Happy birthday to Christine Lahti
Happy 58th birthday today to Christine Lahti, who was born on this day in 1950 in Birmingham, Michigan.
In honor of the actress who played reporter Martha O’Dell on Studio 60 (and is married to the show’s producer/director Thomas Schlamme), here are some quotes and exchanges between Martha and the S60 regulars, drawn from memorable line recaps for The West Coast Delay and The Long Lead Story.
To Jordan: You can be a woman, look like you do, have the power you do, but not all at the same time.
Martha: Google me, and you’ll find a lot worse than a DUI in Sag Harbor.
Jordan: I know.
Martha: Trust me, it’s like seasickness. You think you’re gonna die, and everybody else just thinks it’s funny.
It’s a 10,000 word piece. They’re not all going to be winners.
Matt: You’ve covered presidential campaigns. You’ve covered presidents. You’ve covered wars. What are you writing about a TV show for?
Martha: What are you writing a TV show for?
Matt: I’m not. I’m watching you dust my office for prints.
Martha: I’m writing about it because what’s happened here is important. I think what’s happening here is important. I think popular culture in general and this show in particular are important. (And … Tom walks in wearing a lobster costume.)
Martha: Matt, you know, we don’t know each other very well, but …
Matt: You’ve spent every hour with me for five days in a row. At this point, you know me better than my parents.
Martha: I don’t know your parents at all.
Matt: I meant …
Martha: I know what you meant. I was doing a dangling modifier joke.
Matt: Yeah, I stopped doing that to people in high school after the fourth time I got stuffed in my locker.
To Matt: Is the fear of failure on such a massive scale a helpful motivation?
Martha: I’ll be covering some of the House races.
Harriet: Which ones?
Martha: A couple where there are stories. A couple where there are just good jokes.
Martha: How would I be referred to in your parents’ house?
Harriet: The devil’s whore from Washington.
Martha: Yeah. I’m actually the devil’s whore from Bethesda.
I’ll say this about you guys, you look out for each other. You’re not very good at doing it, but it’s nice to see the effort.
Studio 60, NBC, Christine Lahti, Martha O’Dell
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