Screen Junkies » Mad Men

Last Night’s Emmys Pleased Us And Infuriated Us

Penn Collins — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:51:16 +0000

Last night’s Emmys managed to give almost everything away to Homeland, as the Showtime national security drama scored wins for Best Drama Series, Best Actor in a Drama Series, Best Actress in a Drama series, and Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series. You can find our breakdown of all the major categories, sans pithy commentary, right here.

While the relatively under-the-radar show certainly deserves accolades, it was a bit of a surprise to see the freshman series bowl over the likes of it take out Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and Game of Thrones in most of the major categories. I say “most,” because Aaron Paul was able to score the Best Supporting trophy.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that the Emmy board thinks that Jon Cryer is the best comedic TV actor in the world, which totally undoes all the progress we as a civilization have made since the Magna Carta.

They also thought that all four-grown up men in Modern Family were better supporting actors than Nick Offerman, who didn’t even get nominated.

Aside from those two abortions, the list is pretty unobjectionable from where we sit. But still…Jon Cryer?

John Slattery To Appear On ‘Arrested Development’ In Awesome Display Of Synergy

Penn Collins — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 16:22:45 +0000

For those Arrested Development fans unfamiliar with John Slattery, he’s the second-best thing about Mad Men, behind only Sally Draper’s character. And now he’s going to take those hard-drinking, Japanese-hating, blowjob-receiving sensibilities, and cart them onto the set of Arrested Development for not just one, but several arcs.

Of course, the context is unknown, and, frankly, irrelevant. Roger Sterling is going to be on Arrested Development which is one of the few headlines that can actually make me forget the overarching “Arrested Development is returning” headlines.

Here’s to hoping that he busts free of the Mad Men archetype and does something completely batshit crazy. Like Martin Short‘s character, Uncle Jack, if Martin Short didn’t always manage to act like Uncle Jack.

5 Recent TV Dramas That Got History Right

Penn Collins — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:00:28 +0000

Even before its premiere, AMC‘s new historical drama, AMC’s Hell on Wheels, came under fire, with many calling it a “white-washing” of history. Specifically, the show’s lack of Asian characters and the fact that the main character conveinently freed his slaves before the Civil War has drawn criticism. While the show’s creators have offered reasonable explanations for their decisions, we are reminded of a recurring problem with period pieces: They’re often crafted to meet the sensibilities of contemporary audiences rather than accurately reflect the people, events, and circumstances of the time. So while Hell on Wheels finds itself behind the eightball, let’s look at a few period pieces that got it right, often unapologetically.

Band of Brothers

I realize how silly it appears to create a list of historically accurate television shows, then populate it with so many HBO series. But just because it appears silly doesn’t mean it’s wrong, and the Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks miniseries Band of Brothers is a great example of the steps both the producers and the network take to ensure accuracy when other parties would simply bring the drama.

To start things off, Band of Brothers is based on a book by noted and lauded historian Steven Ambrose who earlier worked with both Spielberg and Hanks on Saving Private Ryan as a military consultant. Though he was hit with allegations of plagiarism in his 2002 work The Wild Blue, allegations came from improper citing. Ambrose issued an apology and the world kept on spinning.

In the adaptation of Band of Brothers, most of the surviving members of Easy Company were asked for their input on even the most minute details. Photos and firsthand accounts were used in the selection of weapons, costumes, and the mannerisms of the soldiers.

Even the actors met with the men they were playing, when possible, in order to get a feel for the war that the book didn’t provide for any number of reasons. As such, the veterans that offered input all gave the program their blessing and approval, which speaks higher than any critical or academic praise could. That said, the series has not only stood up to scrutiny from academics, but he garnered their praise for its depiction of perhaps the most studied era in human history.

Mad Men

Another shocker, I’m sure. Mad Men has been praised as both a character study and study of its era. While the study of its characters is outside the scope of this discussion, its hard to examine the veracity and accuracy of this program without examining the behavior of the characters (to some extent, at least. This is shaping up to be a more herculean task than I anticipated) in their context.

Beyond the meticulous production and costume design, which has garnered no shortage of accolades and many would claim is the true star of the show, they get the zeitgeist (I hate that word and everything it represents) right. Mad Men’s “plot” seems largely incidental when compared to the program’s study of gender, race, and cultural issues during the timeframe of the show.

