Mad Men Season 7 Epi 3 Field Trip

Field Trip was the 3rd episode of season 7 of Mad Men, it could have been called rejection tour. Every single character is dealing with being told no. With varying degrees of style and confidence.

First we see Peggy is upset about not getting nominated for a Cleo, while Ginsberg and Stan are. It turns out that Lou hadn't even submitted her St. Johns/Rosemary Baby ad. Lou says it was Cutler that didn't want to submit it, but really it was just Lou not wanting to submit any work that predated him at the agency. Beside the point, that I think Lou just wants to push Peggy down and build up the guys. Another sexist hurdle for Peggy to deal with.

Megan is getting the most direct rejection in Hollywood. She's handling it so badly that her agent is calling Don to help her get it under control. Which was probably the wrong move. Since Don is the one who is making her the most insecure. Still he runs out to LA to try and build her up. He ends up telling her about his leave from the agency. It may be the last straw for Megan, that he's chosen to stay in New York, when he could have been in LA with her.

 We find Betty having lunch with her old buddy Francine who is telling her all about her exciting life as a travel agent, now that the kids are getting older. Betty tries to maintain her happy homemaker persona but you can see the wheels spinning. As soon as she gets home she throws herself into her mothering role by volunteering to go on Bobby's field trip. It seems like the trip is going well, smoking on the school bus, drinking cows milk from a bucket, then Bobby accidentally trades Betty's sandwich for some gum drops and Betty takes it as the ultimate insult. With the amount of guilt she lays on him, that kid will never be able to eat another sandwich. Later Betty tells Henry that the kids don't love her??? Because a kid obliviously gave your sandwich away??? 

Finally,  Don pulls the trigger with Dave Wooster and gets an offer from his firm to jump ship. Don takes the offer directly to Roger. After a bit of "How dare you not stand up for me" and "You were begging for it" ending with Roger admitting he misses Don. Roger says come back. Sadly Roger neglects to tell any of the other partners about this. Don ends up spending the whole day waiting around in the office, how humiliating. Even though none of the other partners seem to want him back when Roger points out that they will have to buy him out and that they will now be competing against Don for accounts, they come around. But they make him sign a contract that says if he misbehaves they will absorb his shares and he will have to report to Lou. I was shocked Don didn't haggle this more but he just said OK. You get the feeling though he knows he can win them all over again. Once he's making his amazing ads.

I think it will be Lou's raison d'etre to keep Don down, which should move Peggy out of his sights, at least. I don't think it will take Don long to send Lou packing with his tiki bar. Still it should be interesting to watch them jockey for position.

This and That:

Every time they're in LA and you see the sky line through a window they fill it with orange smog.

The woman (Emily Arnett) who approaches Don at the dinner with Wooster. Perhaps Wooster is just lying about not getting her or maybe it was just an opportunity to show us how much Don has changed. He is saying no to all the girls. 

Henry Might be Attorney General

Stan so wants Peggy. Putting out his hand to help her up when they are talking about the Cleo.

The agency needs to balance it's business side and art side they always seem heavy one way or another. Harry can't get the computer he needs. Cutler thinks having Lou, who is only "adequate" by his own description, is fine? Ted is totally off his game in California and Peggy is being shut down by Lou.

Megan stalking a director having lunch with Rod Serling at the Brentwood Country Mart.

The Carousel in Central park makes Ken Cosgrove think of Don

The final song Jimi Hendrix If 6 Was 9.

Stay tuned for tonight's Mad Men Podcast

Mad Men Season 7 epi 2 A Day's Work Recap

Last night's Mad Men (season 7 episode 2) A Day's Work was, mostly, another experience of people not getting what they want or having it whipped away from their grasp at the last moment. Pete manages to sign up the Southern California Chevy dealers only to have the New York office decide that it all needs to be run by the bigger client that is Chevy itself, which means Bob Benson. I have to say Pete's girlfriend, Bonnie Whiteside, is another great woman for him. Her pep talk about how their fortunes are not in their hands and the fun is trying to get it away from those who are in charge is brilliant and totally talks him down from his tantrum.

The episode starts with Don's kind of pathetic day of sleeping in till noon even though his alarm goes off at 7:30 still. Once he finally does get up it's a day of ritz crackers and Little Rascals episodes. The further degradation of his once perfect white carpet apartment, that last week had broken sliding doors, now continues with the introduction of a cockroach. We get it guys his life is falling apart. He does finally get up and get dressed and we think he might have somewhere to be but turns out he's just making himself look good for his secretary Dawns visit, which informs us that indeed Don is keeping Megan in the dark about his "leave" from the firm.

