The Remote Island : Mad Men

"Mad Men" Is Back In Production, With This Guy

Jake Kalish — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:22:00 GMT

Mad Men began production Monday, with new eps set to air in August and yet another top-notch thespian in the fold. Sterling Cooper, meet your new financial officer, Lane Pryce, otherwise known as Jared Harris, character actor extroardinaire. You might recognize him from The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, or his recurring role as David Robert Jones in Fringe. Or maybe from B.Monkey with Asia Argento. No? Okay, just us.

One thing - Jared Harris is British. Will Lane Pryce be American? Can a British person convincingly play an American in a televised drama?

Oh. Gosh, really? Never mind.

PREVIOUSLY:

The Winner For Best TV Show In The World Is...

Advertising's CLIO Awards Honor "Mad Men"

Is A "Mad Men" Video Game Coming?

The Winner For Best TV Show In The World Is...

Jake Kalish — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:06:00 GMT

Absolutely, positively, 100% not Rock Of Love.

The BAFTA (British Academy Of Film And Television Arts) Awards were last night - and strangely, the top four contenders for "Top International TV Show" were all American shows - The Wire, Dexter, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, and Mad Men. And the winner?

Well, no complaints here - we love Mad Men. Although it is interesting that The Times Of London's recent list of top 50 American TV shows in recent years only had Mad Men at #14 - 12 spots behind Battlestar Galactica, which is noticeably absent from this list. And The Daily Show, which is one of the top 4 international shows according to BAFTA, didn't even make the Times Of London's top 50.

PREVIOUSLY:

Britain, Still Reeling From The Revolutionary War, Ranks American Television Shows

"The Wire": David Simon's Original Pitch To HBO

"Dexter" Season Finale: The Hallmark Holiday Homicide Special?

Is A "Mad Men" Video Game Coming?

We Can't Wait For The "Mad Men" Season 2 DVD

"Mad Men"'s January Jones Is The Hottest Housewife On TV

Chenda Ngak — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:34:00 GMT

Wipe your mouths and close your office doors. There are more pictures inside...

Ms. Jones is on the cover of GQ UK Magazine for the month of May. She's seen here in a black corset and what Carrie Bradshaw would call the "naked dress."

You can see the full gallery at swipelife.com.

[via Goldenfiddlr]

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WTF Happened To Jon Hamm?

Our Jon Hamm Archive

Our Mad Men Archive

WTF Happened To Jon Hamm?

Jake Kalish — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:30:00 GMT

This is the Jon Hamm we know as Don Draper. The dapper, slick, put together, handsome as hell Jon Hamm. Then you've got the 30 Rock Jon Hamm - floppier hair, more casual clothing. But still disarmingly handsome. But little did we know there's a third Jon Hamm - one who looks like Jon Hamm's dirty vagrant brother. Seriously, you've got to see this new picture. It's shocking...

We warned you.

PREVIOUSLY:

Our Jon Hamm Archive

Advertising's CLIO Awards Honor "Mad Men"

Jake Kalish — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:22:00 GMT

Huh. This seems like a case of life not getting art, doesn't it? Yes, the show is great, the cast looks great, and that Don Draper is one smart, handsome man. But he's also a phony - and he and his fellow Mad Men are heavy drinkers, adulterers, and liars - illusionists who use ad campaigns, both literal and metaphorical, to hide the truth. Having the ad industry honor them seems kind of like the Gambino family throwing a big party for the cast of The Sopranos. But honor them they will...

The CLIO Awards will present its first honorary statues to Barry Manilow and Mad Men show creator/producer Matthew Weiner for their contributions to the advertising industry at its 50th anniversary gathering at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino May 12-14 in Las Vegas.

Weiner will accept an honorary statue during the Communications Awards on May 12, a 1960s-themed evening featuring Billboard pop hits, Rat Pack entertainment and ad imagery from the Mad Men era.

Uh, okay. Hell, maybe we're being nitpicky here - Matthew Weiner is the man, and deserves whatever accolades he gets. Ooooh, one more thing - AMC will start airing repeats of Mad Men Season 2 starting March 8th. We may have our very own 1960's-themed evening.

PREVIOUSLY:

Our Mad Men Archive

More Details About The "Mad Men" Clothing Line

Jake Kalish — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 23:45:00 GMT

More info is coming out about Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant's new clothing line, and it sounds like she may be making a big mistake. This from the Wall Street Journal:

While Ms. Bryant says she can’t discuss her clothing line, which she began developing in fall 2008, because she’s still finalizing the details, she says that it will be a line that will have a contemporary, not period, look to it. “I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll have news in the next couple of months.”

What what what what what? A contemporary look? Did Janie Bryant have a four-martini lunch? What the hell is she talking about? Women are beating each other down in vintage stores trying to get Betty Draper and Joan Holloway outfits, but the woman who actually puts those outfits together wants to go contemporary? Why why why? Here's a hint:

Ms. Bryant began her fashion career in New York in 1990 working for designer John Scher, and had hoped to launch her own fashion label until she met a costume designer at a party and landed her first gig styling “Blessing,” a 1994 independent movie by Paul Zehrer.

