Mark It Down: 'Mad Men's' Season 6 Starts April 7

Breaking news for my Mad Men peeps: On April 7 it shall begin.

It'll be a two-hour extravaganza on AMC.

Season 6 of Mad Men in all its dark and twisty glamour.

Don Draper, Roger Sterling, Peggy Olson, Megan Draper, Betty Francis, Joan Harris (or did she drop Harris for Holloway?), Pete Campbell et al. return and delve even more deeply into the 1960s. (Take a long look at Petey-boy's groovy sideburns.)

Can't.

Wait.

Image credit: AMC via Huffington Post.

Leading TV Actors Ponder Their Craft & Professional Embarrassments

Reporters from The Hollywood Reporter sat down with two groups of leading dramatic TV actors who were surprisingly willing to talk frankly and openly about their work, the challenges of their craft and their own foibles, sometimes in gruesome detail.

Representing the female actors were The Good Wife's Julianna Margulies, Homeland's Claire Danes, The Closer's Kyra Sedgwick, The Killing's Mireille Enos, Mad Men's January Jones and Shameless' Emmy Rossum. Their male counterparts included Mad Men's Jon Hamm, Homeland's Damian Lewis, Parenthood's Peter Krause, Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston, Touch's Kiefer Sutherland and Boss' Kelsey Grammer.

I found it curious that the tone of the round-table discussions between the women versus the men was starkly different. Whereas the men seemed to be jovially trying to one-up each other with gross and embarrassing tales while they munched on snacks (like cubes of cheese), the women were deferential to one another and had flowers instead of food on the table in front of them. (The men are allowed to eat but the women weren't?)

My favorite parts of the discussions:

• January Jones said that people she sees on the street give her grief for Betty Draper's bad parenting.
• Jones said appearing as "fat Betty" during the fifth season of Mad Men was a pain in the neck due to all the prosthetics she had to wear.
• Peter Krause admitted to once suffering from sudden gastrointestinal problems while acting on stage in a play.
• The Good Wife, Julianna Margulies, struggles with being the "good girl" on her show's set even when she doesn't think she needs to be there all the time, particularly for scenes where she has no lines. Her quote seemed very Katherine Heigl to me, almost a cry for help: "There are days when . . . I had worked until midnight and then I had to go and shoot something else at five in the morning. I looked at my husband and I was like, 'This is why Judy Garland was on pills. I can't keep this up. I need a pill!'"
• Jon Hamm was once told he'd never make it as a TV star.
• Damian Lewis related an anecdote about getting injured on stage -- sustaining a wound that required multiple stitches -- during a sword fight with Ralph Fiennes yet he continued to act as he bled profusely from the face.

 I completely concur with a person who posted a comment on YouTube after the interview with the panel of women who said that this was a fascinatingly interesting discussion, a model for what these types of discussions should be, as opposed to the vacuous fluff that passes for interviews these days.

Notes on Pop Culture: New Flicks 'Friends With Kids' & 'Game Change'

I really liked Jennifer Westfeldt's new film, Friends With Kids about two best pals who decide to have a baby together, a movie in which Westfeldt starred, as well as wrote and directed.

In my review of the movie -- which also stars Adam Scott from Parks & Recreation and features Bridesmaids alums Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, Jon Hamm and Chris O'Dowd-- I compared it to When Harry Met Sally, only with a whole lot more profanity and a bunch of kids running around. This comparison is a good thing because a) I love When Harry Met Sally and b) When Harry Met Sally is a classic. An excerpt of the review on CliqueClack Flicks:

"Friends With Kids is a sharp indie which offers insight, humor, heart and a really nasty Jon Hamm scene without ever veering into garden variety, rom-com slop territory. It's a film that sincerely dramatizes how parenting can alter a relationship and how wading through the happy, maddening and messy moments of child-rearing can make or break a couple.

. . . Amidst the occasional ugliness and bouts of heartbreak, Friends With Kids actually winds up delivering a charming message about parenting, romance and the joys of sharing a life with someone, even when your kid gets explosive diarrhea all over you and the wall. The parenting experience can forge a bond between partners . . . or send the fleeing in the opposite direction. It also puts to the test Billy Crystal's famous When Harry Met Sally adage, 'Men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.'"

