'West Wing' cast reunites to promote White House's Big Block of Cheese Day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex_jJlv5HKk&feature=youtu.be

Andrew Jackson, in the main foyer of the White House, had a big block of cheese. Rather than stinking up the current White House, President Barack Obama is offering a virtual block of cheese, and he’s enlisted the cast of The West Wing to help promote it.

Ahead of the second annual Virtual Big Block of Cheese Day on Jan. 21, the White House has released a video in which Press Secretary Josh Earnest talks with Allison Janney, Bradley Whitford, and many other major cast members of The West Wing about preparing for the day.

While Earnest’s ringtone at the beginning (a MIDI version of Usher’s “Yeah”) feels a bit out of place, the West Wing cast quickly settles in for an amusing and cheese pun-filled conference call.

The video brings together many more from the cast of Aaron Sorkin’s NBC drama than last year’s promotion, which only enlisted Whitford and Joshua Malina.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JJGDieJ5Tc

Big Block of Cheese Day will take place on Jan. 21 to coincide with President Obama’s State of the Union address on Jan. 20.

The White House has provided information on how to ask questions in the hopes of having them answered on Jan. 21, along with a schedule of who will be on hand from the administration to address those questions.

For those who didn’t spend time with President Bartlet’s administration on The West Wing, Big Block of Cheese Day became the subject of a season 1 episode of the show, in which Chief of Staff Leo McGarry gave interest groups access to members of the White House staff with which they would normally not have the opportunity to speak. Unfortunately for Leo, most of the staff was never too pleased with the idea, but it seems like Earnest is at least excited for Obama’s version of the Bartlet tradition.