Around lunchtime, we went to a bistro on U Street and Bryan Batt ("Salvatore Romano") was at the bar with some friends ordering a Bloody Mary! Very sweet and even a little flirtatious. He was with a male friend and a lovely lesbian couple for the Inauguration.
Edited By flipp525 on 1232507820
Mad Men
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Franz Ferdinand
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No specific premiere date for Season Three, but it is good news that there will be a Season Three and Four.
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Matthew Weiner Stays Mad January 18th, 2009 by James Cook | Source: Variety
After months of negotiations, Mad Men creator and executive producer Matthew Weiner has cut a two-year deal with Lionsgate TV that will keep him at the helm of his Emmy-winning AMC drama, report the trades.
The deal is said to cover Weiner’s services on Mad Men for the show’s third and fourth seasons as well as other TV development. It also includes a component for a feature film project through Lionsgate.
Weiner’s negotiations with Lionsgate became highly public last year after the showrunner let it be known that his contract on the show ran out after the second season, which wrapped in October.
Weiner sought a hefty pay raise for himself and in the show’s budget after all of the pop culture buzz, award recognition and critical acclaim the period drama has garnered.
Weiner nurtured Mad Men, which he wrote as a spec, for seven years before it got a green light from AMC in 2006. Its third season is scheduled to premiere this summer.
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Matthew Weiner Stays Mad January 18th, 2009 by James Cook | Source: Variety
After months of negotiations, Mad Men creator and executive producer Matthew Weiner has cut a two-year deal with Lionsgate TV that will keep him at the helm of his Emmy-winning AMC drama, report the trades.
The deal is said to cover Weiner’s services on Mad Men for the show’s third and fourth seasons as well as other TV development. It also includes a component for a feature film project through Lionsgate.
Weiner’s negotiations with Lionsgate became highly public last year after the showrunner let it be known that his contract on the show ran out after the second season, which wrapped in October.
Weiner sought a hefty pay raise for himself and in the show’s budget after all of the pop culture buzz, award recognition and critical acclaim the period drama has garnered.
Weiner nurtured Mad Men, which he wrote as a spec, for seven years before it got a green light from AMC in 2006. Its third season is scheduled to premiere this summer.
The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving. It's faith in something and enthusiasm for something that makes a life worth living. Oliver Wendell Holmes
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"Mad Men" Musical Revue Is Under Consideration
By Kenneth Jones
November 24, 2008
A "Mad Men"-inspired concert featuring cast members of TV's hot, Emmy Award-winning drama — who would croon songs from the early 1960s period in which the show is set — is reportedly in the works.
According to Variety, Lionsgate is seeking to book dates for a "Mad Men" musical revue that was seen Oct. 21 as a benefit at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles. The performance was a fundraiser for the L.A. chapter of the Recording Academy.
The El Rey event was reportedly the idea of "Mad Men" composer David Carbonara, who led the 13-piece orchestra.
Billed as A Night on the Town With 'Mad Men', the show was hosted by Joel Murray and featured "Mad Men" stars Bryan Batt and Tony Award winner Robert Morse — who are both Broadway veterans — plus Colin Hanks, Patrick Fischler and Maggie Siff singing songs that would have been heard by the characters in the Kennedy-era series about advertising men (and women) on Madison Avenue.
Series creator and executive producer Matthew Weiner frequently plucks songs from the period's pop catalog to spice the AMC series.
Variety reported that a commercial future for the revue is still in the formative stages.
By Kenneth Jones
November 24, 2008
A "Mad Men"-inspired concert featuring cast members of TV's hot, Emmy Award-winning drama — who would croon songs from the early 1960s period in which the show is set — is reportedly in the works.
According to Variety, Lionsgate is seeking to book dates for a "Mad Men" musical revue that was seen Oct. 21 as a benefit at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles. The performance was a fundraiser for the L.A. chapter of the Recording Academy.
The El Rey event was reportedly the idea of "Mad Men" composer David Carbonara, who led the 13-piece orchestra.
Billed as A Night on the Town With 'Mad Men', the show was hosted by Joel Murray and featured "Mad Men" stars Bryan Batt and Tony Award winner Robert Morse — who are both Broadway veterans — plus Colin Hanks, Patrick Fischler and Maggie Siff singing songs that would have been heard by the characters in the Kennedy-era series about advertising men (and women) on Madison Avenue.
Series creator and executive producer Matthew Weiner frequently plucks songs from the period's pop catalog to spice the AMC series.
