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Mad Men just wrapped it’s 6^th season, halfway thru I found two re-cap sites that are unique and creative in their approach to re-capping.

Tom and Lorenzo – This site provides two recaps for each episode, the first focuses on the episode, discussing the themes and the character interactions etc. Their second recap, usually up by Wednesday focuses on the costumes and the style. These recaps add another layer of insight into the show, digging deep into the color palette and the deliberate costume choices Janie Bryant makes each week.

Tom and Lorenzo were the first site to notice Megan Draper was wearing the same T-shirt worn by Sharon Tate a year before she was brutally murdered by the Manson family. This lead to weeks of speculation on Megan’s fate this season.

Believe me after you read the Mad Style recaps you will never look at a TV show and the costumes the same way again.

Tom and Lorenzo also cover Fashion, I recommend checking out all the sections of their site.

The recaps on Happy Place are done as if the entire show happened on Facebook. No description I provide can possible do them justice, you will just have to click on their name to see what I mean.

Related articles

• The 10 Kookiest ‘Mad Men’ Conspiracy Theories (flavorwire.com)
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Emmy Nominations 2012

Lets talk about the Emmy nominations.

Emmy Award (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

First the snubs, any and all of Revenge, really Academy, no Gabriel Mann, (Nolan), no Ashton Holmes (Tyler), don’t get me started on the lack of Emily Van Camp or Madeline Stowe.

But the biggest and longest running Emmy injustice is their failure to recognize John Noble, Walter Bishop on Fringe. This man consistently turns in a stand out performance week after week, for 22 episodes. Not some mini-series of 6 or 12, yes I am talking to you Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), John Hamm ( Mad Men) and Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad). It’s like giving teacher of the year to a substitute, its lame.

And while we are on the subject, how does Veep and Girls get nominated, they weren’t that funny. Where all the broadcast sitcoms really that bad, what about Community and Parks and Recreation. Oh Academy is HBO paying you guys off or something. And Lena Dunham‘s nomination for lead actress is an insult to the rest of the women on the list.  I hope Amy Poehler wins, that would be sweet.

Did you know that there are no other supporting actors in a comedy on any other show other than Modern Family, that all but one slot went to that show is ridiculous.

I have learned with these awards that it is politics and favorites, its high school all over again. Just like life, work is nothing more than high school repeated with cliques and pets, and so are these awards. Ok, bitterness rant over.

More disappointments, Vincent Kartheiser and John Slattery from Mad Men, but, Jared Harris’ nomination makes it a little better.

What about Person of Interest, or Blue Bloods. Does the Academy have any other channel besides HBO?

What was I happy with, it was nice that Downton Abbey was recognized, unfortunately its was a horrible season. I was very happy that Brendan Coyle (Mr. Bates) was recognized. He is by far my favorite Downton character.  Good to see Louis C.K. get nominated, I am not a fan of the show, but I respect what he is doing.

Also good, but expected, Claire Danes and Damian Lewis from Homeland, I think Claire is the odds on favorite to win. Damian not so much, it would be great if John Hamm finally won. Hamm gave a fantastic performance this season, Weiner gave him some very complex material this past season and Hamm delivered. His performance was so understated, those performances are usually undervalued because the actor isn’t chewing up the scenery. 

I was extremely pleased to see Ben Feldman’s name on the list for best supporting actor in a drama, he was a great addition to Mad Men this season, I can’t wait to see what Weiner does with him next year. This actor has a come a long way from being Jane’s guardian angel Fred on Drop Dead Diva.  The supporting actor in a drama category is the tightest race there is, Dylan Baker, Michael J. Fox both for The Good Wife, Jeremy Davies (Justified), Mark Margolis (Breaking Bad) and Jason Ritter (Parenthood).

There were some other nominations that were pretty much a gimme, but deserving none the less. Woody Harrelson and Julianne Moore for Game Change, Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman for Hemingway and Gellhorn and Benedict Cumberbatch for Sherlock. 

All in all, no surprises (well none in a good way), Veep and Girls were bad surprises.  The rest was as pretty much as expected.

The Emmy’s will be given out on September 23rd, Jimmy Kimmel is hosting, he brings the funny so at least we have that.

What are your thoughts on the nominations? Did one of your favorites get left off the list? Sound off in the comments below.