Ah-hah. A frustrated fashion designer, thrust into costume design. She's got all kinds of ideas, probably, and with the Mad Men buzz, now's her chance to let them all loose, whether that's actually what the public wants or not. We're all for creative people being as creative as possible, but is the Mad Men lady really going to do clothes that don't look Mad Men-ish? Is she dopey, some sort of clothing savant? Maybe, if Janie's answer to this question about starting a clothing line during a recession is any indication:

I think as long as we all continue to talk about Depression and recession and things being so bad, we’ll continue to be that way. We have to start thinking about other things.

Fair enough, Janie Bryant. Here's a thought: go retro.

PREVIOUSLY:

"Mad Men" Clothing Line?

Jon Hamm Protects Us From His Handsomeness

Jake Kalish — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 23:27:00 GMT

Jon Hamm was on Conan O'Brien Wednesday night, when Conan asked him the question that's on everybody's mind. "What is it like", asked O'Brien, "to be that handsome?" "I have had to take certain precautions," responded Hamm. "I can't believe you've held eye contact for this long." Watch the clip and find out all the things Jon Hamm does to shield us from his smoldering good looks. (O'Brien asks the question at about 3:25 into this clip):

PREVIOUSLY:

First Sniff Of Jon Hamm On "30 Rock" (Mmm..Frosting!)

Jon Hamm And His Problem Hair

"Mad Men" Bobblehead Dolls?

"Mad Men" Clothing Line?

"Mad Men" Bobblehead Dolls?

Lindy Parker — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:45:00 GMT

Awesome, we can put these in our glass display case, right next to our Sasha and Malia Obama Beanie Babies, and our Today Show Cabbage Patch Kids. Also weirdly, when we look at the Don Draper doll all we hear is the Twilight Zone theme song in our heads. Possibly because that bobblehead really looks less like Don Draper and more like this guy...

Right? Although, in fairness, capturing D. Draper's dapper charm in a desk ornament would be a daunting task.

"Mad Men" Clothing Line?

Jake Kalish — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:28:00 GMT

They are all very, very sharp. Glamour just did a Q&A with Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant (who creates an amazing 200 stylish costumes per episode), and at the end of the article, Bryant cops to the fact that she may not be letting this moment pass without a little Draperesque selling of her own: Bryant, who is getting credit all over the place for her current influence on fashion, is apparently working on a Mad Men -inspired clothing line:

I’m working on some things right now…I hate to be so mysterious but I can't really say! It would have my name attached to it though.

Here's a possible preview of what we may see in stores (Joan Holloway not included)

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"Mad Libs Men" Is A Walrus Party

Our Mad Men Archive

"Mad Libs Men" Is A Walrus Party

Jake Kalish — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:29:00 GMT

Hilarious sketch from the kids over at CollegeHumor, of an episode of Mad Men done Mad Libs style. "After last night's walrus party, I have a quiffe popsicle." Check it out, and know that The CollegeHumor Show will debut on MTV February 8th at 9:30.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

PREVIOUSLY:

Our Mad Men Archive

"Trust Me": We're Leaning Towards Watching

Lindy Parker — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Here's the thing about tonight's premiere of Trust Me on TNT...

We quite like Tom Cavanagh, or at least we did in Ed...

Remember Ed? The show about the lawyer who leaves the big city and moves back to his home town to set up a joint bowling alley/law office? We had a brief but passionate love affair with the first season of that show -- we feel like they could've made a whole sitcom out of Mike and Ed's ten dollar bets:

All that to say, we're leaning toward giving Cavanagh's new show Trust Me with Will and Grace alum Eric McCormack a shot for two reasons: 1) It's kind of like Nip/Tuck meets Mad Men which could either be totally genius or a spectacular disaster, and either way we want to be there to watch, and 2) We're holding out hope for a cameo from Michael Ian Black and Josh Randall, not to mention Sean Hayes.

Click here to find out what Tom Cavanagh had to say about teaming up with Will Truman.

Elisabeth Moss And Fred Armisen Are Engaged

Jake Kalish — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:27:00 GMT

Yay! But damn, everybody just found out they're dating. Couldn't they have waited a little while for the media to get adjusted?

We believe in the marriage of Moss and Armisen, despite the 16-year age difference. (He's 42, she's 26.) And Elisabeth Moss is clearly crazy about Fred Armisen:

"It happened just a few days ago," Moss just told usaweekend.com. "It's private, so I don't want to share the details of how it happened, but I will say it was perfect."

Yay! Yay!

PREVIOUSLY:

Elisabeth Moss And Fred Armisen, High On Our List Of Favorite Couples

"Mad Men" Cast Drops By "The Soup" or Why We Love Levar Burton

Lindy Parker — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:00:00 GMT

We take back everything we said about how lame the Mad Men acceptance speech at the Golden Globes was. They more than made up for it by sending the junior members (inexplicably accompanied by Levar Burton) to The Soup for a second try. Seriously, when Levar started playing hand-clap games with Joel McHale...well, we're not sure we've ever loved anyone more in our whole lives...

Elisabeth Moss and Fred Armisen, High On Our List Of Favorite Celebrity Couples

Jake Kalish — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:44:00 GMT

They're going out! And were spotted canoodling! We just really wanted to type the word "canoodling"!

