BuzzSugar

A Look Back at the Mad Men Season Three Sets!

CasaSugar — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:00:00 PDT

As we gear up for the fourth season premiere of Mad Men, I thought I'd take a look back at my favorite sets from the last season. From the Sterling Cooper office to the Drapers' home, there's lots of midcentury goodness to ogle. Take a look and tell me which is your fave!

Photos courtesy of AMC

TV Tonight: Mad Men Season Three Premiere!

BuzzSugar — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 07:30:21 PDT

At long last, fellow Mad Men fanatics, the third season is about to begin. I'm so excited for tonight I practically have butterflies.

So much happened last season - and especially in the final episode (babies! confessions! merger!) - I feel like I need to take deep breath and steady myself before diving into another one. This is not exactly light television, which is why Mad Men is one example of TV becoming more and more like film in quality and depth. While I love that about the show (it's a huge reason why I tune in, though Jon Hamm's handsome face is also a reason), I also know that watching this show regularly is an emotional and mental investment (at least for me).

But I've missed Don, Betty, Peggy, Pete and the rest of the swanky folks at Sterling Cooper, so it'll be great to see them onscreen again, in all their dapper finery. What are you most looking forward to seeing in tonight's premiere? What do you hope to learn or see? And what did you score on my Mad Men quiz?

Photo courtesy of AMC

What Do You Want From a Third Season of Mad Men?

BuzzSugar — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 07:30:23 PDT

Mad Men will be getting a third season on AMC - though creator Matthew Weiner is still in negotiations to determine whether he'll return - and that means we'll be watching another year in the life of Sterling Cooper. Back at the TCA press tour, Weiner suggested he has a five-year plan for the series that would end in 1968, so presumably a third season could mean another time jump (though even at the time Weiner said nothing was set in stone).

This season of Mad Men has focused more on the characters' home lives than on the office. I think it would make sense for a third season to shift the entire dynamic back to the workplace and focus in on office politics. Duck is in position to shake things up and I'd really like to see Peggy move far enough up the ladder to a point where she's landing business. There's also plenty to resolve from this season that may not be wrapped up by the Oct. 26 finale, including the fate of Betty and Don's marriage.

I'm wondering: What would you want to see in a third season of the show?

Photo courtesy of AMC

Sex and Hare Krishna: Mad Men's Mother Lakshmi Didn't Follow the Rules

Annie Scudder — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:03:03 PDT

This week on Mad Men, we get a visit from Paul Kinsey, who has gone from progressive, pipe-smoking copy editor to confused Hare Krishna devotee. The Hare Krishna movement was founded in NYC in 1966, the year that's coming to a close on this season, and attracted beatniks like Allen Ginsberg and Beatle George Harrison, one of its most famous followers. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness, or the Hare Krishna Movement, as it is officially known, is based on Hindu traditions and got the attention of the city's hippies when it started. Ironically, it did not back free love.

On the episode, Paul Kinsey's Hare Krishna love interest, Mother Lakshmi, decides to seduce Paul's friend and former co-worker, Harry Crane. Showing up at the office, she lets Harry believe that sleeping together is not against the rules of the religion. You can't blame Harry for believing her, since the Hare Krishna meeting he attended had a strong counter-culture vibe. But in fact, "no illicit sex" is one of the four regulative principles of Hare Krishna consciousness.

Sexual contact is only OK between married couples for the purpose of reproduction, and sex is considered the most powerful connection to the material world, a bond Hare Krishnas want to break. The other three rules include: no eating meat, fish, or eggs, no gambling, and no use of intoxicants. Devoted Hare Krishnas would have disapproved of Roger Sterling's acid drop. But, of course, not everyone followed the rules in the '60s and high-profile members like Allen Ginsberg disagreed with the prohibitions.

Vegetarianism and yoga were part of what made Hare Krishna exotic back in the 1960s, while its negative attitudes toward premarital sex were conventional then. Today, things have switched around. Its rule against sex for pleasure seems extreme, thanks to the sexual revolution, while vegetarianism and yoga have gone mainstream.

The Poem That Inspired Mad Men's "Lady Lazarus"

Annie Scudder — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:05:16 PDT

Megan Draper sets out for a new life this week on Mad Men, as she quits her job at Sterling Cooper Draper Price to resurrect her acting career. As the title of the episode, "Lady Lazarus," suggests, our friends on Mad Men are adapting to new lives. Don lets Megan pursue her acting dream, but he's lost at work without her. Pete has morphed into the sad Don of the past, cheating on his wife and sneaking around. Megan is leaving the working world to go back to acting class and auditions, finding time to play the housewife in between.

The episode borrows both its title and themes from a Sylvia Plath poem ("Lady Lazarus") about rebirth. Lazarus, of course, refers to the man Jesus raises from the dead in the Bible. In Sylvia Plath's poem, which uses allusions to Nazi Germany, the narrator almost dies three times. The first is an accident, the second is a failed suicide attempt. Sylvia Plath did commit suicide in real life, and her "Lady Lazarus" poem reads in part:

The second time I meant
To last it out and not come back at all.
I rocked shut

As a seashell.
They had to call and call
And pick the worms off me like sticky pearls.

Dying
Is an art, like everything else.
I do it exceptionally well.

Finally, the third time, she is reborn like a phoenix: "Out of the ash/ I rise with my red hair/ And I eat men like air." The rebirth is not wanted, and she hopes to eat the men who continue to revive her.

The episode about new life came filled with overt references to death, just like Sylvia Plath's poem. When Pete talks life insurance with his train buddy, Howard, he touts that his current plan even covers suicide after two years. Howard later mentions that Pete's father died young, but in a plane crash - an accident. We also see Don warn Megan about the dangers of cooking barefoot, and Don nearly step into an empty elevator shaft. Later, Megan lies lifelessly on the floor during her acting class, and Don listens to the Beatles song "Tomorrow Never Knows," off their album Revolver. This season, you can find signs predicting the death of a variety of characters. But perhaps the line from the poem - "Dying/ is an art, like everything else/ I do it exceptionally well" - references Megan. After all, Peggy complains that Megan does everything exceptionally well.

The uncomfortable changes and rebirths present in both the poem and the episode could represent the societal upheavals happening in 1960s America. Change is coming whether these individuals want it, and rebirth is being forced on some of them.

Photo courtesy of AMC

Winter Kate and House of Harlow's Fall Lookbook Shows Off an Updated Take on '60s Cool

Marisa Tom — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 09:37:00 PDT

Fall may seem like a far-off cry from the season in bloom, but we couldn't help but take a peek (and lust over) Nicole Richie's latest Winter Kate and House of Harlow autumnal wares. With Richie's signature brand of bohemian-luxe style ever present, we were delighted to note an edgier (read: rich jewel tones, plush velvet textures, and slick lasercut details) vibe in place. The collection is chock-full of '60s-inspired pieces - sheer herringbone blouses, wide-leg pants, and a plethora of oversize round sunglasses to start - that evoke a structured, geometric retro feel (hello Mad Men!) more than ever. Come chillier temps, we can't wait to rock an eclectic House of Harlow bone-wrap cuff with one of Winter Kate's vintage-looking pencil dresses. To tide us all over, we've pulled our top three looks below, then make sure to check out the rest of the Fall '12 looks in the slideshow.

Winter whites are a cold-weather staple, and to prove our point, we'll be wearing this ultrasheer white maxi dress with a quirkier set of accessories.
It's all about the Swinging Sixties for Fall '12, and what better way to capture the essence of that stylish era than with a distinct geometric print.
Update your floral obsession with an antiqued rose-print sheath - it's ladylike, sophisticated, and will look great against a luxe faux fur coat.

Mystery Date: the Board Game That Inspired Last Night's Mad Men Title

Tara Block — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:15:00 PDT

We're all well-versed in '90s board games for girls, but did you know there was popular '60s board game that inspired the title of last night's Mad Men episode (and had a cameo in a commercial on the show)? "Mystery Date" is a board game for girls ages 6 to 14, and there have been several newer versions since the first one came out in 1965 - the year before this season of Mad Men is set. The object of the board game is to be all dolled up for your romantic rendezvous by getting your hands on three matching cards to put together your outfit, which needs to match your man and the type of date you'll be going on. To find out who your date is you spin the handle on the "mystery door" and open the door to find one of four date options plus a "dud" (a disheveled and dirty guy): the formal dance date, the bowling date, the beach date, and the skiing date. If your outfit doesn't match your date's, the play continues to the next player.