If you're in the mood for a funny and poignant film that takes a hard look at the impact of parenting on romance and relationships, this film is for you.

Meanwhile, HBO is premiering its original film Game Change this weekend. Your opinion of this rendition of Sarah Palin's selection as John McCain's running mate in the 2008 presidential campaign will depend upon your political leanings. If you're a Democrat and don't like Palin, you'll cackle throughout the film and have a blast watching her make gaffe after gaffe (oh, that Katie Couric interview) and see her admit that she didn't know why the United States had troops in Afghanistan. If you're a Republican and like Palin, though there are a few moments featuring the positives Palin brought to McCain's ticket (stupendous convention speech, solid debate performance, increased donations and huge bump in attendance at rallies), it's hard to overlook the film's meta-message that Game Change pounds home in between a handful of sympathetic Palin scenes: Palin had no business being picked; she was incompetent, emotionally unstable and, at times, imperious.

I've lamented on this blog on a number of occasions the negativity and condescension to which political women are subjected in the media and this movie is no exception to this unfortunate trend. But the fault lies in the source material, Game Change the book which villainized all the women in the book from Palin to Hillary Clinton, from Cindy McCain to Elizabeth Edwards. Only Michelle Obama emerged from that bestseller relatively unscathed.

That being said, Game Change's acting was top-notch. Julianne Moore was perfection and I didn't know Woody Harrelson had it in him to make me forget that it was Woody playing a high-powered political consultant. No matter your political leanings, Game Change is an entertaining ride, though if you're of the Republican/Palin fan ilk, you'll likely be indignantly fired up the movie's end. If you're of the mind that female politicians get a raw deal in the media, you may well be as fired up as the Republicans. My review of the film can be found here.

Image credit: Phillip V. Caruso/HBO.

Emmy Nominations: Love for 'Friday Night Lights,' 'Mad Men' & 'Modern Family'

Image credit: NBC via New York Post.

As it rounds the corner of its final season, Friday Night Lights and its two lead actors, Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, have received Emmy nominations for the wonderful conclusion to the series which moved and delighted me. Though it’s highly unlikely that FNL will receive any Emmys -- it’s up against Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, Dexter and Game of Thrones in best drama, Chandler faces Mad Men’s Jon Hamm who had a stupendous year while Britton is competing with Julianna Margulies’ powerhouse turn in The Good Wife), it’s nice to see the gang from Dillon, Texas get some props for a change.



And it was a testament to the outstanding high quality of the humor, writing and performances in Modern Family to see that all the parents in the show were nominated for an Emmy, the show is in contention for best comedy (an honor it won last year) and one of its funniest episodes, “Caught in the Act,” is vying for best comedy writing. It’s been nominated for 17 Emmys, deservedly so.

Image credit: AMC.

Then there’s my beloved Mad Men which has been nominated for 19 Emmys. A favorite for best drama, which it has won for three consecutive years, the amazing Don and Peggy-centric episode “The Suitcase”  (where they stayed up all night working on the Samsonite campaign) was nominated for best writing, Miss Blankenship (Randee Heller) was nominated for best guest actress and Elisabeth Moss is up for best actress.

Other nominations that made my day: Amy Poehler for Parks and Recreation, Michelle Forbes for her poignant work on The Killing and Andre Braugher’s Men of a Certain Age nod.

Who was left out of the Emmy 2011 party?

All the folks from Parenthood. No nominations. Zip. Nada. I thought for sure that Peter Krause would be on the list for his Adam Braverman (I’m thinking specifically about the episode where he punched the guy in the grocery store for mocking his son who has Asperger’s), or Mae Whitman for her portrayal of troubled teen Amber Holt.

Rescue Me. Its sixth season was strong and powerful and grim as Denis Leary’s Tommy Gavin, like Don Draper, hit his alcoholic rock bottom. (Both depictions were ugly and gripping.) Certainly the series and Leary deserved nominations.

