Talk:Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

You look like one of them
Who said, "You look like one of them, but you talk like one of us?" 70.146.108.28 02:52, 3 October 2006 (UTC)


 * If you mean, who said it on this show, it was Danny to Jordan, after the show, after they exchange some tense but ultimately cordial words about their respective publicized substance-abuse issues:


 * Danny: You know, you look like one of them, but you talk like one of us.


 * I didn't think it was compelling enough by itself (without far too much context) to include as a pithy quote. ~ Jeff Q (talk) 19:56, 3 October 2006 (UTC)

Pithy quotes
I've done some trimming of quotes and lengthy scene segments from the latest show, "The Focus Group". The general concern is to keep quotes pithy (i.e., short and intense) and below the radar of copyright violation (e.g., only a few quotes per show at most). But Aaron Sorkin shows have an additional problem, in that the writing is often complexly interwoven, requiring entire scenes (often multiple scenes) to be transcribed to get the humor.

A great example for this show is the converging of plot lines of the "unpatriotic" comment from the focus group, Danny's subsequent mocking of a gun-shy Matt as a "pussy boy", Jordan's old DUI arrest, and Danny's oft-repeated "don't worry about it" lines, which result in an intense scene with multiple threads of humor. Here's most of that scene, as an example of the problem:


 * [Danny and Jordan barge into Matt's office.]
 * Matt: What?! I'm working! [recognizes them] Oh, sorry. Hi.
 * Jordan: I'll be out of your way in a minute.
 * Matt: Sure! What do you need?
 * Danny:: She wants us to make fun of her.
 * Matt: Okay. Well, your teeth are pretty big.
 * Jordan: No…
 * Danny: She wants you to know, it's okay with her if you make fun of her arrest.
 * Jordan: Thanks, I can speak for myself.
 * Danny: Go ahead.
 * Jordan: My… teeth are fine.
 * Matt: Okay.
 * Jordan: I'm saying you shouldn't give me special treatment.
 * Matt: No, 'cause I wouldn't want anyone to think I was a pussy boy.
 * Jordan: You're a pussy boy?
 * Danny: Don't worry about it. I'll be around.
 * Matt: I'll be here, trying to be more American.

This is hilarious when watched, but loses a lot in the transcription. For someone who hasn't seen the show, we either need to include several lines from each of the earlier scenes, or a tedious context paragraph to set up the scene. Mutiple scene quoting just to set up the joke is too much material, and long contexts are Bad because Wikiquote is about the quotes, not the scenes. Consider that the humor of Jordan's switching from her original purpose to a defensive "my teeth are fine", which loses its comic edge without adding more non-quote stage directions. In the end, most of the impact of the humor of these kinds of scenes is as much in the rapid-fire, cross-purposes delivery as it is in the words. That just doesn't make for a compelling entry in Wikiquote.

It's unfortunate (especially for us fans!) that Wikiquote's medium and fair-use restrictions mean that we can't reasonably include such material, but there are many fan sites who can serve these specific interests. Wikiquote must stick to pithy text quotes. ~ Jeff Q (talk) 20:37, 3 October 2006 (UTC)


 * For those who didn't understand my point above, the dialog above is a bad example of what to include. It is not listed here as a recommendation to add it to the article. We should choose dialog:
 * That succinctly (i.e., with as few words as possible) expresses the point or the humor;
 * Limiting our quotes to those that clearly show the point in the text, not in the way it's delivered; and
 * Keeping the total number to 3-5 of the best quotes, maybe as many as 8 for occasional episodes.
 * There's a heck of a lot of great material in these shows, but it doesn't all translate well to a text-based quote collection. Wikiquote is not a scene transcription service; it should only include a select set of highlights. ~ Jeff Q (talk) 02:52, 4 January 2007 (UTC)