As magazines begin to compile their "best of 2009" features, it should come as no surprise that Breaking Bad is ending up on everyone's mind. Esquire's "Best & Brightest" December issue features Aaron Paul among four Breakout Actors this year. Referring to the Season 2 scene where Jesse wakes to find Jane dead, the magazine states, "During a few moments of raw, unwatchable anguish, Paul does the damnedest thing: He makes you want to watch..."
Not to be outdone, The A.V. Club compiled a list of the best television series of the '00s, in which Breaking Bad stole the No. 6 spot (just below AMC's Mad Men at No. 5). "Few shows have proven as skillful as Breaking Bad at stringing together memorable scenes," the article explains. "The actors help imbue the life and times of a dying man with the sort of powerful drama that keeps viewers rapt between big moments that can take a whole season to play out. But as Breaking Bad showed with its masterful second season, it's always worth the wait."
]]>AMCtv.com awards the Talk forum commenters quoted in our weekly "What You're Saying" post with prizes like a Breaking Bad hat (limit one per person).
Fans this week dissected the three new teaser trailers for Season 3, made some predictions about their favorite characters and dissected the relationship between Walt and Hank.
"Just saw the teaser promos for season 3 of Breaking Bad! First of all, who are the Mexican guys? The ones who found Tuco's grille? Or Tuco's cousins perhaps? Or members of the cartel? And secondly, why would Walt burn his money?" -- James26
"I think Skyler and the baby died in the crash, hence the focus on the pink bear and crash aftermath in the intros throughout the season. Walt may eventually bring Walt Jr./Flynn on board since he started breaking by drinking. Hank seems to be pretty set on being good, but he allowed Jr. to have a couple and is getting dissatisfied in his new post." -- Narstification
"This show has profoundly human characters who are continually forced to make tough choices over and over again. The character dynamics of Walt and Hank within the family going from Alpha Male to a Calm Follower is a specifically interesting role reversal -- one I only recently picked up on." -- Brian
Log onto the Talk forum to join in any of these conversations or start a Breaking Bad topic of your own.
]]>Got any burning questions for two of the stars of Breaking Bad? Well, now's your chance to ask. Two-time Emmy-winner Bryan Cranston and Emmy nominee Aaron Paul are taking some time out from their Season 3 shoot to chat with their online fans. Leave your queries in the comments section below by Thursday, Nov. 19 at 11:59 PM. We'll select a few for the dynamic duo to answer. (If you're lucky, you may hear Bryan or Aaron read your question aloud in an upcoming web video!) It's all building up to the Season 3 premiere in March 2010. So put your thinking caps on, and in the words of Walter White, "Apply yourself!"
March 2010 feels a long way away. Until then, you can make do with these three teaser promos for the Season 3 of Breaking Bad. Get a glimpse of the fiery path that lies ahead for Walt when one business partner makes him an offer that's tough to refuse. It's just the thing to whet your appetite for another season. Now if only March would get here already.
The actor explains what it takes to be a cleaner, dishes on his kiss with another (male) Breaking Bad cast member and hints at the biggest mess he's ever had to clean up in AMCtv.com's exclusive interview.
Q: Your character is a pretty mysterious guy. What did Vince Gilligan tell you about him?
A: Well knowing me, Vince has wisely told me very little. [Laughs] Obviously he's a cleaner who comes in to take care of the mess. I don't know much more than that. But in the footnotes it did say we will learn more about him in the next season. That's all I know at this moment.
Q: One of the most famous cleaners in pop culture is Harvey Keitel's character in Pulp Fiction. Did you take any notes from him?
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With the Season 2 encores of Breaking Bad underway, remember to check out all the episode-related material we have online.
• Watch a video recap of Episode 13
• Watch Inside Breaking Bad for Episode 13
• Check out Hank's Blog post, "Happy Trails"
• Take the Season 2 Episode 13 Trivia Quiz
• Join the conversation about this episode on the Talk forum or start a Breaking Bad topic of your own. As always, your comments throughout the blog are most welcome
]]>AMCtv.com awards the Talk forum commenters quoted in our weekly "What You're Saying" post with prizes like a Breaking Bad hat (limit one per person).
Fans this week were discussing Hank's mental strength, wondering how much more realistic Breaking Bad could get, and sharing what they're doing to sate their Bad appetites between seasons.
"Hank's character had all the bravado he needed when it counted. He was up against a machine gun, and he took cover then got his shot. He also had enough courage and presence of mind to tie that guy's leg seconds after that bomb went off blowing up 3 agents." -- kevin o
"I think it would be an interesting experience to be on this show. While they are somewhat accurate in their portrayal of the worst side of 14-dayer life, there is still much to be 'desired.' Wonder how much realism the audience could handle." -- noone2noone
"TOO LONG TO WAIT. It's like I've been off meth for months now and I need a fix BAD. Actually a good book to read to fill in the time is "Methland" by Nick Reding. Pretty eye-opening look at the entire industry and middle America." -- opiedog
Log onto the Talk forum to join in any of these conversations or start a Breaking Bad topic of your own.
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The National Cancer Coalition's President Rob Landry and Corporate Relations Manager Jim Hollis discuss the Save Walter White website (which links to their charity's website), their work helping patients battle cancer, and what those patients could learn from Walter White in AMCtv.com's exclusive interview.
Q: What kinds of services does the National Cancer Coalition provide to cancer patients?