Ray Romano. He proved, in his second season as the put-upon divorced dad Joe with a gambling problem on Men of a Certain Age, that he has acting chops.

Michael B. Jordan as Vince Howard from Friday Night Lights. During these past two seasons, Jordan has given an achingly beautiful performance as the East Dillon Lions’ quarterback who struggled with his previous criminal entanglements with deadly gangs, with his father returning to the fold after serving jail time (and disappointing his son by reverting to substance abuse), his mother’s rehab from drug addiction and omnipresent poverty.
Nick Offerman from Parks and Recreation. Just for the episode where he sported dreadlocks. Ron Swanson's Pyramid of Greatness. Seriously. He made me laugh out loud.
 
The folks from The Middle. I adored the episode where Frankie and Mike Heck attempted to "take back" the house from their kids but, inevitably, failed.

What nominations pleased you? Which omissions annoyed you?

Image credits: New York Post, Michael Yarish/AMC.

Notes on Pop Culture: Jon Hamm Cameo Rocked 'SNL,' Krasinski/Baldwin Battle Over Baseball & Shriver=Good Wife?

Jon Hamm Cameo Rocked SNL

The first half of the Saturday Night Live TV Funhouse segment, “The Ambiguously Gay Duo” was ridiculously puerile and, frankly, obnoxious. It was as if a group of bodily functions-obsessed middle schoolers had eaten too much sugar and wrote a highly inappropriate, sexually suggestive script. I nearly turned it off, as I couldn’t tolerate its stupid double entendres any longer. But then the cartoon characters were transformed into real live action characters and one of the “Ambiguously Gay” superheroes was Jon Hamm. The other was Jimmy Fallon. Being a shameless Jon Hamm fan, of course I had to watch the rest of it.

I like Hamm and Fallon and, although I found the whole segment annoying when it was in cartoon form, when it was in live action, I was amused.



Krasinski & Baldwin Battle Over Baseball

Die-hard Red Sox fan John Krasinski from The Office and passionate Yankees fan Alec Baldwin spoofed sports’ greatest rivalry in another edition of their New Era Cap ads.

Given that the Boston Red Sox – who are now playing .500 ball (*hallelujah*) – swept the Yankees this past week (*clicking heels*), I’m able to watch this ad and still smile.



Shriver = The Good Wife?

Tonight’s much-anticipated The Good Wife season finale comes out just as news has broken that former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger fathered a child 10 years ago with a woman who worked in the Schwarzenegger/Shriver household for decades. His wife Maria Shriver learned about the love child this year and has since left her husband, after she’d made a passionate case for folks to support Schwarzenegger’s campaign despite allegations that he sexually harassed dozens of women.

Over on CliqueClack TV I compared Shriver’s behavior to the fictional Alicia Florrick’s. Now I’m just waiting to learn that Peter Florrick also has a love child.

Notes on Pop Culture: Tina Fey Hosts 'SNL' & Jon Hamm's Adventure with a Weird Blue Puppet

The awesome Tina Fey, proudly showing off her baby bump, will be hosting this weekend's installment of Saturday Night Live. On this Mother's Day weekend (why is it now considered a weekend-long celebration?), I'm looking forward to Fey making all manner of inappropriate jokes about being in her "delicate" state, as she did in the promos above.

Herman Dune "Tell Me Something I Don't Know" from Jon Hamm

In the meantime, Fey's former 30 Rock fictional flame, Jon Hamm, has a weird video on the web site Funny or Die where he picks up a hitchhiking fuzzy blue dude and takes him on an adventure, where neither of them wear seatbelts in the white convertible, what a safety scandal (!!). Then the duo goes clubbing and Hamm puts the blue guy on his shoulders so he can see the band that was playing. All in all, a really weird video.

Jon Hamm Eating Matzo While Spoofing Masterpiece Theater . . . Kind Of

This short video is ridiculous. It's filled with inanities and juvenile humor. It also includes Josh Malina who you may remember from The West Wing.

