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The switch from Andrew Card to Joshua Bolten as President Bush's chief of staff is a "superficial," change, says veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas. Thomas, a columnist for Hearst Newspapers, and Marc Sandalow, The Chronicle's Washington D.C. bureau chief, also talk about Bush's position on the immigration debate. A reporter for more than 50 years, Thomas has covered the White House for United Press International since the Kennedy administration. Her front row seat in the White House briefing room has made her the president's chief interrogator through nine administrations.

The West Wing is about to be demolished. No, not the edifice that is home to White House senior staff, but the television series that has aired on NBC since 1999. This week, NBC announced that the last episode will air on May 14. Like many viewers, I tuned out long ago. When Bill Clinton was still in office, there was something mildly amusing about the Hollywood fantasy version of what a White House should be. Josiah Bartlet was everything Bill Clinton wasn't: a devoted husband, a man who got down on his knees in the Oval Office only to...

The new president on “The West Wing” will be a real short-timer: NBC announced yesterday it was pulling the plug on the Emmy-winning political drama in May after seven seasons. Although this season’s story line with a presidential campaign involving a Democrat played by Jimmy Smits and Republican portrayed by Alan Alda has been strong critically, ratings have sunk with its move to Sunday nights. The decision to cancel it was made before actor John Spencer, who played former presidential chief of staff Leo McGarry, died of a heart attack Dec. 16, said Kevin Reilly, NBC entertainment president.

PASADENA, California - My Name is Earl and The Office will be back for more. The West Wing, however, will leave office for good at the end of this season. NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly told reporters yesterday at the winter meeting of the Television Critics Association that Earl and The Office will return this fall with full, 22-episode seasons. The early announcement took many analysts by surprise, as the major U.S. networks usually don't tip their hand until the official fall programming announcements in May. Reilly said the network currently has "no plans" for Friends spin-off Joey, however. Joey...

NBC Cancels Emmy-Winning 'West Wing' After Seven Seasons, Makes Several Midseason Moves PASADENA, Calif. Jan 22, 2006 — The new president on "The West Wing" will be a real short-timer: NBC announced Sunday it was pulling the plug on the Emmy-winning political drama after seven seasons in May. NBC, struggling to regain its footing after the worst season in its history, also outlined several midseason schedule changes including the moves of popular dramas "Law & Order" and "Las Vegas." "The West Wing" announcement wasn't much of a surprise. Although this season's story line with a presidential campaign involving a Democrat...

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Jack Bauer‘s latest marathon workday got off to a good start Sunday, ratings-wise. The Fox drama "24" notched its most-watched episode ever with its fifth-season premiere as the first of two back-to-back episodes got a boost from a primetime overrun (in East Coast and Midwestern markets) of the NFL‘s NFC divisional playoff game between the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears. Airing from about 8:13-9:11 p.m. EST, the first episode of "24" averaged 17 million viewers and a 7.3 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic (demographic share data for Sunday were not available Monday because of...

The death on Friday of actor John Spencer, best known for his role as former White House chief of staff and current vice presidential candidate Leo McGarry on NBC’s “The West Wing,” presents a major dilemma for both the series and NBC. Spencer, who died of a heart attack, was a longtime fixture at NBC, also appearing on the drama “LA Law” from 1990 to 1994. Like his “Wing” character, he was a recovering alcoholic, and he was one of the show’s most popular characters for his honest portrayal of that problem. His death could not come at a worse...

Actor John Spencer, whose latest stint has been on "The West Wing" has died in Los Angeles of a heart attack.

...pollster Zogby yesterday, showing how much ground Smits's Santos lost to Alda's Vinick in the debate, despite obvious efforts to make Santos look heroic. Before the episode, viewers between 18 and 29 preferred Santos over Vinick, 54 percent to 37 percent. But after the debate, in which veteran Alda gutted pretty-boy Smits without him even knowing it, Vinick now leads among viewers under age 30, 56 percent to 42 percent.

NEW YORK - Who won the debate?

