1964

Since this forum has become such an incredible voice for us for this era, I had to share my experiences about seeing Paul McCartney live, this week. I have the incredible fortune to have a friend who works on the Letterman show and therefore, I was there on Wednesday when Paul perfomed. Just the historic aspect alone was incredible. Seeing him on the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theater again, up close and personal. After the talking segments, we, the audience went outside and were right out front under the marquee where Paul and his amazing band perfomed. The show that night showcased 2 songs; we and about 7,000 other people who lined the streets were treated to a mini-concert for over 20 minutes. Fantastic. You can go to the Letterman website and actually see the entire thing.) I actually was so close, I waved to Paul and he waved back. I felt like I was 12 years old!

Last night, I went to his first of 3 concerts he's giving here in NYC at Citi Field. Again, historic, since the Beatles introduced rock 'n roll to Shea stadium in 1965. it's been 45 years since I saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, screaming and crying in front of the TV along with the rest of young female America in 1964. The concert last night was beyond amazing. To say all this was worth the wait, is an understatement. This experience was so beyond nostalgia. It cut right to where we live. This music was the zeitgeist and soundtrack of our lives. If it felt like this to us, I can only imagine what this experience must be for Paul, given the losses in his life.

And at the very least, he looks fantastic and is STILL the cute Beatle! He is 67(!) and can still rock big time.

Thank you for letting me share these thoughts. They will be with me forever.

And that's the way it was

Walter Cronkite has died at age 92. For those of us who remember only 3 networks and 15 minute news reports, he was as much a part of television as anyone. He anchored the cbS Evening News from 1962 - 1981, all those eventful years. RIP Uncle Walt.

I'll Take Hamm

I am a bibliophile. Anything having to do with the written word is my passion. I personally own a library of 800+ books, so you must admit I have it pretty bad. (None of that Kindle stuff for me....I want to hold it and turn pages and fall asleep with the book because I just couldn't put it down.) :)

Reading has expanded my life in many ways. Writing to Oprah about one of her book club selections landed me on her show as a book club guest. (It was a grand evening and the topic of another conversation....) During the taping, we ladies spoke with many of her producers about the book, the book discussion, and discussing books. One of the things I made sure I told them I was interested in was what people had sitting on their nightstands to read. I was delighted when Oprah included this idea as a monthly column in O Magazine. It's always been on of my favorite columns ("The Reading Room") and is the first one I turn to when my issue arrives in the mail.

This month's (August '09) O magazine has Jon Hamm taking us into the Reading Room to share the five favorite books from his personal bookshelf. He shares a window into his mind, and really shows he is more than a pretty face.

"The star of Mad Men (and self-professed science guy) is happy to log off YouTube and delve into a primer on string theory, a play about the history of physics, or a novel by one of his generation's finest writers.

I'm not going to tell you the names of the five books (including his favorite play) because I want you to read the article. (I'm not sure if it's available online, but you can read the article while waiting in the grocery checkout line.:)) I'd never heard of any of the titles, but they sound interesting and are authored by the rising stars of the new generation.

Now, when the camera pans deep into Don's eyes, I'll understand more clearly why there is more than a vacant stare in return. Let me know if you've read any of the books or agree with his choices. Even better, what are the five books that have 'made a difference' to you?

Season 3 premiere interview with Bryan Batt

Tuesday, July 14, 2009 ·

Mad Men's Bryan Batt: Season Premiere "Doesn't Lull You Back... a Lot Happens"

By ADAM BRYANT
TV GUIDE

It's been a long eight months since we last glimpsed the goings-on inside Mad Men's Sterling Cooper, but Bryan Batt promises that rabid "Maddicts" will be rewarded for their patience.

"I haven't seen [the finished product] yet, but just based on the script, it's really an exciting first episode," Batt tells TVGuide.com. "It doesn't lull you back into the period. Really, a lot happens, and I just can't wait to see what people think because it's one of the best. It's interesting, it's smart... It's just more great Mad Men coming your way."