According to the New York Post's Page Six, Fred Armisen of SNL and Elisabeth Moss of Mad Men were totally making out at the Vanity Fair Mad Men party. This was no random hookup, either: Moss was described as Armisen's "new girlfriend." So we did a little e-research, and discovered that indeed, Armisen and Moss are an item, and they like to play "Rock Band" together . Yes! Score one for funny dorks! We like this couple, a lot. Yes, we have previously complained about Armisen's Obama, but when Fred is not doing Barack (we mean in a comedic way, don't start no rumors) he's probably the funniest thing about the current SNL. And Moss is an amazing actress, insanely good in Mad Men. She deserves a funny dude like Fred Armisen, especially after all the Piven nonsense she's had to put up with on Speed The Plow. This is a lot of talent in one couple. Although we have to take issue with Page Six's surprise that "a shlumpy guy like Fred Armisen could pull babes." Fred Armisen is a funny musician on TV. Don't be so shocked.

PREVIOUSLY:

OUR SNL ARCHIVE

OUR MAD MEN ARCHIVE

"Mad Men" Creator Matthew Weiner Is Signed; Everybody Can Exhale

Jake Kalish — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:10:00 GMT

Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner has signed a seven-figure deal with producer Lions Gate Entertainment to bring arguably the best show on television back to television for a third and fourth season. (We said arguably, but please don't actually argue with us; we hate conflict.)

These were tough, long negotiations, and things seemed a little touch-and go for a while; Lions Gate and AMC were at least saying they had a Plan B in place to have Mad Men come back without Weiner. Which pretty much seems like a Plan Z - they needed him, and were just trying to get back some leverage. But a deal was reached without Weiner getting the reported $10 mil a year he was asking for - a wildly exorbitant price for a show on a small network like AMC which, despite all the critical acclaim, doesn't get huge ratings. As it is, this is the largest television deal Lions Gate has ever signed, and AMC is footing part of the bill.

So why didn't Weiner play hardball even harder and, um, ball-ier? Well, this show has a lot of momentum, which shouldn't be lost. And, in the end, Mad Men is his legacy. Also, seven figures is a lot of money. Don't count on your fingers. It's over a hundred dollars.

PREVIOUSLY:

OUR MAD MEN ARCHIVE

January Jones Does Vanity Fair a Favor

Joshua Alston of Newsweek Thinks There Are Too Many Antiheroes On TV

Jake Kalish — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:33:00 GMT

Well, we dig antiheroes - if Dexter Morgan or Don Draper are on TV, we be watching. But this is an excellent, thoughtful piece.

Jon Hamm And His Problem Hair

Bryan Christian — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:39:00 GMT

Does a dollop of Dapper Dan make TV's Don Draper the man?

"It's the bane of my existence. Goofy hair," he said in a self-deprecating interview with CNN. "It never looks good ... It's a pain."
Hamm says he's always worn his hair long, but had to cut it for AMC's TV series, [Mad Men] in which he plays a 1960s Madison Avenue ad executive. He says stylists on the show, armed with hair spray and blow dryers, mold his coiffure into a hard shell. Helmet hair has come in handy at work.
"I've had a piece of the set fall on my head and my hair didn't move," he said. "I had seven stitches in my head and my hair didn't move. That's impressive."

Totally. Jezebel notes that this news -- and the photos they've found to illustrate the point -- causes ladyboners to "fall down go boom." Prolly so, though as victims of bad hair ourselves, we have to note -- it's a chronic condition, sure, but it's not fatal and it is treatable.

Oh, one other thing: check out this image Jezebel pulled out to illustrate their post on Hamm's tonsorial woes...

... and tell us that between Hamm and Tina Fey, Lorne Michaels hasn't totally got the 2012 GOP ticket covered.

Good Grief! "Charlie Brown Christmas" Remix Turns Peanuts Gang On Its Head, "Mad Men" Style

Bryan Christian — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:38:00 GMT

Ever wanted to know what Good Ol' Charlie Brown would have been like if he'd worked in an ad agency? Well, for one thing, he occasionally nails his fellow employees. Take that, Don Draper!

Click through for the foulmouthed, very funny video!

Actually, we have to say: we can't be the first people to have seen this and thought: "you know, it's actually just this sort of existential nightmare of a life that Charles M. Schultz was obsessed with when he was writing Peanuts." Mean, anyone else read that shit lately? It's nightmarish, a line drawing reiteration of Sartre's observation that "hell is other people." So yeah, this version's got swearing, and booze, and ill-advised hookups with Charlie Brown. But still: kinda the same.

Oh, look: one of Gawker's commenters noticed too, posting the first ever (remarkably dismal) Peanuts daily strip underneath. Merry Christmas, everyone!

[via Gawker]

PREVIOUSLY
Hark! "A Charlie Brown Christmas" Is Back TONIGHT At 8PM On ABC!

Golden Globes: Hollywood Foreign Press Big Fans Of "True Blood", "In Treatment"?