Leave it to Dubya to screen not only the wrong series (Fear Factor seems more his style), but the wrong year, since art is imitating life now that President Bartlet’s top staffers are suspected of leaking a national-security secret to a New York Times reporter. Still, it’s cool that we’re treated to something straight out of the third act of Nixon: presumably, a flickering TV screen in a darkened room where a swaggerless Bush slumps on the sofa in the White House private quarters, morosely munching pretzels (and trying not to trip and fall while choking on them). The question...

Terror videos have become almost commonplace. But now, al-Qaida has taken it one step further: download-ready "news broadcasts" on the Internet. The "Voice of the Caliphate" will be airing once a week. Two programs have already been shown. Terror on the TV. A "Voice of the Caliphate" masked newsreader, complete with weapon, koran and picture of Zarqawi. Not quite Dan Rather. "Good evening, and welcome to your program, 'The weekly news overview for the Muslim community.'" With this friendly greeting, the program begins. Their contrast to the image with which they're paired -- the anchor man is wearing a military...

Just heard on Fox News that Jeannine Garofalo will be joining the cast of "The West Wing," playing a political advisor. Wonderful, a woman who masquerades as a political analyst in real life will now be pretending to be a political advisor on television. Is this art imitating life or life imitating art, or just a bad acid trip? I guess she needed to pay the bills and someone threw her a bone in light of the problems over at Airhead America.

I just read the plot of this new show and watched the three clips on the site. Hollywierd has made the first woman President a Republican! But,of course, the evil Republican Party doesn't want her to take the job because SHE IS A WOMAN! You see she was VP when the Pres dies, but the evil Republican politicos want her to step down so Donald Southerland (M.A.S.H.), the whitest old guy imagineable, can have the job. Meanwhile, Davis is the greatest mom in the world with three kids and just wants to be taken seriously.

Last night I was watching a rerun of the West Wing when I heard words that caught my attention. But as I awoke this morning to the terrorist attacks in London, these same words sounded out like a clarion bell in my mind. Read More... Craig DeLuzVisit The Home of Uncommon Sense… www.craigdeluz.com

Poll: Santos leads Vinick to succeed President Bartlet March 2, 2005, 11:51 AM EST UTICA, N.Y. -- Forget Clinton vs. McCain. In the race to occupy "The West Wing," Matt Santos is a lock to beat Arnie Vinick. Pollster John Zogby, who often asks Americans who they think will be elected the real president, wasn't interested in Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton's chances against Republican John McCain in 2008. He had other candidates in mind _ those running to replace Democratic incumbent Josiah Bartlet on NBC-TV's "The West Wing." The Zogby International poll found Democratic Rep. Matthew Santos of Texas (played...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Stockard Channing, who plays the fictional president's wife on the NBC political drama "The West Wing," has been charged with drunken driving, police say. Channing, 60, was stopped on a Los Angeles freeway last month in her black Porsche after driving through a roadblock by highway patrol officers to clear away an accident. Officers said they smelled alcohol on her breath and when she failed a sobriety test, she was arrested and charged with driving under the influence. A February 9 court date has been set in the case. Channing, a prolific film and television...

Alda's Role As GOP Senator Surprises Some Jan 22, 6:33 PM (ET) LOS ANGELES (AP) - Alan Alda says he's constantly approached by people surprised at his portrayal of a conservative Republican senator on the TV show "The West Wing." "I was never asked that when I played a murderer," Alda said Friday. The NBC drama is setting up a long-running story line in which Alda will run for president against a Democrat portrayed by Jimmy Smits. The winner will be inaugurated on "The West Wing" a year from now. John Wells, the show's executive producer, said it has not...

"Martin Sheen's US President 'Jed Bartlet' will lead the cast and crew of NBC's The West Wing TV series to Ontario..."

By an odd coincedence the NBC series "West Wing" has killed off 2 Johns. John Amos (who played the Admiral) and John Spencer (who played Leo McGarry) are both now gone from last years crew. Just a thought.