'Mad Men' -- Signs of Strain in Betty's New Marriage?

*Warning, spoilers ahead from the recently aired episode of Mad Men.*

While Don Draper stewed in what used to be his living room, sitting on what used to be his sofa, waiting in the dark for the woman who used to be his wife to return home with her new husband – she was late, intentionally, it appears – after he’d put his and her children to bed, Don informed his ex that she and her new spouse had to vacate the house immediately, per their divorce agreement.

When the new hubby, Henry Francis said that their living in the house was temporarily, Don responded, “Believe me Henry, everyone thinks this is temporary.”

The bloom appears to be off the rose when it comes to “newlyweds” Betty and Henry Francis. During the season four premiere, "Public Relations," Henry was seen grimacing as Betty reprimanded Sally and shoved sweet potato into her mouth during Thanksgiving dinner at Henry's mother's house. Later that night, he gently rebuffed Betty’s physical advances in bed, then they heard Sally fumbling in the hallway as she was trying to call Don on the phone.

The one time we saw glimmers of the season three Henry -- the white knight who was going to rescue Betty, take care of her, not take anything from Don, not owe him a thing -- was right after Don had picked up Bobby and Sally. Henry, who’s now the man of that house having “bested” the handsome Don, made the moves on Betty in the front seat of the car while it was parked in the garage, as, some commentators have noted, he did when he was courting her the previous year.

Throw in the fact that Henry seems cowed by his mother, who loathes Betty and disapproves of the marriage (asking him how he can “live in that man’s dirt?”), and I’m surprised by how fast things appear to have gone from promising to not so great. They haven’t even been married a year yet.

Meanwhile, Don's blind date with a younger version of his ex-wife -- whose name even sounded similar to Betty’s (Bethany) -- makes one wonder if Don would ever attempt to woo Betty back, or whether he’s just floundering around trying to figure out how to get back to where he was, a success at work and a success at home. I just hope that he seeks out a partner who's intelligent and insightful and not just young, blond, arm candy.

By the way, was it just me, or did Betty seem to dress -- hair and clothing-wise -- much older than she's seemed in previous seasons? She looked almost matronly to me, which was quite a stark contrast to her get-up in the "Souvenir" episode last season in Italy.

Image credit: Michael Yarish/AMC.

'Friday Night Lights:' Things Get Worse for Tami Taylor

*Warning spoilers ahead from the recent episode of Friday Night Lights.*

Although she did nothing wrong, Friday Night Lights’ Tami Taylor was summoned to appear before a closed-door school board meeting in the recent episode -- “Injury List” -- to answer Luke Cafferty’s mother Margaret’s allegations that Tami urged 15-year-old Becky Sproles to get an abortion. (Even though it was Becky's mother who insisted upon it.)

When the school board voted against taking any action against the West Dillon High School principal -- who’d previously been a guidance counselor and who made no recommendations to Becky – it seemed as though the 15-year-old’s abortion storyline would be done, wrapped up.

Only it wasn’t.

The baby daddy's mother, Margaret Cafferty – who’s unfortunately being portrayed as a one-dimensional, spiteful, angry character – went to the news media about it and, in the closing minutes of FNL, Tami received a call from a local newspaper reporter who asked her to comment on allegations that she advised a pregnant teen to have an abortion. (She provided no comment.)

Tami, as she’s been a great deal of the season, was trying to deal with this development on her own because her husband Eric was off drinking with Buddy Garrity (anyone notice that Eric’s drinking has increased this season) and said he didn’t want to go home yet. Eric's not been there for Tami a lot this season, preoccupied as he is with his new coaching gig.

Seeing Tami sitting alone, in the dark, on the front stoop of her home, frightened about what was going to happen to her for doing nothing more than listening to a girl in trouble and telling her about her options – she even mentioned a teen health clinic and adoption first before Becky asked what she could do if she didn’t want her baby – was filled with melancholy.

My pop culture column over on Mommy Tracked this week examined how the mothers involved in this storyline – Tami, Becky’s mother Cheryl and Margaret Cafferty – are depicted as they struggle to do what they think is right for the teens.

What do you think about the way FNL has handled this issue?

Image credit: NBC.

'Mad Men:' Public Relations (Season Premiere)

*Warning: Spoilers ahead from the recent episode of Mad Men.*

Who is Don Draper? Someone who was almost unrecognizable during the season four premiere of Mad Men.