Bryan Christian — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:49:00 GMT

Not sure we fully understand what's going on with today's list of Golden Globe noms. Big props for the nods to Dexter and Mad Men, particularly the Best Actress slot for January Jones -- whose superlative and subtle work, like Tricia Helfer's on Battlestar Galactica, is probably underappreciated because she's so damn hot. And, you know, all hail 30 Rock. But take a look at the rest of TV noms and ask yourself -- is that a line up of TV that you'd actually watch? (We know, we saw every episode of True Blood, yes; that doesn't mean we're happy about it.)

BTW: most phallic award ever?

Click through for the full list of nominations!

TELEVISION SERIES, DRAMA

Dexter
House
In Treatment
Mad Men
True Blood

ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES, DRAMA

Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
January Jones, Mad Men
Anna Paquin, True Blood
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES, DRAMA

Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, The Tudors

TELEVISION SERIES, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

30 Rock
Californication
Entourage
The Office
Weeds

ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Debra Messing, The Starter Wife
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Kevin Connolly, Entourage
David Duchovny, Californication
Tony Shalhoub, Monk

MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

A Raisin in the Sun
Bernard and Doris
Cranford
John Adams
Recount

ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Judi Dench, Cranford
Catherine Keener, An American Crime
Laura Linney, John Adams
Shirley MacLaine, Coco Chanel
Susan Sarandon, Bernard and Doris

ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Ralph Fiennes, Bernard and Doris
Paul Giamatti, John Adams
Kevin Spacey, Recount
Kiefer Sutherland, 24: Redemption
Tom Wilkinson, Recount

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Eileen Atkins, Cranford
Laura Dern, Recount
Melissa George, In Treatment
Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters
Dianne Wiest, In Treatment

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Denis Leary, Recount
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Blair Underwood, In Treatment
Tom Wilkinson, John Adams

Wake Up And Smile: OK, Who Totally Called The Jon Hamm On "30 Rock" Thing?

Bryan Christian — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:39:00 GMT

The beautiful thing about the internet is when you're right about something in advance, you got proof! And we were so right about Jon Hamm getting booked for 30 Rock after his increasingly impressive appearance on the Lorne Michaels mothership last weekend.

And when you're wrong, well, you can always hit "Unpublish." Assuming, of course, that you still work for the same blog, ha ha. Anyways, we got all that and more, plus: the latest show to probably get cancelled, what a couple of Battlestar and The Wire's best actors are up to, Lorelai Gilmore's Broadway plans, and the New York Times trying to steal our thunder. Jerks!

-- According to Entertainment Weekly (where we borrowed that image, thanks guys, we can't stand to look at Photoshop right now!), Jon Hamm is being courted for a multi-episode arc on 30 Rock. It's a match made in heaven, actually, considering how wonderful and ratings-challenged both Mad Men and 30 Rock are. Nothing succeeds like combined on-the-bubble-cult-status!

-- Speaking of predictions, the New York Times seems to think that The West Wing deserves points for predicting the whole Obama-vs.-McCain thing with the whole Santos-vs.-Winick thing in its final year. We say that since the really interesting part of the election cycle this year was the primaries, we fail to be impressed, and also QUIT HOGGING OUR SPOTLIGHT, NEW YORK TIMES!

--'Til Death might not have to wait too much longer. Sorry, Nathan Lane, maybe you can be fake gay on Old Christine!

-- Lauren Graham, "Guys and Dolls", Broadway, must save $110.

-- Mary McDonnell is apparently following up her run on Battlestar Galactica with a stint on Grey's Anatomy, while Robert Wisdom (aka The Wire's Bunny Colvin, the force behind much of Season Three) guested as an angel on Supernatural last night after spending last year on Prison Break. In the words of a great philosopher, you take the good, you take the bad...

Wake Up And Smile: Is Amy Poehler Coming Back To "SNL"?

Bryan Christian — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:30:00 GMT

We're just as suprised as you are. Though we bet we're happier! 'Cause we heart her more than you. No, really; we do.

PLUS: more on how Amy's absence affected SNL this weekend, why you should be worried for Mad Men's future, how DVR's may save some small shows, and a trip down memory lane with Steve Sanders and The Flaming Lips.

-- There was a lot of to be interested when Charlie Rose interviewed Lorne Michaels, Seth Meyers, Fred Armisen, Darrell Hammond, and James Downey last night, but the thing that piqued our interest the most? When Charlie asked when Amy Poehler was coming back and they were all, like, we don't know. Isn't she off to shoot a sitcom?

-- While we're on the subject, there's more on Saturday's excellent scramble of a show, as news surfaces of the havoc left by Ms. Poehler's absence. We note that we actually predicted that at least one sketch featuring Poehler and Maya Rudolph had to be scuttled, but are surprised to learn that Elisabeth Moss, playing her own role in the Mad Men bit, was in fact subbing for our favorite new mom.

-- And a bit of Mad Men news that should make no sense to anyone. Lionsgate wants to get rid of Matthew Weiner for asking for too much in his new contract. And yes, we're pretty sure that "too much" would probably cover Horatio Caine's sunglasses budget for a month.

-- DVR's are really wreaking havoc on viewership this year, particularly in the 10PM timeslots. Among the biggest timeshifted shows: Grey's Anatomy (no surprise there), Life, and Lipstick Jungle (huh?).

