So, this is kind of harmless and fun, the sort of thing that makes the Internet a place a joyous place to make fun of things: AskMen.com has ranked the top 49 most influential men of 2009, and Don Draper from “Mad Men” is #1. Number two is the world record-setting sprinter Usain Bolt. Number three is someone named Barack Obama.
The men of the Top 49 span multiple industries and countries; through their achievements, both personal and professional, they have inspired everyday guys in a variety of ways. They’re the men we look to as role models, and history will remember them as those who best embodied the way men aspired to live in 2009.
Yes, when history examines the masculine ideal of 2009, number one on the list will be a philandering fictional character two generations in the past. Number two is a dude who runs fast. Number three is the first black president of the United States. And yet… really, not such a bad list. I’m a lot more jealous of Don Draper than I am of Obama.
(full list begins here)
I loathe writing recaps of shows, but sometimes an episode deserves your attention whether you watch the show or not. That’s why I occasionally bring you Just the Badass Parts. Today: “Mad Men” episode 308, where “badass” means “sexy as hell.” The highlights, in no particular order:
Naturally, after all the sexiness and good times, the episode ended on a sharply bitter note, because any happiness the characters can attain is fleeting, and everyone is ultimately miserable. Hooray! Just like us!
People bitched yesterday because I didn’t write about the season premiere of “Mad Men” the day after it aired. Well taste a load of my wiener, because here’s the third “Mad Men”-related post of the day, suckas. Ask and you shall receive a cucumber in the butt.
Anyway, I’m posting this not to anally violate you with a cucmber-size dose of “Mad Men,” but because this is an excellent episode of Between Two Ferns. As always, Zach Galifianakis brings the capital-A awkward, and Hamm once again proves that he has comedic chops (the “30 Rock” guest stint was no fluke).
Galifianakis: The women in the show sure are very pretty.
Hamm: Yes, very much so.
Galifianakis: Do you… ever get around to fingering any of them?
Hamm: You mean like identifying them in a lineup?
Zach also brings up the Jon-Hamm-is-handsome subject, which confounds me. I mean, sure, he’s handsome, but he ain’t that handsome. Not like me in my fourth-grade school picture. Look at that part in my hair! Sharp as a razor!
[bohemea]
The long-awaited, highly anticipated Season 3 of “Mad Men” debuts this Sunday on AMC, and I will do my best to not cover every new promotional photo and interview as the media hype crests from “frenzied” into “overhyped.” Like, I’m looking forward to watching a new season of my favorite show, but let’s keep in mind that this is just television, people. It’s not something that affects the world on a meaningful level, like hybrid cars or a more realistic sex doll.
However, since two of my favorite things are “Mad Men” and pictures of attractive people, I do need to occasionally round up a bunch of photos and make a little “Mad Men” gallery from time to time. As such, here are Jon Hamm and January Jones as shot by Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair, plus bonus pictures of Christina Hendricks. Why? Because I’m fond of redheads with big cans, that’s why. Christina wore the black dress to the recent Season 3 premiere and the green dress to the AMC media party last month. And the wiener-looking dork is her fiance, AKA The Guy Who Freaked Out In Super Troopers. I haven’t been able to verify this, but he supposedly got that role because the Broken Lizard guys give one role to the first guy who shows up to audition. That was his break. Basically, he now has sex with Christina Hendricks because he showed up early one day.
Isn’t that a heartwarming story? By which I mean, doesn’t the bile overflowing from your gall bladder give you heartburn?
Yes, another “Mad Men” post. I’m sorry if you’re getting fatigued by “Mad Men” news. However, if you’re getting tired of Christina Hendricks pictures, you can hop on the next train to Rapetown (with stops in Getbentington and Eatadickburg).
Anyway, the combination of more Season 3 promo pictures (more pics below) with AMC’s press party for “Mad Men” (and “Breaking Bad”) — where the cast smoked as much as their characters — necessitates this update. And it seems as though Jon Hamm may have had a few drinks before chatting with the press. From Showtracker:
“If I can be so bold … AMC doesn’t have a track record,” [Hamm] said, replying to a question about whether AMC is a basic-cable pioneer. “They’re coming as blind as anybody else. And they came in at it as, ‘We would like to make a television show that tells a really great story.’ And that’s actually the way to determine how to make a television show as opposed to, ‘We would like to make a television show that makes a lot of money.’ I think we’re seeing not the greatest way to do television unless you like Fat Dance Camp or whatever is on NBC at 8 p.m.”
A reporter followed up with an observation about “Mad Men” reflecting the classy ’60s. Hamm had plenty to say about that.
The next season of “Mad Men” begins in a month, and if that doesn’t get you the least bit excited then you an’ me is gonna have WORDS. Here we have the just-released poster for Season 3, and as you can see Don Draper is getting in too deep. Or maybe he’s in dangerous waters. He’s just trying to stay afloat? He’s going down with the ship? He’s flooded with new business? I don’t know, metaphors are hard. Maybe there’s just something wrong with the sprinkler system at Sterling-Cooper. “These fire drills are getting out of control!”