Variety reported that a commercial future for the revue is still in the formative stages.
"Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good."
- Minor Myers, Jr.
- Minor Myers, Jr.
I went to the New Orleans Arena last night for a Hornets game. When it was time to stand for the National Anthem I was pleasantly surprised to see Bryan Batt walk out onto center court. I knew he had done some work on Broadway but had never heard him sing. I was impressed. A very good and strong tenor. He nailed all those high notes toward the end of the song that have made many celebrities look bad when they are given this duty.
And the New Orleans native (he owns a successful home and interior decorating business down here) brought the Hornets, who have been struggling this season, some luck as they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder (formerly the Seattle Supersonics).
Seeing Bryan got me thinking of season three. I hope they work something out soon with Matthew Weiner. There are several interesting story lines I want to see continued. And I am curious about the time frame they choose. Will they start with the birth of Betty's baby in the spring of 1963 and have JFK's assassination as the climax? Or will they start with JFK's assassination and its impact on the U.S. and then move onto the Beatles. It would be interesting to see how Don and other old school advertising men react to the Beatles phenomenon.
And the New Orleans native (he owns a successful home and interior decorating business down here) brought the Hornets, who have been struggling this season, some luck as they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder (formerly the Seattle Supersonics).
Seeing Bryan got me thinking of season three. I hope they work something out soon with Matthew Weiner. There are several interesting story lines I want to see continued. And I am curious about the time frame they choose. Will they start with the birth of Betty's baby in the spring of 1963 and have JFK's assassination as the climax? Or will they start with JFK's assassination and its impact on the U.S. and then move onto the Beatles. It would be interesting to see how Don and other old school advertising men react to the Beatles phenomenon.
The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving. It's faith in something and enthusiasm for something that makes a life worth living. Oliver Wendell Holmes
I just watched the season finale -- I had waited both because of wanting to extend the time before Mad Men is gone for another 9 months and also because I was preoccupied with the election.
Great episode because so much was revealed about the characters and the relationships but in such subtle, non-melodramatic ways. And it set a springboard for all sorts of tantalizing possibilities next season.
I'm glad Don and Betsy are back together as I think the marital discord had pretty much played itself out, although I'm sure we can look forward to tensions between the couple ahead.
The Peggy/Pete scene was one of the best sequences of the entire season, and the actors were magnificent in expressing such conflicted, confused emotions.
And Colin Hanks's priest - another conflicted character -- was so true to life, with his inability to blend doctrine and humanity.
By the way, I remember being at Sunday Mass during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the priest implying that the end was near. Afterwards my mother pooh-poohed it telling me there was nothing to worry about.
Tee, I'm pretty sure that was Mr. Acker Bilk's version of "Stranger On The Shore." It's on my iPod and I listen to it with some frequency, and it sounded like the real deal to me.
Well with Mad Men over, and Bill Maher going on hiatus this week, I've got no television to watch other than MSNBC.
Great episode because so much was revealed about the characters and the relationships but in such subtle, non-melodramatic ways. And it set a springboard for all sorts of tantalizing possibilities next season.
I'm glad Don and Betsy are back together as I think the marital discord had pretty much played itself out, although I'm sure we can look forward to tensions between the couple ahead.
The Peggy/Pete scene was one of the best sequences of the entire season, and the actors were magnificent in expressing such conflicted, confused emotions.
And Colin Hanks's priest - another conflicted character -- was so true to life, with his inability to blend doctrine and humanity.
By the way, I remember being at Sunday Mass during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the priest implying that the end was near. Afterwards my mother pooh-poohed it telling me there was nothing to worry about.
Tee, I'm pretty sure that was Mr. Acker Bilk's version of "Stranger On The Shore." It's on my iPod and I listen to it with some frequency, and it sounded like the real deal to me.
Well with Mad Men over, and Bill Maher going on hiatus this week, I've got no television to watch other than MSNBC.
"Y'know, that's one of the things I like about Mitt Romney. He's been consistent since he changed his mind." -- Christine O'Donnell
A fabulous ending to a top-notch sophomore season. This episode seemed to have it all…and more. MVPs for me were definitely January Jones and Elisabeth Moss.
There is still so much left unresolved for these characters -- Roger's new marriage, the merger, Joan's engagement with her rapist fiancee, Pete's struggle with his identity & relationships, Sal's retreat further into the closet -- lots to explore on this show in the third season.
