season 6

 

Season 6 of AMC's Mad Men premieres tomorrow - I feel as though the viewing masses are atwitter and I count myself among them. This past week in The Boston Globe, critic Matthew Gilbert was already singing the praises of a previewed season opener: 

"The writing of the episode, by show creator Matthew Weiner, is among the very best to be found on TV. Weiner writes like an accomplished stage dramatist, with faceted dialogue that is simultaneously simple, profound, allusive, and revelatory of character. There are countless lines that resonate in the premiere, including tossed-off comments such as when a portrait photographer tells Don “I want you to be yourself.” As if TV’s most identity-confused character could easily do that. And there are canny symbols all over the episode — a cigarette lighter, given to Don by the soldier, an ad for a Hawaiian resort, a violin — whose meanings subtly creep up on you, even after the credits roll." -Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe April 4, 2013

Can. not. wait.

Image: The Week

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That Guy....Who Was In That Thing

I caught this documentary on Showtime, That Guy....Who Was In That Thing (2012) and it was a really different and fascinating look at the lives of actors, not moviestars, but working actors who are often just referred to as  "that guy".  The directors, Ian Roumain and Michael Schwartz, featured 16 actors who detail their roller coaster careers- the lot of them having been in so many televisions shows and movies, but never reaching the type of stardom associated with being a leading man.
It is a compelling look at acting as a craft and a job. It is a fascinating peek into the part of Hollywood that has nothing to do with tabloid cover stories, swanky parties, and unreasonable good looks, but everything to do with a combination of talent, tenacity, and old-fashioned good luck.

Image: sho.com

girls just want to have fun

So, despite the fact that I am breathing down the neck of 40, I tuned into "The Carrie Diaries" the other night. I just can't pass up teen dream (teen dream= genre designed for young adults that is often found charming by those long past their sweet 16) television- especially if it might be halfway decent quality.
  After watching the pilot, I am not sure if I will become a loyal viewer, but I will always credit the show for introducing me to this cover of "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" by Greg Laswell. It is pretty fantastic.

Video: youtube

something that makes me laugh...and stings just a little :)

"That's the funny thing about marriage, you fall in love with this extraordinary person and over time they begin to seem ordinary.... I think it's all the nagging."- Phil Dunphy, Modern Family

Image: somanyhues

Cora and her hats

There is nothing about Cora Crawley (Elizabeth McGovern) from Downton Abbey that I don't love....her elegance, beauty, and general savvy. I have a special appreciation for her hat collection, however, it makes me wish we still wore elaborate chapeaus today.

Images:gcmarketingservices, anibundel,anibundel, tumblr, tumblr, sensacine

Cheers

I have said it before, and I am sure I will again, that I am a big Amy Poehler and Parks and Recreation fan. I loved seeing this quote from her:

"I hope and assume that every good comedy writer, no matter the age, has a moment where they discover how great Cheers is," says Poehler, who regularly watches Cheers episodes in her Parks & Recreation trailer. "And I would encourage any young person getting into comedy to sit down and watch it."

Not only did I agree, having been a Cheers Fan since the 6th grade (which as a mom now I think is perhaps inappropriate...), but it also lead me to the fantastic article in GQ,  "The Best TV Show That's Ever Been". It is about the creation and duration of the 11 season comedy and includes insight from creators, writers and actors.
I remember eagerly anticipating the finale of the series. It actually aired the night before my last official day of high school. You know how folks sometimes say they grew up watching something....I guess that is how I can describe this much revered sitcom. I grew up watching Cheers and was pleasantly surprised to find out from the article that all 275 episodes are on Netflix. If you are a fan of the old show, or just want to read an interesting entertainment piece, check out the article from the October 2012 GQ!

Image: wikipedia

Count von Count

Recently, the man who was the voice of Sesame Street's The Count , Jerry Nelson, passed away. He had been a part of the Sesame Street family since the 1970's as a puppeteer and the voice of some of the show's characters, most recognizably the beloved Count.
The Count's crazy accent, silly laughter, and enthusiastic organ playing makes him a favorite in these parts. I'm posting a "Number of the Day" segment for all the Count fans out there....

