Ten Reasons to Watch Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

1.The Premise
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is about the behind-the-scenes machinations of a long-running sketch comedy show in the vein of “Saturday Night Live”. As we know from the second episode, Studio 60 also exists in the same universe as Saturday Night Live; they mention it by name a number of times. The difference between the two shows are important. Studio 60 takes place in Los Angeles and is aired on Friday nights. The premise is perfect for an hour-long drama because there is the built-in tension and suspense of putting together a live show with a deadline. And, who isn't interested about what goes on behind-the-curtain of a show with lots of talent and big egos?

2.The Creator
Aaron Sorkin created Studio 60 and it's largely biographical. His cypher is Matt Albie (played by Matthew Perry), the new Head Writer for Studio 60. Sorkin created NBC's monster hit “The West Wing” and ABC's short-lived, yet brilliant “Sports Night”. Widely considered to be one of the best writers in Hollywood, Sorkin is known for his extremely clever dialogue and dynamic characters. Also, as a writer, he is prolific in a way that only him and David E. Kelley know. Sorkin will write almost every single episode of the show he is running. Even if he doesn't write a story for a particular episode, he will always at least write all the dialogue. This will give Studio 60 a consistency and focus most shows can only dream of.

3.Matthew Perry & Bradley Whitford
Matthew Perry has been largely anonymous since “Friends” ended, and that is a shame. Perry is, and always has been, an underrated and talented comedian who has deserved far better material than he has received outside of “Friends”. With the character of Matt Albie, he has been given a once-in-a-lifetime character that Perry is perfect for. It will be a huge upset if he isn't nominated for a Best Actor Emmy, and it wouldn't be surprising if he wins it.
Bradley Whitford plays Danny Tripp, Matt Albie's partner and co-show runner on Studio 60. Whitford is well-acquainted with Sorkin, having played Josh Lyman (a great character in itself) on “The West Wing” for it's entire run. The Danny character is a meaty one for Whitford; Danny is a recovering cocaine addict who is only working on Studio 60 because he tested positive for cocaine weeks before he was supposed to direct a movie (scripted by Matt Albie). Whitford is an excellent actor, and the chemistry between him and Perry is already superb.

4.Amanda Peet & Stephen Weber
Amanda Peet has been under-utilized for most of her career, which is a damn shame. The talented and beautiful actress got her start in “The Whole Nine Yards” (with Matthew Perry) and has since languished on the fringes of Hollywood's A-List. Again, Sorkin has created an incredible character for Peet to portray as the newly appointed NBS (Studio 60's fictional network) President Jordan McDeere. She is brash and ballsy, unafraid to take on the higher-ups for something she believes in. She has made it her goal to bring Studio 60 back to it's previous heights, and will stop at nothing to do so.
Facing off with Peet is Jack Rudolph, the NBS Chairman played by “Wings” Stephen Weber. Weber has been around for awhile, and is also a victim of receiving material not up to the level of his talent. His character is a worthy antagonist to Peet's idealistic network President, ruling with an iron fist and breaking down the realities of a company whose only goal is to make a profit.

5.D.L. Hughley & Nathan Corddry
Hughley and Corddry play two members of “The Big Three”, the most important and talented cast members on the show-within-the-show on Studio 60. D.L. Hughley has been around the comedy game for some time and is extremely famous in some circles, especially for his part in “The Original Kings of Comedy”. However, he has never found the spotlight like so many of his contemporary black comedians. He's been on prime time and had a couple of his own shows, but massive success has alluded him. What is interesting is that D.L. certainly had the talent to be on a Saturday Night Live type show, but is now likely to find the most important role of his career as an actor playing a member of a fictional comedy troupe.
Playing off Hughley will be the young Nathan Corddry, brother of “The Daily Show's” Rob Corddry, and, really, an unknown entity. Of all the cast members on Studio 60, Corddry is the biggest wild card. He hasn't had a lot to do in the first couple episodes, but I'm eager to see how funny he can be on the sketches within the show and if he has enough range to pull off the drama outside of it.

6.Guest Stars
One of the beauties of Studio 60's premise is the built-in forum for guest stars. Each episode of the fictitious Studio 60, like SNL, has a host. This sets up myriad possibilities for celebrities to play themselves on the show, which allows for any number of interesting and fun story lines. In the pilot, Sorkin stalwart Felicity Huffman was the host; Lauren Graham (from Gilmore Girls) will be appearing in a couple of upcoming episodes. Sorkin is a master at seamlessly integrating familiar faces into his shows (a la “The West Wing”) and is just another unique quality that sets Studio 60 above the pack.