Related articles

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• ArtsBeat: ‘Homeland,’ ‘Girls’ and ‘Veep’ Enter the Fray With 2012 Primetime Emmy Nominations (artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com)
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Sunday May 27 What You Should Watch

Mad Men and The Killing

This season of Mad Men has been once crazy trip, LSD reference intended. I really hate Megan and can’t wait to see it all end, but how will Matt Weiner do it. Vincent Kartheiser has delivered a top performance, it would be nice if he finally won his much deserved Emmy. Not to mention Elisabeth Moss and of course John Hamm.  But I think this year’s Best Actor Emmy will go to Hugh Laurie, it was House’s final season and he has been nominated so many times without a win, he had become the Susan Lucci of the Primetime Emmy’s.

As far as The Killing, I really hoped it would improve over last year, it did pick up the pace a bit, but the red herrings and side stories ruin would could have been a great procedural drama.  If it wasn’t for the relationship between Holder and Linden I wouldn’t keep watching.

Mad Men

Episode: The Other Woman

Don’s challenged by a pitch; Peggy considers a trip.

The Killing

Episode: 72 Hours

Sarah moves unsteadily; Stan tries to make amends; Richmond gets a boost in the mayoral race.

5/13 Sunday What You Should Watch

Once Upon A Time airs its season finale tonight.

Desperate Housewives gives us one last visit down Wisteria Lane

Also on tonight, The Killing, Mad Men and Sherlock on PBS

Once Upon a Time

Episode: A Land Without Magic

Emma and Regina work together to save Henry’s life; Prince Charming tries to escape from the Evil Queen and reunite with Snow White.

Desperate Housewives

Episode: Give Me the Blame; Finishing the Hat

Trip pleads with Bree to tell him about the night of Alejandro’s murder; Susan tries to keep the sale of her house private until she can tell her friends; Katherine Mayfair returns with a job opportunity for Lynette.

The Killing

Episode: Off the Reservation

Sarah tries to find Holder; Stan takes matters into his own hands; Richmond returns to City Hall.

Mad Men

Episode: Dark Shadows

Don is competitive; Roger looks for new business; Sally is faced with a challenge.

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Sunday 5/6 What You Should Watch

First of all I saw The Avenger’s yesterday, and it kicked ass.  If you want a good old fashion action adventure popcorn movie, this is your ticket.  Congratulations to Joss Whedon, as a long time fan it is so great to see him get this richly deserved mainstream success.

Tonight, is a busy night we are getting closer to season finales for Once Upon A Time and Celebrity Apprentice.

Season 2 of BBC’s Sherlock re-boot begins airing tonight on Masterpiece. Check your local PBS station for channel and time.

The Mad Hatter returns to OUAT,

 The Amazing Race and GCB air their finales tonight.

Did anyone see last week’s episode of Mad Men, the last 10 minutes were so intense. We learned the name of Rosie’s father on The Killing, will we see him?

Once Upon a Time

Episode: An Apple Red as Blood

As Henry begs Emma to stay in Storybrooke, Regina works on a plot that could rid her of Emma permanently; Snow White asks her cohorts to help save Prince Charming and defeat the evil queen.

The Killing

Episode: Keylela

The investogation goes back to the casino; tension erupts at the Larsen house; Stan meets Richmond face to face.

 

Mad Men

Episode: Lady Lazarus

Peggy is upset by a secret she is keeping; Pete helps a friend; Don receives unexpected news.

 

Masterpiece Mystery!

Episode: Sherlock, Series II: A Scandal in Belgravia

Sherlock and Watson become involved in a blackmail case involving a dominatrix.

 

 

 

 

Related articles

• Benedict Cumberbatch and Steven Moffat share secrets of Sherlock season 2! [Video] (io9.com)

4/29 Sunday What You Should Watch

The Good Wife‘s season finale airs tonight. Will Peter really run for governor? Will the Florrick’s move back into their old office? The previews  make it look like Kalinda is going on the run, is she running from Lamond Bishop or is her x-husband finally coming to the show. I am betting on the ex-husband, the writers have been dangling that carrot in front of us for a year and half. It’s time for the payoff. If the show didn’t already have enough on its plate, Michael J. Fox and Martha Plimpton are back to take down Lockhart/Gardner. 

 Once Upon A time, it’s the second to the last episode of the season, based on the previews Regina is putting the moves on David(ewww), and we find out that August (the writer) is Pinocchio and he leads Emma on a quest to discover her destiny.

The Killing, last week they dropped a bomb, what does it mean, we should find out in 3 or 4 episodes. This is The Killing after all.

