Home » News Roundup: THE NEWSROOM busted; THE WIRE News & No HBO/Netflix Deal

News Roundup: THE NEWSROOM busted; THE WIRE News & No HBO/Netflix Deal

by Jef Dinsmore
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It has been a slow new week as far as this the pay channel is concerned but HBOWatch has managed to cobble a few items together to report. Oh, there was talk of the latest boxing match, but this writer doesn’t really follow that sport. Anyone care to write for HBOWatch on that programming? Anyway, here now is the news…

  •  THE NEWSROOM busted?

 Forbes has come out with some interesting news. Joe Bercovici has noted a number of negative reviews of the show and a Metacritic.com rating of 57 out of 100. For those unfamiliar with that site it is an aggregator of reviews that then assigns a rating number based on them. He has made a point at looking at HBO’s review quotes and learned that some key words have been taken out of context to show Sorkin’s latest in a brighter light. Below is an example Bercovici has cited:

HBO quotes Salon’s Willa Paskin as saying THE NEWSROOM is “captivating, riveting & rousing.”  What she actually said was – “The results [ of Aaron Sorkin’s efforts] are a captivating, riveting, rousing, condescending, smug, infuriating mixture, a potent potion that advertises itself as intelligence-newsroom-picenhancing but is actually just crazy-making.”

Now, this post is not a intended slam against the show or HBO. This is not the first time critic’s quotes across the entertainment spectrum have been taken out of context. There have even been quotes thru the years made up by fictitious critics from fictitious sources. It is just surprising to this writer that HBO felt the need to alter comments at all. Plus, doesn’t it seem odd that journalistic integrity has been broached on a show about journalistic integrity?

  •  THE WIRE Still In the News

Just when you think there is nothing more to be said about David Simon’s acclaimed series THE WIRE another reference surfaces. It seems a number of cast members including Jamie Hector(played Marlo Stanfield), Clarke Peters(played Detective Freamon), Wendell Pierce (played Detective Moreland), Andre Royo(played “Bubbles”), Sonja Sohn(played Detective Greggs) and Michael K.Williams(played Ormar Little) are about to do some stump thumping.

That is to say they are a part of a reelection fundraiser for our current President. They will all appear at a $500 a ticket event out on MarthWire-casta’s Vineyard on August 15th. The actors are all Democrats evidently and were invited because THE WIRE has been quoted as being a favorite show of President Obama. Ironically, however, the POTUS is not expected to be at the event and THE WIRE did not exactly show the government in the best light and show creator David Simon is not an Obama advocate.

On a lighter note there is the Lego Blocks version of THE WIRE now playing. Check it out in HBOWatch’s latest Web Gem Wednesday

 

  • No HBO/Netflix deal

 

Talk of this situation has been all over the internet. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has been rumored to have stated a likelihood that HBO content would be available to stream via Netflix and via its DVD by mail service someday soon.

HBO spokesman Jeff Cno-netflixusson nipped the speculation in the bud by curtly stating that “We are not is discussions and have no plans to work with Netflix.” Hastings and his company have been coveting the content for a while now as HBO’s stable of shows would boost business for Netflix.

HBO is content just offering their works via HBOGo to its pay channel subscribers only. HBO does not want to saturate its product over to many different formats as the pay cable channel would then suffer as people migrated to the other outlets. For the consumer that means you can watch all the content you want but you would have to pay multiple parties in order to see what you want. HBOWatch is sure there will be more news on the matter before all is said and done.

 

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1 comment

SusanMorin July 28, 2012 - 2:16 pm

NO! NO netflix! They would be fools to align themselves with such a group.Keep thing’s at home ,boy’s. I find the Newsroom smart,provoking,fast,and funny.Great show.More journalistic integrity.

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