-- And finally, what does Ben Silverman do to save his flagging first season as NBC-runner? No, you twits, he doesn't go back to demanding pilots and completed scripts just to see if a show is really more than a good pitch or not... Fools. No, he's having recording artists "remix" the NBC theme song. Including The Flaming Lips. Do we care about this? Not really. But it does give us an excuse to post the Lips' infamous 90210 appearance. We've never really been fans of alternative music, but those guys really rock the house, right?

Wake Up And SNiLe: Were We The Only Ones Smelling Schweddy Balls This Saturday?

Bryan Christian — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:32:00 GMT

Saturday Night Live got a new boyfriend this weekend, and his name is Jon Hamm. And since it's basically all we care about this morning, let's just skip everything else and get to the get to, shall we?

First things first: WE LOVE YOU, AMY POEHLER! Even though you are officially now off the show, we eagerly await seeing everything you do from now until the end of time. Also: your child is the comedy Messiah, no matter what you say, don't keep him to yourself.

All right, got that off our chest. Moving on.

As for the show itself: we think that NBC has as much invested with the ratings success of Mad Men as AMC now that Jon Hamm has so clearly demonstrated that he can bring the same dashing gravitas to pure idiocy that Alec Baldwin got a second career out of. Whether he was playing a suburban neighbor, JFK, James Mason, or Don Draper himself, Hamm exuded the sort of focused ludicrousness that this show thrives on -- and that must have been a balm to producer Lorne Michaels, who clearly had to reshuffle the show at the last minute to accomodate Poehler's absence and was likely grateful that he didn't have a lemon on his hands. Actually, ha ha, that makes us realize: we fully expect to be reading of Hamm's getting booked for the season finale of 30 Rock now. Can't you just see him as, well, Don Draper, but in 2008 and for laughs, maybe trying to nail Liz Lemon while destroy Jack Donaghy? We sure can. We practically just saw it all over ourselves.

Now, the third major thing to happen on Saturday was the return of yet another cast member to the program. This time, it was Maya Rudolph, playing Michelle Obama in that "Obama Variety Show" bit.

Ok, so, it wasn't the most amazing sketch ever. It had some nice moments but not that many, and in fact, when we first watched SNL on DVR a few hours after air this weekend, we FF'd right through it at first because, well, it just looked like a stinker. Which it's not, actually, it's just not great. But is that enough for our old pal Salon Sarah to ask whether the show's gone "limp"? "In a slump"? Just because the show can't do enough with Maya Rudolph as Michelle Obama?

We're huge fans of Rudolph's, who in films like Idiocracy has proven that she had skills that were never given a proper airing live from New York, but we have a hard time extrapolating anything from her reappearance in this, a week whose production was so clearly reshuffled at the last-minute that Coldplay, the musical guest, appeared four times. (Once more, and we're pretty sure they'd have resorted to playing U2 covers. Zing!) Maybe Rudolph was in some Poehler sketch that got replaced? Heck, let's not forget: Maya Rudolph couldn't get enough decent exposure on the laziest of weeks when she was on staff. Returning in the middle of the most heated political season in decades, on a week when the show's MVP disappears at the last minute? If this were baseball, there'd be a couple asterisks on this episode, so it's hard to hold anything against 'em for not making more of her.

We're not even sure that there's a case to be made that the returns to the show of Rudolph, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell or Chris Parnell prove anything about there being a dearth of good performers, which our wise and esteemed colleague and her wise and esteemed colleagues seem to imply. This ain't Dan Ackroyd coming back to play Bob Dole in a surpriseless incumbent election where Norm MacDonald, the original guy to play Dole, is starting to get squeezed out of the show. There's something historic beginning and ending here -- in the White House, in the electorate, and on the show -- and if this affords former cast members the right to a final victory lap, all the better. (Particularly Ferrell, who as we've noted before, defined something about 43 as astutely as Dana Carvey defined 41.)

In the end, it comes down to this: it's always tempting to say SNL's seen its day, but we gotta say, if "Vincent Price's Halloween Special" is the product of a slump, then give us the slump any day.

The Weekly Rewind: Seriously, Is This Election Over Yet?

Ben Kallen — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:30:00 GMT

Nope, not yet! TV's still all about politics -- and, on the other hand, distracting ourselves from politics -- as we'll find out when we recall the highlights of the week.

We watched hot Sarah Palin on SNL, and she was funnier than the average guest host. Coming soon: Ellen Show dancer Barack Obama. Too bad one of these two will be elected soon -- we smell comedy team! (Don't forget to add this guy.)

Opie Cunningham came back through time from 30-plus years ago! (To, um, tell us how to vote today.)

We watched the season premiere of 30 Rock -- before it aired on TV! The Internet is cool.

We heard that someone still doesn't like the looks of Dancing With the Stars' Cheryl Burke. Someone crazy.

...Or else maybe Dancing is cursed.

We set Lance Bass against Joey Fatone, and Dwight against Gareth. Remember, no talking about Fight Club!

We heard that Lindsay Lohan's having problems -- and this time, it's personal.

We saw the new CSI tech naked, which probably means she'll be murdered off soon.

We heard that William Shatner got into a spat with George Takei. Did you know they used to work together?

Just like Desmond, we predicted what's going to happen next on Lost.

We saw a preview of 50 Cent's new show, and it was kind of like business school. Heck, the guy's name is money.

