Sterling's Gold

I recently read a fun book for Mad Men fans called Sterling's Gold: Wit and Wisdom of an Ad Man. This is a very quick read since there are only a few lines (Roger's quips from Mad Men) on each page. Some of his lines are quite memorable and I enjoyed reading them especially since the show isn't on the air right now.

Here are some of my favorite lines -

"I told him to be himself. That was pretty mean I guess."

"Like the song says, "Enjoy Yourself, It's Later Than You Think."

"Not to get too deep before the cocktail hour, but do I need to remind you of the finite nature of life?"

This book will probably only appeal to fans of the show. You have to imagine the way the actor delivers these lines.

John Slattery as Roger Sterling

 

Fun on Twitter

I've been having a good time on Twitter since I joined awhile ago. I've actually learned a lot about current events there. I first read about the death of the late, great James Gandolfini on Twitter. At first I thought it had to be a hoax but unfortunately it was true.

I think Twitter is a great place for people with similar interests to connect. I have made quite a few connections with other Mad Men addicts or "Maddicts" as true fans have come to be known.

If you would like to follow me on Twitter, I am Joy@joyfulng on www.twitter.com. Currently, my account is in protected status so you have to request to follow me. You can participate as little or as much as you would like. Hope to see you there!

The Best of Jon Hamm

I found this online this morning and had to share!  Hope you enjoy the "Top Ten Jon Hamm Moments!"

http://youtu.be/T5UJCvBzI8Y

Roger Sterling and Don Draper

 

The Joy of Books

Hope you enjoy this video about the joy of books as much as I did!

http://youtu.be/SKVcQnyEIT8



And here are some new photos from AMC to remind you that Mad Men starts soon -

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quotes and Stuff

Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you, and in the end you are sure to succeed.
Abraham Lincoln

I often quote myself. I find it adds spice to the conversation.

George Bernard Shaw

 

Men marry women with the hope they will never change. Women marry men with the hope they will change. Invaribly they are both disappointed.

Albert Einstein

 

It has been my philosophy of life that difficulties vanish when faced boldly.

Isaac Asimov

___________________________________________________________________

A couple of jokes -

Question: Why is it unpleasant to eat a meal next to a group of basketball players?
Answer: They dribble far too much.


Question: What would you have if you crossed a panther with a beef burger?
Answer: Really fast food.

Don't forget to watch!!

 

 

Tweet!

I have found that Twitter is surprisingly fun and highly addictive!  I'm enjoying it very much.  My tweets are protected (which means you have to ask to follow me) but if you'd like to, ask away!  You can find me at @joyfulng on www.twitter.com.

By the way, today is Jon Hamm's 42nd birthday!  Hope it was a good one!  I can't wait for the next season of Mad Men to start next month. 



Kings of Madison Avenue: the Unofficial Guide to Mad Men

I just finished reading Kings of Madison Avenue: the Unofficial Guide to Mad Men by Jesse McLean.  I really liked this book but I think you have to be a big Mad Men fan to truly enjoy it.  However, if you've never seen the show and are a history buff, there are tons of historical details regarding events that took place in the 1960's.

This book only covers the first 2 seasons of the show and it's been on for 5 seasons now.  I've been a huge fan from the start, so this book was right up my alley.  It includes cast bios of Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, John Slattery, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina Hendricks, January Jones and Robert Morse.  I knew a lot of the info about these actors already but there were some things I didn't know.

I also liked the recommended reading and viewing sections of the book, such as "The Apartment" and "Lover Come Back; plus The Feminine Mystique and Sex and The Single Girl. The author describes how Matthew Weiner (the series creator) was influenced by those books and movies. 

I really liked this book but I think you have to be a big Mad Men fan to truly enjoy it.  However, if you've never seen the show and are a history buff, there are tons of historical details regarding events that took place in the 1960's.

This book only covers the first 2 seasons of the show and it's been on for 5 seasons now.  I've been a huge fan from the start, so this book was right up my alley.  It includes cast bios of Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, John Slattery, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina Hendricks, January Jones and Robert Morse.  I knew a lot of the info about these actors already but there were some things I didn't know.

I also liked the recommended reading and viewing sections of the book, such as "The Apartment" and "Lover Come Back; plus The Feminine Mystique and Sex and the Single Girl.  The author describes how Matthew Weiner (the series creator) was influenced by those books and movies.

Roger Sterling's critique of the movie "The Apartment" - "Oh, please.  A white elevator operator?  And a girl at that?  I want to work at that place."  If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it!

Some quotes from the book -

"It's Don Draper's World and we just live in it."

