Mad Men

Don Draper Is Back But Is He Losing His Touch?

Posted on 04/7/2013 by | AARP Blog Author | Comments

EntertainmentAt the Mad Men Season 6 premiere last month at the Director’s Guild Theater in Hollywood, Jon Hamm told reporters that the drama’s time frame for this season has parallels to today – an intriguing idea, in that Mad Men is now in 1968, arguably the most dramatic year of calamity and change in those tumultuous times.  (Yes, yes – we know hyper-secretive series creator Matt Weiner wanted the year kept under wraps, but it has already been reported elsewhere.) There is certainly …

Now Read This: Don Draper’s Very Hot Beach Book

Posted on 04/3/2013 by | AARP Blog Author | Comments

EntertainmentIn Season 3 of AMC’s Mad Men, Betty Draper’s father, Gene Hofstadt, moves in with the family. He and his granddaughter — the 9-year-old Sally Draper — soon bond over Edward Gibbons’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. “You just watch,” Gene reassures Sally when the first chapter they read together proves slow at first. “All hell’s gonna break loose.” Foreshadowing, anyone? By Episode 4 of that season, Gene had made a pass at his daughter (!) and …

Q&A: ‘Mad Men’ Illustrator Brian Sanders

Posted on 03/19/2013 by | Who's News | Comments

Bulletin Today | EntertainmentOne of the things that keeps so many of us avidly watching Mad Men, AMC’s epic series about the audacious misadventures of advertising industry reprobates in the 1950s and 1960s, is the show’s stylish period panache, from the classic contour of the bespoke suits and skinny neckties worn by rakish protagonist Don Draper to the mid-century modern decor of Don and trophy wife Megan’s apartment (which, as this Los Angeles Times article details, was meticulously assembled by designers who scoured eBay to find an actual …

Primetime Emmy Nominations: 8 Takeaways

Posted on 07/19/2012 by | Television and Entertainment | Comments

EntertainmentThe Primetime Emmy nominations were unveiled this morning, honoring the best in television during the 2011-12 season. AMC’s juggernaut Mad Men and the FX mini-series American Horror Story led the way with 17 total nominations apiece, while PBS’ Downton Abbey and the History Channel mini-series Hatfields & McCoys each nabbed 16. Among comedies, ABC’s Modern Family led the way with 14 nods. Here are 8 things we learned from this morning’s Emmy nominations: Experience pays off: In the acting categories, …

Good TV This Week: ‘Mad Men’ Bar is Open, and High

Posted on 03/25/2012 by | AARP Blog Author | Comments

EntertainmentIt’s been a 17-month wait, but “Mad Men” finally returns tonight (3/25) amid a hale of hyperbole aimed at getting the public back in the mood for the 15 Emmy-winning drama.  The AMC website even offers a handy “Mad Men” party planner; you can almost smell the vermouth!  Will Season 5 live up to the series’ storied history, or begin to look tired, like Don Draper (Jon Hamm) after a string of one-night stands?  Will its slap-in-the-face frank encounters with …