Media Morsels 9.20.13

The Newsroom: Season 2
So the season ended. It was a little disappointing, don't you think? I found the Will-Mackenzie wrap up too tidy, and I thought the Jim-Maggie and Maggie-Lisa bit to be somewhat melodramatic. I did like ***spoiler alert*** the Don-Sloan moment. That was satisfying. Ultimately, it felt like this season finale was the kind of finale you would write if you thought you were not coming back for another season (which The Newsroom is). Still, it gave us more Sorkinese and brought us more Reese (Chris Messina), whom I think is a great foil to many of the characters, particularly Charlie. (It also reminded me of the Sports Night episode, "The Six Southern Gentlemen of Tennessee," in which everyone lines up behind the boss.) Check out Aaron Sorkin's final HBO Connect session of the season and below watch as the scribe takes us inside the season's final episode.



Emmy News
It's time for the Emmys! The Emmy Awards, honoring excellence in television (or, more generally, serial programming, as Netflix is now in the game!), will be handed out this Sunday night. Neil Patrick Harris hosts the annual gala, which will air on CBS at 8pm. (Here's a list of nominees in the more popular categories.) But, of course, the Emmy Awards aren't just about the people in front of the cameras. This past weekend, the Creative Arts Emmys were handed out. Among the winners were House of Cards (two awards), the 66th Annual Tony Awards (that's the 2012 edition; four awards), Boardwalk Empire (four awards) and more. (For those keeping score, perennial Emmy favorite HBO is already up 20 Emmys, five more than CBS, in second place with 15.) Check out the full list of Creative Arts Emmy winners on the Emmy website, and check back here on Monday for my Emmy wrap up.

In addition, the Emmy broadcast will include a special tribute to some of the artists who passed away this year (this is in addition to the regular In Memoriam segment). James Gandolfini, Jean Stapelton, Cory Monteith (Glee), Jonathan Winter and producer Gary David Goldberg will be honored. Broadwayworld.com has details.

That's not the only tribute. In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' career-defining appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, there will be a special tribute to the band. The tribute will also honor other momentous events, as seen on television, from 1963, like (grimly) the JFK assassination coverage. Don Cheadle and Carrie Underwood will take part in the tributes. The Wrap has more.

"Weekend Update" Update
Here's some SNL news that might interest you: Cecily Strong, who had a breakout rookie season last year, will co-anchor "Weekend Update" when the show returns for its 39th season later this month. (Tina Fey will host the season premiere on September 28.) She will be joining Seth Meyers, who is the show's head writer and the sole Update anchor. In 2014, Meyers will depart SNL to take over Late Night on NBC (when current host Jimmy Fallon, another SNL alumnus, takes over The Tonight Show); it has not been announced whether, at that time, Strong will anchor "Weekend Update" by herself or if another cast member will join her at the desk. In addition, the show will welcome five new cast members, Beck Bennett, John Milhiser, Noel Wells, Kyle Mooney and Brooks Wheelan. Variety has more.

Broadway Briefing: Casting, Tickets and Rumors
  • Patrick Wilson (Young Adult, All My Sons) says he's returning to the stage in 2014. Wilson is a two-time Tony nominee (for The Full Monty and Oklahoma!). There are no details but Broadway.com has Wilson's full quote.

  • Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong (American Idiot) will take on his first leading role on the big screen in the indie flick, Like Sunday, Like Rain. The movie is filming in New York. Rolling Stone has details.

  • Tickets for the Tony-winning revival of Pippin are now on sale through August 2014. This is a fantastic production so the tickets are sure to sell in no time at all. Head to the Music Box Theatre to pick up your tickets today!

  • Complete casting has been announced for the Broadway bow of Aladdin. Adam Jacobs will take on the title role, while Courtney Reed will play Jasmine and Memphis's James Monroe Iglehart will portray the Genie. Aladdin flies into the New Amsterdam Theatre on February 26, 2014, with opening night set for March 20. Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon) directs and choreographs. Broadway.com has more, and Broadwayworld.com has a look into rehearsals.

  • The Last Ship, a new musical with an original score by Sting, will bow on Broadway in fall 2014. Sting is joined by co-book writers John Logan (Red, Hugo) and Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal), director Joe Mantello (Dogfight) and choreographer Steven Hoggett (American Idiot, Once). The Last Ship will have its world premiere in Chicago in June 2014. Broadway.com has details.

  • The pulsating musical Here Lies Love (conceived by David Byrne and directed by Alex Timbers) might return to New York at an underground venue in Midtown's Hotel Pennsylvania. Nothing is confirmed, but Broadway.com has more about the rumors.
First Date Flirts and Backstage Access
The seventh episode of Broadway.com's vlog series, "Kiss and Tell: Backstage at First Date with Krysta Rodriguez," is here. In this episode, Rodriguez interviews featured players Kristoffer Cusick and the show's four swings (one of the swings was with the show in San Diego, so he offers great insight into how the show has changed). There's only one episode left, but don't worry, there's more First Date extras coming your way. This week, Broadway.com launched a new series, "First Date Flirts." In these brief clips the cast fills out a dating profile, of sorts. Up first was featured player Sara Chase, and later in the week we got to hear from Bryce Ryness (Hair). Check back next week for more First Date fun.

Dig This
  • Sutton Foster visits Broadway.com's Show People for a third time, talking to Paul Wontorek about what's next for her, living in LA and an exciting new chapter in her personal life.

  • It's almost fall, which means network TV series are coming back and new shows are beginning. Broadway.com has the theatre lovers' guide to the stage stars (like Megan Hilty, Marcia Gay Harden and Hamish Linklater) who will be gracing your screens this fall.

  • When the film adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods hits theaters next year it will include a new Sondheim song, The Hollywood Reporter says. Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Emily Blunt and Anna Kendrick (and others, of course) star.

  • Broadway Idiot, the documentary film chronicling American Idiot's (and particularly Billie Joe Armstrong's) journey from rock album to Broadway, will hit theaters and be available on demand on October 11.

  • The great Patti LuPone will appear on the third season of Girls. She plays a fictionalized version of herself and Reed Birney (Uncle Vanya) plays her husband. Theater Mania has more.

  • Y'all, CJ (that would be Allison Janney) performed "The Jackal"! (Head to Gawker if the video does not appear below.)

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