"You know what's happening tonight? The world in which I'm confident is running right smack into the world in which I'm not."

The quotes are getting longer. It's a disturbing trend. And no, I'm not making them up as I go along. The one above is from Sports Night, while the previous entry's headline is taken from The West Wing. What do they have in common? Aaron Sorkin.

For my money, Aaron Sorkin is one of the most brilliant writers around, and, with Joss Whedon, the undisputed Kings of the Teleplay. Whatever I can glean from these guys, I glean hungrily. Unfortunately, their shows aren't faring too well. Firefly was recently cancelled, Buffy is ending after its seventh season in May, and Angel may not be renewed for next season. That would leave us Whedon-less for the upcoming season, and that's a complete disaster. Similarly, while The West Wing will probably be back for another season, it may not last very long. The ratings are down, especially with a USA that's more conservative than ever (at least since the 80s). Martin Sheen's President Bartlet is a democrat through and through, and Sheen's even spoken out (intelligently and correctly) against the war. Combined with the show's intelligence (a sure-fire way to alienate a stupid audience), the future may prove bleak for The West Wing. So let's enjoy it while we can - the amazing wordcraft of Sorkin and Whedon - work that, in my view, beats pretty much anything and everything out there: TV shows, films, even most novels. Yeah...they're that good.

(Heck, even my parents get how good The West Wing is, and they're not exactly avid TV viewers. But come Sunday night, they're glued to the screen.)

Leaving soon, and looking forward to seeing the Affleck don that red leather suit...no, not in that way. I'll get my kicks watching Jennifer Garner's Electra, thank you very much. But I'm derided the Afflect so many times in the past, it'd be nice if he redeemed himself with this role. In a few hours, I'll know.

Oh, by the way, NTB (Norwegian Telegram Bureau - they gather and sell news to various media outlets) visited yesterday, and was given a brief glimpse of the next The Longest Journey game, as well as some juicy tidbits from yours truly. I don't know where it'll end up being printed, but keep your eyes open. I didn't reveal much, but there are certainly some intriguing new information regarding the game...including the heroine's name, and how April Ryan fits into it all...  ¶ 19:53