The Newsroom

CHICAGO – You’ve seen him in many familiar roles over the years, from “Argo” to “The Mindy Project.” Character actor Chris Messina is memorable in all those roles, and currently is taking on Detective Richard Willis in the hot new HBO miniseries “Sharp Objects,” opposite Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson.

CHICAGO – It’s easy to recognize the author, producer and actor B.J. Novak from his many years on the TV series “The Office.” His latest project is his children’s title, “The Book with No Pictures,” and he came to Chicago last fall, for an appearance sponsored by Anderson’s Bookshop (Naperville, Ill.) at North Central College.

CHICAGO – The 65th Annual Emmy Awards, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, were handed out on September 22, 2013. The awards were spread around to a number of shows, including “The Newsroom,” “Homeland,” “Veep,” “Breaking Bad,” and many more. The winners were as follows:

CHICAGO – While there were a few nice surprises (Vera Farmiga! Laura Dern!), the 2013 Emmy nominations were a largely predictable bunch, including most of the nominees from last year, including “Breaking Bad,” “Homeland,” “Downton Abbey,” “Mad Men,” “Modern Family,” and many more.

CHICAGO – There’s no television program that can be more simultaneously brilliant and frustrating as Aaron Sorkin’s “The Newsroom,” returning tonight, July 14, 2013, to start an already-tumultuous second season.

CHICAGO – With Emmy ballots due this Friday and the natural human tendency to procrastinate, I’m betting a lot of you Academy members are still sweating some tough decisions this year. Let me help.

CHICAGO – Aaron Sorkin’s “The Newsroom,” recently released on Blu-ray and DVD, drives me crazy. The HBO drama can be so thematically dense and brings up subjects too often missing from the national conversation but it can also be so frustratingly self-important and deluded in its vision of the way real people operate. Do you give it credit for the topics it raises or smash it for the heavy hand with which they’re delivered? I have high hopes that season two will iron out some of the problems (stories of reshot episodes indicate that Sorkin heard his critics) but I’m still torn on how to feel about season one.

CHICAGO – HBO just announced that they have renewed “True Blood” for a sixth season and “The Newsroom” for a second season. Both shows are currently airing on HBO on Sunday nights.