Duck, that's called "overplaying your hand". He went from kingmaker to exposing his vendetta in about 30 seconds. Real smooth.
The scene between Peggy and Pete at the end was just phenomenal. It was kind, relevatory, controlled and, best yet, unexpected; I really thought that secret was going to brew for several seasons into irrelevancy, yet I can't think of a better way for it to have come out. Vincent Kartheiser exhibited an earnest innocence with Peggy that really made me believe they belong together. And Peggy's revelation was stunningly measured in its delivery. Kudos to Elisabeth Moss who has done such a magnificent job of transforming Peggy from doe-eyed, perky secretary into the ascending and confident lone Mad Woman of Sterling Cooper. Best scene of the night.
There were several silent moments that I found striking in their composition and execution. One was Betty sitting up on that pedestal at the doctor's office in the first scene. The other was the shot of her catching her reflection in the store windows amongst the mannequins. The art direction on this show is some of the best I've ever seen.
For Betty, I think it was either have an affair and get it out of her system so she can move forward with Don and this new baby or get a risky, illegal abortion. I'm glad she chose the former. Her Looking for Mr. Goodbar-esque pinings for sexual adventure this season were always leading her here, let's be honest. She has wanted some no-strings anonymous sex ever since her car broke down on that deserted road in the season opener.
Edited By flipp525 on 1225214702
There is still so much left unresolved for these characters -- Roger's new marriage, the merger, Joan's engagement with her rapist fiancee, Pete's struggle with his identity & relationships, Sal's retreat further into the closet -- lots to explore on this show in the third season.
Duck, that's called "overplaying your hand". He went from kingmaker to exposing his vendetta in about 30 seconds. Real smooth.
The scene between Peggy and Pete at the end was just phenomenal. It was kind, relevatory, controlled and, best yet, unexpected; I really thought that secret was going to brew for several seasons into irrelevancy, yet I can't think of a better way for it to have come out. Vincent Kartheiser exhibited an earnest innocence with Peggy that really made me believe they belong together. And Peggy's revelation was stunningly measured in its delivery. Kudos to Elisabeth Moss who has done such a magnificent job of transforming Peggy from doe-eyed, perky secretary into the ascending and confident lone Mad Woman of Sterling Cooper. Best scene of the night.
There were several silent moments that I found striking in their composition and execution. One was Betty sitting up on that pedestal at the doctor's office in the first scene. The other was the shot of her catching her reflection in the store windows amongst the mannequins. The art direction on this show is some of the best I've ever seen.
For Betty, I think it was either have an affair and get it out of her system so she can move forward with Don and this new baby or get a risky, illegal abortion. I'm glad she chose the former. Her Looking for Mr. Goodbar-esque pinings for sexual adventure this season were always leading her here, let's be honest. She has wanted some no-strings anonymous sex ever since her car broke down on that deserted road in the season opener.
Edited By flipp525 on 1225214702
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."
-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
If you missed it, the Vincent Price SNL skit featuring Jon Hamm as James Mason.
"...it is the weak who are cruel, and...gentleness is only to be expected from the strong." - Leo Reston
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
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Mister Tee
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And the wonderful show walks off into the sunset for another year -- happily, leaving us with a top-notch effort to contemplate these many months.
The Cuban missile crisis, as foreseen, gave the show its focus, with things long deferred or suppressed coming to a head in the spirit of "We all might die, so let's get it said". (Or in Roger's wonderfully narcisstic take, "He's daring them to blow us up just when I'm getting a new start")
Don is back without real explanation to his co-workers, and it's fun to see the two you'd expect -- Joan and Peggy -- respond with the greatest enthusiasm. But then there's the surprise of Pete Campbell apparently deciding Don offers a better future than Duck could, betraying the leaked confidence to set himself up.
On one level we're in a cliffhanger with Sterling Cooper -- we don't know for certain what Don's employment situation will be. But all signs point to Duck having slit his own throat; there didn't seem to be a soul in the room who didn't value Don over Duck, and judging will presumably go accordingly.
Betty's rebellion seemed so limited. She picked a guy who looked, at a distance, like Don; she also seemed to be assuring it was a one-off -- an act of anger/vengeance, rather than a striking out on her own.
(One oddity, at least to my ears: The glorious Stranger on the Shore was the background music for her tryst, but it didn't seem to be the sax-o-licious version by Mr. Acker Bilk that was a major hit in '62. Or am I mistaken?)
The final scene between Don and Betty -- the number of feelings that passed over Don's face when he heard the news -- was breathtaking.