His confidence in everything appeared to have been shaken: Don screwed up an interview with a reporter from Advertising Age, that was meant to promote Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, by refusing to say much of anything at all. He appeared to be flailing around in the sleek, glass-walled confines of SCDP as the face of an underdog firm with money issues and no conference table. He hasn’t been eating, according to his housekeeper. He was being set up on dates by, of all people, Jane Sterling and even got shot down (as far as walking her up to her apartment) by her young friend in a cab at the end of their date. And, most shocking, Don has been hiring a woman to have sex with him and repeatedly slap him in the face, because, apparently, he’s been a very bad boy and deserves to be punished.

Don Draper is now into being dominated? (Don, the child of a prostitute who was nicknamed “the whore child,” wanted to be slapped around by a call girl? Freud would have a field day.)

It seems as though his postcard-perfect (on the outside) family, with wife, kids and the house in the ‘burbs, really was important to him after all – though he realized it too late – and he now knows, deep in his core, that his deceitful and duplicitous ways are responsible for that. No more trying to shift blame onto Betty. When the episode began, Don was still allowing Betty and Henry to live in the Ossining house for which he was paying the mortgage (so much for Henry saying he didn’t want Betty to owe Don anything) even though the divorce agreement says they were supposed to have moved out a month ago.

I literally was dumb-founded watching this version of Don Draper walk around, lonely and disconnected. He was almost like a foreign character who I didn’t recognize, save for Jon Hamm’s face. Even in the first three seasons of Mad Men, when Don had tremendous difficulty allowing people to capture a glimpse of his true feelings (Midge, Rachel, even, to some extent, Miss Farrell got to see them), he wasn’t THIS inaccessible, just going through the motions of life. Observing a depressed Don Draper was disorienting. It made everything, from SCDP to his dark apartment, feel unstable, different.

Was this dour episode – where the fit he threw over Jantzen’s two-piece bathing suit campaign that his clients rejected – the catalyst for Don to finally say, “Enough of the self-flagellation?” For him to evolve? The Wall Street Journal interview, where he promoted himself with vigor, seemed like a turning point.

Meanwhile, I loved – LOVED! – what a year has done to bolster Peggy’s confidence so much so that not only would she pull a caper like hiring two actresses to stage a faux fight (which evolved into a real one that necessitated bail) over ham so that they wouldn’t lose their account without consulting Don, but Peggy was willing to talk back to Don as good as she got. When Don was feeling extremely down, he tried, as he has in the past, to direct some of his ugly hurt onto Peggy, but this time, Peggy was having none of it. It was a glorious site to behold.

By the way . . . Joan in her own office, a vision.

As for Betty and Henry, all I can say is . . . ick. The two of them, together, have zero chemistry, and are extremely unsettling to watch, particularly under the attentive eyes of Henry’s calloused mother who later referred to Betty as a “silly woman” and chastised Henry for “living in that man’s dirt.” (“Silly,” maybe so, that sweet potato/pinching incident was embarrassing. But “dirt?” No.)

What did you think of the season premiere? Of sad Don? Of Betty and Henry?

Salon Takes on 'Mad Men's' Women: They Disappoint and Depress

Do the Mad Men women frequently get punished and and constantly let us down while the men behave badly yet skate away with their money, privilege and social standing in tact? That’s what Nelle Engoron asserted in her Salon piece, “Why ‘Mad Men’ is bad for women.” This one-time “champion” of Mad Men says she’s now jaded about its depiction of women:

“I’m increasingly disturbed by the striking difference in how men and women are portrayed . . . Even as it depicts rampant sexism, the show sides with the men. The men get off scot-free (if not scotch-free) while the women are subjected to repeated humiliation and misfortune, which is invariably attributed to their own flaws and poor choices.”

While saying that Don continues to be the “suave hero” of the show in spite his many bad acts, Betty, despite having insisted on divorcing Don, is considered a feminist disappointment:

“Being stuck in a life of mind-numbing domesticity is tragic only when the person is capable of — and desirous of — much more. But Betty seems less limited by her situation than by her intellect and character. We have no sense of what she’d do with her life if she hadn’t married, other than perhaps be a Holly Golightly party girl in Europe. Even when she finally leaves Don, it’s not to become independent but only to go to another man who wants to marry her and take care of her every little need.”