But still.

It amused me, particularly with the weird matzo bit.

Golden Globe Nominees a Mixed Bag, Cable Dominates TV Dramas

Image credit: Focus Features

Of the films nominated for Golden Globes, I’ve seen a grand total of one of them in both the comedy and drama categories: The Kids are All Right. (Drama noms: Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The King's Speech and The Social Network, two of which are on my "must see" list. Comedy noms: Alice in Wonderland, Burlesque, The Kids are All Right, Red and The Tourist.)

What does THAT say about me, or, conversely, about the nominations?

Maybe it means – HELLO?! – I should somehow find the time to go see more movies . . . or, perhaps, it's an indication that the movies I have seen in theaters aren't ones the Golden Globe voters find worthy, such as The Town. (Though Jeremy Hurt Locker Renner received a nod for supporting dramatic actor for The Town.) Then again, a lot of the acting and best picture nominations went mostly to people and films which have not yet been released or in limited release smack dab in the middle of the Christmas season, when I don't have a heck of a lot of time to go see them because of all that Christmas stuff I've got to do.

Overall, in addition to Renner's nomination, I was very happy to see that both Annette Bening and Julianne Moore were nominated for lead actresses in a comedy for The Kids are All Right; they were believable and relatable as a middle couple whose family of four was upended after their son tracked down the man who had donated his sperm to the couple. (I reviewed it here.)

When it came to the animated feature films, however, I've seen three of the five nominees – Despicable Me, How to Train Your Dragon and Toy Story 3 – which is an indication that yeah, I’ve got kids, and I take them to see kid movies more often than I go to see flicks of my choosing.

Image credit: Michael Yarish/AMC

On the TV side, it was somewhat shocking to see that of the best TV drama nominees, only ONE is a network show. Mad Men was, of course, on the list alongside the really solid, though not nearly as nuanced, The Good Wife. The other three nominees are shows I don’t watch: Boardwalk Empire (though I think I SHOULD be watching this one, anyone care to make that argument to me?), Dexter and The Walking Dead.

Best dramatic actress and actor nominations mirrored the TV drama trend, as the sole network nomination went to Julianna Margulies for The Good Wife. Margulies is up against Elisabeth Moss, who really deserves this award after her great fourth season as Peggy Olson, was nominated for Mad Men. The other dramatic actress nominees are: Piper Perabo from Covert Affairs, Katey Sagal from Sons of Anarchy and Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer.

The only network best dramatic actor nominee went to Hugh Laurie for House, but if Jon Hamm doesn’t get it, particularly for that episode of “The Suitcase,” then the Golden Globe voters are seriously off their rockers. Their competitors are: Steve Buscemi from Boardwalk Empire, Bryan Cranston from Breaking Bad and Michael C. Hall, Dexter.

Image credit: Eric McCandless/ABC

Comedy-wise, the networks fared better, fielding four out of the six nominees for 30 Rock, The Big Bang Theory, Glee and Modern Family. (Showtime’s Nurse Jackie and The Big C were also nominated.) Modern Family -- specifically the “Manny Get Your Gun” episode – should walk away with this, without question. Of the female members of the Modern Family cast, only Sofia Vergara received a nomination, while Eric Stonestreet was the only male cast member nominated. What about Ty Burrell? Rico Rodriguez? What, are they blind to their comic genius?

What did you think about the Golden Globe nominations?
Image credits: Focus Features, Michael Yarish/AMC and Eric McCandless/ABC.

Jon Hamm #2 on EW's Entertainers of the Year

Image credit: Entertainment Weekly.

From his 30 Rock cameos and his hardnosed law enforcement officer in The Town, to his joyously funny Emmy song and dance "Born to Run" routine and his painful portrayal of the complicated Don Draper on Mad Men, Jon Hamm has had one helluva year.

He's shown he can crack wise on TV with the award winning Tina Fey. He can be goofy with the likes of Betty White, such as when he "taught" her how to dance during the Emmy Awards' opening bit. He can sing. He can dance. He can smolder. He can cry. He can say, "What" in a thousand different ways . . . which is why Entertainment Weekly placed him at number two on their entertainers of the year list. (Taylor Swift topped the list, which thrilled my 12-year-old daughter.)

