Dear Media Scholars and West Wing fans, Rob Lowe was the first to leave THE WEST WING and now is being joined by creator Aaron Sorkin and Producer/Director Thomas Schlammee. This massive shift stems from a number of influences to include internal and moral problems (President Bartlet approved of an assasination), political problems (reaction vs. Martin Sheen for his political activism), and--as some will agree, but not all--the disappearance of Bill Clinton, the "shadow government" of the Sorkin version of the West Wing. In any case, this development makes the appearance of our book THE WEST WING: THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY AS TELEVISION DRAMA very timely indeed. The book is a collection which explores the appeal of the series, the historical and aesthetic elements of the series, and traces some of the journalistic responses to the series--both pro and can. (The work is co-edited by John E. O'Connor, Founder of Film & History Magazine.) The book is scholarly, but is readable and eschews jargon. It could be used in a college or university classroom with real interest on the part of students. A description of the book is on AMAZON.COM. Be there with insight as the Owl of Minerva takes flight! Peter Rollins Here is the recent news story: <A HREF="http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,448911~10~0~aaronsorkinleaveswest,00.html">http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,448911~10~0~aaronsorkinleaveswest,00.html</A> Peter C. Rollins Editor-in-Chief _Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and TV Studies_ (Web site: www.filmandhistory.org) RR 3 Box 80 Cleveland, OK 74020 (918)243-7637 and fax 5995 [log in to unmask] Comments: Individual subscription information on the web site as well as information and FAQ's about the CD-ROMs. There are also discussion items and essays on Saving Private Ryan, Amistad, CNN's Cold War, and a host of other topics. The Table of Contents for the last thirty years is there as well. The last two issues deal with The Holocaust in Film and the next two issues (2003) will focus on the Western in a follow through from our Kansas City conference during November of 2002. Next conference is scheduled for 11-13 November 2004 and will focus on "War in Film, TV, and History," most probably in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We are looking for energetic people to serve as Area Chairs and will put a list of existing and available Area Chair topics on the web site in the near future. <A HREF="www.filmandhistory.org">www.filmandhistory.org</A> Past issues of Film & History have been devoted to World War II, The Gulf War, and many individual articles over the years have surveyed the propaganda, feature, and television dramas about War. It is a popular and pervasive genre--second only to The Western, the topic of our last conference. ---- To sign off Screen-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF Screen-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]