- Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and his staff on "The West Wing."
NBC's hit political drama will film a quarter of its two-hour season premiere in the region, which doubles as Indiana, including two days on a farm.
Producer Neal Ahern Jr. has already set up a production office in a Downtown hotel for the shoot, which will last from Aug. 20 to 27. In "The West Wing's" two-hour season opener, Bartlett [Bartlet] will make a speech at a soybean farm about alternative energy sources. Press secretary C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney) will be there, too.
"We'll be out in farm country," said Ahern. "We found several options. It might be in an area of Mercer County."
In the episode, communications director Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff), deputy chief of staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) and his assistant Donna Moss (Janel Moloney) get left behind and spend much of the episode trying to catch up with the president's motorcade.
Other locations find the trio on country roads, at a remote gas station, a diner and a train station.
"The West Wing" shoot will be the first extensive Hollywood production in the region since "The Mothman Prophecies" filmed here in early 2001. Ahern said he and his crew scouted locations in Indiana; Austin, Texas; Wilmington, N.C., and Maryland, but the work of the Pittsburgh Film Office and a recent visit sold producers on Pennsylvania.
Dawn Keezer, director of the Pittsburgh Film Office, which represents Allegheny and the 10 counties that make up Southwestern Pennsylvania, said discussion began with "West Wing" producers about four weeks ago. Keezer was in Los Angeles on business, heard they were looking for locations and met with them to tout the benefits of filming in Western Pennsylvania.
"We were the only film office that was able to take our photos [of locations] and present them in person, which is real important because this business is a relationship business," Keezer said. "People buy from people they know."
After that meeting, Keezer followed up with additional pictures and a box filled with two pounds of soybeans "so they wouldn't forget. It was a fun little marketing thing and it did get their attention, which is half the battle with these things."
She drove producers through Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Armstrong, Lawrence and Mercer counties on their scouting trip -- 400 miles in a single day.
"Dawn Keezer, who's incredible, convinced us to come out here," Ahern said. "I scouted [locations] with [executive producer] Tommy Schlamme on July 19 and he said, 'Neal, we're staying here.'"
Ahern said Western Pennsylvania appealed to him over Maryland because the farms were older.
"These people owned these farms in their family for 150 years, which was a great turn-on for us," Ahern said. "That's what it's all about, the center of America, and that's what Tommy was looking for."
Another bonus: Ahern said Pittsburgh has the infrastructure -- talent, crews, equipment -- to support the "West Wing" shoot. "Pittsburgh has a great pool of people," he said. "It's just been incredibly friendly here and helpful."
...
After filming in Pennsylvania, some of "The West Wing" crew will continue on to Washington for a few additional days of shooting before returning to the show's home base on Warner Bros. sound stages in Burbank, Calif.
"West Wing' to film here"
by Rob Owen
July 31, 2002
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
by Rob Owen
July 31, 2002
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
This rural village, known locally for its shopping, will be a campaign stop for President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and several "West Wing" cast members, said Nancy Mosser, local casting director for the production.
A soybean farm will double for one in Indiana where the president will speak about alternative energy sources. Allison Janney, who plays press secretary C.J. Cregg, will be there too, she said.
Communications director Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff), deputy chief of staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) and Lyman's assistant Donna Moss (Janel Moloney) get left behind and spend a good part of the episode trying to catch up to the president.
"It sort of focuses on them on the road. It's a whole different atmosphere from the White House where we normally see them. The script is funny," Mosser said.
"Season premiere of 'West Wing' is coming to Lawrence County"
by Laure Cioffi
August 9, 2002
The Vindicator
by Laure Cioffi
August 9, 2002
The Vindicator
The sometimes torrential downpour Thursday soaked the set - a presidential rally area, complete with a grandstand, a sea of empty white chairs and red, white and blue bunting and signs. Cranes with camera booms were silent and dripping as were the many "The only way to make it work is to audition a lot of actors who normally don't audition," said Sepulveda, who made an exception for Mary Louise Parker when offering her the role of Amy Gardner, women's rights advocate and the love interest of Bradley Whitford's deputy chief of staff. Sepulveda terms the casting of Parker his "crowning achievement of the year."official"The only way to make it work is to audition a lot of actors who normally don't audition," said Sepulveda, who made an exception for Mary Louise Parker when offering her the role of Amy Gardner, women's rights advocate and the love interest of Bradley Whitford's deputy chief of staff. Sepulveda terms the casting of Parker his "crowning achievement of the year." vehicles to be used during the taping.
Props, including presidential and American flags, were tucked away in a barn, right next to the McConnell's farming equipment.
"It's a wash"
by Ann-Margaret Lambo
August 24, 2002
New Castle News
by Ann-Margaret Lambo
August 24, 2002
New Castle News
Actor? Politician? Martin Sheen blurred, bent and ultimately erased the line between the two yesterday while filming the first scene from the season premiere of NBC's "The West Wing" on a Lawrence County farm.
Taking his place at a podium before a crowd of more than 400 extras who cheered his arrival, Sheen quickly and easily won them over.
"Now what is this rally all about?" he asked as the crew worked to position cameras.
"Soybeans!" one person shouted.
"Anarchy!" said another.
"Martin Sheen for president!" screamed a third.
In between takes he told jokes, sang "Love Me Tender" ("Don't quit your day job," one of the extras yelled playfully) and teased fans about upcoming plot developments.
"Cameras roll on Lawrence County Farm for 'West Wing' season premiere"
by Rob Owen
August 26, 2002
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
by Rob Owen
August 26, 2002
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
According to one West Wing insider, who asked not to be named, Sorkin had only two weeks after the end of last season to begin writing this year's episodes.
"Broken Wing"
by Mary Murphy and Mark Schwed
May 31, 2003
TV Guide (American edition)
by Mary Murphy and Mark Schwed
May 31, 2003
TV Guide (American edition)