“The Newsroom: Cast and Creators Live at PALEYFEST”

“The Newsroom” at PALEYFEST on March 3, 2013. Aaron Sorkin explores the professional and private tensions of a cable newscast trying to reinvigorate TV journalism despite corporate interference and commercial pressures. The show features an exemplary ensemble that brings a liveliness and texture to the proceedings. Few series have portrayed the demands of the heart and mind with such deftness.This William S. Paley Television Festival live event honors “The Newsroom,” the drama series about news anchor Will McAvoy and clashes with his staff at the New York-based Atlantis Cable News network. Piers Morgan (host, “Piers Morgan Live”) moderates the following panelists: series creator/executive producer/writer Aaron Sorkin; executive producer Alan Poul; and cast members Jeff Daniels (Will McAvoy), Emily Mortimer (MacKenzie “Mac” McHale), Sam Waterston (Charlie Skinner), Dev Patel (Neal Sampat), Olivia Munn (Sloan Sabbith), Alison Pill (Maggie Jordan), Thomas Sadoski (Don Keefer), and John Gallagher, Jr. (Jim Harper).The panelists touch on such topics as: Sorkin’s interest in the “noble calling” of cable news; how the “music” of Sorkin’s dialogue negates any opportunities for improvisation; and the show as “historical fiction,” compared to Sorkin’s previous show “The West Wing,” which existed in “a parallel universe.”Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics among others: Sorkin’s initial worries that Daniels was “too nice” to play Will; how Munn’s former work as a journalist in Oklahoma led to her dislike of anchors who “make themselves newsworthy”; and Jeff’s secret for memorizing his long monologue in the series premiere.