.....janeeyre.....This link doesn't seem to be working..... can you be of assistance?

.....I'm sorry.....I found this and I read it, and nowhere in there did I hear Matt saying that lopping off this two minutes is okay.

Rather, what I heard was more spin-doctoring, saying Matt was damned lucky to have the deal he had which, apparently, he no longer has.

Long story short - they are still hijacking two minutes and thirty seconds PER EPISODE.

This is not a resolution.

AMC resolves two-minute 'Men' issue
Third season of drama set to premiere Aug. 16
By CYNTHIA LITTLETON

AMC has found a creative solution to the tempest surrounding its decision to add two more minutes of commercial time to the upcoming season of "Mad Men," set to bow Aug. 16. The episodes will run a few minutes into the 11 p.m. hour to accommodate the extra blurbs.

The news that AMC would add more commercial time to each telecast did not sit well with "Mad Men" creator-exec producer Matthew Weiner, who's known for meticulously crafting every frame of the period piece that earned the Emmy last year for drama.

It's understood that relations between Weiner and AMC execs were strained over the running time issue. From AMC's perspective, the cabler needed the additional blurb time to offset the higher license fee that it's paying for the third season. Weiner said he was gratified by the compromise reached.

"It's wonderful to have partners who can respond to both a business and creative challenge in such a satisfying way," Weiner told Daily Variety.

"Mad Men" has a generous running time of around 47-48 minutes per episode -- compared with 42-43 minutes for most broadcast TV dramas and 44-46 minutes for many basic cable hours.

AMC was finally able to work it out with its advertisers and its cable operator affiliates, and it devised a technical solution to ensure that DVRs set to record the show would recognize its unusual running time and not cut off at 11 p.m. sharp.

"Mad Men" will return to its familiar Sunday 10 p.m. timeslot for its premiere telecasts. And the first episode of the new season will run with limited commercial breaks.

AMC execs said that while it took several months, they were happy to work out a solution to allow for the slightly longer running time.

"We're thrilled that we've crafted a way to maximize our business and at the same time meet everyone's demands -- those of our marketers and advertisers, those of our creative team and those of our viewers," said Joel Stillerman, senior veep of original programming, production and digital content at AMC.

.....I repeat - this is not an answer.

Mad Men gets to keep its running time while AMC gets to keep its extra commercials. So both Weiner and AMC got what they wanted.

The show will still be interrupted by extra commercials but al least it gets to keep it's scripted running time.

.....Hmmmmmmm.....

I still say AMC should give this show its proper respect. C'mon, AMC, show a little creative thinking yourself, and find an advertiser willing to fork out the money to be the sole sponsor of a truly remarkable, award winning golden hour of television. I can remember when Kraft, Bell Telephone and Hallmark sponsored programs with minimal commercial interruptions. Mad Men has already proven itself through the first two seasons. Take away the time constraints and give Matt Weiner a full hour to work with. With the talent he has working with him, and his own remarkable abilities, this wonderful drama could be even more brilliant than it has already shown itself to be.

.....Sorry.....I really am.... That is a lovely recount.....but I REMAIN a hard sell.....

It WAS strained - it was appalling and unconscionable, likely on both sides.

HOWEVER.

AMC and LIONSGATE were undergoing all of these insane and ridiculous growth spurts, and yet still measuring Matt, the writers, and Mad Men against hard market statistics FROM THE MOST IRRELEVANT PAST.

PINK ELEPHANT ALERT!!!!!

......Got you all in check!!!

Funny thing is... the whole show could be considered a commercial for Heineken, Utz, Playtex, etc. And the corporations need 2-1/2 MORE minutes...

.....Okay, either I didn't read any of that right, or I was being hard-headed and unreasonable, but this is from Entertainment Weekly http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/06/amcs-mad-men-episodes-set-to-run-extra-long-.html

AMC's 'Mad Men' episodes set to run extra long
Jun 10, 2009, 05:56 AM | by Tanner Stransky
Categories: News, Television

When Mad Men returns to AMC on Aug. 16 at 10 p.m., the cable network drama will run a few minutes beyond an hour to accommodate two more minutes of advertising, according to Variety.

The decision came after AMC said it needed to sell more advertising for the the Emmy-winning drama due to season 3's higher licensing fee and famously meticulous Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner insisted on preserving every minute of his show.

The technical aspect of the overrun has been handled, too -- AMC worked it out with its cable operator affiliates to make sure DVRs set to record Mad Men would recognize the unusually long running time and not cut off at 11 p.m.

If this is really true, and I misspoke, I sincerely apologize!

Obviously, we (can I take that license here?) would be very pleased to see the artistic vision left intact, and also the return of the show to the 10 pm time slot on Sunday evening.

I guess that also finally answers the question of the premiere date.

Can anyone confirm or refute the EW article?

.....In trying to discover the facts on this, I found an older article on Nikke Finke's blog from May.....definitely worth reading the comments.

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/amc-squeezing-mad-men-in-season-3/

The comments about this issue, which are very interesting, are kind of all over the place.

The opposing voices on that forum also have a rather familiar ring to them....

I guess now that they can see the light at the end of the tunnel (as can we Maddicts!) they have just decided to let bygones be bygones....til next season anyway!!

lol

I guess now that they can see the light at the end of the tunnel (as can we Maddicts!) they have just decided to let bygones be bygones....til next season anyway!!

lol

I like z's idea of one sponsor for the entire show...probably not "feasible" in this day and age...

Oh, hell, they'll never listen to reason, and if they did get a single sponsor, we would probably get hit with The Viagra Hour: Mad Men and have to suffer through endless commercials with people sitting around in bathtubs and men yodelling about their drug enhanced sexual escapades.