Even Peggy’s shyness – which I think she uses as a shield of self-protection as she tries to make it in a world ruled by men – takes a hit:

“While smart, creative and brave, Peggy isn’t allowed to be a full, rounded person and is instead portrayed as socially inept, humorless and utterly unable to connect with either men or women, remaining friendless and loveless. Her stiffness, introversion and social missteps are painful to watch, and her awkward attempts to be more ‘feminine’ fall flat.”

I don’t see things quite the same way. I believe that Don has indeed been penalized for his bad behavior. He lost something he coveted, though didn’t act as though he valued it because he’d never really had it growing up: His family, his educated and stunning trophy wife, their enviable beautiful home in the ‘burbs. He even sacrificed contact with his brother – for whose suicide Don feels responsible – in order to preserve his life with Betty and the kids. But since Betty said, "No mas," Don has been booted from the all-American suburbs, where Miss Farrell said all the dads looked the same, and back to the city to live the life of a bachelor again, a life which, according to the New York Times review of the season four premiere, isn’t all that fun, glamorous or satisfying.

Roger lost his daughter’s and his colleagues’ respect, plus they had to sell Sterling Cooper in order to pay for Roger’s divorce. A handful of Sterling Cooper's core staff – under the threat of having the firm sold to McCann – had to reconstitute itself in a new firm in a hotel suite, starting all over again largely because of the dominoes Roger and his affair (then marriage) with Jane set in motion.

Then there was writer Rachel Shukert who, in her piece ‘I Was Betty Draper,’ said she, a work-from-home writer who was frustrated with how her work was progressing, “empathized with” Betty on many levels, particularly when her own spouse was off working and earning the lion’s share of the household money:

“I understood the icy rage when she coldly offered her cheek to Don to kiss in the mornings. It wasn’t because of the lipstick on his collar or the empty bottle of rye – or at least, not just because. It was because he got to go off to be busy and brilliant and essential, while she got to stay at home, lining the drawers with stupid contact paper. The Drapers’ spats reminded me of the fights I had with my husband when I asked why he was at work until 2 in the morning, why it seemed he had to leave the country three weeks out of the month. ‘You don’t understand,’ he would answer angrily. ‘You don’t have to be financially responsible for another person.’ And I would shout back, more furious with myself than him: ‘God! Don’t you think I wish I was?’”

These characters certainly got under people’s skin.

Image credit: Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC.

Giving 'Mad Men's' Women the Last Word

The folks from PopSugar have put together a video collection of one-liners uttered by the women during the first three seasons of Mad Men, proving that Roger Sterling doesn't corner the market on snarky commentary.

One of the best lines came from Midge, "You know the rules, I don't make plans and I don't make breakfast."

Do you have any favorites that are missing from this video?

A commenter on BuzzSugar asked where Betty's "My people are Nordic" quote was. Also missing, Betty's "Only boring people are boring" and any of the terrible one-liners she has directed at her kids. Surely there must be some Trudy one-liners that should've made it too.

'Weeds' Season Six: Botwins on the Run

This new Showtime preview makes it seem as though Weeds’ll be more mad-cap this season as the Botwins -- aka the Newmans -- take to the road fleeing a murder scene in Mexico after Shane killed a criminally/politically connected woman who'd been threatening his mother Nancy, by hitting the woman in the head with a croquet mallet.

“Normal Newmans from Normaltown,” Nancy's oldest son Silas says of their “new” identities in the promo as we see them assuming new lives. Only this is Weeds, so “normal” is not really in the cards, is it?

Why Nancy feels compelled to continue working in the drug business, given the grief it has caused her – and it’s not as though her life has been all that great since she started dealing – well, I suppose that’s what season six is for. New episodes start airing August 16.

What's In Store for 'Mad Men's' Women in Season Four?

Leading up to the Mad Men series premiere on Sunday night and in preparation for my pop culture column about the fourth season of the drama, I gave some thought as to what I hope the fourth season will bring for Betty Draper, freshly divorced from Don and married to Henry Francis; Joan Holloway Harris, back as the office manager for the newly formed ad agency, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce; and Peggy Olson, who got her emotionally and praise-withholding boss, Don Draper, to grovel in the series three finale in order to lure her to his new firm.

