Mad News, June 19-28, 2009
The Hollywood Reporter collates critics picks for the Emmys. Robert Bianco of USA Today likes Mad Men for Drama and January Jones for Lead Actress in a Drama. Joanne Ostrow of the Denver Post wants Slattery for Supporting Actor. Matt Roush (TV Guide), sees Mad Men for Drama and either Jones or Elisabeth Moss for Actress. Mo Ryan of the Chicago Tribune supports Mad Men (as ever), January Jones, and Jon Hamm.
Eric Deggans reprints a meditation on Don Draper as distant father, in honor of Father’s Day, of course.
The Boston Globe asks us to “imagine how different Betty Draper’s life would have been if she only had a blog” for a piece on “bad parenting.”
The Boston Globe also explores pregnancy and teen pregnancy on television, briefly mentioning Mad Men.
More on AMC’s new marketing strategies.
An article on vintage geek chic mentions Don Draper’s sweater vest.
Although many articles and comments have been kind of snotty about Matt Weiner’s fight to preserve Mad Men’s running time, Maclean’s praises him for it.
Christina Hendricks got fugged. And y’know, my love for Christina cannot be challenged, but this is not a lovely look for our lovely girl.
UPDATE: They love her now.
AMC has announced a third original series: Rubicon, a political thriller. And remember when I was berating them for nickle-and-diming Matt Weiner, I said Mad Men allowed them to create more original material? Yeah, every news article about Rubicon is saying the same thing.
Mad Men is coming to New Zealand.
Rich Sommer tweets on his lunch with Matt Weiner and Frank Pierson, and tells us what’s in the casting room. (Spoiler-free.)
Peggy Olson is profiled by the Mad Men Examiner, an enterprise viewed with skepticism here last week.
BBDO Creative Director Sergio Mugnaini created a Mad Men-themed online research survey which may also evoke skepticism.
The Jacksonville Observer recaps the resume of Sam Page (Dr. Greg Harris) by request.
The New York Post profiles Teddy Sears (Kicks Matherton).
Lana Horochowski talked to the Beauty Blogging Junkie about how she creates the devastatingly gorgeous looks in the Mad Men’s glamorous 1960s universe. SPOILER WARNING!
Sue and Erin Engelhardt tell the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about getting to be background day players alongside Jon Hamm after winning a charity auction item arranged by Hamm. (Spoiler-free.)
Mad Men Season 3 promos in 4 categories: All clips from S1 and S2, strung together with themes of Drama, Action, Comedy, and Romance.
Ode to Kodachrome upon its demise, including Don Draper. (h/t Basketcase Peter G.)
Jennifer Westfeldt has a major theatrical production coming up. (I got this from a helpful Basketcase and the name fell off the note, so whoever you are, thanks.) (Added by Roberta: That be Basketcase codermax.)
Mad News compiled by Deborah and Karl.
June 28th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Kevin Pollack interviews Jon Hamm at 14 minutes in…
http://blog.nola.com/checkitout/2009/06/kevin_pollak_welcomes_jon_hamm.html
January on EW’s Must-List as Must Ice Queen:
http://www.shareapic.net/View-17779170-ew—must-list—2009.html
June 28th, 2009 at 11:09 am
I was watching the news the other day and they used the carousel scene in their story about the demise of Kodachrome.
The beauty blog interview gives away what year season 3 will be set in. Very interesting!
June 28th, 2009 at 11:27 am
Shoot, I forgot to get this included. Last weekend on This American Life was a feature called Mad Man. (When I tuned in, partway through, I did not know this was the chapter’s title). The description off the site:
TAL producer Sarah Koenig tells the story of her father, Julian Koenig, the legendary advertising copywriter whose work includes the slogan “Timex takes a licking and keeps on ticking” and Volkswagen’s “Think Small” ads. For years Sarah has heard her dad accuse a former partner of stealing some of his best ideas, but until recently she never paid much attention.Then she started asking her dad for details of this fight for his legacy, and what she learned surprised her.
It’s awesome.
June 28th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
I actually like the idea and concept for the “survey,” despite the glaring errors. It’s an engaging and innovative (or, in NAW vat tiv, as they pronounce it in the survey) way to test opinions and strategies before beginning a campaign. Seems like a student project to me.
June 28th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
The Kevin Pollack thing is old: http://www.lippsisters.com/2009/05/06/mad-news-april-29-may-6/
Love the Ice Queen link.
June 28th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
That survey is incomprehensible.
June 28th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
I think Christina has a hard time finding contemporary designers who can dress her body type…hopefully if she gets an Emmy nomination some big designers come forward to create something specifically for her. She seems like a natural muse.
June 28th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
BTW, my bad if the BBJ interview is considered a spoiler for the S3 year. It didn’t strike me that way b/c not all of the influences mentioned are from the same year. Indeed, one mention is of a period film made in the late 60s, covering the 20s.
June 28th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
D. Lipp
Re: The survey.
I was certainly understating with “skepticism,” but it was such a wreck that I couldn’t look away.
—
Also, CH definitely unfugged in that second entry. Gaw-juss.
June 28th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
Karl, I don’t know if it’s a spoiler or not, I averted my eyes. I’m just warning people because some folks are more sensitive than others.
June 28th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
@Roberta:
Have always loved “This American Life,” and that piece on Julian Koenig was great. I love the lifelong feud between Koenig and George Lois, his so-called creative partner. I can see Paul Kinsey and Ken Cosgrove having that sort of dynamic, even though Cosgrove is an account man, rather than creative.
@Deborah:
With the survey, I like the idea of it — the concept behind it — although the instrument itself is poorly executed, incoherent and doesn’t really measure anything of value. That’s why I think it’s a student project: it’s more about the cool/fun factor, rather than real-world account planning. If done properly, however, this type of survey could be an excellent way to gauge the effectiveness of certain strategies and campaigns as well as people’s reception to this approach. It certainly beats the traditional methods of using focus groups and passing out questionnaires to women at shopping malls, you know?
June 28th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
I didn’t do the survey, but a lot of marketing research is done online now. Small focus groups and large surveys.
June 28th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
hull, I found the survey literally incoherent. The sentence structure read like my foreign-generated spam.
June 29th, 2009 at 2:08 am
I get ya. Yeah. It seems like a student project, created by people whose native language isn’t English.
June 29th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Reading that beauty blog makes me really, really wish I was enough of a morning person to get up and put a Miss Holloway face on before work.
June 29th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
So far, I have to say, that despite its being based in San Francisco, where I live, that the Mad Men Examiner venture seems to be a bust, very disappointing. (Although where is the columnist getting Season 3 promo photos–haven’t seen them anywhere else.)
Besides offering only very glib, superficial character analysis IMHO, the author doesn’t even get basic facts right, either about the show itself or the current events of the day. The most egregious example so far is in a column speculating what year Season 3 will resume where she states the Cuban Missile Crisis took place in October 1963 (!) Sheesh!
June 29th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
SFC, there are no new photos at the Examiner.
June 29th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Certainly don’t want to get into spoiler territory, but are these stills on other websites? Didn’t see them on the AMC MM website or elsewhere. The Examiner column has featured two that I’m aware of that they identify as being publicity stills for Season 3.
June 30th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
As I suggested last week, imho, the MM Examiner stuff really isn’t aimed at hardcore fans like us. I think it’s more aimed at trying to get non-fans interested in catching up. I don’t know if it succeeds on that level, either — but I always try to gauge success based on what I think the point is supposed to be.