Since its inception, critics have heaped praise on the show for managing to create a sexiness and glamour from such an accurate depiction. Is it possible that people were smoking and drinking that much in the early 60’s? Yeah. It’s not so much that Matthew Weiner, the creator and showrunner, picked an era, then contorted it until it became suitably entertaining, but, rather, he picked an era that was entertaining, and, despite the fact that the show begins less than 50 years ago, it seems about as foreign to us as a show about Henry VII or Spartacus.

I mean, THEY’RE SMOKING IN THEIR OFFICES! For today’s audience, that’s about as bizarre as the concept of a gladiator match.

Aside from the superficial details, the constructs of the show (corporate culture, gender issues, and sexual politics) bear only a fleeting resemblance to what they are now, but one must remember that the reason this show exists is because advertising in Manhattan, during this period, was this glamorous, and was this different than the world we know now. Get past the suits and Lucky Strikes, and one will see a more profound snapshot on the American landscape than many knew existed.

AMC Renews ‘The Walking Dead’ Since They Already Bought All Those Zombie Costumes

Penn Collins — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:02:28 +0000

AMC announced today that it has renewed the The Walking Dead for a third season. Considering it’s the most-watched cable drama in history, this only counts as “news” in the strictest sense of the term.

Not only has the show set records domestically, but its international roll out has been equally impressive, hopefully quelling some of this off-season’s concerns about budget cuts going forward. The word is that AMC took some money earmarked for The Walking Dead and purposed it for Mad Men, which is pretty silly, considering Mad Men doesn’t even have awesome zombie characters or gnarly post-apocalyptic sets.

While this announcement ensures the security of the show, nothing has been done to address the continued gripes of fans that the writing and the characters have not improved since the maligned, but successful first season. Perhaps they’ll just say, “To hell with it,” after news of the renewal and spend more money on zombie action, which is what the people want anyway.

Sally Draper And 6 Other TV Kids I Don’t Want To Smack

Penn Collins — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 23:33:02 +0000

Kids. Nothing can bring a decent plotline to a screeching halt like an underdeveloped child character.

Compelling child characters are a rare breed in films, but perhaps a little less so in TV. In television, we are constantly checking back in with characters, allowing them to grow and endear us in a way that we cannot with film. Nonetheless, there has proven to be a paucity of children’s characters on TV, even with the torrent of family-friendly shows that have always existed.

Writing for kids is (I’m guessing) hard because no one knows how the hell they think. Rather than figure it out, many programs are content simply parade the adorable little moppets around for oohs and aahs, then get back to the adult talk. Essentially, this wastes at least 10% of the screen time the show is afforded.

But some shows got the extra mile and leverage child characters to add depth, perspective, absurdity, and comedy to shows that have strong casts to begin with. Here are some examples of such characters that are every bit as integral to their shows as their older counterparts.

George Michael – Arrested Development

While George Michael is the oldest entrant on this list (assuming you don’t count Lisa Simpson’s ageless presence), he is played with a gentleness that one would never expect from a teenager. While just as warped as the other characters on this show, he is at his best when he’s wearing that vacant look on his face, as if to say, “Why do I feel like I’m the only kid in America that has to deal with this type of thing?”

Sally – Mad Men

In the hands of a lesser actress, the character of Sally Draper would be a catastrophic disappointment, but Kiernan Shipka adds dimensions to Sally that endear us to her as perhaps the show’s only completely likable character. We’re four seasons in and still digging away at what the hell is going on in that mind of hers. She seems to have a good heart, despite stealing and masturbating in class, but honestly, who of us can say that we didn’t steal stuff and masturbate in class when we were that age?

While the depth and production values of Mad Men are unparalleled, at the end of the day, it’s nice to have someone to root for. And Sally is just that character on the program, even if what we’re rooting for is to see how dark her character can get.