While working on the column, I also read a dense, academically-oriented, yet fascinating book, Mad Men and Philosophy which examines issues such as whether Don’s a bad person and why the self-confident Joan is the least progressive of the three main female stars, as well as examining the overall ethical/moral framework of the show.

If you were on the Mad Men writing staff, what scenarios and stories would you cook up for the ladies of Mad Men?

Image credits: AMC.

HBO Teases with 'In Treatment' Promo

Season 3 Tease

The new promo from HBO for the third season of the intimate talk therapy drama In Treatment gives us no insight into what the new season may bring, other than a tan sofa with four red toss pillows artfully perched on either side.

The third season of the series, filming now, is supposed to star not only the wonderful Gabriel Byrne as the main character, Dr. Paul Weston, but also Amy Ryan (from The Office) who'll be Paul's therapist, replacing Dianne Wiest who won an Emmy for her role as Paul’s therapist Gina. Additionally, Debra Winger will be one of Paul’s patients.

No formal air date has been announced.

Huzzah! It's 'Mad Men' Week!

*Warning: Mild spoilers about Mad Men season 4 ahead*



I haven’t had this much anticipation about a TV show since I sat down to watch the series finale of Lost – which, I still can’t discuss rationally because I remain pretty steamed about it. Mad Men commences its fourth season on Sunday at 10 and there’s all manner of media attention being paid to this critical darling of a drama with the small but influential viewership.

The New York Times had a big Mad Men spread in the Arts section yesterday in which we learned a few tidbits about the new season, like when it takes place and where our favorite characters are in their lives: “. . . [I]t’s a year later, and the executives of Sterling Cooper Draper [Pryce] go on cattle calls to woo clients. Contracts melt away. The business is precarious and copywriters stoop to publicity stunts to gin up business.”

Most interesting to me was this tidbit about Betty’s new, married life with Henry Francis, “Henry, who has grown children from a previous marriage, promises Betty a better life – though this one comes with a scornful mother-in-law.”

Mother-in-law? Betty didn’t have to deal with any in-laws when she was married to Don. Given that her own parents are deceased, this’ll be fascinating to watch, as will this shocking detail about Don, who, the New York Times says, “finds himself along in a dark Greenwich Village apartment, shining his own shoes and going out on blind dates.”

The blindingly handsome Don needs blind dates? Wow. Apparently Miss Farrell wasn’t interested in picking up where they left off.



Meanwhile Salon ran a provocative piece which took a meta-look at the show’s place at this particular point in time and why it resonates so powerfully with some viewers. Citing the recession and an “American dream” that currently seems “less attainable than ever,” Heather Havrilesky wrote that given the current economic crisis:

“Somehow Mad Men captures this ultra-mediated, postmodern moment, underscoring the disconnect between the American dream and reality by distilling our deep-seated frustrations as a nation into painfully palpable vignettes. Even as the former denizens of Sterling Cooper unearth a groundswell of discontent beneath the skin-deep promises of adulthood, they keep struggling to concoct chirpy advertising messages that provide a creepily fantastical backdrop to this modern tragedy. Don (Jon Hamm) sighs deeply and unlocks the door to his lonely apartment, Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) whiles away her waking hours trading casual quips with co-workers, but happiness is still just a shiny kitchen floor or a sexy bikini or a cigarette away.

As the American dream is packaged for mass consumption, these isolated characters find themselves unnerved by its costs.”

What are your big hopes, storyline-wise, for season four?

Notes on Pop Culture: More Betty White Adoration, Carell & Rudd Mock Lebron, Bristol & Levi Again?

Another Reason to Love Betty White
Add to the many reasons why Ms White is deserving of affection include the answers to this Vanity Fair questionnaire:

Vanity Fair: What is the quality you most like in a man?

Betty White: Sense of romance.

VF: What is the quality you most like in a woman?

White: Sense of humor.

VF: What is your most treasured possession?

White: My golden retriever.

VF: What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

White: Big parties.

Carell & Rudd Mock Lebron's 'Decision'

I didn’t watch the ESPN Awards (even though I am a fan of Seth Meyers, who hosted the show) but I got a kick out of watching the video of Steve Carell and Paul Rudd lampooning Lebron James’ big “The Decision” ridiculousness.



Bristol and Levi: Tying the Knot?