Mad Men, the last two weeks have been exceptional, and that is saying a lot for a show that is always exceptional. I can’t wait for tonight’s installment. I for one am hoping to find out that Megan is running a con on Don, somebody suggested she could be the daughter of the real Don Draper.  Unfortunately that is too soapy for Mad Men.

Also new tonight, HBO has Girls and Veep, CBS has The Amazing Race, NBC has Celebrity Apprentice and ABC is airing the second to last episode of Desperate Housewives.

Mad Men “Signal 30”

I have been in love with Vincent Kartheiser since Another Day in Paradise, that love was cemented when he was cast to play Angel’s son Connor on Angel.  Tonight’s episode of Mad Men, “Signal 30” was a tour de force by Kartheiser, this should be his Emmy submission and win.

There was so much speculation about this episode, Signal 30 is the code for car accident fatality and also the name of the drivers ed movie that was used in the 60’s, we saw a bit of it in tonight’s episode. You can also catch the whole thing on You Tube, it’s pretty gross even by today’s standards. People thought someone was going to die, stunt doubles for Lane and Pete were listed as part of the episode.  In the end it was another master fake out by team Weiner, good job, bravo.

The entire episode was another in a long list of Mad Men masterpieces, I really enjoyed John Slattery’s direction.  The levels that Kartheiser took us through tonight, from hitting on high school girls, (creepy), to trying to keep up with big brother Don, who fixes fawcetts and passes on hookers. Pete can’t catch a break, he is a broken man who has “nothing to offer”.  There is a part of me that says Pete is getting what he deserves, years of being a first class jerk, but the vulnerability he showed to Don in the elevator broke my heart. John Hamm‘s reactions and line delivery were so tight, these are two skilled actors at the top of their game.

 There were definitely parallels between Lane and Pete tonight, two lost men trying to find their way and have some meaning. Their fight at the end was fantastic, and no one stopping them made it so realistic. The advertising world is cut throat, it is kill or be killed and that scene summed it up perfectly. Or course the fight was more about man vs. man then advertising, but the industry supports that attitude. It will be interesting to see how they interact going forward. Poor Lane, he kissed Joan and she rejected him, but she was so classy and sweet about it. I don’t think she could have let him down any gentler.

Megan and Don are growing on my as a couple, but if they have a baby I am going to spit nails. She really knows how to handle him, and I think Don likes being handled. Betty was such a child he had to be the parent, Megan is an adult and that means Don can be also.  I wonder how much longer he will stay faithful to her, a tiger doesn’t just change their stripes that quickly.

I would love to hear the rest of the story Kenny was writing at the end of the episode, maybe AMC can convince Weiner to publish it or run it in Vanity Fair under Ken’s pen name.

What did you think? Was it as great as I thought?

4/1 Sunday What You Should Watch

The Killing is back tonight with a 2 hour premiere at 8pm on AMC, and as many of you have pointed out it seems appropriate that the second season should debut on April’s Fool Day.  Many thought the show pulled a fast one at the end of the first season by not revealing who killed Rosie Larsen.  You know the old saying, fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice, shame on you.  The show’s creators claim they will reveal the killer by the end of season 2 and it will not be same person it was in the original Danish series.

I will be watching because I got hooked on the characters and the actors.  

Also on my DVR schedule tonight, Mad Men and Once Upon A Time.  The Good Wife is not on, but when it returns in two weeks we will see the Alicia/Jackie fight that was teased at the end of last weeks episode.

Once Upon A Time promises to finally reveal the source of Regina’s hate for Snow, something about a stable boy. 

Mad Men continues its slow burn, the season premiere last week, was satisfying and unsettling.  I don’t like this Don Draper, what has Megan done to him.  I think she is pulling a con, and she is going to Dick Whitman Don Draper. Only time will tell.

The Killing

Episode: Reflections; My Lucky Day

Sarah investigates a possible cover up; an ominous discovery is made at the Larsen’s house; Councilman Richmond has a dark secret.

Mad Men

Episode: Tea Leaves

Peggy is given new responsibility; Don and Harry indulge a client.

Once Upon a Time

Episode: The Stable Boy

Emma keeps searching for evidence to prove Mary Margaret’s innocence in Kathryn’s murder; the root of the evil queen’s disdain for Snow White is revealed.

Mile High Club

Image by Telstar Logistics via Flickr

Ok, shoot me, I had to make the clichéd reference.  Pan Am, lovely production values, fantastic soundtrack, and boy do I wish flying was like that today. But the rest I can leave, it is missing something, it felt flat.

What did you think? Can someone convince me to keep watching?