JH: We take donated money and make it available to cancer institutes to go to meeting the unmet needs of cancer patients. For example, you have some patients that have to travel a great distance for chemo treatments or radiation. And with the price of gas it's kind of expensive. So a lot of people are not doing their treatments because they can't afford to. So this money goes to help them with gas, with lodging, with some of the medicines that insurance doesn't cover, and just kind of helps them to complete their battle with cancer.
Q: How did you hear about Breaking Bad?
]]>With the Season 2 encores of Breaking Bad underway, remember to check out all the episode-related material we have online.
• Watch a video recap of Episode 12
• Watch Inside Breaking Bad for Episode 12
• Check out Hank's Blog post, "An Innocent Man"
• Take the Season 2 Episode 12 Trivia Quiz
• Join the conversation about this episode on the Talk forum or start a Breaking Bad topic of your own. As always, your comments throughout the blog are most welcome
]]>AMCtv.com awards the Talk forum commenters quoted in our weekly "What You're Saying" post with prizes like a Breaking Bad hat (limit one per person).
Fans this week wondered whether Donald would seek revenge on Jesse for his daughter's death, debated Walt's definition of "bad" and discussed the possibility Walt may be getting a new partner in Season 3.
"I think its important to define the difference between what society considers 'bad' and what Walt considers 'bad'. We watch this man as the world corners him and leaves him no other options. People who live a life of crime don't prefer that lifestyle but feel as though its the only option, a necessity. They don't consider it 'bad'. Walt's primary goal has always been to provide for his family. To him, this justifies the lies and deceit." -- clayism
"Interesting to think that Donald might go after Jesse. Let's not forget that it was Jane who dragged Jesse into the heroin bit -- not that a father would want to hear that about his little girl." -- dwt
"Assuming that Walt will keep cooking in S3, he is going to need a source for precursors now that he and Jesse used up all of their methylamine in their 4-day marathon cook session. Perhaps [the assitant] will provide a business connection to purchase/divert the needed chemicals without the risk of another midnight break-in at the local chem supplier?" -- ellisdtripp
Log onto the Talk forum to join in any of these conversations or start a Breaking Bad topic of your own.
]]>The actor known for his role as Q on Star Trek discusses a father's worst nightmare, the nature of panic and how his Breaking Bad role has changed his perception of airplane travel in AMCtv.com's exclusive interview.
Q: What made you want to be in Breaking Bad?
A: [Casting director] Sharon Bialy had told me, "If you get this, you'll get an opportunity to do things you don't usually get to do." And she was right. I usually play the sort of hard-boiled guy who is forcing situations -- I'm not usually playing the person in reaction.
Q: Donald goes through a father's worst nightmare. As a father yourself, what was that like to portray?
]]>With the Season 2 encores of Breaking Bad underway, remember to check out all the episode-related material we have online.
• Watch a video recap of Episode 11
• Watch Inside Breaking Bad for Episode 11
• Check out Hank's Blog post, "It's About Freaking Time"
• Take the Season 2 Episode 11 Trivia Quiz
• Join the conversation about this episode on the Talk forum or start a Breaking Bad topic of your own. As always, your comments throughout the blog are most welcome
]]>AMCtv.com awards the Talk forum commenters quoted in our weekly "What You're Saying" post with prizes like a Breaking Bad hat (limit one per person).
Fans this week were discussing the relevance of Hank throwing away Tuco's grill in Episode 5 of Season 2, and praising about the characters they love to hate.
"As much as I love Hank's character -- the macho, hard ass, and bombast DEA Agent -- Hank has sold a beautifully crafted lie. Although, one cannot live a lie forever. The facade he built up was no match for the after-effects of killing Tuco. Regardless of his attempt to hide his feelings, Hank has been scarred. By hurling Tuco's diamond encrusted oral appliance into the Rio Grande, Hank was attempting to cast off the haunting memories of his encounter with Tuco." -- PiNkMaNs89MonteCarlo
"The grill might open everything up, because the dealers in Juarez still haven't really shown up in town. Remember Hank said, 'They better hope we (DEA) get to them (dealers aka Walt & Jesse) before the boys in Juarez do.' I believe we saw a brief glimpse when the informant played by Danny Trejo had his head cut off and put on the exploding tortoise. -- dweezler
"I hope that we see more of Saul Goodman, a great character. He seems to be a man convinced of his own superiority and smarts. He may not be as smart as he thinks. The loss of Tuco was a major disappointment, but understandable. A person so out of control was bound to come to a violent and senseless end." -- Joseph F. McNulty
Log onto the Talk forum to join in any of these conversations or start a Breaking Bad topic of your own.
]]>You've seen all the sights -- the plane crashes, the bodies in tubs, the ATM machines -- but what about the dialogue? Breaking Bad has no shortage of notable quotables, not the least of which belong to Jesse's droll landlord and girlfriend, Jane.
What are your favorite Janeisms from the second season? Let us know in the comments section (along with the season and episode it came from), and you'll be entered in a random drawing to win Breaking Bad swag like hats and magnets. In addition, your entries could end up being saved for posterity on the Breaking Bad site.
]]>With the Season 2 encores of Breaking Bad underway, remember to check out all the episode-related material we have online.
• Watch a video recap of Episode 10
• Watch Inside Breaking Bad for Episode 10
• Check out Hank's Blog posts, "When Drinking and Pools Collide" and "Ridiculous Date Scenarios"
• Take the Season 2 Episode 10 Trivia Quiz
• Join the conversation about this episode on the Talk forum or start a Breaking Bad topic of your own. As always, your comments throughout the blog are most welcome
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