“I’m here now and I’m gonna make it right,” Levi Johnston, who last year lampooned the Palin family, said of being with his ex-girlfriend and their son.

After last year’s tabloidesque insanity involving the Palin family and self-made rogue Levi Johnston – including Johnston posing with a photo cut-out/mask of Sarah Palin and dishing on all things intimate about his kid’s grandmother in Vanity Fair -- Levi “Playgirl” Johnston is now going to marry Bristol Palin?

Apparently so. And, to make this story even more unbelievable, the two lovebirds told Us Weekly before telling Sarah Palin.

In a statement, Bristol’s parents, Sarah and Todd Palin said: “"We obviously want what is best for our children, but Bristol is ultimately in charge of determining what is best for her and her beautiful son. Bristol believes in redemption and forgiveness to a degree most of us struggle to put in practice."

The elegantly snarky New York Times columnist Gail Collins said this news brings together all types of people to rally ‘round Sarah Palin:

“Johnston has proven to be the only person in the world who can make me feel sympathy for Sarah Palin. He told Us Weekly that he broached the subject of marrying Bristol at the same family meeting where he apologized to Sarah for telling the national news media that she was money-hungry, insensitive, a bad housekeeper, an indifferent mother and a bad shot.”

Image credits: Vanity Fair and Us Weekly.

On My Must-See List: 'The Kids are All Right' and 'Eat Pray Love'

As soon as it arrives in Boston area theaters, I'm planning on heading out to see the new Annette Bening/Julianne Moore/Mark Ruffalo film, The Kids are All Right. The family-of-four-with-two-moms-who-got-pregnant-via-donor-sperm-and-get-visited-by-said-sperm-donor-18-years-later movie is getting great buzz, plus I really like Annette Bening.



Another flick about which I'm curious to see is the forthcoming Julia Roberts movie, Eat Pray Love. Wonder if I should read the book first before seeing the movie? (No, I haven't read the book yet, even though it seems like every book club in America has already tackled it. I somehow managed to miss it when it first came out four years ago.) However some people say that reading the book first ruins the movie because the movie can nevr live up to the book. Hmm . . .

What Happens When Jewel Dons a Disguise & Sings Her Songs in a Karaoke Bar?

This Funny or Die video happens:

Undercover Karaoke with Jewel from Jewel

Pretty funny. Still love her break-through tunes.

Notes on Pop Culture: Emmys' Parentally Challenged/Role Model Noms, 'Rizzoli & Isles' and Sela Ward Returns to TV

Emmys' Parentally Challenged/Parental Role Model Noms

When the Emmy nominations were announced last week, I was taking a good look at which actors and actresses were nominated for what roles when something jumped out at me: The list included a whole lot of characters who play parents on TV. There were good parents, bad parents, parents who try but don’t necessarily succeed and parents who do things they really shouldn’t in the name of “helping” their family.

Then I wondered: If I tallied them up would there be more parentally challenged characters on the list – because behaving badly seems so theatrical and much more comedic and/or dramatic than acting like a goody-two shoes – or would role model parents rule the day?

In my weekly Pop Culture column I found that, surprisingly, there were more role model parents on the list (11) than the parentally challenged (8).

Rizzoli & Isles: New TNT Boston-Centric Cop Show



Not bad, not bad at all. The new TNT cop show Rizzoli & Isles premiered last night and I didn’t hate it. In fact, I found it entertaining. See my review over on CliqueClack TV.

Sela Ward Returns to TV

I haven’t watched any show with “CSI” in its title since the second season of the original CSI aired, then I moved on to other shows. However reports from Entertainment Weekly that Melina Kanakaredes (who I used to watch on Providence) is leaving CSI: NY and that Sela Ward – whom I loved in Once and Again, House and Sisters, where Ward's character dated George Clooney's character – is in talks to replace her, may make me program my DVR to start recording CSI: NY.

UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter says Ward is definitely joining the cast of CSI: NY. "Ward will play an experienced investigator from Washington D.C., whose work is driven by her empathy for the victim, according to the network," the Hollywood Reporter said. Gotta love Sela.

Image credits: Hollywood News and BuzzTab.