In the amusing accompanying article Hamm said of 2010: "My eternal pessimist comes out whenever things get as good as they have been. However,  I will say that 2010 was the best year I will ever have.”

Image credit: Michael Muller/Entertainment Weekly.

Who Knew Playing Don Draper Was So Dangerous?

Jon Hamm, who plays Don Draper on Mad Men, appeared on Conan O’Brien’s show last night and talked about how he had to go to the hospital, TWICE, after sustaining injuries while pretending to be Don Draper. His on set injuries included: Seven stitches on his head, a broken hand and a separated shoulder.

During the interview, Hamm told O'Brien about a scene he shot with Elisabeth Moss in which she firmly shook his hand, which was broken at the time. The pain from the handshake brought him to his knees. Guess being Don isn't all Old Fashioneds, smokes and dapper duds.

'Mad Men's' Don Draper Says What?

On a particularly insane day for me, watching this short video of Mad Men's Don Draper (the fabulous Jon Hamm) saying, "What?!" a bazillion times and in very different ways, was just what I needed. The ending made me laugh.

Notes on Pop Culture: Hamm on Lackluster 'SNL,' Stewart's Rally for the Sane Middle, 'Grey's' Goes Documentary-Style

Jon Hamm Does His Best with Lackluster SNL Skits

The faux Back to the Future screen tests and the YouTube victim skits were moderately amusing but other than those sketches, the Saturday Night Live writers sure let the earnest Jon Hamm down with the material they gave him. Hamm did a great Robin Williams impression and his best with the Auto-Tune crying bit, (which, incidentally made me think of the folks who put crying Don Draper images into all different scenes, like BuzzFeed’s “Things That Make Don Draper Cry” post and the web site devoted to “Sad Don Draper”) 

But overall, I was left wondering what is going on there at SNL and why so many of the sketches have been falling flat lately. They’ve certainly been proving the truth in the adage: “Comedy is hard.” There’s a reason why Modern Family is such a gem; it’s reliably funny.


Those of you who caught SNL this weekend care to weigh in?



Stewart's Rally for Sanity & Promoting the Middle

Let’s not mince words: The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart leans toward the liberal side of things, but he’s unafraid to call both sides of the political aisle to task for being idiotic, close-minded or full of vapid talking points. (See his pointed interview with President Obama last week, in which he called the president "dude.")

But that being said, his satirical rally in Washington, D.C. over the weekend was but one more step in Stewart’s long-running campaign against the promotion of explicitly partisan, divisive, shouting verbiage on cable TV, initially commenced with his broadside against the CNN political talk show Crossfire in 2004 when he asked, “Why do we have to fight?” Stewart proceeded to skewer the show -- as well as shows like it -- in front of its gobsmacked hosts, saying, “Stop hurting America.” Some folks actually credited Stewart’s appearance that night with killing Crossfire.

Combining Brian Williams with 'Mad Men's' Jon Hamm & Jimmy Fallon

What do you get when you put Mad Men's Jon Hamm next to Jimmy Fallon and throw into the mix my favorite TV news anchor, Brian Williams? This Late Night with Jimmy Fallon bit:

I Want to See 'The Town' Next Week, Who's With Me?

There are several reasons why I'm anxious to see The Town in the theaters when it opens next week:

1. It features the fabulous Jon Hamm of Mad Men.

2. It's set in Boston.

3. It has scenes from Fenway Park.

4. Its screenplay was co-written and directed by Ben Affleck.

5. Entertainment Weekly gave the movie an A- saying, "Affleck the actor, meanwhile, does his best work playing flawed characters, surrounded by strong colleagues."

The reviewer, Lisa Schwarzbaum also observed, "The Town is like . . . a rich, dark, pulpy mess of entanglements that fulfills all the requirements of the genre, and is told with an ease and gusto that make the pulp tasty. Mad Men's Jon Hamm is solid as a he-means-business FBI guy . . . The Town is the good work of a guy on a path of discovery, with Boston as the artist's own Freedom Trail."