36 Bounce-Tastic Christina Hendricks Gifs

Screen Junkies — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:49:58 +0000

Last night, Mad Men star Christina Hendricks and her cleavage was spotted at the premiere of her new film, I Don’t Know How She Does It. In honor of this important historical event, we here at Screen Junkies compiled the following 36 bounce-tastic animated Gifs. Why? Why the hell not? All you people want to do is stare at her breasts anyway. So why should I waste my time writing an entire article when this will bring in 10X the traffic? Trust me, we both win this way.

So, without further delay, enjoy the Gifs. And by the way, the gif with the Bruce Willis head is on page 4, so deal with it.

Click ‘Next Page’ to continue…

Did AMC Give Frank Darabont’s Money To ‘Mad Men’?

Wookie Johnson — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 21:23:23 +0000

The question lately is, what the hell is going on over at AMC? Frank Darabont walked from his hit series and Breaking Bad producers were so frustrated that they flirted with the notion of taking the show to another network. When Darabont left The Walking Dead, it was assumed that he wasn’t up for the rigors of a 13 episode order. But, that doesn’t seem very likely given his talent and character. He did allude to some budget problems when he sat down for THR’s Show Runner Roundtable and now the LA Times has thrown out a pretty likely theory.

return of season 5 and 6,” Stillerman said. “Matt and his incredible team are in the writer’s room breaking stories. Production starts Monday, August 8.”

As an added bonus, Jon Hamm will lend his handsomeness behind the scenes as well as in front of the camera as Don Draper. “Jon Hamm will be making his directorial debut for the season premiere of episode 5,” Stillerman added.

'The Walking Dead' Trailer: It's Still About Zombies
After the departure of Frank Darabont from The Walking Dead, Stillerman was happy to praise new showrunner Glen Mazzara and the remaining crew, and even props to Darabont. “A very heartfelt thank you to Frank Darabont. He’s a visionary writer and director. He wrote a brilliant pilot and directed a brilliant pilot. His fingerprints are all over the adaptation.”

Stillerman still wouldn’t say why Darabont left though. “I don’t have much to add to the circumstances of it. I really mean what I say when I say Frank’s contribution to the series was invaluable and he’s a brilliant writer/director. We have full confidence in the team moving forward.”

For The Killing fans, season two promises to resolve the mystery of the first season. “I think the major takeaway for us after the finale of The Killing starts with the headline that for everybody who was frustrated, we hear you. If we had to do anything differently, we would certainly have taken a different approach to managing expectations within that season. I can tell you it was never intentionally meant to mislead anyone. Our goal was to create a brilliant piece of character-based storytelling. Veena Sud has an incredible vision for that show. Her writer’s room for season two opens next month and we’re incredibly excited about what’s coming down the pike. You will find out who killed Rosie Larson in season two definitively.”

More on AMC’s new series Hell on Wheels with the cast and creators soon.

Your 63rd Primetime Emmy Nominees

Wookie Johnson — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 12:52:22 +0000

Joshua Jackson and Melissa McCarthy woke at the ass-crack of dawn to announce the 63rd Primetime Emmy nominees. Mildred Pierce leads with 21 nominations, while Mad Men will face off against Dexter, Friday Night Lights, and Game Of Thrones in the Best Drama category while Jon Hamm goes against Steve Buscemi, Hugh Laurie and Timothy Olyphant.

And Louis C.K. got nominated!! Which is awesome. I expected a snub. Usually when Jon Hamm plays a middle-aged man sad about where his life ended up, Emmy rushes to him with a tissue, but Louis C.K.’s raw and unflinching worldview normally gets pepper-sprayed. This is great news for television comedy even though Community got snubbed again.

Here’s a list of nominees who will knife fight one another at the Ivy for television’s biggest honor.

Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
63rd Primetime Emmy Award Nominations

BEST DRAMA SERIES
Boardwalk Empire
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Game of Thrones
Good Wife
Mad Men

BEST COMEDY SERIES
Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
The Office
30 Rock
Parks and Recreation

BEST DRAMA ACTOR
Timothy Olyphant Justified
Steve Buscemi Boardwalk Empire
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House

BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Kathy Bates, Harry’s Law
Mariska Hargitay, SVU
Mirelle Enos, The Killing
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Best Comedy Actress
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Laura Linney, The Big C
Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly
Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope
Amy Poehler, Parks & Recreation