'Friday Night Lights' Gets Serious, Emotionally Raw, Controversial

*Warning, spoilers ahead from the recently aired episode of Friday Night Lights.*


Becky’s story has become not just an emotionally wrenching one for the pregnant sophomore from a single parent home -- the product of a teen pregnancy herself -- but has made headlines, specifically in the New York Times this weekend.

Why the coverage in the Times, with its writer, Ginia Bellafante writing that FNL “chose to maintain its commitment, above all, to the world it renders . . . that economics dictate everything?” Because it was one of the few TV shows which had a female teenage pregnant actually go ahead and have an abortion.

At first, Tim, who served as Becky’s confidante, tried to convince Becky to talk to her mother, but Becky said she couldn’t because, well, she just couldn’t. So he brought Becky to Tami’s door. “I need your help,” he said. And help Tami did, particularly when Becky asked, “What should I do?”

Tami started to run down a list of her options saying there’s free medical care for pregnant teens and an adoption agency, Becky interrupted her with this question, “What if I don’t want to have the baby?”

“I can direct you to literature,” Tami, a former guidance councilor, now high school principal said, without flinching, though their conversation kept Tami up late fretting about what if that had been her own daughter asking those questions.

When Becky finally went to her mother – who later referred to both herself and her daughter as “trash” for getting pregnant as teens -- the mom reacted similarly to the way in which the pro-life mom on Private Practice, Naomi Bennett, reacted when she learned that her 15-year-old daughter was pregnant, with screaming and tears and the directive that she’s going to have an abortion, no questions about it. “She’s not having a baby; she’s having an abortion,” Becky’s mother firmly and angrily told the doctor, when Becky was still not sure what she wanted to do.

Wavering on the abortion question, Becky returned to the reassuring Tami again, late at night and teary-eyed after the consultation at the abortion clinic. Becky said: “We don’t have any money and I’m in the tenth grade. And it was my first time, and I threw it away and I don’t want to throw my life away. It’s just really obvious that my mom wants me to have this abortion because I was her mistake and she has just struggled and hurt every day and she wanted better.” Then she asked Tami if she thought she’d go to hell if she had an abortion to which Tami said, “No honey, I don’t.”

Then the big question. What would Tami tell Julie if she were pregnant: “I would tell her to think about her life, think about what’s important to her and what she wants and I’d tell her that she’s in a real tough spot and that I would support whatever decision she made.”

The scene with Becky and her mother stood in stark contrast to Luke’s scenes, the first of which had Luke sitting in church with his parents, being singled out in front of the congregation by his pastor and thanked for making them all proud. He was clearly bothered by the notion of Becky aborting their baby. His conscience was so weighed down with guilt that he finally told his father, who in turn told his mother. It was so sad to watch Luke, this naïve young student, call Becky and try to explain how they could make this work out, how he could help raise the child, only to be informed that Becky had already ended the pregnancy, as Becky hung up the phone and dissolved into tears.

The other main storyline in “I Can’t,” was the on-going tragedy of Vince. Beneath that tough veneer and swagger, Vince has a huge, vulnerable heart. Those scenes -- where he found his mother ODed on the sofa and later spoke with her in the hospital when she became conscious (“Mom, why do you keep doin’ this to yourself? Why do you keep doing this to me? I mean, am I that bad? Why don’t ya wanna be with me? Why you wanna leave me by myself?”) and then he believed he had no choice but to turn to the local gangs and crime in order to get the money to save his mother’s life in rehab -- are why I was a big advocate of Michael B. Jordan getting a supporting actor in a drama Emmy nomination. That kid plays both sides of this confused, desperate and scared teen boy extremely, heart-rendingly well.

And can I just say that I love “Big Mary?” Just love that character. (“I understand Vince because he’s me.”)

'Mad Men,' 'Lost,' 'FNL,' 'Modern Family' Get Some Emmy Lovin'

Emmy nominations in a nutshell:

Mad Men: 17 nominations.

Modern Family: 14 (almost all the show's actors got nominated with the glaring exceptions of Ed O’Neill, who plays Jay, and Rico Rodriguez, who plays Manny)

Lost: 12 (including lead actor nomination for the much-maligned Matthew Fox who I, personally, liked very much as Jack Shephard)

Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler got nominated for lead actress and actor in Friday Night Lights. FINALLY!

