Mad Men Season 3 is Coming!

It's official. Mad Men will be premiering Season 3 on August 16 at 10 PM. The countdown can now begin...

For those of you who still have some catching up to do (and don't have a copy of Season 2 because you did not win the trivia contest), AMC will be running Season 2 prior to the Season 3 premiere. For more information, go to the AMC web site:

A New Voice

I am no longer the lone author on this blog. We have new contributor on the site, Daniel, who is also new to the blog in general. I'm excited that our little community is growing! Season Three should give way to some interesting conversations.

And George, you will like our new author; he frequently disagrees with me.

If anyone else ever feels inspired to add to the blog with their own posts, let me know. You are always welcome.

George Wins!

George wins! He wins because he is smart and has been paying attention. And no one else tried. George says of the rest of you, "...it's not very fulfilling to know no one else even tried. Maybe the advanced level of the questions scared them away. "

So the advanced copy DVDs go to him while the average viewer must wait until July. Congratulations George!

Oh, and thank you for enjoying the quiz with me, George.

Mad Men DVDs Contest

How well do you know Mad Men? Whoever answers the most of the following questions correctly will receive an advanced copy of Mad Men Season Two on DVD. (It helps to know someone at AMC.)

Answers due by Sunday, March 15th. Good luck!

Mad Men Quiz

1. On what day does Season 2 begin?
2. What Mad Men actor auditioned for the part of Don Draper but did not get it?
3. In “The Mountain King”, what does Anna tell Don is keeping him from being happy?
4. How does Don punish Roger for acting inappropriately toward Betty in “Red in the Face”?
5. What wedding gift does Pete have to return to the department store?
6. What actress did Matthew Weiner originally imagine Joan would resemble?
7. In what magazine is Pete’s short story to be published?
8. What is Ken’s story “The Gold Violin” about?
9. What character’s name appears repeatedly in Meditations in an Emergency?
10. What campaign does Peggy use as leverage for getting her own office?
11. What is the name of the agency that purchases Sterling Cooper?
12. What client did Pete acquire through this father-in-law?
13. What does Don reprimand Peggy for on her first day?
14. What is Roger’s relationship to Alice Cooper?
15. What does Don get Sally for her birthday in Season 1?

Don is a Doll

A bobble head doll, to be specific. Someone has immortalized both Don Draper and Joan Holloway as bobble head dolls. It's amusing if not somewhat disconcerting. Don's bobble head would make an interesting pair with Dwight Shrute for anyone who is going for an office-related collection of miniatures for their desk.

Jon Hamm: Breakout of the Year

So says GQ.

What a surprise it was to see Jon Hamm on the cover of GQ as I breezed by the magazine section of the pharmacy. But he looks great, and there is a flattering article that begs the question: how does a man as handsome as talented as Jon Hamm manage to stay hidden in Hollywood for a decade? Good question! They do, however, use the term "frat boy" to describe Jon Hamm enough times for me to find it discouraging. Oh well, I guess not all frat boys are terrible.

There is also a very Dick Whitman-esque picture of Jon Hamm in the GQ Men of the Year slideshow. (There is also a great picture of John Franco looking very James Dean for anyone that still has a soft spot for Freaks and Geeks alumni.)

Episode 13: "Meditations in an Emergency"

My head is spinning from last night's episode. It was brilliant, and the last for so long! I'm not even going to attempt to articulate anything yet, but I will say that I absolutely loved that the episode occurred during the Cuban Missile Crisis.