We got mad at Fringe for being too much like other shows, but then realized that without other shows, it wouldn't be about anything.

What the hell, AMC? You say you're bringing back Mad Men, but neither the creator nor the actors have contracts yet? Is that any way to treat the best show on TV?

We wondered why anyone would want to dress like this lady anyway.

More Dexter, yay! More Knight Rider -- huh?

We saw Se cond Becky give a loud kiss-off to Ted on How I Met Your Mother. We love ya, sister, but please do not get back with J.D. on Scrubs.

And we noticed that House and Gray's Anatomy have figured out what we really want in a medical series: girl-on-girl action.

But not this kind.

Previously:
The Weekly Rewind: Everyone's a Comedian

Goodbye to All That

Ben Kallen — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:10:00 GMT

A funny thing happened at The Remote Island today: Your pal Ben woke up from a coma, only to discover that he was trapped in the year 1962 and was working in the TV division of an ad agency. He tried to get back home -- for about five minutes, until he saw his big office and secretary and expense account for martini-soaked steak lunches. What are you gonna do?

Actually, he really does have a new job, and this is his last day as a regular contributor to his favorite TV site. He'll still send in occasional dispatches when he can, especially when he sees something fun, funny or stupid he wants to share with all of you.

In the meantime, he wants you to know that he'll miss your pageviews, your comments and, especially, the feeling of community that comes from knowing that in this big, wide, complex world, everyone's watching the same junk -- and occasional excellent programming -- as everyone else.

"Simpsons" Season Premiere Titles To Feature "Mad Men" Inspired Couch Sequence

Bryan Christian — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:30:00 GMT

Lord, are we happy they're putting this in the opening credits, and not jamming it in the middle of the story, you know, when they could be telling actual jokes. You guys remember their Sopranos episode, right? Where they did the entire driving sequence opener from the show? Cripes, that was interminable.

[Best Week Ever via Videogum]

"Mad Men" Actors Don't Have Contracts, Either

Ben Kallen — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:20:00 GMT

As we reported last week, American Movie Classics made a deal to bring Mad Men back for a third season, even though they haven't managed to negotiate a new contract with writer-creator Matthew Weiner. But now it turns out that there's another little detail they sort of forgot about: the actors.

According to Fox entertainment journalist Roger Friedman, "the network has no agreements with [Emmy-nominated] stars Jon Hamm and John Slattery, or any of the other cast members."

What? Um, how the heck do they expect to make the show then?

Of course, Mad Men has one of the best ensemble casts on television, and any of the actors would be sorely missed if AMC couldn't cut a deal with them. But Friedman points out that Don Draper himself might be the most difficult to bring back. "Hamm in particular poses a problem since he's turned into a huge breakout star. If Mad Men ended right now, the 36-year-old actor could go to movies and easily become the next George Clooney. This puts AMC and [coproducer Lionsgate Pictures] in a strange position to renegotiate Hamm's contract. It's going to cost them more than they've probably ever paid for anything."

We mentioned before that doing the show without Weiner at the helm would be nearly impossible. Still, maybe the other writers could hack it -- the way Peggy managed to take over for Don on the show this week while he was off on his vision quest. But to do the show without Draper himself, the mighty -- and mighty conflicted -- lead character? What would be the point?

We're waiting to see what's going to happen with all this, but it doesn't look good. And with all the crapola on TV these days, the idea that a small cable channel couldn't be bothered to negotiate contracts for its showcase series -- one of the best dramas of the decade -- just kinda sucks.

Previously:
Oh Noes!! The Future of Mad Men May Be in Doubt
Mad Men: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

"Mad Men": The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Ben Kallen — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:20:00 GMT

This was another episode full of seemingly small events stacked on top of each other. And yet so much actually occurred: We got the answers to who the woman was who confronted Don back when he worked in the car dealership, who he sent that book of poetry to, and who he called using his own name last week -- and they were all the same person. We met the first purely nice character we've seen since the show began. But we also saw one of the worst things ever to happen on this show, and it was awful.

Betty's at home, paying bills and yelling at the kids. She catches Sally smoking in the bathroom, and is furious that her daughter would do something she herself does about 20 times a day. Sally really, really wants her daddy to come home, and senses that Betty's lying when she says Don's on a "trip," although at this point he actually is. But Don's absence doesn't keep Betty from using him to pull a guilt trip on Sally, saying how disappointed he'd be in her.

So where is Don? He's getting off a bus in San Pedro, California. He's apparently finished with the rich young hottie and her Eurotrash friends from last week, and thank goodness for that.

In a flashback, we see him meeting with the woman who accosted him at the car dealership long ago, the one who said she knew he wasn't Don Draper. And no wonder: That was the real Don Draper's wife, Anna. She's a little scared to be alone with him, but she wants to know the truth about what happened to her husband. So Don tells her: The real Don Draper died in combat, and there was a mix-up in identities that he never corrected because he wanted to escape his own life.

Apparently, she was okay with this. And now, as Don visits with her in the present, they seem awfully cozy together. It seems he gave her some money way back when, and they got to be close. And as they talk, he's more open and honest with her than he's ever been with anyone. Of course, she's the only person who knows him for who he really is. He admits that he ruined everything with his wife and kids, and that he essentially disowned his brother. He's been watching his life, he says, but he can't get into it.