"Happiness is the smell of a new car.. a billboard at the side of the road screaming that everything you're doing is okay...that you are okay."

Don Draper - "I have a life and it only goes in one direction... forward."

This book includes cocktails of note that the Mad Men would be drinking. Recipes are included at the end of each section.  At the end of the book, the author gives his suggestions on "How to party like the Mad Men" and an itinerary for touring the locations highlighted in the show.

Other trivia -

Jon Hamm won the Golden Globe for Best Lead Actor but has never won the Emmy for Best Actor - incredible!  He really deserves to win every award he is nominated for! 
 
John Slattery who plays Roger Sterling so brilliantly, has stated that he has a fairly cynical sense of humor.  He directed at least one episode of the series so far.  Christina Hendricks (Joan) on Slattery: "He's got such a sense of humor and charm...that while he's saying these horrible things you can't keep your eyes off him."

Joan shows Peggy the latest in office technology, the IBM Selectric, "so easy a woman can use it."

Burt Cooper is influenced by Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged - I think he gave a copy of the book to Don to read.
 
Quote from Bobbie Barrett - "This is America.  Pick a job and then become the person who does it."

Roger Sterling's philosophy - "Do I need to remind you of the finite nature of life?"  Like the song says, enjoy yourself, it's later than you think.

Quote from Joan to Peggy, "In a couple of years, with the right moves, you'll be in the city with the rest of us.  Of course, if you really make the right moves, you'll be out in the country and you won't be going to work at all."

Quote from Don Draper - "It's your life.  You don't know how long it's going to be, but you know it's got a bad ending." And - "I have been watching my life, it's right there.  And I keep scratching at it trying to get into it... but I can't."

Creator Matt Weiner was influenced by Helen Gurley Brown's classic book, Sex and the Single Girl.  Her book lead to the popular TV shows, "That Girl" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."  Helen Gurley Brown left her hometown, moved to the big city and reinvented herself, just like Don Draper and Peggy Olson.

Quote from Vincent Kartheiser (Pete Campbell) - "Mad Men was one of those pilots where I read it and after I was done I wanted to read it again.  There was this swagger about the script that was different from so much I had read in the last few years.  I knew it was something I could do."

This book includes cocktails of note that the Mad Men would be drinking. Recipes are included at the end of each section.  At the end of the book, the author gives his suggestions on "How to party like the Mad Men" and an itinerary for touring the locations highlighted in the show. 

I recommend this book for Mad Men fans but maybe those who haven't watched the show yet will be inspired to watch after reading it. Every season is now on DVD and the cast has recently begun filming the 6th season.  I wish I didn't have to return this book to the library as it is a good resource.  Jesse McLean has not written another book covering seasons 3 - 5 or at least my library doesn't have it.

 

Mad Men cast at the New York Stock Exchange, 2012

 

Mad Men's Matt Weiner Honored

TheHollywoodreporter.com has listed Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner as one of the Top 50 Showrunners for 2012.  A showrunner is generally the writer/producer of the TV series i.e. the executive producer.  Here is the link to the article and the interview with Matt Weiner (I think he's brilliant!) -

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/showrunners-2012-mad-men-matthew-weiner-376006

Mad Men end of Season 5

 

 

End of the World

I was watching a Mad Men rerun the other day and they played the song "End of the World" by Skeeter Davis at the end of the show.  I haven't heard that song in a long time so I'm posting a video of it here -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ5WeXtOacU&feature=colike

It is a sad song but it's beautifully done and the video is lovely.  Here are the lyrics:

Why does the sun go on shining?
Why does the sea rush to shore?
Don't they know it's the end of the world,
'Cause you don't love me any more?

Why do the birds go on singing?
Why do the stars glow above?
Don't they know it's the end of the world.
It ended when I lost your love.

I wake up in the morning and I wonder,
Why everything's the same as it was.
I can't understand. No, I can't understand,
How life goes on the way it does.

Why does my heart go on beating?
Why do these eyes of mine cry?
Don't they know it's the end of the world.
It ended when you said goodbye.

Why does my heart go on beating?
Why do these eyes of mine cry?
Don't they know it's the end of the world.
It ended when you said goodbye.

 

 

Who will win Best Actor Emmy?

As unbelievable as it may seem, Jon Hamm has yet to receive the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series despite being nominated 5 times.  Tune in on September 23rd to see if he wins this year.  In the meantime, check out his competition in this article -

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118057557?refcatid=14

I've seen all the other nominated actors except for Damian Lewis in Homeland.  I do have the DVDs of Homeland on request at the library though and I hear it's good.  But Jon Hamm did such excellent work on Mad Men this year (as always) that I really think he deserves to win for once.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him!

