Awesome! We have a winner! I think I'll just erase my videos now... :)

Exemplary. I’m inspired… I've just clicked your "vote for this". I just couldn't stop myself. This isn’t over yet. Let’s get serious.

Nice job!!

Nice. Remember the leader of the Heaven's Gate cult? Do a Google search. :)

I'm in the competition as well. You have my vote and my congratulations. Great work man! You should win this.

Don,well I was going to use B/W but I guess I'm SOL on this one ...Great Job !!!!

Thanks for the kind words people. I want to credit Nicholas Williams of "BlueNickel" prod who DP'd, lit and did all post editing. Nicholas is fourteen years old.

This guy rocks it! He's the one.

I would put my money on this Pugsley guy. Cool, very cool. Congradulations to Nichols as well good work. What a great concept.

Don, you did a great job and the editing is outstanding. The music really sets the mood. If you would've pulled out a Tommy gun at the end and sprayed the bar it would have been perfect.

Don ain't no Betty...he's better!!
Watch Out!
Nicholas...don't stop doing what you love to do...you're Great at it!

Hey everyone This is Nicholas. Editing this presentation was fun for both me and Mr. Pugsley. Plus, this cost him practically nothing so if any of you people are EVER in the los angeles area, give me an email at Nicholas@williamsmadhouse.com

*If you are out of town, you can send me the footage i will edit it and send it back*

Excellent! I love it. Great work, Don. Nicholas, you have found your calling. Again, kudos to you both.

Mad Men rocks!! Don is clearly one of the great character actors of our time. Congratulations on an excellent video folks- Juli
p.s. a 14 yr old post editor?! whoa

Aren't you already on the show? No? Well, you, sir, should be - they need you!

nicholas- big things coming your way..

Nice watching an "old" pro.....

Ok I couldn't sleep thinking about this entry so - I'm thinking what was I doing at 14? Riding my bicycle and wishing it was a motorscooter. I'm voting for Nicholas the editor to get the shows Producer, Director and Editing team to give this kid a break and let him spend a few weeks around you. What were you doing when you were 14?

As for this Pugsley guy.... I say every show needs a hard core detective or hard ass to set one of the characters straight and shake them up a bit. This Betty is a creative stand out.

Love the show.

"What were you doing when you were 14?"
Nothing productive that's for sure! With todays technology affordable to the masses, kids can make major motion pictures in their bedroom! It all comes down to the writing.....
I think Nicholas should write some short films featuring Pugsley. He's got the Actor and the ability to put it together.
I'd like to see that! Of course he'll have to make it G rated or he won't be able to get into the premiere.

I am totally blown away.
Sincerity.
Sadness.
Simplicity.
Did I mention...PERFECT!!!!!

Good luck!

POWERFUL performance. Man, where have you been hiding????

Way to go Mr. Pugsley! I am a big fan! We have a winner!

Don, you inspired me to give it a shot - thx -V

Thank you for the kind words. Where have I been hiding? In plain sight. My recent credits include lead bad guy in Steven Sonderbergh's "The Good German" (with George Clooney). I appeared in episodes of "ER" and "Boston Legal" this season. If the computer will take it, here is my IMDb.com web page... http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0700130/

Good luck to all. the competition appears to be heating up.

See you on MADMEN, Don!

P.

Love the music. Love the lamp. That Pugsley guy ain't too bad either. Grizzled veteran teams with young phenom and the results are magic. Noir now and forever.

At first I thought - WHOA what is this - is this guy kidding. Truly original slant on the role. Obviously you have the chops - a phenomenal actor- but how do you look in a skirt???

Sorry Don. You may have the best video here and are arguably the best actor here but you don't get my vote. You've been doing for thirty years what the rest of these people are just dreaming of doing. These young ladies and gentlemen are hoping for a shot...you've had yours. You really don't belong in this competition. No offense. The young man that you worked with..that's a different story. He's an up and coming player.

Just re-read the rules and didn't see a thing about "too old" or "too experienced" or "too professional" not being eligible to compete.

Don't vote for me if my talent or vision or concepts lack, but to not vote for me be because of my age or experience, well, I think that's called prejudice.

As for punishing Nick because he teamed with me and, I dare say, learned from me, what's he supposed to do, continue in his ignorance by sharing your arrogance?

What's next, CurtisCurtis, no vote for Robert Manning Jr. (who's polished and professional) or Victoria Charter (elegant delivery, imaginative editing) because he's of color or she's a woman?

Let me know when your video is up, CC, and I'll judge it solely on its merits. That's all I ask from you.

Nicely put Don.

I don't see why "too experienced" or "too professional" should have any bearing. I too have worked professionally as an actor without being a household name, does that disqualify us?

IMDB

Don's submission inspired me to put one together. I enjoy a challenge and want to practice new skills (I shot & edited my submission myself) and the best way to do that is to get out there and do something.

oh ... one thing I forgot ... I found out about the competition since it is posted as a job listing on www.nowcasting.com
Now Casting
- a site that actors like myself regularly go to to self submit for film, tv and other projects ... so, sorry CC but it looks like the powers that be actually WANT profesional actors like Don and me in the competition, and they want it to heat up since they are soliciting our submissions.

Peace and good luck - V

How is this submission not the vote leader? This was a one-minute complete little movie, and it's beautiful. Don certainly has my vote (and Nicholas too)!

Don,

Thank you for your nice comment and no, I absolutely don't mind. It means a lot coming from anyone and especially you. It's a blessing people have responded to me and you the way they have. I just read your latest comments and I do have to agree it is odd you would be punished for excellent lighting, editing and an amazing performance. I think that was the point of the competition. Who cares how experienced or inexperienced or old or young you are? People are responding to you because it's good work. You set the bar very high and I believe it makes people like me want to jump and catch it. Thanks again for your comment.

Rob

Howdy Mr. Pugsley. referenced you on my video page...hope you don't mind. Ignore the hoopla about experienced folks posting...i'm not experienced and I love the competition. yours got me amped do another! From one military vet to another...maybe you'll appreciate the one i submitted this Sunday.... assuming it goes through without a hitch... again - nice work.

D . O'Leary

I agree with curtiscurtis.

The quality may be good, but why would AMC award a "walk on role" to a 30 year pro who was just in a film with George Clooney, "ER", and "Boston Legal"?

On the other hand, why would a so-called "professional" continue responding to a bunch of bloggers like they were critics for the New York Times?

What's next for you, Don? Are you and Nick going to go stand in line to see if you can star on the next "American Idol"?

Here's a hint: Let the kid sing first.

Actually, Lou, tomorrow Nick and I will be trying to get on "Price Is Right". Got any pointers?

I hear Tiger Woods just won a miniature golf tournament in Hoboken. Didn't see that coming.

Please accept my apologies Don. When I read some of your statements earlier it sounded like you were a successful full time actor - I didn't know you were a registered nurse and a soon to be personal trainer- so you definitely do belong in this competition with all of the others trying to make their mark. I guess that's the curse of the actor-always searching for that one shot that will put him or her over the top.And by the way, I did say your video and your acting were arguably the best here- no problems at all with your age or your experience.( No slam at all intended about being a nurse-it is probably one of the most honorable professions on the planet.)

No need to apologize, CC. When I'm not lucky being an actor, I am an RN and I do personal training and, like they say, "don't quit your day job" and I haven't. I've been a member of that long, gray line of character actors for 25 years now, a smarter guy would have bagged it a long time ago.

I discovered this "contest" when I was prowling the site after watching the first season of "MM" on DVD. Sincerely, my motivation wasn't to win a "walk on" or "an all expense trip to Los Angeles" (which is where I live).

No, my goal was to make the best video I could make and maybe get a little career exposure out of the deal. That the response has been so overwhelmingly favorable has warmed the cockles of my heart.

And quite honestly, bloggers can give me all the crap they want...after all, it runs up my "comment count".

Great acting and wonderful filmmaking. I love your choices.

