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As the 25th anniversary of The West Wing‘s Sept. 22, 1999 premiere draws near, series creator Aaron Sorkin was asked how the acclaimed White House drama would play today.

The NBC drama, which ran for seven seasons and collected 27 total Emmy Awards (including Outstanding Drama every year from 2000 to 2003), followed the administration of fictitious Democratic President Josiah Bartlet, played by Martin Sheen.

More from TVLineRob Lowe Says Leaving The West Wing Was 'The Best Thing I Ever Did': 'It Was a Super Unhealthy Relationship'er's John Aylward Dead at 75Lisa Edelstein Talks Up 9-1-1: Lone Star Debut, Seeing Rob Lowe...

The The Way Back cast goes beyond lead actor Ben Affleck. The movie stars dramatic actors and comedy actors alike, including Al Madrigal and Janina Gavankar. The Way Back also boasts a robust ensemble cast featuring memorable performers from Percy Jackson and The Thing.

The Way Back cast extends far beyond its lead star Ben Affleck. The 2020 basketball drama was directed by Gavin O'Connor (reuniting with Affleck after helming his action-thriller The Accountant) from a screenplay by Brad Ingelsby, who is the son of a basketball coach. The movie, which cost roughly $25 million, suffered financially in its theatrical release, only earning $15.5 million because it was released shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down theaters worldwide. However, it was well received by both critics and audiences, earning 84% scores from both groups on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Way Back was one of a crop of titles that were released on premium VOD just weeks after their initial release.

Producers of this Monday’s Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony have some difficult decisions to make about who to honor during the emotional In Memoriam segment. John Legend will perform “Pieces,” a new song he has written for the tribute. Kenan Thompson will host the 2022 Emmys for NBC at 8 p.m. Et; 5 p.m. Pt.

Our list below includes almost 100 people who made a strong contribution to television and have died since mid-September of 2021 following the previous Emmys ceremony. Only about 40-45 of these people will probably be in the video segment. Certain to be featured will be TV Academy Hall of Fame members actress Betty White and director Jay Sandrich.Other prominent names almost certainly chosen are: Mary Alice (acting winner), Louie Anderson (acting winner), James Caan (acting nominee), Anne Heche (acting winner), Howard Hesseman (acting nominee), William Hurt (acting nominee), Gregory Itzin (acting nominee), Ray Liotta (acting winner), Burt Metcalfe...

John Aylward, the veteran character actor best known for his long stint on the hit medical drama ER, has died at the age of 75.

Aylward’s agent Mitchell Stubbs confirmed Aylward’s death to Deadline; while the cause of death was not revealed, Aylward died Monday in his native Seattle after a period of declining health.

“I was shocked. He was a wonderful actor and a phenomenal human being,” Stubbs told Deadline. “He was a dream client, a friend and a dream person.”

Aylward spent 12 seasons at ER’s County General hospital,...

John Aylward, the actor best known for his recurring roles in popular NBC dramas “ER” and “The West Wing,” died Monday in Seattle from natural causes, his agent Mitchell K. Stubbs confirmed to Variety. He was 75.

Born and raised in Seattle, Aylward graduated from the University of Washington’s school of drama in 1970. He got his start as a theater actor, founding Seattle’s Empty Space Theatre in 1973. He served as a regular in Seattle Repertory Theatre for 15 years.

After getting his start in television with small roles on television films — including “The Secret Life of John Chapman,” “Stamp of a Killer,” “Third Degree Burn,” “Child in the Night” and “With a Vengeance” — Aylward began working more frequently on television in the ’90s, starting with a recurring role on “Northern Exposure.” Other television shows he had notable recurring and guest spots on over the course of his career included “Grace Under Fire,...

Veteran character actor John Aylward, best known for playing Dr. Donald Anspaugh on the hit NBC medical drama ER, has died at the age of 75.

“I was shocked. He was a wonderful actor and a phenomenal human being,” Aylward’s longtime agent Mitchell K. Stubbs said in a statement to our sister site Deadline. “He was a dream client, a friend and a dream person.”

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Aylward joined the...

John Aylward, an actor best known for his portrayals of Dr. Donald Anspaugh on ER and former DNC chairman Barry Goodwin on The West Wing, died this week at his home in Seattle. He was 75.

Aylward’s death overnight Monday was confirmed by his wife Mary Fields to his longtime agent, Mitchell K. Stubbs. He had been in declining health, according to Fields.