Jon Hamm as Don Draper

The future for Peggy on Mad Men

I just read an interview where Elisabeth Moss who plays Peggy on Mad Men discusses season 5 and whether Peggy will be on the show next season.  Of course, she won't give anything away...

http://www.gq.com/entertainment/tv/blogs/the-stream/2012/06/elisabeth-moss-talks-about-the-mad-men-finale-and-looks-forward-to-season-6.html

Mad Men articles

Here are some interesting articles on the cast of Mad Men.  Hope you enjoy!

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2012/06/mad-men-finale-season-five-kiernan-shipka-janie-bryant


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/celebritology/post/aaron-staton-ken-cosgrove-of-mad-men-on-why-his-character-is-sticking-it-to-pete-campbell/2012/06/08/gJQAlNCmNV_blog.html


http://observer.com/2012/06/rich-sommer-quick-n-dirty/


http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/clips/p00td62b/the_graham_norton_show_graham_chats_with_jon_hamm_about_his_mad_men_doll/


http://www.lfpress.com/entertainment/tv/2012/06/07/19850896.html


http://www.thewrap.com/tv/column-post/ratings-mad-men-finale-breaks-series-record-true-blood-premiere-holds-steady-43736


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2157890/Mad-Men-stars-BEFORE-famous-A-schoolgirl-Jessica-Pare-dishevelled-Jon-Hamm.html

Peggy and Don

Don and Bobbi Barrett

Mad Men Finale discussion

I just read a great summary of the finale of Mad Men and several other key episodes this season.  Here it is -

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/06/10/mad-men-finale-and-video-of-best-season-5-moments.html

I am definitely going through severe Mad Men withdrawal!  Can't wait for season 6, whenever that might be.

Vincent Kartheiser interview

I just read a great interview with Vincent Kartheiser who plays Pete Campbell on Mad Men.  It's full of interesting little tidbits such as the fact that Vincent shaved his hairline back this season.  Pete is one of my favorite characters on the show.

Enjoy -

http://www.vulture.com/2012/06/mad-mens-vincent-kartheiser-on-petes-hairline.html?mid=agenda--20120613

He only lives twice..

At the end of the season finale of Mad Men on June 10th, the theme song from You Only Live Twice was played.  The classic James Bond film starring Sean Connery, came out in 1967 which is when the episode took place.  It's a great song by Nancy Sinatra and fits Don Draper perfectly since he lived two lives (as Draper and Dick Whitman).

Hope you enjoy it -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgFtQPgHyek&feature=colike

You Only Live Twice or so it seems,
One life for yourself and one for your dreams.
You drift through the years and life seems tame,
Till one dream appears and love is its name.

And love is a stranger who'll beckon you on,
Don't think of the danger or the stranger is gone.

This dream is for you, so pay the price.
Make one dream come true, you only live twice.

And love is a stranger who'll beckon you on,
Don't think of the danger or the stranger is gone.

Scene from season 5 finale

Mad Men Season Finale

The season five finale of Mad Men airs tonight on AMC.  Here is an article that summarizes the season - it's full of spoilers so don't read if you plan to watch the series when it comes out on DVD.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/06/10/mad-men-finale-and-video-of-best-season-5-moments.html

You Really Got Me

At the end of the most recent episode of Mad Men, they played a song by the British group The Kinks called "You Really Got Me."  The song came out in 1964 and is one of their biggest hits.  Mad Men really uses music well.  The scene where Peggy says goodbye to Don really got me!

Enjoy - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk3Ei_yoI4c&feature=colike

Mad Men musings

Spoiler warning - Do not read this if you haven't seen the May 27th episode of Mad Men called "The Other Woman" if you plan to watch it! 

A major development was that Peggy decided to leave her job at SCDP to work for a rival agency.  Entertainment Weekly has posted an article on Peggy's potential future which is really clever.  Here it is -

http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/05/29/mad-men-peggy-elizabeth-moss/

It seems hard to believe that Peggy will be off the show but you never know with Mad Men.  There are only two more episodes this season.  Stay tuned!

Peggy leaving

Mad Men reviews

I came across a blog recently that posts some good reviews of Mad Men.  Enjoy -

http://scarylawyerguy.blogspot.com/2012/04/mad-men-season-five-sisters-and-roger.html

 

 

 

More Mad Men photos

As you know by now, I am a huge fan of Mad Men!  Here are some more photos: