Are you kidding me? A dozen brides-to-be compete for plastic surgery? Have we lost our minds thinking this is entertainment – or even acceptable? In an article in the LA Times, this latest “reality” show (From E! Entertainment Television) is referred to as “creepy” – and I couldn’t agree more. This is the worst of […]
Wedding Shmedding – Show Me the Money!
Some of us remember the spectacle of Charles and Diana’s wedding. We were glued to our televisions, with the sense that we were watching history – and equally – the unfolding of a love story. We were right on the former, but as for the latter – not so much. And here it is, thirty […]
IVF, Older Mothers, Emma Thompson, Aging Out
Howard’s End was on the tube last evening – a film I love, among other things, for two of my favorite British actors. Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins. Released in 1992, we see a lovely Thompson at age 33, and Hopkins, then 55. But I was bothered that I hadn’t seen her in many films […]
Mad Men Moves Us… to Tomorrowland: Season 4 Finale
Was Mad Men’s Season 4 Finale a fitting close to a spectacular season? You bet. And one that moved us quickly through the growing pains of the new business, and the renewed lives of the characters we love. Some managed to uncover new versions of themselves, or as Don might say, at least they’re trying. […]
Dear Mathew Weiner… Please Give Us More Betty
Dear Matt Weiner, Yes, we know it’s Mad Men, but you’ve given us much to savor in the women, except for one. Exactly. Betty Draper Francis. Sure, we fell for her charm and beauty in the beginning. Perfect for the Kennedy era Camelot. Typical of the Alfred Hitchcock heroine. We tolerated her cool, and at […]
Mad Men Season 4 Episode 12: Blowing Smoke
The agency is going down fast. The loss of Lucky Strike means half their business is gone. Don sums it up when a $5 million prospect pulls a no show: We’re desperate. They can smell it on us. Mad Men‘s “Blowing Smoke” is a study in desperation and dependence, loss of power and a need […]
Mad Men: Sand, Sex, and Chinks in the Chinese Wall
A touch of sand It’s just an innocent ride home from Jones Beach, right? A little bit of sand clinging to Peggy’s skin. A crowded car. Peggy is jammed onto Abe’s lap as he strokes her arm, brushing off the sand. Is that sunburn on her face, or the undeniable color of chemistry? Right. They […]
Mixing My Martini, Musing on My Mad Men. . .
What day of the week is it across the country? Mad Men Day, of course. And while it isn’t quite evening yet, it’s approaching cocktail hour in my neck of the woods. Why not get a jump on the festivities? I’ve had a productive weekend, albeit sans my favorite role as provocateur, or should I […]
Precarious Pairings: Mad Men Episode 10 (Hands and Knees)
A couple, embracing in a moment of intimacy. Both are seemingly on the same page, sure of their world, their judgments of others. Pete and Trudy share a moment. “Just remember. Everything’s good here,” she says, as her husband proudly rubs her pregnant belly. In an episode of Mad Men where our favorite characters find […]
Beautiful Girls Make Fascinating Fodder: Mad Men Season 4 Episode 9
Sure, they’re beautiful. Joanie, Peggy, Faye – even little Sally Draper who may be a child, but seems increasingly well-versed in the ways of the world. She isn’t Betty’s daughter for nothing. Mad Men’s “The Beautiful Girls” follows two dynamite episodes, and wriggles its way through with the usual dramatic turns and a healthy hint […]