Author: trishthedish

Could Don Draper sell this?

Mad Men enters a new realm of the pop-culture pantheon very soon that its creator, Matthew Weiner, says has surprised even him: Mattel plans to bring out versions of Barbie and Ken styled after four Mad Men characters.

Part of a premium-price collectors’ series for adults the set would not be the first dolls modeled after a TV series, among them I Love Lucy and The X-Files, but this set of dolls will be the first licensed for a line Mattel calls the Barbie Fashion Model Collection. Available in July 2010 there will be 7,000 to 10,000 copies of each doll to be sold in specialty stores and on two Web sites, amctv.com and barbiecollector.com.

The characters to become dolls are Don Draper, the show’s leading man; his wife, Betty; his colleague at the Sterling Cooper agency, Roger Sterling; and Joan Holloway, the agency’s office manager who was Roger’s mistress. That two dolls represent a relationship outside wedlock, and Don Draper’s propensity for adultery, may be firsts for the Barbie world since the brand’s introduction five decades ago. For the sake of the Barbie image her immersion in the Mad Men era will only go so far: the dolls come with period accessories like hats, overcoats, pearls and padded undergarments but no cigarettes, ashtrays, martini glasses or cocktail shakers.

Thank You For Being a (Facebook) Friend

This is the face of post-ageist Hollywood, gentlereaders!

After months of love for the golden girl of comedy have been flying all over the interwebs, it’s now officially confirmed that Betty White will host a special Mother’s Day edition of Saturday Night Live on May 8th. The show’s creator-producer, Lorne Michaels, told USA Today that the Facebook campaign, which kicked in after White’s Super Bowl commercial for Snickers, “…took on a groundswell. [White as the host] isn’t something we would have said no to, [but the campaign] validated that, ‘Oh that’d be fun’ [aspect]… It was the outpouring of affection from fans, and we feel the same way.”

Besides featuring the 88-years-young Mary Tyler Moore and Golden Girls star the episode will also reunite six former female “SNL” cast members, most of whom happen to be moms: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, Maya Rudolph, Ana Gasteyer and Rachel Dratch.

Repeat Doldrums, or How I Spent My Holiday Vacation Evaluating 2009 and Sizing Up 2010 – NBC

Hello again gentlereaders. No, I didn’t forget about you these past two months, please blame my absence on the most hectic (wonderful?) time of the year. Now that the holiday season has passed, including the glut of repeats that come with it, I am back and focused as ever to comment, critique and celebrate the best of what’s to come in 2010 television. The musings are too much so I must make this a multi-part post.

MAKE ‘EM LAUGH

I’ve made no secret of the insane amount of love I have for comedies, particularly the perfectly programmed 2-hour block on NBC’s Thursday night. While the Peacock appears to be making all the wrong moves in late night (the incomparable Conan in limbo and bland Leno is back, no words) they’ve at least made impeccable choices when it comes to scheduling the primetime funny this season.

Vets The Office and 30 Rock had some of their strongest episodes of their series’ histories – Jim & Pam’s wedding will go down in the annals of TV moments and “Dealbreakers Talk Show No. 0001″ not only gave us crazy Performer Liz who forgot how to wave like a person, we were treated to how HD alters the Rockers – Kenneth is a Muppet and Jack a young Alec Baldwin, classic.

Parks & Recreation became so enjoyable as its second season progressed that I found myself not just choosing it first among my DVR viewing selections the next day but actually watching it in real time! And even though newbie Community had some ups and downs, its ups (Senor Chang’s always quotable lines – “Hasta luego! Come on, hands 90% of spanish!”) far outweighed the downs.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

New episodes of all CNDR shows return this week, save for The Office (which is open for business again January 21st) but with an extra 30 Rock there’s no complaint from this Fey-natic, and we’ve got guest stars galore – Jack Black wandering around the Greendale campus on Community, Will Arnett romancing real-life wife Amy Poehler on P&R and James Franco stopping by as “himself” for an arranged celebrilationship with Jenna on 30 Rock.

Reminisce and Revisit: Greatest 30 Rock Series Moment

"I only act out 'cause I want your love. DY-NO-MITE!"

Lady, just because I’m an ignorant black man and you paid me a nickel to bust up your chiffarobe doesn’t give you the right to call me ridiculous just ’cause I’m proud of my son.”

I’m no linguist, logophile whathaveyou, but many times while watching comedies just a single word in a joke will create a reaction so strong it affects me for long after the moment has ended. Such is the case with “chiffarobe.” Those who watched this week’s Family Guy will remember it as one of many words used in the extended “you know a person is old when they use this to mean this” gag at the end of last night’s episode “Brian’s Got a Brand New Bag.”

While the Family Guy joke was probably the best in that particular episode, hearing “chiffarobe” evoked a memory from when this word was used as an even better comedic device in a scene from the second season episode of 30 Rock “Rosemary’s Baby,” a scene that I believe to be the best in the series’ still-in-process history. Not only is Alec Baldwin’s sizeable talent on full display playing five(!) characters within a character (which was undoubtedly the reason he nabbed a second straight Emmy win for Best Actor in a Comedy that year) but the fact that the 30 Rock writing team crafted both a Good Times and a To Kill a Mockingbird reference all in two and a half minutes is staggeringly amazing.

And for your viewing pleasure…

It’s Wednesday, and I’m Having Lost Withdrawls.

Not to say that my entertainment fix for humpday isn’t being fulfulled with other great shows (although this godforsaken World Series must end already so FOX will bring back new episodes of Glee!!), but there’s a little hole in my heart that can only be filled by a good helping of mystery from Lost. Last week’s oh-so-brief (a mere 15 seconds) promo for the final season that aired during Flash Forward certainly didn’t help matters, particularly as it offered no glimpses of what’s to come.

It did make me revisit more interesting (and decipher-worthy) videos courtesy the Comic Con panel from July.

And in other news, I’ve discovered an awesome piece of Lost art right under my nose at work!Lost poster by Eric TanCreated by a department colleague, he is one of only 16 artists commissioned by Team Darlton (exec producers and show runners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse) to capture significant moments and aspects of the show in commemoration of the final season – check out his blog detailing how he approached the piece. Each poster is steadily being revealed as the months to the January premiere tick off the calendar, and only limited numbers of prints are being sold on the website Damon, Carlton and a Polar Bear, but due to their exclusive nature all have sold out quickly.