Watching Studio60

I haven’t watched Saturday Night Live for years, only partially because I can’t stay up that late on a Saturday. But The AV Club is noting similarity between a Quiz Bowl sketch on last Saturday’s show and the “Science, Schmience” sketch from “The Focus Group” episode of Studio 60. (The AV Club post has a Hulu link to the scene to refresh your memory.) Anybody out there seen the SNL sketch to confirm or refute the similarity? Share in the comments.

Some fun news for fans of The West Wing: Debbie Fiderer is joining Mrs. Landingham on Desperate Housewives. Who knew they were sisters?

Kathryn Joosten, who played longtime Bartlet secretary Mrs. Landingham until a drink driver at 18th and Potomac killed off the character, has played Mrs. McCluskey on Housewives from the start. Now Lily Tomlin, who stepped into White House service as Mrs. Landingham’s replacement, will be visiting Wisteria Lane as Mrs. McCluskey’s sister, according to TV Guide.

It’s not quite enough to make me watch that show. But I’ll read recaps of their episodes in the hope of hearing of West Wing inside jokes.

If Joosten gets a free moment on Housewives, I’d love to see her do a guest turn on Psych as the mother of police chief Karen Vick, played by Kirsten Nelson, who was the young Mrs. Landingham in Two Cathedrals. Nice opportunity there for a reunion with Charlie Young, too.

What other Wingers have you been seeing on TV these days? Personally, I’ve been quite enjoying watching Rob Lowe play Sam Seaborn as a Republican on Brothers & Sisters. That’s a show that seems to rotate big-name guest stars through on a regular basis, and it would be fun if a few of them could be old White House pals. Richard Schiff seems to be popping up in guest spots a lot lately. Maybe Senator Robert McCallister could use a speechwriter, or someone to blackmail him about his secret past as a Democrat.

If Mrs. Landingham wants to come along too, that’d be fine.

The West Wing, Kathryn Joosten, Lily Tomlin

As a follow-up to the recap, here is the last of three posts featuring memorable lines from the poker-themed 10th episode of Sports Night, “Shoe Money Tonight.”

Continued from Part 2.

Jeremy: It’s a new relationship. Clearly I’ve broken some rule that no one ever taught me.
Dan: You played tennis with your friends.
Jeremy: Right.
Dan: Instead of going out with her.
Jeremy: Yes.
Dan: And one of those friends happened to be a beautiful actress.
Jeremy: Yes.
Dan: Dude.
Jeremy: I know.

Dan: You can’t forgive her right away. She needs a little punishment.
Jeremy: What kind of punishment?
Dan: I’d withhold sex.
Jeremy: You would?
Dan: Yes.
Jeremy: That sounds like it would be way worse for me than it would for her.
Dan: Education isn’t easy.

Casey: I’m just saying that it’s hard not to notice that the woman’s body was put together by a technician very close to God.
Dana: A technician close to God?
Casey: Not God himself, but certainly a high-level staff person — a senior V.P.
Dana: Well, her brain was put together by the assistant night guy at the 7-Eleven.

Jeremy: Natalie, listen to me. You’ve lost a lot of money to me tonight. You’re basically gonna be living the rest of your life on a charitable grant from the Jeremy Goodwin Foundation. Take the 100 bucks back and fold.
Natalie: Scared?
Jeremy: I’ve got a straight, and you’ve got three 7s.
Natalie: You don’t have a straight.
Jeremy: Look at me. I’m not lying to you. I have a straight.
Natalie: How do you know I don’t have a Big House?
Jeremy: A Full House. Dan already folded the 6 you needed, and I have the other one. You don’t have a house of any sort. You don’t have a pup tent. You’ve got trip 7s, and I have a straight. I want you to trust me right now. I want you to say to yourself, “Yeah, I’ve dated a string of jerks in my life. They were stupid, they were mean to me, but maybe this one’s different. Maybe I should take a chance and not adopt the ‘Break up with him before he breaks my heart’ strategy.” I want you to remember that when I started liking you, I didn’t stop liking tennis. And I want you to know that I don’t think there’s a woman in the world that you need to be threatened by, no matter how glamorous you think she is. But mostly I want you to trust me just once when I tell you that you have three 7s, and I have a straight.

Casey: Dana, you’ve either got to stand over that woman’s shoulder, or you have to call everyone in the Pacific Time Zone and tell them I’m not really like this.
Dana: Aw, the thing is, Jeremy’s gone now, the cards are still hot, and I’m feeling like I might be just a little somewhere in the vicinity of The Zone. And you know what that means?
Isaac: Please don’t say it.
Dana: Shoe money tonight!

Sports Night, ABC, Shoe Money Tonight, dialog

As a follow-up to the recap, here is the second of three posts featuring memorable lines from the poker-themed 10th episode of Sports Night, “Shoe Money Tonight.”

