Basket of Kisses

We already reported that Janie Bryant took home a Costume Designers Guild Award, but have you seen her?

Jon Hamm, who is co-starring with Blake Lively in The Town, is quizzed about Gossip Girl by MTV.

Did we know that the White House threw a Mad Men-themed party for governors, complete with a mixologist?

BBC budget cuts may cause Don Draper to really disappear across the Atlantic.

The new line from Prada has a definite Mad Men influence.

Jon Hamm will be the voice of Mercedes-Benz.

Aaron Staton is interviewed by Game Informer.Kdei

As Nip/Tuck draws to a close, Tim Goodman talks about how it helped change cable, paving the way for Mad Men and Breaking Bad. I’ve found several similar stories.

Playwright Keith Huff has joined Mad Men’s writing staff. This leads off an article about playwrights moving to TV.

Cablevision’s profits are up, thanks largely to ad sales for Mad Men.

The 12th annual Costume Designers Guild awards gave Janie Bryant a television honor for “period/fantasy series” for “Mad Men.”

And at the Cinema Audio Society Awards on Saturday, February 27, Production Mixer Peter Bently and re-recording mixers Ken Teaney and Todd Orr won the award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing – Television Series for the “Mad Men” episode “Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency.”

The Costume Designers Guild wisely nominated Janie Bryant for an award for her Mad Men work in 2009.

Basketcase SmilerG let us know that San Diego residents can now find Don Draper hats.

The Haiti fundraiser we participated in has raised over $64,000!

Michael Gladis surveys the Beards of Mad Men.

Geoffrey Arend appreciated the Internet coming to Christina’s defense after the New York Times made rude comments about her and her Golden Globes dress.  It turns out that many fashion designers refuse to help her find an outfit for the red carpet.

Christina is learning to style herself from playing Joan. And sometimes she wears glasses. 

Alison Brie is scorching in an upcoming photoshoot from Complex, as well as the behind-the-scenes video.

Kiernan Shipka talked to TVFodder about all things Mad Men, her new film and who she met at this years SAG awards.
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A note about Mad News: We are now so far behind that we are publishing an incomplete edition and starting another right away. News! Phew! As ever, Mad News is compiled by Deborah and Karl.

Janie Bryant is writing a book! I can’t stand it, it’s too wonderful!

On the Guardian’s Top TV Dramas of all time, Mad Men makes #4. Impressive!

Jim MacLeod has created an awesome Mad Men poster that is now my wallpaper.

The Times of London interviews John Slattery. He’s charming. Who knew?

The NY Times heat map of Netflix rentals has been making the rounds all over the blogosphere, for various reasons. Our reason (as Basketcase SmilerG pointed out) is that it shows Mad Men rentals.

Rich Sommer and Bryan Batt weigh in on Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno.

Rich Sommer will be guesting on Ugly Betty in March as a fireman who asks Betty out.

Bryan Batt has designed a $15,000 retro loveseat called “The Hef,” which is autographed by Hugh Hefner and debuts next month to mark this year’s 50th anniversary of the Playboy Clubs.

Psychology Today has an article on Vance Packard’s 1957 exposé, The Hidden Persuaders — and the Draper-esque James Vicary.

Christina Hendricks will auction her SAG Awards dress to benefit the ‘Clothes Off Our Back’ charity.  And we can vote for the sexy red dress Hendricks will wear; with every vote a $1 donation will be made to ‘Clothes Off Our Back.’

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Joanne Ostrow asks what TV trend defined the aughts. One possibility: The rise of basic cable, meaning, of course, Mad Men.

Several articles I’ve linked to have discussed retro-chic as a trend of the decade, including a mention of Mad Men. The Statesman, though, explicitly refers to “Mad Men-chic” as a trend.

The Chicago Tribune also talks about how TV in general influenced the decade’s fashion. Janie Bryant as well as Sex and the City are singled out.

Mad Men also influences what we’re drinking, including on New Year’s Eve.

The resurgence of the advertising jingle is a nod to Mad Men’s retro advertising.

The Baltimore Sun’s David Zurawik has a wish list for 2010, and guess what? HHerald e hopes Mad Men is better and more historically accurate. This is, by my count, the fourth time this guy has used his column to complain about the portrayal of Baltimore and/or London Fog in Out of Town. Color him obsessed.

Australia’s Herald Sun hates Mad Men, which is, the author claims, a soap no different from Grey’s Anatomy.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Crikey is looking at cringe-worthy Mad Men-era ads. (h/t to SmilerG.)
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The NY Daily News writes about Jon Hamm and quotes the one & only Roberta Lipp.