“I was shocked. He was a wonderful actor and a phenomenal human being,” Stubbs told Deadline. “He was a dream client, a friend and a dream person.”

Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery

Born and raised in Seattle, Aylward appeared in dozens of television series over the course of his more than four-decade career, but he is perhaps best remembered for his role as Dr. Donald Anspaugh in ER. Aylward joined the NBC series in the third season in the heavily recurring role and appeared in more than 70 episodes over 12 years.

Affleck plays a depressed drinker whose life is rescued by becoming a basketball coach in this flat, uninspired fable

A clunking underdog/redemption sports movie with a horribly perfunctory and unconvincing script, and a ponderous, half-awake performance from the bearded and stolid Ben Affleck.

He plays Jack, a lonely guy whose marriage has failed, owing to a family tragedy; now he works on a building site and drinks himself to a stupor all day every day. But then he gets a call from Father Edward Devine (John Aylward), the shrewd, kindly headmaster of the Catholic school where Jack was once a basketball star: could Jack maybe come back and coach the school’s now floundering and ill-disciplined team?...

Modern Hollywood’s messiest comeback artist is finally ready to show his work on screen, and there isn’t a moment to waste. You can tell from the first minutes of “The Way Back” that construction worker Jack Cunningham is unlike any character Ben Affleck has ever played before — he’s not trying to impress anyone. There’s no twinkle in his eye, no swagger in his step, no “smartest guy in the room” energy to the way he carries himself. He murmurs when he talks, drinks a beer in the shower every morning, and sparks to the salesman at his neighborhood liquor store as if that’s the only stable relationship he still has left in his life.

Swollen and greasy, Jack is a far cry from the chiseled Bruce Wayne, the brave Tony Mendez, or even the self-parodic cheater Affleck embodied in “Gone Girl.” Wasn’t this guy...

Ben Affleck has been such a major figure in tabloid culture for years now that a) the lines between his real life and his cinematic one have gradually gotten fuzzier and b) the ongoing turmoil in his personal life has made it easy to forget that with the right role, he can still be an extraordinary actor. In The Way Back, those two aspects of this talented man’s life intersect in a way that turns what could merely be a rote weepie into something much more affecting, anchored by Affleck’s powerful, raw performance.

Affleck plays Jack Cunningham, a one-time high school basketball star who abruptly abandoned the game instead of riding it into college and beyond. When we meet Jack, he’s deep in the throes of alcoholism: he needs a beer just to get through his morning shower, sneaks vodka into his water bottle on the construction site he works at,...

USA Network's Briarpatch continues to delight, even if there's a problem with the series brewing. Read our review!

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This Briarpatch review contains spoilers.

Briarpatch Episode 2

Maybe it’s watching the characters of Briarpatch interact in the searing temperatures of San Bonafacio, but I’ve already warmed to USA Network’s new neo noir quite a bit. However, after two episodes, a clear problem looks to be arising for the show; there are two seemingly competing storylines, and one is more interesting. At the moment, it isn’t an issue because the hunt for Felicity’s killer is bringing Allegra into contact with all sorts of quirky characters with shady motivations. But as more time is spent on Allegra’s day job, the one bringing her back in touch with old flame Jake Spivey, I’m already finding myself wondering when we will get back to the Spivey,...

Lincoln Center Theater has announced that John Aylward, Kristen Bush, Beth Dixon, Barbara Garrick, Jan Maxwell, Luke Niehaus, Kevin O'Rourke and Michael Simpson will be featured in its upcoming production of The City Of Conversation, a new play by Anthony Giardina, directed by Doug Hughes. The City Of Conversation begins previews Thursday, April 10 and opens on Monday, May 5 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater 150 West 65 Street. Additional casting for The City Of Conversation will be announced at a later date.

Lynne Meadow Artistic Director and Barry Grove Executive Producer will present Manhattan Theatre Club's upcoming world premiere of Outside Mullingar, the new play by Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner John Patrick Shanley, directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes. The cast will feature Tony Award winner Brian F. O'Byrne, Emmy Award winner Debra Messing, John Aylward 'ER,' The Kentucky Cycle, and Dearbhla Molloy Dancing at Lughnasa, Arcadia at London's Haymarket Theatre.In the video below, go behind the scenes of their Broadway photo shoot...