Best Comedy Actor
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Matt Leblanc, Episodes
Jim Parsons The Big Bang Theory
Steve Carell, The Office
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
Louie C.K., Louie

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Comedy
Chris Colfer, Glee
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Ed O’Neill, Modern Family
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Drama
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Josh Charles, The Good Wife
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Walton Goggins, Justified
John Slattery, Mad Men
Andre Braugher Men of a Certain Age

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Comedy
Jane Lynch, Glee
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Kristen Wiig Saturday Night Live
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Drama
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Margo Martindale, Justified
Michelle Forbes, The Killing
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men

Outstanding Miniseries of Movie
Cinema Verite
Downton Abbey
The Kennedys
Mildred Pierce
The Pillars of the Earth
Too Big to Fail

BEST VARIETY SERIES
The Colbert Report
Conan
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Real Time with Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Reality Program
Antiques Roadshow
Undercover Boss

Outstanding Reality- Competition
The Amazing Race
American Idol
So You Think You Can Dance
Top Chef

Expect Jon Hamm On ‘Mad Men’ For At Least Three More Years

Col. Longshanks — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:03:39 +0000

8 photosJanuary Jones

Lovers of fantastic television can all breathe a sigh of relief, as Jon Hamm has signed on to star in”Mad Men” for at least three more seasons. That would put the show up to 7 seasons, which seems like a good time to call it quits. Don’t throw your rotten vegetables at me just yet. Of course I’d prefer the show to have a “Gunsmoke“-esque run, but not at the expense of quality.

Matthew Weiner also recently signed a three year contract worth 30 million dollars. My business manager is telling me that comes out to 10 million smackaroos a year. We always tally up my earnings in smackaroos. It could be why the IRS is so adamant about auditing me.

The fifth season of “Mad Men” premieres sometime in 2012. (Deadline)

Christina Hendricks

Screen Junkies — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 17:16:57 +0000

We’re finally paying homage to your favorite buxom redhead Christina Hendricks. She makes Roger’s heart flutter on “Mad Men” in pencil skirts that seem to be holding on for dear life at the seams. One disconcerting fact though. The curtains don’t match the rug. Christina was born a blonde. We’ve been duped!

A word from Christina: “My boobs are real, and I’m proud to say that.”

And I’m proud to hear that. Along with the rest of the male population.

Jon Hamm To (Handsomely) Direct ‘Mad Men’ Season 5 Premiere

Penn Collins — Thu, 26 May 2011 23:17:22 +0000

The good news is, Jon Hamm has plenty of time to figure out how to become a director before he has to step up. Perhaps the huge delay in season five was a factor in the producers putting Hamm behind the camera.

This isn’t the first time that a cast member has stepped behind the camera. Fellow Mad Man John Slattery made the trip last season and the show managed to survive, so…good news. Hamm has been quoted as saying he views the opportunity “with a mixture of utter fear and excitement.” Audiences probably view it the same well. Just kidding. It seems almost impossible for a director to screw up in a medium so driven by writing.

3 photosThe January Jones/Emma Frost Underwear Shots We’ve All Been Waiting For

Look for Hamm’s debut when”Mad Men” returns in 2178.

Don Draper Loves His Old Fashioneds

Col. Longshanks — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:44:22 +0000

Looks like he had one too many last night.

Watch Matthew Weiner Go On And On For Like Six Hours

Joseph Gibson — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 18:38:41 +0000

The Archive of American Television is not messing around. They’ve released a 6-hour interview with Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner, in which he goes into great detail about the show, his life, his philosophy on art, etc. I’m guessing he also has time to talk about whether he’s a boxers or a briefs man, who killed JFK, abortion, and which of the Herculoids are his favorites.

Anyway, I did watch a couple random bits of this, and it does seem kind of interesting. Maybe if I ever have a couple weeks free I’ll watch the whole thing. The video here is just the first hour, and you can watch the rest here. There’s some interesting stuff about the development of “Mad Men,” like the hilarious revelation that January Jones (who plays Don Draper’s wife Betty) auditioned for the role of Peggy. If you’ve never seen “Mad Men,” trust me, that’s interesting.

