What everybody is talking about, the Newsroom's college rape storyline.

Courtesy of The Independent: 

The Newsroom has been accused of having a “women problem” before, but now Aaron Sorkin has come under fire for a rape storyline that implies male perpetrators are to be believed over female victims. 

The latest episode has been criticised for its portrayal of female rape victims after TV news producer Don Keefer said he felt morally obligated to believe the man’s side of the story because he had not yet been convicted of rape. 

The episode’ storyline followed a Princeton student who starts a website allowing women on campus to out their rapists after the city justice system failed to prosecute two fraternity members who she claimed raped her. 

The student is tracked down by the fictional news network ACN for a debate with her alleged attacker live on air. Don had also interviewed the man she claims raped her and when she asks him who he believes, the producer says he felt obliged to take the man’s side over hers.

This received quite a lot of backlash from all corners.

Including from a writer on the show who claims her misgivings about the segment were ignored, and that she was "kicked out" of the writer's room.

Sorkin himself responds here.

Actress Olivia Munn, who plays the character Sloan Sabbith on the show, also weighed in:  

“…The reality is that Sorkin writes things so that they can be talked about, and so we show both sides of it,” she said. “I think it was important to show what it’s like for women to be a rape victim, want to speak out, and then have somebody come in and say, ‘Hey don’t do that. That’s going to be bad for you.’ 

“Sorkin wasn’t saying ‘Don’t do that,'” Munn said. “He was saying ‘This is what happens.'” 

Personally I liked the episode. Partly because it left me conflicted, and not sure whose side I should take in the exchange between the Don Keefer character and the college student.

But that to me is the mark of great television.

I don't often watch shows that make me feel all warm and cuddly inside. I watch shows that make me think, piss me off, or make me grieve for the loss of a character that I have, against my better judgement, grown attached to. (Still miss you Beth.)

I think the show did everything that I would expect it would do with such a controversial subject.

And in the light of the Rolling Stone campus rape scandal, it could not have been more timely.

HBO films documentary on Scientology. Has 160 lawyers looking at it before broadcast. You know that might not be enough.

Courtesy of CNN:  

HBO is backing a documentary based on "Going Clear," a book about Scientology and Hollywood -- and isn't taking any chances with the legal side of things. 

"We have probably 160 lawyers" looking at the film, HBO Documentary Films President Sheila Nevins told The Hollywood Reporter. (HBO, like CNN, is a unit of Time Warner.) 

"Going Clear," by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Lawrence Wright ("The Looming Tower"), digs into the life of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and the influence his church has had on its believers, many of whom have close ties to Hollywood.

I have believed for years that Scientology exists solely as an opportunity for religious people to recognize how fundamentally ridiculous ALL religions are.

It is true that Scientology is filled with the so much batshit crazy that I tend to believe that L.Ron Hubbard was just putting everybody on, and would be shocked to learn that not only did his completely made up religion survive, but that it prospered.  However if you if you really examine religions, there is really NONE that stand up to even the most basic scrutiny. (Golden plates transcribed in "reform Egyptian" that only Joseph Smith ever saw? Seriously Mormons?)

And the list of famous people who follow Scientology is jaw dropping. From Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and Sharon Stone to J.D. Salinger, William S. Burroughs, and Van Morrison there are a number of highly intelligent and talented people who buy into its bullshit.

Well I certainly hope that HBO is adequately prepared for the backlash, because the Scientologists are famously litigious and not know for taking perceived attacks on their beliefs lightly.

After South Park's hilarious Scientology episode the "church" went after Trey Parker and Matt Stone with everything they had. Fortunately they found nothing they could use against the duo, but it was not for lack of trying.

Julianne Moore explains why she agreed to play Sarah Palin in the HBO movie "Game Change."

These remarks are from a Hollywood Reporter roundtable with  Reese Witherspoon, Patricia Arquette, Amy Adams, Hilary Swank, Laura Dern and Felicity Jones. Among who. by the way, are some of my favorite actors.

During the conversation the host asks Moore why she said "yes to Sarah Palin."

Moore responds with, "It was a great story, it was a great story. And I think.."

Witherspoon: "You were amazing."

Moore: "But by yourself, just with the character I wouldn't have known..what's the story, what's the story? I mean she was charismatic, very interesting, new political figure, that we did not know much about. And Jay Roach, who Laura and I both worked with, and Danny Strong kind of...you know...they managed to create, well you know it was a true, it was a true story, but they managed to encapsulate this narrative and tell the story of her rise and fall in the Republican party. Or actually not fall, she exited, is really what she did."

On playing her Moore says, "Everybody knew her voice, everybody knew her mannerisms, and she wouldn't go away. You know she was very, very present."

Boy ain't that the truth?

And yes it was a true story.

Whenever anybody asks me if Julianne Moore exaggerated Sarah Palin for dramatic effect, I always respond with an emphatic "NO." Because in fact much of what is portrayed in Game Change were things that we had heard about her from friends and family members, but this was the first time that the public at large was getting to see the lunacy for themselves.

I think Julianne Moore did a brilliant job, which of course is why won an Emmy.