Latest news with #politicaldrama
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rob Lowe sent 'missing' milk cartons to 'West Wing' producers during on-set 'difficulties'
Lowe said "it's all good now," but it wasn't always. Has anyone seen Sam Seaborn? Rob Lowe, who played the idealistic deputy of communications at the White House on the first four seasons of NBC's acclaimed political drama The West Wing, asked that very question when he left the show as a regular cast member. Seaborn was been elected to office in California. "It's all good now, but there were some difficulties. At one point, they had sort of written me off the show. I didn't feel like I had a lot to do and so I made these," Lowe said, in a video on TikTok, as he held up a milk carton with a missing person ad for, yep, Seaborn. "I sent them to everbody affiliated with the show: the network, the studio, producers, executives." It was unclear if the recipients of his gift included costars, such as Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Bradley Whitford, Richard Schiff, Janel Moloney, Dulé Hill, Joshua Malina, and the late John Spencer, in the drama about the inner workings of a Democratic administration. The show won an impressive 26 Emmys over the course of its seven-season run, between 1999 and 2006. While the carton bit is funny now, the prank came during a pretty tense situation. Lowe had signed onto the show, created by Aaron Sorkin, with the expectation that Seaborn would be the main character. It ended up being an ensemble. Lowe has also explained that he had felt "very undervalued" and, during an August 2023 appearance on Stitcher Studios' Podcrushed podcast, gave an example from seeing his adult sons grew up. They were "getting to a certain age where I could see them having first girlfriends and being in a relationship that was abusive and taking it," Lowe said. "'She's the popular girl, everybody likes her, she's beautiful, it must be great' — all the things that people would say about making The West Wing to me. 'It's so popular, it's so amazing, it must be amazing.' But I know what it's like, and if I couldn't walk away from it, then how could I empower my kids to walk away from it?" He called his decision to leave "the best thing I ever did." In his TikTok, Lowe said that these days he has "love" for the show and "everybody in it." Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
CNN
18-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
The MAGA-Epstein Drama, Explained - CNN Political Briefing - Podcast on CNN Podcasts
The MAGA-Epstein Drama, Explained CNN Political Briefing 21 mins President Donald Trump is facing serious backlash from the MAGA world over his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. CNN senior correspondent Donie O'Sullivan explains why Epstein looms so large in the MAGA-verse—and why this controversy isn't likely to die down soon.
Forbes
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Eddington' Takes Big Swings And Connects
Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) and Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) find themselves in a ... More contentious political race in COVID-era Arizona. Is it too soon for a character drama that takes place during the onset of COVID? Are you ready for social distancing, lockdowns, mask mandates, and all of their accompanying conspiracy theories to be plot points in a film? Is it too soon to find the absurdist humor buried in the crazed antics of Americans under pandemic pressure? If so, then Eddington, the new film from writer/director Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar), may not be your cup of tea. I, on the other hand, found the film to be a compelling, insightful and frequently hilarious look at how our country has lost its collective mind over the past six years. The film opens in the small town of Eddington, New Mexico during the early days of COVID, where Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) is openly violating the mask mandate issued by the Governor. Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) chastises the sheriff for blatantly ignoring the law while being the head of local law enforcement. In one scene, Sheriff Cross strides unmasked through the local grocery store. When he encounters a masked shopper who doesn't approve of his noncompliance, he informs her that the Governor's edict is a recommendation and not a law, and he'll do as he sees fit unless the local city council officially passes an ordinance requiring masks. Sound familiar? As the Sheriff tries to enforce curfews and lockdowns, and the Mayor tries to enforce mask mandates, and each ignores the other, tensions grow until Sheriff Cross spontaneously announces his intention to unseat Garcia as mayor. A philosophical war of words becomes an acrimonious political race in small town America. Every movement, protest group and fringe ideaology is present and accounted for. Sheriff Cross' mother-in-law is waist deep in internet 'research', uncovering one crazy conspiracy after another. His wife (Emma Stone) becomes enamored with a traveling religious zealot (Austin Butler). Mayor Garcia's son joins the Black Lives Matter movement to use his newly-found social awareness to meet girls. And there may be Anitfa terrorists lurking somewhere in the background, but that could also just be the ravings of Sheriff Cross' mother-in-law. Between Paul Thomas Anderson (The Master, Inherent Vice) and Ari Aster (Beau is Afraid), Joaquin Phoenix appears to have found his cinematic soulmates. Make fun of the obsessiveness of Method Acting all you like, but Phoenix's performance in Eddington is unlike any other in his career. I'll be the first person to point out the little irritating tics, quirks and affectations that often feel tacked on to a 'Method' performance. From his posture, his movements, his diction and his line readings, he becomes Sheriff Cross and carries the film with