If You Want To See ‘Mad Men’ Stream, You’ll Have To Do It On Netflix

Penn Collins — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 00:14:18 +0000

Netflix knows people love”Mad Men.” So don’t be tellin’ Netflix how much people love “Mad Men,” cause they already know. The even put a price on people’s love for “Mad Men.” It’s about a million bucks an episode. That’s the estimated amount that Netflix is paying for the exclusive rights to stream all episodes, old and new, up through the recently-announced season 7.

For those chomping at the bit to get after seasons 1-4 on Netflix Instant, you’re going to have to chomp a little longer, as they won’t be streaming until July 27th. That’s not the only bad news, either. Going forward with season 5, the show won’t be available for streaming on an episode-by-episode basis, but rather in complete seasons following its television run. So if you’re a “Mad Men” junkie, this probably wouldn’t be a perfect substitute for your AMC subscription. You’re gonna need that anyway for”Breaking Bad,” which doesn’t love its fans enough to stream. Prove me wrong, “Breaking Bad.” Prove me wrong. (WSJ)

‘Mad Men’ Creator On Board For Fifth, Sixth, And Possibly Seventh Season

Penn Collins — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 23:59:34 +0000

Well, it appears that creator Matthew Weiner isn’t going anywhere for the next two to three years. AMC and Lionsgate have just announced that they have locked him down for seasons five and six (and possibly seven). Sooooo, we’ll be watching”Mad Men” until the characters are driving DeLoreans and listening to “Safety Dance.” Yay!

This news comes off the heels of the announcement this morning that Lionsgate signed Tyler Perry up for two more Madea movies, which puts Lionsgate’s net goodwill accumulation today at “breakeven” or “slightly down.”

While it was granted that Mad Men would resume production in 2011 for airing in 2012, Weiner’s involvement was unknown as he was rumored to have objected to some of AMC’s stipulations, including one more commercial break per episode, the elimination of some recurring characters, and product placement. It’s unknown how those issues shook out, but knowing how well Hollywood keeps a secret, we should have that information in the next 15-20 minutes.

Things That Will Happen Before ‘Mad Men’ Returns For Season 5

Jame Gumb — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 23:56:56 +0000

The fifth season of “Mad Men” has been pushed back all the way to early 2012. For fans of the show, that feels like an eternity. After all, the series has already been on hiatus since October, meaning that even if it returns next January, it will have been off the air for 15 months. That’s a long friggen time, and a lot can happen between now and then. Here are some things that will probably go down before the show returns…

Steve Carell will no longer be on”The Office.” As such, you will no longer be watching, “The Office.”
Major League Baseball will conduct an entire season of play.
Tom Crusie will reprise his role as Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, and Xenu will return to Earth to take his rightful place at the head of the Galactic Confederacy.
Harry Potter will be a thing of the past, as all of the films in the series will have been released. Unfortunately, the Twilight series will remain undead.
A reboot of the Spider-Man reboot will be in active development.
The 2012 Presidential primary season will be underway.
Katie Couric will be out at CBS news after nearly five years, while that old bastard Andy Rooney will celebrate is 103rd year with the network.
FX will have premiered and canceled no less than five critically acclaimed yet poorly rated shows.
Oprah Winfrey will end her show, and the country will be shocked by the simultaneous suicides of two million bored housewives.
Christina Hendricks’ breasts will be slightly closer to her knees.
The show will be forced to write a storyline in which the character of Bobby gets his first pube.
Julian Assange will have leaked the script for the season 5 finale. All your waiting will have been for naught.

AMC Officially OKs Fifth Season Of ‘Mad Men’

Joseph Gibson — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:15:14 +0000

Negotiations have been tense between cable channel AMC and television super-genius Matt Weiner, creator of”Mad Men,” over the show’s fifth season. So tense, in fact, that some were speculating that we wouldn’t even get to see the fifth season at all, which would have had “Mad Men” going down in history as having one of the all-time least satisfying conclusions in TV history. Here’s the full statement from the American MadMen Channel:

“AMC has officially authorized production of season 5 of Mad Men, triggering our option with Lionsgate. While we are getting a later start than in years past due to ongoing, key non-cast negotiations, Mad Men will be back for a fifth season in early 2012.”