Jon Hamm (Don Draper), January Jones (Betty Draper), John Slattery (Roger Sterling), Elisabeth Moss (Peggy Olson), Christina Hendricks (Joan Harris), Michael Emerson (Ben Linus) and Terry O’Quinn (Smoky Locke) all got acting nominations. Even Andre Braugher, who gave a brave performance on Men of a Certain Age, got a nod.

Missing from the nominations – complete list is here -- Grey’s Anatomy and Rescue Me actors and writers whom I thought deserved some accolades.

Here are the nominees for the two biggest categories:

Best drama: Breaking Bad, Dexter, The Good Wife, Lost, Mad Men, True Blood

Best comedy: Curb Your Enthusiasm, Glee, Modern Family, Nurse Jackie, The Office, 30 Rock

I wrote up my react to the nominations here at CliqueClack TV.

Who are you pleased to see on this list? Who’s missing?

Image credit: Carin Baer/AMC.

Two TV-Centric Posts: 'Rescue Me' and Me as an All-Powerful Emmy Goddess

I’ve got two new posts up on CliqueClack TV today, the first is a review of last night’s episode of Rescue Me where Tommy Gavin publicly proclaimed that he was giving up drinking – AGAIN – and was going to be a better man, a better husband and a better dad. And everyone laughed in his face, not buying it, while his wife Janet told him that he'd transformed her into a cynical, negative person. Then by the end -- and this is hardly a spoiler if you've actually watched Tommy over the years -- he raised a hefty glass of whiskey and declared that the world was "not cooperating" with attempts to stay sober.

Now his eldest daughter Colleen is apparently following in his boozy footsteps and he’s helplessly inept when it comes to giving her guidance.

The second blog post is my wish list of TV shows and actors/actress who I think should get Emmy nominations when they’re announced tomorrow morning. I can summarize my go-with-the-heart picks with four words: Mad, Men, Modern and Family.

And no, Lost is not on the list for best drama because I’m still holding a grudge over that series finale debacle thing which still has me feeling as though watching the final season was a complete waste of time. (As more time passes, I find myself getting angrier about the whole mess.)

Image credit: FX via New York Magazine.

Season 4 'Mad Men' Cast Photo: What Do You Read Into It?

The folks over there at the New York Times are crowing about the fact that they've received a season four promo package for my favorite show on television, Mad Men. Included among the goodies is the season four cast photo above.

Writer Dave Itzkoff noted that, while he wouldn't divulge any spoilers, the 10-year-old actress who plays Sally Draper, Kiernan Shipka, has been promoted to a series regular. That's a great development, as far as I'm concerned, because I thought she kicked some serious butt last season. I'm also hoping she'll provide a realistic depiction of what it's like to be a child of divorce, particularly in that era.

Other than Peggy's new 'do and Kenny Cosgrove's appearance in this photo (note, no Paul Kinsey who, like Cosgrove, wasn't invited to work at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce), what potential plot developments do you draw from this cast photo?

Image credit: AMC via the New York Times.

Notes on Pop Culture: 'Eclipse' Rises, Turning on the Lights on FNL and Tales from a 'Breaking Bad' Virgin

Eclipse: Better Than the First Two Twilight Flicks

I went to see Eclipse on opening weekend and am happy to report – even though it might diminish my credibility with some literary/film school/independent flick types – that I enjoyed it, thought it was much better than New Moon and more light-hearted in places, not taking itself TOO seriously.

My pop culture column over on Mommy Tracked this week also points out that, despite the fact that the movie (like the book series) has all these super-strong werewolves and vampires protecting the fragile human Bella Swan from violence and possible death -- at times even being held her involuntarily hostage in order to keep her “safe” -- Bella’s no slouch when it comes to protecting those she loves either, that’s when she’s not pining or pondering becoming a teenage bride.

Friday Night Lights: The Lights in Carroll Park



Being a teenager is damned hard, at least in Dillon, Texas, at least for the likes of Becky, who’s 16 and pregnant, and for Vince, who can’t find a job because he’s been arrested and has been trying as hard as he can not to fall in with the gang and the violence that threatens to envelope him.