Batt says his character, closeted art director Salvatore Romano, is pretty much in the same place he was last season. Of course, those 13 episodes were a roller coaster for Sal, who, despite being married, actively crushed on coworker/fellow artist Ken Cosgrove. Batt, however, points to the scene in which Sterling Cooper's European up-and-comer, Kurt, shamelessly comes out to his colleagues as one of the toughest he filmed.

"There were so many emotions going on in that one scene," Batt says. "There was a combination of, "Can I ever do this?" and some, "Look at the young kid who has the balls to do it." Then, you put on the nice coat of self-loathing and you've got it.

"We took many takes of that scene," he says, "and our editors are so brilliant in really picking up our performances. I owe them a lot for that, because the take I thought they should have used ended up on the cutting room floor."

So, everyone wants to know: Is a Sal-Kurt hookup on the horizon? Don't bet on it, now or maybe ever.

"People come up to me and ask when Sal is coming out. And I say to them, "To what?" Batt says. "In 1960 and 1962, what was there for him to come out to? There was no gay movement, and he's so closeted he got married. This is not a guy who's going to be running down Fifth Avenue with a rainbow flag anytime soon."

Like most of the Mad Men camp, Batt keeps details closely guarded. But he did reveal that one of the first storylines series creator Matt Weiner ever discussed with him during preparation for the pilot comes to fruition this year. "It's interesting that it didn't pan out until now, even though it's the first thing he ever told me about."

What can Batt tell us about his character's trajectory this season? "I think it's all new for Sal," he says. "In the first six episodes, I have two with really good storylines, and I think people who follow Sal are going to be very excited. It's fun.

"We all live in that world where everyone's got a secret," he adds. "And this year the audience finds out a little more about everybody. It's typical Mad Men -- what you expect to happen doesn't happen. But what does is pretty damn exciting."

http://www2.seattlepi.com/articles/408117.html

Shocking!

Some great new videos in the video section of this site. Watch the 10 most shocking moments!!! At the end of #1 the cast mentions how something shocking will happen in the first couple of episodes of S3. I absolutely can not wait!

New Mad Men poster

Wow - what a poster! See http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/07/new-mad-men-poster.html for the picture.

Emmy Nominations

Who hoo! Three big ones: best drama, lead actor in a drama (Jon Hamm) and lead actress in a drama (Elisabeth Moss). Also outstanding supporting actor, John Slattery, and 4 episodes nominated for writing: A Night to Remember, Six Month Leave, The Jet Set, and Meditations in an Emergency.

The award show itself is September 20th. Additional nominations: casting, art direction (The Jet Set), cinematography (The New Girl), costumes (Meditations In An Emergency), directing (The Jet Set), hairstyling (The Gold Violin), make-up, non-prosthetic (The Jet Set), single camera picture editing (Maidenform).

Spotted - Bryan Batt in Atlanta this past Sunday

Greetings fellow Maddicts.
I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to Bryan Batt yet AGAIN here in the ATL.
I have been working as a temporary market associate in the Atlanta Gift Mart for the big July Gift Show. I was assisting a buyer who was from Thibodaux,Louisiana. We started talking about New Orleans and I asked him if he'd been to the shop Hazelnut on Magazine Street.It's the shop that Bryan owns with a partner,He said that he went to school with Bryan and that he was going to be coming to the show and the showroom I was working in to buy.
Later in the day I walked across the hall and there was Bryan with his partner and another Hazelnut buyer. I went over and introduced myself and said I met you in New York @ P.J. Clarke's when we were having our Maddicts party. He was so kind and gracious and said he remembered me.(he was probably being polite,but I've got the photo's to verify).He said they had just finished shooting Episode 8 and that he was headed back to L.A. on Monday to resume filming.He told me he couldn't say anything thing but that we are all going to be in for a fantastic season.I guess Matt doesn't give them a lot of details,so they don't the eventual outcome.
He told me to tell y'all Thank You for watching Mad Men and being loyal.
What a sweet and gracious man ! He was wearing pale pink Bermuda's and a white polo shirt,looking very casual cool.
I hope Mad Men cleans up with the Emmy nominations. It's going to be a great season and it will be sort of a reunion for me since I haven't been active on the site.I'm sure I'll be watching the Episode over and over looking for subtle clues and just plain quenching my thirst for some Mad Men.