This is a genuine curiosity, with no sarcastic intention. The contest rules state that, "Submission must not violate...music copyrights,...Do not show any third-party trademarks, company names or logos." And yet in your video we hear Miles Davis (I think?) and see Camel and Jack Daniel's. How did you get around that? I imagine many other contestants considered adding elements like this to enhance atmosphere, but chose to do straight readings instead for fear of getting rejected.

Also, I wanted to thank you for sharing some of your personal history. I think many of us assume that once an actor is in a major motion picture that it's all Champagne and Lear jets after that. I haven't seen "The Good German", but I want to watch it now so I can say, "Hey, that's him!"

Oh, and nice performance in your entry, obviously. I especially like the mom-voice mimicry. Good luck!

To be honest, I missed that stipulation when I read the rules and if I'm disqualified because of third party logo or copyright infringement then so be it. The decision is up to the producer.

I placed Jack Daniels in the shot because MM, during the first season, had the Jack label everywhere, so much so that one of the characters even asks for it by name. This product placement was so aggressive that SAG issued a statement specifically addressing this issue. I used Camels as a stand-in for Lucky Strikes, which is/are also featured prominently in the show.

You're right that is Miles Davis, "Green On Blue". I told Nick when he cut it to find a bluesy lone sax, he came up with a muted trumpet, I went with it sort of hoping that Miles wouldn't care. Again, if this is a deal buster then I'll take it out, or live with disqualification.

In short, I used all the above because they are American iconography and since Noir is uniquely American, such images not only have their cinematic place, they embellish it.

I see where other videos have taken the same liberties and hope the producers understand--and accept--this pushing on the artistic envelope.

Thanks for taking the time to respond. You're probably in the clear; they seem to review the videos pretty thoroughly before posting them. Glad you made it through the quake.

The Internet is still the Wild West, and the use of the music is most likely only a problem if your short is distributed. I wouldn't sweat over any of these technicalities. The bottom line is your acting was great, and your short raises the bar for the rest of the competition.

Whoa !! That's star quality..I'd like to see him on Mad Men and any other high quality show for a lot more then a walk on. He's sooooo good! He kind of seems too good, if you know what I mean, to be looking for votes in a contest. Maybe they are partly playing with us, and he's a big ringer Mad Men already has on for upcoming episodes.

Anybody know anything about him ?? Is he on something else already? He does seem familiar.

Please see above. Let's not make DP repeat himself.

This performance smacks you across the face like a morning workout in the dead of winter.

Dear Don,
I thoroughly enjoyed your film Noir! And I salute you for your attention to detail with all the branding. I understand and sympathize that fine print can be a big pain in the beehive. I had to replace my bosses original 1950'/60's playboy covers for the shot of Don Draper's desk drawer. My boss was very sad to not have his playboy bunnies in shot!
I hope you won't be penalized!
http://blogs.amctv.com/mad-men-contest/2008/08/sabinamaschi-as-joan.php

Don, in the end it comes down to one thing, great acting and you delivered.

Thank you, Mr. Bilko.

Well, I believe every word you're saying in this clip, Don! I feel like popping in "Sunset Boulevard" into my DVD player right now - no Joke! Beautifully acted and my compliments to a fine editing job!

Hey Don. Thanks for checking out my video. I voted for you some time ago and thought I left a comment. Your video is one of the reasons I decided to do one. Your creativity inspired me to think more outside the box with interpretation on these monologues. You are really a fine actor, and did a wonderful job. Regardless of this contest, you should be on "Mad Men". Hell, you should be the star of your own series. Good luck. todd

Asher, I thought your vid was HILARIOUS! I saw the violence as in the same vein as found in "Tropic Thunder" or "Three Stooges" but I can see how it would be problematic to the editors, BUT...thats a whole other "Oprah". Here's another MM video that didn't make the cut. It is very obvious why it was disallowed...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13VHQ9hgnPs

I love your take on Betty. This is so well done. It's a complete package. Hooray for Film Noir Betty!

People, please view some comments I posted on Ty's page about the "Mad Men" contest (He's the #1 vote getter). Thanks. DON