Matt Weiner talked to the Daily Beast about the Season Three finale. (h/t Andy Levy)

Just before that, he spoke with Los Angeles Magazine. There are written excerpts, plus a link to a 25 minute video of the whole thing.

And if that’s still not enough Weiner, here’s Lateline (Australian TV).

Matt is also making a movie.

The Daily Bastardette loves Mad Men (and the Basket).

January Jones comes to New York to do SNL.

If Magazine interviews the Slattery-Balsams.

John Slattery does a Q&A with Vanity Fair:

Because of your white hair, people usually assume that you’re much older than you actually are. Do you prefer being described as a “Silver Fox” or a “Mougar”?

What’s a Mougar?

It’s shorthand for “male cougar”.

(Laughs.) Well then a Mougar, definitely. Because a Mougar is just such a ridiculous and silly thing to be called. I hate Silver Fox. I absolutely hate it. It just sounds so… (he shudders)… so slimy and embarrassing. But a Mougar, well, that’s confusing and stupid, so I like that much better.

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It turns out that Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant recently started a Twitter account, and used it to discuss “The Color Blue.”  Tweets tend to disappear after a few months, but these really should be preserved:

• I love Peggy’s polka dot blouse in the scene where they are pitching Aquanet. I wanted her to seem studious and perky.
• Mrs. Pryce’s blue boiled wool suit: classic, tailored, beautifully understated contrast to the “fat ladies in their furs” she talks about.
• Danny Farrell’s corduroy jacket with knit collar reflects a working class man of the period and gives the feel of him being a drifter.
• I liked the idea of Betty being in a pink penoir before she finds the keys to Don’s drawer. The pink signifies the innocence, the denial.
• I thought it was important that Betty change into a different color after finding Don’s box. The pale blue penoir shows her state of mind.
• Ahhh Betty’s brocade butterfly gown is one of my favorites! She seems so frail.
• I like for Betty to wear anything with a butterfly or bird theme. It reflects her character so well.
• Trudy’s dress at the Sterling Cooper party is one of my faves.

We can only hope that Ms. B will share more Mad thoughts in the future!

Go Fug Yourself doesn’t like January’s face on the cover of GQ. While acknowledging no one is looking at her face. They also refer to a hairstyle they love as “very Betty Draper Goes to Rome.” Ha!

GQ Director of Photography Dora Somosi blogged about the controversy over JJ’s GQ photos, (which also made Page 6) invoking Seinfeld.

Cityfile interviews Vincent Kartheiser. I have to say that VK may be the single most interesting interview subject in the Mad Men cast. You never know what he’ll say!

Rachel Shukert offers awesome unsolicited advice to Betty. AWE. SOME.

TV Guide interviews Bryan Batt. So does the Vulture. And here’s the House Beautiful photo that he mentions to the Vulture.

GQ interviews Janie Bryant. It’s much…tamer than their interview with January Jones, but very engaging.

Cathy, the comic strip, notices the Mad Men influence on fashion (thanks Basketcase Sheila). [fixed]

Here is an awesome interview of Scott Buckwald, Mad Men propmaster, in Collectors Weekly. There is juice on all sorts of prop items, including the whole Selectric thing, food, and more. There is one prop discussed that I don’t recognize as having ever been on the show, so it may be a slight spoiler for an ad campaign.

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We love Janie. She has made Mad Men what it is. Her costume designs have been integral in creating the lush and beautiful world inside which our characters are so freakin’ miserable. Janie is also the Emmy-award winning costume designer for Deadwood, and Deborah loves nothing so much as a good-looking Western. Yum.

Happy Birthday from the Basket!

Entertainment Weekly looks at Mad Men’s props.

Jon Gosselin should learn from Don Draper.

Christina Hendricks is in the November issue of The Advocate. That’s the one on the newsstands—the current print edition online is October. (Thanks Basketcase Gina.)

In connection to the news that Kater Gordon has left Mad Men’s writing staff, here’s a homegirl article about her Emmy win. (h/t Basketcase Peggy Joan.)

Via Basketcase Jude, CNN posts one of those “women dig bad boys” articles with (who else?) Don Draper as the main example.

John Slattery is fighting a sanitation project in his NYC neighborhood (thanks Basketcase Scott M.)

Matt Weiner talks to TV Squad about Season 3 and more…

Abigail Spencer talks about Suzanne Farrell with the Jacksonville Observer.

Janie Bryant has teamed up with Brooks Brothers to create a Mad Men edition suit inspired by Draper and the other well-dressed cads at fictional ad firm Sterling Cooper. Here’s a cute article about the town where the shirts are manufactured: Garland, Texas North Carolina.

Blogger John Bogert has just started watching Mad Men and writes about his reactions to the series as a whole.

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