Spotted - Bryan Batt in Atlanta

Your Post

Women and 1963

Believe it or not I was dreaming MM last night. There was a big, agency-wide meeting held in a large meeting hall, with overflow into rooms off to the side. Up front were the SC execs, department heads, junior VPs and managers. Further back were (male) sales and support people. In a side room were the secretaries and clerical staff including the switchboard operators. Finally, way back in the rear were the janitors, elevator operators and maintenance workers, including a young Puerto Rican fellow in a bow tie who was getting grief from the others. I had the sense it was late August or early September 1963 and people were greeting each other like they'd been on vacation. Thre was talk among several of moving, buying houses in newer (better) neighborhoods. Early in the dream, Don (at home) had heard noises in the fireplace and found a nest of squirrels which he disposed of. Betty was very dissatisfied with the house (or herself?) and I felt they would be moving as well.

What got me on the topic was that in the dream several of the ladies were passing around a magazine (Woman's Day?) with one of those "Are you unhappy with your life?" articles that suggest changing your hair color or wardrobe will perk you right up. Looking around for period examples of those things, I came across this:

Two significant events broke the silence in the national media and mark the year 1963 as the beginning of vigorous growth in communication network-building among women. In that year women succeeded in making the issue of women's rights a public issue in two major ways.

First, in 1963 Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique, exposing the role of the male-owned traditional women's magazines in limiting women's options. She pointed out that the last magazine article portraying women seeking an individual career identity was published in February, 1949. The editors of such magazines openly stated that women were not interested in national or international affairs and would therefore publish only information about the home and family.(2) The publication of The Feminine Mystique told women that other women shared their feelings of isolation and dissatisfaction with the limited role of women promoted by the mass media. For many years to come, this new consciousness laid the basis for collective action by women.

Second, 1963 was also the year in which the President's Commission on the Status of Women, appointed in 1961 by President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, publicly released its report American Women on October 11, 1963.(3) The public now was made aware of discrimination against women in the areas of education, home and community services, employment, social insurance and taxation, and legal, civil and political rights. Not only was the public made aware of discrimination against women but those involved in the Commission found their lives affected by their involvement. "I look back on this experience as an intensive consciousness-raising process leading directly to my involvement in the new women's movement that surfaced a few years later," recounted Pauli Murray.(4) The Commission arranged several consultations of which one was on the portrayal of women by the mass media attended by 29 representatives of mass media. Its Summary stated in part:

"Discussion opened on the charge by the chairman that the mass media are 'projecting, intentionally or unintentionally, an image (of women) that contains old myths, misconceptions, and even distortions, of a true image.'. . .
"Lorraine Hansberry (playwright) added that the image of women frequently portrayed is "the glorification of the courtesan, the notion of women as object and very little else." The uniform, shallow, even grotesque image in the commercials, she felt, undoubtedly plays a part in determining standards of womanhood for men of the younger generation.
"Gerri Major reported that her magazine (Ebony) attempted to give an honest picture of the Negro woman's aspirations, activities, and progress. Louis Cowan (mass media research) deplored that this story was not presented in the whole of the Nation's press."(5)

While no recommendations came out of this consultation it did indicate that mass media was now publicly under examination for its portrayal of women.

http://www.wifp.org/womensmediach2.html

I'm wondering if SC will be under the spotlight for its advertising.

By the way, Peggy was not at the meeting. She was off by herself, carrying a potted fern into her office. No idea what that means.

