Aaron Sorkin < Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip Guide, DVD

Aaron Sorkin

So, what will Aaron Sorkin do now that Studio 60 is off the air?
The New York Post says, “Sorkin…. has several projects in the works, most prominently ‘Charlie Wilson’s War,’ based on the book by the same name by George Crile, the late producer of ‘60 Minutes,’ and starring Oscar winners Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. He also has a play, ‘The Farnsworth Invention,’ going to Broadway.”

So, who is Aaron Sorkin?

The following information is from NBC:
Television Shows:
Currently in Production:
From Newsweek - “‘West Wing’ creator Aaron Sorkin rides again with the terrific TV drama ‘Studio 60.’ “: “After his unhappy ending with ‘The West Wing,’ you might have expected Sorkin to turn his back on TV. He never even considered it. ‘I love putting a show on every week,’ he says…. But this time is a little different. His friends say he’s mellower and more in control�he’s 45 now, and has a 5-year-old daughter. Sorkin had already written seven episodes before production even began last month. ‘He’s not totally the Dalai Lama,’ says Busfield, ‘but he’s certainly embracing each step without the jarring effect of being the wunderkind.’ One change: on the executive-producer credits, Sorkin insisted that Schlamme come first. ‘He has been, on ‘Sports Night’ and ‘West Wing,’ the only indispensable part of the show,’ Sorkin says. ‘I’m not saying that to blow smoke. I’m saying it because, when the backlash starts this time, can you aim some of it at Tommy, please?’”
From Entertainment Weekly: “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”
: “The inspiration for Studio 60 came during a West Wing casting session. Sorkin heard strange noises and singing coming from next door; it turns out, auditions were being held for a sketch-comedy show. The idea stayed with him, and years later he decided to write the Studio 60 pilot. ”I like to show people who are very committed to each other and what they’re doing. I like backstage drama, and I love the excitement of live television,’ he says. ‘And it gave an opportunity to touch on the culture wars.’ Perry’s character, for example, is fond of going after the religious right, while Paulson’s Harriet is talented, insightful, sensitive�and devoutly religious, a combo rarely seen on series TV. ‘I was scared of this character,” says Paulson. ‘How can she hang out in this world where people make fun of things she believes in? [But] she’s complicated and multifaceted, just like everyone.’

“Sorkin has suggested that Paulson’s character is loosely based on his ex-girlfriend, Tony-winning Broadway star (and West Wing regular) Kristin Chenoweth, who is open about her Christian beliefs. That’s not the only thing the show has in common with his own life. Perry and Whitford’s partnership reflects his and Schlamme’s, and like Sorkin (who was arrested in 2001 at the Burbank airport for holding an array of drugs), Whitford’s Danny is a recovering addict who suffers a brief relapse. ‘I would stop short of calling Studio 60 autobiographical,” says Sorkin. ‘But it’s the most personally I’ve ever written�. The world of television and certainly the world of addiction is close to my experience.”’
From N.Y. Times: “�West Wing� to West Coast: TV�s Auteur Portrays TV” (Aaron Sorkin. September 11, 2006): “Aaron Sorkin�s bungalow office on the Warner Brothers studio lot is spacious, comfortable and cluttered. Most of the clutter has a certain glint to it.

“Like the six big Emmy Awards spread in a neat row on his battleship-size desk, or the array of other awards positioned on the �tag�re shelves against one wall….

“…Mr. Sorkin said the series would present a balanced picture of the television business. ‘The biggest wrong assumption about this show is that it�s about the artists and the suits, and the artists are always right, and the show is an indictment of television,’ Mr. Sorkin said. ‘The network characters are not ninnies who don�t care about what�s on the air. They are more often caught between a rock and a hard place and trying to do the right thing.’

“He called the show ‘a valentine to television’ just as ‘The West Wing’ was ‘a valentine to public service….

“Getting on with things was often a problem during Mr. Sorkin�s days running ‘The West Wing.’ This time he has tried to get as far ahead as possible. He was five episodes in advance when shooting began. He would like to stay ahead, but he has some other challenges coming.

“In January Mr. Sorkin will head to Morocco for three weeks on location for a movie he has written, an adaptation of the George Crile book ‘Charlie Wilson�s War.’ The director, Mike Nichols, has asked him to participate during the shoot.

“Later, Mr. Sorkin�s new play, ‘The Farnsworth Invention,’ based on the struggle of Philo T. Farnsworth to win recognition for his invention � television again � will begin rehearsals at the La Jolla Playhouse. Steven Spielberg is making his theatrical producing debut.

“While Mr. Sorkin is in Morocco, he will try to supervise Studio 60′ over the Internet. ‘It will be the first time that I haven�t been on the set when a scene is being shot,’ Mr. Sorkin said. ‘What I�m hoping is that it�s possible for me to be gone without anyone in the cast or crew noticing. Then it won�t be like Mom and Dad have left the house.’

“The care and nurturing of a television series is something Mr. Sorkin missed deeply in his three years away from the medium. ‘I missed �The West Wing� every day and the people I worked with. And I missed putting on a show every week. What I didn�t miss was the feeling of constantly having a term paper due.’�
The Jewish Exponent tells us: “Sorkin’s… initial attempt at playwriting [was titled] ‘Removing All Doubt‘ (editor’s note: This name may pop up as the movie that Matt and Danny were planning to make before Danny flunked the drug test.)
BBC News Magazine: Faces of the Week (Sept. 22, 2006): “The success of his screen debut [A Few Good Men] led to other work, including Malice and The American President. He also helped to re-work the scripts to Schindler’s List and Enemy of the State.”
Time Magazine (September 25, 2006, page 80) says,: “Sorkin is probably incapable of writing a bad show. But self-satisfied, self-serious and self-congratulatory–that he can do. From the mood lighting and stirring music to the hot-button story llines to the characters’ arias on the august legacy of their show, Sorkin makes running a comedy program seem like negotiating an arms treaty.”
The Santa Monica Mirror’s TV Critic, Sasha Stone, calls Sorkin “Still the Best Writer in Television”:: “Sorkin creates richly complicated characters who are hardly perfect. Spending time with them is as unpredictable as a desert storm.

“Even the most popular shows like Lost, 24 and Grey�s Anatomy on network television are somehow lacking in the character department. Plot seems to matter more than anything else. This is especially true on reality shows. But Sorkin is an old school writer � someone who could have written great scripts in any decade. His stuff is high grade and rare. Nobody does it better.”
See information on where Sorkin got his inspiration for “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” and its characters.
See Overlaps for those references Sorkin has used before.
More information on Sorkin.