Emily Mortimer joins Aaron Sorkin’s new show; Olivia Munn still there

Now as I understand it I’m supposed to hate Aaron Sorkin right now. He wrote a self-indulgent tv show once and he just won an Oscar and Social Network didn’t have as many women in it as some people felt it should. So I’m supposed to hate Sorkin.

Only I can’t.

I guess I could hate the man. But I don’t really know him and I’m too busy irrationally hating Paul Haggis to make time to irrationally hate another writer. Also how can you hate someone who wrote A Few Good Men, The West Wing, Sports Night, The American President, and my personal favorite (though everyone hates it) Studio 60?

You cannot hate such a person.

Unless you lack a soul. Do you lack  a soul? Huh? Do you?

I thought not.

So back to having no feelings or to liking the work of Aaron Sorkin.  I’ll wait for you to get there. Good? Done.

A month or two ago, HBO announced a new tv show penned by Sorkin, who’s fresh off that Oscar win and an appearance on 30 Rock (it’s the latter that makes him successful and special).

For a while, it was known only as “That weird Sorkin project that’s somehow related to Keith Olbermann.” Now it’s known as More As the Story Develops. It will be about Jeff Daniels (!) working hard as a news anchor. As Olbermann was at one point attached and as it’s being written by Sorkin expect Daniels to play a super liberal newscaster who uses his divisive viewpoints to earn viewers and hatred.

Alison Pill is also attached. I hope she plays a surly PA.

Olivia Munn is also attached. I don’t read Jezebel as much as I used to so I’m struggling to work up the fury to call her a bunch of names, but I do remember how she’s really satisfied with her appearance and how she used to be on Attack of the Show! which I do find kind of douchey. So maybe she’s douchey because she used to be on it? I was about to also rant about how she has no experience acting, but she used to play a surfer on a show on Nickelodeon so NEVERMIND. Fine Olivia Munn, do what you do; I’ll judge you a little less and spend my time being jealous, because you get to work with Aaron Sorkin and I don’t.

For a while, Marisa Tomei was also attached. But her biological clock started ticking and she left. That was a reference to My Cousin Vinny. Was it timely enough for you?

Now Emily Mortimer is taking the role Tomei vacated. She’ll play a workaholic executive producer of Jeff Daniel’s show. At some point she may learn to love. Or she’ll be CJ 2.0. PLEASE LET HER BE CJ 2.0.

Greg Mottola, the man who directed Paul, Superbad and the fantastic Adventureland, is directing the pilot.

My take? Everything about this sounds awesome. Jeff Daniels is a fantastic actor who’s due for a Jeff Bridges level of comeback awesomeness. And Emily Mortimer! Man. She’s one of the most underrated actresses out there right now. Aaron Sorkin is fantabulous too. More importantly he’s essentially merging The West Wing and Sports Night to create this show. I can get behind that like a bull behind a cow…I’ve said too much.