Lynne Meadow Artistic Director and Barry Grove Executive Producer will present Manhattan Theatre Club's upcoming world premiere of Outside Mullingar, the new play by Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner John Patrick Shanley, directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes. The cast will feature Tony Award winner Brian F. O'Byrne, Emmy Award winner Debra Messing, John Aylward 'ER,' The Kentucky Cycle, and Dearbhla Molloy Dancing at Lughnasa, Arcadia at London's Haymarket Theatre.The whole gang met the press yesterday and below, you can check out full photo coverage below...

Lynne Meadow Artistic Director and Barry Grove Executive Producer will present Manhattan Theatre Club's upcoming world premiere of Outside Mullingar, the new play by Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner John Patrick Shanley, directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes. The cast will feature Tony Award winner Brian F. O'Byrne, Emmy Award winner Debra Messing, John Aylward 'ER,' The Kentucky Cycle, and Dearbhla Molloy Dancing at Lughnasa, Arcadia at London's Haymarket Theatre.The whole gang met the press earlier today and below, you can check out a photo preview from the festivities. Check back later for full coverage.

When USA renewed "Fairly Legal" for a second season, they replaced showrunner Michael Sardo with Peter Ocko and decided to make some "creative changes," which entailed focusing more on the core characters than the mediation of the week, making it more of a character study than a legal procedural.

In the Season 2 premiere, it's hard to say whether those changes were readily apparent. On the one hand, there were some wonderful story arcs introduced that will play out all season - Reed & Reed being in trouble financially and bringing in a new partner, Justin deciding to challenge his current (awful) boss for the District Attorney's job, Justin's infidelity confession.

However, a large portion of the episode was still dominated by the case of the week, with Kate playing Nancy Drew instead of mediating. We're not criticizing - it was an interesting case and any time Michael Hogan gets punched by John Aylward,...

Watch House of Lies Season 1 Episode 1 The Gods of Dangerous Financial Instruments Free Online. House of Lies: Season 1, Episode 1: The Gods of Dangerous Financial Instruments stars Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, and Josh Lawson, and Dawn Olivieri. House of Lies‘ plot synopsis: Based on the memoir by Martin Kihn, House of Lies is a “subversive, scathing look at a self-loathing management consultant from a top-tier firm. Marty, a highly successful, cutthroat consultant is never above using any means (or anyone) necessary to get his clients the information they want.”

Be warned, however, that although the video has been modified for nudity and language, it’s not exactly workplace-friendly.

We reviewed the unedited episode here: TV Review: House of Lies: Season 1, Episode 1: The Gods of Dangerous Financial Instruments.

This episode of House of Lies also stars Donis Leonard Jr., Glynn Turman, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Greg Germann, John Aylward,...

We have an exclusive clip from the upcoming indie comedy Norman, which arrives in theaters October 21. Click on the video player below to watch an awkward conversation between Dan Byrd and Emily VanCamp.

Click to watch Exclusive: The Bridge!

Norman Long is a high school loner, a self-aware and darkly funny teen who's just trying to handle his daily existence. In the wake of his mother's udden death, Norman must now also deal with the reality that his father is starting to lose his battle with stomach cancer.

Norman, depressed and angry, unintentionally gets caught in a lie that he, in fact, has stomach cancer. Soon his complete distortion of the facts spirals out of control. Part coping mechanism, partially as a way to feel closer to his father, and to a certain degree to prepare others for his possible suicide, Norman begins to imitate his father's debilitating physical symptoms,...

Norman Trailer. Jonathan Segal‘s Norman (2010) movie trailer stars Dan Byrd, Emily VanCamp, Richard Jenkins, Adam Goldberg, and Billy Lush. Norman‘s plot synopsis: “Norman Long is a high school loner, a self-aware and darkly funny teen who’s just trying to handle his daily existence. In the wake of his mother’s sudden death, Norman must now also deal with the reality that his father is starting to lose his battle with stomach cancer.

Norman, depressed and angry, unintentionally gets caught in a lie that he, in fact, has stomach cancer. Soon his complete distortion of the facts spirals out of control. Part coping mechanism, partially as a way to feel closer to his father, and to a certain degree to prepare others for his possible suicide, Norman begins to imitate his father’s debilitating physical symptoms, dramatically affecting his life and the world around him.

Emily, a magnetic...

Chicago – While Robert “Twilight” Pattinson has persuasively branched out beyond his typecasting of reanimated and preternatural corpses, his miscast union in the tensionless “Water for Elephants” with pin-up circus spectacle Reese Witherspoon works as well as an elephant trying to spoon a sworn-enemy lion.

