h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: West Wing - Update - A13455137
Author: The_Jon_m - Scout, reject the president and king, worship me as spirtual leader of H2G2 - U204330

having just seen the last episode I included a bit more into the entry

Hi there

I'm not sure I fully understand the process of writig and editing guide entries. I've just found this entry after having watched the last batch of episodes on UK television. It's a really good article and well researched, good job!

I don't know how far through the process this entry has gone; is it too late to make small amendments to it, just some spelling corrections?

Hi there Yvonne It's not too late at all.

jon has added some new information to the Entry, but I'm sure if you've found some sections that need correcting, just list what you've found here and he'll sort them out before the powers that be fully update the Entry in question

yep, post away

Basically all I did here was take the existing entry and expand / add new bits to the character sections (I was trying / failing to keep it short) so thre will be 'a few' omissions.

I came to The West Wing quite late on, so the recent reshowing of the pilot episode and some of the points in this entry really clarified things that hadn't made sense before. Thanks.

These changes look really long and complicated but aren't, honest, it's just the way my boss taught me to annotate. Most of them seem to be from the original entry before you started updating it. They're in approximately entry order but if you get lost it's probably my fault, get back to me.

• Consistency of Series Number and Series number; capitalisation varies throughout the entry.
• Awards and ratings: Spelling principle = principal
• Para starting “Bartlet was shot…” change “as he left that…” to “as he felt that...”
• Para starting “Leo was a fighter pilot…” Capitalisation. Replace valium with Valium.
• Para starting “Leo is a very…” change “speech reinvigorate” to “speech to reinvigorate”.
• Para starting “Leo’s lack of…” Change “charisma has often seen…” to either “charisma is often seen” or “charisma has often been seen”
• Para starting “Donna is Josh’s…” spelling colleges = colleagues
• Para starting “Donna quit...” change “Its worth noting...” to “It’s worth noting...”
• Para starting “While awaiting...” spelling trail = trial. Spelling interpred = interpreted. Spelling prision = prison.
• Para starting “Sam was sent…” Full stop after President at end of the sentence.
• Para starting “After Russell…” change “would go onto prove” to “would go on to prove”
• Consistency of spelling Bartlet v Bartlett.
• Allison Janney. Spelling Cregg = Craig.
• Consistency of spelling CJ v C.J.
• Para starting “When Leo left…” spelling billon = billion
• Para starting “Abbey, Jed’s wife…” spelling MS quite = MS quiet.
• Para starting “Santos’s belief’s...” spelling belief’s = beliefs.
• Para starting “Arnie Vinick…” change “He was represented California” to “He represented California” or “He had represented California”.
• Para starting “After his wife…” spelling "which lead" = "which led".
• Para starting “In order to…” clarify “Sullivan also provided the youth to contrast with Vinick’s.”
• Para starting “Originally the General Election...” clarify “California and therefore sent meant the…”
• Para starting “In making Vinick…” spelling could but his = could put his.
• Vice President Hoynes. Spelling revelled = revealed. Spelling scandle = scandal. Spelling endorce = endorse.
• Vice President Hoynes. Clarify “leading to the governor of California to endorse Santos” change to either “leading to the governor of California endorsing” or “leading the governor of California to endorse”.
• Consistency of Secret Service v secret service.
• Amy Gardner. Spelling Loise = Louise.

Thanks again for the entry.
Yvonne

ta for that, I'll get onto it ASAP and post back when I've made the changed

updated, will add a few more IMDB links if I can get into the library soon

Somewhere in there there's a 'dower' which I think should read 'dour'.

Good work

Jules

The IMDB links for the cast members are a great idea. But be careful. Because IMDB is like H2G2 in that many of the entries are written by members of the public, errors aren't spotted. I think that's where the concept of CJ "Cregg" rather than "Craig" came from in the original entry.

Looking good.

Excuse me, but it is 'Cregg'. It is on the offical NBC website, anyway:

http://www.nbc.com/The_West_Wing/bios/

the IMDB thing is something I normally do

its just annoying that onyl the main cast (ones who appeared on the opening credits) are listed, so I've going to have to go serching for the 'other' characters which is a pain on dial up

It's definately Cregg.