While this is good news for fans, it seems like the previously reported issues Weiner had during negotiations – AMC wants to cut 2 minutes from each episode, devote more time to product placement, and let go of two cast members – have not been resolved. They could kill two of those birds with one stone if they made the Maytag repairman a regular character. Ideas! They’re in the air! (via Deadline)

UPDATED: AMC Wants To See Less Of Their Hit Show ‘Mad Men’

Wookie Johnson — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 12:31:46 +0000

UPDATE: AMC has picked up a 5th season of the show.

We were this close to a fifth season of”Mad Men,” but now the negotiations have hit a wall. Though he’s poised to rake in $30 million over the next two seasons, show creator Matthew Weiner isn’t happy with the terms set by AMC. Nor should he be.

The cable channel wants to increase product placement (ugh), trim the run-time of episodes (ugh again), and get rid of two cast members (AW HELL NAH). I know. That’s shocking news. How would Don Draper react?

An insider says, “This is their storied franchise, and they want it shorter and cheaper, with fewer actors and more product integration. The negotiations are about to collapse as a result.” Though reps say that the talks between the camps are continuing, it’s doubtful that the fifth season will be picked up in time for AMC’s April upfronts. Though the network will likely cave, it’s probably a pretty scary time to be the actor who plays Little Bobby. (Deadline)

Hot Dog! AMC Finally Close To Reaching A ‘Mad Men’ Deal

Joseph Gibson — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:49:52 +0000

The smoke-filled boardrooms of AMC have been shuttered for days as they try to reach an agreement with Matthew Weiner, the creator of”Mad Men.” Fans of that show have been dreading the prospect of a world without a fifth season of the show, since Matthew Weiner reportedly wanted a lot of money to pay for all that lucrative critical acclaim the show has gotten AMC.

But now, negotiations are said to be drawing to a close, which means we’ll probably get to see the next season of “Mad Men” after all. There’s one hitch, though – while “Mad Men” usually premieres in mid-summer, this year it probably won’t since negotiations have lasted this long (we already know what one member of the cast will be doing instead). So it isn’t known just how long we’ll have to wait to see what wacky adventures the gang at Sterling-Cooper-Draper-Price have in store. Oh well, people who like “Mad Men” are pretty patient in general, right? (via Deadline)

Christina Ricci Stars In 1960s Drama That’s Totally Not Just Like ‘Mad Men’

Geoffrey Golden — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 05:10:56 +0000

Two of Christina Ricci‘s recent big movies were Speed Racer and Alpha and Omega, so maybe it makes sense that she’s moving to television. The actress will make her first big TV project the pilot for ABC’s “Pan Am.” It’s a soapy drama that takes place in the swingin’ 60′s, about the lives of sexy stewardesses back when it was okay to call them that. And slap their butts in public.

Now I know what you’re thinking: 1960s drama? Swinging? Like “Mad Men?” Well, so far this project sounds nothing like”Mad Men.” Except that… uh, the central character in “Pan Am” also leads a double life.

Ricci will play the lead, Maggie, a fiery stewardess who is leading a double life – on duty she is a beautiful, perfectly groomed and poised stewardess, and off duty she is earthy, bohemian living among the beatniks and intellectuals of Greenwich Village.

We should probably also assume there’s a lot of drinking, infidelity, and who knows? Maybe a bunch of ad executives will become frequent fliers and we’ll hear all about how weird that new-fangled Volkswagon ad was every episode.

The folks in the cockpit are writer Jack Orman, director Thomas Schlamme and producer Nancy Hult Ganis, who was a former Pan Am flight attendant. That’s swell. (Deadline)

2011 WGA Winners Have Action, Suspense, Ties

Joseph Gibson — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 18:36:06 +0000

The 2011 Writers Guild Award winners are a lot of familiar names and faces. The WGAs cover 3 areas, 2 of which I care about: Movies, TV, and video games. Here’s a list of the winners that have been announced so far (video games and honorary awards excluded because I ain’t no nerd):

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Inception, Written by Christopher Nolan; Warner Bros.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY The Social Network, Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin; Based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich; Sony Pictures