Rating: 2.5/5.0

Despite an uneven plot progression that theatrically only brings a comatose life to Sara Gruen’s 2006 best-selling historical novel, sadistic ringmaster Christoph Waltz (Oscar winner for Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds”) and flashback story teller Hal Holbrook (Oscar nominated for Sean Penn’s “Into the Wild”) are the film’s only redeeming salvations.

Waltz, who’s hopelessly haunting in 2009’s “Inglourious Basterds” as the film’s principal Nazi nemesis, resuscitates similar gestures and speech patterns. While he’s playing a very similar character within a completely different and convoluted traveling circus story, he’s the primary character who’s making interesting use of his supporting screen time.

Breck Eisner Warns What to Do When The Crazies Attack!

Breck Eisner's The Crazies is one of the most well-received horror remakes in recent years, and the truly terrifying film finally hits DVD and Blu-ray this coming Tuesday, June 29th. The story finds the citizens of Ogden Marsh infected with a man-made virus unleashed by the military, and only Sheriff Dutton (the amazing Timothy Olyphant) and his pregnant wife (Radha Mitchell) can stop the madness from breaking past county walls. It's an intense two hour ride that will leave you sweating through the couch in this summer heat. We caught up with director Breck Eisner to chat with him (for the umpteenth time) about his awesome little horror flick that continues to surprise horror aficionados and critics alike. Here's our conversation:

Why, in your opinion, do you think The Crazies is the perfect film to watch at home this summer?...

Timothy Olyphant is Snake Plissken? Director Breck Eisner succeeded in making a great little horror film with this past spring's George A. Romero reimagining of The Crazies, which comes to DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday, June 29th. Next up for Eisner is a remake of John Carpenter's seminal action classic Escape from New York, a project that seems to be in quite capable hands. One of the key elements in making a new version of this 1981 film work is casting the perfect Snake Plissken, which was played to perfection the first time around by living icon and Hollywood legend Kurt Russell. We caught up with Eisner earlier in the day, and he stated that Timothy Olyphant is one of the very few people in the running who could play Snake. Especially as far as the performance being a collaborative effort between the actor and the director. Which Breck...

You can bring a brand new remake of a George A. Romero classic home on DVD and Blu-ray this June. The Crazies will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 29. The standard DVD will be priced at $29.98 Srp while the Bd, which will include a Digital Copy of the film, will be priced at $39.98 Srp. The film stars Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson and Danielle Panabaker.

In a terrifying tale of the "American Dream" gone wrong, four friends find themselves trapped in their hometown in The Crazies, a reinvention of the George A. Romero classic. David Dutton is sheriff of Ogden Marsh, a picture-perfect American town with happy, law-abiding citizens. But one night, one of them comes to a school baseball game with a loaded shotgun, ready to kill. Another man burns down his house after locking his wife and young son in a closet inside. Something is...

Overture Films has released a second trailer for The Crazies and a third poster for the film can be seen left. In the trailer, one townsperson burns down his house with wife and child inside. In another scene the dead rise and bring anarchy into a quiet American mid-west town. Murder and mayhem are triumphant in these latest promotional materials. Have a look a bigger and better synopsis for The Crazies below and the trailer inside.

A full summary of The Crazies here:

"David Dutten is sheriff of Ogden Marsh, a picture-perfect American town with happy, law-abiding citizens. But one night, one of them comes to a school baseball game with a loaded shotgun, ready to kill. Another man burns down his own house-after locking his wife and young son in a closet inside. Within days, the town has transformed into a sickening asylum; people who days ago lived quiet,...

Overture Films has debuted a second new trailer for The Crazies remake (via Yahoo) that stars Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, Danielle Panabaker, and a town full of crazy people. We ran the first trailer for this back in October and I know a lot of people (including us) thought it looked promising. This second one jumps into things right away and it actually looks pretty damn good as well...

The remake concerns a small Iowa town that is suddenly plagued by insanity and death after a mysterious toxin contaminates their water supply.

Starring Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, Danielle Panabaker, Christie Lynn Smith, Brett Rickaby, Preston Bailey, John Aylward, and directed by Breck Eisner (”Sahara”).

The Crazies come to town February 26, 2010.

Click Here To Watch The Crazies Trailer In High Definition.