apparent ease. It'll be interesting to see if Oscar voters remember a performance from July when it comes time to cast their ballots. Then again, they remembered Cillian Murphy's work in Oppenheimer, a July 2023 film. Ari Aster proved himself a master of suspense in the horror genre with his 2018 tale of the occult, Hereditary. While Eddington is more character drama meets crime film, that same sense of dread remains. With the addition of each agenda, each passionate cause that grows more and more aggressive as its members grow more agitated, the tension in the film increases. The audience knows we're on the verge of violence, but we just don't know what form it's going to take. (And I certainly won't reveal that here.) In a film landscape where reliance on tropes and cliches leads to a predictable time at the movies, Ari Aster marches to the beat of his own, often deranged, drummer. Anytime I thought I had Eddington nailed down, it gleefully veered in another direction. Kudos to editor Lucien Johnston who keeps the 148-minute film moving at a clip. It never stalls. It's hard to satirize the crazy times we live in. The nightly news is already beyond belief. When reality has jumped the shark, how do you satirize anything? Despite that, Ari Aster has created a compelling drama with a dark streak of absurdist humor running through it. Whether I was laughing at his depiction of the folly of my fellow man, or sitting on the edge of my seat during the film's darker moments, I was always fully engaged. As I waited for the lights to go down and my Eddington screening to begin, my post on social media said, Tonight's screening is sure to be thought provoking. It was a safe prediction. Even a big misfire from an auteur like Aster was guaranteed to prompt discussion. Instead, he gave us one of the best films of the year so far.
Geek Tyrant
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Allison Janney Takes Command in THE DIPLOMAT Season 3 Trailer, and Things Just Got Nuclear — GeekTyrant
Netflix just dropped the teaser trailer for The Diplomat Season 3, and the Oval Office has a new tenant with the arrival of Allison Janney. Picking up right where Season 2's political chaos left off, the new season throws ambassador-turned-power player Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) into even deeper waters. Last season ended with President Rayburn dying moments after Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell) tells him that Vice President Grace Penn (Janney) may have orchestrated a terrorist attack on a British warship. Now that Rayburn is out of the picture, Penn isn't just under suspicion, she's in charge. According to the official synopsis, 'Kate accusing Penn of hatching a terrorist plot and admitting she's after the vice president's job. But now the president is dead, Hal may have inadvertently killed him, and Penn is the leader of the free world. None of this slows Hal's campaign to land Kate the vice presidency. 'Kate steps into a role she never wanted, with a freedom she never expected, an increasingly complicated friendship with Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison (David Gyasi), and an unnerving bond with First Gentleman Todd Penn (Bradley Whitford).' I love that Janney and Whitford are back together after their time together on The West Wing . The series also stars Ali Ahn, Rory Kinnear, and Ato Essandoh. New faces include Celia Imrie, Michael McKean, Nana Mensah, and Miguel Sandoval. The series was created by Debora Cahn, who continues to steer the ship. I've enjoyed this show and Season 3 looks like it's setting up the kind of slow-burn power struggle. Season 3 lands this fall.
Fox News
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Behind the scenes of Pete Hegseth's intense confirmation battle
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard faced immense scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers during their cabinet confirmation hearings — and now Fox Nation subscribers can witness how these hearings for these candidates unfolded like never before. In the second season of "Art of the Surge: The Donald Trump Comeback," viewers will find themselves embroiled in the drama of Hegseth and Gabbard's intense confirmation hearings, which commenced in November 2024 after President Donald Trump's election victory and extended into the first 100 days of the new administration. Hegseth previously was a 'Fox & Friends Weekend' co-host and author before Trump nominated him for the coveted position. Following a tense hearing on Capitol Hill, viewers can see the moment Hegseth's Republican colleagues congratulated him, as shown briefly on 'Fox & Friends.' "You surrounded us with a great team, and we fought back. We knew what they were coming with, and we didn't let them beat us," Hegseth is shown telling Trump over the phone in the new TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM PETE HEGSETH'S SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARINGGabbard is a U.S. Army veteran and former congressional representative who became a Democratic presidential candidate in 2020. However, she left the Democratic Party in 2022 and endorsed Trump, solidifying her political shift."There's nobody like her for this job," Trump says of Gabbard. "This was an easy one for me." Viewers can now stream two new episodes, with an additional two dropping on June 18. The first season of the show detailed earlier moments of Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, including episodes focused on his survival of an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania and his infamous debate with then-President Joe Biden on CNN. Those episodes are also available to stream now. Fox Nation programs are viewable on-demand and from your mobile device app, but only for Fox Nation subscribers. Go to Fox Nation to start a free trial and watch the extensive library from your favorite Fox Nation personalities.