Season 2 obscurities and favorites

Ok gang dvd out today, so i figured I'd put up some talking points, little things i found interesting or puzzling last season just to offer up some fodder to get back in the swing of things and get some discussion going as the folks gear up for the next season. Some or most of these were probably mentioned before at some point but I'll put them up anyway to get some insight going as people kinda renew season 2. So gear up, this is a long one but I decided to mash them together in one thread rather than a ton of new ones and clog the board up.

For example, something that doesn't add up for me is the relationship between Sterling and Cooper. In the first season, Cooper points to a picture on the wall and says to Roger, "you were cute then". And this season when he meets with his sister, he says of Roger, "But I promised to take care of Roger".

I still think that Roger punch on Don in the bar was a complete ad lib, you have to look at Jon/Don's face afterward, priceless.

Did you catch when Don finally returns from Cali, he is the only one who mentions Peggy's new hair?

And when Peggy makes up the couch for Bobbie and they chat, Bobbie says to Peggy don't even try to be a man, be his peer. Isn't it right after that where Peggy now starts calling him Don?
Some believe it's part of the Peggy/Don bond, but I felt it was more about Peggy asserting herself as a peer in that benign Peggy kind of way.

I didn't catch this until later, but at the blood drive they had apparently registered any peripheral person they possibly can, Paul says..."Hollis has a novel". You can go either way with that.

Anyone notice how episode one began with Don in the Dr's office, and the finale began with Betty now in the Dr's office? Mean anything? Displaying the shift through the season of Don to Betty maybe. Or meaningless, I don't know.

Duck complaining to Harry about Maytag and the great agitator saying, "get your department in line or I'll gut it"... not knowing the department is only Harry.

A really little one is when Lois tells the guys about the merger, and then says they have to get her off the switchboard. There's the smallest little shot of her with a tiny smile right after. Even innocent little Lois is out to get something for herself. It's so obscure but i thought it was great because it's so right on point with the show.

And I loved after the Jimmy Barrett fiasco, Don was absent earlier and of couse used the old standby from last year "......I was at the printers".

Speaking of which, when Don was at the movie, you saw on the movie screen a hand making an imprint on the screen toward the viewer. It was just like season 1 when Harry was sleeping in the office, and he and Don chat, talking about how he always liked the first cave paintings in Lascaux, how the cave people would outine their hands on the rock as a signature.
I still can't figure what connection if any there is. On one hand it could be one of those things you think you see but actually has no relevance, or on the other hand it's way too coincidental.

You know the patented Don Draper power position, seated back, all confidence, arm over back of couch, other hand with drink? Did you catch after Betty tosses him, and father Gill starts playing at the end, we see Don in the SC kitchen, sitting with a beer not a drink, yet he's in that tiny little chair and his arm goes across the back, but this time it hangs limp at the elbow. Total symbollism, one of the best shots in both seasons.

My two favorite lines from season 2 are:
Betty complaining to Don about Bobby's behavior, "First the shenanigans with the washing machine, now this". Betty is hardly one to complain about shenanigans with a washing machine if you remember the time when she made it her boyfriend.

And my favorite line is from Anna sitting on the porch with Don: "You love her, you don't have to tell her everything"

10 reasons to get into 'Mad Men' right now

This is really fun reading, and has good information some of us might not know.

Also, the Maddicts got a complimentary mention!

Check it out!

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090713-ENTERTAIN-90713013

7. "Mad Men" fans rock.

In case the "One Pete is enough" Trojans campaign isn't illustration enough, drop by the AMC message boards now, and especially just after any "Mad Men" episode.

Fans are intelligent, insightful, witty, respectful, and know how to spell. This is not your kid's "American Idol" message board.

Spend five minutes just reading the comments and you'll ingest a dozen points you never would've considered from a group with almost alarming institutional knowledge of the show and its time period.

Down With Love

i dont know if anyone has ever seen this movie before, i had a few years ago, and i saw it again a few nights ago. it stars ewan mcgregor, renee zelwegger, david hyde pierce and the late tony randall, who is absolutely hilarious in this movie. it takes place in manhattan in 1962. it is very funny and light hearted, i'm sure everyone who saw it would enjoy it. very comedic take on the social issues of its day.