While Vince, whose mother's drug problems make her AWOL as a parent, had Coach Taylor there to help him get a job – at Ray’s BBQ where Virgil offered to hire him as long as he kept himself out of trouble, 16-year-old Becky, herself the child of a teenage mother who's largely absent while tending bar, had no one to advise her after she got knocked up from a one-night-stand with Luke Cafferty. Though Luke has spoken with her and offered help, she’s leaning toward an abortion, though she’s still on the fence and in serious need of guidance. And seeking out Tim Riggins’ counsel – the same guy who’s working at an illegal chop shop after hours – doesn’t seem like the best move.

Meanwhile, while Eric Taylor was looking for Tinker to find out why he’s missed practice, Eric witnessed the aftermath of a shooting of a 12-year-old in Carroll Park, which made him realize that for some of his players who live in the area just getting to football practice unscathed, never mind escaping the reach of violence that plagues that area, is a constant challenge. Ever the optimist, Eric wanted to try to do something about it, but he went about it in his typically awkward Eric kind of way. No politician he.

Eric needed Buddy’s help – again -- just like he needed him to help rustle up the support of the East Dillon football alums for a Homecoming event earlier this season. With Buddy’s assistance, Eric met with a community organizer, who had credibility with some of the youth in the area, and they arranged not only to get the lights turned on in the troubled park, but to bring the community together with a pick-up football game between neighborhood players and the East Dillon Lions.

The best moment of the episode: Eric playing wry with Tami when he informed her that he was disgusted by the notion that, by the mere fact that Glenn had kissed Tami, Eric was one degree away from kissing Glenn. (When Glenn apologized to Eric, who knew nothing of the drunken kiss, loved, just loved Eric’s surprised, restrained rage look.)

Finally Saw Breaking Bad’s Freshman Season


The web site to which I contribute blog items about TV – CliqueClack TV – has this regular feature called, “The Virgin Diaries.” The writers who contribute to the site pick a show that has already aired that they, personally, have never seen before, watch it and chronicle their reactions. Fans who’ve already watched those seasons of the show get to re-live it through fresh eyes, remembering what it was like to learn a certain fact or see a new character for the first time.

My first “Virgin Diary” entry was posted today about AMC’s Breaking Bad starring Bryan Cranston. I just finished the first season – it was only seven episodes long -- over the weekend and wrote about how the star, Bryan Cranston surprised me by absolutely making me forget that he ever knew anyone named Malcolm or ever once donned roller skates and did a routine to the song Funkytown.

Image credit: AMC.

JibJab Guys Jump on 'Mad Men' Bandwagon

Love the JibJab guys, the ones who make those snarky online videos featuring caricatures of real people. (My favorites are their political ones and the year-end wrap-ups.) Now they've leapt into the wonderful world of Mad Men, as we get ever-closer to the fourth season premiere later this month. (Sunday July 25 at 10 for those of you keeping tabs at home.)

You can either watch the Mad Men JibJab video as they've designed it:

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

OR, you can personalize it but uploading your own photos so that you can re-envision what Don Draper, Betty Draper, Joan Holloway Harris and Roger Sterling's faces look like.

It really amazes me to see in how many different ways people take something like a single TV show and then add their own creative twist to it, like with the Mad Men Yourself images and the book I'm reading in advance of the new season, Mad Men and Philosophy: Nothing is as it Seems. (A very scholarly read, though with many cool observations.)

Want to 'Mad Men' Yourself? New Options for a New Season.

After AMC announced last summer that my favorite Mad Men-centric artist Dyna Moe had created a series of 1960s avatars which not only allowed you to personalize them (hair, face, body type, clothing, etc.) but allowed you to insert your 1960s self into a Mad Men scene, Mad Men-ning Yourself it became all the rage of the internet.

In honor of the "fresh start" -- which everyone's proclaiming season four of Mad Men to be -- Dyna Moe has added not only new scenes, but new accessories, hair, clothing, etc. from which you can choose.

You could insert yourself into a scene with Don in Rome (as I did above, borrowing Betty's attire from the "Souvenir" episode last season, the last time Don and Betty were happy as a couple), or picture yourself next to Betty and her new, ginormous fainting chair, or even opt to grab hold of an accordian as Joan did when her idiot husband Greg insisted she play a song for his colleagues during a dinner party like a performing chimpanzee.

However, if I were being honest, a real me, circa the 1960s, wouldn't be jet-setting to Rome and donning a swanky beaded dress. I'd likely look more like this, chillin' with Betty in Ossing (though I was annoyed that my avatar couldn't hold both a cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other):