As was the Pete/Peggy scene. Was Peggy trying to devastate him? Or was she testing him -- thinking if he still professed the same feelings after hearing this, maybe he was worth considering?
And does Peggy saying she gave the baby away preclude her sister being the one to whom she gave it?
Then there's Pete sitting with his shotgun. Heavy manhood symbol? Edge of suicide feelings?
As usual, I think I'm going to have to rewatch the episode. So much in less than an hour. Magnificent show.
The Cuban missile crisis, as foreseen, gave the show its focus, with things long deferred or suppressed coming to a head in the spirit of "We all might die, so let's get it said". (Or in Roger's wonderfully narcisstic take, "He's daring them to blow us up just when I'm getting a new start")
Don is back without real explanation to his co-workers, and it's fun to see the two you'd expect -- Joan and Peggy -- respond with the greatest enthusiasm. But then there's the surprise of Pete Campbell apparently deciding Don offers a better future than Duck could, betraying the leaked confidence to set himself up.
On one level we're in a cliffhanger with Sterling Cooper -- we don't know for certain what Don's employment situation will be. But all signs point to Duck having slit his own throat; there didn't seem to be a soul in the room who didn't value Don over Duck, and judging will presumably go accordingly.
Betty's rebellion seemed so limited. She picked a guy who looked, at a distance, like Don; she also seemed to be assuring it was a one-off -- an act of anger/vengeance, rather than a striking out on her own.
(One oddity, at least to my ears: The glorious Stranger on the Shore was the background music for her tryst, but it didn't seem to be the sax-o-licious version by Mr. Acker Bilk that was a major hit in '62. Or am I mistaken?)
The final scene between Don and Betty -- the number of feelings that passed over Don's face when he heard the news -- was breathtaking.
As was the Pete/Peggy scene. Was Peggy trying to devastate him? Or was she testing him -- thinking if he still professed the same feelings after hearing this, maybe he was worth considering?
And does Peggy saying she gave the baby away preclude her sister being the one to whom she gave it?
Then there's Pete sitting with his shotgun. Heavy manhood symbol? Edge of suicide feelings?
As usual, I think I'm going to have to rewatch the episode. So much in less than an hour. Magnificent show.
That entire skit was laugh-out-loud funny, the single best part of last night's episode.flipp525 wrote:Kristen Wiig's Gloria Swanson last Saturday was pretty fabulous as well. My boyfriend's James Mason was pretty spot-on as well!
"...it is the weak who are cruel, and...gentleness is only to be expected from the strong." - Leo Reston
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
Mister Tee wrote:Saturday Night Live's pop culture parodies are, like most of the show in recent decades, generally lame, but they did a surprisingly good job on Mad Men last night. Hamm's pitch on the hula hoop was a pretty dead-on send-up of the stuff he does on the show. (It helped having Moss and Slattery along, too) And Don Draper's Tips for Picking Up Women was pretty funny as well.
This season of SNL has been pretty much comic gold since the premiere. Besides the obvious Tina Fey/Sarah Palin bonanza which doesn't get old, I found Anne Hathaway's Mary Poppins sketch a couple of weeks ago one of the funniest things I'd seen in quite awhile. Hathaway's take on what the real meaning of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" was hilarious.
Kristen Wiig's Gloria Swanson last Saturday was pretty fabulous as well. And, yes, my TV boyfriend did a great job in the Mad Men sketch. Moss must've been available because she just opened in Speed-the-Plow on Broadway last Thursday.
My boyfriend's James Mason was pretty spot-on, too!
Edited By flipp525 on 1225062716
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."
-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
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Mister Tee
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Saturday Night Live's pop culture parodies are, like most of the show in recent decades, generally lame, but they did a surprisingly good job on Mad Men last night. Hamm's pitch on the hula hoop was a pretty dead-on send-up of the stuff he does on the show. (It helped having Moss and Slattery along, too) And Don Draper's Tips for Picking Up Women was pretty funny as well.
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Big Magilla wrote:Yes, and hour long shows had 56 minutes of dramatic content. Now they're down to 43.
43 is actually on the high end; most run anywhere between 39 and 43. I can't think of a single one that runs 45 or more minutes anymore (Friday Night Lights does in its current run on DirecTV but will probably be edited for NBC's broadcasts), even though DVDs of shows as recently as the early 90's show that most of them ran for 47-50 minutes.
Edited By dws1982 on 1224873175