The next day is Valentines day at the office. We find Ginsberg, Stan and Peggy in the elevator. Peggy obviously doesn't realize it's Valentines day and Ginsberg is happy to turn the knife in her when they inform her. Stan seems to want to be light about it, making a comment about her cat not being able to afford to send her flowers. I think Stan has a little (possibly very little) torch for Peggy. He smiles at her warmly and tries to joke around with her, until she comes back with lines like" Is this a joke because I don't want to have to fire you later." Which freezes him up and returns him to calling her boss.

I love the camaraderie between Dawn and Shirley. That they call each other by the others name is hysterical. I presume everyone in the office mixes them up frequently enough that they have gotten use to answering to either name. It's a great way to show all of that without having to film a frame of it. Just put them in a room together and have Dawn say "Hi Dawn" to Shirley and vice versa and all of the rest is there.

Lou showed what an insecure jerk he was this episode. I think he is pretty threatened by Don, or just incredibly self centered that his secretary might have stronger ties to Don then him, that he has her removed. Either way I think everyone dislikes him and no one will be sad to see him go when, I predict, Don makes his triumphant return.

On an up note Joan finally is released from her duties as office manager and joins the partners up stairs in a new office. Cutler, of all people, notices Joan juggling her duties trying to reassign secretaries for all manner of petty reasons and realizes she should be focusing on her accounts. This ends up solving several issues. Dawn, who Lou doesn't want on his desk, becomes office manager. Shirley who has had a misunderstanding with Peggy moves to Lou and all is right with the world. Of course this leave room for some new secretaries to be hired, I think Peggy is still without one???

Finally, the whole Don and Sally relationship took a turn this week. Sally's unannounced stop by the office reveals to her that her father has been excused from his duties there, which allows her to feel sorry for him and let go of some of the anger she is justified in having. Sally is clearly not happy with either of her parents. The line about being willing to stay in school till 1975 if it would put Betty in the ground, left no doubt about that.  Sally is still struggling with her own identity. Later while stopping at the coffee shop with Don, I loved when she says she only went to her roommate's mother funeral to go shopping, and when Don says he doesn't think that's true she says "I'm so many people" Don's face is so still with just the slightest wince in the eyes. I think that one hit close to home for him. In the end when her father tells her that he has blown it and he is trying to make it up to his partners and that he doesn't even know how to go about it, she softens to him, even telling him "I love you" when he drops her off at school.

For more on last nights episode I'll be recording the Mad Men Podcast on Wednesday night. Check back here for the link and then Youtube embed.



Last, but not least, here is the video of the Turtles song Elenore (who spells it like that?) that is playing in the car while Don is driving Sally back to school. This song was meant to be a spoof of poppy songs but ended up so good it made it to number 6 on the top 100 charts. Make of that what you will.

AMC #MadMen Time Zones Season 7 epi 1

AMC's Mad Men final season premiered last night. Jeremiah and I had a great time talking about it on tonight's edition of the Mad Men Podcast. Don't forget to enter to win the Joan Barbie doll. Details on how to enter are in the podcast.

I'm also including this promo for Bracken's World, the show Megan will screen test for.



For all my post on Mad Men

Jerry Lewis Print Ceremony Pictures #TCMFF

Jerry Lewis Print Ceremony TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre

Jerry Lewis had his hand and feet prints immortilized at TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre today. Once again because of the TCM Classic Film Fest I was there. This was a quick ceremony with Robert Osborne introducing Quentin Tarantino who then introduced Jerry Lewis as his favorite childhood actor. But once Jerry took the stage the hi jinks began.

Robert Osborne at Jerry Lewis Print Ceremony TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre

Quentin Tarantino Jerry Lewis Print Ceremony TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre

Jerry Lewis Print Ceremony TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre

 First Jerry heckled the stage hand who was removing the podium, insisting he bring it back.

Jerry Lewis Print Ceremony TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre

 Then telling him to take it away, then to bring it back, then to move it around the stage. Finally asking the kid how long he'd been in show business.

Jerry Lewis Print Ceremony TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre

 Then it was time for the cement, but Jerry needed to stretch first. The more he hammed it up the more the audience laughed, so this went on for awhile.

Jerry Lewis Print Ceremony TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre

Jerry Lewis Print Ceremony TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre

Jerry Lewis Print Ceremony TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre

Jerry Lewis Print Ceremony TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre

Jerry Lewis Print Ceremony TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre

Robert Osborne and Jerry Lewis at Print Ceremony TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre

Quentin Tarantino and Jerry Lewis at Print Ceremony TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre

 Here Quentin comes up to shake hands with Jerry and it results in their hands getting all tangled. Then Jerry starts chewing on Quentin's hands. In the end they're both laughing and holding hands with fingers interlaced.

Quentin Tarantino and Jerry Lewis at Print Ceremony TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre

Quentin Tarantino and Jerry Lewis at Print Ceremony TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre

 Jerry Lewis with wife and daughter at Print Ceremony TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre

 Jerry was very proud to have his daughter witness the ceremony. He asked her to stand up and take a bow.

