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'West Wing' Tackles
Terrorism
Wednesday
October 3, 2001
On tonight's "West Wing," a White House worker is grilled by the chief of staff, Leo McGarry. It's a scene inspired by the World Trade Center attack and the suspicions against Arab Americans that followed.
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Tonight's groundbreaking show will also feature a lockdown at the White House after a terrorist attack leaves a tour group of students trapped. MSNBC political analyst Lawrence O’Donnell, who used to write and produce for “The West Wing,” thinks viewers will respond to its "ripped from the headlines" drama. He says, “There are people who are expecting it to somehow comment on things as they occur out there in the world.”
O'Donnell thinks this episode can provide a bridge between the somber news coverage of the attacks and mainstream entertainment.
Last year's glitzy Emmy awards will be toned down for this year's ceremony. An extra million dollars is being spent on safety measures. Jim Chabin, president of the television academy, tells “Extra” you'll see more security Sunday than at any other event of this type in history.
Chabin says, “I think it is fair to say that the security being planned for the Emmy’s is comparable to the security you would expect for a visiting head of state or the President of the United States if they were coming.”
Even with split ceremonies in L.A. and New York, not all of the stars are coming this year. David Letterman and his crew will not attend the event saying they are not ready to celebrate. Joan Rivers will skip her red carpet tirade about the star fashions. “Extra” has also learned even the cast of “West Wing” were meeting about whether to avoid the red carpet and go inside a back way. A reminder to us all that the show must go on, but it's not going to be business as usual.
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