Back in New York, Peggy calls a meeting in her Xerox-equipped office, which the others call a "storage closet." They're trying to get the Popsicle account, and Peggy clearly has some great ideas, despite the constant stream of secretaries flowing in and out. Then a Xerox repairman comes by and bawls her out for misusing the fine machine, thinking her proximity means she's the Secretary in Charge of Making Copies.

Trudy has made an appointment with an adoption agency, and Pete is pi-i-i-issed. "We are not adopting a child, and that is final!" he whines, before throwing his dinner out the upper-level apartment window, where it literally could have killed someone below. Later, his father-in-law calls, and suggests that he's putting the Clearasil account "up for review." Basically, he's blackmailing Pete into adopting a child, and doing whatever else it might take to make Trudy happy. Pete can see where this is headed, and tells him to go ahead and pull the account if that's what it would take to keep it.

Joan and her fiance Greg are in bed. We've already seen that he doesn't like it when she gets too assertive at work, and now we find out that he doesn't like that sort of thing when it comes to sex, either. He wants to know where she learned whatever it is she's doing -- implying, essentially, that she's a slut. Apparently he's been "tired" a lot lately too. Now he just turns away from her and sulks.

Another flashback with Don and Anna -- it's Christmas, and they're exchanging presents. He tells her he met a girl -- it's Betty -- and intends to marry her, which Anna seems genuinely happy about. Except he needs Anna to "divorce" him, since, on paper at least, he's her husband. She's nice as hell -- if he were smart, he would have stayed fake-married to her. But it's kind of telling that the only woman he's ever been completely honest with is also the only one he's apparently never slept with. He promises to keep taking care of her, and seems to mean it.

At the Popsicle meeting, Peggy's in charge, and they're telling the clients that Don's "under the weather." She goes with a sentimental campaign that's about how people feel good when they break Popsicles apart and share the two halves. It's a very Don Draperish idea -- she's really been learning. It works, and they get the account.

Later, Peggy grabs Roger in the hall and tells him that now that she's a copywriter, and is bringing in business, she needs a real office of her own. She asks for Freddy Rumson's, which has been vacant for a while. (Amazing how none of the other sharks have scooped it up yet.) He agrees, and her climb up the ladder of power and status continues.

Joan brings Greg to the office on the way to dinner, and introduces him to Roger and Peggy. Roger's familiar talk with Joan clues Greg in to the fact that the two of them have a history together. He takes her into Don's office to play "boss and secretary," but his idea of romance goes sour fast. He pushes her onto the floor and starts forcing her to submit, despite her protests. He basically rapes her, as she stares at the wall blankly. It only lasts a few seconds, but it's the most horrible of all the horrible things that've happened on this show so far.

Betty calls Sarabeth, her friend from the stable, presumably to talk about sending Sally to private school. She mentions that Arthur's getting married soon. Sarabeth knows, and is terribly upset about it. We remember a couple of weeks ago, when Betty sublimated her own crush on Arthur by setting him up with Sarabeth, even though she's married too. Sarabeth admits she made a "terrible mistake" with Arthur. And good ol' Betty gets all self-righteous and nasty about it, despite the fact that she basically pushed the two of them together. "You're an awful woman, you know that?" Sarabeth replies. At this point, it's true.

Peggy moves into her new office, and all the other writers are brimming with envy about her major leap forward. Joan, who's holding down the fort at Don's office next door, may also be jealous, but is keeping it to herself. Meanwhile, Peggy tells her what a great guy Greg seems to be, and Joan tries to sound upbeat about him. The only question now is whether this vibrant, formerly independent woman will stay with a monster because she's 31 and single, and he looks so good on the outside.

At a partners' meeting to vote on the merger, Cooper's sister wants to know where Don is. She's condescending toward Roger, who just wants the money to live with his 20-year-old fiancee. And Cooper himself, who realizes he's being put out to pasture, isn't happy about the merger at all. But with the exception of absent Don's 12.5 percent share, it goes through unanimously.

At Anna's in the present, she's dealng tarot cards. And look, there's the copy of Meditations in an Emergency Don sent her. "You are part of the world," she tells him after turning over a particularly meaningful card. "The only thing keeping you from being happy is the belief that you are alone." While he'd like things to be different, he's doubtful it can happen. "People don't change," he says.

Trying to seem like she's not an awful person after all -- and beginning to think that Don may never come home -- Betty makes nice with Sally. She gives her daughter a new pair of riding boots, and then finally tells her the truth, that they've had a fight and Don's gone away. Sally takes it surprisingly well.

Wearing pants but no shirt, Don walks into the ocean. He raises his arms to the sun, as if trying to be reborn. But he's done that before. So can people change or not? Looks like he's going to show us, either way.

Previously:
Mad Men: California Dreamin'

The Weekly Rewind: Everyone's a Comedian

Ben Kallen — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 21:40:00 GMT

The comedians made fun of the candidates, the candidates went on comedy shows, and everyone seemed to think that being serious was the same as raising taxes. Meanwhile, the new TV season was still going strong, except that maybe nobody was watching. We'll try to make sense of it all -- and be funny! -- as we bring you the highlights of the week.