Season2 DVDset on sale today

All who have not pre-ordered, please buy and support our show. I can't wait to get mine just for the special features and the commentaries. Plus I can watch with no commercials. No adds for an admans show!

The passion of the smoke.....

This is a relatively retro piece, but might just be appropos, in terms of the state of the state of the show.

I still have my parents' huge collection of matchbooks from every restaurant and lounge they ever visited in the 60s. I treasure it as a tangible piece of their otherwise somewhat mysterious history together.

A private, youthful intimacy between them, places that don't exist any more, except in the memories of the people who were there.

Both my parents smoked, and all the smoking behaviors you describe were a big part of our household.

The best (and one of the only) photograph I have of them together is one snapped, post-dinner, at an elegant restaurant not unlike Lutece. An 8"x10" taken by someone selling them to diners, or perhaps as courtesy of the establishment. Not unlike the Drapers, my parents were young, beautiful, stylish and looked ecstatically happy.

Oh, and they were both elegantly holding cigarettes. In the 70s, Mom was a Viceroy smoker, and Dad was addicted to Benson & Hedges extra longs.... really not sure what they smoked in the 60s.

My mother was taught that a "nice girl" is never photographed with a cocktail or a cigarette in hand. So, in many of the older photographs of my mother, her arm is thrust straight out the side of the picture!

If you've ever sat in a room for any length of time with a collection of smokers, you begin to understand the relationship. These people aren't smoking smoke as much as they are "inhaling" emotions.

To watch the intent faces, the faraway eyes, the long, long silences, the deep inhale almost bordering on a sob, you would almost think it was a form of therapy for them....

Some schools of psychology believe that a smoker holds profound early grief in his or her lungs, thus explaining the attraction to the habit of inhaling, and also exhaling.

I'm a non-smoker but, I swear, if you spend enough time around smokers, it almost draws you in.... It looks so soothing and comforting, and yet so deliciously self-destructive at the same time....a masochistic pleasure...a sireeen....

My parents are both dead now, and will never know my children. Mom died of lung cancer - heart-shattering, and ugly....

.....and Dad of a massive stroke.

Lights on, nobody home. Imagine that moment, for one moment.

I still have my father's collection of elegant lighters from the 60s, although they are just for decoration and posterity now.

I never started smoking, because I knew, just by looking at it, that once I did, I would not be able to stop.

I would be a member of that exquisitely tortured club - an absolute prisoner.

Smoking looks so seductive to me. I've decided that, once I hit the age of 70-ish, or so, I'm going to go ahead and take it up.

What the hell.

I'll sit on my porch in my muumuus and ankle sox, and cackle at the kids going by.

And smoke.........

Men's Clothing

I was pleasd last season more of the male characters wore sheer nylon thick 'n thin socks which were very popular in the 50's thru the 70's. The first season it seemed only Roger and Pete were shown wearing them. It was also a possiblity Don might have worn them on episodes I missed or couldn't tell what kind of socks he was wearing. Also Roger was shown a couple of times wearing sock garters which would also have been very accurate for the time frame for the show. I'm also amazed how much attention to detail is shown in the women's clothing as well as the men's outer clothing but again in the shows time frame most men wore sleevelss athletic undershirts like Ken wears instead of the t-shirts all the other men tend to be wearing under their dress shirts. I konw these are small points for accuracy but are still important to getting the clothing as accurate as possible. I look forward to the upcoming 3rd season hoping we will continue to see more of the men wearing the sheer ribbed thick 'n thin dress socks and garters as well as the correct type of undershirts showing under their dress shirts. I'd be interested to know if others have these same opinions.

Don's drowning...

Check out the promotional posters for Season 3!
http://spoilertv.blogspot.com/2009/07/mad-men-season-3-promotional-photos.html