Continued from Part 1.

Jeremy: We’re together every night anyways.
Natalie: At midnight! We go back to my place, or we go back to your place. We have a lot of sex. We watch the 2 a.m. wrap-up. We go to sleep. We come to work. What kind of relationship is that?
Jeremy: It’s working out pretty well for me.

Natalie: If, however, your arrogance extends to thinking you’re a better poker player than I am, you are welcome to join me at the card table so that I can wipe that smug smile off your face and teach you a lesson you so richly deserve.
Jeremy: Natalie, do you even know how to play poker?
Natalie: The guys at Sigma Kappa Pi let me play in their poker game any time I wanted. Now, why do you suppose that was?
Jeremy: ‘Cause you’re a knockout and your parents are loaded?
Natalie: ‘Cause I got game, baby.
Jeremy: Have you fallen on your head?
Natalie: Or are you just afraid I might humiliate you, and you won’t be able to go to Sundance with Judy the Ho?
Jeremy: I tell you, Casey, it appears some time has freed up in my schedule, and I just might be able to play cards with you after all.
Natalie: Rack ‘em up, Casey.
Jeremy: That’s pool, you mental patient!

Jeremy: Natalie, you owe me, like, $700,00. I’m basically your landlord at this point. Stop playing!

Natalie: (After Jeremy wins again) Of my entire roster of boyfriends — and it is, believe me, quite the lengthy list — you are my least favorite.
Jeremy: Hey, I’m just happy to be on the team.

Sally: You’ve got a little thing for Casey, don’t you?
Dana: I can’t tell you how little a thing I don’t have.
Sally: It’s okay. He’s very cute. Recently divorced, makes a ton of money, and I’m sure he’s got good contacts. You know, I don’t mind telling you, I could really go for him. We don’t even need to have a relationship — just the sex and the contacts.

Natalie: I know why you’re beating me so much.
Jeremy: It’s ’cause you’re not a very good poker player.
Natalie: That’s not why.
Jeremy: It really is.
Natalie: Or, isn’t it just possible that you’re sitting in the good chair?
Jeremy: No. What is possible is that the boys from Sigma Kappa Pi are a big honking bunch of losers!

Dana: What’d I miss?
Elliot: Natalie’s pretty much divested herself of posessions.

Dana: Isaac? Did somebody step on Isaac? Oh, no, there you are.
Isaac: You still work here?
Dana: I’ll never leave you, little buddy.

To be continued tomorrow.

Sports Night, Shoe Money Tonight, dialog

As a follow-up to the recap, here is the first of three posts featuring memorable lines from the poker-themed 10th episode of Sports Night, “Shoe Money Tonight.”

Casey: Jeremy, check Natalie’s shot sheet in the 20s. She got something wrong.
Jeremy: You got something wrong?
Natalie: Yes I did, wonder boy, and after the show I’m gonna kill myself. Why don’t you go play some tennis with your friends?
Jeremy: How many times do you want me to say “I’m sorry”?
Elliot: It’s gonna be a few more times.

Isaac: I’m shrinking. But that’s not what I came to tell you.
Dana: You’re shrinking?
Isaac: Manny measured me for a new suit an hour ago. Turns out I’m shrinking.
Dana: Where?
Isaac: You want to listen to me, or you want to tell your funny jokes?
Dana: I can do both.

Casey: When the show comes down, Danny and I are hopping in a limo, heading down the Garden State Parkway, and getting off at the exit clearly maked, “The Zone.”
Natalie: That’s great, Casey, but all those things you just said?
Casey: Yeah.
Natalie: Not gonna happen.

Sally: I talk to a lot of people.
Dan: Just so long as none of them are talking back.
Sally: CNBC, MSNBC …
Dan: M-O-U-S-E …
Casey: Danny …
Dan: Oh, like she’s listening to anybody but herself.

Natalie: Sally, Camera 2’s got your butt pretty well framed, so if you wouldn’t mind stepping out of the shot …

Dana: Hey, Isaac, you in here? I can barely see you down there.
Isaac: Pretty funny coming from someone I can fire anytime I like.

Dan: Either of you interested in participating in the Sport of Kings?
Dana: We’re gonna race horses?
Dan: We’re gonna play poker.
Dana: That’s not the Sport of Kings.
Dan: What’s the Sport of Kings?
Dana: Racing horses.
Dan: What’s poker the sport of?
Dana: It’s the sport of people who play poker.

Dana: Isaac, I’m gonna bring along this material on shrinking and read it aloud as we play. Unless you think that’s gonna distract you.
Isaac: No, I just want to make sure you’ve got time to put your resume together and clean out your desk.
Dana: He’s nuts about me.

More memorable lines from “Shoe Money Tonight” to come tomorrow.

Sports Night, Shoe Money Tonight, dialog