DRAMA SERIES ”Mad Men,” Written by Jonathan Abrahams, Lisa Albert, Keith Huff, Jonathan Igla, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Brett Johnson, Janet Leahy, Erin Levy, Tracy McMillan, Dahvi Waller, Matthew Weiner; AMC

TV EPISODIC DRAMA – any length – one airing time “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword” (“Mad Men“), Written by Erin Levy; AMC

TV COMEDY SERIES ”Modern Family,” Written by Jerry Collins Paul Corrigan, Alex Herschlag, Abraham Higginbotham, Elaine Ko, Joe Lawson, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Dan O’Shannon, Jeffrey Richman, Brad Walsh, Ilana Wernick, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker; ABC

TV EPISODIC COMEDY – any length – one airing time “When It Rains, It Pours” “30 Rock“), Written by Robert Carlock; NBC

The most interesting thing here is Christopher Nolan getting an award for Inception, after what many perceived as a snub when the Oscar nominees were announced. And the fact that “Mad Men” took both the overall series category AND the episodic category just goes to show that it’s the best show on TV.

Here are some more winners, and you can see a complete list at Deadline.

COMEDY / VARIETY – (INCLUDING TALK) SERIES

Fifth Season Of ‘Mad Men’ Still Not Guaranteed

Joseph Gibson — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:18:56 +0000

“Mad Men” has been a favorite of both critics and viewers of quality television for four solid seasons. And up to now, it’s been all but assumed that we’d be seeing at least a fifth season that could also serve as a “final season,” wrapping up all of the show’s disparate plotlines and thematic elements in a way that would surely satisfy all the fans of the show (except the ones on the internet). But now, show creator Matthew Weiner is telling Entertainment Weekly that he hasn’t begun working on the show’s fifth season while contract negotiations between AMC, the home of “Mad Men,” and Lionsgate, the production company take place. It looks like Weiner wants to continue working on the show, but is having to wait while financial issues between all the parties involved get worked out. Here’s Weiner on his vision for the show:

“I have every intention of making the show when they decide to work out their business with Lionsgate. I can’t wait to come back to work. I have said over and over in public that I want the show to go on and on and on until it has worn out its welcome with viewers and we can’t think of anything more for the characters to do.”

Weiner then took a contemplative sip of his Old Fashioned, stared off into the distance with a mixture of regret and longing, and sexually harassed his secretary.

Christina Hendricks Posed For Playboy With Nightmare Clown In 1999

Geoffrey Golden — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 03:10:08 +0000

“Mad Men” fans will either be turned-on or freaked out by the photo to the left. (Click twice for larger version.)

On Playboy‘s Twitter account, they recently asked their followers to identify the blonde lady stradling that “cool,” speedo-wearing dude’s leg in this photo from 1999. The correct answer is Sterling Cooper secretary Christina Hendricks. It’s hard to tell without her trademark red hair and a hallway for her to strut down while men whistle.

Now, on the one hand, here’s super-hot early Christina Hendricks in Playboy. On the other hand, that clown is seriously freaking me out. I can laugh at juggalos, cause they take the scary clown schtick to a ludicrous extreme with their magnet raps. Plus, their beverage of choice is “Faygo,” which isn’t exactly a tough sounding drink. However, this clown is right out of Stephen King’s It, so I don’t care how much he loves to party, Christina and I are not sending him an evite! Isn’t that right, Christina?

I’ll just keep pretending she’s here with me. (Jezebel)

‘Breaking Bad’ And ‘Walking Dead’ Updates

Fred Topel — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:15:26 +0000

AMC Snr. VP of Original Programming Joel Stillerman introduced AMC’s session for the Television Critics Association winter press tour. The presentation was for the new series “The Killing,” but first he had some news about their established hits. Perhaps hinting at the writer firings on “Walking Dead,” Stillerman hinted about the changes coming to season two.

“Frank Darabont, Gale Ann Hurd, Robert Kikman, Dave Alpert, Greg Nicotero, and the rest of the crew [are] figuring out where to take the zombie apocalypse from here,” Stillerman said. “We lost a few along the way as sometimes happens in’The Walking Dead,’ but a few surprises in there as well. Shane, Jon Bernthal, lives for season two so we’re going to keep it fresh and it’ll be back and better than ever.”

