web counter
 

A Much-Needed Reminder that One Sheen Still Has the Profound Power to Inspire

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Seriously Random Lists | Comments (39)

the_west_wing.jpg

The Streets of Heaven Are Too Crowded with Angels Tonight

I’m Going to Blow them Off the Face of the Earth with the Fury of God’s Own Thunder

Charlie, My Father Gave This To Me, And His Father Gave It to Him, and I’m Giving It to You

Whaddya Say, You Want to Come Help Us Out

martinshseen.jpg

With Outstretched Fingers, We Touched the Face of God

sheencharlie.jpg

It’s Nice When We Can Do Something for Prostitutes Every Once in a While

sheencharlid.jpg

Can We Have It Back, Please


2. Cruciatus in Crucem

1. In this Building, When the President Stands, Nobody Sits









Each Time You Like, Share, Tweet or Stumble a Pajiba Post, An Angel Does the Paul Rudd Dance

← Black Death Review: A Plague O' Both Your Houses! | Newt Gingrich Cites Love of Country As The Reason For Cheating On His Wife. I Call Dibs On The Porn Parody Title "Patriot Games." →









Comments

Well now I want to go home and watch back to back West Wing.

Posted by: Carrie at March 10, 2011 12:15 PM

That stupid show makes me cry so stupid much.

Posted by: Julie at March 10, 2011 12:17 PM

I know we like to fellate Aaron Sorkin as much as we can around here, but Marty's monologue at the opening of Apocalypse Now inspires me a helluvalot more than any of these.*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQasoZLNHuQ (It starts about 4:20 in... heheheh)

* Full Disclosure: I didn't actually watch the clips, but I've seen the damn show, so get Hoffa my back.

Posted by: RobP at March 10, 2011 12:30 PM

What? No love for Emilio?

Young Guns is still my favorite recent-western.

Posted by: grace b at March 10, 2011 12:31 PM

What a great combination of writer and actor.

Excellent. Thanks.

Posted by: tamatha at March 10, 2011 12:38 PM

Oh, Martin Sheen and that show still gives me chills. I need to watch the whole thing over and over again.

Posted by: figgy at March 10, 2011 12:39 PM

Thanks, I needed that.

Posted by: Justin at March 10, 2011 12:43 PM

Well done. My favorite show of all time.

Posted by: Sara H at March 10, 2011 12:44 PM

I loved The West Wing, watched all 7 seasons (the last ones against my better judgment), but it was this brand of Sorkin speechifying that I found the most difficult to stomach. I'm just pathos-intolerant, and can only digest pathos substitutes, which sometimes leave me even more gassy.

That being said, Martin Sheen delivered the hell out of some of these clunkers.

Posted by: wojtek at March 10, 2011 12:48 PM

"Well, first of all, let's clear up a couple of things. "Unfunded mandate" is two words, not one big word. There are times when we're fifty states and there are times when we're one country, and have national needs. And the way I know this is that Florida didn't fight Germany in World War II or establish civil rights. You think states should do the governing wall-to-wall. That's a perfectly valid opinion. But your state of Florida got $12.6 billion in federal money last year - from Nebraskans, and Virginians, and New Yorkers, and Alaskans, with their Eskimo poetry. 12.6 out of a state budget of $50 billion. I'm supposed to be using this time for a question, so here it is: Can we have it back, please?"

THANK YOU.

Posted by: Zirze at March 10, 2011 12:54 PM

@wojtek: "Martin Sheen delivered the hell out of some of these clunkers." haaha!

@robP- we might fellate Sorkin, but we don't swallow.(Apocalypse now, however may be a different story...)

Posted by: JuiceinLA at March 10, 2011 1:04 PM

I wish real Presidential debates were that entertaining.

Posted by: DarthCorleone at March 10, 2011 1:07 PM

The best president of all time. Now if only he was real :/

Posted by: ChristianH at March 10, 2011 1:07 PM

I was in some Godforsaken part of the country where the TV stations carry the Pat Sajak show several years ago. Did you know he has a show? He was interviewing John Spencer (RIP) and Spencer in passing mentioned Martin Sheen's name. Sajak proceed to unleash a diatribe of negative comments about Sheen and his politics and his role on the West Wing. To this day, if I'm in a room where people are watching Wheel of Fortune I have to walk out. It was that bad.

Posted by: PaddyDog at March 10, 2011 1:14 PM

Damn.

Posted by: Captain Tuttle at March 10, 2011 1:34 PM

Aww yeah.

Posted by: June Velcro at March 10, 2011 2:18 PM

I got the first four seasons on DVD recently, and my, but it is an odd culture shock watching these little polital pop culture time capsules from the pre-9/11, post-Clinton/pre-Bush era. It's a little jarring to listen to walk-and-talks about DADT, or hear Josh's piece on the unanticipated but real possibility of a smallpox attack, and C.J.'s response: "Well...we'll make some more vaccine." It's odder still to see the Bartlet administration peer into the murky abyss of possible wars against Qumar or Kundu, or standing between the advancing armies of India and Pakistan, because the U.S. had the power to do so, and that such scenes are not imbued with the wariness of our current "Iraq Syndrome." It's a strange glass to gaze through, that colors even the recent past with the bright sunshine of some half-forgotten childhood day, but which when I pull back stains my eyes with a dark and wistful ink wash of realism.

