You may not know it, but there may be more CNN anchor influences in the new HBO show "The Newsroom" than you'd think.
On Monday night, "Early Start" co-host Ashleigh Banfield and CNN Business Correspondent Christine Romans attended the highly anticipated premiere of "The Newsroom." It's the newest project from screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, best known for his work on the TV show "The West Wing" and the movie "The Social Network."
Though Sorkin has insisted that his lead character in the show is not based on any specific news anchor, he did admit to Christine that the show's financial reporter was loosely based on her.
"He said, look, none of these characters are based on anyone. Except there's you in the Olivia Munn character. And he said now she'll grow on you," Romans says on "Starting Point" this morning. "I said, wait a minute, what is that supposed to mean, am I not going to like her? Is she's like crazy and socially inept? He said no, no, no, she always goes back to markets and the money. How every story is about the markets and the money. And who has the money and who needs the money and wants the money and how people are trying to get the money. And he said 'I've been watching you for years and that's what you always talk about.' It was really, really flattering."
Christine wasn't the only one whose work influenced the show. Ashleigh, a long-time friend of Sorkin's, admits she helped him work through early concepts of the show.
"One of his first questions was, 'Walk me through it. How does the whole thing start on a big breaking news story?' I said it doesn't start like you think it starts. It's an organic thing," Banfield says. She explained to Sorkin the chain of events that would lead to a big story getting covered by a news network, like the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. She says she provided him with at least 40 pages of notes on what it's like to work in news to help Sorkin shape the show.
You can see Ashleigh and Christine's contributions yourself when "The Newsroom" premieres on HBO this Sunday, June 24th at 10pm.
In the mean time, here are some photos from the premiere party last night. Of course, Piers Morgan had to jump in there for some of the fun!
