Five questions: “The Focus Group”
Five questions that popped into my head while re-viewing the second Studio 60 episode, “The Focus Group”:
1. Are people really that interested in the salacious pasts of network executives? It’s hard for me to imagine a book about life as the spouse of a network president would gain much traction in a world where big names like Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears are willing to embarrass themselves pretty much at the drop of a hat. I could see him self-publishing as a book, but getting people to pay for it on the internet? Not unless there were pictures.
2. Does Jordan really look like “one of them”? That’s what Danny said — “You look like one of them, but you talk like one of us.” But I don’t know. I mentioned last week that her work wardrobe was unsuitably un-suit-like, and it continued this week with that … what was it, a blouse with a sweater tied around her neck? And her dress at the wrap party didn’t read all that “big powerful boss lady” to me, either. Interesting wardrobe choices, I guess. I don’t know that she looks like one of us, but she doesn’t look like one of them.
3. Why is Shelly such a sourpuss? What an unpleasant woman. She obviously can’t stand Jordan, because she’s been sniping at her since that first dinner, when Jordan was so bold as to compliment the caterers. But she snipes at Jack, too. Maybe that’s why her character sort of disappeared somewhere along the way.
4. How many hits did the Wikipedia entry for “commedia dell’arte” get on the night this aired? I’m thinking a whole bunch of critics wanted to at least make sure they were spelling it right. And that they could criticize its use in the show while still placing it in its proper historical context.
5. Did they have to pay Gwen Stefani to use her name? It was announced that she was the musical guest, we saw Rob Reiner introduce her, but unlike, say, Sting in a later episode, we never saw her sing. Are you allowed to just allude to the presence of known musicians and actors without compensation, or did they have to pay some kind of name-checking fee? Who knows, in these days of product placement, maybe Stefani’s people paid them.
Studio 60, NBC, The Focus Group, commentary
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