A NEW MUSICAL IS COMING TO 'SMASH'

Howard Fineman, 06/26/12

Editorial Director, AOL Huffington Post Media Group

The Newsroom is a paint-by-numbers Sorkin effort, given a frisson of media interest and buzz only because the workplace this time is the media itself. Nothing gets us going like someone we don't like preaching to us about our shortcomings.

MaryAnn Sleasman, 06/27/12

Staff Writer, TV.com

How many spots were filled tonight? How many are left? Who actually made the cut? Did anyone actually approach singer Shanice Hayes about ditching her dad, the other half of her duet act? We spent a lot of time talking about it and then never talked about it again.

Warren Adler, 06/26/12

Author

At work in this show, I think, is the usual "save the world" syndrome that often afflicts the Hollywood elite when they seek to portray their self-righteous moral superiority.

Charlotte Robinson, 06/27/12

Broadcast journalist and host, 'OUTTAKE VOICES'

I talked with actor Hal Sparks, star of Disney XD's top-rated TV series Lab Rats and one of my personal favorites, the groundbreaking series Queer As Folk.

Steve Kaplan, 06/26/12

Author, “Bag the Elephant” and “Be the Elephant"

When I got the opportunity to be part of Secret Millionaire, I jumped in feet first without hesitation. My goal was to find deserving individuals who sacrifice everything to help those in need, and ultimately to encourage others to do the same.

Mike Hegedus, 06/26/12

Media consultant, former CNBC correspondent

When Sorkin's characters wax poetic about the responsibility of news people and the importance of journalism, now you can just smile and ask yourself, 'Would Jeff Daniels character do what he's doing for $162.50 a week and would you watch it for your own good?'

Gregg S. Lipman, 06/26/12

Managing Partner, CBX

The trend of jettisoning a brand's original DNA in favor of ratings is everywhere in cable right now -- and as a branding professional, I wonder how that will affect the overall branding of TV in the long haul.

Ilene Kleinbaum, 06/26/12

Account Manager, AOL Advertising, Sponsored Listings

This week on The Bachelorette, Em and the boys are in Prague, and there are three one-on-ones and one group date.

Ivan J. Parron, 06/26/12

Entertainment Attorney

Love The Situation or hate him, he has a right to his intellectual property -- and before you laugh at the word "intellectual" being associated with The Situation, remember that a lot of what you see in reality TV isn't exactly reality -- to use it as he sees fit and to defend it if necessary.

Joanna Popper, 06/26/12

Vice President of Marketing, NBCUniversal/Telemundo

Life is about becoming who we are, holding on to toxic relationships is what keeps us from growing, and time is a rubber band.

Eve Simon, 06/26/12

Creative Director, Beaconfire

After watching the pilot of Aaron Sorkin's new HBO drama The Newsroom, I'm not at all surprised that people have been beating on it like some alien weed they're hell bent on destroying. The show is just too smart.

Jim David, 06/25/12

Comedian and writer

Bristol Palin: Life's a Tripp has to be the worst reality show in TV history. Even by the scum floating on the cesspool standards of reality TV, this one hits bottom.

Brian Rooney, 06/25/12

Writer and journalist

They make cruel but funny jokes about the latest dead celebrity. And they are not sentimental because they've heard and seen too much. Unlike in The Newsroom, the job they do is not accompanied by a gauzy sound track of emotional music. They want the truth.

Mary Romero, 06/25/12

TV enthusiast

I get peeved anytime I hear someone remark how TV tears families apart, because it has done the exact opposite in my family. My favorite shows are now my dad's favorite, and our daily conversations are loaded with pop culture references.

Denette Wilford, 06/25/12

TV Blogger

"The Newsroom," for the most part, has been reamed by critics. So, naturally, I dug it. Don't get me wrong, there are some parts that are maddening and frustrating, for sure, but there's nothing like it on television and Sorkin's words have clearly been missed on the small screen.

Regina Varolli, 06/25/12

Author, '99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Going To Culinary School'

When Curtis Stone, host of Bravo's Around the World in 80 Plates and Top Chef Masters, realized he wanted to be a chef, he left Australia and headed for Europe. After traveling around a few months, he landed in London at the doorstep of Marco Pierre White.

Oscar Raymundo, 06/25/12

'Confessions of a Boy Toy'

Why can't a teen make videos in his home, post them on the Internet, be crazy, experiment with gender identify, have fun, dance, incite conversation -- all that without fearing for his safety or that of his family?

Ilene Angel, 06/25/12

Author, 'In Search of George Stephanopoulos'; Hit Songwriter

I sat down to watch The Newsroom, full of hopeful anticipation that this fictitious show would somehow artfully articulate the eight kinds of crazy we all witness everyday on the real cable news networks. And my hope was fulfilled.

David R. Ginsburg, 06/24/12

Executive Director, UCLA School of Law’s Entertainment, Media, and Intellectual Property Law

Recent weeks have seen much attention to an aggressive dispute between CBS and ABC over a pair of "reality" television shows. What motivates the relentless attempts by reality TV plaintiffs to seek injunctive and damage relief that courts are simply not granting?