The network’s darling “Mad Men” is on hold. They must be waiting for Jon Hamm now that he’s a movie star. “’Mad Men’ is definitively coming back for season five, although don’t ask me when because we’re not quite sure yet, but it will be and we’ll let you know as soon as we do,” Stillerman said.

“Breaking Bad” is back in full swing. “’Breaking Bad’ starts shooting on Thursday of next week, season four. Last year was so spectacular, we kind of wondered if Vince [Gilligan] had something up his sleeve to take it to the next level and he clearly does. Where Walt, Jesse and Gus the chicken man and Hank and the rest of the crew go in season four is truly phenomenal.”

Stillerman also gave some details on their next original series, “Hell on Wheels.” “’Hell on Wheels’ is AMC’s return to the original western. To date ‘Broken Trail’ is still the biggest event on AMC ever. It’s a genre that’s vital to our channel. If you look at ‘True Grit,’ it’s a genre that continues to be vital in every imaginable way and continues to be able to be reinvented and incredibly potent. We think we have a phenomenal show on ‘Hell on Wheels.’”

You know that on AMC, this won’t be some “Rawhide” remake. “It’s very much a western, a post Civil War revenge story but there’s bones of great period drama in there as well, a la There Will Be Blood, with the telling of the story of the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, which is as dramatic and compelling a story as there is in American history. David Von Ancken did a phenomenal job directing the pilot. Our studios at E1, producers at Endemol, a phenomenal cast: Dominique McElliqott, Colm Meaney, the incredible Wes Studi. As soon as the snow melts in Calgary, we’re going to start shooting season two and let you know when that will be coming back.”

Don Draper Says “What?” A Lot

Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

You would guess by this montage that Don Draper is a bit of a dumbass on "Mad Men." For such a creative genius, he doesn’t seem to grasp much that’s told to him. Or maybe he’s going deaf and no one has diagnosed it properly. Quick, someone clap in front of his face and see if he reacts. If he asks "what?" again we should immediately book an appointment with someone who looks into brains. A doctor perhaps!

See Don Draper perplexed after the jump…

(BuzzFeed)

‘Mad Men’ Actress Peyton List

Col. Longshanks — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 17:58:00 +0000

“Mad Men” might be over until next year, but fortunately the show’s generous lineup of sweater-clad office vixens is still around to keep us going. Enter Peyton List, the 24-year-old stunner whose depiction of secretary-turned-socialite Jane Siegel became a welcome element in the series midway through season two. A model since age eight, List took a stab at acting with a bit role in an episode of “Sex and the City” back in 2000. Lucky for us, she kept it up. Here’s hoping we’ll see more of Roger Sterling’s young wife in the months ahead.

A word from Peyton: “I was on the box art for some young girl-crush kind of board games. It’s embarrassing.”

More pics of Peyton after the jump…

‘Mad Men’ Actress Peyton List

Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

A word from Peyton: “I was on the box art for some young girl-crush kind of board games. It’s embarrassing.”

More photos of Peyton after the jump…

‘Mad Men’ Actress Jessica Pare

Col. Longshanks — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:58:00 +0000

With the kind of face that makes you stop, stare, and wonder where the hell you’ve seen her before, Jessica Pare is slowly making waves in the glitz-adorned lap pool that is Hollywoodland. From bit roles in low-budget theatre productions to Candadian film stardom and most recently to Don Draper’s couch in "Mad Men," the Montreal native has run the gamut of the acting world — and she doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.

A word from Jessica: "When the time comes when nobody cares about me anymore and nobody wants to see my face anymore, then that`s fine, too. It’s totally normal.”

Check out more pics of Jessica after the jump.

‘Mad Men’ Actress Christina Hendricks

admin — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 17:58:00 +0000

We’re finally paying homage to your favorite buxom redhead Christina Hendricks. She makes Roger’s heart flutter on”Mad Men” in pencil skirts that seem to be holding on for dear life at the seams. One disconcerting fact though. The curtains don’t match the rug. Christina was born a blonde. We’ve been duped!

A word from Christina: “My boobs are real, and I’m proud to say that.”

And I’m proud to hear that. Along with the rest of the male population.

More pics of Christina after the jump…