6. A reviewer from Variety wrote: "The behind-the-camera talent Ben Affleck displayed so bracingly in Gone Baby Gone is confirmed, if not significantly advanced, in The Town. Again proving a fine director of actors (this time with himself in a starring role), Affleck delivers another potent, serious-minded slice of pulp set on Boston's meanest streets, where loyalty among thieves runs thicker than blood."

I'm sold, are you?

Emmy Awesomeness: 'Mad Men,' 'Modern Family' and Fallon

"I love TV. I love watching TV. . . Let's have some fun tonight." -- Jimmy Fallon, Emmy host

I really enjoyed the Emmy show last night, mostly because of Jimmy Fallon. Starting with the fantastic "Born to Run" dance number -- Betty White! Jorge Garcia! Tina Fey! Jon Hamm! Even Wacky Kate Gosselin! Glee people! -- it felt fun and light.



Of course there was also that Modern Family/George Clooney skit. Loved it.



And Fallon's tribute to the shows which ended -- 24, Law & Order and Lost -- . . . classic. ("The island it was mythical, and in the end they died. I didn't understand it but I tried.")



As for the winners, well, before the awards show I'd written four words in my notebook: Modern Family, Mad Men. And they won best comedy and best drama. As it should be. As it was meant to be. (I was also supremely pleased that the season three finale of Mad Men got a writing award for "Shut the Door. Have a Seat." No offense, but I really didn't want the Lost series finale to win any writing awards. Yes, I'm still that bitter.)

I was surprised that the spectacular Bryan Cranston won another Emmy for Breaking Bad -- though he's amazing -- because he was up against some extremely stiff competition in Jon Hamm, Hugh Laurie, Matthew Fox (I don't blame him for the finale), Michael C. Hall and Kyle Chandler. And he was so very gracious in his victory. It was nice to see Cranston's co-star, Aaron Paul, also win, as he looked clearly stunned upon having beaten Terry "Smoke Monster" O'Quinn, Michael "Ben Linus" Emerson, John "Roger Sterling" Slattery and Andre Braugher.

The biggest mistake of the night came in the best supporting actress in a drama category. Don't get me wrong. I like Archie Panjabi in The Good Wife. She's intriguing. But there's no way her first season as Kalinda was superior to Elisabeth Moss' Peggy Olson on Mad Men.

What were your favorite/least favorite Emmy moments/awards?

Jon Hamm Showed a Lot of Skin on 'SNL'

. . . especially when he played U.S. Senator-elect Scott Brown -- you know, the guy from Massachusetts who has taken the media by storm with his truck and his Cosmo model background -- in a skit where Brown kept busting into a meeting of congressional leaders. (Hamm/Brown to Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "I want to introduce something to the floor, it's called your panties.") Poor Boston/Mass. accent though, Mr. Hamm.



However that digital short where Hamm played a chest-baring sax player named Sergio who haunted a cursed businessman and later emerged from his wife's womb was uber-creepy.

Golden Globe Nominations: The Good, the Bad & the Odd

Meryl vs Meryl. Meryl Streep is legend for her superb, award winning dramatic acting chops. Now it appears as though she’s conquered the world of comedy as well. This morning’s announcement by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, that she’s competing for a Golden Globe best actress in a comedy film award against herself, just makes it official: Meryl is the greatest actress of all time. This year she was nominated for her portrayal of Julia Child in Julie & Julia, and for her dramatization of a divorced mom who has an affair with her ex (Alec Baldwin) in the yet-to-be-released It’s Complicated.

Love for the Families. HBO's Big Love got three nominations for its solid third season in the categories of best TV drama, best TV actor in a drama for Bill Paxton and best supporting TV actress for Chloe Sevigny. ABC's Modern Family – which just aired one of the funnniest Christmas episodes I’ve seen – got a nod with a best comedy show nomination. I hope it kicks some comedy behind at the Golden Globes.

