What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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T2 WHATS UP! June 19 - 25, 2022 TV FEATURE BY SARAH PASSINGHAM TV Media E veryone has that one big dream job they've longed for since child- hood, but not all of us course-correct in adulthood to chase it like "I Love That For You's" Joanna Gold (Vanessa Bayer, "Ibiza," 2018). In the comedy series, airing its Sea- son 1 finale Sunday, June 19, on Showtime and Hulu, Joanna takes a big swing at the job she's always wanted: home shopping channel host. Joanna is played by Bayer, the former "Saturday Night Live" cast member who also serves as "I Love That For You's" creator and executive producer. Drawing from her own per- sonal experience of having survived childhood leukemia, Bayer drew young Joanna as a bright kid who finds comfort in the hospital by tuning in to the "Special Value Network" and watching her idol, Jackie Stilton, portrayed by "The Other Two" star Molly Shan- non, expertly sell jewelry, fashion and homewares to at- home consumers. Catching up to adult Joanna, fans see a woman in a state of suspended childhood. She is unfulfilled, living with her parents, working as a free sample server at a big box store and going on an awk- ward string of dead-end dates. On one of those dates, Joanna states her intentions to pursue a career as an SVN host before quickly following through on her goals. After nailing her SVN audi- tion, Joanna gains entry to her favorite network's studio and is set on the fast track to on- screen hosting. Her idol, Jack- ie, becomes her mentor and takes Joanna under her wing, but the reality of living her dream gets to Joanna when she becomes overwhelmed on-air and is sent to the network CEO's office. Intimidated by SVN's big boss, Patricia Cochran (Jenifer Lewis, "Black-ish"), to begin with, Joanna sees her success about to come crashing down around her. In a last-ditch ef- fort to hang on to her dream, the aspiring host busts out a lie: her cancer is back, she tells them. The lie does the trick and Joanna gets a second chance at SVN. Not only that, but she is emboldened to take whatever she's offered as sympathy, in- cluding a bigger dressing room and special treatment from stage manager Jordan, portrayed by Paul James, star of the beloved college-set sit- com "Greek." Tortured by her own choice to live a lie at work, Joanna im- mediately begins struggling with whether she should re- veal her fib, especially as she begins to form real relation- ships with Jackie and Jordan. Pressured by her father, Chip (Matt Malloy, "At Home With Amy Sedaris"), who disap- proves of her actions, Joanna spills the truth to Patricia, who isn't receptive to the news and chooses to prioritize the net- work's ratings boost over re- lieving Joanna of her guilt. Known for her uniquely awkward and adorable charac- Bentonville Acupuncture 5 x 5 continued on page T10 Vanessa Bayer stars in "I Love That For You" Dream big www.nwaonline.com Did you know those images are available for purchase? IT'S EASY! Just go to nwaonline.com, click on "Photos" in the top menu bar and use the search to fi nd the photo you want. Then just click "Purchase" for sizing options. You can also have the image put on a coff ee mug, mouse pad, key tag, holiday ornament and more! Did you see a photo in our newspaper or on our website that you would love a copy of? Check it out!