7.It's Funny
Sorkin is known for his drama, but his dialogue is rife with smart, natural humor that is sparked, not by unbelievable situations, but by character and conflict. The difference between the humor on Studio 60 and that on sitcoms is that Studio 60 isn't filled with “jokes”. It's organic and moves the story along and never seems out of place. You will laugh while watching Studio 60. That's a guarantee.

8.It's Dramatic
A vast number of characters, even within the first two episodes, have already been pitted against each other in various, interesting ways. Sorkin, again, weaves the conflict through his huge cast with seemingly little effort and has set up a ridiculous amount of story options for the rest of the season. The key, of course, is the characters. Most writers are tentative to pile on conflict with there characters; they like them too much. Sorkin loves to torture his and the emotional product of this is exquisite. Tension and suspense comes out of nowhere to grab hold of the viewer, making Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip as riveting a show as you'll find on TV.

9.It Will Make Fun of TV
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is the perfect forum to satirize any and all aspects of the television industry. And don't think Sorkin will be afraid to capitalize on this. From the very first scene of the pilot, when then-show runner Wes Mendell interrupts a live broadcast to lambast his own network and TV as a whole, we know that Studio 60 will be pulling no punches. Stay tuned, controversy may be up ahead.

10.It's (Maybe) the Best Show on Television
Perhaps this is a little bold, but I can't remember the last time I've been so in love with a show immediately out of the gates. Typically, great television shows take some time to develop and hit their peak. If Studio 60 gets any better, we're in for something special. Even if it doesn't, it's special enough as is.

So, if you want to find out more information about Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip or especially about Studio 60, please visit this link BuddyTV Television

Related Information of Interest:

The Untimely Death of Music Videos On TV
In 1986 music was forever changed with the debut of MTV. In the twenty years
since, music videos have become a way for the artists to express themselves
visually. When music videos first came out, it was mostly just the musician or
band playing the song--today music videos are more akin to mini movies featuring famous actors and actresses. The very
first music video played on MTV was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles,
and in a sense it was true. Most bands have a music video before the ink has
even dried on the recording contract. MTV may have been the first music videos
channel, but definitely not the last. There are now several channels that show
music videos like MTV, VH1, GAC and Fuse TV just to name a few.

MTV now offers 4 different music video channels--MTV, MTV2, MTV hits, and MTVu.
MTV also has its own awards show just for music videos. VH1 caters to adult
contemporary music videos, GAC is the MTV for country music videos. Fuse TV is a
relatively new channel and focuses more on rock and metal music videos. The
newest kid on the block is The Tube Music Network, it features mostly mainstream
rock and indie rock videos. It is a throwback to the early days of MTV, a video
channel that actually plays music videos.

One of the most notorious musicians known for her controversial music videos is
Madonna. Madonna’s video for “Like a Prayer” in the late 80’s caused an uproar
with the Christian community over the depiction of an African-American Jesus who
kisses Madonna and featured Madonna dancing in front of a field of burning
crosses. Her music video of “Justify my Love” in the early 90’s was so
controversial that MTV banned the music video from the lineup. Perhaps the most
controversial genre of music videos currently are the rap and hip-hop music
videos, which typically feature scantily clad women, sexual situations,
violence, and drugs. It seems as though musicians are constantly competing for
the most extreme of music videos, whether it is sexual content, special effects,
obscurity or violence there are always music videos who push the envelope just a
little bit further.

John Fair is a noted producer and author. He resides in the United States and contributes to www.CampusRights.net