Sarah's House-Season 4....where are you??

I am very anxious to see designer Sarah Richardson's work on season 4 of HGTV's Sarah's House. When will it air here in the US, I wonder??
It has already been shown in Canada, so stills of the design work are in the blog world.....I like what I see, but the best part of that show is seeing how these rooms come about, from idea boards to brainstorming, the execution of the vision is what makes up every interesting episode.

 

 Images: Parkdale Ave.

"There's always money in the banana stand"

 

For lovers of the quirky series "Arrested Development", two bits of good news- 1) Netflix is airing a new season of the show in early 2013 and 2) tomorrow at Gallery 1988 an exhibit opens that is 100% inspired by the zany sitcom.

EW provided some shots of the exhibit's originals.....

Jimmy Fallon's Reading Rainbow

"I hope you like pajama pants and police procedurals."

I do. I do like pajama pants and police procedurals. The quote I used for the title of this post is from "Don't Trust the B- in Apt. 23" and it was actually spoken to highlight the potential lameness of a character's evening, but honestly- it sounded like heaven to me! (granted these characters are 24....)
I am surprised I never posted about it before, but I am perhaps the world's biggest fan of the original "Law and Order" series. I believe I have seen every episode of the 20 seasons it aired, probably multiple times, and I never tire of them. Now the series is no stranger to syndication, so undoubtedly everyone has seen a few, but whether you are a die hard or occasional fan, Netflix offers quite a bit of the series for you to enjoy. Strangely, my favorites are the first season and the last, but I really can't flip by any episode without watching just a little and yes, I am often in pajama pants.

Image: Netflix

Roger Sterling

I am a Mad Men fan. I am an even bigger Roger Sterling fan and therefore thought the recent blog entry by Ken Tucker at EW ,"A 'Mad Men' character study: Roger Sterling, better living through chemistry" , was pretty darn interesting. Also, completely in agreement this could be the best season of the series yet....

Image courtesy of liadraws.tumblr.com

Silly Sally Draper

Actress Kiernan Shipka tackles some pretty heavy stuff each season in her role as Sally Draper on AMC's Mad Men. Turns out she has some comedic talents as well....you can check them out in Funny or Die's Child Star Psychologist with Kiernan Shipka.

Video: Funny or Die

that painting from "Modern Family"

Dunphy house on fanpop

The show "Modern Family" makes me laugh- I know I am not alone there. But, have you ever stopped giggling long enough to check out the three family homes? They are each so lovely (of course not 100% realistic given that nobody ever has anything out of place and they are super duper accessorized, but I digress....) and during the recent string of reruns, I have taken to checking out the family's surroundings.

Jay and Gloria's

Dunphy home

Cam and Mitchell's

One thing I was really curious about was this painting below from the foyer of Jay and Gloria's house....

It caught my eye every time it was on the screen. Thanks to the site Chasing Props, a very cool spot that lists where you can find certain decorative items from some of your favorite television shows, I found out the artist Nathan Rohlander is responsible for the work called "Junk Food", 2002.
Sometimes it seems like the Internet can answer even the most random question, doesn't it?

a laugh

I am a giant Parks and Recreation fan. I definitely prefer it to 30 Rock, which I know has a crazy dedicated fan base, but has more of a mean-spirited (though often riotous) humor. The first season of Parks and Recreation was not the best, but since then it has been tweaked and characters have been added and now every week I find myself laughing out loud and that is always welcome.
The video above was definitely one of those times- although physical humor is not usually my favorite....I love this scene.

video courtesy of nbc.com

"anything can happen on halloween"

A friend of mine did the most amazing round-up of classic Halloween commercials and television episodes including the likes of "Roseanne," "Valerie's Family," and "The Facts of Life." The playlist, titled "anything can happen on halloween," is over 7 hours of pure spooky Halloween awesomeness and it's here for you to revel in too.

black cat via ffffound!