This was originally my entry, so I'll try and find time to read through the changes at some point. Actually, are there many spoilers? I haven't seen series seven yet, and don't want to ruin it for myself.

That was something I really wrestled with when I wrote it. I wasn't sure how much to include and how much to leave out so as not to spoil it - for example, I didn't mention what happened to Mrs Landingham because that's a big spoiler.

I'm sorry, there are spoliers reaching to the last episode

Due to my excile to the US and West Wing vanishing off terestiral and not appearing on my freeviewbox for a bit of the summer I missed it from when Zoey got kidnapped till half way through series 6 so my knowleadge of that bit is a bit patchy

Ok, well I will refrain from reading it and trust you to do a good job! I know you will!

Got some more notes from you, Jon. I've tried to make them as easy to work through as possible.



Intro - no need for the word 'probably'. It is one of the most highly-regarded. That's not open to dispute.

"Season seven concentrated on the race to replace..." this should read "From the middle of season six, the focus of the show shifted towards the selection of a Democrat candidate and the subsequent election campaign to appoint Bartlett's successor."

"live improvised debate" should read "Live, partly-improvised debate"

"Readers should note that this entry will include minor spoilers." should read "Readers should note that this entry includes minor spoilers."

Got a few structural chanegs and additions for the 'Background' section that I might as well provide as a block, so here you go:

The West Wing was created by Aaron Sorkin, who wrote the play A Few Good Men, and had previously scripted the feature film The American President, which starred Martin Sheen as the Chief of Staff and best friend of the President (Michael Douglas). Sorkin has said that The West Wing developed from all the stories he didn't have time to tell in The American President. When TV executive producer John Wellswho also produced ER and Third Watch. asked Sorkin if he was interested in writing a TV programme, Sorkin decided to give these stories an airing: this was the genesis for The West Wing.

Though The West Wing was written by a team of writers, Aaron Sorkin was principal writer for its first four seasons. The writers had access to several consultants from the real-life political arena, including Dee Dee Myers (former press secretary to President Clinton's administration), Patrick Caddell (policy and strategy advisor to President Carter) and Lawrence O'Donnell (a former advisor to senator Patrick Moynihan).

Sorkin's The American President also featured other actors who would later appear in The West Wing, including Anna Deavere Smith and Joshua Malina, while Janel Moloney and Joshua Malina had starred in another of Sorkin's TV successes, Sports Night; actor Timothy Busfield also worked on that show as a director of two episodes.

The pilot episode aired in the USA on 22 September, 1999. It was originally going to air in the autumn of 1998, but was delayed due to the Monica Lewinsky scandal - network bosses were concerned that a political drama would not be well-received in that climate.


Also, there needs to be a reference in this section to prolific composer WG 'Snuffy' Walden, who wrote the theme music for the show.


Awards and TV Ratings - "This is a record held jointly with Hill Street Blues, which also won four in a row." change to "This is a record for this category jointly shared with Hill Street Blues." No need to restate how many the show won if it shares the record



There's a rogue symbol in this sentence: "This episode earned 25.2 million S viewers". Shoudl the 'S' be there or is it in place of something else?


Can you move the actor's names out of the Subheaders? It looks really messy. A good way to display these is like this:

President Josiah 'Jed' Bartlet


Played by Martin Sheen



'C.J.' should be 'CJ' throughout (do a search-and-replace to remove the stops)

The quotes are too extensive really. Pick two or three to intersperse through the entry - we're not IMDb

I know we aren't IMDb, but since they use C.J. all they way through can't we ???

It's House Style, Jon. We don't use points in initials.

How are we doing here?

well, in terms of my move (ie the two emails I set to subs / scouts group), I'm into a new house however it doesn't have a phoneline and I don't have my computer. However I am living next to a house with 2 10ft Egyptian mummy cases on the wall.

Manchester library computers are difficult to get onto

The uni haven't given me a library card yet, and I've only just found out that I can access the computers, but I have to sort out stuff now.

Might be able to update 2morrow or early next week.

No rush - just didn't want you to think I've forgotten you

Best of luck!