Enough with the Boring, Spoiled Boys Already. Why is Entourage even in the best comedy series running this year? Why not Parks & Recreation instead? Entourage was wildly uneven and I found myself getting seriously bored on many occasions and feeling as though the adolescent boy/never grew up/has no responsibilities shtick was getting tiresome.

In Dire Need of Some Texas-Sized Love. Where was Friday Night Lights, trusty Coach Eric Taylor and Principal Tami Taylor in the mix here? This show gets no love, honestly, it’s like the Gilmore Girls of the awards set.

Baffling TV Comedy Actress Selections. Why on earth did Courteney Cox get nominated for the abomination that is Cougar Town? Certainly Amy Poehler from Parks & Recreation is loads funnier, in that wry, Bob Newhart kind of way in its much-improved second season. The Association could’ve also, instead, put Sofia Vergara from Modern Family into that slot, or even Patricia Heaton from The Middle.

And while I’m on the subject of comedy actresses, why is Edie Falco’s excellent Nurse Jackie depiction competing in the comedy category? I really like Showtime's Nurse Jackie but as a comedy? Dramedy maybe. Straight out comedy, no. Ditto for the United States of Tara, also from Showtime and whose lead actress, Toni Collette, is nominated in the comedy category.

HBO Crushes Other Networks. One stat that is likely horrifying the brass at the broadcast networks: HBO got 17 nominations, one less than the combined number of nominations of ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC. AMC – home of Mad Men which got three nominations for best drama, best actor (the exquisite Jon Hamm), best actress (January Jones) -- got as many nominations as did ABC.

Anything please/displease you about the slate of Golden Globe nominees (find the whole list here)?

Image credit: Adam Taylor/ABC.

'Mad Men' Creator and Stars Analyze 'The Gypsy and the Hobo'

Watching the AMC video below -- featuring interviews with Mad Men creator/writer Matt Weiner, and stars Jon Hamm and January Jones -- doesn't really answer fundamental questions about the impact of Don's admission of his life of lies to his wife and whether Betty's going to leave him or try to make it work. If anything, it spawns more questions:

Suburban Mom's Political Fix: Response to FunnyOrDie Pro-Health Care Reform Video

Remember the recent MoveOn.org-funded video favoring a public option in the health care insurance reform debate? The sarcastic one that featured Will Farrell, Mad Men's Jon Hamm and House's Olivia Wilde, among other celebs? The one that mocked "overpaid" health insurance executives who they said would have to give up some of their profits (which would cut into their funds for mini-zoos in their backyards) in order to pay for a government-financed health insurance option?

Well now FunnyOrDie is being politically even-handed in running a response video entitled, "Listen to Overpaid Celebrities" which spoofs the original video and sarcastically asserts reasons why a public option could be harmful to American taxpayers.

PSA - Listen to Overpaid Celebrities - watch more funny videos

Between these two videos (see the original Farrell one below) do you think they're helping illuminate any points in this health care debate or just muddying the issue?

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Suburban Mom's Political Fix: Actors Take on Health Care Reform, Backed by MoveOn.Org

Will Farrell, Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Masi Oka (Heroes), Olivia Wilde (House), Jordana Spiro (My Boys) and other celebs have made a razor-sharp, satirical public service announcement spoof where they pretend to be shilling for insurance company executives, saying that they need to be protected from any potential federal public health insurance option that the president is pitching.

They're rather pointed in their commentary, particularly when they say that the insurance company execs need to hold onto their billions of dollars of profits so they can afford mini-zoos for exotic animals in their backyards, multiple homes and private planes. In one quip, an actor says, "If my kid falls off his bike and breaks his leg, he should have to pay that money out of pocket, out of his allowance." Another adds, "How else is he going to learn not to fall off that bike?"

In skewering insurance companies which reject a health care claim because of something like a typo, Farrell said, "If you spell something wrong, do you really deserve surgery? I don't think so."

The ad, which is on the Funny or Die web site, is funded by the liberal group MoveOn.org.

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Think this video is an effective contribution to the health care insurance reform debate or not?