The Sally Draper Reading List

via Booklicious

Inspired by this 1955 found photograph of an 11 year old girl engrossed in her book despite sitting in the middle of living room amongst her non-reading family members, a blogger for the New York Public Library blog saw a resemblance to "Mad Men's" own Sally Draper and so imagined what the fictional girl may have been reading (aside from Nancy Drew) during 1964 and 1965, the years in which the fourth season of the show is set.

And so here's the NYPL list of books published in 1964 and 1965 that might have been right up Sally's alley:

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" - Roald Dahl
"Harriet the Spy" - Louise Fitzhugh
"Over Sea, Under Stone" - Susan Cooper
"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" - Ian Fleming
"The Phantom of Pine Hill" - Carolyn Keene
"The Long Secret" - Louise Fitzhugh
"The Black Cauldron" - Lloyd Alexander
"The Mouse and the Motorcycle" - Beverly Cleary
"The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds" - Paul Zindel

I love this list and want to read or reread all of these works - don't you? And be sure check out the post's comments section too for great books that Sally would have totally been reading even though they weren't necessarily published in 1964-'65 like "Seventeenth Summer" (1942) by Maureen Daly and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" (1943) by Betty Smith.

HGTV Dream Home

There are some pretty impressive giveaways out there, but.... for real? A HOUSE. How can you not give the HGTV Dream Home Sweepstakes a whirl? Worst case scenario-you lose 35 seconds of your day....best case scenario- you win a house in Stowe, Vermont!

This is not just any house either- it is a Dream Home. From what I can see on the online tour, it is rather incredible. The dining and kitchen spaces alone were enough to convince me of said dreaminess...
Sleeping and bathing spaces...not too shabby.

The outdoor living space would really allow you to appreciate the beauty of the Vermont setting nearly year-round.
Even the laundry room was too snazzy for words.....and plenty of bunk space for the kiddos or all of those guests who are bound to pop in.

I have never won an online giveaway - maybe this time....:)

All images courtesy of HGTV

a cappella love

image via NewTimes

We've all got our secret television shames/pleasures, right? Well, my latest has been the a cappella show, Sing-Off. It's everything that "American Idol" is not - fun, incredibly earnest, and full of damn talented people who can actually sing (plus Nick Lachey is kinda amazing in his role as host who goes all out with his wall to wall punning). Anyway, the second season is now over (boo!), but watch on Hulu if you get a chance - it'll totally make your heart sing (was that a good one, Nick?)

P.S.

Since I am in confession mode and have already shared my love for the show in general...

This cover of Coldplay's "Fix You" brought tears to my eyes.

And this group's cover of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" is everything awesome.

And, yeah, I know, I am a dork.

Emmet Otter's Jug-band Christmas

There are so many holiday specials out there. I can definitely take or leave most of them , but my very favorite is actually kind of hard to find in most line-ups. Emmet Otter's Jug-band Christmas is based on a Russell Hoban/Lillian Hoban (of "Frances the Badger" fame) story and has all the sweet natured charm and humor of the classic Muppets.
Jim Henson developed this " 'Gift of the Magi' with a twist" tale of Emmet Otter and his Ma and it should be a staple of the season. With all of the junky holiday television programming out there these days, it is just nice to see a production with some Christmas spirit....the furry Mupppets are a bonus!

Christmas is approaching in Frogtown Hollow, and Emmet Otter and his Ma hope to buy gifts for each other. Unfortunately, Emmet doesn't make enough from the odd jobs he does, and Ma doesn't make enough as a laundress. They decide to compete in the Frog Town Hollow Talent Contest in order to win money, but Ma will have to hock Emmet's tool chest to buy a costume, and Emmet will have to put a hole in Ma's washtub for his band!

Image courtesy of Google