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Mad Men recap: Fifty Shades of Draper
In the wake of the merger, the office is in chaos, but Don abstains to engage his neighbor/mistress Sylvia in a game of Fifty Shades of Draper. Don’s relationships are predicated on control, and he’s generally very good at getting people to go along with what he wants. It’s why Don was so unnerved by Megan’s freewheeling, seductive performance of “Zou Bisou Bisou” in the season five premiere, and why he was incredulous when Peggy actually quit to work for Cutler, Gleason, and Chaough. In those cases, he found ways to draw both women back into his fold, but his power is clearly waning; Megan cries alone at the news of Robert Kennedy’s death, and Peggy bitterly insists that Don “move forward.”
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6 TV characters who returned from the dead
Despite being killed off in The Avengers, fan favorite Agent Phillip Coulson will be on board for an ABC spinoff series called Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Here, some other TV characters who returned from the dead:
Kenny from South Park
TV’s undisputed record holder for cheating death goes to the poor kid in the orange parka. Kenny McCormick experienced some kind of grisly death in almost every episode of the first five seasons of South Park, and Stan and Kyle’s recurring reaction — “Oh my God! They killed Kenny! You bastards!” — became the show’s first certified catchphrase.Sara Tancredi from Prison Break
The gripping and edgy FOX drama lost one of its biggest characters in the third season. “The Company” kidnaps doctor Sara Tancredi and beheads her. The following season, it was revealed that the severed head was a fake, and that Michael, the doctor’s love interest, never actually looked at the head to confirm that it was her.Murdoc from MacGyver
Actor Michael Des Barres portrayed the arch-nemesis of TV’s most resourceful hero, and was adept at finding new ways to cheat death. Murdoc ”died” several times over the course of the show, each time screaming out MacGyver’s name before meeting his (temporary) demise.3 more resurrected characters…
Photo from: Facebook.com/southpark -
“Pardon my French, but you’re an AARDVARK!”
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“If only we could have him review everything, forever. The scope and depth of Roger Ebert’s influence in the field of film criticism cannot be overstated …
Over his lifetime, Ebert wrote more than 10,000 reviews, delivering raves and pans alike in his warm, inimitable writing style. Whether you agreed or disagreed with his take on a particular movie, his reviews were always fair, and were often such a joy to read that he would half-convince you you’d been wrong all along.
He was eager to speak with the many young critics he inspired, and was quick to use his talents and fame to help others. When I was just beginning my career as a film and television critic, Ebert found and tweeted out several of my articles — a professional compliment that has never since been equaled, and that I suspect never will.”
—Our entertainment editor, Scott Meslow, wrote an incredibly touching piece remembering Roger Ebert, who died today at the age of 70. We highly recommend you read the whole damn thing.
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“Even as Girls disappoints by implicitly endorsing the utterly toxic relationships of Hannah/Adam and Marnie/Charlie, it does something even more disappointing by putting so much emphasis on romantic relationships at all. Remember when Girls was about more than boys? What this episode lacks — and, on reflection, this season has lacked — is an emphasis on the relationships between the central four women. The episode doesn’t come close to passing the Bechdel Test, because the women don’t talk to each other at all, and it’s frustrating to watch Girls push the characters’ romantic entanglements to the forefront while it pushes the rest of their lives aside.
Hannah’s crippling O.C.D. made it impossible for her to finish the book that would represent the culmination of her personal and professional dreams — but that’s okay, because Adam is there to scoop her into his arms! Marnie and Charlie have reached their “endpoint,” even though neither of them mentions her budding singing career — but that’s okay, because Charlie’s making enough money for both of them! And Shoshanna… what does Shoshanna do again? College student? Maybe we should actually find out what she’s studying sometime.”
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South by Southwest: 8 up-and-coming bands you should listen to
Music industry veterans, budding tech entrepreneurs, and sharp-witted movie critics have descended upon Austin, Texas, for South by Southwest, the ever-growing music and media conference. While SXSW has increased its scale to include everything from film screenings to conferences on tech and multimedia, music is still its core. The festival has a history of helping to catapult relatively unknown artists to mega-stardom, with acts like John Mayer and The Lumineers getting their first big breaks at SXSW. Who’s getting the coveted SXSW buzz this year? Here, eight musical acts to watch.
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Check out the new promotional poster for the sixth season of Mad Men. The sketched-in “bubble and streak” poster was drawn by 75-year-old Brian Sanders — a man who actually worked in magazine illustration during the era Mad Men depicts. The poster shows a dark-suited Don walking away from Madison Avenue, holding hands with a woman, as he passes a light-suited double of himself walking in the opposite direction. Three police officers stand in the background.