I guess the question it leaves me with is this: If The West Wing was a show with fantastic characters that dealt with the difficult political questions of its day in an intelligent, thought-provoking and eloquent manner, how would those characters (e.g. The Bartlet administration*) address our current slate of problems?

*-Because who the hell cares about what Santos would have done? Smits happens, but I'm here for that Bartlet gravitas, all the way, baby.

Posted by: StoatCat at March 10, 2011 2:22 PM

I gotta unload and give more credit to Martin Sheen than Aaron Sorkin.

I just re-rented Sports Night and it's painful to watch. Sorkin dialogue in the wrong hands is awful (ahem Natalie character) and he recycled about 3 plotlines almost completely on the West Wing (cheating father, borrowing clothes, bomb in building)....that's lazy.

I do wish Studio 60 had gotten one or two more seasons though. It was getting good but Tina Fey went after it in the press for "not being funny".

Posted by: bananapanda at March 10, 2011 2:34 PM

Well done sir! Way to get hits on your site and NOT use the crazysheen.

Posted by: logan at March 10, 2011 2:40 PM

Thank you. Just...thank you.

Posted by: Justin at March 10, 2011 3:54 PM

how would those characters (e.g. The Bartlet administration*) address our current slate of problems?

Obama is apparently a huge West Wing fan. So, that might tell you something.

Posted by: ChristianH at March 10, 2011 4:01 PM

Sonofabitch, now I just want to watch West Wing for the rest of the day. Possibly week. As far as "How would WW handle (fill in the blank)that is happening in today's real world" I rewatched the series on cable re-runs a few years ago. I tell you, it was UNCANNY how practically every episode dealt with something that was a current event in the world, and watching the Smitts/Alda campaign play out while the Obama/McCain campaign raged on was surreal.

Posted by: Lindsey with an 'e' at March 10, 2011 4:31 PM

This show is just so incredbly good. Almost makes me want to be American...

Posted by: Phedre at March 10, 2011 5:03 PM

Apparently (and I could be wrong) Sorkin actually used Obama as part of the inspiration for Santos.

Posted by: FyreHaar at March 10, 2011 5:06 PM

I did not see this show while it was on TV. A friend and my husband, upon finding out, sat me down with the DVDs and had my watch. I want to vote for Bartlet so bad.

And I have always admired Sheen for a man of principle, and it just goes to show how drugs can f*ck up anyone, wherever they come from, whatever privilege they may have (the son, not the father, though alcohol messed with others in the family).

Posted by: leuce7 at March 10, 2011 5:47 PM

That was awesome!!!!!

Posted by: tracey8051 at March 10, 2011 5:58 PM

Fyrehaar- apparently Obama was the inspiration after his star turn at the Democrat convention in 2004, but I believe it was post Sorkin who quit after S4.

Put it down to the perfect combination of writer and ensemble cast. There was a palpable drop in quality between 4 and 5 that speaks to Sorkin's talents, however it is testament to the cast and remaining crew they still squeezed 3...ok two and a bit very watchable seasons out of it. I'll still only revisit 1-4 though.

Posted by: Dave Shepherd at March 10, 2011 6:09 PM

That's the way the President is supposed to act Democrat or Republican.

Posted by: clancys_daddy at March 10, 2011 6:37 PM

The last one where he skewers the Dr. Laura-type beeyotch is my favorite. That is a textbook smackdown, in public no less.

"I just want... a crabcake."

Posted by: BoucheDag at March 10, 2011 7:36 PM

Dave, I believe that it was less he quit and more that he was fired.

Posted by: Ruby at March 10, 2011 9:09 PM

@Ruby- i think his spialing coke addiction played a major role, too.

Posted by: StoatCat at March 10, 2011 9:27 PM

Anyone know how much cash Sheen has to really run for President? Does he have any experience in government? He's one of the few "real" people I could see in a major leadership role.

Posted by: scorzi at March 10, 2011 9:49 PM

@StoatCat, I've heard that that and the part where he never turned in an episode on time or on budget was another factor.

@Scorzi, I seem to remember someone (post-West Wing) asking Sheen about running for public office and he replied that he was just an actor and that he'd leave that work to the politicians.

Posted by: Ruby at March 11, 2011 12:28 AM

CRACK cocaine. Why be average?

Posted by: bananapanda at March 11, 2011 12:31 AM

But... But... Politicians are not politicians. They just act like that.

Tell him that, please?

Posted by: godzilla_foil at March 11, 2011 1:01 AM

Very usefull blog. i will follow this blog. keep up the good work.

Posted by: Gregory Despain at March 11, 2011 7:40 PM

"In the future, if you're wondering, 'Crime. Boy, I don't know' is when I decided to kick your ass."

Posted by: Three-nineteen at March 11, 2011 9:54 PM

Every now and then you forget how good of an actor Martin Sheen is, then you watch the "My father..." video and hear him say the words "I'm proud of you, Charlie" and actually sound like he means it. Now THAT'S acting. Amazing.

Posted by: Steve at March 12, 2011 11:02 AM

"When did you write that last part?"
"In the car."
"Freak."

Posted by: Ruby at March 12, 2011 2:43 PM