 Jerry Lewis Print Ceremony TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre

 After having the press yell at him for about a half hour to look this way and that Jerry asked for his camera and started taking pictures of us. He asked one member of the press to stand and then asked if he felt like a schmuck standing while the rest of us sat.

I think everyone had a really good time, including Jerry! It wasn't as emotional as the ceremonies I have previously attended but it was by far the silliest.

 Jerry Lewis Prints TCL (Grauman's) Chinese Theatre

Opening Night TCM Classic Film Fest 2014 #TCMFF

TCM 20th Anniversary Promotion Set

Thursday was the first day of the TCM Classic Film Festival and it was spectacular as always. This year was the 5th year of the festival and celebrates the 20th year of TCM. I have been lucky enough to attend every year and am amazed at the ways it's grown and developed into a full fledged fan convention. Not only do we get to see the movies we love, in the theatres they were made to be shown in, but we also get to meet some of the stars, attend lectures and interviews about related topics, and finally meet like minded people who enjoy nothing better than talking old movies!

Here are some pictures of the first day's red carpet screening of Oklahoma and some of the sets and costumes from other films on display. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Marty Ingels at TCM red carpet screening of Oklahoma

Merrie Spaeth (The World Of Henry Orient) at TCM red carpet screening of Oklahoma

Illeana Douglas at TCM red carpet screening of Oklahoma

Shirley Jones at TCM red carpet screening of Oklahoma

Leonard Maltin at TCM red carpet screening of Oklahoma

Producer Walter Mirisch (Some Like It Hot) at TCM red carpet screening of Oklahoma

Wink Martindale at TCM red carpet screening of Oklahoma

Robert Osborne and Diane Baker (The Best Of Everything) at TCM red carpet screening of Oklahoma

Kim Novak (Vertigo) at TCM red carpet screening of Oklahoma

Ben Mankiewicz at TCM red carpet screening of Oklahoma

Maureen O'Hara (How Green Was My Valley) at TCM screening of Oklahoma

Margaret O'Brien (meet Me In St. Louis)  at TCM red carpet screening of Oklahoma

Candy Clark (American Graffiti) at TCM red carpet screening of Oklahoma

Casablanca set pieces in Club TCM

Casablanca letter of transit Club TCM

Wizard of Oz very scary monkey costume Club TCM

                                          For more posts about TCM Classic Film Festival

BBC America #OrphanBlack Posters

Orphan Black Sarah (Tatiana Maslany) and Cal Morrison (Michiel Huisman)

BBC America just released these great Orphan Black Season 2 posters. Wonder who the new fella is? Even though I'm halfway out the door to a 4 day film festival I had to get this out. I love this show and if you haven't seen the first season, get on it!

Season two of Orphan Black premieres Saturday, April 19 at 9:00pm ET/PT on BBC AMERICA.

Orphan Black Sarah (Tatiana Maslany) and Dr. Delphine Cormier (Evelyne Brochu) 

Orphan Black Felix (Jordan Gavaris), Alison (Tatiana Maslany), and Donnie (Kristian Bruun)

Orphan Black Sarah (Tatiana Maslany), Dr. Aldous Leekie(Matt Frewer), and Donnie (Kristian Bruun)

Mad Men Podcast Season 7 Predictions

Jeremiah and I get out our crystal balls and make our Mad Men season 7 predicition. Will Don and Megan get back together, has Sally forgiven Don,Will Henry be elected to the senate? We really have no idea but we can't help trying to guess.

Dom Hemingway Opens Today April 2

Dom Hemingway opens April 2nd. Fox Searchlight invited me to a screening last week and after a bumpy start I have to say I really enjoyed it. I say Bumpy start because the film opens with our lead character, Dom Hemingway (Jude Law), involved in a prison scene that is a bit of a jolt. It does tell you a lot about the character however, as well as set you up for the unusual journey that is this film.

Dom Hemingway, is recently released from prison after 12 years and he is attempting to assimilate to being on the outside. His progress is definitely up and down, but he does make some progress. Mixed in with a lot of extremely violent scenes is an emotional tale of the family he lost when he made the decision to go to prison rather than rat out his crime boss.

Interestingly the film seems to float in time. Dom and his buddy played by Richard E. Grant are costumed like they just fell out of a 1970's Michael Caine film. In fact Laws performance is reminiscent of  Michael Caine in the 1971 Get Carter but perhaps on steroids. The soundtrack bounces from 1980s to present day but over all sets a very 80s sound with the likes of Motorhead, Big Country and The Pixies. But the sets are all modern day. 

From beginning to end I was completely engaged and even shed a tear in the final scenes, which is not what I would have expected from the opening scene. The film definitely runs gamut of emotions with a few laughs too. I think it is a great movie, destined to be a cult classic if not just a straight up classic! Don't miss it.