Of course, we don’t actually know what’s going to happen — and series creator Matt Weiner is notoriously silent about plot details. But we can infer a few things from this intriguing, surreal poster. The two Dons probably symbolize our protagonist’s internal battle; the one walking away from Madison Avenue holds the hand of a woman, and the one walking toward Madison Avenue holds a briefcase, which suggests a conflict between Don’s personal life and his work. And as for the police: Is it possible that Don’s shady past has finally caught up with him?
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Paul Shaffer as George Costanza? According to Shaffer’s memoir, We’ll Be Here for the Rest of Our Lives, Jerry Seinfeld personally left a message stating that the role of George Costanza on his upcoming pilot was Shaffer’s if he wanted it. But Shaffer was preoccupied with his other work and said he never got around to returning Seinfeld’s call.
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In an endearing, embarrassing moment that cemented her status as Hollywood’s most adorkable young actress, Jennifer Lawrence tripped on the steps on her way to accepting her Best Actress Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook, prompting a sympathetic standing ovation. “You guys are just standing up because I fell and that’s really embarrassing, but thank you. This is nuts,” said the breathless actress as she accepted the award. (And bonus points to Hugh Jackman, who proved once again that he’s one of the nicest guys in Hollywood by darting up to the stage to help Lawrence up.)
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According to White House records, Jimmy Carter watched 480 films during his four years in the White House — around 2.5 movies a week.
The first one he watched: All the President’s Men, about the Watergate scandal that sank Nixon. He also became the first president to watch an X-rated movie in the mansion: Midnight Cowboy, which today doesn’t seem like much, but in 1969 shocked audiences with its sex scenes and drug use. (By the time Carter saw it, the rating had been changed to R.)
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![Ray is quickly becoming one of our favorite characters on Girls. Scott Meslow sat down with Alex Karpovsky, the man who plays Ray:
How much do you want people to read the “real you” into the character?I want people to be engaged by the character. If that means they have to apply a lot of similarities between him and me, so be it — I don’t care, I’m not offended. He’s not a necessarily a likable person, and it’s okay if you don’t think I’m a likable person, as long as you are engaged by the character.
This isn’t the first time you’ve played a character named after yourself — you also wrote and starred in a film about “Alex Karpovsky” called The Hole Story in 2005, and your character on HBO’s Girls was originally named “Karpovsky.”Right. Lena [Dunham] wrote the pilot and asked me to be in it. When she sent it to me, and it said “Karpovsky,” the only note I had was, “Can we change the name?”
Why do you think you end up playing “yourself” so often?Different directors would have different reasons, each of which you could probably analyze, [but] I think oftentimes stories need a character to agitate, or stir things up — unsubtle things, just to keep the story going forward. And for whatever reason, people think sometimes, in certain contexts, I can do that with a comedic wit. Maybe that’s why they cast me. But I don’tknow why. Maybe they have their own reasons. It’s not to be the romantic lead. Not to have a pretty face. [laughs]
Read the full interview](http://24.media.tumblr.com/fe87da9a442649b622934a540c0613c8/tumblr_mih85yIlWC1qdjbb7o1_1280.jpg)
Ray is quickly becoming one of our favorite characters on Girls. Scott Meslow sat down with Alex Karpovsky, the man who plays Ray:
- How much do you want people to read the “real you” into the character?
I want people to be engaged by the character. If that means they have to apply a lot of similarities between him and me, so be it — I don’t care, I’m not offended. He’s not a necessarily a likable person, and it’s okay if you don’t think I’m a likable person, as long as you are engaged by the character. - This isn’t the first time you’ve played a character named after yourself — you also wrote and starred in a film about “Alex Karpovsky” called The Hole Story in 2005, and your character on HBO’s Girls was originally named “Karpovsky.”
Right. Lena [Dunham] wrote the pilot and asked me to be in it. When she sent it to me, and it said “Karpovsky,” the only note I had was, “Can we change the name?” - Why do you think you end up playing “yourself” so often?
Different directors would have different reasons, each of which you could probably analyze, [but] I think oftentimes stories need a character to agitate, or stir things up — unsubtle things, just to keep the story going forward. And for whatever reason, people think sometimes, in certain contexts, I can do that with a comedic wit. Maybe that’s why they cast me. But I don’tknow why. Maybe they have their own reasons. It’s not to be the romantic lead. Not to have a pretty face. [laughs]
- How much do you want people to read the “real you” into the character?
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Justin Timberlake, having already found sexy and returned it to its rightful place, wants to bring the ’60s back. At least that’s the silky-smooth retro premise of “Suit & Tie,” the former ‘N Syncer’s first official music video since 2007. Shot in black-and-white by The Social Network andGirl with the Dragon Tattoo director David Fincher, the video features JT engaging in a range of old-timey activities, like singing into vintage microphones, dressing like Don Draper, and sipping scotch with Jay-Z.