We decided that whoever wins the popular vote, comedy will take the election. We were hoping for a late-night foursome, but still enjoyed seeing John McCain finally make it to Dave Letterman's comedy hot seat. We enjoyed the debate, but were a little disappointed by the inevitable follow-up spoof on Saturday Night Live. We watched as Tina Fey tried to beg off impersonating Sarah Palin, but she couldn't help telling Dave how she does it. And it didn't matter, because Sarah Palin's coming to SNL herself -- and she'll probably take over 30 Rock next.

We were surprised when Mark Wahlberg lost his sense of humor entirely. But we had to admit, that was kinda funny, too.

We read all about Maureen McCormick's life of sex, drugs and Marcia Brady. Then we heard her talk about it, and, wow. Just wow.

But while Marcia got Davy Jones to come to her prom, the High School Musical kids had to settle for Tom Cruise.

We were happy that the fashion world agrees with our passion for Mad Men's curvy dynamo Christina Henricks. But we worried about the show itself.

We noticed that The Profiler still cuts a great profile. And Lisa Bonet made us think of a pun that we'll keep to ourselves.

Despite the fact that 15-year-old Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen seems defensive about her weight and still dresses like a 30-year-old model for Mode magazine, we decided she's probably better-adjusted than we are. As for 15-year-old Miley Cyrus, we're not so sure.

And George Hamilton's tale of 12-year-old stepmother sex? That was some time ago, but yikes.

We saw photos of some kids playing Star Trek, and hoped the actual movie would look a lot better.

We saw Cinemax's new zilly, zmutty zex-fest, and decided that literary porn is just like regular porn, but boring.

We thought it was cute that the stars of Gossip Girl think we care what they think.

We heard Blake Lewis deliver a smackdown on American Idol. (Remember? He was that beatbox guy? With the vests?)

And we saw Paris in London, but couldn't figure out how to get them to keep her.

Previously:
The Weekly Rewind: Like Kissing Your Sister

Oh Noes!! The Future of "Mad Men" May Be in Doubt

Ben Kallen — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 20:55:00 GMT

Here's some lousy news: The third season of Mad Men, which many fans consider to be the best show on television right now, is looking iffy. So what happened to creator Matthew Weiner's five-year plan to take the characters through the entire '60s?

According to the New York Post, Weiner hasn't been able to come to a deal with AMC and Lionsgate Pictures. No scripts have been written, and there's no starting production date or air date set for another season. The paper suggests that the Emmy-winning drama might jump to Showtime or HBO, where Weiner worked on The Sopranos.

Meanwhile, Variety has a whole different take on the situation: It's reporting that AMC has "formerly exercised its option for a third season," and will bring the show back whether or not Weiner is aboard. Which is great, except that Weiner writes or cowrites most of the episodes, and it's his sensibility that the show chiefly reflects. Frankly, Mad Men without him would be like Sterling Cooper without Don Draper: It might still exist, but who would care?

Let's hope this is all sorted out sooner rather than later. 1964 is approaching fast, and we darn well want to see it!

Previously:
Mad Men: California Dreamin'
The Future of Mad Men Revealed

We Called It: Christina Hendricks of "Mad Men" Is a Fashion Icon

Ben Kallen — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:20:00 GMT

We're not the only ones who noticed Christina Hendricks, Mad Men's bodacious chief secretary Joan, busting out at the Emmy Awards. The model-turned-actress, who's barely contained by the show's intricate early-'60s lingerie and major-league dresses, has become a new sex symbol for an era in which thinness is valued over natural curves.

According to the New York Post's Page Six Magazine, Hendricks is "being compared to glamorous old-Hollywood starlets like Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe." And the Emmys were a "monumental night" for her. "Decked out in an emerald-hued Tadashi Shoji gown, [she] had one of those red carpet breakout moments fantasized about by fashionistas everywhere. Thanks to the way she was poured into the dress—complete with major 'look at me' cleavage—she was catapulted to the top of the night's best-dressed lists as the epitome of old-Hollywood elegance.

"Still," the magazine adds, "that's not to say she hasn't been pressured to jump on the starve-yourself bandwagon. 'I was a model for years, and even when I was 19 years old and 115 pounds [and 5´8˝], my agency said, "Your ankles are a little large. If you could lose 10 pounds, that would be really great,"' she says. 'I've always had boobs and hips, even when I was 115 pounds. And here I am, much heavier than when I was modeling, and all of a sudden people are giving me positive feedback. Sure, I'd be happier with 10 pounds off—wouldn't every woman? But at the same time, when I looked at myself in those red carpet pictures, I thought, "Oh my God, I looked beautiful." I didn't tear myself apart.' "

We say, good for her. And, for that matter, good for Joan Holloway, whose mixture of competence, confidence and vulnerability makes her one of the most interesting characters on TV today. As the show's Paul Kinsey said, "Marilyn's really a Joan, not the other way around."

Oh, and something else Christina's happy about? Her boyfriend, actor Geoffrey Arend, who'll soon be appearing in a new show... about advertising. Sorry, guys.

Photo: Brian Bowen Smith, Page Six Magazine

Previously:
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