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Check out the second trailer for Breck Eisner’s remake of “The Crazies”, which lays the crazies on pretty thick. I actually like this trailer much more than the first one, especially the slow build-up to all the, well, craziness going on. The remake concerns a small Iowa town that is suddenly plagued by insanity and death after a mysterious toxin contaminates their water supply. Starring Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, Danielle Panabaker, Christie Lynn Smith, Brett Rickaby, Preston Bailey, John Aylward, and directed by Breck Eisner (”Sahara”). The crazies come to town February 26, 2010. Also, new images from the movie:...

Bankable director Jon Turteltaub ("Phenomenon", "While You Were Sleeping") goes for a risky change of pace with "Instinct", an involving anthropological thriller that shares more than just a few behavioral traits with "Silence of the Lambs", not to mention "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Gorillas in the Mist".

Despite the familiar pedigree, the picture still succeeds on its own accomplished merits thanks to intelligent scripting, insightful direction and a pair of masterful performances by Oscar winners Anthony Hopkins and Cuba Gooding Jr.

Still, given the quieter tone and darker subject matter, plus the lack of a Travolta or Bullock, "Instinct" might have a tricky time fending for itself in the crowded summer boxoffice jungle.

There's more than an initial glimmer of Hannibal Lecter in Hopkins' Ethan Powell, a brilliant primatologist who ostensibly went mad after living in the wild with the mountain gorillas of Rwanda and killed two park rangers.

Now back on American soil and incarcerated in a brutal, rundown prison for the criminally insane, the silent Powell seems to have all the communication skills of a dangerous, caged animal.

But ambitious psychiatric resident Theo Caulder (Gooding) isn't so sure. Sensing that a breakthrough with Powell could be just the high-profile case needed to advance his career, he persuades his mentor, Ben Hillard (Donald Sutherland) to let him evaluate Powell's condition.

During their tension-ridden interrogation sessions, Caulder eventually makes inroads. But in their tautly calibrated cat-and-mouse relationship, their roles are often reversed and the personal costs are greater than either man has realized.

Hopkins and Gooding make terrific sparring partners. Hopkins, who came on board after the role was vacated by Sean Connery, does some powerfully understated work here as the physically intimidating Powell.

Gooding, affecting a wisp of a speaking voice, really gets under the skin of his character -- a smart, driven, but emotionally cut-off individual who may have gotten in over his head here but is determined to see the case through.

While this intense two-hander serves as the picture's raison d'etre, there's also strong supporting work from the always reliable Sutherland, George Dzundza as a sympathetic but ineffectual prison doctor and John Ashton as the requisite sadistic guard.

As Powell's estranged daughter, Lyn, lone female Maura Tierney does what she can with an underwritten afterthought of a role.

Taking his time to establish the right pace, Turteltaub may have sacrificed some early potential audience-grabbers, but once the film settles into the Powell-Caulder confrontations, the viewer ultimately becomes hooked. Screenwriter Gerald DiPego, who also penned "Phenomenon", sets up some rich parallels between the imprisoned Powell and the animals that he has devoted his life to studying.

Director of photography Philippe Rousselot ("A River Runs Through It", ) expertly moves from uncomfortably tight close-ups to breathtaking mountainous terrains. Editor Richard Francis-Bruce ("The Shawshank Redemption") gives it all a subtly propulsive momentum.

As for the gorillas themselves, special effects veteran Stan Winston does some reasonably convincing work, although even the most modern of technologies have yet to replicate the life force that exists in the eyes of The Real Thing sufficiently to make you forget about the guys in suits.

Composer Danny Elfman, meanwhile, contributes a fittingly moody score, but there are times when its insistent restlessness makes you want to reach for the tranquilizer gun.

INSTINCT

Buena Vista

A Touchstone Pictures/Spyglass Entertainment production

Credits: Director: Jon Turteltaub; Screenwriter: Gerald DiPego; Suggested by the novel "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn; Producers: Michael Taylor, Barbara Boyle; Executive producers: Wolfgang Petersen, Gail Katz; Director of photography: Philippe Rousselot; Production designer: Garreth Stover; Editor: Richard Francis-Bruce; Costume designer: Jill Ohanneson; Special character effects: Stan Winston; Casting: Renee Rousselot; Cast: Ethan Powell: Anthony Hopkins; Theo Caulder: Cuba Gooding Jr.; Ben Hillard: Donald Sutherland; Lyn Powell: Maura Tierney; Dr. John Murray: George Dzundza; Guard Dacks: John Ashton; Warden Keefer: John Aylward Running time -- 123 minutes; MPAA rating: R...