While the dating board game is lighthearted, the name takes on a much darker overtone from what it references in last night's episode, the worst kind of unknown caller at your door. The show centers on the fascination and fear, especially from the women, of real-life serial killer Richard Speck's systematic rape and murder of eight female student nurses from a Chicago hospital on July 14, 1966. The mass murderer broke into the hospital and held nine nurses captive in a room while he took each out one by one and tortured, raped, then killed all but one. The lone surviving nurse saved herself by hiding under the bed, another theme carried through the Mad Men episode. This horrific killing is an interesting historical 1966 event to base an episode on, but we have to wonder what the further ramifications were for women during the era. We see all generations from Sally to Peggy to her grandmother handle the fear in different ways - including wielding a knife and hiding under the couch - did this mark the end of the friendly, trust-your-neighbor mentality of the '50s and early '60s? Is this when society stopped trusting the mystery date at the door?

Photo courtesy of AMC

For a better glimpse of the Mystery Date board game, keep reading.

Buzz Blabber: Chloe Moretz Can Carry Carrie

BuzzSugar — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 03:05:00 PDT

It was a big week for pop culture and from the looks of the comments, there was a lot to discuss. The season five premiere of Mad Men got everyone "Zou Bisou Bisou"-ing, Klaus's reemergence on The Vampire Diaries was exciting to fans, and the news that Chloe Moretz snagged the titular role in the remake of Carrie got everyone weighing in. See what you had to say below!

The casting for the new Carrie could work

"I'd definitely say Chloe Moretz has the chops for the role and will add the needed credibility for a very solid supporting cast. I think the deciding factor is how dark [Kim] Peirce and [Roberto] Aguirre-Sacasa are allowed to go with the story." - Greg2495317
"Although Sissy Spacek gave a truly great performance, I see no reason to believe Miss Moretz isn't capable of doing equally as well, at least. The kid (no disrespect intended, Ma'am) has got serious chops as an actress. I doubt anyone would make a shabby B-Movie with an actress of her prestige." -R.d.2495359
"In my opinion, Chloe will do a great job. She did wonders and scared the hell out of me in Let Me In . . . She may do as good or better as Sissy Spacek. And I agree that Sissy should play her mother . . . so that way we could all say that whatever happens . . . she got it from her mom." - Jennifer2496458

See what else got your feathers ruffled after the jump.

Mad Men's Jessica Paré Dishes on Her Mrs. Draper Transformation

Jaime Richards — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:43:36 PDT

Mad Men's Jessica Paré (as Megan Draper) has set the Internet abuzz with her sultry, sassy rendition of "Zou Bisou Bisou," a French pop tune made popular by Sophia Loren and singer/actress Gillian Hills. The '60s-era single can even be purchased on iTunes, helping to make the Canadian actress an overnight sensation. With a record-breaking 3.5 million viewers tuning in to the series's much-anticipated return on Sunday, it's obvious the gracious star's newfound success won't be stopping here.

The grandest, most obvious change for Megan this season is the addition of a wedding band on her ring finger. Now that she's Mrs. Draper (take "three"), it's with great certainty we'll be seeing more complexity to one of the show's most winsome characters. "She has a little bit more money to spend," Jessica explains. But that's not all she has to say about the big transition from Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce's receptionist to copywriter/Don's wife. See more on Megan now.

Source: WireImage

Toast Mad Men's Return With Cocktail Classics

Nancy Einhart — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:23:46 PDT

Thank goodness Mad Men is back on the air; any longer, and I might have taken up a three-martini lunch habit. The series aired its season five premiere last night, and I was giddy at the return of retro style and classic cocktails. Even as it evolves, the 1960s-set show always shines a compelling lens on American cocktail culture. Celebrate the return of this tribute to classic libations by mixing up a drink (or three) featured on the show.

Photo courtesy AMC; Photos: Flickr User wickenden and Nancy Einhart