The best of the best I have ever watched
Watching DVDs is one of my most favorite past times. It relieves my stress, brings me to a lighter mood and can even ease the problems I have. Three of the best stories from the past that really catch my attention and even touch my heart are The Six Million Dollar Man, Married with Children and Voltron the Defender of the Universe. These three have different themes, each of this DVDs have its own original stories that could give impact to your lives and make you learn things, no matter how simple or complex it may seem. The Six Million Dollar Man DVD focuses on the story of Colonel Steve Austin. As he was testing an aircraft, he crashes and got badly injured. He is an astronaut and test pilot. OSI, a covert government agency is willing to help him and pay for all the expenses for his prosthetics. He lost his legs, eye and arm. The new prosthetics which is made of Bionics will make him faster, better and stronger. But in return OSI want him to become their cover agent. Married with Children focuses on the life of Al Bundy who is a former High school player, who is now a salesman. Peggy his wife always terrified and nag him. They have two children namely Kelly who is gorgeous and attractive and Bud their son who is not so popular but indeed very smart. Voltron the Defender of the Universe focuses on the legend of Voltron. He was a mighty robot, who is loved by good and feared by evil. Peace invaded the galaxy and as well as the planet earth. An alliance was formed at Earth, The Galaxy Alliance. You can get original copies of these DVDs and other stories from the past at TvDvdPlanet. In addition, you can expect high quality products from them with a 100% guarantee. Affordable prices of these DVDs await you.

Donna Dyan Dayrit is a member of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialists for TvDvdPlanet www.tvdvdplanet.com

Watching TV Has Never Been More Fun
Have you ever found yourself yelling at the TV after your team just made a boneheaded play and realize there is no one else to share your pain? Or, overcome with emotion when your favorite character died on the O.C., Lost, or 24 and realize there’s not another soul in the room that cares? Have you ever been so engrossed in a show that you would have given anything to be able to interact with the producers, writers, or even the actors? For the past 70 years, television has primarily been an anti-social, one-way device, without an outlet for social interactivity. Well, now that’s changed. Meet BuddyTV.

As more and more people get broadband Internet connections and put computers in their TV rooms (or laptops on their, well, laps) the notion of television as a one-way street is no longer reasonable. While you watch your favorite show, celebrities, experts, friends, family or (possibly) mortal enemies may be providing live commentary at BuddyTV. Everything imaginable is available; live video, live audio, live text, and interactive polls are all part of the BuddyTV experience. In fact, you can broadcast your own, private, live commentary to all your friends and neighbors. The television experience is now a communal one, where people can interact and socialize with both their friends and celebrities.

Television is never going away and it still draws enormous worldwide audiences; the most popular shows in the US drive over 30MM viewers per show. As the world becomes smaller and the global community continues to effortlessly reach across borders and oceans, television must adapt and become a community hub whose programming brings people closer together. It is happening today and it’s exciting, with BuddyTV leading the charge. Watching TV has never been more fun and exciting. Try BuddyTV out and ask youself this: Is this the next evolution of TV?

So, if you want to find our more about The OC or especially about 24, please visit this website BuddyTV Television

Curb The TV Habit In 3 Easy Steps
So you're not quite ready to throw the TV away, but you're limiting the time spent viewing television in your home? Here are some easy tips that have worked for me.

1) Identify when and why you watch and change your habits

Do you usually turn the tube on when you get home from work? Why? Do you turn it on in the late afternoon when the kids get home? Why?

Sometimes the TV goes on when we're tired or bored. If you're tired, you either need to: get more sleep or get more exercise. So instead of automatically flipping on the television, why not go for a 10 minute walk to refresh yourself? Or, take a nap!

If you're turning on the TV to "zone out" and decompress after a busy day, try developing a new, healthier habit.

Some examples:

Brew a nice cup of hot tea and drink it slowly.
Write in a journal.
Put your feet up on the couch and listen to music.
Do crossword puzzles (a recent study showed that people who do crosswords on a regular basis are less likely to get Alzheimer's disease.)

2) Make TV watching inconvenient.

A TV does not belong in the bedroom! Keeping one there is bad for a marriage and bad for your love life! It also contributes to insomnia. Put the television in an inconvenient place like the basement. Unplug it. Cover it with a blanket.

3) Give up cable.

I decided a long time ago that I would never have cable. I can think of about a thousand other ways to spend $50 a month (Starbucks, anyone?) plus my husband would probably spend all his time watching the Discovery channel instead of talking to me!

If you live in a semi-rural area, you might not even get any channels if you cancel your cable service. But that would be a good thing if you're trying to limit TV! You can use the TV as a "movie machine" and rent DVDs so that you can at least control the content better.

Here's to turning off the TV and turning on life!

InsteadofTV.com is a valuable resource for families wanting to kick the TV habit. Sign up for your free "101 Things To Do Instead of TV" at www.InsteadofTV.com